Changes for Round 6 - CARLTON

[Mug Punter]

I think we'll make minimal changes.

Jack out of course and I'd drop Foote as well because he is nowhere near AFL standard.

Ins are hard to call. I'd bring Newman back to allow Mills forward and I'd be tempted to get McVeigh back in for his experience and leadership.

We'll have a better idea of where we stand after this week as we had a lot of players underdone against a side that will towel many teams up this year.

A few other random comments

* I think we really miss Rampe down back and hopefully he will be back against the Lions
* Aliir is in our best 22 but I just don't think he is a defender. I'd like to see him deployed on the half forward line where he can use his leap, athleticism and skills t his advantage. I think he's be a nightmare to match up on
* Tippett is in the last chance saloon as far as I am concerned, is not then we may as well blood Cameron. Watching Nankervis play his usual lion-hearted gane for Richmond on Monday night was with mixed emotions, so happy for him but wish we had kept him and traded Tippett or Sinclair.
* Is Parker also carrying an injury? If he is playing hurt then get him operated on our rehab'd because he is no use to use playing hurt
* One of the players is pissing me off more than those in the seniors at the moment and that is Towers. he should be exactly the type of player stepping up in this situation but for mine he just looks disinterested.
* Surely it must be close to blood O'Riordan if we continue our current form

[liz]

I think we'll make minimal changes.

Jack out of course and I'd drop Foote as well because he is nowhere near AFL standard.

Ins are hard to call. I'd bring Newman back to allow Mills forward and I'd be tempted to get McVeigh back in for his experience and leadership.

We'll have a better idea of where we stand after this week as we had a lot of players underdone against a side that will towel many teams up this year.

A few other random comments

* I think we really miss Rampe down back and hopefully he will be back against the Lions
* Aliir is in our best 22 but I just don't think he is a defender. I'd like to see him deployed on the half forward line where he can use his leap, athleticism and skills t his advantage. I think he's be a nightmare to match up on
* Tippett is in the last chance saloon as far as I am concerned, is not then we may as well blood Cameron. Watching Nankervis play his usual lion-hearted gane for Richmond on Monday night was with mixed emotions, so happy for him but wish we had kept him and traded Tippett or Sinclair.
* Is Parker also carrying an injury? If he is playing hurt then get him operated on our rehab'd because he is no use to use playing hurt
* One of the players is pissing me off more than those in the seniors at the moment and that is Towers. he should be exactly the type of player stepping up in this situation but for mine he just looks disinterested.
* Surely it must be close to blood O'Riordan if we continue our current form

Parker had close to no pre-season as he recovered from his knee operation. I don't know whether his drop in form is just because he lost his fitness base or if it is because his knee is still troubling him. I suspect the latter. If he were just lacking endurance, he'd be playing up to his normal level but maybe just not for whole games. But apart from the odd quarter here and there, he hasn't been doing the things he's done for the first five or so years of his career. For example, has anyone seen his feet leave the ground this season? (In an upward direction, not just because he is lying on the ground). His agility just seems way down on what we've got used to.

I also suspect COR is carrying a knee issue of some kind. He's playing with strapping below and above the kneecap. GoSwannies might be able to suggest what kind of knee injury such strapping implies. He hasn't seemed - to me - to be running with the same pace or freedom that he did last year. He just looks a tad laboured.

[Meg]

Sinclair was noticeably limping when coming to the bench on one occasion on Saturday - so I suspect his 2016 knee injury is still troubling him as well. Might be part of the reason he is fairly passive in the ruck.

[barry]

* One of the players is pissing me off more than those in the seniors at the moment and that is Towers. he should be exactly the type of player stepping up in this situation but for mine he just looks disinterested.

Poor old Towers through he could escape criticism in the NEAFL. Nowhere is safe from RWO vengeance Dean!

I'd pick towers anyway. He's a depth player and your right, this is exactly when we need him.

[Steve]

Some of the injury management has been hard to follow. They probably should have extended the ultra-conservative approach taken with McVeigh, Rohan, Papley, Heeney etc to the way they've managed Parker and Jack.

Parker had a restricted pre-season but was thrown straight in for the first JLT game, and Jack played no JLT games but was thrown back in for Rd 1. Yet a number of others had been in full training for a number of weeks while the season was underway but still not considered for seniors. Maybe guys like Parker and Jack have been so durable that they thought they could work through it.

Allir missed most of pre-season and was held back for Rd 1, and then brought back for Rd 2 without playing any NEAFL games. Then plays a couple and is now dropped, according to Longmire's comments last night on On the Couch, because this year he's lacked the continuity he had last year prior to being promoted to the seniors.

They obviously see something in Foote that the rest of us haven't yet - I assume they want him to be a long-term replacement for Tom Mitchell, and so even after his initial output this year was mediocre, they have persevered by moving him into a run-with role against key opposition midfielders (presumably to assist his learning curve).

[crackedactor]

I agree on the Aliir Aliir comment. He has that X factor and could be a difficult player to match up on in the forward line. Half forward sounds like it is worth the gamble.

[Auntie.Gerald]

I suspect when u feel u don't have a team that can dominate u find ways of negating the opposition

I thought Foote's run with / tagging role was easier last two weeks and he has improved a little

Such early days

[Hotpotato]

Bring in players who aren't hampered by injuries. You can't carry them and get away with it at this level.
To learn after 5 games that Kieren hasn't been right .... he didn't carry it and could have been resting while a fit player gets a go.
Best wishes to him for a full recovery.

[frankee]

Not sure about Aliir fwd. Can he kick more than 25m? Never seen him kick long, ever.

[Ludwig]

I also suspect COR is carrying a knee issue of some kind. He's playing with strapping below and above the kneecap. GoSwannies might be able to suggest what kind of knee injury such strapping implies. He hasn't seemed - to me - to be running with the same pace or freedom that he did last year. He just looks a tad laboured.

Maybe he's pregnant.

Sinclair was noticeably limping when coming to the bench on one occasion on Saturday

He was just looking for the stretcher.

Poor old Towers through he could escape criticism in the NEAFL. Nowhere is safe from RWO vengeance Dean!

I'd pick towers anyway. He's a depth player and your right, this is exactly when we need him.

Towers had his best game on Saturday. Didn't notice a single mistake. I think he's found his role.

They obviously see something in Foote that the rest of us haven't yet - I assume they want him to be a long-term replacement for Tom Mitchell

He's being groomed as a replacement for Towers. Doing well.

To learn after 5 games that Kieren hasn't been right .... he didn't carry it and could have been resting while a fit player gets a go.
Best wishes to him for a full recovery.

IMO, KJ is suffering from ugly dog syndrome. He thought getting a model girlfriend would be the cure, but even that doesn't seem to have worked. Could be career ending.

[dimelb]

Not sure about Aliir fwd. Can he kick more than 25m? Never seen him kick long, ever.

Generally a player kicks further than he can handball. We've seen AA handball around 30 metres or so, you can bet on his kick I'd think.

[The Big Cat]

I think we'll make minimal changes.

I'd be tempted to get McVeigh back in for his experience and leadership.


* I think we really miss Rampe down back and hopefully he will be back against the Lions

Harley said McVeigh won't play this week and hoping Rampe will be ready after the bye.

[DynamoJim]

I think Marsh was completely outplayed last week. Nowhere near his man for most of the night. I'd like to see Talia come in for him. But it might be Laidler. Old club and all that.

Foote was ok again last week in the tagging role although did let Scully of the leash on occasions. The pleasing thing for me though was he was one of few players who showed a bit of hardness and stood up to GWS. We need more of that.

Brandon Jack seems to be racking up possessions but unfortunately, like Towers, is just not a big time player.

Tipper showed no effort last week. Appalling. No doubt he will get a second chance.

Out: Jack, Marsh.
In: Rose, Laidler

[AB Swannie]

I'm yet to be convinced with Marsh either. Bottom 6 player each week. I'd like to see Aliir play but suspect he will serve a 3 or 4 game NEAFL sentence. Newman is a must in for mine and I'd actually prefer Towers as second ruck over Sinclair. Cameron is not right physically at the moment. Foote is not good enough even as a tagger.

For me:

Out: K. Jack, Sinclair, Foote, Marsh
In: Newman, Towers, Laidler, Dawson

[Mug Punter]

Towers as the second ruck/sheep dog role could have been his role but I get the impression he has come back this year and just completely underwhelmed the entire coaching staff, he'll just sit on his moderate but still quite lucrative contract for two years and then get on with his life. It would not surprise me if Towers' has had his papers stamped....