Team List Rd 4 vs Port Adelaide @ SCG, Saturday April 8 7:30PM - Pre-match Thread

[Cosmic Wizard]

Time to reassess our team, and try something different: not that Horse will do that; he will continue to play aging veterans.

Too many player barely touch the ball and our defense and pressure was found lacking.

Out: Harry Cunningham; check the stats, they can lie but not in this case: the game has pass him by, about two years ago

Out: Jake Lloyd must not take the kick ins; it may flatter his stats, but 40 meter kicks to a pack are a waste

Out: Blakely; he is a defender, and must close his opposite player down, he always wants to do the big play


In: give our subs a full game, lets see what they have.

In. Gould, for gods sake, he must offer more than Cunningham


And dare I mention the elephant in the room: Heeney, is he injury?? He has credit in the bank but his form is not one bad game

[mcs]

I don't understand why Lloyd continues to take kick ins either. I know he is a trusted leader, but I've thought for quite a while his value add in that role is minimal. I know Blakey is occasionally known for a brain fade or two (he needs to get back to the KISS principle) but he or even Campbell are far more damaging and efficient taking kick ins, and at least have some variety to what they offer.

I suspect Cunningham and indeed anyone that replaces him (such as Clarke potentially if we went on last years model) are probably holding "ins" until Konstanty is ready or we unearth some other small forward star.

I think Roberts will go back to reserves given he now has had 3 weeks totalling less than 3 quarters of footy - maybe replaced by Sheldrick or Corey Warner as the sub). But I suspect there won't be any other changes, unless there are injuries we haven't heard about.

Plenty of players should be on notice however for some pretty ordinary performances yesterday - but we have a history of rarely throwing the baby out with the bath water at the selection table - and to be frank there isn't a whole lot in the cupboard to choose from at the very moment.

Picking Gould would need more wholesale changes to structure/where players line up. I just can't see him being picked unless we get an injury in the settled part of the back 6 (i.e. the two McCartin boys and Rampe). He has been only just okay in the first couple of reserves games too.

[BRS328]

All I can say is thank god you are not a selector.
Agree with you comments on Lloyd taking the kick ins, but as far as dropping three defenders at the same time is ludicrous. One loss does not constitute wholesale change. The final score did not indicate the evenness of the game. One team kicked 15.1 from set shots, the other approximately 6.9 from set shots. Melbourne were clearly the better side on the day, however they certainly took advantage of their chances.
We also gave away 5 or 6 goals from free kicks and 50 meter penalties, and were constantly playing catch up football as a result.
Hopefully the young players will learn from this.

[Maltopia]

Accuracy and officiating was a big part of the story, but the midfield being soundly beaten with contested possessions was also a big factor.

Blakey, Cunningham and Lloyd were not the reason the Demons got so many scoring opportunities.

I think Rowbottom is not performing that well so far this year, so maybe he comes out for Sheldrick?

Warner also had a poor game, but I think he gets more leeway than Rowbottom because of his upside and the number of big games he has had so far (whereas RB is almost a senior player now with 72 games and thus we expect more from him re consistency and impact).

Back to RB, is he and Sheldrick our future replacements for JPK and Parker when he retires? Are we big bodied enough in the midfield?

I think our midfield is a bigger problem than being Buddy centric, as that will resolve itself when he retires or if his form/fitness fall alway during the year and he plays less games.

[mcs]

Accuracy and officiating was a big part of the story, but the midfield being soundly beaten with contested possessions was also a big factor.

Blakey, Cunningham and Lloyd were not the reason the Demons got so many scoring opportunities.

I think Rowbottom is not performing that well so far this year, so maybe he comes out for Sheldrick?

Warner also had a poor game, but I think he gets more leeway than Rowbottom because of his upside and the number of big games he has had so far (whereas RB is almost a senior player now with 72 games and thus we expect more from him re consistency and impact).

Back to RB, is he and Sheldrick our future replacements for JPK and Parker when he retires? Are we big bodied enough in the midfield?

I think our midfield is a bigger problem than being Buddy centric, as that will resolve itself when he retires or if his form/fitness fall alway during the year and he plays less games.

While Rowy has been slow to start the season, replacing him with Sheldrick will only make the problems in midfield worse. And while you hope at 72 games in we will see more consistency from Rowbottom, Florent is the perfect answer to why patience is needed -> it has taken him really another 40-50 games beyond that point to hit some good consistent form. That doesn't excuse poor form - we need more from him for sure, but he is a known slow starter to seasons (For whatever reason that is) and we don't have an obvious replacement waiting in the wings.

[Maltopia]

While Rowy has been slow to start the season, replacing him with Sheldrick will only make the problems in midfield worse. And while you hope at 72 games in we will see more consistency from Rowbottom, Florent is the perfect answer to why patience is needed -> it has taken him really another 40-50 games beyond that point to hit some good consistent form. That doesn't excuse poor form - we need more from him for sure, but he is a known slow starter to seasons (For whatever reason that is) and we don't have an obvious replacement waiting in the wings.

Yeah, I agree there is no obvious fix to the midfield, which was why I was asking the question re Sheldrick rather demanding RB be dropped for him.

I think we may discover in a couple of years (when Parker drops off in fitness and retires) that losing Hewitt (a self goal on that one) may have hurt us more than losing any of Dawson, Aliir Aliir, Mitchell, Jones, Nankervis, Darcy Cameron, Mummy or Membrey - in terms of the hole it ended up leaving and how we covered that lost player.

[bloodspirit]

I don't understand why Lloyd continues to take kick ins either. I know he is a trusted leader, but I've thought for quite a while his value add in that role is minimal. I know Blakey is occasionally known for a brain fade or two (he needs to get back to the KISS principle) but he or even Campbell are far more damaging and efficient taking kick ins, and at least have some variety to what they offer.

I suspect Cunningham and indeed anyone that replaces him (such as Clarke potentially if we went on last years model) are probably holding "ins" until Konstanty is ready or we unearth some other small forward star.

I think Roberts will go back to reserves given he now has had 3 weeks totalling less than 3 quarters of footy - maybe replaced by Sheldrick or Corey Warner as the sub). But I suspect there won't be any other changes, unless there are injuries we haven't heard about.

Plenty of players should be on notice however for some pretty ordinary performances yesterday - but we have a history of rarely throwing the baby out with the bath water at the selection table - and to be frank there isn't a whole lot in the cupboard to choose from at the very moment.

Picking Gould would need more wholesale changes to structure/where players line up. I just can't see him being picked unless we get an injury in the settled part of the back 6 (i.e. the two McCartin boys and Rampe). He has been only just okay in the first couple of reserves games too.

This is a VERY sensible post. We need a bit of the wild lunacy, the death-spiralling, the comedy, the radicals, but also we need some sensible posters. Today, you're it!

[Blood Fever]

All I can say is thank god you are not a selector.
Agree with you comments on Lloyd taking the kick ins, but as far as dropping three defenders at the same time is ludicrous. One loss does not constitute wholesale change. The final score did not indicate the evenness of the game. One team kicked 15.1 from set shots, the other approximately 6.9 from set shots. Melbourne were clearly the better side on the day, however they certainly took advantage of their chances.
We also gave away 5 or 6 goals from free kicks and 50 meter penalties, and were constantly playing catch up football as a result.
Hopefully the young players will learn from this.

Agree. Too many panic merchants after one loss.

[Captain]

Only want to see one change.

Buddy out, to play as sub. McLean in.

[MattW]

Only want to see one change.

Buddy out, to play as sub. McLean in.

In my view this would clearly make us a weaker team.

[mcs]

In my view this would clearly make us a weaker team.

Also leaves us massively exposed if a midfielder was to go down injured.

[Captain]

In my view this would clearly make us a weaker team.

On paper I get that. But practically it means all forward entries don’t automatically go to Buddy and we are far less predictable.

It also means that Amartey can just stick to playing forward.

When Reid is fit he would replace McLean and be that 2nd ruck.

[Roadrunner]

Only want to see one change.

Buddy out, to play as sub. McLean in.

Can’t see Buddy ever as a sub. Last year we did have Joey as sub but he could play almost anywhere if needed, whereas Buddy only up forward. I thought he might have a run in the ruck or even on the wing, but I don’t see Horse trying this anytime soon.

Harry and Lloyd should make way for Gould and Sheldrick, with Campbell taking the kick- ins- why not utilise his beautiful asset?
Rowy has been below par but he gives his all and is a good tackler. Stephens has not found form yet and a week or two in the ressies may help- give HHK a try. I’m not advocating wholesale changes due to the loss, but we need to give some of these boys a go early rather than late in the season. Also, a bit of a wake up call for Willbur and Isaac, not that either will be dropped though they haven’t earned their coin lately.

[RogueSwan]

Only want to see one change...

One from left field
Out: Buddy
In: Gould
One of the McCartin's to the FWD line? Or maybe they both rotate fwd and back

[Blood Fever]

Can’t see Buddy ever as a sub. Last year we did have Joey as sub but he could play almost anywhere if needed, whereas Buddy only up forward. I thought he might have a run in the ruck or even on the wing, but I don’t see Horse trying this anytime soon.

Harry and Lloyd should make way for Gould and Sheldrick, with Campbell taking the kick- ins- why not utilise his beautiful asset?
Rowy has been below par but he gives his all and is a good tackler. Stephens has not found form yet and a week or two in the ressies may help- give HHK a try. I’m not advocating wholesale changes due to the loss, but we need to give some of these boys a go early rather than late in the season. Also, a bit of a wake up call for Willbur and Isaac, not that either will be dropped though they haven’t earned their coin lately.

Dropping Lloyd? Ridiculous.