Changes for Essendon (official teams named)

[Brettb]

Currie needs to be given a chance at Pykes expense.

Pyke's ruckwork is ok, however he offers very little around the ground.

[JF_Bay22_SCG]

Pretty sure McGlynn will be back.

I have heard rumours he has re-injured himself. Is that true?

JF

[msb]

Wouldn't it be better if we kept playing Campbell Heath. Ok, he made a crucial error in the last quarter. But I want the kids to get exposure & game time. He looked to have good skills yesterday.

JF

What error was that? I was up in the ponsford stand with the seagulls (and surprisingly Ted Richards a few rows over) and cant recall his error.

[sWAns63]

They all need to get chances players need to be rested

[JF_Bay22_SCG]

What error was that? I was up in the ponsford stand with the seagulls (and surprisingly Ted Richards a few rows over) and cant recall his error.

We were coming forward with players lose in the forward line & he got smothered with the ball going back to the Dawks.

It was Heath wasn't it? (Now I'm doubting myself. Thanks MSB)

JF

[sWAns63]

I seem to recall one blemish I wouldn't drop him for that

[hammo]

Wouldn't it be better if we kept playing Campbell Heath. Ok, he made a crucial error in the last quarter. But I want the kids to get exposure & game time. He looked to have good skills yesterday.

I don't want to pan the kid but almost every kick he had went straight to a Hawks player. His efficiency was 36% which seems to confirm how I saw his game.

He looked like he has a future at AFL level but still a lot of work to do.

[royboy42]

Bird has to be a spesh as long as he got through the ressies saturday. Easily in out best 22.

[Hartijon]

I don't want to pan the kid but almost every kick he had went straight to a Hawks player. His efficiency was 36% which seems to confirm how I saw his game.

He looked like he has a future at AFL level but still a lot of work to do.

My thoughts exactly. Long way to go,nice potential,definately not in our best 22. Thought this strange selection would hurt us and it did but don't wanna pan the kid either. TDL in a forward pocket might have got us across the line!

[honour_the_name]

Agree with all of this. Probably lean towards Playfair going because he offers little for the future even though he doesn't deserve it on form.White needs a huge spray from Roosey. Someone his size and potential should be doing a lot more. I like the idea of resting ROK and Jude.Send them to the Gold Coast for a 10 day break! I like Meredith,he is all class but is he fit yet? Thornton was ok when he last had a chance and I remember he can actually kick a nice long goal.McGlynn will need a run in the reserves so its Vespa and Moore in for Heath and Henry. Probably ROK and Jude will still play because Rossey will leave it up to them but it was a nice thought!

Think you might be confusing Thornton with Brett Meredith who is a great kick.

[Melbourne_Blood]

I don't want to pan the kid but almost every kick he had went straight to a Hawks player. His efficiency was 36% which seems to confirm how I saw his game.

He looked like he has a future at AFL level but still a lot of work to do.

His kicking action lookspretty good and if i remember rightly he was top two in the kicking test at draft camp. So it's not as though he cant kick, he just needs to develop that vision and decision making which will come with experience. Also he did suffer from not having a great deal to kick to in some instances, and i'd probably rather see him kick it 50 metres to the opposition around the 50 metre arc than handle ball to players under pressure and turn over the ball in the midfield.

[Hartijon]

Think you might be confusing Thornton with Brett Meredith who is a great kick.

Yeah,you might be right but I seem to remember Thornton marking outside of 50 and splitting the middle?? Maybe that was Meredith ,but at any rate Meredith has more to like than Thornton at this stage. Bird will come back in as soon as possible too i would think.

[Matty10]

My thoughts exactly. Long way to go,nice potential,definately not in our best 22. Thought this strange selection would hurt us and it did but don't wanna pan the kid either. TDL in a forward pocket might have got us across the line!

It would not have been Heath for TDL though, as they would have been playing at opposite ends of the ground. I was not too disappointed with his efforts yesterday. We needed options for Hawthorn's forwards and he did a few good things down back - and there was a lot of pressure there. He showed more this week than he did the week before.

[stellation]

I don't want to pan the kid but almost every kick he had went straight to a Hawks player. His efficiency was 36% which seems to confirm how I saw his game.

He looked like he has a future at AFL level but still a lot of work to do.

I agree. liz touched on the lack of penetration in kicking coming out of the backline earlier in the thread, to me Campbell was a culprit of this; I thought his kicking was too high and too slow (but that should improve over time) and that is always going to trouble your efficieny as it gives a defender too much time to trouble your teammate.

[Matty10]

We were coming forward with players lose in the forward line & he got smothered with the ball going back to the Dawks.

It was Heath wasn't it? (Now I'm doubting myself. Thanks MSB)

JF

It was Heath's kick that got smothered (he also had players running in support and could have handballed) and we lost a huge opportunity to score in the last quarter as we had loose players in open space up forward. But I do agree with your original sentiment about him keeping his spot. He needs experience in order to improve, and the Swans need defensive options should we get another injury.

And I'd like to keep both Playfair and White, I thought that without Bradshaw they worked reasonably well together. When Braddles comes back, reconsider.

I agree. The combination of White, Playfair and also Goodes provides us with options up forward that we can ill afford to lose (and with all the zoning and presses going on in football these days 'up forward' actually starts at half back).