PREGAME: Rd 02 vs Geelong

[Drunkn167 5,093]

12 hours ago, chook fowler said:

Does anyone have any idea where Lockhart will play. He’s named in the back pocket but I thought he was more a midfield/forward type.

Half back who can also go into the midfield, but can play small forward as well

[Cards13 9,117]

For mine, while i think we all agree Frosty isn't the greatest thinker and prone to brain f@rts I think he gets better the more games he plays. He got better over the last part of last season and was a positive player during finals. Give him a couple of weeks, I'd rather have his pace/endeavour at this point to OMac who showed very little last week.

[Dee Zephyr 19,267]

Hopefully Jones, Viney and Melksham are better for the run although the latter was pretty good considering. May has played one JLT, KK one Casey scratch match, hopefully they have enough base behind them prior to their injuries in January. Slight concern, backing the team in to rebound regardless. 

By the way, can any ‘landers please shed some info re traffic, parking at Cat Park on game night? Pubs for a frothie pre game? 

Edited March 28, 2019 by Dee Zephyr

[Deespicable 2,726]

Happy with the side's balance and hopefully we have a bit of a bounce back from last week, although down there I can cope with a loss - I just want to see our key troika (Gawn, Oliver and Viney) being competitive again.

Clearly we have deficiencies, but so long as we are winning the clearances, then our season is going to be fine, even at 0-2. But if we can't win the battle in the middle, what hope have we got as that's our strength. We don't have bookends like Rance/Riewoldt to save us. Nor do the Tigers now!

We have options down back and if there's problems up front we can always put Hibberd on to Rohan and send O-Mac forward. Jetta on Ablett with Salem on Dahl are my two favourite matchups along with HarmesvSelwood 2.0. It's a night game and with weather turning, I suspect it will be intense with plenty of kicking errors from both sides.

Lockhart is a very good ball user and may end up on Atkins (I think he matched up on him last season in VFL) but I just don't get why we don't start with our more senior players (eg: Stretch) and then go the kids and rookies. It must be so deflating for Billy right now. 

Could Jonesy be a surprise small forward for us - he reads the game well?

 

[binman 42,896]

48 minutes ago, Drunkn167 said:

Half back who can also go into the midfield, but can play small forward as well

I suspect he will play as a small forward

[Drunkn167 5,093]

21 minutes ago, binman said:

I suspect he will play as a small forward

Me too, probably taking Spargos spot. Should be good coz he definitely knows where the goals are, some of his work and snaps at goal, or running into goal last year were great

[La Dee-vina Comedia 16,750]

1 hour ago, Deespicable said:

Happy with the side's balance and hopefully we have a bit of a bounce back from last week, although down there I can cope with a loss - I just want to see our key troika (Gawn, Oliver and Viney) being competitive again.

Clearly we have deficiencies, but so long as we are winning the clearances, then our season is going to be fine, even at 0-2. But if we can't win the battle in the middle, what hope have we got as that's our strength. We don't have bookends like Rance/Riewoldt to save us. Nor do the Tigers now!

We have options down back and if there's problems up front we can always put Hibberd on to Rohan and send O-Mac forward. Jetta on Ablett with Salem on Dahl are my two favourite matchups along with HarmesvSelwood 2.0. It's a night game and with weather turning, I suspect it will be intense with plenty of kicking errors from both sides.

Lockhart is a very good ball user and may end up on Atkins (I think he matched up on him last season in VFL) but I just don't get why we don't start with our more senior players (eg: Stretch) and then go the kids and rookies. It must be so deflating for Billy right now. 

Could Jonesy be a surprise small forward for us - he reads the game well?

 

Wouldn't be much of a surprise. He played there a lot in 2018. 

[The Chazz 4,077]

1 hour ago, Dee Zephyr said:

Hopefully Jones, Viney and Melksham are better for the run although the latter was pretty good considering. May has played one JLT, KK one Casey scratch match, hopefully they have enough base behind them prior to their injuries in January. Slight concern, backing the team in to rebound regardless. 

By the way, can any ‘landers please shed some info re traffic, parking at Cat Park on game night? Pubs for a frothie pre game? 

Parking can be tricky.  Might be best to try and park in Fyans St somewhere (possibly around where The Good Guys is - there's a carpark there, as well as plenty of street parking), then walk to the ground from there.  Any of the streets that run between Pakington Street and Latrobe Terrace will be hard to find a park.

Pubs - don't go to the Barwon Club.  My preference would be Lord of the Isles as it has a beer garden (I'd probably avoid that on a Geelong game day though), but also has a pokies area with a TAB machine.  If you can put up with the pokies sounds (they don't faze me at all), there is a good little bar in there that would be fairly quiet.  Other options would be Valley Inn (especially if you park in Fyans Street), or Sawyers Arms, which would be good if you parked in one of the streets that run between Pako and Latrobe Tce.

You're welcome.

[old dee 23,787]

2 hours ago, Redleg said:

Wouldn't hurt.

They have a few others as well. That Elliott can play.

I would think their mids also kick more goals than ours.

Everyone kicks more goals than ours Me Leg

[Sydee 4,412]

Based on the form displayed to date (Geelong, Collingwood, Melbourne) we must be rank outsiders to win this 

Will need a massive change in performance to get a win

[Sydee 4,412]

2 hours ago, Drunkn167 said:

Half back who can also go into the midfield, but can play small forward as well

He can do everything but ruck no wonder he gets the nod 

[Dee Zephyr 19,267]

Thank you @The Chazz great detail, much appreciated.

[chook fowler 19,458]

I think our media dept stinks this year. Whatever happened to the vision of the debutants being told they were to play. The Casey reports are very basic. It used to be that members would receive a text about team selections. It looks like very little effort is being made to inform and involve the membership. I put this down to Pert. Maybe I’m wrong but I doubt it.

[buck_nekkid 5,857]

Some thoughts before the bounce:

Last week, Gawn was down, and the midfield was down.  We kicked poorly to targets forward of centre, and struggled to run back or run outside to cover Power players.  The defenders were on a hiding to nothing, and didn’t cover themselves in glory.

The 666 setup favours teams who can win the clearance and deliver well into 50.  Last week, what should have been our strength, was a massive weakness.  If we can turn this around with max and the centre square team winning, or at least halving contests, and then using the ball well, we are in with a red hot chance.

The team needs to get back to two way running and not all getting sucked into the contest, then stand back and watch the opposition run off and away in overlap.

If we could learn anything from Richmond Vs Collingwood, then ball control and winning each contest is vital to success. Chaos ball can only serve us if we can get to and win way more contests than we lose.  

We need to be aware that the umpires will play home ground advantage, and with Dangerblabberwood, we are sure to get a few howlers against.  We need to keep our cool and crack in.  I worry that Viney and Jones wont be able to go the distance...

If we show up, Dees by 26 points.

[DubDee 25,839]

1 hour ago, old dee said:

Everyone kicks more goals than ours Me Leg

I thought we were the top goal scoring team last year??

[Mickey 4,672]

So, after the call for more physicality from both the media and Jones... I wonder how many players we'll lose through suspension?

[DV8 2,271]

12 hours ago, WERRIDEE said:

Don't understand the side there Keilty and Spargo aren't playing.

I'm suggesting, that either/or might be ins...  that's what I would do.   Not necessarily what they are doing.

That made up side is in my view,  the match-ups I would go in with.   There maybe one player out in numbers...  but the essence is there.

[Laughing Goat 308]

4 hours ago, La Dee-vina Comedia said:

Hyperbole much! If I was a parent of Wagner or Hore, sure, I'd be disappointed, but I'd still be buzzing that my son had actually played a game at the highest level.

As to the team selected, I have no idea what Lockhart brings...but I suspect Geelong doesn't either. May for Hore was (I thought) predictable. Frost staying in the side is no surprise to me. Geelong play a lot of pacy forwards (Ablett, Rohan, Dallhouse, Parfitt). Frost could play on one of them, although I suspect he'll take one of Hawkins or Ratugolea. Based on last week's game, though, if the midfield and forwards don't apply pressure, it won't matter who plays on whom in defence.

And Spargo and Wagner going out are hardly surprising.

doesn't makes sense to me.....

[hemingway 7,627]

51 minutes ago, buck_nekkid said:

Some thoughts before the bounce:

Last week, Gawn was down, and the midfield was down.  We kicked poorly to targets forward of centre, and struggled to run back or run outside to cover Power players.  The defenders were on a hiding to nothing, and didn’t cover themselves in glory.

The 666 setup favours teams who can win the clearance and deliver well into 50.  Last week, what should have been our strength, was a massive weakness.  If we can turn this around with max and the centre square team winning, or at least halving contests, and then using the ball well, we are in with a red hot chance.

The team needs to get back to two way running and not all getting sucked into the contest, then stand back and watch the opposition run off and away in overlap.

If we could learn anything from Richmond Vs Collingwood, then ball control and winning each contest is vital to success. Chaos ball can only serve us if we can get to and win way more contests than we lose.  

We need to be aware that the umpires will play home ground advantage, and with Dangerblabberwood, we are sure to get a few howlers against.  We need to keep our cool and crack in.  I worry that Viney and Jones wont be able to go the distance...

If we show up, Dees by 26 points.

great summary

[Deemania since 56 6,634]

1 hour ago, Sydee said:

Based on the form displayed to date (Geelong, Collingwood, Melbourne) we must be rank outsiders to win this 

Will need a massive change in performance to get a win

Ken Oath! 

[DV8 2,271]

6 hours ago, SPC said:

Frost will go to Rohan, May to Hawkins and Oscar to Ratugolea. I think Jetts will go to Ablett or Dalhuis and Hibberd will take the left over.

I think KK and Salem will play on either wing.

Ratugolea is too agile and nimble for Oscar imv.   And i think Oscar gets a bit toe'y when there is lots of room behind him,  when out at CHB.

[Laughing Goat 308]

2 minutes ago, hemingway said:

great summary

Agree H.....in summation, mid's get off theirs backsides & work a bit harder, especially defensively & reduce the inside 50 count (50 plus up to 3/4 time last week) & give Max a chop-out......

[Sydee 4,412]

4 minutes ago, hemingway said:

great summary

Hopefully, all of those big "ifs" turn into "did" 

[Wiseblood 24,637]

53 minutes ago, Good Lord George said:

So, after the call for more physicality from both the media and Jones... I wonder how many players we'll lose through suspension?

It has the feeling of a game against the Saints many years ago where we wanted to come out breathing fire.  We talked it up all week, did it for 10 minutes, and then proceeded to get smashed off the park.

Obviously we're a better side than that, but I'm hoping for sustained, legal physicality at the contest all night.  Anything less and we aren't winning this game of footy.

[DV8 2,271]

1 hour ago, buck_nekkid said:

We need to be aware that the umpires will play home ground advantage, and with Dangerblabberwood, we are sure to get a few howlers against.  We need to keep our cool and crack in.  I worry that Viney and Jones wont be able to go the distance...

https://www.weather.com.au/vic/geelong

With showers in the afternoon and a cool to cold evening,  it will be greasy conditions IMO.   Being in front at the ball,  crucial.

I think Spargo should be in, in these conditions.   I would leave OMc out, in these conditions as well.   Lockhart should suit the conditions.

Edited March 29, 2019 by DV8