Preview Changes and Preview Brisbane vs Ports @ Gabba, qualifying final thread

[PeacefulWarrior]

The good news is, the coach has 2 more years to try to get it right.

I look forward to him saying in another finals loss “we will take this away and learn from it”

Again.

 

[Interstater]

I can tell you how the reaction will be after the game.
If we win it was all the players that did the work and won despite Hinkley.
If we lose it will be all Hinkley’s fault with no mention of the players.
Some posters on hear are as predictable as the days of the week.

Do you remember hearing any response as to why we lost the prelim to the bulldogs in the first 5 minutes and how we won't let it happen again?

No, neither do I.

 

[El Zorro]

I think the game will be won or lost depending on the output of Dixon, Marshall, Lycett and McKenzie. This experienced spine, straightens us up, provides experience, and so on.

If these players all had 2-3 games of AFL under their belt with good health going into finals, we win this - Lycett included

This feels me with confidence, given that 3 of those 4 are 50-50 to play at the moment.

 

[Macca19]

I'm annoyingly confident we'll win this game next week.

 

[El Zorro]

We have an amazing midfield. Poor to non-existent ruck. Poor, undersized defence. Farcical F50 structures and method, with out-of-form forwards. Add suspect gameday coaching, and it would be an absolute miracle for us to get even near a GF, let alone a flag. It would require some next-level coaching that I don't think we have in our coaching panel.

Lions by 42.

 

[Jonts]

Why is that a bad thing

I'm annoyingly confident we'll win this game next week.

 

[Janey]

I know a lot on here suffer from PTSD and can’t get past the Hinkley effect but * me the negativity is next level.

There is one team in the 8 with bona fide premiership credentials (Melbourne). The rest it’s all new and everyone (including us) has significant flaws.

Get excited, get positive, we can win this thing!

Positivity has been banned here for years (except when Josh was coaching) and will be for at least the next two years

 

[twhowler]

G'day Pear Fans

Interesting spread of views here...

I must say you being massive outsider is surely a bonus. No pressure. Heaps on us given a third top 5 finish in 5 years (i think you are at 2?). So while i would much rather the game at the gabba (after that round 1 flogging) i don't think lions fans are as confident as the odds. Round 1 this year was obviously a demolition and round 1 last year we got out of jail with your injuries.

Interesting to note you have only the 12th best defence on a points basis, so theoretically we should be able to kick a score. But our defence has been a bit leaky lately so your forwards will also fancy themselves. What are you thoughts on Dixon's fitness? I know he has slated to come back in but has missed a bit of footy.

Clearly though your midfield will need to be on top to win and this is what worries me most as a lions fan. You have speed to burn in there which has really hurt us in the past. I think it would be more a problem at AO or MCG where there is a bit more room to move and i think Lyons will go out as he is struggling to cover the ground. I think man for man your midfield has ours covered slightly, especially with no Ashscoft. Our plan B might be Oscar just grabbing it. Is Lycett likely to play? Good at his best but seems to need a warm-up game these days? Any thoughts on a Neale tag? I think teams are crazy if they don't tag him because he seems to struggle breaking a proper tag. He managed only 20 touches in round 1 but i don't remember a tag, just us getting smashed in general.

Aliir will be a danger given we are down to a 2 key forward set-up. Perhaps Jonas on Hipwood, McKenzie comes in for Daniher, and ALiir floating around marking as much as he can? Our third target now is Rayner is a good pack-breaker but not all that tall obviously.

 

[simba_]

We have an amazing midfield. Poor to non-existent ruck. Poor, undersized defence. Farcical F50 structures and method, with out-of-form forwards. Add suspect gameday coaching, and it would be an absolute miracle for us to get even near a GF, let alone a flag. It would require some next-level coaching that I don't think we have in our coaching panel.

Lions by 42.

i'm only afraid of Richmond outcoaching us because they are so good at it

 

[FutureShock]

So much negativity haha. Ken Hinkley aside, we are a huge chance this finals series. No team is dominnant and clearly above the rest. Brisbane, Collingwood and Melbourne are all very beatable. I am quite confident we will knock off Brisbane.

It's more realism than negativity. There's no reason for any such confidence, factoring in a shaky, undermanned backline, poor rucks, lack of system going forward and a proven track record of being unable to rise to the occasion. I think Brisbane will win easily, I'll be amazed and glad to admit being wrong if we get up.

 

[manureid]

G'day Pear Fans

Interesting spread of views here...

I must say you being massive outsider is surely a bonus. No pressure. Heaps on us given a third top 5 finish in 5 years (i think you are at 2?). So while i would much rather the game at the gabba (after that round 1 flogging) i don't think lions fans are as confident as the odds. Round 1 this year was obviously a demolition and round 1 last year we got out of jail with your injuries.

Interesting to note you have only the 12th best defence on a points basis, so theoretically we should be able to kick a score. But our defence has been a bit leaky lately so your forwards will also fancy themselves. What are you thoughts on Dixon's fitness? I know he has slated to come back in but has missed a bit of footy.

Clearly though your midfield will need to be on top to win and this is what worries me most as a lions fan. You have speed to burn in there which has really hurt us in the past. I think it would be more a problem at AO or MCG where there is a bit more room to move and i think Lyons will go out as he is struggling to cover the ground. I think man for man your midfield has ours covered slightly, especially with no Ashscoft. Our plan B might be Oscar just grabbing it. Is Lycett likely to play? Good at his best but seems to need a warm-up game these days? Any thoughts on a Neale tag? I think teams are crazy if they don't tag him because he seems to struggle breaking a proper tag. He managed only 20 touches in round 1 but i don't remember a tag, just us getting smashed in general.

Aliir will be a danger given we are down to a 2 key forward set-up. Perhaps Jonas on Hipwood, McKenzie comes in for Daniher, and ALiir floating around marking as much as he can? Our third target now is Rayner is a good pack-breaker but not all that tall obviously.

How is Hipwoods form? Chalk him down for at least 4 to 5 goals this week.

 

[Janey]

I'm annoyingly confident we'll win this game next week.

Uh oh

 

[twhowler]

How is Hipwoods form? Chalk him down for at least 4 to 5 goals this week.

Ha to be fair i think he just had that one awesome game v port 2019?

He has been excellent of late but didn't do much last week. I thought Wilkie mauled him but umps let it go so maybe that is the blueprint.

He's third banana in terms of goals but has kicked 39 this year and had a good second half to the year.

JHF destroyed us in round 1 and has improved since so he terrifies me...

 

[manureid]

Ha to be fair i think he just had that one awesome game v port 2019?

He has been excellent of late but didn't do much last week. I thought Wilkie mauled him but umps let it go so maybe that is the blueprint.

He's third banana in terms of goals but has kicked 39 this year and had a good second half to the year.

JHF destroyed us in round 1 and has improved since so he terrifies me...

Well he will get zero free kicks for, even when his head gets ripped off and about 5 free kicks against for HTB when he has no chance of getting rid of it/or caught high, so you will have that going for you at least.

 

[Enviable Tradition]

I'm annoyingly confident we'll win this game next week.

As true as it has ever been.

On SM-G975F using BigFooty.com mobile app

 

[PJ Power]

We have an amazing midfield. Poor to non-existent ruck. Poor, undersized defence. Farcical F50 structures and method, with out-of-form forwards. Add suspect gameday coaching, and it would be an absolute miracle for us to get even near a GF, let alone a flag. It would require some next-level coaching that I don't think we have in our coaching panel.

Lions by 42.

This sums it up pretty well.

 

[Duck Farmer]

The good news is, the coach has 2 more years to try to get it right.

Yeah. Imagine being scared going into a final when you have another two years at $800K p.a. guaranteed no matter how badly you shit the bed, with a promise of a further extension due to Koch's goldfish memory in 2025 after you win five H&A games in a row.

 

[cosmicwinduptoy]

This sums it up pretty well.

We have an amazing midfield. Poor to non-existent ruck. Poor, undersized defence. Farcical F50 structures and method, with out-of-form forwards. Add suspect gameday coaching, and it would be an absolute miracle for us to get even near a GF, let alone a flag. It would require some next-level coaching that I don't think we have in our coaching panel.

Lions by 42.

Some real hyperbole here.

The game day coaching this season has been anything but suspect. I'd challenge anyone on this board to post some examples of diabolical matchday coaching post the first showdown.

And don't say things like "starting Dyl williams as Sub" when we are cleary managing his minutes prior to finals. And playing McEntee doesn't count either as he's clearly in the side for his defensive pressure in the F50, the thing our entire gameplan revolves around.

I understand being frustrated from prior years gameday coaching, which was catastrophically bad at times, but I don't see it this year.

 

[RussellEbertHandball]

Daniher, Hipwood, Cameron, Bailey and McCarthy, plus Rayner are a big challenge for our defence if our mids don't dominate. Burton will get the job on Cameron which means we are in big trouble if McKenzie doesn't deliver his usual efforts, after not playing for a month.

 

[Gryllis]

Bringing in 4 talls mostly in their 30s under an injury cloud in a final is a bit of a worry.

Still, better to do it before it's an elimination final.

 

[True__Believer]

So Drew to Neale
Do we play Burton or Bergman on Hipwood? Miles is the better player overhead but would prefer him on the wing

 

[El Zorro]

Some real hyperbole here.

The game day coaching this season has been anything but suspect. I'd challenge anyone on this board to post some examples of diabolical matchday coaching post the first showdown.

And don't say things like "starting Dyl williams as Sub" when we are cleary managing his minutes prior to finals. And playing McEntee doesn't count either as he's clearly in the side for his defensive pressure in the F50, the thing our entire gameplan revolves around.

I understand being frustrated from prior years gameday coaching, which was catastrophically bad at times, but I don't see it this year.

I said suspect, not diabolical. Our past history showed that our gameday coaching in do-or-die finals wasn't ideal. I think suspect is a good descriptor.

 

[EskimoPAFC]

Some real hyperbole here.

The game day coaching this season has been anything but suspect. I'd challenge anyone on this board to post some examples of diabolical matchday coaching post the first showdown.

And don't say things like "starting Dyl williams as Sub" when we are cleary managing his minutes prior to finals. And playing McEntee doesn't count either as he's clearly in the side for his defensive pressure in the F50, the thing our entire gameplan revolves around.

I understand being frustrated from prior years gameday coaching, which was catastrophically bad at times, but I don't see it this year.

H&A coaching is very different to finals coaching.

 

[Duckimus Prime]

Heaps on us given a third top 5 finish in 5 years (i think you are at 2?)

Brisbane jumped into contention the year before Port did.
So the Lions have been there since 2019, whereas Port got up in 2020.

Port are 3 top 4 finishes in the last 4 years.

Clearly though your midfield will need to be on top to win and this is what worries me most as a lions fan. You have speed to burn in there which has really hurt us in the past. I think it would be more a problem at AO or MCG where there is a bit more room to move

The Gabba is 15m wider than Adelaide Oval, and about a similar amount shorter.

The MCG is only a couple of metres wider and longer than the Gabba.

 

[cosmicwinduptoy]

I said suspect, not diabolical. Our past history showed that our gameday coaching in do-or-die finals wasn't ideal. I think suspect is a good descriptor.

Since Hinks moved to the bench it's been good in my opinion. I can't see why this would change come finals. Let's see what eventuates in the next few games.