Preview Round 9: Essendon vs The Orange Team, Marvel Stadium, Saturday 11th May, 4:35pm

[BomberTime]

Think we lost fwd structure when Goldy was forward or on the bench. Goldy gets a well deserved rest before NoRf. Give Bryan a run, and Hobbs and Davey need a good VFL run.

In: Draper, Shiel, Bryan
Out: Goldy (managed), Davey, Hobbs

McGrath McKay Kelly
Redman Laverde Martin
Duursma Parish Heppell
Stringer Jones Gresham
Langford Wright Guelfi
Draper Merrett Durham
Caldwell Cox Bryan Perkins
Shiel

 

[outersanctum]

Agree Davey is not smashing it but you want oace against giants. They are a very fast team.

Going to be another really good test for club.

 

[jdstorm]

Who did Kelly stop last night?

Well normally he stops the ball and he didn’t do that as much. Had a great run through the midfield.

Sure the air swing goal conceded was bad but it was just one poor moment.

Had 90ish SuperCoach points too so champion data thinks he had a good impact on the game

 

[boncer34]

Zerret said last night we were embarrassed by the Giants last year. Feels like the players are taking this one personally.

 

[Gumby2Hurley]

Looked like the giants lost their cool against the blues n swans when things weren't going their way. Toby especially. He deserves a week for a gut punch in the game yesterday but probably gets a fine.

 

[silk]

Preview is up.

 

[DallasCrane316]

Actually fine, or like Connor Rozee 'fine'?

He said there wasn’t an injury. Caldwell was fine to keep playing. But because Caldwell was feeling tightness in his calf and they had a similar player in Hobbs on the bench, they subbed him out of an abundance of caution to avoid a chance of injury.

 

[andleanback]

Scott confirmed Caldwell is fine and will play next week.

Yeh I’m still not confident. Have heard players are fine and they’ve still missed the following

 

[andleanback]

Agree Davey is not smashing it but you want oace against giants. They are a very fast team.

Going to be another really good test for club.

Also think Davey plays a lot better on a fast deck under the lid.

 

[ant555]

Agree Davey is not smashing it but you want oace against giants. They are a very fast team.

Going to be another really good test for club.

You also want your pace to be making more than 1 tackle and be in the top few for pressure acts. No tackles last week and 1 this week. If he plays like the Crows game then okay but if he is going to run around and just look to do the offensive stuff then it is pretty much useless to be quick.

 

[carnthedons]

First game this season where we’ve got an actual home ground advantage against a travelling opponent having had 4 neutral Melbourne games and 4 interstate disadvantages. Will be a good test for us, particularly the mental side of things which has been our biggest challenge for as long as I can remember.

 

[hurlygurdy]

It’s honestly a little absurd if we win this game and go into third place. There’s a lot to like about the nuts and bolts of what’s happening with the team but realistically we have done a crap load of scraping by. Expecting a solid loss.

 

[JayJ20]

 

[DallasCrane316]

You’d think they wouldn’t risk it.

 

[Milanista28]

Cogs a chance as well I believe. I'm happy to play them at full strength, awesome test.

 

[ant555]

Cogs a chance as well I believe. I'm happy to play them at full strength, awesome test.

Yep. 100% . Need to play sides at their best to test where we are at.

 

[Megabattimus]

Hope we don't bring Draper back in. Let him test his knee out in the VFL while Goldy holds down the fort.

On SM-G991B using BigFooty.com mobile app

 

[DallasCrane316]

Cogs a chance as well I believe. I'm happy to play them at full strength, awesome test.

Cogs was a test to be available against the Swans. For sure he plays against us.

 

[DallasCrane316]

Hope we don't bring Draper back in. Let him test his knee out in the VFL while Goldy holds down the fort.

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I think part of the reason Eagles were able to level the clearances with us in the second half is Goldy started to tire (and Caldwell was subbed).

Think we need the two ruck structure.

 

[bombadeer]

Scott confirmed Caldwell is fine and will play next week.

Literally no way Scott could know that, but I’m all for the misdirection!

 

[bombadeer]

I like what we’re doing this year, but GWS should win this if they’re going to be a threat for the flag this year.

Which, I think they are - a lot to like about them and how they play.

 

[Megabattimus]

I think part of the reason Eagles were able to level the clearances with us in the second half is Goldy started to tire (and Caldwell was subbed).

Think we need the two ruck structure.

sigh, you may be right.

On SM-G991B using BigFooty.com mobile app

 

[DallasCrane316]

Literally no way Scott could know that, but I’m all for the misdirection!

This is what he said. Basically Caldwell wasn’t injured and was fine to play. But who knows I suppose

 

[JayJ20]

I like what we’re doing this year, but GWS should win this if they’re going to be a threat for the flag this year.

Which, I think they are - a lot to like about them and how they play.

GWS have been good, but other than the Brisbane game, they've been pretty ordinary the last month.
Beat St Kilda by a point and well beaten by Sydney and Carlton.

We've been ok by GWS' standards so not great, but at home I think we're in with a chance. Plus they've only beaten us in Melbourne once and that was the 2016 top up side.

 

[mcgrath_truther]

caldwell likely identified that it could progress into something worse and elected to sub himself off. he knows his body (i hope) well enough to be able to call these things