Preview Round 7, 2019: GWS v St.Kilda - Manuka Oval, Saturday 4th May, 1:45PM AEST

[ScrappyDo]

If thats true it reflects poorly on the coaches and managers at the club.

So much was left to drift in the last few years, this is just another one of them.

 

[Impatient Saint]

The following stat shows how well our defence is going when we are ranked 12th for goals kicked in the comp and remain 6th on the ladder. Also GWS average 82 points a game and us 67 so I am predicting a loss by 15 points.

 

[tomjoad]

Assuming Bruce doesn't get up how about this for a radical idea - we play a ruckman in the ruck and a forward in the forward line.

Like it or not Longer is a perfect match for Mumford and that allows Marshall (who is actually referred to as a key forward/ruckman by the St Kilda FC) to play as - yep you guessed it - a key forward.

Whoa there!! slow down...you know how sense and reason is received on this platform. Shh now!

 

[Browny2Carlisle]

Assuming Bruce doesn't get up how about this for a radical idea - we play a ruckman in the ruck and a forward in the forward line.

Like it or not Longer is a perfect match for Mumford and that allows Marshall (who is actually referred to as a key forward/ruckman by the St Kilda FC) to play as - yep you guessed it - a key forward.

Marshall is a better ruck than Longer.
Battle is a better forward than Marshall.
Radical idea- let's play the best players available in their best positions.

 

[VDS66]

The following stat shows how well our defence is going when we are ranked 12th for goals kicked in the comp and remain 6th on the ladder. Also GWS average 82 points a game and us 67 so I am predicting a loss by 15 points.

Should be average game then...

 

[VDS66]

We need another tall if they are good players. If we brought marsh or played Marshall the second tall back would still go to membery because he would still clearly be our second best marking player. That is why there is no point in playing a tall for the sake of it.

Thats logical.

Explains why Roo was always double tagged and Kosi got the 3rd best defender.

 

[BrutThough]

Marshall is a better ruck than Longer.
Battle is a better forward than Marshall.
Radical idea- let's play the best players available in their best positions.

Right now it could be argued that Battle is a better defender than forward, so keeping him back is what's best for his football and for the team.

 

[mightymalaka]

Right now it could be argued that Battle is a better defender than forward, so keeping him back is what's team for his football and for the team.

Yes it is...But it doesn't mean they have to be mutually exclusive!
In desperate times for a week or two it does the boy no harm whatsoever to be let off the leash
And remind us all what a classy forward he is instinctively!
That part of his game doesn't go away overnight!

 

[VDS66]

Yes it is...But it doesn't mean they have to be mutually exclusive!
In desperate times for a week or two it does the boy no harm whatsoever to be let off the leash
And remind us all what a classy forward he is instinctively!
That part of his game doesn't go away overnight!

In the absence of Jake... Throw Battle forward.

 

[cooperg]

In- Hind, Marshall, Marsh
Out: Longer, Long, Lonie (inj)

Marshall takes Longer.

Hind replaces Lonie

Marsh for Long an extra tall fwd with all the 4/5 tall Giants defenders.

 

[mightymalaka]

In the absence of Jake... Throw Battle forward.

In these paranoid times, i must ask..........

To be
Or not to be
What was the question?

 

[VDS66]

In these paranoid times, i must ask..........

To be
Or not to be
What was the question?

I suggested we trade Ross and I'm typing this at Alfred emergency...

 

[VDS66]

In these paranoid times, i must ask..........

To be
Or not to be
What was the question?

That reminds me of the Mexican fireman who had twin boys...

Hose A and Hose B.

 

[mightymalaka]

I suggested we trade Ross and I'm typing this at Alfred emergency...

That's some cryptic shit man!
Way beyond my comprehension
Hope everyone is ok!

 

[Big 0]

Looking forward to this one. Boys got their first real kick up the bum on the weekend so you can bet they’ll be hungry. The midfield needs to put in a vastly better performance, and I have a feeling if we chuck Acres in there he and Steele could turn things around.

Also how good is Taranto? Is he signed on for them?

 

[Mikka84]

Have a gut feeling we might get spanked this week. Few little injuries creeping in. That first quarter was against Adelaide took its toll. Gws are hitting their straps..

Hope I’m wrong.
Remember Red, hope is a good thing, maybe the best of things, and no good thing ever dies.

 

[plugger66]

Right now it could be argued that Battle is a better defender than forward, so keeping him back is what's best for his football and for the team.

That could be true. What we do know for sure is Marshall is a better ruck than longer. Playing both is madness. Robbing our best ruck by a margin to play an average forward.

 

[pebblesofsand]

Marshall is a better ruck than Longer.
Battle is a better forward than Marshall.
Radical idea- let's play the best players available in their best positions.

Fair enough but are we talking about this years best position or last years best position?

Plus you forgot to include whether Marsh/Joyce is a better defender than Battle because you need to replace him if you move him forward. Cumulative impacts.
And as far as I remember, Battle has never played as the sole "key" forward. Big step up.

The thing that amuses me about this discussion is how Marshall, who has clearly improved since last season, has apparently only improved as a ruckman and any skills/fitness improvement is apparently non transferable to his performance as a forward. (ie he wasn't great as a forward last year so he can't play there this year. Well - he wasn't that great as a ruckman last year either.)

Even during the preseason, the club saw him more as a forward so its hardly a flight of fancy to suggest that if we now need to fill a tall forward position they might look to him first, especially if the player the club identified as the No 1 ruckman is now available to actually play that role.

 

[bennymc7]

Hope Whitfield and Coniglio get up to play..

GWS are a 5x better side with their backs against the wall

We're going to need outstanding performances from Stuv, Gresh and JB to win this

 

[WhiskySaint]

I’m hoping for a return to our more defensive style of game. Keep the back 50 clogged up and only move forward with numbers once we have a stoppage on a deep entry. Let them have the inside 50 count, but keep them to 70 points. They are too classy through the middle and they will hit genuine targets inside 50 if given any space.

I don’t even want to see much slingshot footy, get the ball forward and create a stoppage or turnover forward of center, but always maintain numbers behind the ball.

If Bruce is out I think we need another tall, but don’t think we have a suitable one with the tank and ability to bring the ball to ground in a 3 vs 1. Marshal will be very important creating contests between the arcs to create stoppages or opportunities to go fast with out smalls.

Out: Longer, Lonie, Bruce (if injured)
In: Marshal, Young, Clarke or White (play Patton forward, not ideal but looked good there last year)

 

[gringo2011]

Yes it is...But it doesn't mean they have to be mutually exclusive!
In desperate times for a week or two it does the boy no harm whatsoever to be let off the leash
And remind us all what a classy forward he is instinctively!
That part of his game doesn't go away overnight!

He's really only played a couple of games as an AFL forward and he was more a third tall than a KP.

 

[Persevering Saint]

Assuming Bruce doesn't get up how about this for a radical idea - we play a ruckman in the ruck and a forward in the forward line.

Like it or not Longer is a perfect match for Mumford and that allows Marshall (who is actually referred to as a key forward/ruckman by the St Kilda FC) to play as - yep you guessed it - a key forward.

Oh... you still think Longer is a ruckman...

 

[saintbatty]

Oh... you still think Longer is any kind of footballer...

EFA

 

[BrutThough]

That could be true. What we do know for sure is Marshall is a better ruck than longer. Playing both is madness. Robbing our best ruck by a margin to play an average forward.

I agree that Marshall needs to play in the ruck. It's his best position by far and his mobility against Mumford could be an asset.

But I would also keep Battle in the backline. He has improved with every game and has started looking comfortable enough to go for marks instead of spoil and has started generating attack. He is a smart player and his kicking from the backline has been setting us up well. Joyce is a bit too much like Brown for mine, so would rather not have two dour defenders playing at once.

That only leaves Marsh as an option for an additional key forward, either if Bruce is injured or to play alongside him. There is the question marks over his fitness but if he has been named emergency twice then the club obviously feels he is fit enough for full game.

This is probably the first week this season that selection will be interesting because there is so many ways we could go.

 

[plugger66]

I agree that Marshall needs to play in the ruck. It's his best position by far and his mobility against Mumford could be an asset.

But I would also keep Battle in the backline. He has improved with every game and has started looking comfortable enough to go for marks instead of spoil and has started generating attack. He is a smart player and his kicking from the backline has been setting us up well. Joyce is a bit too much like Brown for mine, so would rather not have two dour defenders playing at once.

That only leaves Marsh as an option for an additional key forward, either if Bruce is injured or to play alongside him. There is the question marks over his fitness but if he has been named emergency twice then the club obviously feels he is fit enough for full game.

This is probably the first week this season that selection will be interesting because there is so many ways we could go.

I think marsh plays if bruce doesn’t because I think the club will want to keep battle back. I don’t have huge issues with that. I would have huge issues if marsh played as well as Bruce. If he is only option for Bruce well we have no choice. If bruce plays we have better choices than marsh.