I feel that Rivers has been well below his best so far this season.  Seems to me to be lacking that real dash out of defense and long penetrating, well placed kick deep forward that are his trademarks.  Looks to be playing injured ever since he came back in.

Conversely, I didn't think Hunt was that horrible tonight with his disposal and looks to be building his game and confidence to back to the tenacious and compedent defensive role that he was playing last season prior to getting injured on the eve of finals.

I'm actually thinking maybe Rivers needs a few weeks off and/or a run in the two's to get his body right and mojo back and Smith comes back in for him rather than Hunt.  I'd similarly be giving Petty time to get him self in top form and fitness at Casey for a few weeks, rather than rushing him back.  Like Salem, too important of a player to be impatient with fitness and form wise, although I feel he is of the quality and maturity these days that he won't take long to find some solid form.

54 minutes ago, DeeSpencer said:

The May, Tomlinson, Lever trio seems to work better than going smaller with Smith, but I just feel Tomlinson is a long way off his best and Smith has a chance right now to finally string games.

We need depth in case Hunt or Rivers go down or if Gus has to go to the midfield. 
 

Assuming he’s healthy and gets through some trainings I’d get Smith back in 

Think Tomo's problem is overhead and defending the ball in the air. Petty should fix that. Smith is also superior in that facet of the game. 

Kossie was crucified tonight by Mr Bean particularly, as was most of the team.

I actually thought kozzie was good tonight, so many plays where he wouldn't have got a stat but neutralised the ball or caused a turnover from his pressure. The goals will come.

I'd watch the replay again to reasses his game but I don't hate myself that much.

3 minutes ago, willmoy said:

Kossie was crucified tonight by Mr Bean particularly, as was most of the team.

He seemed overtly annoyed with Young. Made a point to go extra hard at him. Some crowd jeers against Kozzy as well. Hopefully nothing sinister in it.

smith should be helped by being able to return to training after covid protocols have expired; whenever they will expire, he should be able to be back in training by wednesday at the latest next week

it wouldn't surprise if there was some random player miss as a result of entering into the protocols - will depend upon WHERE on the ground they come out of as to who the next cab off the rank may be, but it would seem it would be:

• bedford for pressure forward
• dunstan for inside mid
• baker for outside runner
• j smith for defender

that said, if no one else is ruled out as a result of isolation requirements, it's hard to see many changes being made...

OUT: weideman, tomlinson
IN: sideshow bob, j smith

2 hours ago, Demonland said:

Who comes in and who goes out for our Round 5 match against GWS at the MCG on Saturday night?

in: BBB AND Smith

out: Hunt and The Weed

 

Edited April 7, 20223 yr by David-Demon

Experts don’t know what the the Weed was tasked with.

1 hour ago, whatwhat say what said:

smith should be helped by being able to return to training after covid protocols have expired; whenever they will expire, he should be able to be back in training by wednesday at the latest next week

it wouldn't surprise if there was some random player miss as a result of entering into the protocols - will depend upon WHERE on the ground they come out of as to who the next cab off the rank may be, but it would seem it would be:

• bedford for pressure forward
• dunstan for inside mid
• baker for outside runner
• j smith for defender

that said, if no one else is ruled out as a result of isolation requirements, it's hard to see many changes being made...

OUT: weideman, tomlinson
IN: sideshow bob, j smith

In : J.Smith, B.Brown

Out : Tomlinson, Weideman

I agree with this.

J.Smith in for Tomlinson he's too slow and not that good overhead.

B.Brown in for Weideman didn't play bad but didn't play well either. 0 goals hurts him, McDonald not going much better either if van Rooyen finds some form in the VFL watch out. Massive game for Big Ben against Willy must destroy them.

7 hours ago, Supreme_Demon said:

I agree.

Sam Weideman's performance was underwhelming tonight.

 

As he is most of the time. He will occasionally have a day out, the rest will be similar to last night. out please. 

5 hours ago, whatwhat say what said:

smith should be helped by being able to return to training after covid protocols have expired; whenever they will expire, he should be able to be back in training by wednesday at the latest next week

it wouldn't surprise if there was some random player miss as a result of entering into the protocols - will depend upon WHERE on the ground they come out of as to who the next cab off the rank may be, but it would seem it would be:

• bedford for pressure forward
• dunstan for inside mid
• baker for outside runner
• j smith for defender

that said, if no one else is ruled out as a result of isolation requirements, it's hard to see many changes being made...

OUT: weideman, tomlinson
IN: sideshow bob, j smith

You have my vote. We are after all 4 and zero. 

5 hours ago, whatwhat say what said:

smith should be helped by being able to return to training after covid protocols have expired; whenever they will expire, he should be able to be back in training by wednesday at the latest next week

it wouldn't surprise if there was some random player miss as a result of entering into the protocols - will depend upon WHERE on the ground they come out of as to who the next cab off the rank may be, but it would seem it would be:

• bedford for pressure forward
• dunstan for inside mid
• baker for outside runner
• j smith for defender

that said, if no one else is ruled out as a result of isolation requirements, it's hard to see many changes being made...

OUT: weideman, tomlinson
IN: sideshow bob, j smith

BAKER?? not a snowflakes chance in hell!

BBB for Weeds 

SMITH for Tomlinson

Edited April 7, 20223 yr by picket fence

4 hours ago, bluey said:

Experts don’t know what the the Weed was tasked with.

Let me guess... Kick some Goals???

Not that I can see either getting omitted but Pickett 29 pressure acts and Spargo 10 says to me some may be looking at the wrong one in the gun. 

33 minutes ago, picket fence said:

Let me guess... Kick some Goals???

If the  task is for a full forward to score zero and have no influence on the game then he stays in.

31 minutes ago, Lil_red_fire_engine said:

Not that I can see either getting omitted but Pickett 29 pressure acts and Spargo 10 says to me some may be looking at the wrong one in the gun. 

Yep, I'd be looking to drop Spargo to be honest. Has barely fired a shot this year and reckon his defensive work has dropped off.

Think you'll find Pickett is getting the extra hard tag this year compared to last year. 

When you've just come off a 40 goal year as a 2nd year small forward in a premiership team then you're absolutely prone to get a hard tag.

I have no issues with kozzie forms because he's giving elite pressure the other way. The offensive stuff will eventually fall into place.

36 minutes ago, Lil_red_fire_engine said:

Not that I can see either getting omitted but Pickett 29 pressure acts and Spargo 10 says to me some may be looking at the wrong one in the gun. 

Agreed, I love Spargo but his start to the season has been very underwhelming. 

22 minutes ago, Lil_red_fire_engine said:

Not that I can see either getting omitted but Pickett 29 pressure acts and Spargo 10 says to me some may be looking at the wrong one in the gun. 

I honestly think some people still can't quite get their head around the fact that players can have very low possession numbers, and if a forward limited scoring, and still play great.

This is true in spite of our coach and  players taking about playing the assigned role being the key performance metric all last season. 

And in spite of the fact that goody continues to select players like kozzie, spargo and tmac even after stretches of low possession, no goal games.

You don't need the coach to tell you what the role of such players is - it is obvious; pressure, contest and work rate.

All three of those players did so much up and down the ground running last night it was insane (check out their vision on afl staystpro for evidence of that).

The equivalent player at Port to spargo and kozzie was amon. How often did you see him in our forward half? How many goals did he create though his pressure?

I don't think weed worked as hard as tmac, but that might be confirmation bias on my part.

What he definitely did do was screen and block really well for Max and tmac.

Watch tmac's goal - weed puts a great block on to give him protection to take the mark.

(which by the by is why, seemingly to the frustration of some, our talls so often fly for the same ball - that and having two or three genuine talls fly for a mark in our forward line means if not marked it almost certainly comes to ground)

Applying the role playing logic, it is possible goody was happy with weeds game.

Why are we suggesting to just drop players for the sake of it, we're 4-0 and have just come off a premiership?????? Haven't lost a game since July last year no need to drop anyone until guys like BBB, Salem, Petty and Hibberd are ready

48 minutes ago, Lil_red_fire_engine said:

Not that I can see either getting omitted but Pickett 29 pressure acts and Spargo 10 says to me some may be looking at the wrong one in the gun. 

Spargo also only had one tackle, to kozzie's six. 

As you say no chance he'll be dropped as he has built up a fair balance in rhe bank of goody, but 2 or 3 matches of low tackle counts and low pressure acts will eat away at that balance and give Bedford his shot.

 

Delete

Edited April 7, 20223 yr by binman

8 hours ago, DeeSpencer said:

I wanted to reach through the tv and slap the big Neanderthal for once again throwing his team mates under the bus in public. By far his worst trait as captain. 

It was in Gus and Gawny and was as usual with Maxy very tongue in cheek. 
Don't  worry that's always the way with Maxy and I would believe all at the Club  respect his comments on 95% of the occasions. That's because they are true! 

Barring intervention by Corolla or injury, I can only see one change - BBB in.

For mine, in a game where he needed to stand up, Weid just didn't do enough.

Our defence, led by a Great Wall effort from May, simply smothered PA. I don't see a change at that end.

5 hours ago, bluey said:

Experts don’t know what the the Weed was tasked with.

It certainly wasn’t anything remotely related to contesting to a ball delivered forward in any manner other than a long random bomb.

Delivery forward last night was just appalling. BBB seriously would have had trouble. 

8 hours ago, deanox said:

I didn't, can you elaborate?

I thought that our zone and positioning was fantastic tonight and we really set the trap well. No matter what they did, where they tried to shift, we had it covered.

I felt that Lever probably had something to do with that. He positions well, directs players around him and knows how to read and drop into space. During the game I felt he was having an impact on our whole ground defence compared to last week..but it's hard to tell on the TV where don't get full views of the set up.

It was in Maxy's post game on the ground.  He was asked what it was like having Lever retrun, and he made that  comment about Smith needing to be directed where to stand.  It was said in a humourous style, as Max does, but I reckon a bit of truth.  The Defence IS May/Lever.

Lever said he missed May bigtime in the JLT loss to the Blues earlier this year. They both operate asone in setting up and truly miss each other when one is out. Its as if they know what each other is thinking.  If one is out, that's more thinking the other has to do alone.

Obviously this doesn't apply to Salem and even Petty now based on his finals.