What is more important in building a side that can content for a premiership? Is it a key midfield like Scott Pendlebury, Gary Ablett and or Chris Judd or is it the key position player like Buddy Franklin, Travis Cloke and or Josh Kennedy? I ask as I just finished reading “Pendlebury off GWS hit-list” by Sports News First and I think GWS is onto something.
Yes the midfielders I mentioned are arguably better players than the key position players I mention (and Michael Hurley who is listed as a GWS target) but what is more important in building a side that can challenge for the premiership? Me? I think a key position player is more important…
GWS are targetting Travis Cloke & I think he is a more important player to GWS than what Scott Pendlebury could be.
Why? Well….
West Coast is my first good example. In the 2005-2006 grand final years they had the rolls royce midfield, in form and I doubt any other midfield in the modern era could challenge them including Brisbane’s ‘fab four’ and Geelong’s current age midfield. However they only won one premiership and lets face it, they were lucky to do that given the games margin. Sydney did not have a midfield that could challenged them one-on-one yet they had a key position player in Barry Hall who was in career best form. Fast forward to last year – 2011, West Coast midfield is blue chip at best but their strength is their key position players in Josh Kennedy and to a lesser extent Jack Darling and Quinten Lynch.
Another good example is the 2008 grand final, no doubt Geelong was the better side and had the edge in the midfield but their key position players up forward were average at best yet Hawthorn had Buddy, Rioli and Roughhead in career best goal kicking form (about 200 goals between the three).
Do you see my drift?
So while GWS have blue chip midfielders at the moment in Callum Ward and Rhys Palmer if they can land a Michael Hurley or a Travis Cloke I would suggest they have done better at building a side than Gold Coast (who got Gary Ablett jnr).
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