The Rumours Thread

[Dorothy the Winowhore]

Is switching the fullback with a winger or centre during attack and defence not an option anymore? I have seen that done previously.

 

[Dorothy the Winowhore]

Exactly.. injuries but huge potential and is a goer

Blore is a monster with mongrel. Just what we need among our forwards.....but yes, poor injury record unfortunately

 

[redandwhite4evr]

Lomax has not got the passing game or pace Sloane has to play fullback regardless of the defensive and error upside ATM and Lomax likes to shimmy shimmy the defence. Sloane I agree needs competition to compete but Lomax has more value at centre for me if he gets good early and clean ball

Like you BL, I'm willing Sloan to succeed at FB because he's just so good to watch when in full flight but he is showing disturbing signs of contact anxiety- a fatal flaw in any player but particularly for a full-back left alone to defend by himself and, usually, compete in the air for high balls. He may need psych support before he engages in skills development.
Hard to coach a disregard for self-preservation into a player.

 

[lombard]

I am not sure buying outcasts from the tigers and bulldogs will really lift us that much. Though can’t say I have seen much of Blore

I think a Blore captained the panthers sg ball winning team so obviously huge potential but 2 ACL injuries, one to each knee and one of them at the start of 2022 pre season is a concern.

 

[Old Timer]

Is switching the fullback with a winger or centre during attack and defence not an option anymore? I have seen that done previously.

No Zac you can’t play FB in attack because Sloan has all the attacking skills.

Well Zac you have to play FB in defence because Sloan has no defensive skills, can’t catch and can’t take a hit up so you have to do all donkey work for him because he can’t do it.

Love to be a fly on the wall for that conversation.

 

[since77]

Sloan admittedly has some big issues with his defence. Guess what would fix about 80% of that problem? Beef up the embarrassing powder puff forward pack that gets holes driven through it every week and get the edges defending correctly. Sloan misses a crap load of tackles he should never have to be making if the rest of the team did its job even vaguely competently.
Bulk him up, coach him proactively during the offseason and FFS put a better defensive structure in front of him. Gee that might actually work……

 

[redandwhite4evr]

Sloan admittedly has some big issues with his defence. Guess what would fix about 80% of that problem? Beef up the embarrassing powder puff forward pack that gets holes driven through it every week and get the edges defending correctly. Sloan misses a crap load of tackles he should never have to be making if the rest of the team did its job even vaguely competently.
Bulk him up, coach him proactively during the offseason and FFS put a better defensive structure in front of him. Gee that might actually work……

Well- you left out the aversion to high balls when the defence is on him but what you said is definitely part of the solution- just not the whole solution.

 

[Coffs dragon]

Sloan admittedly has some big issues with his defence. Guess what would fix about 80% of that problem? Beef up the embarrassing powder puff forward pack that gets holes driven through it every week and get the edges defending correctly. Sloan misses a crap load of tackles he should never have to be making if the rest of the team did its job even vaguely competently.
Bulk him up, coach him proactively during the offseason and FFS put a better defensive structure in front of him. Gee that might actually work……

Spot on as we have the worst pack of forwards in the comp & a halfback that runs sideways.
Fullback is least of our problems!
Get some big mongrel props for starters & 2 flyers on the wings should be the start, after the chaff is discarded.

 

[Dorothy the Winowhore]

No Zac you can’t play FB in attack because Sloan has all the attacking skills.

Well Zac you have to play FB in defence because Sloan has no defensive skills, can’t catch and can’t take a hit up so you have to do all donkey work for him because he can’t do it.

Love to be a fly on the wall for that conversation.

I have seen that tactic used at times with Mark Gasnier, and Anthony Minichiello. But, silly me....thinking their coach at the time may know more about tactics than you.

 

[since77]

Well- you left out the aversion to high balls when the defence is on him but what you said is definitely part of the solution- just not the whole solution.

Yep that’s definitely an issue too. I have no idea why the coaching staff aren’t drilling this skill into him for large chunks of each training week.

 

[Dragons4me]

Sloan admittedly has some big issues with his defence. Guess what would fix about 80% of that problem? Beef up the embarrassing powder puff forward pack that gets holes driven through it every week and get the edges defending correctly. Sloan misses a crap load of tackles he should never have to be making if the rest of the team did its job even vaguely competently.
Bulk him up, coach him proactively during the offseason and FFS put a better defensive structure in front of him. Gee that might actually work……

Finally the voice of reason. Great post!

 

[Old Timer]

Sloan admittedly has some big issues with his defence. Guess what would fix about 80% of that problem? Beef up the embarrassing powder puff forward pack that gets holes driven through it every week and get the edges defending correctly. Sloan misses a crap load of tackles he should never have to be making if the rest of the team did its job even vaguely competently.
Bulk him up, coach him proactively during the offseason and FFS put a better defensive structure in front of him. Gee that might actually work……

And I suppose the side on tackles where he gets brushed off by powder puff's like Saab aren't part of the everyday FB role?

 

[Old Timer]

I have seen that tactic used at times with Mark Gasnier, and Anthony Minichiello. But, silly me....thinking their coach at the time may know more about tactics than you.

Such a successful methodology you had to go back to Gasnier & Minichello to give examples and TBH would love to know the point taht you are actually trying to make.

Are you suggesting that Minichello had to go to centre and Gasnier to FB in SOO?

The game has changed markedly & long moved on re tactics from when they played.

 

[Dorothy the Winowhore]

Such a successful methodology you had to go back to Gasnier & Minichello to give examples and TBH would love to know the point taht you are actually trying to make.

Are you suggesting that Minichello had to go to centre and Gasnier to FB in SOO?

The game has changed markedly & long moved on re tactics from when they played.

Dufty / Widdop?

Anyway, none of your concern after the next 5 weeks

 

[Dorothy the Winowhore]

Besides, I am not saying it is something I want to see happen. Just that it is a tactic previously used to strengthen last line defences. Personally, I would rather see Sloan not selected in 1st grade unless or until he fixes his deficiences.

 

[Mojo]

Oddly enough, Sloan isn't the worst FB defender in the comp. I saw a stat somewhere that there are three FB's with worse defensive records. All three happen to be seen as great attacking players. It's obviously true that our line is easily broken, so our FB faces more defensive challenges than normal. It's also a fact that a lot of teams adopt the 'let the ball bounce' tactic these days. Despite all of this though, if Sloan wants to be a great FB he's going to have to develop as a fearsome defender, a freak under the high ball and a great reader of the attack so that he comes into the line when the opportunity is there. At this stage in his development he has a long way to go on all of these. Hopefully the coaching staff nail it and he becomes the great player we all envision.

 

[JubileeJeffro]

Sloan admittedly has some big issues with his defence. Guess what would fix about 80% of that problem? Beef up the embarrassing powder puff forward pack that gets holes driven through it every week and get the edges defending correctly. Sloan misses a crap load of tackles he should never have to be making if the rest of the team did its job even vaguely competently.
Bulk him up, coach him proactively during the offseason and FFS put a better defensive structure in front of him. Gee that might actually work……

How would you describe both his misses on a Jason Saab… not sure the forward can help him there.

 

[JohnnoMcJohnno]

Dufty was still doing that at 25. Even Drinkwater was cast aside by Melbourne when young. Edwards has just come on past 2-3 years. Yes very few do have it at early age (sub 21) and Yes Sloane needs improvement but he is still young. There is a bit of time left

The good ones have it at an early age. Josh Dugan debuted at 19, Tedesco debuted at 19, Darren Lockyer 20, Papenhuyzen for Melbourne at 20, Turbo Tom 20, Dylan Edwards 20, Reece Walsh only turned 21 this year. The difference is that all of them showed a lot more capability and determination at an early age than what Sloane has. I no longer see an upside in Sloane at fullback, he simply hasn't improved one bit, and I really don't know why we're perservering with him.

 

[TheRev]

Stats aren't all that accurate to rank fullbacks.. it happened with Dufty too.. its not a missed tackle if you dont actually attempt it.. and its not a dropped bomb if you stop running so you don't have to attempt the catch, and so forth.

 

[since77]

And I suppose the side on tackles where he gets brushed off by powder puff's like Saab aren't part of the everyday FB role?

Of course. Go back and actually read what I said. First sentence literally said he had issues with his defence. Blind as well as old are we?