Mick McGuane: Big-name off-season recruits, who’s firing and who’s floundering
With a month of footy done, we’ve got every big recruit rated so far, and the Pies’ gamble on Tom Mitchell has already paid dividends. Check out if your club has got bang for its buck.
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A month of footy is in the books and as the teams jet into Adelaide for Gather Round, whether they’ve had bang for buck from their big name recruits has got plenty talking.
Mick McGuane runs his rule over the recruits – who’s roaring, and who needs a rev-up?
DYNAMIC DEMON
Two words come to mind for Brodie Grundy over the past few weeks. “Scary good.”
There was so much talk about how he’d combine with Max Gawn, but in the absence of the Demons injured captain, Grundy’s relishing the added responsibility.
The last fortnight has hallmarks of his 2019 All-Australian year. It’s scary, the comparison, and he’s trending upwards.
His follow-up work has always been a treasured asset and tackles well as a consequence.
What must improve is his aerial presence around the ground and his hit outs to advantage to the likes of Clayton Oliver and Christian Petracca. At times he becomes too heavy handed when directing the ball to his mids.
Where he’s heading justifies the reasons as to why the Demons got him at the end of last year.
Lachie Hunter plays mostly as a winger and it’s a difficult role to master. At times, it’s an unrewarded role because you’re running up and down the ground either sliding back to support your defence or pressing aggressively towards your forward line to cover exits that the opposition want to go through. He’s always going to get high uncontested numbers, as he reads the play well, understands width and finds space easily. Discipline is a key element of his role and he is doing it beautifully.
PUNT ROAD PAIR
Tim Taranto and Jacob Hopper have both signed lucrative contracts to be a part of Richmond’s future. In some people’s eyes they haven’t lived up to expectations after a month of footy.
Taranto is an inside bull with a great work ethic. My biggest concern centres around his creativity when he gets the ball. His ball use is questionable. Richmond need him to produce more with his disposals, especially when it comes to his inside 50s or even shots at goal.
Of his 13 kicks inside 50 he is only operating at a 31% retention rate. That’s not good enough
When you’ve got Prestia, Taranto, Hopper and Cotchin, playing on ball together they become a bit pedestrian.
What is their point of difference? That’s why Shai Bolton is a must addition to what is a like for like midfield. He is the point of difference they desperately need.
Hopper had a chequered preparation and his strengths are his contested ball and clearance-winning ability. He clearly hasn’t reached his optimum levels just yet so his next month’s output will be telling as the Tigers need to improve their consistency in relation to the stoppage game.
Unfortunately for Taranto and Hopper they have lost their co-captain and best ruckman in Toby Nankervis for a lengthy period and will be relying on an inexperienced and undersized Samson Ryan to give them first use.
DOGGED START
Rory Lobb has played three games as a Bulldog but has so far left his mojo behind in Perth.
He was recruited as a second key forward to support Aaron Naughton but also offer ruck relief to Tim English.
As a seasoned, match-hardened 30-year-old he should be grabbing games by the throat. His competitiveness is still not as consistent as it should be.
Jamarra Ugle-Hagan is producing with 13 shots at goal – and he’s just a kid. Lobb has only had two inside 50 marks and kicked only 3.1. He looks detached from the game at the moment.
For Lobb to maximise the assets he has, its pretty simple – he must get competitive and start launching at the ball and rewards will come.
Up the other end, Liam Jones’ return to the AFL was always going to be a challenge but he’s finding his feet and is really starting to adjust to the speed of the game again.
His greatest strengths are either his intercepting ability or how he influences marking contests through disciplined spoils. His confidence is growing the more he plays and will only continue to improve. That’s a positive for the Bulldogs going forward.
MAGIC MITCHELL
Tom Mitchell’s output in the first month of footy has only validated as to why he was recruited to Collingwood. He has helped improve two glaring issues the Magpies had in their game style and that was winning clearances and contested possessions.
He is averaging almost 50% of his disposals in contested situations and averaging over 6 clearances per game.
But it’s the flow-on effects of his addition that I’m enjoying most.
He’s delivering when it comes to his work with the ball, but it’s what his inclusion has done for the likes of Taylor Adams.
It’s allowing Adams to spend more time in attack but the win is when he comes on ball, Adams appears fresher and therefore can provide greater effort and intensity for longer in the midfield.
Dan McStay has good mobility and his aerial work is adequate, but I reckon he leads on tram tracks – too straight and those types are easy to defend against. He needs to cut or zig and zag more often in an attempt to derail his opponent.
Bobby “The Builder” Hill has been an inspired addition to the team. His energy and spirit is infectious.
Nicknamed after his favourite TV show as a kid, he is making the most of his opportunities.
Goal sense is talent based but it’s Hill’s ability to connect with his new teammates that is proving invaluable.
CLEVER CROW
Is there a better player to watch at the moment than Izak Rankine? If so, I’d love to know who he is.
He looks invested and is playing with great energy, reflex and instinct.
He is so dangerous around goal – he’s kicked 11.8 to this stage of the year and he can get you in a variety of ways.
On the lead. Out the back. Out of a stoppage.
If you snooze, you lose against this bloke. He can find space in a phone box.
His mind is quick and he will improvise to make something out of nothing and invariably gets it right. His tackling pressure is understated and is forcing opposition defenders to make poor or rushed decisions as they are aware he is in the area.
In footy, some players wonder what happened, others watch things happen and the best make things happen. Rankine is firmly in the latter category.
POWERING ON
Last year wasn’t easy for Jason Horne-Francis. Nor did it appear he made it easy for himself, at times, either.
As a top draft pick and now at his second club in as many years, Horne-Francis appears settled and determined.
He made a hard decision to get back to his home state and be the prized recruit and he has attacked the first four rounds with the venom I expected.
He’s competitive and he wants the ball in his hands. He is a clean ball handler and is explosive out of congested situations. He has the capacity to change the fortunes of a game in a heartbeat. I might be wrong but I genuinely believe he wants to be a great of the game and will make the right decisions to become that player.
You can’t ask for much more than that.
TALL ORDER
Questions were raised over Luke Jackson’s first two games in purple, and they were fair.
His aerial work was not where it should have been as his timing and anticipation was off.
As a consequence, he couldn’t influence the game little own the scoreboard.
And that’s what the Dockers need of him.
In the short to medium term, the opportunity is there for Jackson to cement himself alongside Matthew Taberner as their key forward targets. Fremantle desperately need these big fellas to work in tandem and become marking options in attack. They need to start kicking goals as they can’t purely rely on their smaller types to lead the way in the goal kicking stakes.
Yes, he’s got rucking ability but it’s more about what they currently need. The Dockers need a presence in front of the ball.
Right now, who is the Tom Lynch, Taylor Walker, or Jeremy Cameron of this team? It needs to be Luke Jackson.
FORWARD THINKING
Former Bulldog Josh Dunkley’s move north has seen him used primarily as a contested inside midfielder. He complements Lachie Neale and takes some heat off him at stoppages and adds defensive integrity to the Lions midfield group as he is a tackling machine and their best pressure player.
The season is a long one so I’d encourage Chris Fagan to consider where else the ex-Dog’s assets lie.
He doesn’t need a map to the forward 50 – he knows exactly where it is and what to do once he gets there.
His current role in the team is important but he can also provide a point of difference as a forward when the likes of Zac Bailey or Cam Rayner go on ball.
Dunkley is yet to kick a goal in his new colours. I’ve always admired those players that can influence the scoreboard either when playing on ball or when they push forward. He kicked a credible 18 goals 11 behinds last year and was a worthy winner of the Bulldogs Best & Fairest award.
Is there a trend evolving that he’s not going to spend much time forward as a Lion? I hope not!
TICKS AND CROSSES
BLAKE ACRES has been a very solid contributor in Carlton colours. He is extremely fit, experienced and selfless when it comes to his wing role.
The education piece that willingly comes from an experienced teammate to a youngster like Ollie Hollands who plays the same role should never be underestimated.
WILL SETTERFIELD stands out as one of the competition’s best moneyball recruits.
The Bombers were screaming for a tall, big-bodied inside mid to work with Merrett, Parish and Shiel – and he’s added that different dynamic that Essendon fans have been asking for four years.
Let’s not forget he was a highly touted youngster that went pick number 5 in his draft year. He’s taking everything before him right now at his third club, and it’s great to see.
LIAM STOCKER is blossoming under the coaching of Ross Lyon due to the faith and opportunities that have been given to him.
A coach that is prepared to display faith in a young player can get amazing results. It’s the circuit breaker needed and sometimes that’s all it takes.
Sam Mitchell and Hawthorn needs more from KARL AMON
His offensive attributes read well. That’s great – but as we all know the work one does without the footy is also important.
Amon is a reluctant contributor when it comes to applying tackle pressure. He’s only had five.
He has leg speed and reads the play well so there is no excuse for his limited defensive intent.
When you’re putting your hand out at a new club, it’s not all about one side of the ball.
As Leigh Matthews used to always tell us – if you’ve got speed there is no excuse not to chase and tackle.
Originally published as Mick McGuane: Big-name off-season recruits, who’s firing and who’s floundering
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