To be quite honest Exceed, I don't buy into the whole poor recruiting myth. The last 2 flags were won by teams with a similar player group to what we have. A reasonable defense, a key forward and 3 good small/mid size forwards and a couple of elite midfielders. We have all that. Going back to the Hawks 3 flags, they won with a key forward and a couple of Fyfe/Mundy types to kick the goals (Gunston/Bruest ) and Rioli. None of those sides relied on a winning ruckman, which we have but they all played with a game plan to suit the players their recruiters had given them.
They all had big spaces through the middle for their mids and forwards to lead into (which allowed defenders to instinctively put the ball to space when under pressure). Our game plan relies on kicking to a pack on the wing and forcing a stoppage, to allow a couple of forwards to get to the 50. Sometimes we have to force 2 or 3 stoppages to allow this. The game plan falls down when either the opposition <fluke a mark> or we take the footy and try to drive straight into our forward line. Because of our midfield, we do win more of the quick footy across the middle than the game plan allows for, leading to the bomb forward or the 5 kicks sideways.
There is no point having Fyfe winning the ball in the middle at the moment. We are better off if he is winning it inside 50, that is where our weakness is at the moment. Get Blakely into the guts, he will win as much of the footy as Fyfe in there, and with the likes of Walters, Hills, Neale and any 1 of the new players around him will have options for his handpass clear of the pack , which is his strength.
Bring Tabs into the forward line equasion with Fyfe and Mundy down there and oppositions will have to make some real hard decisions which will cut back on their intercept marking options. I haven't mentioned the defense because it is the 1 area where we are in the ascendancy.
