Changes for Round 7 v North Melbourne

[AnnieH]

IN: Melican, AA

OUT: Robinson, Grundy

Robinson looked lost and couldn't get into the game.

Grundy, too slow Hawkins made him look totally geriatric, continually loses his player far too easily. Yes he takes the a few marks but time has caught up with him and we need to make the
transition sooner rather than later. Give AA time on the ground and allow him to develop.

Seriously? Not name Reg? Oh dear. That would be a HUGE mistake.
If the team that turned up in the final quarter against Geelong turn up; then I wouldn't change a thing.

[707]

Notice Mason Wood kicked a bag in the VFL at the weekend. North already have Brown & Waite as tall forwards, could they add Wood to stretch our short defence?

[liz]

Towers will come in if he's available. Fox was his closest replacement (given back-up ruck/forward role) but Robinson is most likely the first to lose his spot.

Melican will probably come straight in if he's available, though as a younger player who has now missed three weeks, there's a possibility they'll give him a game in the NEAFL team first to regain some touch. Marsh was pretty good against Adelaide and didn't do a whole lot wrong against Geelong but he's the most likely to make way for Melican, if the latter is ready to resume in the senior team.

I'd be very surprised if Cameron is picked to debut this week (other than if Sinclair gets injured). The smaller forward line worked very well while the midfield was on top, and it doesn't matter what you have up forward if the midfield isn't winning its share of ball. And while Cameron was good against Gold Coast, Longmire's comments suggest they've been a bit underwhelmed by him thus far this season, and I think they'll want to see him perform consistently at the level he did on Saturday before he's considered for a debut.

[Plugger1300]

IN: Melican, AA

OUT: Robinson, Grundy

Robinson looked lost and couldn't get into the game.

Grundy, too slow Hawkins made him look totally geriatric, continually loses his player far too easily. Yes he takes the a few marks but time has caught up with him and we need to make the
transition sooner rather than later. Give AA time on the ground and allow him to develop.

You have got to be kidding.
Grundy did a great job. Hawkins took some contested marks but this was largely in the 2/3 quarters when the cats were on top.
Watch the first and last qtr. Grundy was superb

[Cainit]

In Towers
Out Robbo

[barracuda]

Heartbreaking watching robbo. I think he needs to strip some weight off and work on burst speed and endurance. He is really slow for the modern game.
Ronke on the other hand was very quick and showed great attack on the ball.

[707]

Heartbreaking watching robbo. I think he needs to strip some weight off and work on burst speed and endurance. He is really slow for the modern game.
Ronke on the other hand was very quick and showed great attack on the ball.

Ronke shouldn't surprise us, he was after all the B&F at the Calder Cannons playing as a midfielder, so knows how to get the ball and as we saw has footy smarts and pace. Should have gone in the ND so very pleased he slipped to us in the RD, reckon he'll become a best 22 player, if he ever recovers from the Gatorade drenching! The boys looked very pleased for him, they knew he had a real influence.

[liz]

Buddy may miss again, star mid unlikely - AFL.com.au

The language from the club suggests that neither Buddy nor Hanners is likely to play this week. But judging from the posts in this thread, I think most (or all) had been working on this assumption.

Just need to wait for the result of the MRO later this afternoon to make sure that Heeney isn't in strife for his tackle on Horlin-Smith. It is featured on the AFL website's discussion of incidents arising from the weekend. Nick Bowen seems to think he'll probably be OK but we won't know for sure until we know.

[jono2707]

Heartbreaking watching robbo. I think he needs to strip some weight off and work on burst speed and endurance. He is really slow for the modern game.

He won't be around after this year. He's a depth player, and smart enough to follow instructions, but he'll be overtaken in the pecking order by a few others unless he really tears a few games apart. That's unlikely.

[mattybloods]

Buddy may miss again, star mid unlikely - AFL.com.au

The language from the club suggests that neither Buddy nor Hanners is likely to play this week. But judging from the posts in this thread, I think most (or all) had been working on this assumption.
.

It's annoying that they don't talk about Towers' availability. Haven't heard anything about the incident (eye injury at training?) and how long he is likely to be out for

[Beerman]

It's annoying that they don't talk about Towers' availability. Haven't heard anything about the incident (eye injury at training?) and how long he is likely to be out for

One would presume he's back this week, but who knows for sure?

[S.S. Bleeder]

IN: Melican, AA

OUT: Robinson, Grundy

Robinson looked lost and couldn't get into the game.

Grundy, too slow Hawkins made him look totally geriatric, continually loses his player far too easily. Yes he takes the a few marks but time has caught up with him and we need to make the
transition sooner rather than later. Give AA time on the ground and allow him to develop.

Agree with Melican, but AA in for Grundy? WTF?

[ernie koala]

I am never quite sure whether this is a "what I would do" or a "what I think the club will do" thread, but I'll go with the latter, as I generally think they get it right more often than not. We won, so a winning team should always be considered first and foremost. Secondly, can anyone come in to improve it. It looks like Melican will be right, so he really does need to come in to help with the height of the North forwards. I think Marsh was pretty good on Saturday but he's probably the odd man out structurally. If Towers is ok. he will come back in too as he has been very consistent so far. I thought Fox was solid on Saturday, so he would be an unlucky out but the club does tend to go with like for like, and has done for years. In this case though, they may consider Towers for Robinson and leave Fox in. It's tough to punt someone after only one game and we don't know what Robinson was asked to do structurally, so it's not necessarily fair to call him straight out.

Assuming no Franklin, I'm going:-

IN - Melican, Towers
Out - Marsh, Robinson

Agree with everything the Good Doctor has to say here.... I too have often pondered whether posts on the 'changes' threads, are the... "what I would do" or "what the club will do" .

In this instance, barring unknown injuries/ sickness, these would seem to me to be the most likely, and logical, changes.....That the club would do...AND...what I would do.

[Meg]

Buddy and Dan are confirmed outs (medico advice to Longmire this afternoon apparently).

[707]

Buddy and Dan are confirmed outs (medico advice to Longmire this afternoon apparently).

Good, get them 100% before appearing again. Playing sore players has never worked for us our anyone else, even the champs become chumps.