Prediction Round 15, 2024: Changes vs Essendon

[oak79]

What was the throw away, the Waterman Allen scenario was the most discussed aspect of the presser with multiple questions asked and answered. Simmo batted away any attempt to clarify how the forward set up will actually work but on Waterman he did say all of: darling deserves some of the credit there, prior to 2024 Jake wasn't considered a tall forward, kicking goals isn't the focus, he does his best work off the ball. He also said multiple times expect things in effect to get worse before they get better now Oscar is back.

Duffield asked him directly:

"Do you leave Jake where he is because he's playing pretty well and fit Oscar around him... at which point Simmo starts grinning like a Cheshire Cat.. or do you put Oscar where you think he ends up and Jakes role has to change?"

It's a worthy question and an easy question to answer if you actually rate Jake and plan to

Why do people expect Simmo to tell Essendon via the Media how they will be lining up, and what the plan is?

 

[Byron_Clanger]

Thank God we're not in the business of winning games at the moment because I can't fathom why we keep going with a tall ass forward line

 

[Ghossein]

How in the **** is that cherry picking? Its utter and indefensible trash is what it is. Go watch it and take a look at his body language while he during that exchange, he literally begins to squirm in his seat. His body is actually trying to get up and leave the room and he's physically having to fight it to remain there lol.

 

[Hoskin300]

View attachment 2025695

Surprised to see Culley omitted instead of Hutch, expecting a sub designation there, but apart from that good changss

Hope Brockman in facilitates some more Ryan (or Brockman) in the middle for bursts.

Culley was absolutely woeful last game so it’s not a surprise. I would have given him another week over hutch but hutch showed more.

 

[Mature Age Rookie]

Very interesting selections. It gives off a vibe, they intend to manage Allen's minutes? (Cant wait for the melts if this happens), hence the need for an extra tall up front, and then we need to play everyone with a bit of speed, cause we're going to be chasing them a lot when it shoots out of our forward line because of this, and the limited bench space rotating these talls..
With Reid and Kelly both prob back next week, one of those tall fwds has to be out, though Hutch may already be pencilled out for next week, and you'd think the likes of Jones, Brockman, Maric and maybe Petch need to not shite the bed, as Culley, Hall, Johnston and Burgiel are hopefully knocking on the door too.
Good problems to have for the MC and will give us a good idea of what their priorities are going forward.
Is Darling now in the same 'young over old' boat with the MC as Gaff is, now Allen is back and Waterman is in beast mode, and we're trying to develop the Williams twins as the 3rd Tall (not the 4th Tall)? We'll see..

 

[wirra44]

Culley was absolutely woeful last game so it’s not a surprise. I would have given him another week over hutch but hutch showed more.

Absolutely woeful?? How was he woeful?? I actually thought he did a few nice things with limited midfield time , he was a bit quiet in the 2nd half but that’s understandable after not playing afl for a year and coming back from an acl. He was definitely dropped for team balance rather then being “absolutely woeful”.

 

[Bender_]

The results from the past few weeks and this team selection is pushing me to checking out levels.

Of course I won't coz I've uncovered the masochist in myself over the last few years and will tune in to see us lose.

 

[Keys]

Hutchinson is 190cm

He’s not a tall forward

Is also shorter and faster than Culley so it’s odd to complain about us being too tall or slow because he’s sub instead of Culley

Pretty clear we’ve prioritised pace with the selections -
Rotham over Edwards
Hunt over Gaff
Brockman over Sheed
Maric over Culley

We’ve gone in with a somewhat makeshift and inexperienced midfield but that’s largely due to circumstance. Kelly and Reid unavailable. Sheed injured but most wanted him dropped anyway. Gaff too slow and there’d be harsher criticism if he was retained

Could have brought Hall in for his first game but he’s still playing with a wrist brace and it’s hard to see him having more impact than any of those selected. He’ll get his chance in due course

Trew unlucky again I guess but as with Hall it’s hard to say with any certainty he’d have more impact than those selected

Culley likewise and maybe he could’ve been retained ahead of Jones or Brockman but that costs us leg speed. Personally, I like Culley so I’m sad to see him miss out after fighting so hard to get his spot but I can understand why he’s missed out

Our forward line of Allen, Darling, Waterman and Maric is no taller than Essendon’s of Wright, Jones, Langford and Stringer. Williams and Draper also cancel each other out for height

We’re actually trying something different, albeit partially forced, but still people are pissing and moaning about it

I don’t mind the changes at all and those playing midfield do so in the knowledge that we get Reid and (hopefully) Kelly back so the worst two will be getting replaced

 

[mattyc75]

Culley heading for the delist pile. Our midfield depth really isn't tracking in the right direction

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[Schtinker]

Great to see Hutch given another opportunity. Like his defensive game up forward and the fact that he keeps his feet in the contest. Won't be long until we see him kicking bags.

 

[sharps24]

Hutchinson is 190cm

He’s not a tall forward

Is also shorter and faster than Culley so it’s odd to complain about us being too tall or slow because he’s sub instead of Culley

Pretty clear we’ve prioritised pace with the selections -
Rotham over Edwards
Hunt over Gaff
Brockman over Sheed
Maric over Culley

We’ve gone in with a somewhat makeshift and inexperienced midfield but that’s largely due to circumstance. Kelly and Reid unavailable. Sheed injured but most wanted him dropped anyway. Gaff too slow and there’d be harsher criticism if he was retained

Could have brought Hall in for his first game but he’s still playing with a wrist brace and it’s hard to see him having more impact than any of those selected. He’ll get his chance in due course

Trew unlucky again I guess but as with Hall it’s hard to say with any certainty he’d have more impact than those selected

Culley likewise and maybe he could’ve been retained ahead of Jones or Brockman but that costs us leg speed. Personally, I like Culley so I’m sad to see him miss out after fighting so hard to get his spot but I can understand why he’s missed out

Our forward line of Allen, Darling, Waterman and Maric is no taller than Essendon’s of Wright, Jones, Langford and Stringer. Williams and Draper also cancel each other out for height

We’re actually trying something different, albeit partially forced, but still people are pissing and moaning about it

I don’t mind the changes at all and those playing midfield do so in the knowledge that we get Reid and (hopefully) Kelly back so the worst two will be getting replaced

Keys Darling isn't a tall forward either. Like it or not 190cm is the cut off for historical reasons and we have 6 forwards over that. Let people have their half dozen, saying its 5 talls doesn't sound as revolutionary.

I am genuinely keen to see how it works out. Culley was unlucky but agree that for team balance Hutchinson looks better on paper. We've basically decided not to play the b grade mids and instead push Brockman, Ryan, Cripps, Waterman and probably Maric higher up the ground. Rotham over Edwards adds more pace again. It can definitely work. It may also fail, but who cares.

 

[Ghossein]

Judging Culley on that game is a bit harsh, given he was surrounded by a midfield that were all equally struggling, bar maybe Yeo for 20 minutes at the end

 

[MrsBlueSky]

What's the matter with having all the tall forwards.
There's three around the 200cm mark in the WAFL forward line all eager to get a guernsey as well.
As long as they aren't all trying to take a mark in a pack, then I see no problem as long as the ball gets delivered to them.
Getting it out of the centre with poor performers like Petch and without Reid and Kelly is more of a worry.
Good to see Jack H get another crack at it but if he doesn't get 20 disposals Simmo should drop him and also himself.

 

[InTheWings]

Now Keys has insisted I watch the presser again [ike the fair, balanced and impartial stick in the mud he is] I think I agree.

Barra out of nowhere midway through went "If Bailey Williams goes out would he be stiff" Simmo then says "Oscar Allen comes back into our side and he's our captain so there's a squeeze... Baileys really grown, he's got better every year, his new role, if he's a forward-ruck, is to be a good forward-ruck, so whether that's at AFL level or he works through at WAFL, we've got patience."

Not sure he's saying there that they don't want a second ruck, and unclear whether he's saying they have patience for him to figure it out at AFL or WAFL level. Barra brings it up again at the end, having established with Simmo that Bailey could theoretically work on things in the WAFL "So if Bailey Williams doesn't play, who is the backup ruckman? ... is it Jack or ...?'' I half hear the word Darling now off mike before he says Jack. I'm prepared to overrule my previous comments and assume he was talking about Darling then.

Logically, hard to a conspiracy here between Barra and Simmo to prep the fans for the club going down to 1 ruck. If we are going to play 1 ruck them why are we talking about Bailey needing to be a forward-ruck now, and the club being patient about that. If we are dropping B Williams on the basis he's not a good forward-ruck, then J-Williams has already proven this year that he kicks more goals and makes a better contest out of the ruck duels. So we'd elevate Jack W.

The dilemma is that with Darling in the side it's difficult to give Bailey a meaningful forward role, and without Bailey in the side there is no-one to chop out Flynn. They are not going to drop Darling or play without a second ruck. So they'll persist with Bailey. Perhaps Barra was going to suggest moving Darling into a genuine centre bounce attendance style micro ruck role, that would be better for balance and Barra is a moron so I guess I have to concede maybe that was where he was going. I want to say I can't imagine a circumstance where Simmo is so attached to an underperforming 32 year old 191cm tweener that he'd play him in front of BOTH of the Williams twins who are legitimate forward rucks. But I can imagine that, so. Boy what a ride this season is becoming.

Yeah I agree. I was surprised by Barra's forthrightness. My first impression was that maybe he has an inside word somehow, but then again, or maybe he just has specific strong opinions about the height and roles of our forward line that he didn't hold back?

 

[InTheWings]

Simmo did say today that we are taking the opportunity to try out the forward line to see what works.

With Reid & Kelly to come back next week who knows, maybe one of our tall forwards may be dropped?

Also, if we are going to start with someone like Darling on the bench, why should we let Essendon know now?

 

[squashface]

Hutchinson is 190cm

He’s not a tall forward

Is also shorter and faster than Culley so it’s odd to complain about us being too tall or slow because he’s sub instead of Culley

Pretty clear we’ve prioritised pace with the selections -
Rotham over Edwards
Hunt over Gaff
Brockman over Sheed
Maric over Culley

We’ve gone in with a somewhat makeshift and inexperienced midfield but that’s largely due to circumstance. Kelly and Reid unavailable. Sheed injured but most wanted him dropped anyway. Gaff too slow and there’d be harsher criticism if he was retained

Could have brought Hall in for his first game but he’s still playing with a wrist brace and it’s hard to see him having more impact than any of those selected. He’ll get his chance in due course

Trew unlucky again I guess but as with Hall it’s hard to say with any certainty he’d have more impact than those selected

Culley likewise and maybe he could’ve been retained ahead of Jones or Brockman but that costs us leg speed. Personally, I like Culley so I’m sad to see him miss out after fighting so hard to get his spot but I can understand why he’s missed out

Our forward line of Allen, Darling, Waterman and Maric is no taller than Essendon’s of Wright, Jones, Langford and Stringer. Williams and Draper also cancel each other out for height

We’re actually trying something different, albeit partially forced, but still people are pissing and moaning about it

I don’t mind the changes at all and those playing midfield do so in the knowledge that we get Reid and (hopefully) Kelly back so the worst two will be getting replaced

Culley played as a mid last game and has played as a mid for a long time. Hutch is a mid sized forward.

The issue isn’t just we have a lot of tall forwards - it’s that we are going in with almost no mids in favour of them.

Culley in the team over Hutchinson gives us another mid rotation that I can imagine we will desperately need when Essendon’s mids pull our pants down.

 

[06Premiers]

We have only 3 actual mids named in the squad.
Bold strategy Cotton.

On one hand it's terrifying, on the other it's exciting to see who else will roll through there.
I have absolutely no expectations on this game.

 

[Hoskin300]

Absolutely woeful?? How was he woeful?? I actually thought he did a few nice things with limited midfield time , he was a bit quiet in the 2nd half but that’s understandable after not playing afl for a year and coming back from an acl. He was definitely dropped for team balance rather then being “absolutely woeful”.

We got absolutely destroyed in the midfield when he was attending the stoppages. There’s a reason he was shifted out of the midfield in the second half and subsequently dropped. We performed significantly better once he wasn’t in there. Unfortunately he had negative impact at the stoppages which is what he was selected for. 3 contested touches and 0 tackles in the first half is horrible.

He was decent around the ground but as an ‘inside mid’ he was trash.

Personally I hate players getting selected for one game and would have liked to see him get another game without sheed.

 

[Longwthebreeze]

Great to see a real focus on leg speed this week. No issue with some positional experiments for rest of year- Maric, Hutchy, Brockman etc. That's were we're at people.
Might be our strongest team in 3 years next week.... Keep focusing on youth development and form players.
Geez I hate Bombers.... Go Eages!!

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[stallon]

Culley played as a mid last game and has played as a mid for a long time. Hutch is a mid sized forward.

The issue isn’t just we have a lot of tall forwards - it’s that we are going in with almost no mids in favour of them.

Culley in the team over Hutchinson gives us another mid rotation that I can imagine we will desperately need when Essendon’s mids pull our pants down.

We have a bunch of guys who can run through there. We are trusting Yeo and Ginbey with a lot but I think Brockman and Ryan could make it interesting. Petch is named there and Chesser could have a go

We do have JJ who can sit at half back in a pinch to allow us to bring Duggan into the midfield if we were getting smashed anyway

 

[Bleedblueandgold]

So with only Yeo and Ginbey as the only recognised mids, Petch should get a full run in the middle, along with perhaps significant midfield time for Brockman and Ryan.

 

[Barrybran]

Hard for JJ to go to the backline when we have 7 other defenders already named, maybe Duggan comes up into the midfield? That wouldnt be a bad option considering how light we are in there. Maybe thats just some flexibility theyve left in the squad in case we are getting destroyed in there.

I was thinking 7 in defense, 5 up forward (on field - Rotham the spare defender and Brockman the spare forward; Billiams as spare ruck/KPD). We're going to be seeing the footy go the wrong way quickly a few times.

 

[Deplorable trumpster]

The forward line looks a bit too cumbersome and slow to me. I would rather a bit more prowess at ground level and defensive pressure in the mix. Now Allen is back it might be time to have a chat with Darling about his future.

 

[sharps24]

Yeah I agree. I was surprised by Barra's forthrightness. My first impression was that maybe he has an inside word somehow, but then again, or maybe he just has specific strong opinions about the height and roles of our forward line that he didn't hold back?

I don't think Simmo takes Barra too seriously, possible that he's written a column or said something on a pod that has Williams out and JD reinvented into a pinch hitting ruckman. Seemed to be keen to have Simmo validate that narrative.

 

[stallon]

I was thinking 7 in defense, 5 up forward (on field - Rotham the spare defender and Brockman the spare forward; Billiams as spare ruck/KPD). We're going to be seeing the footy go the wrong way quickly a few times.

ah ok, I dont think we start like that but could easily end up like that after a few minutes haha.