Preview Essendon Bombers v Sydney Swans Saturday 6th July @ MCG 1:45 PM

[Jewelsbon]

Personally I would be careful picking Knoll. Whilst his tap out stats in the neafl on the weekend were ok, there was clearly a problem. It was obvious that in the third quarter the suns midfield felt they had full control. Watching the swans mids, predominantly Jack and Fox they were adopting a complete man on man shut down set up. eg standing behind their opponent and tackling hard. This doesn't just happen, especially with Jack directing the mids. From my coaching days you adopt this structure when your opposition ruckman has taken complete control and is tapping at will. To be fair to Knoll he is new to the game and is still learning. I feel that if he has some parts of his game he is still learning, in particular how to nullify a dominant opposition ruckman. If he was selected no doubt Essendon will do their homework and identify these areas of exposure and exploit them.
I was at the last swans essendon game and reid actually went well as a tap ruckman.

What other viable options going forward do we have apart from Knoll?
As I said in another thread, if Sinkers were only going to miss this week then we could run with Aliir and Reid, but Longmire has already confirmed he will miss a minimum of three and even then it's a matter of wait and see, so i think they are forced to work out the best option for the remainder of the season and need to start this week against a gumby like Clarke as in the next few weeks whoever our ruckman is will be facing REAL ruckmen like Kreuzer, Mumford and Gawn.

 

[Syd]

What other viable options going forward do we have apart from Knoll?
As I said in another thread, if Sinkers were only going to miss this week then we could run with Aliir and Reid, but Longmire has already confirmed he will miss a minimum of three and even then it's a matter of wait and see, so i think they are forced to work out the best option for the remainder of the season and need to start this week against a gumby like Clarke as in the next few weeks whoever our ruckman is will be facing REAL ruckmen like Kreuzer, Mumford and Gawn.

100% this ^

No other option given the following 2-3 games at best in Sinclair’s absence

 

[Nool Carpenna]

Think it’s highly unlikely Knoll gets the call. Unless the potential of playing AFL flicks a switch and he has a red hot training session, I think it was quite apparent Horse was gently trying to point out the upheaval to Michael’s life and that maybe people need to understand that it is not just a matter of going from draftee to preseason to neafl to afl, and that he might not be that settled just yet despite Knolls positivity.
Having seen him live in his two Sydney games, he looks to be struggling with his concentration... and given the whirlwind he has been thru, and continues to be caught in, I totally get that.
If they think it important enough to keep Aliir down back then maybe Amartey gets a call before MacLean, who has done very little rucking in the twos and is smaller than Sinclair.
Just my two bobs worth.

Whatever they do, if our other 21 blokes play as they have been, we get the job done on this mob.

 

[Tedeski]

Using Reid or Aliir pinch hitting as primary ruckmen on the back of a mid game injury to the main ruckman is very, very different to going into a game with Aliir or Reid as the main ruckman because it gives the opposition much more time to do their homework on how to counter them. Aliir in particular was terrific the other day but Worsfold will take him out. Too risky for mine because we rely on them both as key position players. Even if Knoll provides some sort of big bodied contest in the air & then on the ground, we are on our way IMO.

 

[Swan4Life]

What other viable options going forward do we have apart from Knoll?
As I said in another thread, if Sinkers were only going to miss this week then we could run with Aliir and Reid, but Longmire has already confirmed he will miss a minimum of three and even then it's a matter of wait and see, so i think they are forced to work out the best option for the remainder of the season and need to start this week against a gumby like Clarke as in the next few weeks whoever our ruckman is will be facing REAL ruckmen like Kreuzer, Mumford and Gawn.

Yeah, given our ruck situation i cant see any other option than pretty much throwing Knoll to the wolves against the steroid junkies in preparation for the games that lie ahead.

Sometimes you simply have to take a risk at the selection table.

 

[LukeParkerno1]

Gut feeling is Horse will gamble this week that AA and Reid can work and then re-evaluate it after this week. We should get the result anyway this week, so we can afford to take a calculated risk. If it seems to not work, expect Knoll to be in next weekend.

 

[Tedeski]

Think it’s highly unlikely Knoll gets the call. Unless the potential of playing AFL flicks a switch and he has a red hot training session, I think it was quite apparent Horse was gently trying to point out the upheaval to Michael’s life and that maybe people need to understand that it is not just a matter of going from draftee to preseason to neafl to afl, and that he might not be that settled just yet despite Knolls positivity.
Having seen him live in his two Sydney games, he looks to be struggling with his concentration... and given the whirlwind he has been thru, and continues to be caught in, I totally get that.
If they think it important enough to keep Aliir down back then maybe Amartey gets a call before MacLean, who has done very little rucking in the twos and is smaller than Sinclair.
Just my two bobs worth.

Whatever they do, if our other 21 blokes play as they have been, we get the job done on this mob.

One thing about our club this season is that we are developing players & the ruck is one position where a player can be fast tracked & have players cover for him. Knoll will have more experienced players around him telling him where to position himself & where to run, more so than in the NEAFL where he is surrounded by young inexperienced players who are still finding their own feet & working out where to position themselves throughout a game.

In Pyke's first handful of games, he really had no idea & actually threw the ball rugby style in one of those early games, prompting BT to say he was the worst player to ever play AFL. All he has to do is compete & provide a contest for 60 minutes. Just my thoughts.

 

[Donza]

No matter how incomplete Knoll is.He's better than Z-Clarke.
However you can't teach height.
Knoll to come in and be tall. Reid to pinch hit. AA to stay down back.

 

[The King!]

Pick who you want it’s only essendon

 

[Voice of the G]

No matter how incomplete Knoll is.He's better than Z-Clarke.
However you can't teach height.
Knoll to come in and be tall. Reid to pinch hit. AA to stay down back.

Have to risk Knoll in the ruck although I doubt he is ready,Allir will be needed down back and Reid up forward.If it is not working the latter 2 can go into the ruck.Long term I like the idea of Allir in the ruck remembering how good the move worked out with Adam Goodes.

 

[BloodySwan]

Would rather we get McCartin to pinch hit as a ruck than Reid.

 

[Donza]

Would rather we get McCartin to pinch hit as a ruck than Reid.

Why not Parker?

Lets bring ole eye Dean Towers out of mothballs

 

[BloodySwan]

Why not Parker?

Lets bring ole eye Dean Towers out of mothballs

Sam Reid is more important to our forward line than McCartin is. Would rather Robbie fox be our pinch hit ruck than Reid. It doesn't matter if Reid wins a clearance should he have little to kick it to.

 

[Donza]

Sam Reid is more important to our forward line than McCartin is. Would rather Robbie fox be our pinch hit ruck than Reid. It doesn't matter if Reid wins a clearance should he have little to kick it to.

McCartin won't be playing...so we can move on from that IMO
Sam Reids strength is ability to run and drag his opponent around. He's not a stay at home forward. Hence why he gets rolled back in defense at times.
He's a perfect pinch hitter forward.
I'd rather go in with a small mobile forward line. EFC do have some decent tall timber. That shit themselves when the ball hits the deck.

 

[BloodySwan]

McCartin won't be playing...so we can move on from that IMO
Sam Reids strength is ability to run and drag his opponent around. He's not a stay at home forward. Hence why he gets rolled back in defense at times.
He's a perfect pinch hitter forward.
I'd rather go in with a small mobile forward line. EFC do have some decent tall timber. That s**t themselves when the ball hits the deck.

If McCartin isn't playing (did I miss something?) we should go with 2 rucks in Knoll & McLean.

 

[McRobie]

Saw it mentioned before, is Armarty an option? Could throw him to the wolves, try get something going at ground level with him and keep structure with Reid and Aliir?

 

[Donza]

If McCartin isn't playing (did I miss something?) we should go with 2 rucks in Knoll & McLean.

He'll make way for McVeigh.
Don't need tall forwards re the dons.
2 rookie rucks now?

 

[BruceFromBalnarring]

Can’t think of a reason McCartin wouldn’t be playing.

But I really don’t want to see Reid or Aliir rucking for any length of time. They’re both really important key position players. The last thing we want is either to do a knee rucking.

Why oh why did we delist Towers?

 

[Grand Uncle Horace]

He'll make way for McVeigh.
Don't need tall forwards re the dons.
2 rookie rucks now?

Need three. They're all mobile. They have intercept markers in Chundery and Hooker. We need to keep honest.

 

[caesar88]

Horse specifically mentioned that we loaded up on rucks in the pre-season and mid-season drafts for situations exactly like this. Surely we make good use of those drafts now that the doomsday scenario has arrived.

 

[Wolfgang West]

Think it’s highly unlikely Knoll gets the call. Unless the potential of playing AFL flicks a switch and he has a red hot training session, I think it was quite apparent Horse was gently trying to point out the upheaval to Michael’s life and that maybe people need to understand that it is not just a matter of going from draftee to preseason to neafl to afl, and that he might not be that settled just yet despite Knolls positivity.
Having seen him live in his two Sydney games, he looks to be struggling with his concentration... and given the whirlwind he has been thru, and continues to be caught in, I totally get that.
If they think it important enough to keep Aliir down back then maybe Amartey gets a call before MacLean, who has done very little rucking in the twos and is smaller than Sinclair.
Just my two bobs worth.

Whatever they do, if our other 21 blokes play as they have been, we get the job done on this mob.

Might have been back in the day but David Rhys Jones as a 17 year old played an under 19 game,reserves the next week and Senior footy the week after that for South. When you've got no socks on you can't pull them up so a punt needs to be taken this week regardless if they like it or not. It is not if he is going be killed out there. Slim hope of finals still alive the more you run the gauntlet with an injury prone Reid or stilletto legs Alir that goes down the drain in an instant if they fall over playing in the ruck. Although finals are not important in regards to where the club intend to be in the next couple of years you should take no risks for the future with your KP Bookends. Chuck him in there nothing to lose. If he gets handed his backside by Zac Clarke and it destroys his confidence he is to soft to be an AFL Footballer anyway. Baptism of fire can be the making of a player.

 

[BruceFromBalnarring]

Tom Nichols didn’t smash him so I’m not sure why Clarke would although I must watch that second half. Maybe it was a fitness thing which would be understandable.

 

[Mick Oxlong]

He'll make way for McVeigh.
Don't need tall forwards re the dons.
2 rookie rucks now?

I got the impression Longmire isn't keen on playing McVeigh this week when watching his presser.

 

[BruceFromBalnarring]

I got the impression Longmire isn't keen on playing McVeigh this week when watching his presser.

Yep and even if he did it would be Rose or Ronke or maybe O’Riordan who copped a knock.

Certainly not McCartin.

 

[Syd]

He'll make way for McVeigh.
Don't need tall forwards re the dons.
2 rookie rucks now?

I love Macca but no
He needs to come back via the 2s and prove fitness

McCartin forward when Reid rucks and McCartin back when Aliir rucks is the most likely balance to structure