Team Changes for the Eagles

[TheHood]

In: Bevan
Out: Richards

I am not sure how much faith you can put in Teddy only because his position is not quite settled, seems to be playing loose and if Rossy does not want that tactic, then Teddy is dispensable.

[SimonH]

You couldn't fairly drop anyone from that 22 (well, you could always drop Mathews, but let's not go there yet again) for the Weagles game.

Fosdike had an absolute stinker yesterday despite the miracle goal (got a lot of it, but butchered it with monotonous regularity) but has been in pretty good form generally, so you wouldn't go dropping him on that one performance.

Ted is playing his best footy since turning up, appears to really have gelled with the rest of the team, and is an ideal 'medium-tall utility' benchwarmer who can plug gaps as they appear, whether it's playing a loose man in defence or something else. I agree, though, that if Roos wants to pursue a particular tactical game against the Weagles and he doesn't fit within it, he could be dispensable.

I regret to say that, even though Grundy has somethin', at this stage of his development he would almost inevitably get found out for pace and endurance at the big Subiaco.

If someone was to go, I can actually see the value of Bevan (or alternatively Phillips), but more as a running, negating 'forward' than a midfielder.

I really like the idea of playing Doyle up forward, at least part-time. It creates another option (the guy can take a grab), and minimises the ability of the opposition to double-(and even triple!)team BBBH when he drops back inside our 50. In terms of selection, you're getting a 2-for-1 as there's no question we have to play a 2nd ruckman anyway.

But, especially on a big ground, you can't play a relatively slow big man in the goalsquare without a fairly constant presence of fast crumbing and pressure-creating players; otherwise if he fails to take the grab, the Weagles will be able to waltz out of defence under little pressure. The Weagles discovered this to their detriment in the 2005 GF with Gardiner playing FF, and Matera watching from the grandstand. A forward line with BBBH, MOL and Davis in it, is not exactly a forward line blessed with hard-tackling crumbers expert in keeping the ball in our 50 if the mark isn't taken. Schneider and other part-time forwards can only do so much, and may be required elsewhere. Even against the rabblous Carlton, this seemed to be a weakness with the 'Doyle up forward' plan.

[AnnieH]

They're not Weagles .... they're BUDGIES.

I've never seen a blue & yellow eagle.

(OK everyone, don't dump on me all at once, I can't take it) ....

Ablett out.

Yeah, yeah, he'll jump on top of the ball;
Yeah, yeah, he'll enter a contest;
Yeah, yeah, he'll pull down a screamer ...

His effective disposal rate is atrocious.

[ScottH]

Originally posted by Annie Haddad
They're not Weagles .... they're BUDGIES.

I've never seen a blue & yellow eagle.

(OK everyone, don't dump on me all at once, I can't take it) ....

Ablett out.

Yeah, yeah, he'll jump on top of the ball;
Yeah, yeah, he'll enter a contest;
Yeah, yeah, he'll pull down a screamer ...

His effective disposal rate is atrocious.

And replace with whom?

[AnnieH]

Originally posted by ScottH
And replace with whom?

Don't ask me hard questions!!

There's no-one really, is there?
I shouldn't be so hard on poor Ablett. He IS a tough little worker, although I do wish he'd work on his disposals.
I don't envisage they'll drop him.

[liz]

Originally posted by Annie Haddad
Don't ask me hard questions!!

There's no-one really, is there?
I shouldn't be so hard on poor Ablett. He IS a tough little worker, although I do wish he'd work on his disposals.
I don't envisage they'll drop him.

His disposal against Geelong was close to immaculate. He was very good in the games leading up to that one too. He was a little quieter yesterday but don't recall any real shockers and he only just grazed the inside of the post from a shot at goal from 60m out.

[AnnieH]

Originally posted by Dr Diabolical
Well, I'd put him on Fletcher and they can both turn over the ball with monotonous regularity, but i think that is Mathews' job, so probably put Ablett on Cousins. But Cousins is in great form at the moment, so it's a big ask! We need to find someone else (who?) to play on Judd.

Put Ablett on Cousins so he can KICK IT TO MEEEEEEEEEEEEEE.

[ScottH]

Originally posted by Dr Diabolical
Well, I'd put him on Fletcher and they can both turn over the ball with monotonous regularity, but i think that is Mathews' job, so probably put Ablett on Cousins. But Cousins is in great form at the moment, so it's a big ask! We need to find someone else (who?) to play on Judd.

Ablett has said he likes being given the tough assignments. So give him another crack.

[hammo]

I don't know how anyone can have complaints about Ablett's form. He played really well yesterday (including a perfect delivery to Hall ?? from heavy traffic in the 3rd quarter) and has been in good touch for a number of weeks now.

[AnnieH]

Originally posted by hammo
I don't know how anyone can have complaints about Ablett's form. He played really well yesterday (including a perfect delivery to Hall ?? from heavy traffic in the 3rd quarter) and has been in good touch for a number of weeks now.

Yes, he's been in good touch "for a number of weeks now". A fine time to be coming into some sort of form.

His "effective" disposal rate is still atrocious.

Maybe next year (with the value of experience) he'll pick it up a notch.

[floppinab]

Originally posted by SimonH


Ted is playing his best footy since turning up, appears to really have gelled with the rest of the team, and is an ideal 'medium-tall utility' benchwarmer who can plug gaps as they appear, whether it's playing a loose man in defence or something else. I agree, though, that if Roos wants to pursue a particular tactical game against the Weagles and he doesn't fit within it, he could be dispensable.

Disagree with you there Simon. Was keeping a close eye on Matthews and Richards yesterday and while both improved as the game went on I was particularly pissed when a couple of times Richards yet again pulled out of a contest, one was in the first q. forward line ffs when he should have hit the contest hard and he bloody pulled out and put a soft body on the Carlton marker. He will get eaten alive in the finals IMO, the other teams will target him knowing how soft he is.

[ScottH]

Originally posted by Dr Diabolical
He might like it, but he sucks playing on Judd.

I meant Cousins.

[SimonH]

Originally posted by Annie Haddad
Ablett out.

Yeah, yeah, he'll jump on top of the ball;
Yeah, yeah, he'll enter a contest;
Yeah, yeah, he'll pull down a screamer ...

His effective disposal rate is atrocious.

Ablett well and truly justified being dropped up until about 5 weeks ago, but since then has been playing good footy. The occasion yesterday where he swooped on a Matt Lappin error in front of the Carlton bench and then ran away from Lappin like he wasn't trying (well, okay, he wasn't trying), was a pleasure to watch.

When looking at 'errors' (i.e. ineffective disposals), you have to compare apples with apples. If you're getting the ball in defence, or receiving outside of the pack, you're expected to make few errors. If you're fighting hard to get the ball out at the bottom of a crowded pack, or taking a chance to create a goal, you'll commit more. BBBH leads the entire AFL for errors, whereas you'd expect Jarrad McVeigh to commit relatively few (and he does). NOG's error rate is not terribly good (3.4/game), but he's not the worst in the competition nor in our side in that respect.

Today's fun fact: Sydney has the fewest disposals of any side in the comp by a massive margin (over 400 fewer than the second-lowest team), but commits the most errors (see the same page)!

Play Goodes in the middle, and it's up to the Weagles if they want to play 'shoot-out footy' and put Judd on him again. If not, esp with Crouch out, you have to rotate on Judd. Among the contenders are Fosdike, Buchanan and Kirk. NOG and Dempster are among those who can take Cousins, depending on where he plays.

[goswannie14]

Originally posted by adnar
Maybe for dempster? He had a shocker, although I don't think Bevo did much to warrant a spot.

You can't have been watching the match I'm watching on the TV at the moment. Dempster is playing quite well. Unfortunatley Fozzie had a shocker.

OOOOHHHH this is my 4000th post, better make it count.

Annie, how can you call for Ablett to be dropped, he is always at the bottom of the pack, getting the ball out, and his kicking is great most of the time, particlulary, as Simon said, in the last few weeks, he is really putting in and has justified his place in the team.

[stellation]

Originally posted by liz
His disposal against Geelong was close to immaculate. He was very good in the games leading up to that one too. He was a little quieter yesterday but don't recall any real shockers and he only just grazed the inside of the post from a shot at goal from 60m out.

Didn't he pop a few out on the full?