Preview Round 20 - Essendon Bombers vs Sydney Swans - Saturday, July 29th - 7:25 pm - Disney is Still Milking the s**t out of it Stadium

[Beerfish]

ESSENDON v SYDNEY SWANS

Saturday July 29, 7:25pm at Marvel Stadium

BOMBERS

B: A. McGrath, B. Zerk-Thatcher, J. Kelly
HB: M. Redman, J. Laverde, D. Heppell
C: S. Durham, A. Perkins, N. Martin
HF: J. Caldwell, P. Wright, N. Cox
F: M. Guelfi, K. Langford, B. Hobbs
FOLL: A. Phillips, D. Parish, Z. Merrett - C

I/C: W. Snelling, N. Hind, N. Bryan, J. Menzie
EMG: E. Tsatas, K. Baldwin, A. Davey Jnr, A. McDonald-Tipungwuti

In: J. Menzie
OUT: J. Ridley (Injured), J. Stringer (Injured)

 

[Knighta21]

we are 4-6 against Sydney in our last 10...!!!

How many games at Marvel though? We always play them at SCG.

 

[MiguelM]

How many games at Marvel though? We always play them at SCG.

For some reason I thought it was SCG (probably cos it always is).

This should be a win but part of me fears players have already checked out.

Can the coaches get them up.

 

[Bombers36]

Out: Ridley, Guelfi, Snelling
In: Baldwin, Hind, Tsatas

Baldwin Zerk Kelly
Redman Lav McGrath
Heppell Parish Durham
Martin Stringer Perkins
Langford 2MP Hobbs

Phillips Caldwell Merrett

Bench: Hind Tsatas Cox Bryan

 

[ant555]

No to Tsatas for me. His long term future is much more important than playing at AFL level right now when he has missed so much footy in the last 2 seasons. We have ****ed up Zack Reid and set Nick Cox back by playing them before they where really ready. Leave Tstats to build up his fitness in the VFL and have him back nice and strong for the next pre season. We do not need to have him playing now.

 

[MiguelM]

My 2c

Out: Ridley (inj), Stringer, Snelling, Heppell, Bryan, Guelfi
In: Monty, Mass, Hind, Voss & one of Baldwin/Weid, Menzie

Cox CHF please.

Before the haters say, Weid to be solely back, showed something.

Perkins Sub.

Edited, forgot Menzie

 

[faible]

Doubt we see wholesale changes, much as people want them.

Ridley might well be done for the year, so Baldwin should be the one given an opportunity, let Laverde or BZT play a bit more loosely.

Stringer really doesn't look right, if he's injured then get him out of the side.

Menzies (yet again) was a player we missed who works hard at ground level all game, has a knack for halving contests in the air, and usually chips in a goal or two.

Cox on the wing is wasted right now IMO, his tank is a major asset if he's matched up against someone without one, opposition wingmen are usually the strongest runners in the side and he lacks the breakaway speed to stay with them, which negates the value of his height. Would rather see him play off a HFF (or HBF instead of Heppell) where he can exploit the mismatch of an opponent who doesn't have the tank that he does.

Snelling, Perkins and Stringer were poor, Hobbs wasn't great, and Heppell is looking slow again.

For me therefore:

OUT: Ridley (inj), Stringer (inj), Snelling (omit), Heppell (omit)
IN: Baldwin, Menzies, Davey Jnr and/or Wanganeen.

Cox & Baldwin down back replacing Ridley & Heppell

Menzies and Davey up forward replacing Stringer & Snelling

Martin back on the wing.

Hobbs and Perkins stay assuming neither are injured, as both just need to keep getting experience at the level right now.

 

[MiguelM]

Doubt we see wholesale changes, much as people want them.

Ridley might well be done for the year, so Baldwin should be the one given an opportunity, let Laverde or BZT play a bit more loosely.

Stringer really doesn't look right, if he's injured then get him out of the side.

Menzies (yet again) was a player we missed who works hard at ground level all game, has a knack for halving contests in the air, and usually chips in a goal or two.

Cox on the wing is wasted right now IMO, his tank is a major asset if he's matched up against someone without one, opposition wingmen are usually the strongest runners in the side and he lacks the breakaway speed to stay with them, which negates the value of his height. Would rather see him play off a HFF (or HBF instead of Heppell) where he can exploit the mismatch of an opponent who doesn't have the tank that he does.

Snelling, Perkins and Stringer were poor, Hobbs wasn't great, and Heppell is looking slow again.

For me therefore:

OUT: Ridley (inj), Stringer (inj), Snelling (omit), Heppell (omit)
IN: Baldwin, Menzies, Davey Jnr and/or Wanganeen.

Cox & Baldwin down back replacing Ridley & Heppell

Menzies and Davey up forward replacing Stringer & Snelling

Martin back on the wing.

Hobbs and Perkins stay assuming neither are injured, as both just need to keep getting experience at the level right now.

Absolutely agree on Cox,

Is actually marking well which is exactly what we need at CHF.

 

[bombreys]

come on man

Do you not agree? I think it’s a massive chance!

 

[citizen-erased]

This is it for us. Lose and finals are gone.

Out: Ridley (FU football gods), Snelling, Heppell (rest), Guelfi
In: Baldwin, Hind, Wanganeen, Menzie,

Laverde - Baldwin - Kelly
McGrath - Zerk - Redman
Martin - Hobbs - Durham
Perkins - Cox - Menzie
Tex - Wright - Langford
Flip - Parish - Merrett
Hind - Caldwell - Bryan - Stringer*
Tsatas

*If Stringer is indeed injured, it's hard to weigh up a change. He's still a stronger body than any other option
The temptation for Weideman will be there and i suspect we see it with Langford dropping to Stringer's position....not the worst thing given he can chop out in the middle.

Not ready to drop Bryan. We asked for continuity, need to give it to him.

 

[Beerfish]

Do you not agree? I think it’s a massive chance!

Nah. Not even sober.

 

[bombreys]

Nah. Not even sober.

I hope you’re right but it feels like when given the opportunity he’s gone with the older option most times

 

[Shanghaistu]

we are 4-6 against Sydney in our last 10...!!!

So compared to our record against the rest of the comp, they are relative bunnies for us….

 

[andleanback]

At least we are coming off an 8 day break this week!
The amount of games this year we’ve had shorter breaks than the oppo
The boys looked tired last night and I’m not surprised after 6 day breaks b2b at this time of year.

 

[andleanback]

This is it for us. Lose and finals are gone.

Out: Ridley (FU football gods), Snelling, Heppell (rest), Guelfi
In: Baldwin, Hind, Wanganeen, Menzie,

Laverde - Baldwin - Kelly
McGrath - Zerk - Redman
Martin - Hobbs - Durham
Perkins - Cox - Menzie
Tex - Wright - Langford
Flip - Parish - Merrett
Hind - Caldwell - Bryan - Stringer*
Tsatas

*If Stringer is indeed injured, it's hard to weigh up a change. He's still a stronger body than any other option
The temptation for Weideman will be there and i suspect we see it with Langford dropping to Stringer's position....not the worst thing given he can chop out in the middle.

Not ready to drop Bryan. We asked for continuity, need to give it to him.

Stringer will 100% be rested

 

[Nifft]

maybe we should just go the biff if the season's shot anyway?

 

[Lore]

No to Tsatas for me. His long term future is much more important than playing at AFL level right now when he has missed so much footy in the last 2 seasons. We have ****ed up Zack Reid and set Nick Cox back by playing them before they where really ready. Leave Tstats to build up his fitness in the VFL and have him back nice and strong for the next pre season. We do not need to have him playing now.

Not sure playing footy too soon is what ****ed them up, they'd be playing at some level any which way and injuries happen regardless. But there's gotta be something wrong with all those back stress fractures they had... type of training or their loads. Perhaps putting a debut in front of them as a carrot is problematic?

 

[silk]

The preview post is up and running. Enjoy.

 

[ant555]

Not sure playing footy too soon is what ****ed them up, they'd be playing at some level any which way and injuries happen regardless. But there's gotta be something wrong with all those back stress fractures they had... type of training or their loads. Perhaps putting a debut in front of them as a carrot is problematic?

I am sure it did. They should have been planning Reid to have a slow VFL build up and with Cox they threw him straight in at AFL level on the wing and his confidence slowly declined.

 

[Keystone agony]

Did Weid play Fwd in vfl?

If he did i think atleast him or Baldwin play fwd vs Sydney next week in place of a ruck likely Bryan

Tsatas probably in for Ridley (Although i dont really like Cox on any of (Amartey, Mcdonald or Buddy)

 

[Wahooti Fandango]

Did Weid play Fwd in vfl?

If he did i think atleast him or Baldwin play fwd vs Sydney next week in place of a ruck likely Bryan

Tsatas probably in for Ridley (Although i dont really like Cox on any of (Amartey, Mcdonald or Buddy)

Weid played back and Baldwin forward.

 

[frodos gardener]

No to Tsatas for me. His long term future is much more important than playing at AFL level right now when he has missed so much footy in the last 2 seasons. We have ****ed up Zack Reid and set Nick Cox back by playing them before they where really ready. Leave Tstats to build up his fitness in the VFL and have him back nice and strong for the next pre season. We do not need to have him playing now.

You know more than me on this so I’ll ask some questions in earnest: are you sure Cox and Reid’s issues were because they weren’t ready for AFL level? Would their problems have not occurred anyway? Tsatas isn’t a skinny super tall so doesn’t that change things?

 

[Keystone agony]

Hasnt seemed to affect Hobbs or Perkins

 

[windyhill]

Last waltz with Bud

 

[ant555]

You know more than me on this so I’ll ask some questions in earnest: are you sure Cox and Reid’s issues were because they weren’t ready for AFL level? Would their problems have not occurred anyway? Tsatas isn’t a skinny super tall so doesn’t that change things?

I can not say 100% Reid would not have been injured if we did not push to play him early but it did not make a lot of sense to be pushing to play a 200cm 87kg kid in the first season and I do not think it helped. My view is he should have been eased through his first year. Even more so given he had limited under 18 footy.

Cox is a little different. I think his drop off in form in the back end of 2021 and 2022 was a confidence issue and the lack of confidence was due to him learning to play a position he had not played at AFL level. He started well but sides started to put a bit of work into him including some physical pressure and his form fell right away. I just wonder if he had of played a good period of VFL to learn the craft if his form would of held up. His injury during 2022 was bad luck but it was a big ask to just throw him onto a wing of the back of one pre season and 9 top age under 18 games.

For both of these guys I think we rushed the preparation because they where the picks in the top 10 . The new toys that the club wanted to display to the members. You could say that Perkins could have been managed a little differently as well with more time playing midfield in the VFL to learn even though he was okay at AFL level.

Tsatas missed 4 months of his top age under 18 year and a big chunk of this year . He has not got the km in the legs. He was poor in the time trials before he got injured and they have taken a very slow and steady approach to his recovery. I just do not see the point in playing him when he has had such an interrupted season. He is doing what he is doing now off basically a 50% preparation. He is an important long term player for us . My view is there is nothing to be gained by playing him at this stage. He may not be a super skinny tall but he is a young bloke who needs to build his endurance again after basically being out for a total of 10 months in the last two years . He is not physically strong yet so he is not going to have a lot of time playing midfield.

 

[ant555]

Hasnt seemed to affect Hobbs or Perkins

Hobs and Pekins did not miss almost 10 months with injury. Totally different to Tsatas.
I would ask if it would have been better to play Perkins in the midfield at VFL level a bit more if that is where they wanted him to play.