Preview Changes vs Collingwood, Rd 5, 2021

[Carbine Chaos]

Ainsworth is an obvious selection, given his WAFL form, ability to create space for others, and tagging prowess if required. Will be good to see him given an extended run at it starting this week.

 

[woosha24]

Ainsworth is an obvious selection, given his WAFL form, ability to create space for others, and tagging prowess if required. Will be good to see him given an extended run at it starting this week.

 

[wcesam]

Simmo thinks nic is a 26 year old entering his prime when hes a ******* 31 year old this year whom may be playing his last season. So don't know what they are conserving. Id look at maybe asking nic to be less bursty and just be there to tap ruck. He exerts alot of energy when he's looking to tackle and win the mid ball. He should just tap it from center and walk

Disagree mate. Like it or not Nic is our best clearance midfielder.

 

[woosha24]

Disagree mate. Like it or not Nic is our best clearance midfielder.

Thats a pretty big statement against our midfield

 

[Obeanie1]

People not playing there roles is more important then we want to give credit for.

Yep. Like Waterman replacing Shuey and not helping win the midfield battle?

And we continue playing a KP as a tall mid. At least Brander is improving but he has a fair way to becoming a legitimate midfielder.

We have THREE tall forwards not playing forward. They are playing 2nd ruck, wing and now half back.

Recall at the start of 2018 we shifted our selection policy. We picked forwards to play forward, mids to play mids and backs to play back with some flexibility. We won a flag using that formula.

NOW we have just thrown that proven selection policy out the window. We pick talls because they are good players, not because of the position they are suited to or the type of player we need for the role.

Bond said we build our game style around the strengths we have, talls. Well that strength is being taken advantage of by smart opposition coaches. We are leaving too much midfield grunt work to too few actually midfielders and a handful of talls being played out of position.

It is as obvious as the nose on your face. But not to those who are full time professionals.

 

[GoEaglesGoSGIO]

Yep. Like Waterman replacing Shuey and not helping win the midfield battle?

And we continue playing a KP as a tall mid. At least Brander is improving but he has a fair way to becoming a legitimate midfielder.

We have THREE tall forwards not playing forward. They are playing 2nd ruck, wing and now half back.

Recall at the start of 2018 we shifted our selection policy. We picked forwards to play forward, mids to play mids and backs to play back with some flexibility. We won a flag using that formula.

NOW we have just thrown that proven selection policy out the window. We pick talls because they are good players, not because of the position they are suited to or the type of player we need for the role.

Bond said we build our game style around the strengths we have, talls. Well that strength is being taken advantage of by smart opposition coaches. We are leaving too much midfield grunt work to too few actually midfielders and a handful of talls being played out of position.

It is as obvious as the nose on your face. But not to those who are full time professionals.

Obvious in what sense? Form or talent? There is the actual belief though that Brander can play wing, and Waterman can play in the midfield. and Cripps can cover midfield when needed based on talent. Its just not working at present

We do throw out tactical selection policies for example when they dont appear to work. The game plan from day one when Kelly came in was for him and Sheed to swap between HFF and midfield. It failed in real life once the season began dramatically and got abandoned pretty quick. Id say we are capable of doing it again if the penny drops somewhat, but for now I suspect we just keep picking based on the talent profiles and our belief in them. When the form becomes irreversible then the changes can occur, but you cant do that type of bid adjustment based on 40 minutes of bad football

 

[SloppyJoe]

Footytips.com showing me that we have the edge 3-2 over the Pies in recent years, including a glorious home grand final win in 2018:

 

[amazingjoshy]

Collingwood are now getting panned, much like the saints were last week.

Expect another high pressure encounter.

I'll be tipping the eagles, as i expect the midfield to cop a rocket internally. However i dont think ill have any confidence tipping them for away games given the midfield jeckyll and hyde performance during games.

We should be getting panned worse than the Pies

If the players dont respond with fire this week then throw it all in the bin. As gutless a performance as I can remember.

 

[Cuzz09]

First to 80 wins.

11-13 goals wins it.

3 goals a qtr.



On SM-G925I using BigFooty.com mobile app

 

[WestCoast05]

So the two suggestions for changes that I see posted the most don't seem to be the ideal silver bullet to what went down on Saturday.

Xon who was apparently dropped to work on his 2 way running and lack of defensive pressure.
And Witherden whose apparent weakness is also his lack of pace.

Surely Tackling Trew should be considered if it is an inside defensive player we need.
And if Xon is to come in then let's send Duggan back into defense instead of bringing Witherden in, Duggan is hardly lighting up his new mid role.
Duggan was chopping it up down back and providing run from the half back line - let's just get him playing good gritty footy again.

 

[flyinghi64]

Hurn going down hurt a lot more than you would think. He is not a Player you can replace during a game, you need to shuffle a few magnets just to try plug the gap.
Witherden has the disposal and decision making ability to be the best replacement, wouldn't he have been the flukey sub on the weekend.
JJ and Winder out for XON and Trew.

Waterman played out of position and with Winder as sub we were forward heavy. Waterman is still starting 6 forward in my books and is quite mobile so a high half forward like a Tom Lynch roll.

 

[GoEaglesGoSGIO]

So the two suggestions for changes that I see posted the most don't seem to be the ideal silver bullet to what went down on Saturday.

Xon who was apparently dropped to work on his 2 way running and lack of defensive pressure.
And Witherden whose apparent weakness is also his lack of pace.

Surely Tackling Trew should be considered if it is an inside defensive player we need.
And if Xon is to come in then let's send Duggan back into defense instead of bringing Witherden in, Duggan is hardly lighting up his new mid role.
Duggan was chopping it up down back and providing run from the half back line - let's just get him playing good gritty footy again.

Trew simply cant do anything but play midfield at present so he and XON are competing for the same type of role. If we make that change id like to see us commit to it atleast. If we want a extra midfielder then do so for the next 2 months and run with it.

In all reality though the best way to achieve this is to dump Jones and force the HFF to be a rotation of midfielders. Preferably Sheed/Brander/Redden with Trew doing nothing but midfield work

 

[wcesam]

Thats a pretty big statement against our midfield

We don't have a midfield. We have a nicnat.

 

[Miguel Sanchez]

Having another crack after 48 hours to think about it.

Out: Hurn (calf), Jones, Waterman (both omitted) Winder (back to sub)
In: Witherden, Ainsworth, Vardy

B: Sheppard, Barrass, Rotham
HB: Cole, McGovern, Witherden
C: Gaff, Kelly, Duggan
HF: Cripps, Darling, Petruccelle
F: Ryan, Kennedy, Allen
R: Naitanui, Sheed, Redden
I: Vardy, Nelson, Brander, Ainsworth
E: Winder (sub), Waterman, Langdon, Foley

Vardy in to double-team Grundy. Don’t want Allen rucking against Grundy and Cameron (who Collingwood will almost certainly pick to help out with NicNat).
Allen moves back to third tall forward, Waterman back to the WAFL to build up fitness because one run on limited minutes clearly wasn’t enough. For the same reason, Williams stays in the WAFL. Don’t want to make the same mistake twice.

Witherden for Hurn should be automatic, as good as the reports on Foley are.

Ainsworth in for Jones, to play high half forward and be a midfield option if necessary. We can’t have Cripps going in there. That because obvious in the final term on Saturday. I like Jones and the forward pressure he brings but apart from the Bulldogs game he’s not doing enough to justify his spot

Winder got a full game for his debut so give him another run as the sub. Don’t make Trew the sub on debut, please god please.

I’m not convinced about Brander as a mid, far from it, but give him one more week in the role at least. I’m sick of him being thrown all over the place and up and down levels. XON to play WAFL and work on his defensive running or whatever it is they want him to work on.

Bigfooty servers to melt after both Vardy and Ainsworth are included.

 

[woosha24]

Having another crack after 48 hours to think about it.

Out: Hurn (calf), Jones, Waterman (both omitted) Winder (back to sub)
In: Witherden, Ainsworth, Vardy

B: Sheppard, Barrass, Rotham
HB: Cole, McGovern, Witherden
C: Gaff, Kelly, Duggan
HF: Cripps, Darling, Petruccelle
F: Ryan, Kennedy, Allen
R: Naitanui, Sheed, Redden
I: Vardy, Nelson, Brander, Ainsworth
E: Winder (sub), Waterman, Langdon, Foley

Vardy in to double-team Grundy. Don’t want Allen rucking against Grundy and Cameron (who Collingwood will almost certainly pick to help out with NicNat).
Allen moves back to third tall forward, Waterman back to the WAFL to build up fitness because one run on limited minutes clearly wasn’t enough. For the same reason, Williams stays in the WAFL. Don’t want to make the same mistake twice.

Witherden for Hurn should be automatic, as good as the reports on Foley are.

Ainsworth in for Jones, to play high half forward and be a midfield option if necessary. We can’t have Cripps going in there. That because obvious in the final term on Saturday. I like Jones and the forward pressure he brings but apart from the Bulldogs game he’s not doing enough to justify his spot

Winder got a full game for his debut so give him another run as the sub. Don’t make Trew the sub on debut, please god please.

I’m not convinced about Brander as a mid, far from it, but give him one more week in the role at least. I’m sick of him being thrown all over the place and up and down levels. XON to play WAFL and work on his defensive running or whatever it is they want him to work on.

Bigfooty servers to melt after both Vardy and Ainsworth are included.

Mmmm. Ainsworth AND Vardy.

 

[Balls In]

Outs;

Hurn (Injured), Jones (not impacting), Waterman (underdone) and Winder;

Ins;

- Hurn, good options in Witherden, Foley and Edwards - Witherden's good form and quality disposal gets the nod
- Waterman replaced for a genuine midfielder in either XON, Ainsworth or a smokey in Trew - toss of a coin but Ainsworth because he racked them up. Apparently XON was sick last week and if so he might struggle to run out a game
- Jones, I reckon you either use that slot to bring in a genuine ruck or alternatively a midfielder into the forwardline (and use as an extra rotation on the ball). Vardy is my pick because he protects both Nic AND Oscar and Williams isn't a realistic choice off one average WAFL game. Playing mids as forwards is also a shit thing retrograde to do.
- Winder - XON as sub

Outs - Hurn, Jones, Waterman, Winder
Ins - Witherden, Ainsworth, Vardy, XON (sub)

 

[THE A5]

Langdon is still too slight for the role we want him for. He needs a year in the gym. I wouldnt give up yet because he hasnt had a fair crack yet. Best thing to do would be to give him 8 weeks in the WAFL untouched and get him to build his core strength more and more as the year drags on

Um a lot of people his height would love to be his size. I never thought his size was an issue and I feel more time in the weights room would make him even slower.

 

[THE A5]

Hickmott is well known and respected. These guys are coaching to Simmo's master plan.

I previously said that we just ride it out and try to get the team to execute Simmo's game plan (high risk, high reward). But I think there's a changing of the guard (Swans, Dees, Dogs, Port).

Our list is good enough right now (not sure about next year). I'd be throwing away the game plan and starting afresh.

Hickmott was a great defensive coach and I reckon a lot of our defenders would credit him for their defensive abilities. Just not sure if he is the right man to lead the midfield

 

[Miguel Sanchez]

O’Neill wasn’t sick. He flew to Melbourne late as cover for Sheed, who was sick.

 

[Eastwestcoast]

Outs;

Hurn (Injured), Jones (not impacting), Waterman (underdone) and Winder;

Ins;

- Hurn, good options in Witherden, Foley and Edwards - Witherden's good form and quality disposal gets the nod
- Waterman replaced for a genuine midfielder in either XON, Ainsworth or a smokey in Trew - toss of a coin but Ainsworth because he racked them up. Apparently XON was sick last week and if so he might struggle to run out a game
- Jones, I reckon you either use that slot to bring in a genuine ruck or alternatively a midfielder into the forwardline (and use as an extra rotation on the ball). Vardy is my pick because he protects both Nic AND Oscar and Williams isn't a realistic choice off one average WAFL game. Playing mids as forwards is also a sh*t thing retrograde to do.
- Winder - XON as sub

Outs - Hurn, Jones, Waterman, Winder
Ins - Witherden, Ainsworth, Vardy, XON (sub)

XON was NOT sick last week. Repeat... WAS NOT SICK!


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[Ambrose Burnside]

Playing a sick Sheed is this year's continuing to play Shuey after he tore one hammy and watching him tear the other.

Reminds me of the mid-2000s:

Woosh: You on drugs Cuz?
Cuz: Nope
Woosh: Good boy *ruffles hair*

 

[THE A5]

XON was just fully sick

 

[Chris_6678]

Joshua Dawe

@joshuadawe9
·
15s


.
@WestCoastEagles
recruit Alex Witherden

23

Alex Witherden

Age

26

Ht

188cm

Wt

85kg

Pos.

Def

Career

Season

Last 5

D

20.7

5star

K

15.2

5star

HB

5.5

4star

M

6.2

5star

T

1.8

4star

MG

386.5

5star

D

13.0

3star

K

10.0

4star

HB

3.0

2star

M

7.0

5star

T

0.0

1star

MG

201.0

3star

D

24.0

5star

K

15.4

5star

HB

8.6

5star

M

5.8

5star

T

2.2

4star

MG

380.2

5star

sporting some decent strapping on his left calf. He’s among the options to replace Shannon Hurn

25

Shannon Hurn

Age

37

Ht

187cm

Wt

95kg

Pos.

Def

Career

Season

Last 5

D

20.9

5star

K

15.7

5star

HB

5.2

4star

M

7.0

5star

T

1.6

4star

MG

389.5

5star

D

16.1

4star

K

12.1

5star

HB

4.0

3star

M

5.3

5star

T

1.0

2star

MG

271.6

4star

D

19.0

5star

K

11.6

4star

HB

7.4

5star

M

6.8

5star

T

1.6

4star

, coming off 26 touches in the WAFL.
@9NewsPerth

 

[DanWCE]

Lol at Langdon being slight.

 

[Obeanie1]

Obvious in what sense? Form or talent? There is the actual belief though that Brander can play wing, and Waterman can play in the midfield. and Cripps can cover midfield when needed based on talent. Its just not working at present

We do throw out tactical selection policies for example when they dont appear to work. The game plan from day one when Kelly came in was for him and Sheed to swap between HFF and midfield. It failed in real life once the season began dramatically and got abandoned pretty quick. Id say we are capable of doing it again if the penny drops somewhat, but for now I suspect we just keep picking based on the talent profiles and our belief in them. When the form becomes irreversible then the changes can occur, but you cant do that type of bid adjustment based on 40 minutes of bad football

Its not based on 40 minutes of bad football though.

Its based on watching Eagles sides struggle for years when we play too tall and put players into positions they are not comfortable playing simply because they are a higher rated tall than the other guy who is actually better in the role needed. He just doesn't have the reputation of the tall.

Its like putting a sprint horse in the Melbourne Cup and wondering why it ran out of legs and finishes last. The horse is a champion over short distances and a dud when asked to do something it isn't developed or trained to do.