Preview Round 3: Melbourne vs Essendon, MCG, Friday 05/04/19, 7:50 PM, The Melksham-Hibberd-Neeld Trophy

[Zephyr Effekt]

Not quite at the 'blow it all up & start again' stage.

I've accepted that Myers & Zaka will not be dropped. It seems that for specific players, if you can nail professionalism & leadership off the track during the pre-season/regular season, that triumphs performance & results in actual games.

Let's just start at getting the likes of Ridley, Redman & Laverde back into the side over the next few weeks at the expense of Guelfi, Brown & Bags.

Restructure the forward line & build it around 1 tall, Stringer & fill in the rest with mediums & smalls.

Fixing deficiencies in midfield positioning at center bounces/stoppages & navigating defensive zones in lieu of kicking long to contests on the flanks/wings, is a bridge to far for this coaching panel to address (that's what the pre-season is for) so I'm not expecting any major changes or miracles in those areas.

 

[DapperJong]

Is this for real?

Yes mate go on

 

[windyhill]

Is Begley available ? He seems just the type in a crisis, big bodied, enthusiastic can play a bit. Where's he at ?

 

[table tennis]

Is Begley available ? He seems just the type in a crisis, big bodied, enthusiastic can play a bit. Where's he at ?

Only just back now. Give him a few weeks

 

[windyhill]

Only just back now. Give him a few weeks

Ok, thanks, he does seem that up and about type of player, crash a pack and drag a team with him.

 

[table tennis]

Ok, thanks, he does seem that up and about type of player, crash a pack and drag a team with him.

We need 15 of Them

 

[citizen-erased]

Out: any idea of a game plan
In: Just go out and play
it can't be any worse. These guys are drafted footballers.
We have quite a number of high draft picks. Their instincts are surely better than whatever it is we are asking them to do

As for personnel changes
In: Z.Clarke, Ridley, Stewart, Laverde, Mutch
Out: McKernan, Brown, Baguley, Guelfi, Ambrose

Ridley Hurley McKenna
Saad Francis Heppell
Smith Shiel McGrath
Fantasia Stewart Langford
Laverde TBC Tippa
Clarke Stringer Merrett
Myers Zaka Parish Mutch

or we can go in unchanged. whatever.
we're gonna lose anyway.
Oliver & Brayshaw to go close to 100 possessions between them
Viney and Jones are gonna boss us.

 

[gillon]

Just take out Myers, Zaharakis and Baguley. At the very least.

Would not surprise me if the i50 record is broken by Melbourne. We somehow won the clearances, but our midfield was beyond bad.

At times I'm not sure if it's gameplan/structure or our players just refuse to run. Please give McGrath and Parish an extended run at centre bounces.

 

[Atavistic]

Is Laverde injured? I thought he did an ankle on the weekend. Same with BZT.

 

[Mr Mojo Risin]

Out: Bellchambers, Zaharakis, Baguley, Myers
In: Draper, Long, D. Clarke, Ridley

McKenna to the wing.

I dunno, something like that, sick of those senior players not giving enough.

Myers and Baguley try hard but aren’t damaging enough. Zaharakis and Bellchambers seem more interested in looking good and trying every now and then.

Langford on thin ice but we need to develop him still and Laverde injured. Cannot wait for Gleeson and Redman to be fit. Hooker badly needed, Ambrose lucky as is McKernan.

Tippa and Raz enough credits in the bank and too damaging to leave out yet, just hoping they get back some form.

 

[JuniorWatch]

Last year we had an unacceptable loss to Carlton after a string of poor performances.
We dropped a few underperforming oldies and debuted Ridley and Clarke.
Came into the night game against the Cats rejuvenated and stunned them with our attack around the ball.
Went on to win 7 out of the next 9.
Would love to see those sorts of changes and that sort of response against the Dees this Friday night.

 

[Vander18]

More focused on who goes out than who comes in...

Myers and Baguley should have a line through them for good, the only way they return should be if injuries necessitate it.

Tippa will come good but has to be dropped...he is horribly, horribly out of form. I projected he was on track for AA after JLT...he was fit, super clean and damaging. It’s extraordinary that just a few weeks later it has come to this.

TBC is even more glacial than usual. Clarke and/or Draper need to play until he gets himself into AFL shape.

Brown has to go. We need to play a second, genuine key forward. If/when we do that then Stringer is the third forward meaning no spot for Mitch. He’s a heady, honest player and decent depth but we cannot continue to ask him to play a role he is fundamentally not equipped for.

Zaharakis, Langford and Fantasia are on notice. They get this week to turn it around.

 

[brutus76]

Stewart or Zac Clarke in the ruck to change with Smacks who actually have clean hands and can run faster than 5mph, dispose of the ball by hand and foot when asked and not get owned by kiddy ruckmen who have played less than 20 games.

Go with youth and speed.

OUT Bags, Zaka, T-Bell, Tippa, Langers, Brown

IN Mosquito, Clarke or Stewart, Hartley and 2 others.

 

[Duckworth]

Zaharakis should be the first one to go. Nothing says wake up like kicking the most comfortable (yet underperforming) player out of the team.

 

[Bombers36]

I know its left field - but why cant Woosha take a couple of risks and bring in some rough, raw talent.
Until daniher & Hooker get back why ont try experiment a little - whatever we are doing right now isn't working.
How about a 22 like this;-

OUT: Baguely, Guelfi
IN: Mosquito, Z.Clarke

Ambrose Hurley McKenna
McGrath Francis Saad
Zakka Heppell Parish
Fantasia Brown Mosquoito
Stringer McKernan Smith

Bellcho Shiel Z.Merrett

Bench from: Langford Myers Tippa Z.Clarke


Start Mosquito on the ground and Tippa on the bench - sends message to Tippa really quickly.
Smith stays deep forward to lock the ball in down there - something Baguley is not capable to doing
Z.Clarke comes in to support Bellcho in the ruck against Gawn. When we rucks Bellcho can go forward and (hopefully) kick goals
I feel like our defence and mids are going OK - its our forward line that needs a tweak/lift.
Big games required from Stringer, McKernan & Fantasia as Melbourne are not in great form either - and IF a couple of forwards can jump up and kick 3 or 4 we are a chance....

 

[BrewSmackerVeiny]

I don't expect many unforced changes, if any

 

[yaco55]

Think this will be a tough game to win - Our performance against StKilda was about the same level as the loss to GWS - The scoreboard in the Geelong VS melbourne game was misleading - melbourne play at the same level along with more composure forward of centre equals a comfortable victory.

 

[boncer34]

Last year we had an unacceptable loss to Carlton after a string of poor performances.
We dropped a few underperforming oldies and debuted Ridley and Clarke.
Came into the night game against the Cats rejuvenated and stunned them with our attack around the ball.
Went on to win 7 out of the next 9.
Would love to see those sorts of changes and that sort of response against the Dees this Friday night.

Really the only one was Myers.

Didn't we drop McNeice, Parish and Mutch as well?

Reality is we don't drop senior players for kids.

 

[faible]

Really the only one was Myers.

Didn't we drop McNeice, Parish and Mutch as well?

Reality is we don't drop senior players for kids.

We should. Be bold, be brave, be not-Essendon like!

 

[Jesse Custer]

How Myers is an automatic selection is a mystery, he wouldn't get a game with any other AFL team. This is how we roll at Essendon these days.

Leadership group. **** me.

 

[TheGreatBarryB]

Stewart or Zac Clarke in the ruck to change with Smacks who actually have clean hands and can run faster than 5mph, dispose of the ball by hand and foot when asked and not get owned by kiddy ruckmen who have played less than 20 games.

Go with youth and speed.

OUT Bags, Zaka, T-Bell, Tippa, Langers, Brown

IN Mosquito, Clarke or Stewart, Hartley and 2 others.

Gawn would destroy Smack and Stewart who are rubbish rucks.

Clarke is not an improvement on TBC

 

[JayJ20]

We say this is 17th vs 18th and bad team vs bad team, but everyone deep inside knows that Melbourne will destroy us.

 

[lenny2013]

Leadership group. **** me.

He must be in the leadership group for his off field leadership because he shows f*** all on field leadership.

 

[Sanj48]

Melbourne might be 18th but even their football is on a completely higher level than ours.
If they replicate the sheer volume of inside 50 entries that they did against Geelong, our unaccountable and bruise-free football could mean this gets very ugly.

 

[Whispering_Jack]

Must start well. Both games we've started poorly, been unable to convert having the play early and then the opposition kicks a couple of easy ones and everyone drops their heads and loses confidence. If we kick 3-4 first quarter goals, we win this game. If we kick 0-1 goals (even holding them to 1-2) and we lose. I think it's that simple.