Preview Rd 8 Geelong v Melbourne Sat May 4th 730pm @ MCG

[Kobe Gryant]

Expecting: IN Stewart, OUT Dangefield.

Guth moves into the middle to replace Danger, Stewart comes back to replace Guth.

Would love to see Neale and/or Rohan this week though.

We can really stretch their defence, and those two won't leave anything to be desired in terms of pressure either.

May is a gun, but Lever is hopeless when forced to defend 1v1. Let Henry take him, May will take Hawk, Jezza does as he likes, and one of Rohan or Neale gets off the chain.

In terms of outs in that scenario, I'd be up there as the biggest Ollie Dempsey fan here, but wouldn't be against him having a rest.

Will come straight back in if he does, (as he should), but he's never played 2 months of footy at this level before.

Would hardly be surprising if he needs a week off, and we get more of those first quarter performances over the course of a full game as a result.

 

[CatToTheFuture]

They might give Stewart another week to make certain he has recovered. In that case Guthrie will have another one in the backline

Tbh there's not much to defend against in the Melbourne backline. May as well have another week off to freshen up the Kardinia Park Gandalf

 

[CatToTheFuture]

It cannot get worse than getting your arse comprehensively and completely handed to you by Pittonet.

Conway.

Conway will have his arse handed to him by Gawn just the same as Stanley. As least Stanley can run him up and down the ground.

 

[Kobe Gryant]

Conway will have his arse handed to him by Gawn just the same as Stanley. As least Stanley can run him up and down the ground.

On the other hand, Toby can beat Soldo and/or Sweet next week in front of the home crowd.

Makes more sense to save him for those opportunities for now, let him take on the superstars next year.

 

[iameviljez]

Conway will have his arse handed to him by Gawn just the same as Stanley. As least Stanley can run him up and down the ground.

At least Conway might not be completely ineffectual beyond the ruck contest, unlike Stanley in all games this year bar one.

 

[lettheboysplay]

On the other hand, Toby can beat Soldo and/or Sweet next week in front of the home crowd.

Makes more sense to save him for those opportunities for now, let him take on the superstars next year.

I think Soldo is out for a month - Sweet was pretty good on the weekend so would be a good battle.

I'm personally all for Conway this week against the very best, but I understand if the club has reservations. Stanley was very inconsistent over the weekend.

 

[MacStradbroke]

So I have been thinking about the “squad” rotation being discussed regularly.

Coming with BF family calls for a lot of players to get a game “Knocking down the door”. “See how they go at the level”. “Deserving”…. Collating that list… of those who were not in the 23 (24 including Stewart) saturday

Hardie, Knevitt, Mannagh, Neale, Conway, Clark., Mullin and then the coach says Bew “will play this year” and we have Lawson and COS who we would all want to find a game for not to mention one of my VFL favs in Ted… to stop his brother getting all the glory!

That is 11 players who the BF family would want to get a game and half of them would want multiple games.

Now let’s assume we always have 1 injury to that “best 24” (swapping Stewart for Danger this week)… I can’t see us resting more than 2 players each week ever. In fact going back over history I reckon it is closer to 1 player a week average

So just to back my view up my view looking back to 2022 after the bye. Our “poster child” for managing the squad. In 10 round we had 26 changes of which 8 were omissions (eg narkle, Stephens, Neale, Ceglar, Higgins, Dal etc. all genuine omissions who played VFL next week). We have 6 managed in 4 of those 10 games. In fact 5 of those game in the last 3 rounds (after we had won 7 straight!) leading into finals. We also had 1 suspension and a few of the injuries were “soft” to key players (illness, niggles) so I think we get to the average of 1 per round with max of 2 in any round…

And it was largely the same in and outs (squad of 26 not 30 players!). The “equivalent” 27-30 players then of Dempsey/Knevitt etc did not get a look in. Stephens and Frank got a couple of looks between them. But it was best 22 with the emergencies (Higgins, Dal, Narkle) getting rotated in along with Ceglar as a chop out for Stanley.

So in my mind the notion that managing the sqaud somehow gets players in that 28-35 on the list games doesn’t stack up to history - without injuries. You can manage (by definition) 2 a week (which they won’t do every week) and have 1 injury and use 26 players. On top of that some have specific roles (ie. Conway for Stanley and Neale for KPF) to rotate in and out.

What I am saying I suppose is that without injuries I just don’t see a lot of players on our wish list getting a look. The management squad for my mind will come from the 24 (including Stewart) and 3 emergencies (Neale, Clark, Conway). Remembering also that we can use the sub as a “management” tool. If they go outside of that 26/27 players then they will be managing too much in terms of not having continuity of the team?

Anyway just a thought bubble

Agree and love this research. In short for me, Conway, Clark, Neale and O’Sullivan are the future, if we can keep winning and getting more games into these four, then I’m not sure clubland gets any better from a management point of view.

 

[moond0g]

TBH given Blicavs hasn't been at his usual level this year, and our midfield all of a sudden looks quite deep, I wouldn't be opposed to playing his as no.1 ruck this week against Gawn given how bad Stanley was against Carlton and my concern that Conway doesn't have to fitness to go with Gawn for a whole game.

I doubt it happens though, and can easily convince myself it's a horrible idea, so I'll see myself out.

 

[Farmer2Goggin]

Looking forward to another Scott Coaching Masterclass - wonder what tricks the old fox has up his sleeve this week?

 

[Vdubs]

Out: Parfitt.

Some of his tackle efforts were lame.

very harsh assessment after his other 5 games.

 

[CatToTheFuture]

At least Conway might not be completely ineffectual beyond the ruck contest, unlike Stanley in all games this year bar one.

Look, respect it's a difference of opinion, but I don't think Conway adds enough to cover his inability to run out a game against a good team. The Stanley-Blitz combo has worked against Gawn before so it's at least a chance. I think you can bank Conway getting torched though, given he trying to play Gawn at his own game.

 

[Interdimensional Bigfoot]

8-0

 

[Lana]

I want Rohan in this week but I don't know who would be taken out

 

[moond0g]

I want Rohan in this week but I don't know who would be taken out

Dempsey having a rest seems the easiest way of achieving this.

 

[STPer18]

History is on our side? Phenomenal stat really.

 

[calder_daddy]

He also doesn't win enough of the ball for mine. I'd be replacing him with Hardie.

I have no idea why there’s so much love for Hardie.
Yes he’s getting a lot of the footy but I’d prefer VFL Parfitt over VFL Hardie

 

[Art Vandelay_]

History is on our side? Phenomenal stat really.

Our wins (38) is as much as the Pies total matches and more than everyone else.

 

[Vdubs]

I have no idea why there’s so much love for Hardie.
Yes he’s getting a lot of the footy but I’d prefer VFL Parfitt over VFL Hardie

And as importantly, so does our coach and MC.

 

[CHAWKTS]

Dempsey having a rest seems the easiest way of achieving this.

He will definitely get one over next few weeks. I hope when it happens it is a full rest and not sub. Others (Parf, Bowes, Bruhn) might get a rest via sub or maybe full game.

Anyone’s guess whether they do it this week. Might depend on whether Stewart is back…which is 50/50 at best

 

[Vdubs]

He will definitely get one over next few weeks. I hope when it happens it is a full rest and not sub. Others (Parf, Bowes, Bruhn) might get a rest via sub or maybe full game.

Anyone’s guess whether they do it this week. Might depend on whether Stewart is back…which is 50/50 at best

Stewart should be ready- why 50%?

 

[DanA]

I want Rohan in this week but I don't know who would be taken out

Dangerfield if Stewart doesn’t return. Dempsey or O’Connor if Stewart does.

 

[Vdubs]

Tbh there's not much to defend against in the Melbourne backline. May as well have another week off to freshen up the Kardinia Park Gandalf

Hoping MC does not have that attitude.
Without Danger, our MF is under more pressure, as is our defence.
If Stewart is ready, he must play.
We need CGuth in MF.
Demons are top 4 and with Kosi and Fritsch together, they are dangerous. Windsor is brilliant, Van Rooyen is promising, Spargo and Sparrow can be nuisance value.

 

[wcadams88]

Wen Mitch Hardie?

 

[CHAWKTS]

Stewart should be ready- why 50%?

I don’t know anything….but just of the view that clubs are increasingly conservative with head knocks. 12 days is a minimum but a lot of clubs are working toward giving more time off then less.

Now that is case by case so if his was “minor” (which I heard it was) then he will be back.

 

[CatToTheFuture]

Hoping MC does not have that attitude.
Without Danger, our MF is under more pressure, as is our defence.
If Stewart is ready, he must play.
We need CGuth in MF.
Demons are top 4 and with Kosi and Fritsch together, they are dangerous. Windsor is brilliant, Van Rooyen is promising, Spargo and Sparrow can be nuisance value.

Tbh if the mc had me on it making decisions we probably wouldn't be winning many games