Preview R16: Changes vs. GWS Giants

[NSolis]

Unfortunately Burgess is statistically our second best ruckman in ruck contests this year

Hitout Win Rate
O'Brien - 51%
Burgess - 35%
Himmelberg - 30%
Gollant - 25%
Walker - 25%
Strachan - 23%
Borlase - 15%

Hitout To Advantage Win Rate (as % of ruck contests)
O'Brien - 15%
Burgess - 12%
Gollant - 8%
Himmelberg - 6%
Strachan - 4%
Walker - 4%
Borlase - 0%

Hitout to Advantage Rate (as % of hitouts)
Burgess - 35%
O'Brien - 30%
Gollant - 28%
Himmelberg - 20%
Strachan - 17%
Walker - 15%
Borlase - 0%

ROB's fitness means he is capable of competing for (more or less) a whole game well enough that his opponent isn't allowed to do whatever he wants. Nobody else on the list can bring that. It's not even really about hitouts, though obviously that's one indicator of being competitive.

ROB isn't going to give too much else but as we've seen the last two weeks that competitiveness is pretty important. Strachan's opponent has been among the best on ground both games.

 

[Dangerousfield]

Murphy must never play another game. We have wasted over a hundred development games on Murphy that should have gone to young players with actual talent.

Ditto McSpudry, do not dare bring him back, delist

I fear team selection this week, as I do most weeks!

 

[Mostyn]

ADELAIDE v GWS


OUT: Schoenberg - IN: Taylor

OUT: Berry - IN: Pedlar

OUT: Keane - IN: Himmelberg

OUT: Strachan - IN: ROB

OUT: Murphy - IN: Walker


FF: Himmelberg - Walker - Pedlar
HF: Cook - Fogarty - Rachele

C: Nankervis - Rankine - Sholl
1st R: ROB - Soligo - Dawson

HB: Laird - Murray - Michalanney
FB: Jones - Butts - Hamill

Int: Dowling - Taylor - Borlase - Hinge

EM: Keays

 

[glengowan]

You know that's not right if you watched the game, Sam Jacobs went in with a tandem ruck plan Jarrad Redden and Connor Ballenden to tag team ROB and it pretty much worked for him. Redden 25 HO's, 5 disposals, 1 clearance 2 tackles, Ballenden 19 HO's 20 disposals, 2 clearances,1 tackle...ROB 35 HO's, 21 disposals,5 clearances, 5 tackles. Both Redden and Ballenden have been on AFL lists and played AFL.

ROB may not be a great AFL ruck but he's Leagues above Strachan.

You forgot to mention 46 clearances to the Eagles and 26 to the Crows, and another loss.

Redden retired two years ago and has come back after an SOS call from Jacob’s due to Brinker-Ritchie being injured. He spends his week getting his new franchise lawn mowing business up and running. He's even played a game or two at the Southern Eagles this season. His nous and football skill leave O'Brien for dead.

Ballenden is a forward who chops out in Ruck. Granted, he is in the best form since he's been at the Eagles.

O’Brien’s efforts and willingness to try have been admirable, but we’ve been a poor side the entire time he has played as our ruckman. His around ground play over the past 12 months is pitiful - Strachan has showed him up in that department.

Even if he is a better ruckman than Strachan, he does nothing to make us a decent team. We've seen that over 5 or 6 seasons now. Strachan is also not the answer. All of this has been pretty obvious for 3 or 4 years and we haven't even drafted a ruckman in that time. If we can upgrade our draft hand in any way by getting rid of ROB at the end of the season, we should do so.

 

[MRB37]

My guess is it'll be

IN: Walker, ROB, McHenry (sub)
OUT: Keane, Strachan, Berry

Borlase swaps back to cover Keane.

 

[NSolis]

OUT: Schoenberg - IN: Taylor

OUT: Berry - IN: Pedlar

OUT: Keane - IN: Himmelberg

OUT: Strachan - IN: ROB

OUT: Murphy - IN: Walker

This is about right I think. Pedlar is going to need to play forward if he comes in though, similar to what he did last year, and Taylor will probably need a non-midfield role as well. We simply need more goalscoring options and Pedlar has shown he is a capable forward. And even if we omitted Laird there's only so many midfield roles to go around.

 

[ftmch]

Cook played exclusively as a forward. Fogarty (8 touches) and Rachele (10, including playing on from a kick in) barely got more of it than him. Are they the problem too or is 8 touches super duper more productive than 6? The problems are up the ground and in the coaches box.

Murphy spent plenty of time up the ground. Was absolutely pathetic.

Schoenberg - utterly putrid and honestly, that looked like a career ending, dialled in, monstrosity of a performance to me. Certainly won’t play again in 2024, lock that in.

Laird - after quarter time, was absolutely diabolical. How can someone so experienced make such consistently horrendous decisions? David King and Jason Dunstall are consistently laughing at us for persisting with this guy.

Jones - just lol at how mediocre he is with ball in hand, on the rare occasions that he even tries to get the ball. Blessed with elite speed and finds a way to almost never utilise it.

Keane - lol

Strachan - lol. His potential replacement O’Brien - lol. It’s like picking between genital herpes and gonorrhoea.

Berry - lol


All of those guys are far, FAR more of an issue than Cook.

I would be rotating Cook pretty heavily through a wing to utilise his ELITE footskills coming inside 50. 40-50% wing time, and 50-60% up forward for me. But we don’t do it, and instead persist with Chayce Jones and Lachie Sholl, who are undoubtedly the worst wing pairing in the entire league.

Sholl racks up useless touches and gets annihilated in one on ones week after week, and the statmeisters lap it up. Great goal tonight to be fair, but what the **** else did he do that led to anything positive? He is slower than O’Brien, can’t kick 50m, is the worst tackler I’ve ever seen play AFL football and isn’t even in the 10 players being discussed to be dropped. That’s where this terrible club has plummeted to.



The more I think about it, the more the changes have to be…

Out:
Strachan, Laird, Schoenberg, Berry, Murphy, Keane

In:
Himmelberg, Taylor, Curtin, Ryan, Walker, Pedlar

Sub:
Pedlar


B: Michalanney - Butts - Borlase
HB: Ryan - Murray - Hinge
C: Nankervis - Dowling - Curtin
HF: Rachele - Walker - Keays
F: Cook - Fogarty - Rankine
R: Himmelberg - Dawson - Soligo
Int: Jones - Taylor - Hamill - Sholl
S: Pedlar


Moves of note:
1) Give Himmelberg 2 full games in the ruck - honestly his backup ruck work this season has been surprisingly decent, and we now know that neither of O’Brien or Strachan are capable of being an acceptable lead ruck at AFL level from 2025 and beyond so let’s just see it. O’Brien once he has the ball in his hands is embarrassing beyond belief. Strachan at ruck contests is embarrassing beyond belief. I don’t actually think Himmelberg falls into either of those categories, but yeah, rucking for a full game may be beyond him. Also, get Moyle and give him the keys.

2) Make Nank and Curtin the starting wings. Try rotating either one of them forward to give Cook some wing time. Sholl can also spend a bit of time there, before ultimately being dropped forever once people realise he’s not it in a few more games time. Jones should never go near a wing again - I actually don’t hate him down back though so that’s where he can rot for now.

3) Borlase returns to defence. Keane needs to have a spell. Is mentally shot. Was horrid against Richmond and Hawthorn too, and not very good for the week or two before that either.

4) Ditching these fake leaders in Laird and Murphy is a must now. Neither offer anything whatsoever to the side. They are handbrakes to success, much like Smith and McHenry. Dump. Them. Now. Let’s see what we’ve got in Taylor and Ryan.

5) Taylor and Dowling must actually play in the midfield. Not some bullshit role they aren’t suited to.


Do all that and it at least makes it an interesting watch, geared towards the future of the club.

Stick with absolute hacks who have proven beyond all doubt that they aren’t capable and you get what you deserve both now and in the future.

Bloody good assessment tbh.

End thread

 

[hugecannon]

This is about right I think. Pedlar is going to need to play forward if he comes in though, similar to what he did last year, and Taylor will probably need a non-midfield role as well. We simply need more goalscoring options and Pedlar has shown he is a capable forward. And even if we omitted Laird there's only so many midfield roles to go around.

If we insist on the ‘Murphy role’ of a high HF who rolls up and clogs up the stoppages around the ground, then it should be played by Pedlar or Rachele as they can both be dangerous around the ball while maintaining a goal scoring threat.

Murphy does neither!

 

[Kane McGoodwin]

Changes I would go with...

Ins: Curtin, Walker, T Murray, Himmelberg, Ryan, Taylor
Outs: Keane, Jones, Murphy, Berry, Schoenberg, Strachan

B: Laird, Butts, Borlase
HB: Michaelanny, N Murray, Hinge
C: Curtin, Soligo, Nankervis
HF: Rachele, Walker, Keays
F: Cook, Fogarty, T Murray
R: Himmelberg, Dawson, Rankine
I: Ryan, Taylor, Sholl, Dowling
Sub: Hamill

Try a new ruck combo.
Taylor has done more than enough for a go.
Ryan see what he is like at this level.
Keane cannot be rewarded for meh.
Murphy enough is enough.

 

[aabp1978]

Anyone feel like we as posters should limit the changes to like 4 maximum….because there is no way in hell this coaching group drops more than that. They dont have it in them. To this end, Walker, Himmelberg, Taylor and ROB in. Murphy, Jones, Strachen and Schoenberg out. Will lose so who really cares anymore

 

[robboaustralia]

Suggest everyone do something similar. Let's bombard them.

 

[robboaustralia]

Nah I’ve seen enough of Keane. Drop. Trade. An absolute disgrace for a month now. How Nicks didn’t permanently send Butts or Murray to Amartey is anyone’s guess, but Keane’s pathetic efforts have cost us this game.

Keane has been bad since that Collingwood rumour?

 

[Bearded Clam]

What have we got to lose by playing Curtin, Taylor,Pedlar,dowling and even having a look at edwards and ryan for the remainder of the year. Surely it's better than wasting games on Murphy, mchenry,jones, Schoenberg, Berry, borlase etc. At least get something out of this season.

Have you not watched the last 4 seasons?.. everything is going to Nicksy’s plan..

The exact same plan he’s had for years now..

 

[LoBu]

Don't know why we traded burgess in. Backup I guess. Surely better out there if we bother looking.

We took him as part of the deal for the GC pick (14). Taking Burgess off their hands was the price we paid to deal with Gold Coast.

On SM-S928B using BigFooty.com mobile app

 

[Kane McGoodwin]

We took him as part of the deal for the GC pick (14). Taking Burgess off their hands was the price we paid to deal with Gold Coast.

On SM-S928B using BigFooty.com mobile app

Interesting salary dump...

 

[1970crow]

Maybe nicks is exposing list management as the useless pricks they are. Both rucks are crap.

Nix sits on the list management committee.

 

[twiggy4PM]

ROB should come back. Strachan spent the entire second half playing behind Grundy, it was embarassing to see.

Redden is a hard person to ruck against as he is strong and fat. Its like trying to ruck against Uluru. Redden just runs into the opposition ruckman or gets between him and the ball and prevents them getting the tap. He is too fat to run around and hard to jump over. Doesn't do anything else apart from snipe opposition on-ballers behind play but if you want a totally non-mobile ruckman he is the answer.

Murphy, Berry, Jones and Scoenburg should go.
Bring in Tex, Curtin, Ryan and Taylor.

 

[lincsPJ]

Back the boys in. We’re making progress.

 

[Eagleboy2011]

C7 news saying Smith should be ok for selection.

 

[bonehilda]

Back the boys in. We’re making progress.

 

[cleanhands]

That fly did more damage than fist thought………… it sucked any common sense out that may have been left

 

[Kane McGoodwin]

That fly did more damage than fist thought………… it sucked any common sense out that may have been left

Now we just need to swat Nix...

 

[FR0GGY]

Say NO to ROB
Thought he had to go back and get some form.

 

[Billy_01]

Let’s bring Pedlar back and play him on Sammy Taylor

 

[Danger in Texas]

Overall, I’d go

In: Taylor, Curtin, Walker, EH
Out: Keane, Schoenberg, Murphy, Berry
Sub: Hamill

Play whichever of ROB/Strachan, until season’s end I don’t care which it is

B: Michalanney, Butts, Borlase
HB: Hinge, Murray, Laird
C: Sholl, Dawson, Nankervis
HF: Keays, Fogarty, Rachele
F: Cook, Walker, EH
R: ROB/Strachan, Soligo, Rankine
I/C: Taylor, Curtin, Dowling, Jones
Sub: Hamill

Keane comes back in for Borlase in a couple of weeks once he gets a bit of form back