We all need to chip in
Sharing the load with key forwards out
THERE’S going to be a bit of a different feel to our forward line this week.
No Tom Hawkins and no Daniel Menzel means there is a bit more pressure on us to step up and fill the gap left by our two leading goal kickers.
We are embracing that challenge. It’s not about one person standing up and kicking a bag of goals, it’s about the whole group doing their bit.
The best forward lines don’t rely on only one or two people to score their goals.
They share the load and that’s what makes them so hard to stop, because if you stop one then another will just pop up in his place.
Our forward line has been really good over the past couple of weeks and we are confident whoever plays down there can do a good job against Collingwood.
Esava Ratugolea continues to get better with every game he plays, he is getting more confident and starting to take some more marks.
Stewart Crameri will continue to get better every game.
James Parsons also comes back this week and we know he will come in and play his role.
Then we’ve also got a few mids, guys such as Gary Ablett, Patrick Dangerfield, Tim Kelly, Mitch Duncan and Sam Menegola who can all push forward and kick goals.
We’ve had a lot of faces rotate through the forward line this season.
It’s not always a bad thing. Having a handful of guys who can all get dangerous and kick goals will be crucial come finals.
You don’t want to have just six guys play forward all year and then someone gets an injury and you’re forced to throw someone into a big game or final who hasn’t played a game all season.
So while the ins and the outs can be a little bit frustrating earlier in the year, I’m sure it will have its rewards later. ON a different note, we’re excited to see Lincoln McCarthy and Quinton Narkle make their returns from long term injury in the VFL side tomorrow.
After training yesterday Quinton, Linc, Sam Simpson and Harry Taylor — four guys who have battled injury this season — all got up in front of the playing group in the team meeting.
We acknowledged them and Scotty said a few kind words about them all as well, he talked about how hard they worked through their injuries and told them just to go out there with no worries.
I had a coffee with Quinton yesterday and he said his goal was to never miss a game again, that’s how much he missed it. Linc has said he has struggled to sleep the past few days, that’s how excited he is. And I think the group is as excited to see Linc back.
I think he can have a big impact on the senior team when he gets back, that’s how highly I rate him.
He could really go on and dominate if he can get his body right.
I played some junior games with him in South Australia and he tore games to bits. He is good on both sides of the body, can take a mark, he is a great athlete, too.
A big crew will head up the highway tomorrow to watch the guys make their return in the VFL. The game is a perfect time for us, it means we can watch the VFL and then head across to the MCG to get ready for our game.
Hopefully both of the guys enjoy their first hit out back.