Game Day Round 7 vs. Essendon, MCG, 3:20pm ANZAC Day 25/04

[IlovethePies]

We beat Brisbane up there and Port. Both top 4 and quality teams from last year

Neither Brisbane nor PA is a top 4 team currently.

 

[Magnanimous]

We haven't beaten a top 4 team either.

Weren't Port third before we played them?

from my Delorean

 

[Magnanimous]

McInnes absolutely stiff lol

Gets 6 minutes of match time as the sub, kicks a goal, assist in another and gets dropped

“Selection integrity” tho lol

Keeps him hungry

from my Delorean

 

[Looney]

In two minds about this match.

The 5-day turnaround still concerns me. We played excellent football last Saturday and our pressure numbers were very high but I just hope that doesn't leave us flat footed with a shorter than usual turnaround.

Our best football is better than Essendon's when all things are equal, but Essendon are capable of an upset if they put their best foot forward and we're a little off in key metrics.

On the other hand, I think Essendon opting to play Goldstein, Draper, Jones and Wright all in the one team will leave them too top heavy and slow, which could allow us easy run to pressure and transition. I was expecting them to drop Draper, so it's interesting they're going for height and aerial dominance to beat us.

We always play well on Anzac Day. We've won 13 of our last 17 in the fixture and we have a 17-1-10 head to head record in our favour. Hopefully we keep maintaining this good record.

Just hope it rains before the game. That would screw them up

 

[76woodenspooners]

The 5-day turnaround still concerns me. We played excellent football last Saturday and our pressure numbers were very high but I just hope that doesn't leave us flat footed with a shorter than usual turnaround.

Although it is 5 days …

… it’s only about 18 hours less than Essendon had.

• they looked like they had to work a lot harder for their win than we did.
• they had to travel back from Adelaide.

So it probably evens out. No excuses.

 

[Prankster]

Just got a feeling Schultz will kick 5 today.

 

[manicpie]

Just got a feeling Schultz will kick 5 today.

I agree and I think we are both smoking the same strain of bud

 

[Tadpole]

Hopefully Pendlebury’s 10,000th career disposal is a kick for goal that sails straight through the big sticks. The roof would just about come off at that (if there were one).

 

[Timmy from Thomastown]

How does that differ from any other supermarkets?

Foodland Adelaide are amazing. Especially that one at Frewville. Hard to describe but it’s a fun visit, big bakery, proper butcher shop style meat and seafood section etc etc

Digression from topic off the radar haha apologies

 

[Looney]

Just got a feeling Schultz will kick 5 today.

5 kicks or 5 goals?

 

[Sweeetleftfoot]

Just start Pendles at full forward, let him get his 4 kicks (goals ) early in the first.
No distractions after that.

 

[Big Bryza]

Good to see Harrison get selected. His pace, along with his ability to run and carry the ball, may get him a start.
Could Titch be the sub, given it's a short turnaround?

Vice Versa you would think. Whoever out of the older mids needs a break or is most banged up. HH will add some much needed leg speed in the second half today. Excited to see what he can bring to the table.

 

[76woodenspooners]

It’s one of the stranger selection decisions I’ve seen from this coaching panel, and one I can’t in any way agree with. Kid didn’t even get the opportunity to do anything wrong with 7 minutes game tame last Saturday. He’d have every right to be really dirty at this decision given Harrison hasn’t set the world on fire in the VFL.

Reef probably didn’t do anything wrong.

There are considerations that we wouldn’t understand …

• Matchups.
• Coverage for the player likely to be subbed out.
• Who to give opportunities to and why.
• Whilst HH may not have set the world on fire in the VFL from the point of view of the punter in the stand, he might very have impressed his coaches by following instructions precisely.

 

[Big Bryza]

Squad rotation is necessary.

Harrison deserves a game.

A week or two off won’t hurt Reefs development.

Hate that Harrison will likely be sub.

But I blame the AFL for the ridiculous sub rule rather than 5 on the bench with similar rotation limits

Yes, the sooner the sub rule gets fcuked off the better.

 

[Prankster]

5 kicks or 5 goals?

Both

 

[Big Bryza]

Anything to be read into Sullivan as emergency over Macrae?

I think they want to get a full block of VFL into Fin, rather than carrying him as the 23rd/24th man each week. So i wouldn't read too much into it. Need to keep rotating the depth players so they get some continuity in their footy. Would be nice to see Sully get a run soon, but it might be an injury or the resting of an older mid for that to happen.

 

[Prankster]

I agree and I think we are both smoking the same strain of bud

Gelato sherbet 28% thc from dispensed labs? I don’t think so

 

[Tadpole]

5 kicks or 5 goals?

 

[Big Bryza]

McInnes absolutely stiff lol

Gets 6 minutes of match time as the sub, kicks a goal, assist in another and gets dropped

“Selection integrity” tho lol

It's absolutely the right call.

You can't keep carrying Fin and Reef as sub each week. Their reality atm is they're 23/24ish on our list. They need to play some full VFL games to maintain form and fitness. HH and Sully are next cabs off the rank. Squad rotation is required to win flags.

 

[Tadpole]

Foodland Adelaide are amazing. Especially that one at Frewville. Hard to describe but it’s a fun visit, big bakery, proper butcher shop style meat and seafood section etc etc

Digression from topic off the radar haha apologies

The Pasadena one’s pretty good too.

Anyway, can the game start already.

 

[Big Bryza]

Hyphen was better than OK last week.
How he only got 3 coaches votes is a bit of a mystery.

WHE was great. However, i think JDG had a sneaky very good game.

But the thing is we mark them against their own standard. WHE had one out of the box, whereas JDG had almost a par game for the standards supporters mark him against.

Durham will go to him today. I want to see JDG own ANZAC Day just like Swanny used to do.

 

[Bianconeri]

He also gave one off

Balances out as far as I’m concerned

He did as much as one could do in 5 or 6 minutes of game time in a dead match

I’m not exactly a Reef Stan or anything but sorry, that’s wholly unfair

I didn’t think it was fair for John Noble to get dropped in last years finals but fairness is a secondary consideration to picking a winning team.

 

[manicpie]

Gelato sherbet 28% thc from dispensed labs? I don’t think so

How about northern lights from Tasmanian botanicals, also 28% THC and comes in a vape

 

[nahnah]

20/23 playing also played in the GF so plenty of big game experience on the field for us, not that it always plays a part.

 

[JuniorB]

HH could have a sneaky good game today, as the bummers will be focused on our other small forwards.
He's got speed and knows where the goals are.
We don't want it to rain until just after Essendon have locked in their final lineup.
It's quite breezy too.