2012 the year of positional change ups

[The F.A.R.K.]

I belive the new thing in afl 2012 will be multi positional players. Gone are the days where you would be given a position when you debut and saty their until you retire. That has slowly been phased out over the last decade and now i reckon the next thing will be players playing multiple positions around the ground. Just like bowlers needing to be able to bat in modern day cricket, versitality around the ground will be needed to secure your spot in a teams structure. We have already had coaches come out preseason and tell us bucket loads of players who "might get time up foward" or who is "set for a run on the wing". You could say this has been going on for years but I belive 2012 will be the year when it really kicks into gear and majority of players in a team have 2 to 3 roles in the side

[Windigo]

When you look at most big forwards now days they do a lot more than stand in the goal square and demand the ball right on their head.  :P

So yah, they have to be more flexible or they will never cut it at AFL.

[The F.A.R.K.]

Yeah. I just see it that players like buddy will have to spend time in the centre and ect.

It will be like the development of all rounders in cricket but in footy

[AndrewY]

Actually running backs like Shaw who can be on the wing at a centre bounce will be even more valuable

[Colliwobblers]

I get what your saying and agree it would be handy, but you need to be buddy or "the old" nroo to be a tall fwd that is any use elsewhere, too slow for the midfield too far too reach down :)

I agree the half fwd to half back players should and one day will be able to be "all rounders" playing all positions, but master of one position had to be better than jack of all trades, and as for tall forwards and tall defenders they have their purpose also and i see it staying for ever.

Not even Buddy has a chance of competing with the likes of Ball or Dal Santo or Swan, a little chance of competing with Pendles and Thomas and the likes but really?

[Purple 77]

Think even if Franklin, Cloke, Shaw, etc are used in midfield, they need to be classifield only as forwards or backs. Otherwise it will be teams just picking midfielders.