Preview QF2 Geelong v Port Adelaide Thursday Sept 5 2024 @ AO 7:40 pm

[supahoops]

Yep..Duncan now looks slow and indecisive and is playing bruise free, like every opponent is a potential Mumford.

I just don’t see a role for him with Humphries playing I’d roll the dice and go with Mullin instead he gives us another dimension IMO.

 

[supahoops]

If there's any team to go small in defence against then Port is it.

I feel like Marshall, Georgiadis and Rioli can kill us with movement. I'd prefer to go in small and risk Sav or Dixon or Visentini clunking a bunch of contested marks than see Blicavs, SDK, Henry and Kolo all in the same backline with Rioli, Rozee and JHF running rings around them.

But that means one of SDK, Stanley or Blicavs gets left out. If SDK is right (big question) then Stanley's the only real choice.

I’d take the opposite view and say we need a Stanley/SDK combination to help our midfielders, if they don’t walk it out of the centre our taller backline will be an advantage. Like to see Allir and Savs opponents work up the ground to isolate them and have our smalls get in behind. Will be a fascinating watch on the coaching in this game.

 

[moond0g]

I think that is our biggest challenge (sorry outside of the MF of course) - at least selection wise.

I am also troubled by the notion of having Kolo, Henry, SDK and Blitz in defence (as well as Zuthrie). And that is not counting Stewart dropping back...

But I am not sure where I want Blitz. To me (and I LOVE him) he has had a relatively poor year inside and on the Wing - but better in the Ruck and IMO much better when he went into defence. But that was without SDK.

And at at the same time Stanley I think has done ok (although that makes me nervous)...

So I don't know what to do with Blitz. Just default back to wing?

I think decent argument could be made that Blicavs is surplus to needs if SDK comes back, assuming they're ok with SDK and Neale doing the 2nd ruck duties. I understand this would be a huge call for someone who has played 22 games this year, and unlikley to happen. And that he offers us great versatility to cover some gaps, particularly if Stanley is poor.

But If SDK is playing defence, he's not needed there. Stanley has earned the right the last few weeks to play as the no. 1 ruck. And he wouldn't be in my top 6 midfielders this year. Maybe they keep him as a utility and Tuohy get's dropped? Or he might be handy sub.

 

[Munich]

Charlie Dixon will return for this game.

That's an advantage for us

 

[Pollywaffle]

That's an advantage for us

Dixon is such a hot and cold confidence player. Arguably they have a few of those in their team.
Probably stating the obvious, but this is definitely a game where we need need a solid start to introduce doubt in those players and keep the crowd quiet.
I want hear the crickets chirping in that first quarter.

 

[Art Vandelay_]

I just don’t see a role for him with Humphries playing I’d roll the dice and go with Mullin instead he gives us another dimension IMO.

I'd rather us try and win the first final. Not play 1 short.

 

[Mad_Hatter]

Why in the ever loving SHIT do we still have this BS pre-finals bye...

 

[Lana]

Fun fact, we had a higher percentage last year then we do this year

 

[Johanpetro]

Why in the ever loving SHIT do we still have this BS pre-finals bye...

Hey without it Stewart and Humphries probably wouldn’t be playing

 

[Kitcat]

Why in the ever loving SHIT do we still have this BS pre-finals bye...

Stanley, Danger, Duncan, Tuohy, SDK, Humphries and Stewart love it.

 

[Strange Cat]

Dixon is such a hot and cold confidence player. Arguably they have a few of those in their team.
Probably stating the obvious, but this is definitely a game where we need need a solid start to introduce doubt in those players and keep the crowd quiet.
I want hear the crickets chirpin for the entire game

EFA

 

[JohnZ]

Why in the ever loving SHIT do we still have this BS pre-finals bye...

Because the AFL have to throw the AFLW a bone
Because next year it will feature 7v10 and 8v9
Because sportsbet didn't like losing money on teams tanking the final round
Because it does build hype/hope for the teams ranked 5-8, leading to higher crowds

Take 2013, Pies v Port got 50k at the MCG for an EF, in 2022 Pies v Freo got 90k at the MCG for a SF (I rate those two finals as being of similar importance).

 

[moond0g]

Fun fact, we had a higher percentage last year then we do this year

Perhaps indicative that we underachieved in terms of ladder position last year, and have overachieved this year.

 

[ClintEastwood]

I'm confident we have your midfield covered this time around. Last time it was a different looking midfield as we were missing Dangerfield, Bruhn & Bowes. Two of them are not stars but they certainly complement our side well and will be crucial in helping us get the win.

JHF - Wines (close to his Brownlow form) - Butters - Rozee - Drew - Sweet (voted by many as BOG v Freo)
Bit casual with the "confident we have your midfield covered"? I will watch with interest.

 

[cats_09]

Because the AFL have to throw the AFLW a bone
Because next year it will feature 7v10 and 8v9
Because sportsbet didn't like losing money on teams tanking the final round
Because it does build hype/hope for the teams ranked 5-8, leading to higher crowds

Take 2013, Pies v Port got 50k at the MCG for an EF, in 2022 Pies v Freo got 90k at the MCG for a SF (I rate those two finals as being of similar importance).

Absolutely nothing to do with it

 

[cats_09]

Why in the ever loving SHIT do we still have this BS pre-finals bye...

Because the AFL powers to be got shitty with Fremantle resting half their team for the final round so they'd be refreshed for their first final

The AFL thought that by manipulating the fixture they'd be able to reduce such instances of that

But yeah, it hasn't stopped it

 

[JohnZ]

Absolutely nothing to do with it

It absolutely does. The AFL/AFLW are using this weekend of clean air to launch the new season. The following four weeks have no primetime games due to finals, and a stack of midweek games to follow. This is the best chance the AFLW has to bring in eyeballs for the season.

 

[Lana]

Perhaps indicative that we underachieved in terms of ladder position last year, and have overachieved this year.

When we win the premiership, I'm going to feel as if we wasted a really good opportunity for a three peat

 

[Gunf]

Because the AFL have to throw the AFLW a bone
Because next year it will feature 7v10 and 8v9
Because sportsbet didn't like losing money on teams tanking the final round
Because it does build hype/hope for the teams ranked 5-8, leading to higher crowds

Take 2013, Pies v Port got 50k at the MCG for an EF, in 2022 Pies v Freo got 90k at the MCG for a SF (I rate those two finals as being of similar importance).

If the AFL wanted to throw the AFLW a bone they could start by not putting the season on when it starts getting hot for ****s sake

 

[My Tilly]

JHF - Wines (close to his Brownlow form) - Butters - Rozee - Drew - Sweet (voted by many as BOG v Freo)
Bit casual with the "confident we have your midfield covered"? I will watch with interest.

View attachment 2095683

Again, I just don't rate you as highly as some. I think you are a mentally weak football club who have a tendency to shy away from these moments.
The stage is all set, the path to a grand final could not be easier but you wait and see what happens.

 

[cats_09]

It absolutely does. The AFL/AFLW are using this weekend of clean air to launch the new season. The following four weeks have no primetime games due to finals, and a stack of midweek games to follow. This is the best chance the AFLW has to bring in eyeballs for the season.

Yeah, nah

Until last year, the AFLW season operated completely independently of the AFL season

There has been a regular push though by those within the AFLW sector for the season to be played in the cooler months due to venue availability over summer, the hardness of the grounds and injuries etc

It's the AFL bosses themselves that continue to resist the push for the AFLW to be a true winter sport like we see with their male counterparts

We then need to consider that under the current AFLPA CBA (the joint one signed last year), that there an agreed games-trigger crowd target, that requires a minimum threshold to be reached to extend the season length

The current structure of the AFLW season where 4 weeks is the season clashes with AFL finals, and that they've opted to condense it this year & have to play a period of shortened breaks, actually works against the AFLW and hinders it's ability to reach that average crowd attendance trigger

Either give it completely free air like it used to have, or if moving it, then move it to being a truly winter sport


They could take a leaf out of the NRL/NRLWs book - the NRLW has 10 teams, their season is 9 rounds plus finals and their GF is the curtain raiser to the NRL GF. They start the NRLW season later so that both the mens & womens season will culminate on the same date

The AFL & AFLW could look at that, but doubt it's something they'd want with the double header GF

Instead, what could work well is scheduling the AFLW season so that their GF is playing during this pre-finals bye round

If the AFL really wanted to give the womens game a leg up - they've got plenty of better ways of doing so than how they currently fixture things

 

[supahoops]

I'd rather us try and win the first final. Not play 1 short.

Duncan isn’t winning us this game.

 

[JohnZ]

Yeah, nah

I agree with most of what you've said. I didn't say the AFL had done the right thing by the AFLW, but this is their attempt to appear to be doing something to push the women's game forward.

If the AFL wanted to throw the AFLW a bone they could start by not putting the season on when it starts getting hot for ****s sake

100% what they should do. But they won't, until the state league comps can stand on their own without needing AFLW players to play both comps. Also a lot of the women's teams won't have the same access to facilities during the men's season that they currently have due to not enough space for VFL, AFL and AFLW to all use the same gyms etc.

 

[ClintEastwood]

Again, I just don't rate you as highly as some. I think you are a mentally weak football club who have a tendency to shy away from these moments.
The stage is all set, the path to a grand final could not be easier but you wait and see what happens.

We certainly have been in past years. No denial about that at all. It's the reason most of us have been calling for Hinkleys scalp, which most of the Vic footy world calls us out for it.

But this year that seems different. We'll see - a lot has to go right to win a final, let alone a premiership. I hope you're wrong about the mentality side of things, but it's a valid question. Still think your statement about midfields is dead wrong though - as do most of your board, from what I've read.

 

[Lana]

Duncan isn’t winning us this game.

He is a part of a group that will