Prediction Changes vs Suns - Rd 18

[Mattdougie]

Can't disagree with most of the nominated outs.

Ins could be: Naughton, Crozier, Mc Clean, Dunkley

Outs: Wallis, Hannan, Scott, JJ, JUH

To many Mid forwards.

Play Young more as a 70/30 ruck against Gold Coast and allow English to be the third tall forward. At least this gets us closer to what was working well

What does Young add that Sweet doesn’t?

Both are liabilities but at least Sweet has size to throw around and did some good tap work against lesser rucks. Stats aren’t that different in disposals, marks or tackles.

I don’t understand why the line for versatility when the versatility is below average at every role.

 

[Deadly Darcy]

Can’t imagine the MC will want to tinker too much and will try to return to the team that got us here.

In: Naughton, Dunkley
Out: JUH, Wallis

At an absolute stretch they might go McLean for Scott but I doubt it. He didn’t actually play all that well in the 2’s.

 

[VogonProsthetnic]

I thought Jamarra actually did ok given how crowded our forward line was. was directly involved in the Caleb goal (big leap over his opponent) and recovered after fumbling which lead to Wallis goal (I think). Then he gave a beautiful handball to JJ in the last only for JJ to butcher the shot.

Really liked how he kept getting in the right spot and his vertical leaps were impressive. Pity he dropped those couple of marks. Did he do any worse than Wallis, JJ, Weightman or Hannan?

 

[mattwa]

Need to stop tinkering with the team

 

[Proffessor]

I was watching Marra closely in the 2nd half to see his fitness and honestly I think Bev just didn’t want him on much in the end, he definitely wasn’t a liability at any stage and was still running hard late in the game. Look it’s hard to know as someone just watching the game maybe he was blowing pretty hard but I feel he was kept out of it later on by design rather than necessity

Were you wearing your rose coloured glasses, whilst you were watching?
If that was Marra running hard in the 2nd half then he has bigger problems than a nervous debut.

Was he still trying, sure, but I think emotions got the better of the him after a dropping a few gettable marks, and unfortunately he did become a bit of a liability because he simply wasn't able to play the role the team required of him. The team would probably have been better off had he remained on the bench the whole last quarter. His first quarter swagger evaporated slowly but surely, and his body language running out on the field in the second half showed all the enthusiasm of a sick dog being taken to the vet. He wasn't necessarily resisting but he wasn't obviously keen on the situation either.

Will he be better for the experience? Almost certainly. Will his next game be a lot better whenever it occurs? Probably.
However let's not make his performance out to be better than it was.

 

[Bazza Bulldog]

This has to be a p**take.

It won't happen and yes Bruce has had a great year. Though no p***take. His last 3 weeks have been closer to 2020, than his first 10 games. Hope he lifts!

 

[Libba39]

It won't happen and yes Bruce has had a great year. Though no p***take. His last 3 weeks have been closer to 2020, than his first 10 games. Hope he lifts!

View attachment 1177138

Yep Bruce is back to his 2020 best. Constantly running under the ball, fumbling, missing shots, and trying to do too much for handballs. I hope the coaches put a rocket under him this week.

 

[Al dente]

What does Young add that Sweet doesn’t?

Both are liabilities but at least Sweet has size to throw around and did some good tap work against lesser rucks. Stats aren’t that different in disposals, marks or tackles.

I don’t understand why the line for versatility when the versatility is below average at every role.

couldnt agree more, Young just looks average or below in all roles, i also didnt like him remonstrating with team mates over poor delivery when he was forward, especially when he should have been concentrating on manning the mark.

id give Sweet another go against GC, ruck 70% of the game, have English dominate marks around the ground and the 2 big guys up forward

 

[Mattdougie]

couldnt agree more, Young just looks average or below in all roles, i also didnt like him remonstrating with team mates over poor delivery when he was forward, especially when he should have been concentrating on manning the mark.

id give Sweet another go against GC, ruck 70% of the game, have English dominate marks around the ground and the 2 big guys up forward

Strange no one has mentioned him popping his pants before being awarded an awful free kick that ended in his first goal.

Jack Daring did it and this place slammed him but not this time

 

[Fossie 32]

Strange no one has mentioned him popping his pants before being awarded an awful free kick that ended in his first goal.

Jack Daring did it and this place slammed him but not this time

Because we like to be supportive of our players and hope they improve but don't care so much about oppo players?

 

[doggies ftw]

At the time I thought Lewy shat himself a bit in that contest too tbh but to be fair Lewy has plenty of faults, but handling himself in an aerial contest is definitey not one of them. I’m happy to chalk that one down to an outlier not the norm

 

[Dogs 13]

It won't happen and yes Bruce has had a great year. Though no p***take. His last 3 weeks have been closer to 2020, than his first 10 games. Hope he lifts!

View attachment 1177138

One and a half of those games were without Naughton where he was the only experienced big forward. The knock on effect of not having him there is huge.
In the Eagles game Naughton dominated the forward line. Let's face it he's generally a foil for Astro and isn't really suited to being the main man.

Agree, he's having a great year apart from that.

 

[Bulldog Brent]

What impact will the developing situation in Victoria have on our ability to fly up north to GC this weekend?

What a shitshow. Those bloody removalists and the family who broke iso to shop at Coles ….. seriously.

 

[The City Boyz]

Naught - Wallis (love him but he is done)
Crozier - Young (doesnt do anything well)
McLean - Hannan (WHY?)
Don’t care - Scott (doesnt do enough)

I’d rather play Bendendo or Sweet than Lipi and Schache. They have had their chances give someone else a crack

Agreed on this with McNeil in for Scott, actually has a go unlike Lipi and Schache and his pressure will stand up in finals

 

[lachy]

What does Young add that Sweet doesn’t?

Both are liabilities but at least Sweet has size to throw around and did some good tap work against lesser rucks. Stats aren’t that different in disposals, marks or tackles.

I don’t understand why the line for versatility when the versatility is below average at every role.

I think you answered your own question MD. What does Sweet add that Young Doesn't? Both very ordinary but at least one of them needs to play to allow English more forward time so we are kicking to genuine talls who are all different, not these Mediums who add nothing.

Martin is a great stop gap, but we need a ruck

 

[dogwatch]

Agreed on this with McNeil in for Scott, actually has a go unlike Lipi and Schache and his pressure will stand up in finals

It already has. He was part of the WWT side that won the SANFL flag last year.
There's no form like finals-winning form.

 

[The Slitherin' Snake]

I'd sacrifice the ruck position to have English up forward.

Caleb to the ruck.

We're basically sacrificing the ruck with English in there anyway and robbing our forward line.

 

[Mattdougie]

I think you answered your own question MD. What does Sweet add that Young Doesn't? Both very ordinary but at least one of them needs to play to allow English more forward time so we are kicking to genuine talls who are all different, not these Mediums who add nothing.

Martin is a great stop gap, but we need a ruck

Exactly but Sweet is a far better tap ruckman so play him off the bench

OR

Leave JUH in and pinch hit with Bruce

OR

completely concede and play a job ruck Dunkley style and back in winning clearance


All three are better options than Young at present imo.

 

[Libbaaaa]

What impact will the developing situation in Victoria have on our ability to fly up north to GC this weekend?

What a shitshow. Those bloody removalists and the family who broke iso to shop at Coles ….. seriously.

Minimal I would think. If things are heading towards circuit breaker/snap lockdown version 25 the AFL will get tipped off and the boys will fly out immediately.

 

[threenewpadlocks]

Absolutely incredible that English played as well as he did in the ruck (pushed forward to take marks inside 50 inaccuracy aside, 22 touches, an equal career high and 5 more than any other game this season, season high 6 tackles, 61%ers etc. etc.) and people are claiming that we were poor in the ruck. We also dominated clearances as a team with him in the ruck, so he clearly beat Hickey by some margin head-to-head, and Hickey's been a top 10 ruck in the league this season.

I get English is always going to struggle with certain types of matchups and is always going to be a sub 50% hitout win guy, but to suggest it was some overall weakness that needs to be addressed is just strange to me. English was very good in the ruck and I have no qualms with him having to be first ruck in the near future. If anything, he was as good in the ruck as the average game he's played forward all season.

All the while Sweet is playing poorer in the VFL than he did in the early, pre-Vic lockdown part of the season, perhaps dented in confidence in that 3 disposal game he had v Gawn. Sweet getting beaten by Stanley, Campbell and whoever the hell Sydney played in the weekend in the ruck is nowhere near the same player that probably drew even with capable AFL rucks in Pittonet and Ryder earlier this year. He simply isn't an AFL option at this stage right now.

The point being is that Stef is clearly a better general tall than Lewis Young

33

Lewis Young

Age

25

Ht

202cm

Wt

99kg

Pos.

Def

Career

Season

Last 5

D

11.6

3star

K

7.5

3star

HB

4.1

3star

M

4.4

4star

T

1.6

4star

MG

197.9

3star

D

4.0

1star

K

3.0

1star

HB

1.0

1star

M

3.0

3star

T

0.0

1star

MG

26.0

1star

D

14.4

4star

K

8.2

4star

HB

6.2

4star

M

6.4

5star

T

2.0

4star

MG

181.6

3star

and Josh Schache

19

Josh Schache

Age

27

Ht

199cm

Wt

94kg

Pos.

Fwd

Career

Season

Last 5

D

9.8

2star

K

6.0

2star

HB

3.8

3star

M

3.6

4star

T

1.3

3star

G

1.2

4star

D

6.5

1star

K

4.0

1star

HB

2.5

2star

M

1.5

2star

T

0.0

1star

G

1.0

4star

D

10.2

3star

K

7.2

3star

HB

3.0

3star

M

4.6

5star

T

2.2

4star

G

0.8

4star

, or JUH if you consider him a tall heading forward, even if their positions aren't exactly the same.

 

[Munnez]

I think you answered your own question MD. What does Sweet add that Young Doesn't? Both very ordinary but at least one of them needs to play to allow English more forward time so we are kicking to genuine talls who are all different, not these Mediums who add nothing.

Martin is a great stop gap, but we need a ruck

Are there any proven Rucks available or will we have to go more speculative? What under utilized Ruck might be available?

 

[Dogsman16]

Absolutely incredible that English played as well as he did in the ruck (pushed forward to take marks inside 50 inaccuracy aside, 22 touches, an equal career high and 5 more than any other game this season, season high 6 tackles, 61%ers etc. etc.) and people are claiming that we were poor in the ruck. We also dominated clearances as a team with him in the ruck, so he clearly beat Hickey by some margin head-to-head, and Hickey's been a top 10 ruck in the league this season.

I get English is always going to struggle with certain types of matchups and is always going to be a sub 50% hitout win guy, but to suggest it was some overall weakness that needs to be addressed is just strange to me. English was very good in the ruck and I have no qualms with him having to be first ruck in the near future. If anything, he was as good in the ruck as the average game he's played forward all season.

All the while Sweet is playing poorer in the VFL than he did in the early, pre-Vic lockdown part of the season, perhaps dented in confidence in that 3 disposal game he had v Gawn. Sweet getting beaten by Stanley, Campbell and whoever the hell Sydney played in the weekend in the ruck is nowhere near the same player that probably drew even with capable AFL rucks in Pittonet and Ryder earlier this year. He simply isn't an AFL option at this stage right now.

The point being is that Stef is clearly a better general tall than Lewis Young and Josh Schache, or JUH if you consider him a tall heading forward, even if their positions aren't exactly the same.

The post I'm about to make really belongs in list management... but I think English has improved as a number 1 ruck this year. But I still wouldn't expose him to the role for another 2 years.

What I would suggest is that a experienced stop gap ruck comes in for 2 years so that English has 2 more seasons as the 3rd tall/ruck and that Sam Darcy is given a couple of seasons. Like Jamarra he's very talented but he's going to need a couple of preseasons to get his body right to become that 2nd ruck.

So in 2024 its English as main ruck and Darcy 2nd ruck/KPF. Astro and Jamarra as the KPFs.

 

[The Inbetweener]

Absolutely incredible that English played as well as he did in the ruck (pushed forward to take marks inside 50 inaccuracy aside, 22 touches, an equal career high and 5 more than any other game this season, season high 6 tackles, 61%ers etc. etc.) and people are claiming that we were poor in the ruck. We also dominated clearances as a team with him in the ruck, so he clearly beat Hickey by some margin head-to-head, and Hickey's been a top 10 ruck in the league this season.

I get English is always going to struggle with certain types of matchups and is always going to be a sub 50% hitout win guy, but to suggest it was some overall weakness that needs to be addressed is just strange to me. English was very good in the ruck and I have no qualms with him having to be first ruck in the near future. If anything, he was as good in the ruck as the average game he's played forward all season.

All the while Sweet is playing poorer in the VFL than he did in the early, pre-Vic lockdown part of the season, perhaps dented in confidence in that 3 disposal game he had v Gawn. Sweet getting beaten by Stanley, Campbell and whoever the hell Sydney played in the weekend in the ruck is nowhere near the same player that probably drew even with capable AFL rucks in Pittonet and Ryder earlier this year. He simply isn't an AFL option at this stage right now.

The point being is that Stef is clearly a better general tall than Lewis Young and Josh Schache, or JUH if you consider him a tall heading forward, even if their positions aren't exactly the same.

English also missed 2-3 easy set shots, including one early in the last quarter that cost us any momentum.

 

[ScragCity]

English also missed 2-3 easy set shots, including one early in the last quarter that cost us any momentum.

What's your point?

 

[Munnez]

What's your point?

Everyone is entitled to an off day now and then ?