POBT
Brownlow Medallist
Date: 11 May 2013
Time: 2.10pm AEST
Venue: Gabba
Tickets: Ticketmaster
Weather: Mostly fine, possible shower. Min 15 Max 25
TV: Foxsports 3 (7/7mate into Brisbane and Perth)
Preview by TomFC
Yeah.
This is a pretty special fixture for us.
The History
When we knocked off the Eagles in round 10 last year, they were top of the ladder and flying. We were struggling to be relevant against good sides, having copped beatings from Geelong, Essendon and Collingwood in recent weeks.
But we managed to hang in there all game, surviving a third quarter charge by the visitors, before storming back to win it at the death.
Not only was that the highlight of our season, I don't think it's a stretch to say that result reshaped how we saw ourselves as a footy team, and made us think about the future with a lot more optimism.
The final seconds of that game are inspiring stuff.
The Form
And we could really use some inspiration right now.
There's no denying that we didn't get the start to the season we were hoping for. And now we're really only just beginning the winter of discontent, with Essendon, Carlton, Collingwood, Fremantle, Geelong and Hawthorn waiting for us in the rest of May and June.
Another memorable win might just give us the confidence that's been lacking in the first six rounds.
The Eagles haven't been setting the world on fire either. They've only managed wins against the Demons and the Bulldogs, but it's a long season and with Naitanui back on the park they'll probably feel like they're in a good position to rejuvenate their campaign with some winnable fixtures to come.
Maybe they could've been forgiven for a touch of complacency at the Gabba last year, but not this time around; they really need to win this game.
So expect a pretty tense affair on Saturday. I reckon the winner will be the team who applies the best defensive pressure, who forces the opposition to turn the ball over, who stops them playing their game and drains their confidence.
That makes matchups pretty important.
The Game
Cox and Natainui are the obvious threat. Nicnat is likely to be a little underdone, but nonetheless expect to see Cox spend a fair amount of time up forward, particularly if Sinclair is selected. If Maguire plays he might go to Cox, with Merrett likely to mark Kennedy, who's been in excellent form.
Patfull seems to be getting the job on the small and mid-sized forwards lately and I'd expect him to go to either LeCras or Darling, depending on team selections.
In the middle, Masten has probably been the Eagles best this season. If we're going to bring Raines back for anyone this week it'd probably be him.
Priddis continues to get his hands on the ball at stoppages, and has been good against us in the past. There'll be something of a clearance shootout this week between him and Moloney.
Black's likely return might make us a bit more potent in that part of the ground.
Shuey, Wellingham and Scott Selwood haven't had great starts to the season, but got a bit of it last week and will be looking to capitalise on that form.
The Eagles will be keen to find a way to limit Hanley's influence. Adam Selwood might be their best option to run with him.
The Verdict
On paper, the Eagles look like clear favourites. But they're not travelling all that well, and they haven't really had the fluency or confidence early this season that they had last year.
While our form doesn't exactly have opposition teams trembling, we have played our best footy at home. And although we were generally pretty poor against the Swans, there are some signs that players like Adcock and Brown might be finding a bit of touch. If that's the case, that should lift the youngsters alongside them across the ground, as should the return of the great man Simon Black.
Maybe, just maybe, history can repeat and we can get our season back on track with a stirring win.
So I'm tipping the Lions by a fluky torpedo.
Time: 2.10pm AEST
Venue: Gabba
Tickets: Ticketmaster
Weather: Mostly fine, possible shower. Min 15 Max 25
TV: Foxsports 3 (7/7mate into Brisbane and Perth)
Preview by TomFC
Yeah.
This is a pretty special fixture for us.
The History
When we knocked off the Eagles in round 10 last year, they were top of the ladder and flying. We were struggling to be relevant against good sides, having copped beatings from Geelong, Essendon and Collingwood in recent weeks.
But we managed to hang in there all game, surviving a third quarter charge by the visitors, before storming back to win it at the death.
Not only was that the highlight of our season, I don't think it's a stretch to say that result reshaped how we saw ourselves as a footy team, and made us think about the future with a lot more optimism.
The final seconds of that game are inspiring stuff.
The Form
And we could really use some inspiration right now.
There's no denying that we didn't get the start to the season we were hoping for. And now we're really only just beginning the winter of discontent, with Essendon, Carlton, Collingwood, Fremantle, Geelong and Hawthorn waiting for us in the rest of May and June.
Another memorable win might just give us the confidence that's been lacking in the first six rounds.
The Eagles haven't been setting the world on fire either. They've only managed wins against the Demons and the Bulldogs, but it's a long season and with Naitanui back on the park they'll probably feel like they're in a good position to rejuvenate their campaign with some winnable fixtures to come.
Maybe they could've been forgiven for a touch of complacency at the Gabba last year, but not this time around; they really need to win this game.
So expect a pretty tense affair on Saturday. I reckon the winner will be the team who applies the best defensive pressure, who forces the opposition to turn the ball over, who stops them playing their game and drains their confidence.
That makes matchups pretty important.
The Game
Cox and Natainui are the obvious threat. Nicnat is likely to be a little underdone, but nonetheless expect to see Cox spend a fair amount of time up forward, particularly if Sinclair is selected. If Maguire plays he might go to Cox, with Merrett likely to mark Kennedy, who's been in excellent form.
Patfull seems to be getting the job on the small and mid-sized forwards lately and I'd expect him to go to either LeCras or Darling, depending on team selections.
In the middle, Masten has probably been the Eagles best this season. If we're going to bring Raines back for anyone this week it'd probably be him.
Priddis continues to get his hands on the ball at stoppages, and has been good against us in the past. There'll be something of a clearance shootout this week between him and Moloney.
Black's likely return might make us a bit more potent in that part of the ground.
Shuey, Wellingham and Scott Selwood haven't had great starts to the season, but got a bit of it last week and will be looking to capitalise on that form.
The Eagles will be keen to find a way to limit Hanley's influence. Adam Selwood might be their best option to run with him.
The Verdict
On paper, the Eagles look like clear favourites. But they're not travelling all that well, and they haven't really had the fluency or confidence early this season that they had last year.
While our form doesn't exactly have opposition teams trembling, we have played our best footy at home. And although we were generally pretty poor against the Swans, there are some signs that players like Adcock and Brown might be finding a bit of touch. If that's the case, that should lift the youngsters alongside them across the ground, as should the return of the great man Simon Black.
Maybe, just maybe, history can repeat and we can get our season back on track with a stirring win.
So I'm tipping the Lions by a fluky torpedo.
.
