Preview R24 | Sydney vs Adelaide | SCG - Sat 24/8 @ 7:40PM AEST | We need to prove a point (unlike last year)

[The Mares Leg]

No game is meaningless.
Statistically. You win three on a row into finals in first place. You play a qf, a prelim and a gf.

Form is a constant.

You mean Form is always necessary? A Constant implies it’s always there.

 

[The Mares Leg]

And just on Adams - a question:

Why would a bloke spend 35% of his time on the bench if the coach planned to sub him?

Something is a bit odd.

Horse unhappy with effort?

 

[The Mares Leg]

Gee everybody, isn’t it nice to be here in mid August with one H&A game to go and us 99.99% sure to finish minor premiers.

Here we are playing finals again, and as good a chance as anyone to win the flag.

What an amazing club.

Thats the weird thing about footy - no matter how certain things are - that ‘sick’ feeling never leaves.

Players have it much easier than the fans….and who’d be a coach!

 

[The Mares Leg]

Maybe it is a good example. Maybe Will's knee is fd until surgery but he can't make it worse

My guess is bone bruising - anything structural he’d be out - pretty much impossible to play with torn/strained Medial, PCL, ACL or Meniscus. (Adam Goodes excepted).

 

[lazy77]

Yeah, that's why I have been saying that exact thing the last few weeks and in the preview again. This is the worst week to rest anyone. But we haven't done it yet, and I just don't see what playing an exhausted Grundy and hobbling Hayward is going to achieve.

Those are the only 2 I'm resting.

Adams I'm happy to just drop.

And with him and Grundy, I'd query exactly how they would have to be played back into form, what form?

I wouldn't mind dropping Adams. He's been largely useless in the second half of the season. Certainly not what we paid for. Grundy is kind of essential though. He has been on a decline recently, but I'd back him to turn it around when it matters. I guess you could rest him and play Ladhams, but to what purpose? It would just make us weaker. He'll get a good rest in the bye week anyway.

Hayward hobbles, but his output is pretty much the same as always. Not much point in giving him an extra week. It's not like it's restricting his game.

 

[ashep]

This game is kinda important for me because personally I am not convinced. I don't want to be going into finals unconvinced. So I'd like us to play something close to our best footy this week.

Play our best footy, field our best side, get our players in the best form possible.

I understand the urge to want to try Sheldrick over Adams, but I feel any of our mids could get 30+ regularly if played as the rover in our VFL side. If we are looking for someone to offer more in a ball use sense than Adams, then I'm not sure Sheldrick is that person.

Only player I'd be dropping Adams for would be one of the returning injured players.

This is kinda where I'm at though I probably take a slightly more optimistic view than you

But yeah, we've seen some improvement however we need a strong four quarter performance from as close to our best 22 as possible, injuries - and maaaaybe a rest for Brodie - notwithstanding.

The Crows are a decent side despite their ladder position (100% at 15th!) and will give us a good hitout. If we punish them from the opening bounce then maybe we're most of the way back.

 

[Bloods86]

I wouldn't mind dropping Adams. He's been largely useless in the second half of the season. Certainly not what we paid for. Grundy is kind of essential though. He has been on a decline recently, but I'd back him to turn it around when it matters. I guess you could rest him and play Ladhams, but to what purpose? It would just make us weaker. He'll get a good rest in the bye week anyway.

Hayward hobbles, but his output is pretty much the same as always. Not much point in giving him an extra week. It's not like it's restricting his game.

I'm not sure resting Grundy makes us weaker, given his form.

 

[ShireSwan]

I see no point in playing Gus.
Way way too underdone.

It would be a token debut for the season.

Warner for Adams.
Corey as sub .

How is he underdone?
He's been playing in the middle in the twos for 5 weeks and lead the team in clearances just about every game.
Meanwhile Adams is totally cooked and mostly ineffective. Playing Sheldrick gives us a potential alternative, or at worst gives Adams the time his legs need to revive and be effective again.

 

[ShireSwan]

Why does everyone think resting a player is the answer to everything

Because evidence based decision making is a thing?
Clearly if you don't run a marathon on Saturday you're going to be feeling stronger, springier in the legs on Monday than someone who did.

Absolute lunacy on this board (and from Horse) to believe we can just keep trotting these guys out every week and it's not going to affect how they play ongoing. I know we increasingly live in a post-truth world where evidence and reality are often ignored (covid, climate, what is a woman etc etc ), but FM it's frustrating.

 

[Nuggetz]

Grundy had 64% game time. Either he was off injured or coaches were trying to rest him a bit more.

 

[giantsully]

Out: Grundy, Adams, Haywood, Heeney, Blakey, Amartey - all rested
In: Ladhams, Sheldrick, Chad Warner, Corey Warner , Fox , Hamling

Emergency : Heeney or whoever is next in line


Because a finals return to early season form of Grundy, Adams, Blakey and even Amartey chipping in = Premiership
And that's not going to happen unless their bodies are rested.

And there's no point in risking Heeney in the game if we don't have to.

About right, though I'd keep Adams in to fight for his spot and not bring back Chad unless absolutely 110% certain he was fit. All the other "manageds" seem right to me.

 

[giantsully]

wouldn't suprise me if Adams ends up sub for all the finals, GF included

I hear you but IIRC his form as a sub is pretty awful.

 

[Jewelsbon]

I hear you but IIRC his form as a sub is pretty awful.

I was overseas for the games he subbed so I'm not 100% but my memory was the other way, I thought he was great as a sub, though his versatility could be an issue in finals.

 

[Donza]

How is he underdone?
He's been playing in the middle in the twos for 5 weeks and lead the team in clearances just about every game.
Meanwhile Adams is totally cooked and mostly ineffective. Playing Sheldrick gives us a potential alternative, or at worst gives Adams the time his legs need to revive and be effective again.

He's underdone as he hasn't played a single game at AFL level this season.
Regardless of his form in the 2's.
He's played what 9 or 10 games at AFL level period?

You want your consistent core of players going into finals. IMO.

I think Adams may be dropped or sub anyways this weekend. Not for Gus though.

 

[Donza]

Grundy had 64% game time. Either he was off injured or coaches were trying to rest him a bit more.

Yeah I noticed that.
Dos and Joel were in the ruck a wee bit.

 

[ShireSwan]

He's underdone as he hasn't played a single game at AFL level this season.
Regardless of his form in the 2's.
He's played what 9 or 10 games at AFL level period?

You want your consistent core of players going into finals. IMO.

I think Adams may be dropped or sub anyways this weekend. Not for Gus though.

You will likely be right, Horse is as stubborn as a mule when it comes to playing young ball extracting mids.

 

[LukeParkerno1]

First week in a month where someone hasn't wanted Florent out lol

That's a positive.

Can see an in game rest for our key players, Heeney may 'rest' forward.

 

[zyzzbruh]

He's underdone as he hasn't played a single game at AFL level this season.
Regardless of his form in the 2's.
He's played what 9 or 10 games at AFL level period?

You want your consistent core of players going into finals. IMO.

I think Adams may be dropped or sub anyways this weekend. Not for Gus though.

I don't think Adams gets dropped. The biggest hole in our side is contested ball, and he's that supplement to a team which tries to win in other ways. We need his 15 possies to cover our deficiencies and help get our assets firing. The only reason for dropping him would be if we increase Parker's midfield time, which imo should not be a consideration. He has proven to be better pinch hitting rather than in there full time.

 

[Bloods86]

First week in a month where someone hasn't wanted Florent out lol

That's a positive.

Can see an in game rest for our key players, Heeney may 'rest' forward.

Maybe because he had his first decent game in a month. And it was even better than decent.

 

[LukeParkerno1]

Maybe because he had his first decent game in a month. And it was even better than decent.

Almost like you back your top 10 players to come good, but maybe that's just me. Somehow I think the club thinks like I do and not wanting to drop blokes every 2 weeks

 

[Bloods86]

Almost like you back your top 10 players to come good, but maybe that's just me. Somehow I think the club thinks like I do and not wanting to drop blokes every 2 weeks

It wasn't 2 weeks of poor form.

But sure, exaggerate about other posters.

 

[LukeParkerno1]

It wasn't 2 weeks of poor form.

But sure, exaggerate about other posters.

Patience is the key especially when a side is way in front, changes for the sake of changes is the worst idea in the book. I see Adams is the next one on people's drop books lol, won't happen either

 

[Bloods86]

Patience is the key especially when a side is way in front, changes for the sake of changes is the worst idea in the book. I see Adams is the next one on people's drop books lol, won't happen either

Adams has had a couple of good games in recent months. It has not just been a recent thing, nor was it for Florent.

Yes, many if us are aware that what we suggest and argue for, is not what Horse and other coaches will do, or are likely to do.

Or, maybe that patience, if continued for too long, can breed complacency.

 

[lazy77]

Adams has offered very little for a long time so I wouldn’t be opposed to him being dropped, but I agree that calling for everyone to be rested/dropped as soon as they have an indifferent game or two is completely ridiculous and has reached surreal levels on this board. If some of you had your way, we’d be playing our entire VFL team and getting smashed every week to “send a message” to our senior players. It’s pretty stupid tbh.

 

[LukeParkerno1]

Adams has had a couple of good games in recent months. It has not just been a recent thing, nor was it for Florent.

Yes, many if us are aware that what we suggest and argue for, is not what Horse and other coaches will do, or are likely to do.

Or, maybe that patience, if continued for too long, can breed complacency.

My point all along has been take the emotion out, look at where we were (13-3). The players that got is there should be given time. Be different if we were 8-8 or whatever at that time, then try things and what not. We also are not dropping clear top 10 players period.