Rnd.3 V Richmond.

[Bangalore Swans]

I agree our defence so far this season has been worrisome. I trust the coaches are working on it. I think partly it's the personnel and their form, partly it's the new rules. Rampe and Melican are both searching for form. Mills has departed for the midfield. Gould hasn't got there yet. Brand isn't fit enough. Fox hurt his finger. Teddy, Reg & Smooch are long gone.

Still, we were good defensively last year so I think we can adapt with the personnel we have once we regain form and fitness. Even so, I hope we recruit another KPP as well as a ruck the coming off season.

Don't at all agree with Bangalore Swans suggestion to rest so many. Far better we rest them for the Essendon game if needs be. We have a chance to beat Richmond!

We do have a chance to beat Richmond, however 4 points is 4 points it doesn’t matter if it happens against Richmond or Essendon.

I just feel that Gulden, Campbell and McDonald will slow down at some point unless you manage their season. I would rather have those guys firing with Buddy on a Thursday night than coming back from Melbourne batted and bruised by the best team in football.

We can easily be 3 and 1 after next Thursday by smartly managing the next week. Why spend all the tickets trying to beat Richmond for just 4 points.

[barracuda]

Apologies. I forgot about the 5 day break. I need to resubmit the team.

Outs:

Buddy (Managed)
McDonald (Managed)
Gulden (Managed
Campbell (Managed)
Wicks

Ins
Sinclair
Heywood
Stephen’s
Rowbottom
Melican

I don’t see any upside in sending our eldest player and our youngest players on a plane to Melbourne against a hard team and getting them to back up 5 days later.

We need to have our best team for Thursday night prime time at the SCG. We need those extra tickets being sold and more exhilarating football being played. For the exhilarating football to happen you can’t have Buddy or 3 first year players getting tired and weary.

The 5 guys coming in will all ad something and will be chomping at the bit to get their seasons going.

It’s a long season. We don’t need to use up the young players fuel on the best team on a large oval on a 5 day break.

Let’s hit Richmond later on in the season with our best team.

I'm keen to understand why you drop Wicks when he had game high pressure acts of 27, equal team high tackles at 7, kicked a goal, had disposal efficiency of 87% and tagged the crows best backline play maker Brodie Smith out of the game.

[barry]

As an ex rugby player myself who then had a belated crack at Aussie Rules I was always surprised at how poor the quality of the tackling in AFL was. The desired result of the tackle varies between the two codes however the purpose is the same namely stop the progress of the player with the ball.
Dustys fend is straight out the rugby playbook and any player trying to tackle that high deserves a push in the moosh ????
In Rugby the hips and midriff are the target area and I have always felt that in AFL just aiming a little higher than that with an aim to wrap the arms but with the tackler keeping the head down a bit lower would achieve better results.
Although having said that I am not exactly well qualified and I am sure that our coaches do have the players practice tackling , although when I played AFL it didn’t receive much attention.

I think bits because a tackle in AFL around the hips is largely ineffective because the ball holder has free use of his arms to handpass off.

[TheBloods]

I'm keen to understand why you drop Wicks when he had game high pressure acts of 27, equal team high tackles at 7, kicked a goal and tagged the crows best backline play maker Brodie Smith out of the game.

i dont have big wraps on Wicks and i would not drop him. As i always say performance matters. If you perform and do your job well you play , its pretty simple. He is doing his job well to his credit. i would not be mucking up that fwd line as long as it is going as well as it is

[bloodspirit]

We do have a chance to beat Richmond, however 4 points is 4 points it doesn’t matter if it happens against Richmond or Essendon.

I just feel that Gulden, Campbell and McDonald will slow down at some point unless you manage their season. I would rather have those guys firing with Buddy on a Thursday night than coming back from Melbourne batted and bruised by the best team in football.

We can easily be 3 and 1 after next Thursday by smartly managing the next week. Why spend all the tickets trying to beat Richmond for just 4 points.

Because we want to try and win every match. And we want to expose our talented youth to the best opposition and let them test themselves and grow. And if they are battered and bruised by Richmond we can rest them then, knowing we have excellent depth (except for KPPs) we can call upon and who ought to be able to get the job done against Essendon too.

[TheBloods]

Blakey has had 6 and 9 pressure acts in the games so far. Not good enough for a bloke playing on the ball. Get rid of him until he learns what work rate is

Bring in Stephens. Need his run against Tigs

[bloodspirit]

i dont have big wraps on Wicks and i would not drop him. As i always say performance matters. If you perform and do your job well you play , its pretty simple. He is doing his job well to his credit. i would not be mucking up that fwd line as long as it is going as well as it is

That's right, we don't drop Wicks.

I'm in the majority that would have Rowbottom returning to the team as soon as he's fit. Happy for it to be at Blakey's expense as, in this case TheBloods, it seems that many of us agree with you that Blakey's form does not deserve reward.

I wouldn't drop Hewett. I think a couple of people are focusing too much on that one horrible clanger he made, getting caught HTB by Tex. Overall he's doing fine and adapting ok to a new position. His experience is valuable and he remains very reliable with the ball in hand - happily there are more others like him these days. Especially Gulden - he does not waste his possessions! Loving his work ever since pre-season training before we even had a practice match.

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Blakey has had 6 and 9 pressure acts in the games so far. Not good enough for a bloke playing on the ball. Get rid of him until he learns what work rate is

Bring in Stephens. Need his run against Tigs

I'd also like to see Stephens come in, potentially at Blakey's expense - but not if Rowbottom is ready to take that place. Is there anyone else we can drop for Stephens if Rowbottom is available? Nobody is coming to mind and I think he might have to bide his time a little longer or knock down the door in the reserves.

[TheBloods]

That's right, we don't drop Wicks.

I'm in the majority that would have Rowbottom returning to the team as soon as he's fit. Happy for it to be at Blakey's expense as, in this case TheBloods, it seems that many of us agree with you that Blakey's form does not deserve reward.

I wouldn't drop Hewett. I think a couple of people are focusing too much on that one horrible clanger he made, getting caught HTB by Tex. Overall he's doing fine and adapting ok to a new position. His experience is valuable and he remains very reliable with the ball in hand - happily there are more others like him these days. Especially Gulden - he does not waste his possessions! Loving his work ever since pre-season training before we even had a practice match.

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I'd also like to see Stephens come in, potentially at Blakey's expense - but not if Rowbottom is ready to take that place. Is there anyone else we can drop for Stephens if Rowbottom is available? Nobody is coming to mind and I think he might have to bide his time a little longer or knock down the door in the reserves.

I dont know if this is a bait or not as you know where i stand on this. RB should not be an automatic in. Stephens can offer us more, like what i saw of him back end of 2020. His run on the G

Would rather RB than Blakey though on current form thats for sure

[Bangalore Swans]

Because we want to try and win every match. And we want to expose our talented youth to the best opposition and let them test themselves and grow. And if they are battered and bruised by Richmond we can rest them then, knowing we have excellent depth (except for KPPs) we can call upon and who ought to be able to get the job done against Essendon too.

I think the other way. Let the likes of Melican, Ling, Sinclair, Stephen’s, and Heywood play against Richmond and have those guys batted and bruised. Leave Wicks in there as well as he chases hard. They all have something extra to prove and will be keen to hit Richmond hard.

You then bring in a fresh Buddy, Gulden, Campbell and McDonald for the SCG Thursday game. They will dazzle, entertain, delight the crowd and get us over 100 points.

Potentially being 3 and 1 with your first year players not to tired is a plan.

[Markwebbos]

We need to change things up a bit; too many defenders looking really shaky.

Out: Sweet Caroline: the words "touching you, touching me"; this is how global pandemic really get going!

The eighties bogan who chose the music between goals: I watched the replay, can clearly hear Billie Idol

Lloyd, looked really bad out there, couldn't tackle, lack any speed, can't kick long, Campbell and Dawson far better than him, lets try someone else.


In: Stephens and Gould, they are good enough!

I agree about Sweet Caroline. Far too much inappropriate touching for 2021.

I also agree about Lloyd. I think he's in danger of losing his spot before the year is out. That clanger of his across the D50 to a Crows player was appalling.

It would be REALLY handy if Gould could do whatever he needs to do to be considered for the first team. I know he's not a genuine KPD, but if he could play tall, that would be a huge help right now. But I suspect he's still not ready. Hasn't been an emergency so far.

[rb4x]

Was not impressed with Harry Cunningham in the last quarter particularly. Rowbottom should come in but is not like for like with HC. HC needs to be put on notice that he needs to do better. Rampe had a shocker as well but is in no danger of being dropped. Have no idea where Melican, Brand, O'Riordan or O'Connor are at as Swans are providing absolutely nothing on how they went in last two reserves practice games against GWS. We have a lot of fringe players who should have appeared in those hitouts and we are being kept in the dark as to their current form or even as to whether they even played. Not good enough IMO.

[bloodspirit]

I dont know if this is a bait or not as you know where i stand on this. RB should not be an automatic in. Stephens can offer us more, like what i saw of him back end of 2020. His run on the G

Would rather RB than Blakey though on current form thats for sure

Not baiting at all. You have made your position on RB well known; similarly you know most of us disagree with you. Rather, I was pointing out that your point of view on Blakey is not so idiosyncratic - there are many of us who are impatient with him and who feel that despite his talent he is not justifying his selection when there is so much competition for spots.

If I wanted to bait you, I would probably have brought up Bell, who you have stopped mentioning.

[TheBloods]

Not baiting at all. You have made your position on RB well known; similarly you know most of us disagree with you. Rather, I was pointing out that your point of view on Blakey is not so idiosyncratic - there are many of us who are impatient with him and who feel that despite his talent he is not justifying his selection when there is so much competition for spots.

If I wanted to bait you, I would probably have brought up Bell, who you have stopped mentioning.

I rate Bell. Gives a good showing for himself. He is not best 22. I like the 22 we had against the crows. Swap blakey for stephens and it will be perfect and you wont hear a peep out of me.

[bloodspirit]

I rate Bell. Gives a good showing for himself. He is not best 22. I like the 22 we had against the crows. Swap blakey for stephens and it will be perfect and you wont hear a peep out of me.

We're in nearly perfect agreement! RB seems to be the main point of difference. And I give you credit for recognising what Warner had to offer more adroitly than most this season, including me. I was excited with Warner's 2020 pre-season but I wasn't demanding his inclusion for round 1 this year, even after his good pre-season matches - yet he's been terrific!

[TheBloods]

We're in nearly perfect agreement! RB seems to be the main point of difference. And I give you credit for recognising what Warner had to offer more adroitly than most this season, including me. I was excited with Warner's 2020 pre-season but I wasn't demanding his inclusion for round 1 this year, even after his good pre-season matches - yet he's been terrific!

He will be our next Jpk. Should play every game this year. i think by the end of this year we will see he and Mcinerney as our two best young players and that is including Gulden and Mcdonald who are both guns\

Exciting times