TOPIC:

Can anyone tell us some more about Michael Pratt?

Article on club website PD.

smokey wrote:

Mad Dog wrote: Big call on Andrew Ruck being colts coach! As well as being an assistant at Perth last year didnt he player/coach Wongan Hills to a winless season?

I think that there is something to like about the new coaching structure.
Ruck and Williams handling the Colts
Panetta carrying on with the Ressies
Chance Bateman presumably looking after the midfield
Kade Lang presumably the defense
Michael Pratt looks like he will the specialist with the technology tools in a speciality role developing special relationships with the playing group. I do like the sound of this appointment.
Only need a forward line coach to complete the team.

But still need those recruits that we have all been talking about and wishing for.
Will there be some early Xmas presents under the tree?

Michael Pratt definitely seems to be a pretty well credentialed coach. Hopefully he can have a positive influence on the playing group.

Whatever happens in terms of recruiting from here on at least one player needs to be a key forward. Whether that's a player that we have heard of or some like a Matt Boland who no one really new much about but we need to at least get a key forward of some sort.

It is imperative that recruiting continues if we are serious about getting off the bottom.
We need a tall forward and a tall back and another hard midfielder.
Any players returning to the club are not recruits but top ups for depth.
We cannot go forward without recruiting further.
The board must support the football department totally.

By the sounds of it this will be Pratts first go at senior level as an assistant.

It looks like he knows his way around a laptop but how good he is on match day?
We will have to wait and see.
Our love affair with Peel continues.

I like Chance's appointment other than that im so so with the rest,time will tell i guess.

Couldnt agree more DF,unless the club can get those type of recruits you mention then nothing will change on-field.

30+ Pratt is an unknown quantity to us supporters but it does appear that he may bring a new and refreshing dimension to the coaching team. I find his resume very interesting but only time will tell how effective he will be.
I guess we have to trust the Football Dept on this one.
I think that we are all in agreement. If we don't go out and get the type of recruits that we desperately need then arrivaderci to 2016.

From reading his CV on the Perth website he seems like an interesting choice. I like the look of our colts coaching setup and have heard only good things about our Reserves coach. I think Pratt, Chance, and Kade make a reasonable team to have around Earl. I would like us to go out and got another young coach, however. Preferably one who has recently played in a WAFL premiership side. I wonder if Chance is being groomed to take over the league side? I know succession plans are trendy, maybe a bit too trendy, but I like the idea of developing coaches from within. It helps with stability.

I've not heard anymore rumours about players coming in, and while I understand that Jacobs is back, I've not had confirmation about one or two others that may be returning. I disagree with others, though. If someone like Risol or Lyndekkers was to come back in I think they would constitute gains. Especially from Earl's perspective.

PD i reckon guys like Risol and Lyendekers are gains only if we recruit quality in to compliment them.

Eg.Risol at Full Back and a quality tall defender recruited for Centre half Back that to me is a plus/gain for the team,just Risol at Full Back and its much of the same as when he was here before,doing the work for 2 tall defenders and eventually getting swamped by the opposition,thats my opinion others may have a different take on it.
Lyendekers is the classic case how much better will he be with an experienced guy like Angus Graham there?
As opposed to Lyendeckers doing the bulk of the work with limited or second rate back-up.
For mine with Graham there Lyendekers is a gain,without him its much of the same with little or no gain.

30+, do you think that with Angus Graham on board, and with the right support, it will free up Latch and Johnston (both talls) to settle into key defensive positions without being constantly switched onto the ball ?
I was impressed with Latch last season but he seemed to get very unsettled having to go onto the ball or go up forward at times.

Latch was impressive last year and if we can get another key defender like Risol for instance then Latch and Risol will be the key defenders with Johnston as the third tall and the ability to pinch hit here and there.