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

[Whiskers]

Don’t we as members normally have the enter the GF seating ballot the week of qualifying finals?
What’s the format this year?

 

[mcwilrob]

Courtesy of Journalist Shayne Hope ( who is a Geel supporter ) article with Brad Close quotes about 10 hours ago

I liked Close , his last quoted paragraph

" Weve had a bit of an up and down year , and theres probably still improvement to go, but weve had a couple of weeks to get it right , and be really prepared for Port Adelaide "

That just gives me a tinge of confidence .

Hope you're right but this kind of statement (or similar sentiment) has preceded just about every loss we've experienced be it H & A or finals I'm afraid. I don't put much faith in these kinds of statements as reflecting anything significant in real terms...

 

[you pick one]

Not sure I can fully agree here, but I know where you're coming from.

SDK hasn't been the same player since he got his face caved in. He just isn't the same. He doesn't affect games in the same way. His first season was absolutely stellar. I couldn't remember the last time a first-season player looked so good in the blue and white. Impacted contests, took contested marks in high-pressure situations, stayed cool under pressure, and sometimes even snuck forward to produce offense too.

Post face-injury, he is just 25% off his game. Doesn't pop up as often, doesn't go for those hail-Mary one-on-ones as much, doesn't put himself in harm's way as much. He's been a lot more likely to play 'nothing' games where he's just not really involved in a key way.

Blicavs, for all of his flaws, (in my opinion) is a safe bet. And because he's so positionally versatile, it just makes him a swisse army knife you can't leave the house without. If he's having a great game, you can slot him into the role where the team needs him most. And if he's a little off his tucker, you can put him somewhere out of harm's way where he wont be a liability.

You see the same thing in the workplace sometimes. You can be more valuable as a jack-of-all trades even if you're not an expert in anything. I have to believe the club has more knowledge than us, and this likely leverages their decisions.

I'm hoping Joel Selwood is in the rooms tonight and gets in SDK ear if he gets the call up I've always had a 4th sense that SKD would run through brick walls for Joel.

 

[fpm84]

Port successfully got under Stewart’s skin last time, it is no secret that he can become unfocused and undisciplined when frustrated.

Butters and JHF are exactly the same, if we niggle and harass them they will give away free kicks and complain to the umpires all night. Hope we give them both a really difficult few hours.

 

[Hinkley29]

I think we have an almighty chance, but have a nagging feeling that somehow the trio of ex cats will put in career best games and Charlie Dixon rolls back the clock. It’s just the way it happens for us sometimes

Dixon is completely cooked.

Visentini would have been a much tougher match up than Dixon. Thanks Kenny

 

[Commando]

Yeah nice try. We may not have beaten anyone else by over 100 this season, but to suggest they were all close games is not right. Here are some margins:

Sydney 112
Essendon 69
North 59
WC 50
Bulldogs 48
Richmond 41


On the other hand, of Sydney's mere 6 losses, none of the other margins even cracked the 40:

Port 112
WB 39
Richmond 5
Brisbane 2
St Kilda 2
Freo 1

Anomaly? Narrative.

Source: AFL Tables

Didn't Brisbane smash port and the fans booed the coach off AO?

 

[Jeff76]

Port successfully got under Stewart’s skin last time, it is no secret that he can become unfocused and undisciplined when frustrated.

Butters and JHF are exactly the same, if we niggle and harass them they will give away free kicks and complain to the umpires all night. Hope we give them both a really difficult few hours.

Especially Butters, he’ll spit the dummy real quick.


Sent from my iPhone using BigFooty.com

 

[Zuta]

Don’t we as members normally have the enter the GF seating ballot the week of qualifying finals?
What’s the format this year?

We enter the Ballot once we have qualified for a Preliminary final.

 

[CatToTheFuture]

And bews farwell game has turned into a 4 game farewell tour which includes a final.

Gonna be real awkward when his farewell tour ends in a contract extension

 

[Cataholic]

Yeah nice try. We may not have beaten anyone else by over 100 this season, but to suggest they were all close games is not right. Here are some margins:

Sydney 112
Essendon 69
North 59
WC 50
Bulldogs 48
Richmond 41


On the other hand, of Sydney's mere 6 losses, none of the other margins even cracked the 40:

Port 112
WB 39
Richmond 5
Brisbane 2
St Kilda 2
Freo 1

Anomaly? Narrative.

Source: AFL Tables

So your next biggest winning margin was 7 goals less than your win over Sydney, and Sydney's next biggest loss was 12 goals less ?

Clearly an anomaly for both teams .

 

[dangerwood]

Blind Freddy knows the worry for us is Ports midfield. The rest of their lineup is pretty ordinary isn't it?

 

[Cataholic]

Blind Freddy knows the worry for us is Ports midfield. The rest of their lineup is pretty ordinary isn't it?

We can be competitive with the rest of their lineup, but their midfield could easily smash us.

If it gets going the quality of their remainder is superfluous.

 

[moond0g]

Also not sure why our pulverizing of the Swans is "an anomaly", just because it suits your narrative. Noone else seems to have managed that anomaly.

Yeah nice try. We may not have beaten anyone else by over 100 this season, but to suggest they were all close games is not right. Here are some margins:

Sydney 112
Essendon 69
North 59
WC 50
Bulldogs 48
Richmond 41


On the other hand, of Sydney's mere 6 losses, none of the other margins even cracked the 40:

Port 112
WB 39
Richmond 5
Brisbane 2
St Kilda 2
Freo 1

Anomaly? Narrative.

Source: AFL Tables

You’re literally defining an anomaly..

 

[Strange Cat]

286cm?

Put him at FF for cryin' out loud!

Forward? We need a ruckman you monster

 

[Cataholic]

Forward? We need a ruckman you monster

I wanna do something different!

 

[Footy Smarts]

Stanley over SDK I get if SDK isn't quite right yet.

But the Bews selection is bizarre. He was miles back in the pecking order and unimpressive in the VFL. He was ok against North and awful against Adelaide. And suddenly he's being picked for a final?

Surely if he makes the final team he'll be sub but I'd have Rohan, Knevitt, Mullin, O'Connor, Parfitt, Clark and Clohesy all ahead of him for that role.

 

[Gunf]

Stanley over SDK I get if SDK isn't quite right yet.

But the Bews selection is bizarre. He was miles back in the pecking order and unimpressive in the VFL. He was ok against North and awful against Adelaide. And suddenly he's being picked for a final?

Surely if he makes the final team he'll be sub but I'd have Rohan, Knevitt, Mullin, O'Connor, Parfitt, Clark and Clohesy all ahead of him for that role.

Only 2 of the players you have listed have played in a role similar to Bews ever

Clark is a mid, Clohesy is a mid/fwd, Knevitt is a wing/mid, Rohan is a forward, Parfitt is a mid/fwd that leaves MOC just came back from injury and Mullin.

 

[Grimoz]

I feel like they are under all the pressure, we weren't expected to finish top 4 let alone top 8 whereas they were expected to be a real contender, lets kick the first 6 goals and put the pressure right on them

 

[CabWesty]

But Bews is not small, he is an overly bulked up medium sized player at 286cm and at least 90kg and is no longer quick off the mark. Maybe they think his size is needed for Rioli. And not picking SDK means Kolo and JHenry need to play on talls. Hang on, Rioli is only 175cm.

At 286cm he’s our ruck solution.

 

[Strange Cat]

Yeah nice try. We may not have beaten anyone else by over 100 this season, but to suggest they were all close games is not right. Here are some margins:

Sydney 112
Essendon 69
North 59
WC 50
Bulldogs 48
Richmond 41


On the other hand, of Sydney's mere 6 losses, none of the other margins even cracked the 40:

Port 112
WB 39
Richmond 5
Brisbane 2
St Kilda 2
Freo 1

Anomaly? Narrative.

Source: AFL Tables

Still haven’t reached the heights of 119 points …you’ll get there one day

 

[Cataholic]

Damned if I ain't nervous.

Where's the game day thread?!

I need rational people explaining to me how we win this.

 

[Footy Smarts]

Only 2 of the players you have listed have played in a role similar to Bews ever

Clark is a mid, Clohesy is a mid/fwd, Knevitt is a wing/mid, Rohan is a forward, Parfitt is a mid/fwd that leaves MOC just came back from injury and Mullin.

But that's sort of the point. We've barely used a shutdown small defender all year.

Now come finals we're either completely changing our structure for a guy who has struggled all year and was smashed last full game he played. Or we're playing a guy with no versatility as sub. Neither make sense.

 

[BIGANT]

Especially Butters, he’ll spit the dummy real quick.


Sent from my iPhone using BigFooty.com

Danger wasn't petulant at the same stage and age like Butters and H-f are. Yes, confident and the will too win but not sulky or bad tempered.

 

[BORIS332]

Port have had the same issue though and some of my Port mates are worried Neale is going to become the next Hawkins and kicks 5 and sets up 5, or Humphries does an Andrew McLeod and has 32 off half back, sets up 15 goals and has a ridiculous game.

I love that both sets of supporters worry someone is due a break out game.

I honestly think this game screams Cameron kicking 7. Ports defense is in trouble.

If Neale has BZT on him I can see him having a big influence on the game. Scratcher is a much better player than BZT. Just not sure he has the self-belief yet to take over a game.

 

[TheWoodenSlug]

But that's sort of the point. We've barely used a shutdown small defender all year.

Now come finals we're either completely changing our structure for a guy who has struggled all year and was smashed last full game he played. Or we're playing a guy with no versatility as sub. Neither make sense.

Can only assume they've got Bews there to put the clamps on Rioli. I posted earlier in the thread that a) I'm not sure Rioli is a big enough threat to justify selecting a player just to contain him; and b) if he is that big a threat, I'm not sure Bews in his current form is good enough to contain him anyway. But it's the only thing that makes sense to me. Bews as sub would be a baffling choice.

That said, Scott loves a finals late change so there's every chance Bews won't be playing at all. (I also can't shake the feeling that one of Stewart or Humphries will be a late out)