eth-dog
Tier 1 WW Player
Essendon vs West Coast (12/05/2012):
Observations:
Essendon: Essendon are in very good form. Have 5 wins on the board with the solitary loss coming against Collingwood by 1 point. Have accounted for the premiership favourites at that point in time Carlton on the way, and have beaten Brisbane comfortably in their most recent encounter. With players like Hurley, Myers and Hille all possible inclusions, there are positive signs for the bombers coming up against their biggest challenge yet
West Coast: Form side of the competition. They’ve played with poise, skill, smarts and toughness. Have had big losses in terms of personnel in their normally very strong forward line, with Josh Kennedy, Mark LeCras and Mark Nicoski all out for a long time, Essendon’s defence may be able to cover for their forward line unlike any of the other defences they’ve come up against
Head-to-Head (last 5) : Essendon 1-West Coast 4
Form:
Essendon: W-W-W-L-W
West Coast: W-W-W-W-?
Odds (forecasted by me because the forecasting website sucks) West Coast $1.90 Essendon $1.90
Possible Teams:
Essendon:
B: Fletcher-Pears-Hardingham
HB: Dempsey-Hooker-Dyson
C: Zaharakis-Watson-Heppell
HF: Colyer-Hurley-Davey
F: Crameri-Ryder-Jetta
R: Bellchambers-Hocking-Stanton
I: Howlett-Melksham-Lonergan
S: Lovett-Murray
West Coast:
B: Brown-Glass-Smith
HB: Hurn-MacKenzie-Waters
C: Rosa-Priddis-Gaff
HF: Masten-Lynch-Hams
F: Cox-Darling-Hill
R: Naitanui-S Selwood-Kerr
I: Shuey-A Selwood-Butler
S: McGinnity
Key Match-Ups:
Brent Stanton vs Scott Selwood: Wow what a match-up, Scott Selwood is the best tagger in the AFL by a long way and Stanton’s form, barring the ANZAC Day game, has been absolutely incredible. After getting 39 touches and a whopping 17 marks against Brisbane, there’s no doubt that Stanton will be tagged, we’ll see whether or not Selwood can stop him, because if he can’t, no-one can
Cale Hooker vs Quinten Lynch: Wow what a match-up. Hooker has been one of the best defender’s for Essendon, claiming scalps like Drew Petrie, Matthew Kruezer and Travis Cloke, quietening all three to not have a major influence on the game. Lynch is a very strong key forward, will be an important cog in the forward line without Kennedy up there
Stewart Crameri vs Eric MacKenzie: Stewart Crameri is in fantastic form for the bombers, looking like the best 3rd tall in the AFL right now after kicking 4 goals against Daniel Merrett, and 5 goals against Carlton means that West Coast should be very wary of Crameri. Eric MacKenzie is one of the better defenders for West Coast, and would get a lot more attention if he played in Victoria instead of Western Australia
Keys for each team:
Essendon:
• Kick accurately- Essendon have wasted good chances in the forward line in most games. Will want to improve heavily in that regard.
• Win the clearances. Watson/Howlett/Lonergan/Hocking are a powerful inside unit, they will want to do it against a quality side in West Coast
• Skills. Don’t make that terrible mistake Essendon seem to make every 10 minutes or so that keep cropping up in games
West Coast:
• Spread from the contest well. Essendon’s spread is very good, try to nullify it and get them running defensively instead of offensively
• Win the ruck. These two sides have claims to having the best combination in the AFL, so win the contest and confirm that claim
• Pressure Essendon as much as possible. The bombers are susceptible to turning the ball over, so pressure them as much as possible
Summary:
Essendon are in the best spot they’ve been in since 2000. They’re playing the best football in the post-Sheedy era. The injuries are a worry, but with a player like Hurley back they’ll be a lot better off. This is their biggest challenge yet, up against a strong Eagles outfit
West Coast is a very good side. Players like Mark Priddis, Andrew Rosa, Andrew Gaff, Daniel Kerr and Scott Selwood form one of the strongest midfields in the competition, and their forward depth is very good with Hill and Hams usually out of the side, yet are good enough to dominate up there when given their chance.
Tip: Essendon are a very even side, balanced all over the ground. West Coast is the same, but has a slight query in travelling, especially to Melbourne. Essendon by 6
Observations:
Essendon: Essendon are in very good form. Have 5 wins on the board with the solitary loss coming against Collingwood by 1 point. Have accounted for the premiership favourites at that point in time Carlton on the way, and have beaten Brisbane comfortably in their most recent encounter. With players like Hurley, Myers and Hille all possible inclusions, there are positive signs for the bombers coming up against their biggest challenge yet
West Coast: Form side of the competition. They’ve played with poise, skill, smarts and toughness. Have had big losses in terms of personnel in their normally very strong forward line, with Josh Kennedy, Mark LeCras and Mark Nicoski all out for a long time, Essendon’s defence may be able to cover for their forward line unlike any of the other defences they’ve come up against
Head-to-Head (last 5) : Essendon 1-West Coast 4
Form:
Essendon: W-W-W-L-W
West Coast: W-W-W-W-?
Odds (forecasted by me because the forecasting website sucks) West Coast $1.90 Essendon $1.90
Possible Teams:
Essendon:
B: Fletcher-Pears-Hardingham
HB: Dempsey-Hooker-Dyson
C: Zaharakis-Watson-Heppell
HF: Colyer-Hurley-Davey
F: Crameri-Ryder-Jetta
R: Bellchambers-Hocking-Stanton
I: Howlett-Melksham-Lonergan
S: Lovett-Murray
West Coast:
B: Brown-Glass-Smith
HB: Hurn-MacKenzie-Waters
C: Rosa-Priddis-Gaff
HF: Masten-Lynch-Hams
F: Cox-Darling-Hill
R: Naitanui-S Selwood-Kerr
I: Shuey-A Selwood-Butler
S: McGinnity
Key Match-Ups:
Brent Stanton vs Scott Selwood: Wow what a match-up, Scott Selwood is the best tagger in the AFL by a long way and Stanton’s form, barring the ANZAC Day game, has been absolutely incredible. After getting 39 touches and a whopping 17 marks against Brisbane, there’s no doubt that Stanton will be tagged, we’ll see whether or not Selwood can stop him, because if he can’t, no-one can
Cale Hooker vs Quinten Lynch: Wow what a match-up. Hooker has been one of the best defender’s for Essendon, claiming scalps like Drew Petrie, Matthew Kruezer and Travis Cloke, quietening all three to not have a major influence on the game. Lynch is a very strong key forward, will be an important cog in the forward line without Kennedy up there
Stewart Crameri vs Eric MacKenzie: Stewart Crameri is in fantastic form for the bombers, looking like the best 3rd tall in the AFL right now after kicking 4 goals against Daniel Merrett, and 5 goals against Carlton means that West Coast should be very wary of Crameri. Eric MacKenzie is one of the better defenders for West Coast, and would get a lot more attention if he played in Victoria instead of Western Australia
Keys for each team:
Essendon:
• Kick accurately- Essendon have wasted good chances in the forward line in most games. Will want to improve heavily in that regard.
• Win the clearances. Watson/Howlett/Lonergan/Hocking are a powerful inside unit, they will want to do it against a quality side in West Coast
• Skills. Don’t make that terrible mistake Essendon seem to make every 10 minutes or so that keep cropping up in games
West Coast:
• Spread from the contest well. Essendon’s spread is very good, try to nullify it and get them running defensively instead of offensively
• Win the ruck. These two sides have claims to having the best combination in the AFL, so win the contest and confirm that claim
• Pressure Essendon as much as possible. The bombers are susceptible to turning the ball over, so pressure them as much as possible
Summary:
Essendon are in the best spot they’ve been in since 2000. They’re playing the best football in the post-Sheedy era. The injuries are a worry, but with a player like Hurley back they’ll be a lot better off. This is their biggest challenge yet, up against a strong Eagles outfit
West Coast is a very good side. Players like Mark Priddis, Andrew Rosa, Andrew Gaff, Daniel Kerr and Scott Selwood form one of the strongest midfields in the competition, and their forward depth is very good with Hill and Hams usually out of the side, yet are good enough to dominate up there when given their chance.
Tip: Essendon are a very even side, balanced all over the ground. West Coast is the same, but has a slight query in travelling, especially to Melbourne. Essendon by 6
