Preview Changes and pre-match discussion vs West Coast, Sunday 10 August 4:40 (Patersons)

[Trickster]

Not sure if this has been mentioned prior but ch7 just said Ball left track early and won't be playing tomorrow...

 

[Good_Old]

Not sure if this has been mentioned prior but ch7 just said Ball left track early and won't be playing tomorrow...

Yeah just heard that, hope it's just precautionary.

 

[Trickster]

Yeah just heard that, hope it's just precautionary.

Hope so. Doesn't sound great though. Only a few games after this so if it's back / soft tissue related he might struggle to get back by finals. Untimely given Adams' injury also.

I'm finding it difficult to see how he'd play on next year with all the niggles he's getting.

 

[mattys123]

Ed said on Fox that Swan and Ball will be available for selection next week, forget about what 7, Luke Darcy or any other flog says, no setbacks, all going as we know it is.

 

[MagpieBat]

Ed said on Fox that Swan and Ball will be available for selection next week, forget about what 7, Luke Darcy or any other flog says, no setbacks, all going as we know it is.

Tallies with a source who says Ball will play tomorrow (and that Langdon is the only traveling emergency).

Same source also says Martin has drawn the lucky straw and is this week's Friday Injury with a knee.

And the reason I believe him is, because for the past couple of months, he has nailed each and every training injury the day before it has been announced by the club...

 

[Bring_Back_Brad]

Tallies with a source who says Ball will play tomorrow (and that Langdon is the only traveling emergency).

Same source also says Martin has drawn the lucky straw and is this week's Friday Injury with a knee.

And the reason I believe him is, because for the past couple of months, he has nailed each and every training injury the day before it has been announced by the club...

Martin got a knock on the knee. Probably still play vfl, nothing serious.

 

[FAIRANDBALANCED]

Lol at everyone talking shit like Young hasn't played a good game this season.

I'm not his biggest fan by any stretch, but would love to see him play a blinder and watch half this board's population of keyboard experts go silent.

He has played two good games, against Melbourne and St.Kilda. I don't think I need to say anymore.

 

[THATSGOLD]

And Armstrong is on that team

Yes. Doesn't mean he will be there in 4 weeks.

 

[THATSGOLD]

I subscribe to the line of thought that sees Blair playing as an inside mid. He is more suited to this role than playing up forward. If Ball is not ready to play, Blair is a better prospect in the middle than Thomas at this point in time.

Agree. Buckley has used Blair poorly for 2-3 years. Malthouse had him In centre.

 

[MeisterBot]

Let's not re-write history. Blair was given increased midfield minutes in 2012 after Ball went down. Last year too, Blair was given increased midfield time while Beams was out and while Blair had a decent impact in the midfield for periods, he would fade out over a number of games. He was switched back to a defensive forward around the time of the Essendon game last year when we got a run-on in an attempt to fix his form. I remember numerous threads about Blair being dropped (which have grown this year) because he couldn't cut it in the midfield for prolonged periods and his form as a forward was indifferent.

Beams, Ball, Pendles, Thomas, Swan and to a lesser extent Adams being available has forced him to be a defensive forward again. But with Thomas dropped and Swan injured in the last few weeks, Jarryd is once again taking centre square duties. Seriously, he is almost always the guy Bucks throws into the middle if we are down on inside mids. It may shed light on why he is so high on keeping him in the team even though he hasn't warranted it over the year.

 

[gormanisahack]

i am very happy that ball is not included, let me explain. At perth we need SPEED and we need it bigtime. It is safe to say that luke ball is not known for his speed and at an oval like subi ball could become a liability towards the end. Say we did play ball and when it came down to the subs when we would normally sub a tall out for a speedy player we would have the conundrum of carrying a slow player in ball into the final quarter when we need speed. Ball's skills wont we best suited for subi as it is long ground where running power will win you games.It comes down to 'grunt vs speed' and at av oval like subi, speed wins you games.

seriously did you leave your brain in perth? with no adams, martin or swan of the like who the hell is gonna win the ball when beams is tagged? we have enough outside run from defence and wings. I seriously hope ball is injured, he was bog in the vfl last week by a mile. Leaving him out is a massive mistake, this game will be won or lost on contested ball ( no pun intended). Ball adds more to our mids than either kennedy or young do. I am not a young or kennedy hater either, the fact is ball is the heart and soul of our engine room when he is up and running

 

[Wooljay]

He has played two good games, against Melbourne and St.Kilda. I don't think I need to say anymore.

Played well against Geelong in our loss, and had a cracker against Essendon on ANZAC Day. Has been a solid contributor almost every week, barring a couple and was particularly poor against Essendon in R17.

Do you expect all our players to dominate every single game we play? Would explain a lot.

 

[iGNITER]

Strongest team we've had out there this season. Injuries are now not any sort of an excuse now.

Throw in Swan and Adams/Ball and I reckon your right.

 

[HappyRed]

Jarryd Blair as in inside midfielder makes sense to me.

 

[Morganashlee]

So let's get this straight, we want VFL form to be rewarded with senior selection if it's Martin or Kennedy but when Young gets a callup on the back of a great performance we throw our toys out of the cot and call the season over?

Some people just need to have something to complain about. Go Pies!

 

[FAIRANDBALANCED]

Played well against Geelong in our loss, and had a cracker against Essendon on ANZAC Day. Has been a solid contributor almost every week, barring a couple and was particularly poor against Essendon in R17.

Do you expect all our players to dominate every single game we play? Would explain a lot.

He is the oldest player in our team with Ball out. He is 28, will be 29 when next season starts, he is not a great defensive player, he cant hit a short target, doesn't win his own ball and makes poor decisions in congestion. He hears footsteps, is prone to bad errors at crucial stages and is an horrific handballer when being tackled.
Solid contributer? To what? Let me guess, you listen to the commentators when they rap up his elite kicking ability, huh? Ask Alistair Clarkson about his elite kicking ability. They would be pissing themselves laughing at Hawthorn that we got Young in as a designated kicker.
He played an ok first half against Essendon, but he didn't do much against Geelong. He averages 74 champion data points per game as a ball carrier. That is horrible. Especially when you consider a long kick that is not directly marked by the opposition is considered effective.

 

[Swooper18]

Swan is already 30.

 

[Scodog10]

So let's get this straight, we want VFL form to be rewarded with senior selection if it's Martin or Kennedy but when Young gets a callup on the back of a great performance we throw our toys out of the cot and call the season over?

Some people just need to have something to complain about. Go Pies!

I don't get it personally myself. He isn't an elite kick, but he does provide us with something very few others do in the senior 22. Penetration by foot.

Take Lumumba, his ball use was absolutely horrid last week yet he copped a tenth of the vitriol that Young cops (good or poor performance).

I'm one of the first to admit that as a mature FA that we identified to fill a role he needs to step up at least a level or two, but he went back to VFL and put in a solid performance so deserved a call up when put up against the two players omitted.

 

[THATSGOLD]

Throw in Swan and Adams/Ball and I reckon your right.

Name me a team that doesn't have 3 players out.

 

[Scodog10]

Name me a team that doesn't have 3 players out.

I agreed with you initially, but upon further reflection. Sydney? Geelong? Port Adelaide? North? Essendon?

With Buddy, Hanneberry, Trengove, Wells and McIntosh all returning in one way or the other this week all the top 6-8 teams are settling down their best 22's except us, Fremantle and Hawthorn.

FWIW with our skills so deplorable this year I would also consider Seedsman best 22.

 

[Morganashlee]

I don't get it personally myself. He isn't an elite kick, but he does provide us with something very few others do in the senior 22. Penetration by foot.

Take Lumumba, his ball use was absolutely horrid last week yet he copped a tenth of the vitriol that Young cops (good or poor performance).

I'm one of the first to admit that as a mature FA that we identified to fill a role he needs to step up at least a level or two, but he went back to VFL and put in a solid performance so deserved a call up when put up against the two players omitted.

I think a part of the problem may lie in our expectations. Young and White aren't elite anything. They are contributors to a team and they have done so for the most part. We'd like more from them no doubt but there are guys who perform at a lower standard than Young every week yet he cops the wrath.

We have all had players we don't rate highly and jump at the chance to whack them, but he had 36 touches, kicked a goal and was pivotal in us coming back and winning the game. He is in our best team, deal with it.

 

[CasuallyDressed]

I don't get it personally myself. He isn't an elite kick, but he does provide us with something very few others do in the senior 22. Penetration by foot.

Take Lumumba, his ball use was absolutely horrid last week yet he copped a tenth of the vitriol that Young cops (good or poor performance).

I'm one of the first to admit that as a mature FA that we identified to fill a role he needs to step up at least a level or two, but he went back to VFL and put in a solid performance so deserved a call up when put up against the two players omitted.

I agree with the comment about Lumumba, especially.

Lumumba is truly a player who hasn't been held accountable for his performances this season.

 

[THATSGOLD]

I agreed with you initially, but upon further reflection. Sydney? Geelong? Port Adelaide? North? Essendon?

With Buddy, Hanneberry, Trengove, Wells and McIntosh all returning in one way or the other this week all the top 6-8 teams are settling down their best 22's except us, Fremantle and Hawthorn.

Swan and Ball are returning next week. So we have only Brown who many wanted out of the team anyway and Adams who only just went out after not being in the 22 until recently after a shocking first half of the season.
Point is we sook about injures more than any other team because we don't have a best 22 so we cry when the 25th man gets injured.

 

[Rorzza]

Regarding Seedsman, IMO he is best 22 and I would like to see him pushed up to the wing where we can utilise his footskills.

Would not mind if they played him in the reserves for two or three weeks but at the same time really flogged him on the track to get his fitness up. Then bring him back before the finals on the wing.

 

[Scodog10]

I think a part of the problem may lie in our expectations. Young and White aren't elite anything. They are contributors to a team and they have done so for the most part. We'd like more from them no doubt but there are guys who perform at a lower standard than Young every week yet he cops the wrath.

We have all had players we don't rate highly and jump at the chance to whack them, but he had 36 touches, kicked a goal and was pivotal in us coming back and winning the game. He is in our best team, deal with it.

Hmm I can cop the expectations. I'm pretty strong in my opinion that if you target players from opposition clubs they need to end up filling a position in the top 12 of the list and, IMO, at his best Young can do that. We just haven't seen that with any consistency in his time with the club so I can cop the criticism. What I can't cop is that posters get stuck into him, but Lumumba is consistently missed. He's a senior player and needs to be held to higher standards.

On his numbers the raw stats only tell half the story too. We all know that the hard ball isn't Young's strength (to put it diplomatically) therefore in order to generate 36 possessions he needs 20-25 handball receives as a minimum. Being at the game it was clear that he was running a lot harder than many others out there (be it his overall fitness, his smarts, to show up the Box Hill supp players heckling him or just a desire to get back into the senior line up IDK). If you add that to his 11 meaningful possessions (3 R50's, 5I50's and 3 clearances) he clearly adds something on a ground like Subiaco.

More than an obviously weary Langdon or unfortunate Martin anyway.