anyone have any idea why this guy is not getting a game?He apparently is playing pretty well for west perth and with the injury to grover surely he will come into contention next week.

kepler is not a backman.

rubbish! I watched him play a lot here before he was drafted and he is very versatile at both ends of the ground.He also spent a lot of time down back at essendon.Not much point in drafting him if ther'e not going to play him,especially after whats been happening.

He's not, according to those who watch a bit, laying that well at WAFL level and could have a niggly injury.

If we see him this year, I reckon it'll be limited time. He's a long term project and not, from what I hear, ready to step into Grover's fairly substantial shoes.

When I was thinking about the defensive problem with Fremantle against Melbourne, during the week, I did wonder about Bradley. I know he says he wants to play in the forward line but he's got some defensive abilities and, with hindsight, I wonder if he may have been a good inclusion. I've seen a couple of his WAFL games on tv and he wasn't all that impressive but I'd certainly like to see him given a run in front of a Murphy or Campbell who, let's face it, are pretty much full forwards in a team where the position has been filled.

Really, the Pav?

Who's our full forward?

Chris Tarrant. The sooner people learn to accept that, the better our forward line will operate.

Hmmmm...

without being privy to how the coaching panel see Taz's role, I've always felt he's better off away from goals. I like the idea of him up the ground, something like Pav's game. With those two running around out in space, either of Murphy, Campbell, resting ruckman or even Dessie can cause havoc operating as a 'normal' full forward.

As for Hipless Kepler, though, I remain convinced that he's not ready, which is enough to see him named and do well this week.

You may like the idea but it's nonsense. If they move up the ground put Thornton or McPharlin or Headland if you like. Class players.

As for defenders. You can put any old rubbish down there to fill the gaps as long as they have size and support. Ideally you'd have a fit and registered Robbie Haddrill involved but, beggars can't be choosers.

Why is it nonsense?

Just because Taz has been played out of the square doesn't mean it's his best spot. I present Richo as supporting evidence. I presume those names you have are supplementary forwards? Thornton might be an interesting diversion at FF but it would waste his run which we need coming out of defense,

which segues into,

defenders are far more important than putting any old rubbish down there. You start attacking from Full Back these days. Look at Scarlett, premiership Full Back and a key component in a premiership attack.

Back to topic again... Hipless ain't ready.

He was pretty good a couple of weeks ago when they were on the idiot box. Probably best for the Cardies that day. All over the ground and finding plenty of the ball. Definitely didn't play as a defender though.

Richo on the wing is yet another example of why Wallace is a better salesman than he is a coach.

Playing him on the wing is just a way of breaking a tag. Unsettling the opposition by making it hard for them to set up a multiperson defence against what is essentially one of the best full forwards of the past decade.

As a midfielder, he is middle of the road. It's only a success in the sense that Richo is able to return to full forward at kick goals, without having to deal with a permanent gorilla hanging off his back.

He's still a full forward. Now tell me this...who of Tarrant, Murphy and Campbell could fill the same role? The rest are dinosaurs. Young dinosaurs but dinosaurs nevertheless.

Richo is accumulating useful possessions up the ground at a rate that would shame a few midfielders. He's more than a salesman's patter, he's a freak. His height helps him hold down FF but he's done a lot of his best work on the run out around the 50.

Not many Full Forwards get tagged.

Taz, and Richo, are not Full Forwards. Neither is Pav. Luke MacPharlin is the best FF we've got.

With the greatest respect, mr smiley, I beg to differ. I'm with The Pav on this one. To the extent that Luke's a FF at all, he's of the old school variety. Lead if you have to, though never more than 20m from the goal square, and always back yourself to outmark the FB. But he's a far, far more damaging beast in our backline.

For the life of me, I don't understand why we don't play Taz at (nominal) FF and Pav at (nominal) CHF. Week in, week out. These days all that would mean is that the forward line would belong to Pav, but Taz would stay closer to goal. I think we're far more dangerous with Pavlich in front of Tarrant than we are the other way around.

As for Murphy ... who's he?

The Fruit's 10-goal effort for the Cardies, though, shouldn't go unacknowledged. But that doesn't make him the best FF option in the seniors.

I like the Fruit. I just don't know where we can play him.

If you're going to reward Kiwi for a grest game with 10 goals, then that is where he needs to play - near the goals.

As for Kepler Bradley, I'm happy for him to stay in the wafl until he can perform consistently well and with depth to play in various positions - not just "he used to play back so he can cover for grover." He's been in the afl system for many years now and has to earn his spot in the team.

What I'm saying is that I don't rate Taz as a full forward and getting the best out of him involves either a compromise, or some creative thinking regarding where he does play.

Having someone like the Fruit steaming out of the square is a useful compromise as he's a damaging player who demands decent cover... leaving Taz and Pav free to do more damage.

The irony is I believe we got Taz to act as a decoy for Pav. I don't think Taz has the mental game to hold down FF.

I suspect you're right about our reasons for getting Taz, but I also think it's selling Tarrant short to think of him only as a 'decoy'. He's a quality key forward who plays his best footy (for mine) in and around the goal square, though he's more than capable of playing up the ground as well.

Taz needs to be treated as a key target in the forward line. If the selectors treat him that way, I think he'll repay the faith.

(Which is another way of saying that I think he's a bit of a head case -- like many great forwards -- who needs to be handled with care.)

I'm with you Smiley. Taz has a lot to offer when he is on the run, especially when Captain Solo is there with him. Those two are as close as brothers knowing where each other is. It also seems to give Taz the confidence to kick the odd goal when he runs.

I'm with guy, I have never liked Tarrant being played out of the goal square. He has amazing endurance, and for that to mean anything he has to play further up the ground. It seems quite obvious that Taz is struggling with his goal kicking, but his field kicking is still good. So get Tarrant to play a lead up CHF role and kick the ball into the 50.

I would like to see Kiwi leading from the goal square, Pav working inside the forward 50 and Tarrant leading up the ground and occasionally leading back to the goal square.

Back to Kepler Bradley, I think he is a bit of a project player. Yes, it's his fourth or so year in the AFL, but he still needs some work. At Essendon he never played where he should or where he wanted. Develop him as a wing/forward in the WAFL this year, and next year he will be more than ready to take the next step.

I haven't made my mind up on a position for Kepler and I probably won't until we see him in a purple jumper. it's hard to judge how he is progressing and how he will fit into the side until he actually gets a game.

Watching him before he was drafted and while he was at Essendon we can see it is very hard for him to fill just one position. He has various attributes that make him a viable option in many positions but to pick one is difficult. Using him as a utility is therefore very tempting and at the moment that'd be my preferred option.

Taz is a FF/HF who should be allowed to roam the forwardline as well as up the ground when supply is lacking. Regardless of his best position, he is a starter in any side.