Preview Round 2 - Essendon Bombers vs Adelaide Crows - Saturday March 22nd - 1:20pm at the MGC

[Vindicater]

Out: Ridley, Langford and Shiel

In: Hayes, Menzie and El-Hawli

FB: McGrath McKay Hayes
CHB: Roberts Reid Redman
C: Duursma Durham Martin
CHF: Perkins Caddy Gresham
FF: Kako Draper Menzie
R: Bryan Caldwell Merrett
Int: Tsatas Jones, Hobbs, El- Hawli
Sub: Prior

 

[andleanback]

Doubt we’ll see any unforced changes given we’ve already got 2 and there’s no VFL games for exposure yet.

Adelaide were a similar team to us last year so will be interesting to see how we go.

They played vfl on Friday

 

[Howard Moon]

If we have ascendancy in the middle i wouldn't mind playing Durham in the Langford role, he's super competitive, a great overhead mark and a hard matchup all round. Bit of robbing Peter to pay Paul but we need goals

 

[faible]

They played vfl on Friday

Was a practice match, not the VFL season proper which kicks off this week.

Hopefully we have a few young guys put their hands up like Archie Roberts did last year.

 

[faible]

If we have ascendancy in the middle i wouldn't mind playing Durham in the Langford role, he's super competitive, a great overhead mark and a hard matchup all round. Bit of robbing Peter to pay Paul but we need goals

Give Hobbs and Tsatas genuine CBA time, use Durham and Martin as half-forward targets.

 

[JDavey]

I'm still fuming over last week. So confused but what we did.

1. We needed more F50 pressure all last year, we get Kako but then leave Gresham as sub so we're still down.

2. We select an extra mid and then use Redman over them at stoppage contests anyway to tag Will Day - despite the fact we were dominating stoppage and didn't need a tag.

3. We ran Bryan/Hobbs/Tsatas at like 45% TOG to about half time - why did we select them if we didn't plan to play them?

4. We used Perkins to tag Sicily but let Barrass/Battle bully us on intercept positions anyway.

When we undid this in the second half (somewhat forced on us) - we seemingly found our feet.

Outs: Ridley (Inj), Langford (Inj)
Ins: Hayes, SEH

Sub: SEH/Hobbs

Notes:

• Hayes required in due to crows tall forward line, I could see us selecting Laverde due to size/strength concerns
• Come out playing our gameplan this week, adjust if required second half.
• Bryan/Draper twin towers unleashed without the TOG management
• Durham to match up on Dawson around the ground
• Let Tsatas/Hobbs into the game early, no more starting and finishing qtr on the bench.

 

[eth-dog]

I'm still fuming over last week. So confused but what we did.

1. We needed more F50 pressure all last year, we get Kako but then leave Gresham as sub so we're still down.

2. We select an extra mid and then use Redman over them at stoppage contests anyway to tag Will Day - despite the fact we were dominating stoppage and didn't need a tag.

3. We ran Bryan/Hobbs/Tsatas at like 45% TOG to about half time - why did we select them if we didn't plan to play them?

4. We used Perkins to tag Sicily but let Barrass/Battle bully us on intercept positions anyway.

When we undid this in the second half (somewhat forced on us) - we seemingly found our feet.

Outs: Ridley (Inj), Langford (Inj)
Ins: Hayes, SEH

Sub: SEH/Hobbs

Notes:

• Hayes required in due to crows tall forward line, I could see us selecting Laverde due to size/strength concerns
• Come out playing our gameplan this week, adjust if required second half.
• Bryan/Draper twin towers unleashed without the TOG management
• Durham to match up on Dawson around the ground
• Let Tsatas/Hobbs into the game early, no more starting and finishing qtr on the bench.

Laverde hasn't even played a VFL praccy yet. Still in the rehab group I'm pretty sure.

 

[Runk]

The forward line felt incredibly ineffective last week, more than likely due to the way the ball was coming in, however Caddy can't take the best defender week in week out, he's just too green and with Langford out to me this is where Wright slots back in. As for changes elsewhere. I mean there's a plethora really.

Really want just to see player development and a game plan that stacks up.

 

[eth-dog]

The forward line felt incredibly ineffective last week, more than likely due to the way the ball was coming in, however Caddy can't take the best defender week in week out, he's just too green and with Langford out to me this is where Wright slots back in. As for changes elsewhere. I mean there's a plethora really.

Really want just to see player development and a game plan that stacks up.

Wright's injured

 

[Milanista28]

Probably attend this game, excited to watch Kako, but most excited to watch Rankine live tbh, what a player.

 

[faible]

The forward line felt incredibly ineffective last week, more than likely due to the way the ball was coming in, however Caddy can't take the best defender week in week out, he's just too green and with Langford out to me this is where Wright slots back in. As for changes elsewhere. I mean there's a plethora really.

Really want just to see player development and a game plan that stacks up.

Struggled to get decent entries, Draper often used as a target with no ground level presence near him, Kako the only player with genuine leg speed, it goes on and on.

Relying on the talent of two teenagers to hold together our forward-line is going to look a bit like this. Kako needs a friend or two that will chase and apply pressure. Gresham showed a good bit of hustle once subbed on, ADJ has leg speed, and Unwin has the profile of a typical GWS small forward.

Hopefully we can cobble something together as the season wears on.

 

[thebigboy]

Our forward structure is definitely going to look different but I don’t think we’ve got a plethora of other options available & in the mix. I’d expect it to look like:

Perkins Caddy Gresham
Kako Draper Edwards

Menzie as a sub/chance if they don’t go with Edwards and choose to go small.

 

[Runk]

Struggled to get decent entries, Draper often used as a target with no ground level presence near him, Kako the only player with genuine leg speed, it goes on and on.

Relying on the talent of two teenagers to hold together our forward-line is going to look a bit like this. Kako needs a friend or two that will chase and apply pressure. Gresham showed a good bit of hustle once subbed on, ADJ has leg speed, and Unwin has the profile of a typical GWS small forward.

Hopefully we can cobble something together as the season wears on.

100%. That forward line is absolutely desperate for pace & pressure. Kako showed how much it's needed and has been missed.

 

[Shanghaistu]

Our forward structure is definitely going to look different but I don’t think we’ve got a plethora of other options available & in the mix. I’d expect it to look like:

Perkins Caddy Gresham
Kako Draper Edwards

Menzie as a sub/chance if they don’t go with Edwards and choose to go small.

Is Guelfi in the mix? He would be handy in this match-up

 

[thebigboy]

Is Guelfi in the mix? He would be handy in this match-up

Nope. Long term Hamstring injury

 

[Shanghaistu]

Nope. Long term Hamstring injury

 

[The Dustbin]

85 points for in round 1 from an ineffective forward line. Scary times ahead when the efficiency inside 50 is markedly improved. That said, this was a major issue last season and nothing has changed.... yet.

 

[faible]

85 points for in round 1 from an ineffective forward line. Scary times ahead when the efficiency inside 50 is markedly improved. That said, this was a major issue last season and nothing has changed.... yet.

We lack class in the forward half to convert the opportunities, but winning the i50 count generally seems to correlate with winning. 6 of last years top-8 were also top-8 in i50 differential. (Carlton and GWS the outliers) and 5 of 8 the year prior (Geelong and Dogs also inside the top 8 for i50 both missed finals despite probably being better than the Saints).

It's a positive sign albeit a work-in-progress, if we can pair a positive i50 differential with some genuine quality up forward it's a good way to win football games.

How many EFC games have we watched over the past few years where we simply fail to put scoreboard pressure on during our patches of dominace.

 

[Donflicted]

Dons by 18

Roaming Crows supporters spotted

 

[Agronomus]

Struggled to get decent entries, Draper often used as a target with no ground level presence near him, Kako the only player with genuine leg speed, it goes on and on.

Relying on the talent of two teenagers to hold together our forward-line is going to look a bit like this. Kako needs a friend or two that will chase and apply pressure. Gresham showed a good bit of hustle once subbed on, ADJ has leg speed, and Unwin has the profile of a typical GWS small forward.

Hopefully we can cobble something together as the season wears on.

Are we better off to keep hitting the draft rather than throwing insane contracts at long term superstars?

 

[faible]

Are we better off to keep hitting the draft rather than throwing insane contracts at long term superstars?

 

[ghostdog]

I would not bring Edwards in.

Langford's injury is one of those balance correctors. Jones and the second ruck can play forward more.

Bring in the extra runner.

I'd prefer Jones. He's a defensive beast i50. Need that to keep Hinge and Michelanny looking over their shoulders.

 

[Donflicted]

Saad in Edwards in
Ridley and Langers out

Could see them also bring Hayes in and Saad while Pushing Jones forward reckon the first option is more likely

 

[Howard Moon]

It's happened again hasn't it? We've been slow to read the swings of league zeitgeist, finally we have a contested team and now contested ball is out, along and wave run is back in... By the time we turn the queen Mary back around to get a sling team contests will be back in.

It's fun chasing our tails for ever

 

[JayJ20]

Give Hobbs and Tsatas genuine CBA time, use Durham and Martin as half-forward targets.

Remove Hobbs and in Setterfield. Setterfield can wear contact so I prefer him alongside Tsatas over Hobbs.