Review The Week in Between - now we wait. Selection talk and other guff.

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I think you are spot on with what Amartey and McLeans role in the forward line is. IMO it has more to do with setting up defensively though and trying to keep the ball locked into the forward half. Although that really didn't happen at all against GWS.
I think who we play in the prelim would have a major factor in determining whether we stay with the three talls or not. If we play Hawthorn, they are extremely light on for talls in their defensive end now that Frost is out. It's pretty much Sicily and then mediums. That being said, we don't want Amartey & co using the same strategy and bringing it to ground as the Hawks would run it out quite easily. I was alarmed at how often GWS ran the ball out of our forward line with minimal pressure being applied. Can we trust the talls to take contested marks or do we match their smaller defense by bringing in a medium such as Fox who can play as both a tall or a small.
 

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We need to pick the team based on how we want to play.

First order or business is improving out starts. I’d have Papley at the first CBA (along with Heeney and Rowbottom) with the first drop being Adams. Warner to come in as a momentum booster if we have them on the back foot, or otherwise later in the game (Warner’s impact as a mid has often been second half when opponents are tiring). In the meantime Warner plays half forward.

Second order of business is more pressure upfront. Three talls plus Parker does not work - too slow. McLean stays because he rucks. Amartey stays because he is our best tall at being the ball to ground )which I know is saying something). MacDonald to me is the most talented of the three but least important structurally. However he stays in on talent. This forces Parker to sub, where he excels coming in once others have tired and slowed down. Papley needs to play front and centre a bit more, but this also needs to be the focus of Adam’s and Warner as they share Parker’s forward role. That, and chasing hard in defence. GWS waltzed out of their back half too often.

Third order of business is tightening the defence. Mills had a shocker but also had gastro. He has been strong in previous weeks so obviously no change to his role. Roberts also had a shocker and looked overawed. Though he has also looked like this in other games this year and managed to bounce back, and this was he first final. Back him in to turn it around. McCartin is struggling bit we have no one else for KPD. More time to train and sync with teammates should be somewhat helpful, but not expecting miracles.

Final order of business, Jmac. He doesn’t trust his knee so I don’t trust him (harsh I know, but he was god awful - I have no idea how they test returning players at training but he was no where near ready). Straight swap for Campbell, assuming Campbell’s groin recovers.

Summary:
Out Jmac
In Adams
Parker to Sub
Campbell from sub to first 22

Considers Cleary instead of Adams or Amartey, but think team balances means he just misses out.
Great post RBBS, nailed it.
 
We need to pick the team based on how we want to play.

First order or business is improving out starts. I’d have Papley at the first CBA (along with Heeney and Rowbottom) with the first drop being Adams. Warner to come in as a momentum booster if we have them on the back foot, or otherwise later in the game (Warner’s impact as a mid has often been second half when opponents are tiring). In the meantime Warner plays half forward.

Second order of business is more pressure upfront. Three talls plus Parker does not work - too slow. McLean stays because he rucks. Amartey stays because he is our best tall at being the ball to ground )which I know is saying something). MacDonald to me is the most talented of the three but least important structurally. However he stays in on talent. This forces Parker to sub, where he excels coming in once others have tired and slowed down. Papley needs to play front and centre a bit more, but this also needs to be the focus of Adam’s and Warner as they share Parker’s forward role. That, and chasing hard in defence. GWS waltzed out of their back half too often.

Third order of business is tightening the defence. Mills had a shocker but also had gastro. He has been strong in previous weeks so obviously no change to his role. Roberts also had a shocker and looked overawed. Though he has also looked like this in other games this year and managed to bounce back, and this was he first final. Back him in to turn it around. McCartin is struggling bit we have no one else for KPD. More time to train and sync with teammates should be somewhat helpful, but not expecting miracles.

Final order of business, Jmac. He doesn’t trust his knee so I don’t trust him (harsh I know, but he was god awful - I have no idea how they test returning players at training but he was no where near ready). Straight swap for Campbell, assuming Campbell’s groin recovers.

Summary:
Out Jmac
In Adams
Parker to Sub
Campbell from sub to first 22

Considers Cleary instead of Adams or Amartey, but think team balances means he just misses out.
An observation regarding our starts. We seem to start well enough…..often we get the first clearance, or at least first hands. We lapse at times costing us on the scoreboard. Rather than starts it’s more first quarters, we just don’t get the machine purring in the first quarter….even when we have a massive rev at the first centre bounce. It seems we just go flat at times. or………I really think our defensive structure around the ground invites easy yards and goals for opposition, particularly early in games until either they tire or we start to apply elite pressure. Our slow starts are directly related to our defensive structure and not mindset etc etc…..we play a shite zone defence and it hurts us in first quarters especially as we don’t adjust….
 
I absolutely love Daniel Gorringe's Instagram posts, they are always freaking hilarious and this one was simply superb - albeit with a little bit of an academy drive by.

Apologies for the language.....

 

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We're basically Collingwood circa 2022 right now. Relying on comebacks far, far too often. I don't know that the best team in the comp should find itself 5 goals down with a quarter left to play relying on the other team running out of gas, as has been our scenario a few too many times this season. Collingwood found that out the hard way in that prelim final against us, when it was all going according to their 'comeback kings' script... until it didn't.

Our players have to toughen the **** up and turn up from the first bounce. I think they've been coddled and worshipped for what they do in last quarters when the opposition are on their knees and it's excused the fact a lot of them poo themselves early in games when the heat is at its most intense.

That's my spray. I only have this frustration because I think our best is the best and is good enough to win a flag but if we start like shit in a GF... well, we know what happens from experience unfortunately.
 
An observation regarding our starts. We seem to start well enough…..often we get the first clearance, or at least first hands. We lapse at times costing us on the scoreboard. Rather than starts it’s more first quarters, we just don’t get the machine purring in the first quarter….even when we have a massive rev at the first centre bounce. It seems we just go flat at times. or………I really think our defensive structure around the ground invites easy yards and goals for opposition, particularly early in games until either they tire or we start to apply elite pressure. Our slow starts are directly related to our defensive structure and not mindset etc etc…..we play a shite zone defence and it hurts us in first quarters especially as we don’t adjust….
Absolutely spot on with the bolded. I'm trying to remember back to the start of the season and I don't think it was that casual.
 
Port hit the wall last week, they're sitting ducks for Hawthorn. Ugly end for Kenny I think

not convinced of port's demise yet ... it's a notorious trap to fall into, assuming the bottom four winning team will beat the top four losing team in the second week of finals ...
port were abysmal, but it's a new game, they're at home, hinkley has a weird record of rebounding and hawthorn are due to hit a wall themselves
 
I think who we play in the prelim would have a major factor in determining whether we stay with the three talls or not. If we play Hawthorn, they are extremely light on for talls in their defensive end now that Frost is out. It's pretty much Sicily and then mediums. That being said, we don't want Amartey & co using the same strategy and bringing it to ground as the Hawks would run it out quite easily. I was alarmed at how often GWS ran the ball out of our forward line with minimal pressure being applied. Can we trust the talls to take contested marks or do we match their smaller defense by bringing in a medium such as Fox who can play as both a tall or a small.
Our forward pressure against GWS

GIF by Gorillaz
 
Mr Punts, I agree !

Glad to see you like fast players too.
Two things:
1) We need a better spread of players matching their opponents across the ground. If you look at the game we had way too many who came out on the wrong side of the ledger.
2) The remaining teams I feel are very quick - I'm not sure how we counter that if we don't get #1
 

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Review The Week in Between - now we wait. Selection talk and other guff.

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