Round 1 teams - Freo vs Port [MEGATHREADS SUCK]

[greatgatsby]

And if we don't lose, we've taken an important step towards a good season and a crack at a premiership. Don't get me wrong, I want Pearce, Taberner, Weller and Blakely to play plenty of footy this year, but I also understand Ross has an obligation every week to put a side out on the park he thinks has the best chance of winning.

 

[clogged]

And if we don't lose, we've taken an important step towards a good season and a crack at a premiership.

Nope.

 

[apuchar]

Perish the thought, that we should win on the weekend!

Hawthorn win very comfortably most weeks and go into the finals very fresh. We go it buggared because we have to constantly make up for the errors of some of our players or keep having to win the ball back, keep putting on more and more forward pressure to win the ball back after missing shots at goal etc etc. The best players with the greatest upside should play. so the pressure is taken off the rest of the team.

 

[Clems Knee]

To some degree I agree with you. The problem ( if you can call it a problem ) is that Lyon gets his team to play to their potential. Some would say above.
So our team is competing with teams composed of better players. And beats them, more often than not.

I'm not complaining.

The young blokes with the football talent such as Weller and Blakely will come into the team. When they are ready. Of course the club has tried to recruit talented mature age players. But that has had mixed (euphemism) success.

 

[greatgatsby]

Nope.

Disappointing (as an argument).

 

[PurpleWizard]

RTB has shown a huge amount of faith in Sheridan. I'm looking forward to see how he responds this year. Honestly I haven't seen much but I'm ready to be proven wrong.

Carn T-train

 

[clogged]

Other teams don't stand still. Ross Lyon is picking a team which has the same players and roles as the past three years. There are only five changes since the semi final in 2012. Hawthorn had five changes between the 2013 and 2014 grand final winning teams. Ross Lyon prefers as few changes as possible. This is essentially what the team is going to look like for the entire year, unless the season goes sour.

He will get the required wins against most clubs to be competitive, but the better teams in the comp will pick his game plan apart. Especially at the back end of the year when the old blokes are struggling (as they have the past few seasons).

I think this team will beat Port, but so what? This round 1 team says nothing's really been developed in the pre season. Geelong have added Cockatoo, Sydney have added Heeney, Hawthorn have added Hartung and Anderson. Freo don't have a single player drafted from 2012 onwards in this lineup.

 

[Sweetback]

I have to say that my initial reaction was also to pull my shirt over my head and shit myself but I'm gonna suck it all back up and sit on it until halftime. One thing about fielding close to the side that lost to Port in what ended up being an embarrassing straight sets exit from the finals is that each one of those guys will have a point to prove.

 

[Clems Knee]

Other teams don't stand still. Ross Lyon is picking a team which had the same players and roles as the past three years. There are only five changes since the semi final in 2012. Hawthorn had five changes between the 2013 and 2014 grand final winning teams. Ross Lyon prefers as few changes as possible. This is essentially what the team is going to look like for the entire year, unless the season goes sour.

He will get the required wins against most clubs to be competitive, but the better teams in the comp will pick his game plan apart. Especially at the back end of the year when the old blokes are struggling (as they have the past few seasons).

I think this team will beat Port, but so what? This round 1 team says nothing's really been developed in the pre season. Geelong have added Cockatoo, Sydney have added Heeney, Hawthorn have added Hartung and Anderson. Freo don't have a single player drafted from 2012 onwards in this lineup.

Do you reckon? Maybe for the very good players. But injuries and form will mean that Lyon will introduce Mzungu, Crozier, Blakely, Weller, Taberner, Dawson And a few others over the course of the year.
I do agree that if we keep winning, Lyon will be loath to drop players, but he has showed in the past that a player in form can force his way back into the team. A small difference this year is that most of the excluded players had very good preseasons, then suffered minor niggles towards the end.

 

[Square Peg]

Lack of outside run is a worry with Mzungu and Croz out, but the team still makes sense if Sheridan plays and Suban or MDB is sub. Was always going to be a tight game, last thing we need against Port is a shootout

 

[clogged]

Do you reckon? Maybe for the very good players. But injuries and form will mean that Lyon will introduce Mzungu, Crozier, Blakely, Weller, Taberner, Dawson And a few others over the course of the year.
I do agree that if we keep winning, Lyon will be loath to drop players, but he has showed in the past that a player in form can force his way back into the team. A small difference this year is that most of the excluded players had very good preseasons, then suffered minor niggles towards the end.

Freo sat 4-4 at the start of last year and not a single player was dropped for bad form in that period. Injuries and suspension dictate who remains in Lyon's team more than form. The side has been incredibly stable for the best part of three years. Lyon rates stability and experience over experimentation.

Some of the selections in this team are players which had preseason niggles, which shows Lyon will defer to experience. Have Danyle Pearce or De Boer had good enough preseasons to suggest they've gone beyond their 'liability' status from last year? Not from where I'm sitting.

 

[Clems Knee]

Freo sat 4-4 at the start of last year and not a single player was dropped for bad form in that period. Injuries and suspension dictate who remains in Lyon's team more than form. The side has been incredibly stable for the best part of three years. Lyon rates stability and experience over experimentation.

Some of the selections in this team are players which had preseason niggles, which shows Lyon will defer to experience. Have Danyle Pearce or De Boer had good enough preseasons to suggest they've gone beyond their 'liability' status from last year? Not from where I'm sitting.

The preseason niggles players were Ballantyne, Pearce, Suban and Duffield. Lyon has kept out Mzungu, Taberner and Crozier, (recovering) and rewarded Sheridan, Clancee and de Boer (track form at least) for good preseasons.

Obviously I don't agree with you regarding your opinion of Danyle Pearce. I don't think he is a liability. I also think this year, with the late niggles but full preseasons, Lyon is more likely to chop and change his starting lineup. Crowley might even come into play towards the end.

 

[JamFrank]

Conservative choice for sub will be Sheridan.

 

[Steinfreo]

wow this thread got intense.

Lyon believes we are still a premiership chance. Like he said if we are 3-8 you'll start seeing the kids and people like Macpharlin getting the tap on the shoulder. If mid season stuff is looking bad the guys we all know are the baggage of the team will be getting scrutinized for sure, and the clean out will be on. At this very stage the team that can POTENTIALLY get us to the flag THIS year has been selected and I think it is a sound decision. Though Blakey/Weller etc looked good this preseason they didnt look like players that were going to have Barlow, Palmer, Hill or Mora type first seasons in my opinion.

 

[clogged]

The preseason niggles players were Ballantyne, Pearce, Suban and Duffield. Lyon has kept out Mzungu, Taberner and Crozier, (recovering) and rewarded Sheridan, Clancee and de Boer (track form at least) for good preseasons.

Obviously I don't agree with you regarding your opinion of Danyle Pearce. I don't think he is a liability. I also think this year, with the late niggles but full preseasons, Lyon is more likely to chop and change his starting lineup. Crowley might even come into play towards the end.

What makes you think that?

 

[Latro]

The main problem for me is not the older players but the middle aged players like Suban, De Boer or Clancee who have showed they need are not good enough and need to be improved.

Look at Hawthorn they have younger players brought in all the time to not replace the senior players but the back end of the team who are not good enough. Lyon does not do this.

 

[Rob]

Not sure why we're bagging out the forward line though. Pav, Ballantyne, Walters and what seems to be an improved Mayne on last year is pretty formidable. Just lacking that extra tall. Pray for Clarke of early last year.

 

[clogged]

The main problem for me is not the older players but the middle aged players like Suban, De Boer or Clancee who have showed they need are not good enough and need to be improved.

Look at Hawthorn they have younger players brought in all the time to not replace the senior players but the back end of the team who are not good enough. Lyon does not do this.

This. Some of the players in this side are known quantities and haven't really gotten any better since 2010.

 

[Lach72]

Crozier is not the one I'd like to see. If we're playing Clancee as the tagger, then Blakely plays at the expense of De Boer. Kid is all class.

If Crozier comes in for Pearce I wouldn't be unhappy.

 

[Lach72]

This. Some of the players in this side are known quantities and haven't really gotten any better since 2010.

If Alex Pearce hadn't got injured I actually would like to see him...perhaps in Duffield's place.

Taberner will come in.

Apeness hasn't got near the ball all pre-season.
Weller I'd like to see some time this year.

 

[JamFrank]

This. Some of the players in this side are known quantities and haven't really gotten any better since 2010.

I'd say consistency is the problem for these guys. MDB, Pearce, Suban and clancee are the perennially criticised players on our list, but at their best, they are best 22. They're just never at their best consistently enough.

I remember games where MDB was thrown in the middle as an inside ball winner and he chopped. Supposedly he's fitter this year, and if he's being given crowley's role, I can see him being good value at stoppages. Clancee's 2013 season was exceptional - undoubtedly best 22. He's struggled with injury since then, but by the sounds of things he should be back to 100% fitness.

Danyle can give me the shits, no doubt, but he's also proved himself a match winner such as in rd. 1 last year, the 2nd derby and against Essendon he played exceptionally well. Let's not forget his most important role in the team is as a foil for hill.

Finally Suban, who we've all been waiting to "break out". It's true he does some nice things, but then disappears for half a game. Whether this is a fitness issue (which I doubt considering he's up there with some of our best runners, I think) or something else, I don't know.

The point is these four players just need more consistency. The only way they'll get it is playing more afl games. Danyle may be the one exception here, in that he's played the most consecutive games of anybody and I haven't seen too much improvement. I still think he's likely to have a bigger impact on a game than crozier or Sheridan, who are still not there yet.

Better the devil you know.

 

[Grandstan]

The main problem for me is not the older players but the middle aged players like Suban, De Boer or Clancee who have showed they need are not good enough and need to be improved.

Look at Hawthorn they have younger players brought in all the time to not replace the senior players but the back end of the team who are not good enough. Lyon does not do this.

Middle aged? 24, 25, 24. These are the guys who we've been building up for 5 years and we dump them just as they hit peak form in our premiership window? They have to prove they should keep their spot but deserve the chance to do so.

 

[clogged]

I'd say consistency is the problem for these guys. MDB, Pearce, Suban and clancee are the perennially criticised players on our list, but at their best, they are best 22. They're just never at their best consistently enough.

I remember games where MDB was thrown in the middle as an inside ball winner and he chopped. Supposedly he's fitter this year, and if he's being given crowley's role, I can see him being good value at stoppages. Clancee's 2013 season was exceptional - undoubtedly best 22. He's struggled with injury since then, but by the sounds of things he should be back to 100% fitness.

Danyle can give me the shits, no doubt, but he's also proved himself a match winner such as in rd. 1 last year, the 2nd derby and against Essendon he played exceptionally well. Let's not forget his most important role in the team is as a foil for hill.

Finally Suban, who we've all been waiting to "break out". It's true he does some nice things, but then disappears for half a game. Whether this is a fitness issue (which I doubt considering he's up there with some of our best runners, I think) or something else, I don't know.

The point is these four players just need more consistency. The only way they'll get it is playing more afl games. Danyle may be the one exception here, in that he's played the most consecutive games of anybody and I haven't seen too much improvement. I still think he's likely to have a bigger impact on a game than crozier or Sheridan, who are still not there yet.

Better the devil you know.

I don't see players in their seventh season suddenly developing consistency. They're inconsistent because they're not that good.

 

[TheInjuryFactory]

Where were all you sensible people in the other thread about Blakely and Weller?! Could have used the support!

 

[Clems Knee]

What makes you think that?

I think that normally for Lyon, the preseason is the determiner for the rest of the season. As he would say the best 22 pick themselves. As you say, any changes in the season tend to be forced due to injury.

This year, the best 22 were in the process of picking themselves, and then the minor injuries came along. So Crozier, Taberner, Mzungu, Dawson, Silvagni and even Crowley may come back into Lyon's preferred team.