37 minutes ago, big_red_fire_engine said:

Fritsch had him early. Hibberd then had him late. My simple view is Smith is taller, faster and stronger than Fritsch. Fritsch is a better outside runner and link man than Tyson on a wing. Tyson was not poor but nor did he do enough to cement a place. Its a better set up against a better team.

I agree with your thinking and that is why I hoped Hunt had a blinder yesterday, but he didn’t. 

Traveling emergencies will not stay in Perth to watch the game. 

 

FWIW, I think this is the one game too many that will catch up with us. Not being pessimistic, it's just that the physical demands of the last 4 matches, and especially the last two where it's all gone up a notch, will start to catch up with youthful bodies.

Not only are West Coast older, bigger, stronger (especially the first), they've had a week off, a week of not putting your body on the line and getting knocked from pillar to post.

As always, I could be wrong, and the 8 day rest including effectively a full weekend to rest/unwind could prove invaluable, but I wouldn't be surprised if we just can't match them physically for the whole game.

If anything this season has taught us is that the team is greater than the individual. If you're going to replace someone in the team, with a replacement that's not significantly better (i.e. Viney)  then there's we're going backwards. no change! 

I reckon Vince will get taken to Perth as back up and also as an experienced player for others to gain support, advice and encouragement from. 

Edited September 16, 20186 yr by Thehardtackler

I'm advocating for NO CHANGE 

But would like to see JKH and J Smith make the trip as travelling emergencies

38 minutes ago, bing181 said:

FWIW, I think this is the one game too many that will catch up with us. Not being pessimistic, it's just that the physical demands of the last 4 matches, and especially the last two where it's all gone up a notch, will start to catch up with youthful bodies.

Not only are West Coast older, bigger, stronger (especially the first), they've had a week off, a week of not putting your body on the line and getting knocked from pillar to post.

As always, I could be wrong, and the 8 day rest including effectively a full weekend to rest/unwind could prove invaluable, but I wouldn't be surprised if we just can't match them physically for the whole game.

Then you're saying we should make changes to the side? Who do you suggest?

If we don't make changes, then we're right to go. The only other alternative is that Goodwin is an idiot. One or the other.

1 hour ago, Redleg said:

Why, look how they plan everything else.

Let’s hope the team don’t take the same defeatist attitude that many of us do. 

Just suck it up and play to win no matter what the schedule dictates. 

1 hour ago, Jaded said:

I completely agree with this change. Smith was good at Casey under pressure and it’s some awful conditions. A dry warm day will suit his skills even better. He isn’t a world beater but he helps us have some extra speed both off half back and by allowing Fritsch to play up the ground. 

Tyson on a wing is not an experiment that has worked. We already give up pace when Jones plays wing. We need some more leg speed against WC who love to run forward of the ball and give their gun forwards first use of the footy. 

The interesting thing is WC got on top of Collingwood by using Redden and Sheed on the wings (along with Masten) and giving themselves a big ball winning midfield with an advantage that way. The Pies were well on top and I thought the Pies midfield would go on and win that game but Redden, Sheed and Yeo in particular got on top at the contest.

So Jones and Tyson actually match up well against those guys if we what to match them and beat them their and use that as the strength of our game. There's no Gaff and Jetta plays half back where ANB/Spargs will have a huge task in curtailing him.

In general I'd certainly like the extra leg speed through the middle but I wonder if the Eagles achieve their quick pace via their backs and forwards and their excellent skills and not really via the wings and mids? We might stick with the same midfield purely because we want to win in our strongest area. Should we change to match up better with them or should we stay to our big jumbo midfield of ball winners?

Jetta is of little consequence to this game

6 minutes ago, Roost It said:

Jetta is of little consequence to this game

Wut?

3 hours ago, McQueen said:

It’s almost inconceivable how these idiots plan the finals. 

 

They are some of the highest paid dolts going around. How the f k they think playing a day game in Perth late Sept over a Friday nighter is beyond me.

McQueen hope you have a bloody great day and get to see the boys win in front of that crowd, would be an amazing contrast to what you saw Friday night.

I expect Shuey? to be Steamrolled by Nev early if the last two weeks are anything to go by . Selwood ✔ Mitchell ✔

He’s massively over rated 

besides his one goal was he even on the ground last week?

11 minutes ago, Roost It said:

Jetta is of little consequence to this game

I assume you mean Lewis?

Vital goal. 20 touches, 14 kicks, only 2 clangers. 4th highest supercoach score. I'm not saying he's a world beater but he's a player we better curtail. 

2 hours ago, big_red_fire_engine said:

Fritsch had him early. Hibberd then had him late. My simple view is Smith is taller, faster and stronger than Fritsch. Fritsch is a better outside runner and link man than Tyson on a wing. Tyson was not poor but nor did he do enough to cement a place. Its a better set up against a better team.

Gunston is not playing this week !!!

I just feel the brains trust would be very happy with the side's current form.

Tyson is a strong body , which gives room for Gus or Clarrie to move forward for a while but still have presence around the ball.

Bernie would love to play( and it would have been good to fit him in) ,but is also mature enough to realise that it is pretty hard to break into a side that is gelling so well together and players are all playing their roles.

A case could be presented for Jeffy to replace Spargo, but the kid is providing a consistent presence and level of involvement in the last few games.

It is not as if we have been playing practice matches against Coburg anf Frankston the last few weeks.

4 minutes ago, Roost It said:

He’s massively over rated 

besides his one goal was he even on the ground last week?

Wtf are/who you even talking about?

6 minutes ago, Cards13 said:

They are some of the highest paid dolts going around. How the f k they think playing a day game in Perth late Sept over a Friday nighter is beyond me.

McQueen hope you have a bloody great day and get to see the boys win in front of that crowd, would be an amazing contrast to what you saw Friday night.

If we can get a repeat of round 22 mate it’ll be pretty epic. 

Gonna be tough with JK and JD back in their line up but I reckon we’re a solid chance. 

Agree that we’ll come up short if we stuff about with the pill as much as we did last Friday. 

1 hour ago, bing181 said:

FWIW, I think this is the one game too many that will catch up with us. Not being pessimistic, it's just that the physical demands of the last 4 matches, and especially the last two where it's all gone up a notch, will start to catch up with youthful bodies.

Not only are West Coast older, bigger, stronger (especially the first), they've had a week off, a week of not putting your body on the line and getting knocked from pillar to post.

As always, I could be wrong, and the 8 day rest including effectively a full weekend to rest/unwind could prove invaluable, but I wouldn't be surprised if we just can't match them physically for the whole game.

I share similar concerns.  I thought we looked tired at times on Friday night.

1 hour ago, DeeSpencer said:

The interesting thing is WC got on top of Collingwood by using Redden and Sheed on the wings (along with Masten) and giving themselves a big ball winning midfield with an advantage that way. The Pies were well on top and I thought the Pies midfield would go on and win that game but Redden, Sheed and Yeo in particular got on top at the contest.

So Jones and Tyson actually match up well against those guys if we what to match them and beat them their and use that as the strength of our game. There's no Gaff and Jetta plays half back where ANB/Spargs will have a huge task in curtailing him.

In general I'd certainly like the extra leg speed through the middle but I wonder if the Eagles achieve their quick pace via their backs and forwards and their excellent skills and not really via the wings and mids? We might stick with the same midfield purely because we want to win in our strongest area. Should we change to match up better with them or should we stay to our big jumbo midfield of ball winners?

Valid concerns, but I'm sure the same concerns were held over the Bulldogs in 2016, who had already had to go to Perth and then had to go to Sydney for their prelim.

On 9/15/2018 at 9:05 AM, spirit of norm smith said:

Versus round 22

eagles. In. Kennedy. Out. Ahchee 

demons. In. Viney. Out. Kent

They will be without Brad Sheppard who is a very underrated footballer. Sheppard is one of West Coasts top 10 players. He was amongst the best when we played them in round 22, and had played every game this season prior to injury last week.

This will force them to make a change, Perhaps Schofield is the likely replacement. 

This will weaken their speed a tad, Scofield isn't a like for like for Sheppard.

I think Dom Tyson wasn't great, but will remain in the side and look to make an impact.

No changes.

 

Whatever happens, we won't die wondering.
Not this team.

4 hours ago, PaulRB said:

The Tigers armchair ride is a fair reward for finishing the H & A season on top. 

If we want that treatment, we know what we need to do...

how many rewards do they need. they get the double chance plus home ground advantages.

So we’re at round 26 or so now... surely given our tough draw we can be forgiven for a lapse.. this one might be harder than an actual GF. 

Hostile territory, a bolstered opponent, motivation from last time we beat them, a deafening crowd and.. whatever decisions get made by our favourite green maggots.

I’m so very nervous about this one, but I’m still very proud of the team to have done so well!

 

I just don't see how we can cover their forward line. Collingwood, despite being on top across the middle for most of the qualifying final, were lucky that Kennedy's timing was out early. When he and Darling started connecting as dual targets in the last it was all over. Add to this their fleet of fast small finishers, and I don't think we can match up against their forward thrusts, however haphazard.

Frost is a fast closer and strong in the contest, but not so much one on one - and Omac lacks strength and go-with speed on a straight-line lead against big opposition KPFs with arms outstretched. With Hibberd and Fritch we have defenders who can play tall or small - but not small enough to combat the likes of Ryan and co. running and weaving in space. Lewis is slow. 

My concern is that we can dominate the midfield and put pressure on up the ground but they'll still trump us with less opportunity and forward-entry structure. And I have no idea what the solution is. Hunt has the leg-speed to put on a forward tag vs. one of their smalls, but by the sound of it his form and confidence has been ordinary. Smith is still underdeveloped and can be exploited positionally. Bernie is slow. 

I previously said no change. But I don't think that just doing what we've been doing, however well executed, will be enough to get us over the line against this one specific opponent on a sunny day in Perth. We need to absolutely control the middle and have the perfect press to stop the flow from their backline - but I'm also worried about their marking power with forwards pushing up on the wings.

That all said, I think Smith and Pedo should be in the frame - just to give us more flexibility across our division of talls and mobile markers. But then they all have to play somewhere, and disrupting what has been a decent defence isn't ideal. I feel there will have to be a sacrifice somewhere - moss likely our middle - with perhaps super-stopper Harmes being sent back to compete in defence.