Preview Gold Coast Suns v Adelaide Crows, Saturday 16th of March, People First Stadium, Gold Coast, 7.40pm Adelaide time.

[Golumless]

RD 12 - We lost the game and the centre clearances 18-13 with Anderson / Rowell toweling us up. Our midfield that day was Laird, Dawson, Sloane, Keays (with a touch of Pedlar/Rachele).

Rd 21 - We won the game and won the centre clearances 13-7. Our midfield that day was primarily Laird, Dawson, Crouch with Sloane/Schoenberg attending 35% and a touch of soligo.

For me the key difference is Crouch. We need to let him go head to head with Rowell.

Big time. A team that lacked a bit of grunt on the inside (i mean, we were ok, but were also overloading) "found" a guy in who could perform at a high level on minimal minutes. Especially now if we're looking to bring in Rankine into the midfield mix as a fourth, who whilst someone with the scope to be a serious ball winner on the inside*, isn't exactly the guy you want at the bottom of the pack. Crouch could well be the key to a deep finals run just as another reliable foil to Dawson/Rankine.

One of the sadder aspects of 2023 is had we looked into the Crouch well mid-season, we likely make the preliminary seeing just how much it did tighten up our game (well, that or our shooting cleaned up). Seeing we'd shown an ability to mix it with the big boys in Collingwood/Brisbane away, who knows how far we would have gone. This is a group who has shown it does like the bigger matches - and stumbles on the nothing ones.

I don't think we head to head him with Rowell though. It's almost a case of copy what we did in 2023 in the sense of Laird & Dawson gets 75-80%, Crouch gets 65-70% and you siphon some of the 5th-6th minutes into getting Rankine 55% of time in the CBA. It does suck we have Geelong next week so it's a bit hard to justify going full bore and using Dawson/Laird at 85-90% like we did against Sydney just to build some momentum into the season.

 

[Betts are off]

Key to this game might well be Josh Worrell and Max Michalanney IMO.

Gonna need to provide a lot of support and intercept play against King and Luko. Neutralise those 2 and I don't see the Suns kicking a winning score.

 

[Crow till I die]

Key to this game might well be Josh Worrell and Max Michalanney IMO.

Gonna need to provide a lot of support and intercept play against King and Luko. Neutralise those 2 and I don't see the Suns kicking a winning score.

Somehow I am expecting Izak to have a huge say on us winning this match.. I suspect he will relish going up against his old side to open the season

 

[George Kramer]

Are they high or been living on Mars?

 

[Jarman3]

I've tipped GC but would love to miss out on that point.

If it were at Adelaide Oval I'd be more confident, but they've just got too much talent across the ground and home ground advantage in their favour. I also reckon it's a slight advantage that they've already played a game to start the year, any first round cobwebs or nerves have already been worked through.

 

[Coopers]

I like that we've identified 80% of the players on the list as being key to this game.

Just so the missing ones aren't left out - key to this game are Keane and Butts. If the GC tall forwards are nullified, then we are good.

 

[Jeffcrowe]

Yeah I've been to 1 game there, the Talia phantom hamstring game, we took the train.

I got a bus ! Obvs the wrong idea but was terribly hung over

 

[Jeffcrowe]

Someone will need to clamp down on Malcolm Rosas who really looks to have arrived as a dangerous small forward late in the last season and first up this season.

Max will flog him if he plays on him

 

[Betts are off]

I've tipped GC but would love to miss out on that point.

If it were at Adelaide Oval I'd be more confident, but they've just got too much talent across the ground and home ground advantage in their favour. I also reckon it's a slight advantage that they've already played a game to start the year, any first round cobwebs or nerves have already been worked through.

The thing that might work in our favour about the 1st game in the northern states, is that heat/humidity can really sap the legs the following week. I know the Suns players should be used to it, but it might make them run out of puff a bit quicker than us.

Last year against the Giants was an extreme case. However both us and the Giants came out and laid 2nd half egg in round 2 after that hotbox of a game.

 

[Thylacinus]

The thing that might work in our favour about the 1st game in the northern states, is that heat/humidity can really sap the legs the following week. I know the Suns players should be used to it, but it might make them run out of puff a bit quicker than us.

Last year against the Giants was an extreme case. However both us and the Giants came out and laid 2nd half egg in round 2 after that hotbox of a game.

The thing that worries me a bit is that we are coming off an extreme heatwave here in SA. Why I say extreme is that the nights have not cooled down. Hovered above 30 degrees most of the night for a few in a row now, with the mercury just dipping into the mid to high 20's very briefly, so no record, but very severe none the less! Even today is going above what was forecast, so the heatwave continues.! I usually feel stuffed the day after a heatwave. I hope Burgess is all over this and allows our players to freshen!

 

[StickerMan]

The thing that worries me a bit is that we are coming off an extreme heatwave here in SA. Why I say extreme is that the nights have not cooled down. Hovered above 30 degrees most of the night for a few in a row now, with the mercury just dipping into the mid to high 20's very briefly, so no record, but very severe none the less! Even today is going above what was forecast, so the heatwave continues.! I usually feel stuffed the day after a heatwave. I hope Burgess is all over this and allows our players to freshen!

It might actually be beneficial as we head up to the Gold Coast as there is no need re-acclimatise.

The one issue that is concerning is the night game and the dew making it a slippery, scrappy affair.

I'd imagine the lads would be instructed to hydrate all week and will be tapered off.

Outside of the usual round one fitness concerns (i.e. not used to the match intensity) I don't think that will be the reason we lose.

As others have said, if our midfield creates enough opportunities for our forwards then we should win this game.

I think our defense will match up well, and if we bring the pressure and intensity at the ball carrier to force enough turnovers, we will bury them with our transition.

 

[davos44]

Richmonds pressure and midfield took a big step forward and GC turned to water in that 3rd quarter.
We have much better pressure and scoring power than the Tigers so we should put on a much better performance.

Gold Coast have played us well since 2020, even at AO they haven't been pushovers.

Would rather start against West Coast like Port

 

[dogs105]

One of the best pre match summations I have read thus far
Thanks

Even better than mine?

 

[beartoo]

Having previously lived in both SA and Qld I can tell you the heat in Qld is a far different beast to that of SA. SA tends to be clear heat low humidity, Qld more not as hot on the temperature gauge but far more humidity which can really sap your energy if you're not used to it.

Agree having also lived ìn both.

On SM-A115F using BigFooty.com mobile app

 

[bayside_crow]

Are they high or been living on Mars?

Assume they are talking about the 200th game where they are in the same team.
Wouldn’t be until later in the season though, once Sloane earns his spot in the team


Sent from my iPhone using BigFooty.com

 

[Coopers]

Nope it all starts in the midfield, break even or beat them in there goes a long way towards a win on their own dunghill in their most likely gameday conditions. If their forwards get a look at enough ball it will take more than Butts and Keane to stem the tide.

Well you're right, but to be fair we also haven't mentioned the half back and wingers as being critical - Smith, Jones, Hinge and Milera, all need to fire. It's all about our precision kicking in space.

 

[GROTTO]

Having previously lived in both SA and Qld I can tell you the heat in Qld is a far different beast to that of SA. SA tends to be clear heat low humidity, Qld more not as hot on the temperature gauge but far more humidity which can really sap your energy if you're not used to it.

Could be a massive issue as we play the Cats off a 6 day break.

 

[DJ75]

Having previously lived in both SA and Qld I can tell you the heat in Qld is a far different beast to that of SA. SA tends to be clear heat low humidity, Qld more not as hot on the temperature gauge but far more humidity which can really sap your energy if you're not used to it.

Give me the dry heat anytime. Can't stand humidity.

 

[1990crow]

Give me the dry heat anytime. Can't stand humidity.

I'm the opposite. Love it. Living in Geelong, frequently in my partners ear about the Sunshine up north..

 

[DJ75]

I'm the opposite. Love it. Living in Geelong, frequently in my partners ear about the Sunshine up north..

A little bit I can handle, but up North? No way. Had a stop over in Malaysia once on my way to Europe. Thought I was going to die. Worst 2 days ever. Felt like I was drowning the whole time.

 

[Bernie L]

Having previously lived in both SA and Qld I can tell you the heat in Qld is a far different beast to that of SA. SA tends to be clear heat low humidity, Qld more not as hot on the temperature gauge but far more humidity which can really sap your energy if you're not used to it.

Im from Mt Gambier, but lived in Adelaide for 20 years. Now here on the Sunshine Coast. Its still humid here, but January was really bad. Overnight temps of about 25-26 and 85%-90% humidity. Forty degrees back in SA is more bearable.
That said, its only supposed to be 27 on the GC on Saturday, so I reckon game time it will be about 23-24, but the humidity will take effect on our guys in the second half. I remember going to the Gabba a few years ago when we played Brisbane (Hugh Greenwoods first game), the game was in May and our boys were hunched over during the 3rd quarter.
Im heading down to the GC to watch this one. Hoping the Suns may have got ahead of themselves after beating Richmond.

 

[CrowinNT]

Go da Crows
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[Slippery Pete]

Assume they are talking about the 200th game where they are in the same team.
Wouldn’t be until later in the season though, once Sloane earns his spot in the team


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Don’t McLeod and Edwards hold this all-time record?

 

[Jeffcrowe]

Having previously lived in both SA and Qld I can tell you the heat in Qld is a far different beast to that of SA. SA tends to be clear heat low humidity, Qld more not as hot on the temperature gauge but far more humidity which can really sap your energy if you're not used to it.

Northern state heat is so much worse due to humidity

And it’s been a long humid summer brisbane and sydney

 

[cleanhands]

Northern state heat is so much worse due to humidity

And it’s been a long humid summer brisbane and sydney

Stop complaining you office workers