Gilbert forward

[hungry for a premiership]

I liked SW move of throwing Gilbo forward vs Fremantle.

He's always looked v. dangerous as a forward. He kicked that critical goal when he was thrown forward in 2010 GF 1, and last night he took some nice marks up there and bagged a couple of goals.

He's a funny one with his kicking, too, because we all know his strike rate coming from defence is pretty sub-standard, but, funnily enough, I've observed that when you put him in front of the big sticks he usually puts it through. He's like the antithesis to Riewoldt (though it must be said Roo has slightly improved his goalkicking this year).


All of a sudden we have a plethora of attacking options, both in the 22 and on the sidelines: Roo, Milne, Schneiderman, Kozi, Stanley, Milera, McEvoy, BJ, Gilbert, Sippos, Markworth. Was Walsh really such a loss? Time will tell...

Conversely, at the other end, we don't have a good mix, with a 5 gamer forced to hold down FB and group of medium-talls who while all solid individually (Fish, Dempst, Blake, Gwilt, and now also Geary who looks good), aren't quite a versatile enough mix collectively to handle the diversity of attacking threats that opposing teams pose.

Maybe a player like Gilbert could be used to counter this imbalance somehow through using him as an attacking option, taking out his opponent by being an attacking option himself, or something like that.

Thoughts?

[Con Gorozidis]

i like him going fwd also and a bit in the middle.
if we still had zac - gilbo could be a real weapon with his versatility going mid and fwd.
lets hope simpkin and gwilty can stand up down bacl and let gilbo worry the opposition.

[samoht]

We have the players like Gilbert who can also do well and so we have plenty of attacking options - probably more than other sides, so that's not the problem.

Our problem is we rely on the individual brilliance of our forwards - e,g, Riewoldt or Milne or Kosi to do something extraordinary on the individual level - whereas Freo got a lot of easy goals through coordinated attacks where the individuals did not count - what matters is three or 4 nameless forwards or midfielders working together, spreading, anticipating, coordinating together for the collective aim, to kick goals, not be individuals.

Freo's coordinated attacks started from the midfield and goals resulted after a wave of 4 or 5 players who knew how and when to spread - it was brilliant to watch and you thought wow that's a team after their goals not wow look at Riewoldt's work rate or how good was Kosi's mark etc...

that's what we need to do - stop being individuals and start learning the coordinated approach to kicking goals.

[bergholt]

that's what we need to do - stop being individuals and start learning the coordinated approach to kicking goals.

or vice versa. if kosi hadn't handpassed to cripps deep in the last quarter on friday night then he might have kicked the goal. as it was we got zero out of it. you gotta know when to hold em, know when to fold em.

[Cairnsman]

The unique thing about Gilbo is he looks like a spastic chicken when we wins the ball and takes off. He moves totally different to any other player and I reckon it's the unpredictability in his movement that makes him difficult to tackle and for that reason alone he should be a forward. Watching him try to slot goals could be as much fun as trying to kill a green pig in a game of angry birds. Mick Malthouse used the scatter gun approach in his offensive strategy to great effect. He had a lot of average players in that team that won GF2 but his swarm approach to goal worked and we could do the same thing with players like Gilbo that are good at winning the ball and jamming it on the boot. Just needs to be in the direction of goals.

[gringo]

The unique thing about Gilbo is he looks like a spastic chicken when we wins the ball and takes off. He moves totally different to any other player and I reckon it's the unpredictability in his movement that makes him difficult to tackle and for that reason alone he should be a forward. Watching him try to slot goals could be as much fun as trying to kill a green pig in a game of angry birds. Mick Malthouse used the scatter gun approach in his offensive strategy to great effect. He had a lot of average players in that team that won GF2 but his swarm approach to goal worked and we could do the same thing with players like Gilbo that are good at winning the ball and jamming it on the boot. Just needs to be in the direction of goals.

The last bit of play in that game had Gilbo streaming out of defence running with a near horizontal lean as he evaded at speed and kicked into Lenny. He is getting back to what we loved about him this year. Sidestepping rugby style, crab walking at speed around static players and moving super quick for a big guy. I like him around the ground but would be nice in a Pavlich, Goodes or kouta mid field role. Big evasive and quick makes a nice combo and his lopsided kicking is less exposed.

[bergholt]

The last bit of play in that game had Gilbo streaming out of defence running with a near horizontal lean as he evaded at speed and kicked into Lenny. He is getting back to what we loved about him this year. Sidestepping rugby style, crab walking at speed around static players and moving super quick for a big guy. I like him around the ground but would be nice in a Pavlich, Goodes or kouta mid field role. Big evasive and quick makes a nice combo and his lopsided kicking is less exposed.

aren't we worried about our lack of skills and surfeit of turnovers in the midfield? i can't imagine gilbo is going to improve that.

[Thinline]

If CJ can maintain a presence in the mddle, I see no reason why Gilbo can't.

But he's a necessary backman for now. Maybe be food for thought if/when Gwilty gets back?

[AnythingsPossibleSaints]

Watters has already been quoted as saying that if Simpkin is able to hold down full back, he wants to play Gilbert in the midfield more, when Gwilt comes back. I like it, as he would be tough to match up on there and gives us some good around-the-ground marking, as well as ferocious tackling around the ball, which is always welcome.

[gringo]

The last bit of play in that game had Gilbo streaming out of defence running with a near horizontal lean as he evaded at speed and kicked into Lenny. He is getting back to what we loved about him this year. Sidestepping rugby style, crab walking at speed around static players and moving super quick for a big guy. I like him around the ground but would be nice in a Pavlich, Goodes or kouta mid field role. Big evasive and quick makes a nice combo and his lopsided kicking is less exposed.

aren't we worried about our lack of skills and surfeit of turnovers in the midfield? i can't imagine gilbo is going to improve that.

My impression of Gilbert is he gets flustered under pressure occasionally and will snap out of bounds or shank a kick. His best footy is winning the loose ball and streaming forward, he freaks when flat footed and corralled in. He was great before any body rated him and he could play in space, as the 5th midfielder he is unlikely to be tagged and as a great tackler and evasive runner he could really dominate. His best work forward is as a surprise not a set position.

[AnythingsPossibleSaints]

Gilbert, like Goddard, is another who can be a weapon when pushing forward from the midfield, as whoever is playing on him (on the wing) is unlikely to compete well with him in the air, when he does that, which gives us a potential mismatch inside our F50 (when he pushes forward). I think he got at least one of his goals that way the other night and Goddard has taken a few marks inside 50 already this season when pushing forward from the middle.

[creepypolar]

But he has a 21.20 results from his shots at goals. dont know if this is set shots though

[AnythingsPossibleSaints]

His set shots for goal were good the other night and he is another who can kick them from 55, along with BJ, Kosi, Rhys and Siposs (when he's there).

[Griggsy]

I think it's good, his field kicking isn't always reliable and opposition know he can only kick with 1 foot. Think a lot of his recorded behinds are dashing shots from outside 50.

[creepypolar]

awesome! if he is accurate then i think this plan is great