Preview Round 7 (Part 2) - v GWS @ Henson Park

[brucetiki]

GWS v Adelaide
Sunday 13 October
5:05pm Sydney time (4:35pm Adelaide time)

One good thing about the condensed fixture - you can quickly redeem yourself from last night's debacle.

We've had a great record against GWS recently - last season we kicked our highest ever score against GWS, while GWS failed to score a goal in either match against us in 2022. But, as we saw last night, write your opponent off at your peril.

 

[cmndstab]

This is likely to be a comfortable win which will wallpaper over a few cracks.

Hopefully we use it to freshen up some players, and try some new things.

 

[Firewalker]

This is likely to be a comfortable win which will wallpaper over a few cracks.

Hopefully we use it to freshen up some players, and try some new things.

This is Clarke ‘try some new things’ is playing Prowse up forward for all of 10 minutes before going nah need to go back to normal proceedings and not do anything different for the next 3 quarters.

Like you said wallpaper some cracks, Gould and Ponter might not miss as much this game so there will be a few more goals on the board, Ponter proving again she’s the ultimate flat track bully.

Given there’s hardly a breath of selection integrity for all bar 4 members of the team I expect similar performances again except when senior players like Hatchard and S.Allan pick and choose when to go for contests and half the team misses every target by hand it won’t prove that costly this match, but don’t worry Clarke will bring Waterhouse back to fix things up again

Here’s a question without notice, I want India Rasheed at the draft (obviously) I think she’s generational, she scores goals and actually scans the field to get teammates into better positions on field, she’ll go top 3, would you trade Ponter to Collingwood (currently pick 2) for her? I would in a heartbeat - I think they’ve got the best out of Ponter and she’s hit her ceiling and is becoming way to easy for opponents to play on especially up forward with her lazy leads. It might hurt immediately but would help in the medium-long term.

The team desperately needs more big talent, the last 3 seasons have shown you can get deep in finals carrying some low skilled team oriented individuals and relying on a few big performers but like last night, against Brisbane and in big finals under pressure they crack and the only 2 I see filling that big talent need are Lauren Young or India Rasheed. So either pressure Young to demand a trade out of Port and hope the knees can hold up or find a way to get Rasheed.

 

[Firewalker]

By the way anyone wondering why I’ve been harsh on Ponter this year and specifically the last 3 games, here’s an example from last night:

View attachment vcompress_9.mov

She takes possession then puts the absolute blinkers on (something she does far too much of the time) and just ignores Marinoff running totally free into the 50 and proceeds to kick it straight to the Melbourne defender in Gillard in the opposite direction to where Gould was moving to. Cost the game.

 

[dplggr47]

By the way anyone wondering why I’ve been harsh on Ponter this year and specifically the last 3 games, here’s an example from last night:

View attachment 2137214

She takes possession then puts the absolute blinkers on (something she does far too much of the time) and just ignores Marinoff running totally free into the 50 and proceeds to kick it straight to the Melbourne defender in Gillard in the opposite direction to where Gould was moving to. Cost the game.

So many of them kicking it directly to an opponent. Are they just bad kicks, or they're not looking at all?

 

[Firewalker]

Squad for Sunday has Charlton, Munyard, Tonon and of course Waterhouse back in, also the ‘usuals’ are the ones that will be dropped with Varnhagen, Mueller, Levy, Boileau and Kustermann listed on the bench, Boyle-Carr rested.

So many of them kicking it directly to an opponent. Are they just bad kicks, or they're not looking at all?

Fundamentally most are still just poor kicks under any slight pressure but players also seem to not know where teammates want the ball/where they are trying to lead to.

Also like I said they just fluff them and they float off in the wrong direction to which the player upfield is moving too or high above the players head which means they either have the ball go through their hands/over their head to their immediate opponent or they have to stop and prop and just invite that opponent to spoil it.

 

[Scorpus]

I see a certain player is not playing for "personal reasons" in pride round again

 

[Firewalker]

I see a certain player is not playing for "personal reasons" in pride round again

That was a given

 

[Cromulant]

I see a certain player is not playing for "personal reasons" in pride round again

Wait who ??

 

[cmndstab]

I'd rather hold onto Ponter, to be honest. Yes, when she's bad she's bad, but her best is match-winning. She was the difference between winning and losing in our most recent premiership. She's still super young, could get ten more years of football out of her. And honestly, we need her. She's about the only natural forward on our list.

That being said, her performance last night was woeful.


I'd rather back ourselves to get Rasheed back in a few years.

 

[cmndstab]

Wait who ??

Without even looking it up, I'm going to assume Zreika again.

 

[dplggr47]

Wait who ??

Zreika (GWS). Goes against her Muslim beliefs.

 

[cmndstab]

This is Clarke ‘try some new things’ is playing Prowse up forward for all of 10 minutes before going nah need to go back to normal proceedings and not do anything different for the next 3 quarters.

That was a bit odd. The ball barely got into our forward line before Clarke gave up on Prowse as a forward. That being said, I'd rather she stay down back. As strange as it sounds, if we're determined to move a defender forward I'd go with Sarah Allan. I think Prowse and Biddell are crucial down back at the moment. Sarah Allan down back is a luxury and not one that is paying huge dividends at the moment.

Tarlinton in the ruck probably didn't work. Jess Allan became invisible as soon as she moved out of there, and she offered more than Tarlinton did. That being said, Tarlinton was okay for a debutant, livelier than I expected her to be. At this point, I'd just tell her, you're going to play forward for the rest of the season, make it work and you get a contract extension.

 

[cmndstab]

I'll say this for Zreika, at least she's prepared to sit herself out rather than expecting anyone else to change what they're doing. It still feels kind of shitty considering half the league is LGBTQ but whatever. I won't miss seeing her on Sunday.

 

[dplggr47]

I'll say this for Zreika, at least she's prepared to sit herself out rather than expecting anyone else to change what they're doing. It still feels kind of shitty considering half the league is LGBTQ but whatever. I won't miss seeing her on Sunday.

She did originally requested the AFLW allow her to wear the regular guernsey while her teammates wore the pride guernsey, which was rightly rejected. She said she was shocked by the decision, so now she sits out during the round.

 

[cmndstab]

She did originally requested the AFLW allow her to wear the regular guernsey while her teammates wore the pride guernsey, which was rightly rejected. She said she was shocked by the decision, so now she sits out during the round.

I'd forgotten about that. Can you imagine how ludicrous that would be? One player on the field in a different guernsey to everyone else.

 

[dplggr47]

I'd forgotten about that. Can you imagine how ludicrous that would be? One player on the field in a different guernsey to everyone else.

Hence I was shocked by her shocked response.

 

[cmndstab]

So Hawthorn are now a game ahead of us on the ladder, and could feasibly win all of their remaining games (West Coast, GWS, Melbourne, Richmond). Meanwhile we've still got a match against North to come up.

Richmond are also ahead of us on percentage, with Geelong, Melbourne, Essendon and Hawthorn to play. At least one of Hawthorn and Richmond will lose (or draw) in the last round.

Still, it's going to be tough to finish top 4. Can't afford any more slip-ups. With a likely loss to North coming up, we need to start burying a few opponents. GWS and Collingwood should be two fairly easy beats, hopefully Geelong as well.

 

[Firewalker]

I'd rather hold onto Ponter, to be honest. Yes, when she's bad she's bad, but her best is match-winning. She was the difference between winning and losing in our most recent premiership. She's still super young, could get ten more years of football out of her. And honestly, we need her. She's about the only natural forward on our list.

That being said, her performance last night was woeful.


I'd rather back ourselves to get Rasheed back in a few years.

If Rasheed gets drafted interstate & comes back it’s not going to be to the Crows, the only chance Crows get her is if she’s drafted by them, even if she wanted to go to Port instead and kicked up a fuss if the Crows had the pick they would at least be able to demand Lauren Young and some other high talents from Port in exchange for access to her.

I would hope that they are getting past the point where they are just accepting a few moments of brilliance every 3-4 games from Ponter but it doesn’t seem that way - Clarke seems far too accepting of a lot of things especially in recent seasons. No doubt she’s been the difference maker in the past and kicked important finals goals but looks happy resting on her laurels like a few other players at the moment. I know she’s young-ish still and there could theoretically be improvement there as a player but I fear we’ve seen her at her peak and probably a bit like with Rachele in the AFL can you accept the faults with some head over the ball/standing under the ball stuff & also when she puts the blinkers on she starts hindering and not helping things on field.

With it being a full national draft now if they are going to finish consistently in the top 5 the only way to ever get access to that top generational talent that might change the current cycle & take them to a flag is by giving up something good and she for mine is still a bit more icing on top of substance and maybe the only one of the top players on the club’s list that you could lose & get access to that top pick without totally compromising the team.

 

[brucetiki]

I'll say this for Zreika, at least she's prepared to sit herself out rather than expecting anyone else to change what they're doing. It still feels kind of shitty considering half the league is LGBTQ but whatever. I won't miss seeing her on Sunday.

I’d like to see GWS respond by not putting her straight back in the side after this week. It would be easy to say that she made herself unavailable and she has to work her way back in/not living up to team standards (which she isn’t by sitting out this week for her own selfish reasons).