Changes to R21 Against St Kilda

[TheBloods]

Also "a very limited player". Or so you said. Which is a short way of saying graemed is wrong.

Graemed was trying to make the case that Wicks is more than just a pressure player but nearly every one of his points related to pressure

Btw whats wrong with being a limited player ? I was being told months ago that i shouldnt expect every player to be a superstar . For a player who i didnt have in our best team at the start of this year i have acknowledged that Wicks plays a role and belongs in the team and i have not called for him to be dropped ONCE since then .

[The Runner]

Wicks is consistent at what he does best - saying he should be dropped if he stops it is like saying Kennedy should be dropped if he can't win contested footy. Like, yeah, if course, but it's not going to happen..

I really really want Chad back in the side. But I'd be nervous on his loading given the nature of his injury. Maybe another week for conditioning.
Having said that The Saints are losing Hunter Clark and Dougal Howard this week. They're depleted down back - so it could be a good week to get a game in to him, as I don't expect much of a contest from them.

We don't need the height this week, Saints don't bat too deep up front.
But, if we don't bring Melican in this week or next, you'd almost have to put a line through him for this year. You can't expect him to miss that much footy, then play relatively underdone against a Geelong or Giants tall in the finals.

[Bloods05]

Graemed was trying to make the case that Wicks is more than just a pressure player but nearly every one of his points related to pressure

Btw whats wrong with being a limited player ? I was being told months ago that i shouldnt expect every player to be a superstar . For a player who i didnt have in our best team at the start of this year i have acknowledged that Wicks plays a role and belongs in the team and i have not called for him to be dropped ONCE since then .

Two of Graeme's 5 points. That's not "nearly every one". Nothing wrong with being a limited player, pretty much all players have limitations. Some are even limited by ongoing injuries that aren't noticed by undiscriminating critics. Being a "very limited player" is a bit more problematic though.

[111431]

It comes as no surprise that yet another player is misunderstood because he diligently and enthusiastically fulfils a role. Wicks is far more than a pressure forward. He is worth has to be seen live to appreciate like Bell the one percenters he is involved in:
1) he applies forward pressure
2) he is fine mark and provides many cut outs when we are moving from our D50. In no small measure is he responsible for us being #1 in this phase of the game.
3) he consistently sacrifices himself to provide blocks for his other forwards, consider the Franklin goal against Fremantle, as a small sample of his work.
4) he is aggressive. This is a necessary and important aspect often overlooked.
5) he can and does kick goals but it is true he has been missing set shots, however, he is still getting into the right spots to take those shots. Reflect back to round 3 when he was a significant component in treating the Richmond backs to a lesson.
6) he does a great deal of his best work unnoticed creating space for other forwards by running out of leading lanes and drawing opponents away from those parts of the ground then doubling back to get front and centre to contests.

Of course he isn’t the only one doing these little things but he does them very well.
Should he do more? Of course, and he will because he is appreciated and is seen to be doing things well by the coaching staff. This is called gaining confidence and experience.

Agree 100% with this analysis. They can't all be stars and many of the stars wouldn't take on Wicks's role. His aggro needs to be a little more controlled and set shots improved. He is a certainty to be playing in the finals

[barracuda]

Agree 100% with this analysis. They can't all be stars and many of the stars wouldn't take on Wicks's role. His aggro needs to be a little more controlled and set shots improved. He is a certainty to be playing in the finals

I think the agro has been dialled down completely. Since his suspension he as avoided any altercations. I think his major challenge is fatigue. Other than his 1 week suspension he has played every game. One of the only young ones to carry this much workload. Often set shot misses relate to fatigue. I recall earlier in the year he kicked a goal similar to Guldens, two steps sideways on the 50m then drilled it on the left foot. The only difference with Gulden is he is a right foot kick! Right now I don't think he would make the distance. I know Campbell has been moved to the forward line in the VFL, so depending on his fitness and form, he may move in.

[Ludwig]

I'm leaning toward bringing in Stephens for Bell, and giving him a hard tagging role on Brad Hill. It's a good matchup and one that Stephens should be able to handle. If he does it well, it will be a big contribution to a winning performance. If not, Stephens will know he needs work on his game to play AFL footy.

The other matchup I hope to see is Hewett on Steele. If we can limit both Steele and Hill, we take away a huge part of the Saints' offense.

[The Runner]

Great to hear Campbell has been moved forward in ressies. He's the perfect inclusion for Bell. He's a fantastic overhead mark and user of the footy.

Although, us that were to happen, who misses for Warner?

[Roadrunner]

Agree 100% with this analysis. They can't all be stars and many of the stars wouldn't take on Wicks's role. His aggro needs to be a little more controlled and set shots improved. He is a certainty to be playing in the finals

Maybe I haven’t given enough kudos for Wick’s forward pressure work, as some are suggesting. Is that his main role?
His set shots for goal seem to me to be showing some fatigue, possibly mental as well as physical. A week’s rest may do him good and giving Stephens a go on Hill, as Ludwig suggests, is well worth considering.

Pressure needs to be applied all over the field- I don’t see an inordinate amount applied by either Bell or Wicks but concede that I watch the game on TV and so can miss a lot. Appreciate that both do the team thing but double digit possessions is not unreasonable to expect from every player in the team.

[111431]

I think the agro has been dialled down completely. Since his suspension he as avoided any altercations. I think his major challenge is fatigue. Other than his 1 week suspension he has played every game. One of the only young ones to carry this much workload. Often set shot misses relate to fatigue. I recall earlier in the year he kicked a goal similar to Guldens, two steps sideways on the 50m then drilled it on the left foot. The only difference with Gulden is he is a right foot kick! Right now I don't think he would make the distance. I know Campbell has been moved to the forward line in the VFL, so depending on his fitness and form, he may move in.

thanks for the learned insights Barra

[Ludwig]

Although, us that were to happen, who misses for Warner?

I can't see Warner coming in to the seniors before at least 1 VFL game. He's missed too much footy. He's probably 4th in line for non-KPPs to come into side, behind Stephens, Rowbottom and Campbell. It's really important that we have some ressies level football to keep these guys sharp and ready to play AFL when needed.

[Ralph Dawg]

Bell's 4 possessions and 1 tackle make for unpleasant viewing. I didn't notice him doing too much off the ball stuff either. He just struggled to be involved. I'd like to see how McDonald goes. Our F50 entries are humming at the moment and he could really do some damage as he's strong on the lead and a lovely set shot.

We need to keep Wicks in though. His F50 pressure is excellent.

Warner to get a run in reserves to get some match fitness under his belt.

[TheBloods]

Wicks stays

[The Runner]

I can't see Warner coming in to the seniors before at least 1 VFL game. He's missed too much footy. He's probably 4th in line for non-KPPs to come into side, behind Stephens, Rowbottom and Campbell. It's really important that we have some ressies level football to keep these guys sharp and ready to play AFL when needed.

Agreed on the footy under the belt being needed - I was more referring to in the coming weeks, who could he come in for?
I think Warner gives us a real X factor around contests, that we're lacking at the moment. But, if Campbell were to take Bell's role, who does Warner replace?

[i'm-uninformed2]

Agreed on the footy under the belt being needed - I was more referring to in the coming weeks, who could he come in for?
I think Warner gives us a real X factor around contests, that we're lacking at the moment. But, if Campbell were to take Bell's role, who does Warner replace?

If the coaches decide they want Campbell in that specific forward role because of his speed (as much as defensively as offensively) and foot skills, and then they decide they also want Chad back in, then it probably comes down to Florent, who’s been good without being great, or Hewett, for the different midfield mix. A nice problem to have!

[KSAS]

Whilst Chad for Bell looks the obvious change, I would seriously consider bringing in Armatey instead for Bell. This is because St.Kilda is likely to regain Ryder this week. They are a better side when Ryder/Marshall play in tandem. Armatey provides ruck/forward chop out for Hickey & allows flexibility for Reid to play stints down back to help out our defence should Max King prove a handful. It also helps maintains our 2 KPF structure.

Bell can the sub. Chad can come in the following week after a run in the the 2's this week (hopefully). Hasn't played any footy since the bye. Saints coming off 8 day break versus our 6 days, which also needs to be factored.

AFL Tonight reported Ryder is still in doubt to come up this week.