Changes to R20 V Dons

[707]

Agree. Swapping Blakey and Dawson has been better for both players. Dawson makes an excellent tall utility, but I like him more as a mid forward where he can get goal kicking opportunities.

Superboot!

Mills and Harry for Ronke and Bell/Rowbottom

[Aaron]

How about this - IN: Mills, Cunningham, Melican
Out: Ronke, Bell and Rowbottom (-->Medical Sub?)

7 Backs: Rampe, McCartin, Fox, Cunningham, Llyod, Blakey, Melican
9 Mids: McInerney, Florent, Dawson, Hewett, Gulden, Hickey, Kennedy, Parker, Mills
6 Forwards: Buddy, Reid, Papley, Heeney, Wicks, Hayward

Our players have played as a team and most are capable of playing multiple roles.

[Ludwig]

How about this - IN: Mills, Cunningham, Melican
Out: Ronke, Bell and Rowbottom (-->Medical Sub?)

7 Backs: Rampe, McCartin, Fox, Cunningham, Llyod, Blakey, Melican
9 Mids: McInerney, Florent, Dawson, Hewett, Gulden, Hickey, Kennedy, Parker, Mills
6 Forwards: Buddy, Reid, Papley, Heeney, Wicks, Hayward

Our players have played as a team and most are capable of playing multiple roles.

These would be my suggestions now that Buddy is free to play. This may be our best team. Yet it's so hard to think that it doesn't include Warner, Rowbottom or Campbell. That's some real quality to leave out of our team. We need to think of the Swans best 25+, not just a best 22.

[dejavoodoo44]

Now that Buddy is free to play, it would be ironic if JL chooses to rest him, but I doubt he will.

Now that you mention it, I quite like that idea.
"No, we were always going to rest Buddy, but it was just the principle of the thing."

On the other hand, I think that his best goal average is against Essendon; so it would be nice if he continued with that.

[MattW]

It's not the time to be stuffing around with resting Buddy - we have a top 4 spot to jag. He's a month away from the pre-finals bye. Plus, it's not like he can hang with his family and get away from it all. For all those reasons, he'll play.

[The Runner]

Essendon have 2 good marking talls, Stringer and some handy smalls in Tippa and Smith.
McCartin to Wright.
Fox to Hooker.
Rampe to Stringer.
Cunningham to Tippa.
Lloyd to Smith
Blakey to Perkins / Ham and to float off.

I don't think we need Melican unless there's an injury. So perhaps he's the sub this week? Caveat - I do really like Melican, I thought he was great just prior to most of his injuries.

We'll see a significantly more involved JMac this week. Credit to him for doing the team thing and sacrificing his game last week to cover with Cunningham out.

[dejavoodoo44]

I thought it was worthwhile posting our official injury list, which is the shortest that I can remember it being.

Sam Naismith ACL Indefinite
Chad Warner Shin Test

If Warner passes his test, it's just the almost permanently injured Naismith. Although there is some mystery about Ling? Perhaps he's doing the old Jared Crouch thing, of choosing not to be included on the injury list? I don't think he's been playing.

[barry]

It's not the time to be stuffing around with resting Buddy - we have a top 4 spot to jag. He's a month away from the pre-finals bye. Plus, it's not like he can hang with his family and get away from it all. For all those reasons, he'll play.

Absolutely. We need Reid to get a few games under his belt before he can take on the role of no.1 forward. So resting buddy is a week or two away, if at all.
No body at Freo talks about resting Mundy and he's older than buddy. I just don't get this resting talk.

[TheBloods]

Essendon have 2 good marking talls, Stringer and some handy smalls in Tippa and Smith.
McCartin to Wright.
Fox to Hooker.
Rampe to Stringer.
Cunningham to Tippa.
Lloyd to Smith
Blakey to Perkins / Ham and to float off.

I don't think we need Melican unless there's an injury. So perhaps he's the sub this week? Caveat - I do really like Melican, I thought he was great just prior to most of his injuries.

We'll see a significantly more involved JMac this week. Credit to him for doing the team thing and sacrificing his game last week to cover with Cunningham out.

Dont make excuses for Jmac he was mediocre vs Fremantle , excellent player but he spent most of the game ball watching when he wasnt turning it over by foot

He will lift this week

[Markwebbos]

Essendon have 2 good marking talls, Stringer and some handy smalls in Tippa and Smith.
McCartin to Wright.
Fox to Hooker.
Rampe to Stringer.
Cunningham to Tippa.
Lloyd to Smith
Blakey to Perkins / Ham and to float off.

I don't think we need Melican unless there's an injury. So perhaps he's the sub this week? Caveat - I do really like Melican, I thought he was great just prior to most of his injuries.

We'll see a significantly more involved JMac this week. Credit to him for doing the team thing and sacrificing his game last week to cover with Cunningham out.

Hooker thrashed McCartin last time around. He’s a wily old former KPD. I’d be pretty nervous a about playing Fox on him.

[The Runner]

Dont make excuses for Jmac he was mediocre vs Fremantle , excellent player but he spent most of the game ball watching when he wasnt turning it over by foot

He will lift this week

He spent most of the game in the back 50m playing on their smalls. His ball use was actually very good too. If he couldn't find a long option he went inboard a channel to start breaking things up.

[TheBloods]

He spent most of the game in the back 50m playing on their smalls. His ball use was actually very good too. If he couldn't find a long option he went inboard a channel to start breaking things up.

He had 3 kicks inside 50 that all missed the targets

Usually a strength of his , was not good at it on Sunday and was not involved enough . Not a hanging offence

[Bangalore Swans]

He spent most of the game in the back 50m playing on their smalls. His ball use was actually very good too. If he couldn't find a long option he went inboard a channel to start breaking things up.

I thought J-Mac was more quiet as well last weekend. I think he may have been playing deeper in the back 50m as a small defender. Maybe Freemantle planned to drag him deep in defence to stop his drive off half back. Not to worry as Blakey stepped up and provided brilliant half back drive.

This weekend Cunningham will return to play deep back pocket and free J-Mac to a half back flank or a wing.

[Roadrunner]

Hooker thrashed McCartin last time around. He’s a wily old former KPD. I’d be pretty nervous a about playing Fox on him.

Yes, Robbie is not tall or strong enough to play on Hooker. As you say, he towelled up McCartin last time but Horse may think this is still the best matchup. Other only option is Ramps. Hence the push for Melican but I’m at a loss to figure out who to leave out, as we must bring in Harry and Millsy.

[snajik]

These would be my suggestions now that Buddy is free to play. This may be our best team. Yet it's so hard to think that it doesn't include Warner, Rowbottom or Campbell. That's some real quality to leave out of our team. We need to think of the Swans best 25+, not just a best 22.

Exactly. I've never bought into this 'Best 22' shenanigans. Best 22 is an overused and inaccurate term. Best 22 changes from week to week depending on the opposition, month to month, season to season. I've always prescribed to a best 28-30 (something like what we have now where there is ongoing pressure for spots) where if someone is unavailable for reasons of form, injury, suspension there is a ready-made replacement able to step in.
This is something I admire about US sports, where players are professionals and are ready to go when they get the tap. For example (and much to my chagrin as a Browns fan), when Kansas City Chiefs' 3rd string quarterback Chad Henne replaced the injured Patrick Mahommes in last season's Divisional Playoff against Cleveland, he was still able to play a key role in handing Kansas the win.
The other thing is that all are rewarded when their team wins a championship. Something I'd like to see happen here. Not just the players on the day that won the GF, but any player that helped get them there along the journey, i.e. anyone who played a senior game that year, gets a premiership medal as an acknowledgement of their efforts.
While I understand that this is simply a thread for folk to express their opinions, the evidence base for arriving at those opinions isn't as robust as that of the MC. Therefore, I'd rather defer to the MC. After all they must know something, 8 finals appearances, 3 Grand Finals, 1 premiership (possibly 2) in the past decade. They seem to be getting it right.