Changes for Essendon (official teams named)

[ugg]

MOD and Campbell Heath dropped.

[Plugger46]

Campbell Heath dropped.

For Bird?

[ugg]

For Bird?

Mmm, it looks like Bird and Bevan in for MOD and Heath from what I can tell. I guess it will all become clearer in 75 minutes.

[Triple B]

Gee, you got to feel sorry for MOD. You really have to wonder if he has rubbed somebody up the wrong way.

[caj23]

very harsh on O'Dwyer IMO

[BSA5]

Bevan for MOD? FFS! I'm not usually one to complain about team selections, and I have been a cautious supporter of Bevo (as well as critic when compared to the likes of Connolly, but who isn't?), but MOD has something. I can't shake the feeling that he has a future playing senior footy. Bevan adds nothing that we haven't already got, and what we've got isn't going to give us an edge over the Bombers. It just reeks of conservatism at a time when we need to be taking risks and backing ourselves. Staff and coaches compared the preseason buzz to that of 2003. Well, this isn't a "2003" selection. This is an 05/06 selection, a consolidation selection, but the problem is we aren't an 05/06 side. This isn't about rebuilding or playing your best 22, in overall ability MOD and Bevo are probably about equal, but MOD is a dynamic player, the sort we need, because he's the sort of player that sparks a team when they're getting bogged down, and we have been getting bogged down lately. When we're scoring, we're scoring at the same rate as the opposition, but too often we just go for half an hour or so without scoring, and that's when they get the lead.

Anyway, it's not confirmed yet, but boy...

[Peace]

I think bevan would be better for the conditions this weekend.... bigger body and very hard at the ball, there are going to be a lot of short passes instead of long so MOD's skills aren't going to come into play. He may get mega posessions in the reserves but he just doesn't have the confidence or hardness in the AFL at the moment, although i do agree that he does look to have a future about him.

This game is important and its going to be congested and full of tackling, Bevan is a much better option than MOD for this game.

Peace

[Nich]

I think bevan would be better for the conditions this weekend.... bigger body and very hard at the ball, there are going to be a lot of short passes instead of long so MOD's skills aren't going to come into play. He may get mega posessions in the reserves but he just doesn't have the confidence or hardness in the AFL at the moment, although i do agree that he does look to have a future about him.

This game is important and its going to be congested and full of tackling, Bevan is a much better option than MOD for this game.

Peace

Agreed!

[BSA5]

I think bevan would be better for the conditions this weekend.... bigger body and very hard at the ball, there are going to be a lot of short passes instead of long so MOD's skills aren't going to come into play. He may get mega posessions in the reserves but he just doesn't have the confidence or hardness in the AFL at the moment, although i do agree that he does look to have a future about him.

This game is important and its going to be congested and full of tackling, Bevan is a much better option than MOD for this game.

Peace

I disagree, skills in the wet are hard to come by, and MOD is a one-touch player. Bevan is hard at the ball, and that's a great quality, but to what end? Great if he puts his body on the line, but if he can't pick the bloody ball up, what's the point? MOD's skills aren't in his kicking, they're in his ability to read the play, his peripheral vision, and his hands. He has great hands. Slippery ball in dispute on the HBF, I'd rather have MOD pick it up and dish it off than Bevan dive on it and risk getting pinged because he can't pick it up in the wet.

People always seem to assume that the Swans are good in wet weather because we're full of strong bodies, but I don't think I can remember the last time we won a game in the wet. That's because, for all our toughness, when it's wet we can't pick the bloody thing up! It's a myth that big bodies make better wet weather players.

[ugg]

Final teams

SYDNEY SWANS v ESSENDON
Sydney Swans
B: Rhyce Shaw, Lewis Roberts-Thomson, Nick Smith
HB: Martin Mattner, Heath Grundy, Nick Malceski
C: Daniel Hannebery, Brett Kirk, Gary Rohan
HF: Ryan O'Keefe, Adam Goodes, Josh Kennedy
F: Henry Playfair, Jesse White, Jarrad McVeigh
Foll: Shane Mumford, Jude Bolton, Kieren Jack
I/C: Paul Bevan, Craig Bird, Lewis Jetta, Mike Pyke
Emg: Campbell Heath, Matt O'Dwyer, Ted Richards
In: Bevan, Bird
Out: Campbell Heath, Matt O'Dwyer
Essendon
B: Heath Hocking, Tayte Pears, Courtenay Dempsey
HB: Mark McVeigh, Nathan Lovett-Murray, David Myers
C: Leroy Jetta, Jobe Watson, Jason Winderlich
HF: Angus Monfries, Scott Gumbleton, Brent Prismall
F: David Hille, Michael Hurley, Alwyn Davey
Foll: Patrick Ryder, Brent Stanton, Sam Lonergan
I/C: David Zaharakis, Jake Melksham, Jarrod Atkinson, Andrew Welsh
Emg: Tyson Slattery, Travis Colyer, Ben Howlett

In: Welsh, Melksham
Out: Howlett, Dustin Fletcher (susp)

[liz]

Memories of Bevan's silky skills in the wet aren't coming back to me in a flood...

I'm not as anti-Bevan as some others on here, but seems exceptionally stiff to drop MOD.

[Peace]

bevan will have plenty of other silky skilled swannies around him to pass off to after he charges in and cleans up an essondon player to gather posession of the ball, this is all i am talking about... MOD just doesn't have the physical presence out there and he barely existed last weekend.

[Nich]

I disagree, skills in the wet are hard to come by, and MOD is a one-touch player. Bevan is hard at the ball, and that's a great quality, but to what end? Great if he puts his body on the line, but if he can't pick the bloody ball up, what's the point? MOD's skills aren't in his kicking, they're in his ability to read the play, his peripheral vision, and his hands. He has great hands. Slippery ball in dispute on the HBF, I'd rather have MOD pick it up and dish it off than Bevan dive on it and risk getting pinged because he can't pick it up in the wet.

People always seem to assume that the Swans are good in wet weather because we're full of strong bodies, but I don't think I can remember the last time we won a game in the wet. That's because, for all our toughness, when it's wet we can't pick the bloody thing up! It's a myth that big bodies make better wet weather players.

I think it's more about being hard at the ball. It's going to be a dogfight. Players like MOD rarely shine in the wet. Rain is a MASSIVE leveller. I'd rather have another hard ball getter and leave the other stuff up to Jets/Hanners/Jack/Rohan/Kennedy/McVeigh/Goodes. You can only have so many players of the MOD mould in one team. I think we already have a few that can cover is absence off. I personally want somone who is willing to throw their body around a bit more. I think in this instance it's warranted. Horses for courses.

[aardvark]

I suppose bevo will play forward where MOD probably wouldn't. Lets hope he kicks a goal or two.

[BSA5]

I think it's more about being hard at the ball. It's going to be a dogfight. Players like MOD rarely shine in the wet. Rain is a MASSIVE leveller. I'd rather have another hard ball getter and leave the other stuff up to Jets/Hanners/Jack/Rohan/Kennedy/McVeigh/Goodes. You can only have so many players of the MOD mould in one team. I think we already have a few that can cover is absence off. I personally want somone who is willing to throw their body around a bit more. I think in this instance it's warranted. Horses for courses.

But my whole point is that it ISN'T horses for courses! Big tough bodies with no skills are NOT suited to the wet! The wet only leads to lower scores, it doesn't level the play. In the wet, ball handling ability shines through, becoming all important. Bevo is a good player in a lot of respects, but he's a fumbler, and in the wet, that can be deadly.