Preview Round 13, 2023: Sydney v St.Kilda - SCG, Thursday 8th June, 7:10PM AEST *PRIDE GAME*

[George]

Parker out

Swans by 10 goals

 

[gringo2011]

He didn't play mostly in the guts against the Giants though. He only went to 6 centre bounce attendances which was his second least for the year.

It may seem like he is playing midfield a lot more because like Daicos he seems to have a licence to push up the ground and make an impact.

Maybe it's just a coincidence that his worst games have also been the ones where he's spent most time in the middle, but that's how it's played out.

We lose a lot of drive when he's not at half back. He looks good in the middle as an impact player and I think we are best using him like that

We sat up on level three last week. He sets up off the back of the square and runs in like a wingman. He is basically a mid but you are talking about taking one of the starting mids who are shit everywhere else out for him to put him in the middle. Steele is on one leg, he should probably be out of the side. Seb Ross is badly out of form as is Gresham but both are the more adaptable of our mids.

We probably continue with that but try Windhager and Owens in the midfield and if that falls apart we move him inside.

 

[DougalHoward]

Reckon Leo is a chance with Hunter out Saintos The ITK

 

[Miha]

Imagine we win this I’ll chuckle my **** off

 

[gringo2011]

Imagine we win this I’ll chuckle my **** off

I'd hope we are a decent chance. We haven't turned to shit overnight hopefully.

 

[bird_man]

We sat up on level three last week. He sets up off the back of the square and runs in like a wingman. He is basically a mid but you are talking about taking one of the starting mids who are s**t everywhere else out for him to put him in the middle. Steele is on one leg, he should probably be out of the side. Seb Ross is badly out of form as is Gresham but both are the more adaptable of our mids.

We probably continue with that but try Windhager and Owens in the midfield and if that falls apart we move him inside.

I was also on level 3. Agree with you on how he plays which is why I compared him to the way Collingwood play Daicos. He does have a license to push up into the middle if the ground a lot, but it's usually coming from the back of the contest.

More times than not though he was starting in the middle on Saturday night and it didn't have the effect we were hoping for.

 

[gringo2011]

I was also on level 3. Agree with you on how he plays which is why I compared him to the way Collingwood play Daicos. He does have a license to push up into the middle if the ground a lot, but it's usually coming from the back of the contest.

More times than not though he was starting in the middle on Saturday night and it didn't have the effect we were hoping for.

Steele being injured and shit, Seb being down and Gresham going at about 25% capacity probably didn't help. They Hawks are a tall contested midfield and CD suggested that Worpol had his best game for a few years. It was kind of the perfect storm of poor form, Hawks playing a quick handball game that kept the ball off us and not like anything else anyone else is doing, Hunter Clark going down and other stuff that conspired against us. We also had a lot of players looking clocked out for the break.

I don't think that game is a good reason to start writing off anything. I doubt that situation is indicative of how the rest of the comp will play and probably not like we will either. Happy to experiment with some new blood on the inside but we have to be ready to switch things around when they don't work. Some of the real fast break stuff the Crows did was when we tried to push kids into the midfield and we quickly snapped back but not before damage was done on the score board.

 

[Saintos The ITK]

Reckon Leo is a chance with Hunter out Saintos The ITK

 

[Miha]

I'd hope we are a decent chance. We haven't turned to s**t overnight hopefully.

We turned a corner marginally after the bye in 21 so who knows, they boys need a rocket

 

[tomjoad]

Windhager and Owens have played together all throughout juniors. They know each others game, strengths and weaknesses. They already have synchronicity, put them in the guts and let's see what they can do.
It can't be worse than a hobbled Steele, a badly out of form Ross, an inefficient Gresh, and just doing okay Crouch.
We need a spark in there.
Youth with a point to prove to light a fire please.

 

[gringo2011]

Windhager and Owens have played together all throughout juniors. They know each others game, strengths and weaknesses. They already have synchronicity, put them in the guts and let's see what they can do.
It can't be worse than a hobbled Steele, a badly out of form Ross, an inefficient Gresh, and just doing okay Crouch.
We need a spark in there.
Youth with a point to prove to light a fire please.

Crouch is going really well. He's probably been our most consistent player this year. Some of those player rankings have him above Sinclair as our best player. Nearly everyone else has fallen over but Crouch is still going fell tilt. He was one of the few that looked like they gave a shit on the weekend.

 

[tomjoad]

Crouch is going really well. He's probably been our most consistent player this year. Some of those player rankings have him above Sinclair as our best player. Nearly everyone else has fallen over but Crouch is still going fell tilt. He was one of the few that looked like they gave a s**t on the weekend.

I agree, but he looks so much better when he has the proper support around him. The beginning of the year when the whole team was humming, he looked like an early AA candidate.
I think two hungry young bulls will make him reach an even higher level, rather than two blokes who look like they've spent their tickets already.
I still think Steele to the forward line to get over his injury and get some touch would work. He has some ability when going through there.

 

[Jade Buddha]

Rotate Owens and Steele forward to mid

 

[Jade Buddha]

If Owens is back we are up to our necks in it.
Probably our most significant shift in energy right across the field.

 

[Ephemeral Hope]

Daicos is doing his apprenticeship at hbf. I'd nearly guarantee he will go into the midfield with 2 years. Sincs has already done his apprenticeship on the hbf. Rotating from hbf to midfield as they have been doing is perfect in my view. The midfield as a whole has been putrid tho, who knows why it's this bad. But we're not playing any worse because Sincs move into the midfield. I'd say we would have been worse if he wasnt

He didn't play mostly in the guts against the Giants though. He only went to 6 centre bounce attendances which was his second least for the year.

It may seem like he is playing midfield a lot more because like Daicos he seems to have a licence to push up the ground and make an impact.

Maybe it's just a coincidence that his worst games have also been the ones where he's spent most time in the middle, but that's how it's played out.

We lose a lot of drive when he's not at half back. He looks good in the middle as an impact player and I think we are best using him like that

I don't think they're in a rush to put Daicos in the middle and away from half back. Maybe at the start he was there in an "apprenticeship" role so he could get some games under his belt in an easy position but he's not just there, he's a cruicial piece of their structure now. They orchestrate everything from that half back position then through the midfield run it all the way to the forward line. All starts from him though. Sinclair the same.

 

[Jayman15]

Without backing over our impotent midfield discussion.. still surprised we haven’t at least given Stocker a single run for a 5-10min period of a game in the centre square. Surely his perceived lower fitness base argument is null now. With Webster and Paton in the side for small-medium defensive cover, his bullocking/wrecking ball nature would give us a different dynamic especially if Owens doesn’t get up for the Swans

 

[ScrappyDo]

Ross Lyon at St Kilda in H&A games after a bye: 6-0

Something to do with the squad he had maybe?

 

[austinnn]

On Windhager:

Games in first 2 seasons in AFL at St Kilda:

Seb Ross: 14
Nick Dal Santo: 26
Luke Ball: 16
Leigh Montagna: 13

Marcus Windhager current games: 24

I want to see him in, but there's a few AA jumpers and B&Fs in the list above. And those blokes took time as well.

Regarding Dal, Ball and Joey, the part that's missing with this comparison is the identity of the players that had to be dropped for them to play. I'll wager they are of a different ilk to the boys that Windy is battling with.

 

[MrFoster]

I hope Rtb isn’t too stubborn. I’d like to use the break to copy elements of the hawks game plan.

I don’t think we currently got the players to copy the Hawks game plan, they started playing the run and gun game since last year. It’s repeatable, daring and fun to watch. But against the really good sides, they may struggle due to lack of star power and inconsistent youth.

We have been playing safe football for 10 years. Even Lyon’s new game plan is uncontested football, push forwards back to midfield and backline to win the ball through number icas advantage. That’s why when opposition man us up, our midfield gets belted, because aside from Steele and Crouch who are seasoned and can consistently win their own contested ball 1 on 1, others are either young or incapable of winning contests..

Same with backline, Battle, Wilkie, Sinclair and Stocker are good winking contests, but Paton, Howard, NAS are not.. We can maybe carry 1, 3 is too much.. when you add mids like Gresham, Ross, Hill and young players like Philippou, Brynes, Caminiti, no wonder why we win little of the ball, with the midfield as the biggest culprit. Address this, then we’ll improve

 

[AirWinmar]

I don't think they're in a rush to put Daicos in the middle and away from half back. Maybe at the start he was there in an "apprenticeship" role so he could get some games under his belt in an easy position but he's not just there, he's a cruicial piece of their structure now. They orchestrate everything from that half back position then through the midfield run it all the way to the forward line. All starts from him though. Sinclair the same.

Time will tell I guess, friendly wager that he'll start getting runs thru there within a year or 2. They do have the luxury of being able to roll thru Pendles and De Goey, etc thru their midfield.

 

[AirWinmar]

I was also on level 3. Agree with you on how he plays which is why I compared him to the way Collingwood play Daicos. He does have a license to push up into the middle if the ground a lot, but it's usually coming from the back of the contest.

More times than not though he was starting in the middle on Saturday night and it didn't have the effect we were hoping for.

Our mids got owned tho, and he isn't your in and under extractor. Regardless of cba on the eye v gws he looked like he was playing around 50% mids - he got a fair bit of ball forward of centre and was delivering into the forwardline. Adelaide game, he only had 12 from 35 centre bounces and he was OK by his standards and we got belted. You could argue we should have played him more on ball that game and were wasting him on hbf

 

[Munga]

On Windhager:

Games in first 2 seasons in AFL at St Kilda:

Seb Ross: 14
Nick Dal Santo

Nick Dal Santo

Age

40

Ht

185cm

Wt

85kg

Pos.

Mid

Career

Season

Last 5

D

22.9

5star

K

13.0

5star

HB

9.9

5star

M

3.7

4star

T

3.6

5star

CL

4.0

5star

No current season stats available

D

13.2

4star

K

6.8

3star

HB

6.4

4star

M

3.0

3star

T

2.2

4star

: 26
Luke Ball: 16
Leigh Montagna

Leigh Montagna

Age

41

Ht

178cm

Wt

76kg

Pos.

Def

Career

Season

Last 5

D

23.9

5star

K

14.8

5star

HB

9.0

5star

M

4.7

4star

T

4.0

5star

MG

482.3

5star

No current season stats available

D

5.0

1star

K

3.8

2star

HB

1.2

2star

M

2.4

3star

T

1.4

4star

: 13

Marcus Windhager current games: 24

I want to see him in, but there's a few AA jumpers and B&Fs in the list above. And those blokes took time as well.

While I don't disagree with learning the ropes in the twos, the fact is Windy should be playing seniors based on merit AND the attributes he brings to our midfield which differentiates him from the rest of our plodders midfielders.

Those first-year players listed above, there were pretty decent midfielders above them at the time: Burke, Hayes, Thompson, Black, Baker, and some guy named Harvey. Then Powell joined too. Poor Bally had OP and didn’t play at all in his first season. Monty and Dal were tiny, Monty the slowest of burns (pun intended), but Dal still managed 18 matches in his first season. Windy, like Owens, is a beast and can hold his own. On Ross, well, no disrespect but I’m not sure that we should be looking to examples over our previous decade, unless we want to point out substandard management.

Currently, we have many midfielders by name only. Basically just Crouch and Steele are genuine decent full-time mids, and one-half of them is crippled and out of form. Of all the excuses not to be playing Windy, none of them stack up in our current situation. One match over 66% gametime he’s played this year. One match in half a season. We’ve done a lot right so far this season, not playing Windy has been a big miss.

 

[Jesuswasacarpenter]

Sydney aren't unbeatable right now, far from it. I think it's a similar game to the Giants one last week.

Their injury list is massive at the moment. They had Robbie Fox giving up 10cm in height to Curnow and Melican as their main man at 194cm, so 10cm shorter than King.

Up front, Buddy is cooked and their main man at the moment is Hayden McLean.

The obvious worry is the midfield. They have plenty of quality through there and lots of pace which seems to be our Achilles heal. If we roll out the same old midfield we will be in trouble.

McLean is a pretty good player, starting to preform consistently, McDonald is a good you forward to.

 

[Cairnsman]

Reckon Leo is a chance with Hunter out Saintos The ITK

I'm overwhelmed with the very thought.

 

[Cairnsman]

Sydney aren't unbeatable

Yes but we are very beatable, very concerning cracks appearing, humungous even, a team competing for this years wooden spoon monstered us physically and in the most disturbing way possible by snatching the game off us in about 5 minutes, and the final 5 minutes. Deeply, deeply concerning.

Time to bring back the Cordy

Out Sharman, In Cordy

Fixes everything

You know it makes sense!