Unofficial Preview NAB Challenge 2 - Sydney v GWS - Friday, 4 March, 7.10pm

[Giant Strides]

Swannettes are already blaming the umpires and saying they will give us an easy ride all year.
Hmmm one can hope so. We are usually screwed by them.

Gotta agree with that! Regarding the Swans' supporters excuses, well, they're trying to convince themselves that their team isn't as bad as it seemed from the run of play and the result. Given that it's preseason, it's largely irrelevant. Either they weren't really that bad and their team will do OK in the season proper, or they were that bad, and they'll have a much larger headache to contend with. Any way I look at it, I don't care, only whether GWS can bring that form and result to the season.

 

[Thrashor]

Humorous post, but serious point worth talking about. You're right, and many people have addressed that in their 'best 22' teams as you say. But part of the discussion is whether that's the approach GWS is likely to take. For example, LC has often named Whitfield or Kelly on the half back flank, and in 2015 games often rotated Griffen through there, so 7 'listed' backs isn't necessarily the way GWS structure their team. (I'm not advocating that, just observing how GWS has done it in the past.) And if Tommo is on the bench, does he count as the 7th defender?

LC basically confirmed this in his post game interview Friday. He referred to the back 7.

 

[Danny88]

Does patton's absence from here without a named injury indicate he is on the putter for round 1? The other guys that were left out had stated injury concerns (hamstring tightness for cogs and smith didn't train) so that, combined with his current hesitancy around the ball leads me to believe he might not be there round one....

I also think Stewart is doing a reasonable job of playing the pack crashing forward and he looks much more mobile arm

 

[Giant Strides]

Does patton's absence from here without a named injury indicate he is on the putter for round 1? The other guys that were left out had stated injury concerns (hamstring tightness for cogs and smith didn't train) so that, combined with his current hesitancy around the ball leads me to believe he might not be there round one....

I also think Stewart is doing a reasonable job of playing the pack crashing forward and he looks much more mobile arm

I agree with you on Stewart; for mine, a Jezza-Lobb-Stewart forward line (and I'd also have Tommo on the bench as forward & defensive cover) seems OK. Was close to one set of goals in Manuka, and for the 2 quarters there I'm afraid the General looked not mobile enough. Not sure if his confidence in the knee is down perhaps.

However, the article on yesterday's NEAFL hitout http://www.gwsgiants.com.au/news/2016-03-05/draftees-impress said Patton kicked 3 goals to put his name forward for NAB3, and even before that article I would not be surprised to see him on the team list for NAB3. Shall just have to see.

Edit: Cogs & Dev were omitted from NAB2 for injury reasons; Patton & Patfull's omissions didn't have a reason. My personal view is that Patfull is a round 1 certainty, therefore he was omitted to allow Corr vs Marchbank competition (& because LC wanted to only play 24). Hence, General could be the same, in allowing a look at a Jezza-Lobb-Stewart forward line and next week could be a Jezza-General-Lobb forward line for comparison.

 

[Giant Strides]

LC basically confirmed this in his post game interview Friday. He referred to the back 7.

I hate to appear argumentative, but I think you misunderstand my point. I don't disagree with the concept of 'back 7' nor am I saying that LC doesn't follow it either. My point is that sometimes LC names a midfielder in that 7. Take round 1 vs St Kilda last year - an extract of the team is listed below how it was presented (just backs, interchange & sub). So the team had, of those players listed as 'defenders' 3 KPFs (Davis, Corr, Haynes) & 3 medium or rebounding defenders (Shaw, Patfull, Hampton - the latter an interchange listing), plus Whitfield named in a HBF role.
(BTW, the forwards had 4 ' listed forwards'+ McCarthy as IC with 2 midfielders (Griffen & Greene) also listed up front.)

HB

• 1 Phil Davis
• 35 Aidan Corr
• 6 Lachie Whitfield

FB

• 23 Heath Shaw
• 24 Joel Patfull
• 19 Nick Haynes

Interchange

• 2 Curtly Hampton
• 5 Dylan Shiel
• 25 Cam McCarthy

Substitute

• 3 Stephen Coniglio

 

[Ichabod Noodle]

Does patton's absence from here without a named injury indicate he is on the putter for round 1?

He kicked 3 in the NEAFL practice match against a combined Canberra and apparently played pretty well. That said, he would have to a) be picked for NAB 3 and b) play well in NAB 3 for him to get a gig in round 1. Stewart and Lobb are ahead of him at the moment I would have thought.

 

[sataris]

Nice Victory!

I'm hopeful this will be the year of 2 Sydney sides in the top 8, and many many eddie explosions!

 

[Thrashor]

I hate to appear argumentative, but I think you misunderstand my point. I don't disagree with the concept of 'back 7' nor am I saying that LC doesn't follow it either. My point is that sometimes LC names a midfielder in that 7. Take round 1 vs St Kilda last year - an extract of the team is listed below how it was presented (just backs, interchange & sub). So the team had, of those players listed as 'defenders' 3 KPFs (Davis, Corr, Haynes) & 3 medium or rebounding defenders (Shaw, Patfull, Hampton - the latter an interchange listing), plus Whitfield named in a HBF role.
(BTW, the forwards had 4 ' listed forwards'+ McCarthy as IC with 2 midfielders (Griffen & Greene) also listed up front.)

HB

• 1 Phil Davis
• 35 Aidan Corr
• 6 Lachie Whitfield

FB

• 23 Heath Shaw
• 24 Joel Patfull
• 19 Nick Haynes

Interchange

• 2 Curtly Hampton
• 5 Dylan Shiel
• 25 Cam McCarthy

Substitute

• 3 Stephen Coniglio

I agree with you

 

[Jinglebells32]

Pardon the intrusion. I'm really enjoying watching the improvement in your team over the last couple of seasons.
Great run and carry and slick ball movement. If you have a reasonable run with injury I can't see you missing the eight.
What are your thoughts on Curtly Hampton? I'm hoping he makes it for us if we play him in the midfield rather than defence.
Good luck for the season.

 

[Jaffa Fan]

Pardon the intrusion. I'm really enjoying watching the improvement in your team over the last couple of seasons.
Great run and carry and slick ball movement. If you have a reasonable run with injury I can't see you missing the eight.
What are your thoughts on Curtly Hampton? I'm hoping he makes it for us if we play him in the midfield rather than defence.
Good luck for the season.

Curtly can do some incredible things, both good and bad. It was his inconsistency that put him on the outer. I hope he does well for you.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[Ichabod Noodle]

Pardon the intrusion. I'm really enjoying watching the improvement in your team over the last couple of seasons.
Great run and carry and slick ball movement. If you have a reasonable run with injury I can't see you missing the eight.
What are your thoughts on Curtly Hampton? I'm hoping he makes it for us if we play him in the midfield rather than defence.
Good luck for the season.

He earned the nickname of WTF here on this board - because often, that's what came out of supporters mouths - both in awe of the X-factor classiness and the absolute brain fades. To be fair though, he was becoming more consistent (on the good side of the ledger) the longer he was here. Ended up running through the midfield more in the NEAFL last year and strung some really excellent and consistently good games together - just couldn't crack the seniors, hence his desire to seek opportunities elsewhere.

We all understood and all wish him the very best. Hope he goes all right for you guys.