7 minutes ago, Rusty Nails said:

LJ should have been managed this week for Melk or Daw.  He hit the wall a few weeks back

Need to get Jacko involved more and also get some unpredictability in our hitouts... Seems an obvious fix there for mine.

Hoping Jacko gets a lot more ruck time and Gawn is left to float more, especially forward.

I count 8 players in that 22 as Out of Form. and 3 more a little out of form

we need to turn this around and quick!

Top 4 is almost gone if we lose given our draw vs Port/Brisbane/Sydney

1 minute ago, Lord Nev said:

Need to get Jacko involved more and also get some unpredictability in our hitouts... Seems an obvious fix there for mine.

Hoping Jacko gets a lot more ruck time and Gawn is left to float more, especially forward.

Playing is not resting/resetting LN.  These two are easily the most out of form in the team post the bye and the young fella needs it even more so.

We need to win three of our last four to ensure a top four / top two spot.  Set them up for a run at that post the Sons.

This was the ideal chance to rest LJ at least, and give Melk a run in case we need him to cover someone later.

Opportunity missed.

10 minutes ago, DubDee said:

I reckon they've decided this is our best fwd line set up and to give it more weeks to gel together.  Weed coming in didn't work, now BB is struggling but I think it's best to stick with it for now.

More Jackson, the bloke is out of form, really thought Melksham should have come on for him

1 minute ago, Rusty Nails said:

Playing is not resting/resetting LN.  These two are easily the most out of form in the team post the bye and the young fella needs it even more so.

We need to win three of our last four to ensure a top four / top two spot.  Set them up for a run at that post the Sons.

This was the ideal chance to rest LJ at least, and give Melk a run in case we need him to cover someone later.

Opportunity missed.

I agree Jacko is out of form, and before this game I was keen to rest him as well, but maybe he's not actually tired? Maybe the club have looked at his training, fitness and GPS numbers and just decided he's simply not involved enough? Just a thought.

Given he hasn't been rested, I'm expecting a tweak to his role.

Makes for a very young team.

Six players under 21.

Average age down quite a bit with hibberd replaced by bowey (jordon and sparrow roughly the same age)

Five in their first or second year.

 

Bizarre that Harmes survives.

The two changes make sense.

Good luck young Bowey. Nice story overcoming dwarfism and having red hair!

Good to see Bowey in. He is clean with the ball, reads the play well and may assist with forward of the ball connection. We know what we will  get from the other players suggested as a replacement. Time to find out what Bowey can offer before finals.

Anyone not currently in full lockdown won't be on the chartered plane to Qld and won't be on the chartered plane to Perth.  We won't be able to fly players from Melb to Perth.

So we need to look at this group of 26 being those that play GCS and WCE.   Every chance they will rotate the i/change players and the emergencies next week.  If that hunch is right, I like it as it gives us a nice little squad of 26 preparing for finals.  And it gives some players a weeks rest, not just game time management.

The club may add a couple more and take a 28 player squad to Qld and onward to Perth.  For players not on the plane won't have many chances to audition for finals; just rounds 22 and 23.  

Edited July 29, 20213 yr by Lucifer's Hero

10 minutes ago, binman said:

Makes for a very young team.

Six players under 21.

Average age down quite a bit with hibberd replaced by bowey (jordon and sparrow roughly the same age)

Five in their first or second year.

 

#DevelopingSide
#Top4
#DiaperDees

There media I've done your work for you; now the players just have to make it happen.

Edited July 29, 20213 yr by Chook

4 minutes ago, Lucifer's Hero said:

Anyone not currently in full lockdown won't be on the chartered plane to Qld and won't be on the chartered plane to Perth.

So we need to look at this group of 26 being those that play GCS and WCE.   Every chance they will rotate the i/change players and the emergencies next week.  If that hunch is right, I like it as it gives us a nice little squad of 26 preparing for finals.  

For players not on the plane they won't have many chances to audition for finals; rounds 22 and 23.  

 

Yes it makes sense that a minimum of those 26 will be travelling to Qld and WA.

Jones needs match practice in VFL. Wonder if they will add AVB and J.Smith to the travelling squad?

37 minutes ago, spirit of norm smith said:

 

Lose this and the double chance is in jeopardy.  

First prize for this week's best  understatement.

Jackson extremely lucky considering he’s had about 3 kicks over the last two weeks. Gobsmacked that he’s been kept in the side.

1 minute ago, Pollyanna said:

Yes it makes sense that a minimum of those 26 will be travelling to Qld and WA.

Jones needs match practice in VFL. Wonder if they will add AVB and J.Smith to the travelling squad?

Good point about AVB and Smith.

Hope I'm wrong but I feel if Jones isn't on the plane he may have run out of time to get back in and play finals.  It is a long time since he played either because games were cancelled or injury. His best bet to play AFL finals may be to play really well in Casey finals and hope a spot opens up in the seniors (and we are still 'live').

14 minutes ago, dee-tox said:

Bizarre that Harmes survives.

Perhaps they brought his prior games at Metricon Vs GC into account which have been pretty damn good it has to be said.

He kicked 4 goals in 2016 and was pretty decent in the 2019 game.

Clearly he’ll have a role on Miller, and if he fails that, then I’d imagine it will be curtains for his season as he’s been really poor recently.

Did say that I want to see Bowey replace Hibberd but thought it wouldn't happen so that is a good move. Jordon a bit stiff but Sparrow deserves another chance. Go Dees let's beat a bottom team for once.

2 minutes ago, At the break of Gawn said:

Jackson extremely lucky considering he’s had about 3 kicks over the last two weeks. Gobsmacked that he’s been kept in the side.

And one of those 3 kicks was gift wrapped with a ribbon to his direct opponent in Tim English.

Maybe now we’ve finally lost to a top 8 team we can start beating the lower teams again!

Good to see Goodys stubborness at selection has kicked.

Truly bizarre how Jackson continues to get a game.

12 minutes ago, dazzledavey36 said:

Good to see Goodys stubborness at selection has kicked.

Truly bizarre how Jackson continues to get a game.

I think it’s because the alternative is to bring Weid in, and I think that would be seen as a backward step. 

We needed to drop some players though, been coasting and hoping that it will change for too long now. 

I had hoped for exactly these changes, didn't expect them, and very happy to see them.

Hibbo has struggled the last two weeks.

His fumbles and a hand pass straight to an opponent cost us a goal against the Hawks. 

Sparrow's DE is well up (76%) albeit over 16 games. He's a pretty good kick for goal.

Not unhappy LJ still in. He's not going to improve sitting on the sidelines (or playing VFL practice matches).

Jacko needs a big game!  

Assert yourself young man 

Seems like he has been playing tentatively of late 

48 minutes ago, dee-tox said:

Bizarre that Harmes survives.

The two changes make sense.

Good luck young Bowey. Nice story overcoming dwarfism and having red hair!

Prefer Jimmy Jordon in myself but what can you do.

1 minute ago, Pates said:

I think it’s because the alternative is to bring Weid in, and I think that would be seen as a backward step. 

We needed to drop some players though, been coasting and hoping that it will change for too long now. 

Weed will never be an alternative to Jackson. 

Jackson is a ruck first and foremost who plays some time up forward. Weed is a forward who is ok at giving a ruck a chop out. And Weed is juts not athletic enough to play the sort of minutes Jackson plays in the ruck

Daw is a more likely alternative,

But Jackson is not coming out, unless injured.

Say all you want about his numbers, but he is critical to our structure and tactical flexibility in terms of how we use max.

If you are any doubt how important Goody views LJ, listen to Goody's response to the question of ho how he sees LJ's form over the last few weeks (which includes a comment about his numbers). From 2.24:

https://www.melbournefc.com.au/video/988675/rd-20-simon-goodwin-media-conference?videoId=988675&modal=true&type=video&publishFrom=1627431477001

15 minutes ago, Pates said:

I think it’s because the alternative is to bring Weid in, and I think that would be seen as a backward step. 

We needed to drop some players though, been coasting and hoping that it will change for too long now. 

It didn't need to be the alternative though. I would have been happy to bring Melksham in to shore up a ball use going inside 50.

Time and time again over the Goodwin era where we've shaken our heads at selection. It's cost us wins.

We are 4 weeks out from finals and no close to fixing up not only our ball use going forward but our structure as well. 

I'm sorry for being hard on Jacko but he's an absolute witches cone in our forward line, and we are pretty much playing with a 5 man forward line. Would have been perfect to bring in Melksham and get our forward entries and structure right.

Perplexing really.