KissKiss
Norm Smith Medallist
- Nov 26, 2012
- 8,657
- 11,054
- AFL Club
- Brisbane Lions
The injury season continues but weirdly created one of the more inspiring games of the year. Losing players left right and before the game meant we had to pull everything out and massively led by out senior leaders knocking off the always inconsistent Suns and bring winning back to the Gabba. We also got the amazing double game, maccas eating, wrong shoes debut from Logan Morris to show signs of what the future may bring.
Adelaide did us all a favour and smacked around Port in an impressive Showdown. Rebounding the ball and using pace to drive it forward to Tex and an exciting bunch of small forwards was a great tribute to a retiring Rory Sloane, one the nicer guys in football. A stand alone game was great watching for anyone who doesnt like Port.
However Adelaide have probably been one of the more disappointing sides this year. They seemed to be primed to start rebounding up the ladder but a aging Tex and a fairly one paced midfield mix has held them back at times this year. Something changed in the showdown to show that they can run and rebound in a way that spells danger to me. The game style of intercepting the ball and running it the length of the ground for a fast goal is exactly the game style that has troubled us recently. Either we need to get a lot more accurate at scoring goals when we get it forward, or we need to make sure we are ready to run again. We are going to need a lot of hard running to
The damage:
Two more ACLs to McCarthy and Gardiner throws some chaos into the forward line. While the concussion to Answerth and a calf strain does similar to the backline. 4-5 ACLs in a short period of time starts to ask some questions about the Gabba or an injury curse. Hopefully its just a fluke statistical anomaly.
The Replacements:
Gardiner > Morris. After a great debut in tough circumstances Morris showed why many have been calling out for his inclusion. He offers something different to Daniher and Hipwood and should be better with fresher legs and the right boots on. Other options would be Smith, Fort or another small forward but I think Morris is the likely winner.
McCarthy > Ah Chee. We dont really have a lot of other small forward options right now but Ah Chee has done well in the past as a more defensive forward. Can play a variety of roles around the ground if we need other holes filled. Other options include Tunstill or another mid.
Starcevich > Brain or Prior. This is where things start to get tricky or need some shuffling around. Brain seems to have been the best rebounding back but we might need to shuffle someone to lockdown on Rankine and Rachelle. Wilmot and McKenna might have to play tighter with Zorko and maybe Fletcher rebounding more. Prior has more AFL level exposure and probably can defend a bit better.
Answerth > Sharp on field and then either Tunstill, Prior or Lyons (I really hope not) into Sub. Sharp played a impressive game and his extra running power on the wing looks exactly what we need in the team at the moment. Again this forces Fletcher or someone else back onto the HBF and a bit of a shuffle around. Tunstill has done plenty of sub games this year while personally I like Priors ability to play more roles.
Hopefully we have no other required changes as the replacement options are starting to get a little thin.
The Game:
As above after such a tough game on the week I am very glad we have a full rest to recover. Travelling for another interstate game is going to be stress tired bodies. Hopefully the youth injection will provide the energy and spark that we need to keep rebounding our season back up the ladder. If we play like we did last week or against Melbourne I think we should be able to win by about 3 goals (just need to kick straight.
Mother's day:
Dont forget to wish your Mother's and partners Happy Mothers Day and get them something nice for being awesome people.
