Changes v Tasmania

[ant555]

Why on earth would people want to drop NLM? I thought he was one of our better players last night, gave us run, composure and got a good share of the ball. We do want to win games don't we?

I would not be rushing to drop him yet but their are a lot of points in his games over the last couple of weeks that highlight why i do not think he is a long term prospect. The fact that he continually runs on to his left side despite having no left foot and then having to stop or do a u-turn is one problem.

 

[ant555]

For the outs.

Zaharakis - last weeks winning goal masked the fact that he only had 10 possessions and last night he only had 10 again. He also fell asleep a couple of times at half forward and let his man run through the middle to set up goals.
Give him a week of and then give him a run with Bendigo as he has had 5 games to see what senior level is all about. Time to let his body develop a bit.

Lucas had enough time. Badly out of form to the point of not even hanging onto easy chest marks. Being a star does not get you more than 10 games (NAB and pratice matches included) to run yourself into good form.
At this stage having Winderlich as aleading forward and bringing in Houli would give us better results now and for the future.

Fletcher

Ins:
Bellchambers this week. The Hawks ruckmen do not get a lot of possession around the ground so the match up is better this week.

Houli - takes Zaka's spot and plays half forward with some time in the midfield.

Any of Daniher, Hurley or McVeigh could be an in depending on recovery.
Neagle an outside chance although i am not at all convinced that his form shows he will give us any more than Lucas.
Williams a possability.

 

[larson]

For the outs.

Zaharakis - last weeks winning goal masked the fact that he only had 10 possessions and last night he only had 10 again. He also fell asleep a couple of times at half forward and let his man run through the middle to set up goals.
Give him a week of and then give him a run with Bendigo as he has had 5 games to see what senior level is all about. Time to let his body develop a bit.

\.

To be fair to Zaka, I think he had fairly low TOG

I think Myers has to go, he is very average

 

[LukeParkerno1]

Yes he did have a few bad turnovers, but i wouldv'e thought that he gave us alot more positives then he did negatives in the match. He's certainly not in our best 22, but at the moment with the players we have available, there's no way he should be left out.

I'd rather Atkinson play in his spot, or Houli. NLM is a recipe for disaster, and was that way last night.

 

[Daytripper]

Eff was 77%. I thought he was reasonable last night. Started to show a bit more run and looked a bit fitter. He made a couple of decision errors but i would continue to play him.

I still think that despite his average form you are still judging him on how much of an instant impact you wanted him to have. He needs game time and he was not one of our worst last night.

I don't want him to have an instant impact ant - just any sort of impact. 77% when you've had just 4 kicks is a pretty poor result IMO.

I've been listening to what you and a few other good judges have been saying about him needing 3-4 years and thats fair enough. However I do expect the players that pull on the Essendon senior guernsey to be up to the required standard and at the moment he isn't.

Our injury crisis means that we cannot afford to carry players just to give them 'experience'. We need every player performing at 90-100% of their ability to be competitive at the moment.

Disagree with you on Nat-Rat by the way. Makes a few errors but is willing to take the game on and create opportunities. Sure he is going to make some mistakes now and then but he does give us some positives as well.

 

[Skeeta Olly]

Injury List is a shocker, once again.

McVeigh TBC
Daniher test
Skipworth 2-3
Reimers 3
Fletcher 3-8
Welsh Mid
Prismall Mid
Laycock Indef
Gumbleton Indef
Hille Season

Only good thing about it, no Hurley.

 

[LovettRyderLloyd]

Outs: Myers, Myers Myers. For christ sake why are we carrying the kid. I don't get it.

Ins: Bellchambers, Houli, Daniher, Neagle, McVeigh(if fit)
Outs: Myers, Hooker, Zaharakis(rest), Lucas, Dyson

I dont understand some bomber fans, I really dont. For one, Myers was better last night then any other game he has played this year, which just shows that every game he is going to improve, give him time, he was not our worst last night we had a lot of passengers. Hooker was very good and I think most people on here would agree. He looked very decent when the ball hit the ground and if you honestly think in his fourth game he was going to shut John Brown down then I think you may have something wrong upstairs. Zaharakis, the game has changed mate, some kids need to be rested some dont, this isnt the 80's or 70's, juniors are trained to be able to make the transition straight into AFL now, not only that but he has been one of our best players and cool in a crisis. Dyson, I am his biggest hater, i think the kid has zero talent but if you can look at yourself in the mirror and say that he wasnt sensational last week and wasnt in our top 10 last night (not very hard though) then you are just kidding yourself.

The only one I agree with is Lucas, I love the guy but you cant just keep playing him for 6 consecutive games and get absolutely nothing. At the end of the day if he plays badly then he may have lost it, if he plays well he will still most likely retire by years end anyway. Either way its lose lose and you have to let Neagle play to see if he can grab a spot up forward because we need something up forward and whenever the ball hits the ground from Lucas's dropped marks its depressing watching him try to lumber and chase the opposition.

 

[Daytripper]

Injury List is a shocker, once again.

McVeigh TBC
Daniher test
Skipworth 2-3
Reimers 3
Fletcher 3-8
Welsh Mid
Prismall Mid
Laycock Indef
Gumbleton Indef
Hille Season

Only good thing about it, no Hurley.

Reimers has been 3 weeks since Rd 1. WTF is going on there ?

 

[Smyth94]

Reimers has been 3 weeks since Rd 1. WTF is going on there ?

He was listed as 'indefinite' a couple of weeks ago, so I guess that's some progress.

 

[Boucks09]

I think some people should hold off posting until 12-24 hours after the game. Emotionally driven posts after the loss are quite often wide of the mark.

Those calling for NLM to be dropped forget what he brings to side with his run and carry. He takes the game on when others won't and without him in the last couple games we would've remained stagnant and lost by more points last night IMHO. He also provides more defensive pressure than Houli which is why he is in the team ahead of Bachar at the moment. The only reason I see him to be dropped is for team balance (if Hurley and Daniher play).

I thought Myers had his best game of the season so far and for once didn't look like a liabilty; he was not our worst by a long streak. It appears that his conditioning is improving and given we've got a few injury concerns he will probably keep his spot this week.

I agree with the comments about resting Zaharakis, we don't want to burn him out and run the risk of getting him injured. Give him a week at Bendigo playing forward/midfield, but he has shown plenty in his 5 games to show he has a long future.

Cale Hooker showed plenty last night I thought. Plenty of dash, confidence and really couldn't of done much more than he did against J.Brown. He punched the ball in some cases but Brown was just 'on' and everything was sticking.

I think T-Bell will come in this week, especially given Fletcher's injury. Hooker will go back to help out in defence and Ryder will have to rest forward at times given our defunct forward structure. This will also allow McPhee to go forward and give us a leading target. Something we severly lacked last night.

Daniher will play, as he was close this week and we need him to play on a Mark Williams type IMHO. He can also provide plenty of dash and rebound from defense.

Hurley is the interesting one for the backline. Not sure whether he will come straight back into the seniors. It would be a big call given he has missed a month. I think we should bring him in though as we have nothing to lose. We saw how well Pears played last night when given the chance (3 soft goals to Bradshaw at the end). I know it's a huge risk of us playing too tall down back, but lets give them a chance. They also provide dash so it's not asif they will give us nothing around the ground.

It is going to be really interesting to see how our backline goes next week. Slattery will be the most experienced down there if it lines up how I think it might:

Slattery, Hurley, Daniher
Dempsey, Pears, Myers

It's somewhat exciting if not scary!

Now the Lucas problem.

For the first time since I have watched EFC, I have my heart in my mouth when he has the ball. It is reminding me of watching Matthew Hayden in the recent test series against South Africa. It just isn't working for him. However the difference between Haydos and Lucas is that there is no young player knocking down the door to play HIS ROLE. Here is what I think is the only way to drop him and improve the team:

Play McPhee up forward as a leading target.
Move Lloyd to CHF
Play Neagle/Williams at FF.

Thoughts?

I actually don't know if Knights will keep him this week. Could be a massive week of outs for us (Lucas, Fletcher).

I don't think McVeigh will get up and still think he should play in the VFL for a half to prove his fitness (see pre match Brisbane thread). Watch for Reimers to play VFL this week, can't wait for him to come back.

In summary:

Outs: Fletcher (what a kick in the balls), Zaharakis, Lucas (maybe)
Ins: Bellchambers, Daniher or Hurley, Neagle (if Lucas is dropped)

 

[resurrector]

bellchambers is a definite in, allows us so much more flexibility with our talls i.e. as others have said mcphee can plan that hit up CHF role which he's been good at and paddy can rest foward....

praps we need to leave lucas as a stay at home FF, play lloyd out the goalsquare as well but give him more freedom to roam - let scotty anchor us on the last line....

for mine

out: fletch

in: t-bell

could possibly make room for mcveigh or hurley is their fitness is up to scratch

 

[cawshezy]

Ins: Daniher, Hurley/Bellchambers, Neagle. The two young backs depend on fitness.
Outs: Lucas (has to be dropped, regardless. He has been a liability for a few weeks now); Fletcher (inj.), NLM (his decision-making is junior league stuff.).

Yeh i had to agree with those in's definetly need to go in with a second ruckman, pitty to say it but i think Lucas is finished brings a tear to my eye saying it. I wouldn't mind seeing Williams play though showed a bit in the NAB Cup.

 

[lamaros]

He had 4 kicks and 9 handballs at 77%.

He is a liabiliity at the moment and I don't understand what he adds to the team. It seems like he is getting games based on his draft selection number and thats not right..

When are you going to start having a go at Zaka? You seem to love scapegoating Myers and Dyson and Jetta and so on, but Zaka, one kick for goal aside, has been worse than the lot in recent games.

 

[Yoda_]

I have not actually seen the game, but of the things I haveread seen (reports, bigfooty,highlights), just a few things I have to add.

Ryder is probably the only player in the comp thatcould go with Franklin, despite Buddy being out of form, he is due for a big game, and I am afraid it will be against us.

Calls for Dyson to be dropped really need to look at what he has done this year, if we won last night and he only had 15 posessions, people wouldnt call for his head, place him under the microscope in a winning side, not a losing side, he had plenty of sidekicks who let the team down last night from all reports.

Why do we try and change Myers role in the team, play him on a wing or a half forward flank, swap him and Mcphee (Mcphee to HB -> Myers to HF) just to change things up.

All the calls for Lucas to be dropped, who comes in for him then, Neagle is not ready, and Gumbleton may never become an AFL player, so we really have to play Lucas, or we play one of Daniher, Hooker, Pears, Hurley up forward, and try and settle one of them up there, until one of Neagle or Gumby shows something.

Bellchambers should have come in this week any ways, got him at least one game under his belt before we went into this little streak we are about to enter.

 

[monty1104]

As much as I've bagged Myers, I think he is actually showing some improvement. It would be a shame to drop him now when he is showing improvement. He was not our worst player and he is worth being persisted with.

Out: Fletcher, Zaharakis.
In: Hurley/Daniher/Bellchambers, Houli.

If Hurley or Daniher are fit, one of them should come in, otherwise bring in Bellchambers and have Hooker go back, or even maybe put Lucas back and try to get him back into form in the back line.

 

[Skeeta Olly]

Calls for Dyson to be dropped really need to look at what he has done this year, if we won last night and he only had 15 posessions, people wouldnt call for his head, place him under the microscope in a winning side, not a losing side, he had plenty of sidekicks who let the team down last night from all reports.

He also was someone that took the game on and set up some nice play. Watch the game first.

 

[pazza]

Okay...we need to make changes to both playing stock and set-up, but, this is what I've come up with.

Out: Fletcher, Jetta, Lovett-Murray
In: McVeigh, Neagle, Bellchambers

B: Dyson, Pears, Hooker
HB: Dempsey, Lucas, Slattery
C: Lovett, Watson, Hocking
HF: Monfries, McPhee, Davey
F: Winderlich, Neagle, Lloyd
R: Ryder, Stanton, McVeigh
Int: Bellchambers, Zaharakis, Lonergan, Myers
Emerg: Jetta, Lovett-Murray, Houli

 

[The Dustbin]

Lonergan has to be in doubt.

Hooker looked ok when he played down back. May be worth persisting with until Darcy and/or Hurley are ready to return.

Agree with your team Pazza.

 

[kelvin_sheedy]

Okay...we need to make changes to both playing stock and set-up, but, this is what I've come up with.

Out: Fletcher, Jetta, Lovett-Murray
In: McVeigh, Neagle, Bellchambers

B: Dyson, Pears, Hooker
HB: Dempsey, Lucas, Slattery
C: Lovett, Watson, Hocking
HF: Monfries, McPhee, Davey
F: Winderlich, Neagle, Lloyd
R: Ryder, Stanton, McVeigh
Int: Bellchambers, Zaharakis, Lonergan, Myers
Emerg: Jetta, Lovett-Murray, Houli

So NLM is in our bests 2 weeks in a row and you have him dropped.

What on earth is going on around here.

 

[efcboy]

Our poor kicking cost us any chance but your judgement on who we should have played was better than the clubs.
Please do explain how Bellchambers would have contained Brennan and Clarke around the ground any better than Ryder and Hooker did. Take a look at the rukc. It was equal. Ryder had the better hit out to advantage.
I would alos hate to think how many Brown would have kicked if anyone else had to go to him after Fletcher went down. Hooker did a good job for a third game player.
Myers did what he had to. Given we suffered from a slight drop off in defensive pressure i doubt that Houli would have made a difference to the result. as far as Lonergan goes he was fine until Lloyd bowled him over. You can not keep resting your players every time they have a tough game. Do you see Geelong or Hawthorn resting any of their third year plus players ?
I think you are drinking your own bath water!

i don't think bellchambers would have done any better in the ruck. but what he would have done is free up hooker and ryder to play as kpp's elsewhere which we needed. if bellchambers starts ruck then one of ryder or hooker can go to brown and mcphee can play forward or even on the wing as a matchup for brennan. by not playing bellchambers it basically made us a key forward short and then we also lost fletcher which compounded the problem. as you point out hooker did a decent job on brown so if bellchambers played then hooker could have been on him from the outset without having to worry about ruck duties. every other coach and opposition fan around australia was laughing when knights put mcphee on brown. worst decision he's made during his tenure for mine.

look at the contrast at sydney - they lose their backup ruckman in jesse white and replace him with an inexperienced ruckman in mike pyke (from canada for crying out loud) and win. the bombers lose their no.1 ruckman in hille and do not bring in a genuine ruckman. go figure???

lonergan was not fine - he copped plenty of hits last week including a bad corkie. blind freddy could have predicted he might struggle this week given last week was his first afl match for a month (following broken hand) so given his lack of match fitness then he would pull up sorer than a bloke like dyson. given bendigo had the bye we ended up having a fully fit houli sitting on the sidelines doing nothing. stupid, stupid, stupid...one way to prevent injuries is through rotations. the best soccer teams in the world do it so why not in the afl? if we want players to last a season then we should be spreading the workload. this week houli didn't even get to play a game yet a battered lonergan from anzac day copped another battering again. it would be smarter to share the work load. as for geelong - they've had a pretty good run with injuries on the whole and well lonergan's no selwood really is he? however geelong did rest players on occasions last season. lonergan plays midfield and struggles to get double figures in disposals - do we lose much by resting him? houli is equal if not better than lonergan really. houli should have played - definite mistake as was the non-playing of a genuine ruckman.

 

[efcboy]

He had 4 kicks and 9 handballs at 77%.

He is a liabiliity at the moment and I don't understand what he adds to the team. It seems like he is getting games based on his draft selection number and thats not right..

interesting you mention draft selection - i'd suggest supporters such as yourself are criticing myers more than other players because he was a high pick - call it tambling syndrome.

for what its worth i'd say jetta, monfries, zaharakis, lonergan, slattery, lucas were all worse than myers last night. 77% efficiency is not too bad - certainly a lot better than jetta (56%), monfries (55%), zaharakis (60%), slattery (64%), lucas (67%).

 

[pazza]

So NLM is in our bests 2 weeks in a row and you have him dropped.

What on earth is going on around here.

Purely match-up based.

We need tall backs to handle the Roughead/Franklin problem..and experience down back, hence the Lucas switch. but, to balance that out, they have very little down back, so Neagle's inclusion will come in handy to expose that back there.

Hocking goes to Hodge.

McVeigh, if fit, is ideally suited to play on Mitchell.

 

[kelvin_sheedy]

Purely match-up based.

We need tall backs to handle the Roughead/Franklin problem..and experience down back, hence the Lucas switch. but, to balance that out, they have very little down back, so Neagle's inclusion will come in handy to expose that back there.

Hocking goes to Hodge.

McVeigh, if fit, is ideally suited to play on Mitchell.

So I take it Lucas will be playing on Roughead?

Hawks have quick forwards - Williams, Buddy, Roughead. Scotty will get absolutely mauled trying to stop any of them.

Lucas at CHB was a mid 90's thing. His body is no longer capable of doing that imo.

 

[efcboy]

So I take it Lucas will be playing on Roughead?

Hawks have quick forwards - Williams, Buddy, Roughead. Scotty will get absolutely mauled trying to stop any of them.

Lucas at CHB was a mid 90's thing. His body is no longer capable of doing that imo.

i'm with kelvin on this one - lucas is too slow to play key defender position. if he stays in the team i'd play him half forward line leading up to the wing - this way he drags out a key defender opening the space for blokes like lloyd and ryder and maybe neagle? scotty's kicking for goal has been woeful so perhaps a move closer to the wing like richo might be of more benefit. either that or some time in the vfl at the slower tempo to gather some confidence.

 

[Boucks09]

Purely match-up based.

We need tall backs to handle the Roughead/Franklin problem..and experience down back, hence the Lucas switch. but, to balance that out, they have very little down back, so Neagle's inclusion will come in handy to expose that back there.

Hocking goes to Hodge.

McVeigh, if fit, is ideally suited to play on Mitchell.

I disagree with you here. Monfries would have to play on Hodge and try and play him like Carazzo did yesterday. Hocking is the ideal match up for Mitchell as he doesn't have to worry about being killled on the burst as Mitchell isn't quick.