1 hour ago, faultydet said:

Chandler was horrendous. Poor kid tried so hard but simply got under everyones feet. Easy out for Viney when he is ready.

Weid did not impress at all. For a bloke coming off much touted form at VFL level he was just average. And STILL 2 grabs almost every mark. Not good enough for a key forward. TMac has him well and truly covered.

Am I the only one who thinks we look heaps better with Harmes in the middle? I've been impressed with how much more dangerous he makes us look. With Viney and Oliver (and Jordon) beside him, we have the capacity for Trac to spend a bit more time across half forward. It's a nice mix.

I thought Harmes was better against the Swans than last night but I think he adds a level of hardness in the middle and is playing well.

Sam wasnt great but its hard as the fwd structure is trying to work itself out. There were too many trying to mark at times.

I dont know if Ill get howled down but could we try Spargo in the middle at times until Jack is back?

Hes no Harmes but in terms of ball winning hes like a Libba and his disposal is very clean. And hes not lazy with tackling or chasing.

10 hours ago, Nasher said:

 

I’m not sure if I’d “demerit” a mark for not being one-grabbed anyway. Surely the fact that he marked it is the most important thing.

Not at premium AFL standard. Its the difference in impact of players IMO. Tom McD had this issue and has seemed to fix it and you can see the confdience it gives him and his teammates when he clunks them.

As I said I'm happy to see him a few more times in dry weather.

10 hours ago, Pates said:

There weren’t a lot of forwards one grabbing today. The most disappointing moment was the mark he dropped in the last quarter in the pocket. Uncontested and it just slipped straight through. 

I think give LJ another week to get his finger right but Weid needs a big game next week to have any chance afterwards. My gut feeling is that if we put in our first demolition performance next week it will be with either one of those two kicking a bag. 

Fully agree with this.

Let's see next week on a dry Adelaide oval, and a fully fit and confident LJ is critical against the doggies

TMac and Harry McKay were clunking them.

7 hours ago, Win4theAges said:

No change, Keep Jacko and Viney fresh for Dogs Friday week.

I love it.  
 

No change this week. 
 

Chandler was lost but gotta give him another week at it.  

Brown and Weid didn’t click but others got in their way and they need to go louder to make it theirs. 

Depth? 
Mitch Brown carried Casey to a victory.  
Nev Jetta simply can’t crack into probably our best back 6 in the last 60 years. 
Whilst Sparrow simply too good for Casey, we can’t squeeze him in right now. Superb depth and he’ll get another chance.  
Viney & Jackson walk back in.
Plus cannot forget Melky and Jones to come back in as required.  
 

Got to believe it’s our year in 2021.  

10 minutes ago, leave it to deever said:

I thought Harmes was better against the Swans than last night but I think he adds a level of hardness in the middle and is playing well.

Sam wasnt great but its hard as the fwd structure is trying to work itself out. There were too many trying to mark at times.

I dont know if Ill get howled down but could we try Spargo in the middle at times until Jack is back?

Hes no Harmes but in terms of ball winning hes like a Libba and his disposal is very clean. And hes not lazy with tackling or chasing.

And one of the teams best decision makers.

1 hour ago, Better days ahead said:

I thought Max was looking tired v Sydney but he looked fine yesterday. There is no one that I can see who obviously needs a rest so I would hold off until the 3 week stretch either side of and including the bye to freshen things. From rd16 onwards have the best 22 playing every week leading into finals.

44 hit outs to 23 and we still lost the clearances / 19 possessions he looked fine to me

8 hours ago, pineapple dee said:

This exactly !! You've nailed it Jaded.  

Plus, just for good measure,  SACK Goodwin !!!

( well someone has to say it )

(1965 MFC Admin nods)

2 hours ago, faultydet said:

Chandler was horrendous. Poor kid tried so hard but simply got under everyones feet. Easy out for Viney when he is ready.

Weid did not impress at all. For a bloke coming off much touted form at VFL level he was just average. And STILL 2 grabs almost every mark. Not good enough for a key forward. TMac has him well and truly covered.

Am I the only one who thinks we look heaps better with Harmes in the middle? I've been impressed with how much more dangerous he makes us look. With Viney and Oliver (and Jordon) beside him, we have the capacity for Trac to spend a bit more time across half forward. It's a nice mix.

No I'm with you Basil!!! Harmes has played two very good games and is highly competetive

Chandler was truly awful, and has no place in an AFL side. Some of his decision making and positioning was abysmal. Sparrow is probably the best option, but even Melksham would touch the football occasionally and make his opponent be accountable.

As I've been saying since Brown came to the club, he and Weideman are playing the same role and cannot possibly play in the same team. I'd usually prefer Brown but, if he can't take a turn in the ruck, then Weideman gets the gig. Ideally we would replace with another mid sized forward who won't fly for marks against the other talls.

No change please 

1 hour ago, binman said:

If viney is right I reckon they'll play him, perhaps on reduced minutes, as it might be harder to come back against the dogs without a week getting some touch. Though I guess he hasn't been out long.

Id take the opportunity to give Jackson another week's rest, even if ready. Qith his injury he would have no issue continuing to run etc so fitness won't drop old at all. And two games off would perhaps mean not having to rest him at a later point.

Another wet, greasy day yesterday. So not great conditions for sam and bb (though didnt stop their aa buddy).

This week in Adelaide the forecast is sunny, 21 degrees and light wind. Spring time conditions, just like finals.

Those boys will be licking their lips and we will get a much better sense of how they might go all together 

How's TMac's floating-across-two-touch-one-hander in the pocket, when he floated across and snatched it from BBB? TMac is making it look easy, even in the wet. What's up with Weid?

Won't happen but you have to wonder if Mitch Brown would provide better forward balance than both Weid and Ben Brown.

The other issue is that the small forwards did not work well with the big men.

Beautiful weather predicted for Adelaide on Saturday.

No change.... May the big men fly

Chandler and Weid need another week or two at least if they are going to learn the system. 

Stafford needs to work with the forwards to work out leading patterns and general cohesion. It is a potent forward line, however i am not convinced that our inside 50 delivery is suitable for this setup (ala West Coast Eagles who successfully have the 3 headed dragon).

Here is a left field idea - why dont we trial Weideman as a key post in the backline? Not saying we do this right now, but in terms of list longevity we have to find a solution to the LG, TMac, BBB conundrum and May isn't getting any younger. TMac is proving too dangerous to be moved to the wing/backline. Could be a Darcy Moore type revelation?  

We have some very tough games coming up, and we have a short break off a trip interstate against the Dogs.

I would keep the team the same against Adelaide and then make some changes  ahead of the Dogs game. Viney, Jackson and maybe Sparrow or Melksham can come in to give us some fresh legs. 

To have a fresh Viney and Jackson come into the midfield rotation against the Dogs will be fantastic. And if we have the luxury of doing that, then we should. 

You'd love to see no change and give the new guys a chance to settle but as Binny said if we can get game time back into Viney in particular for the ding dong clash the week after it might pay to bring him in. Jacko does give us so much at ground level too.

I still think Weideman can hold Jackson out of the side. Jackson's best work is at ground level, but how important is that really for a player of his role? Weideman competes aerially - that's a weakness in Jackson's game at present.  

I think if Jackson is fit for Adelaide then he'll come straight back in, and most likely for Weideman, but if not, I'm backing Weid to play well enough that it'll leave us with a conundrum. 

Brayshaws kicking yesterday seemed horrible.

would love to find sparrow a spot in the side

too many talls with tmac weids and brown

would replace weids with another small but brown would want to have some more impact

33 minutes ago, Nasher said:

I still think Weideman can hold Jackson out of the side. Jackson's best work is at ground level, but how important is that really for a player of his role? Weideman competes aerially - that's a weakness in Jackson's game at present.  

I think if Jackson is fit for Adelaide then he'll come straight back in, and most likely for Weideman, but if not, I'm backing Weid to play well enough that it'll leave us with a conundrum. 

Sorry but that is bunk.. Jacksons competitiveness in the air is outstanding.

He is not clunking his marks yet but neither has Weid ever done that except from memory in that final against Geelong.

58 minutes ago, Nasher said:

I still think Weideman can hold Jackson out of the side. Jackson's best work is at ground level, but how important is that really for a player of his role? Weideman competes aerially - that's a weakness in Jackson's game at present.  

I think if Jackson is fit for Adelaide then he'll come straight back in, and most likely for Weideman, but if not, I'm backing Weid to play well enough that it'll leave us with a conundrum. 

Jackson competes in the air - as does Weed. I would prefer Jackson as he is too valuable as an option to change things if Gawn is not doing well in the ruck. That is all things being equal; if Weed shows a dominant streak against the Crows then that changes but he was just so-so in the wet unfortunately for him.

3 hours ago, spirit of norm smith said:

I love it.  
 

No change this week. 
 

Chandler was lost but gotta give him another week at it.  

Brown and Weid didn’t click but others got in their way and they need to go louder to make it theirs. 

Depth? 
Mitch Brown carried Casey to a victory.  
Nev Jetta simply can’t crack into probably our best back 6 in the last 60 years. 
Whilst Sparrow simply too good for Casey, we can’t squeeze him in right now. Superb depth and he’ll get another chance.  
Viney & Jackson walk back in.
Plus cannot forget Melky and Jones to come back in as required.  
 

Got to believe it’s our year in 2021.  

You couldn't dream up this scenario in your wildest dreams.??

Brown and Weid makes our forward line really really slow. Eventually Coaches will have to make a call on which one they're backing i'd say. 

We had one too many talls and that is without Jackson.

When LJ is back I would be happy if Brown and Weideman we're omitted.

Edited May 17, 20214 yr by Guest

Chandler really struggled. Only 4 disposals, with 3 effective. Only 2 tackles and gave away 2 free kicks with those. He also had -2 meters gained lol. His job is to apply pressure and take opportunities. He did neither, and we essentially played a man down. I don’t like dropping kids after one game, but it was a very poor game and there are others like Sparrow banging the door down at Casey. 

I’d save Viney and Jackson another week if they’re fit. We have a short break off interstate trip before meeting the Dogs, so best to bring them in and have fresh legs.

This week I’d drop Chandler and bring in Sparrow. He’s been the emergency or sub multiple times, missed multiple games as a result, and smashed VFL when playing there. It’s time he gets another game.

2 hours ago, Nasher said:

I still think Weideman can hold Jackson out of the side. Jackson's best work is at ground level, but how important is that really for a player of his role? Weideman competes aerially - that's a weakness in Jackson's game at present.  

I think if Jackson is fit for Adelaide then he'll come straight back in, and most likely for Weideman, but if not, I'm backing Weid to play well enough that it'll leave us with a conundrum. 

Jackson averages 15 pressure acts a games over his last month. Weid had 4. Jackson can play against the primary and secondary ruckman for as long or as short as is needed. Jackson allows us to rest Gawn forward or more on the pine or a kick behind play. There is no question that Jackson is straight back in as soon once he is ready to go, the only question will be who for.   

2 hours ago, Nasher said:

I still think Weideman can hold Jackson out of the side. Jackson's best work is at ground level, but how important is that really for a player of his role? Weideman competes aerially - that's a weakness in Jackson's game at present.  

I think if Jackson is fit for Adelaide then he'll come straight back in, and most likely for Weideman, but if not, I'm backing Weid to play well enough that it'll leave us with a conundrum. 

You underestimate Jackson's ruck work. Twice he turned our fortunes around in the middle when he was rucking.

He brings a lot more to the table than Weid right now, and is someone we absolutely must get back into the team going into finals. If we run into say the Dogs in a final, who have two very good ruckmen, Jackson becomes pivotal. 

Weideman needs to hold his marks consistently if he is to stay in the team. He is competing only with Ben Brown on current form. McDonald is our best tall forward, followed by Fritsch who plays tall-ish, and then Jackson is the third tall you bring in for the ruck rotation. That for me leaves one more spot for a tall. Brown has runs on the board, so Weideman has to get going with his contested marking and his goal kicking. It's a hard position to be in, because he is competing with experienced players for one spot, but that is where we are at. He has to get on his bike ASAP if he wants to stay in the side.