PREGAME: Rd 03 vs Sydney

[Travy14 2,142]

2 hours ago, Demon Dynasty said:

On the few occasions he did get played in the guts in 2022, whch im pretty sure was the match or two (maybe three?) after his big contract signing (where it was suggested he asked to be played there more often as part of his contract lol), it is my understanding that he was sluggish, sloppy and got caught a number of times ie;  the experiment was as fail (in that instance).

And that following that experimental horribilis, thereafter he didnt play any significant time through there bar occasional brief cameos.

You may be getting confused with 2018 where i believe he looked and (from memory) was quite effective in the middle when he was given a bit more time through there, i believe as a result of JV's absence for a while due to injury.

JV then returned later in the season and pushed him out with some suggesting that Gus was the better of the two through the middle that season.

Im not confused at all he player the last 6 games of 2022 in the middle.  Including finals and was very good in there.

Look up the heat maps and CBAs. 13, 19, 17, 22, and 16.

Thats most definitely a midfielder 

[Dee Zephyr 19,324]

Won't be for a while, but I'd love to see Sestan give selectors a bit of a headache. I like the cut of his jib.

[rpfc 29,030]

This is the type of game where the playing group announces their desire to win a flag again.

Up against a team that has your measure.

Up against a top 4 team without your best player.

Up against it.

We will see a win or more excuses on here.

[DistrACTION Jackson 10,752]

I generally try to be optimistic, however I have heard a few Dees fans say the performance against Brisbane was 'un-Melbourne like' and I question whether that is correct.

Based on 2021 I would say yes, but if we base it on 2022 I'd say it is actually very much in line with how we have been playing.

It's all well and good having stars in the midfield, but if they don't work together as a team it won't make a difference.

We can talk all we want about being more attacking, but if the pressure is turned up and everyone goes into their shells then it's all talk.

I am concerned with the way we play and our inability to be flexible mid game and this must come back to the coaching.

Not confident for Sunday.

[Demon Dynasty 17,169]

1 hour ago, Travy14 said:

Im not confused at all he player the last 6 games of 2022 in the middle.  Including finals and was very good in there.

Look up the heat maps and CBAs. 13, 19, 17, 22, and 16.

Thats most definitely a midfielder 

Starting in the middle for the center bounces Trav?  On occasions possibly yes but i think the main time starting there was the 2 or 3 matches after his contract signing.

Many players starting around the arc would show plenty of heat map time going back and forth through the middle post the center bounce

I see him as an on baller (post the bounce) sitting a kick behind for the intercepts.  

You may well be right in terms of starting in the middle (as a mainstay) in the last 6 games though.  I'd need to go back and watch all of those matches.

Edited March 27, 2023 by Demon Dynasty

[leave it to deever 17,621]

A lot of love for Hibberd on the sight, myself included. He's proven in the twos he's still has what it takes soIm really hoping he gets in. Also quite a few calling for Jvr to get a run.  With May coming in that would probably mean 3 changes and I'm not sure it will happen. 

[Travy14 2,142]

4 minutes ago, Demon Dynasty said:

Starting in the middle for the center bounces Trav?  On occasions possibly yes but i think the main time starting there was the 2 or 3 matches after his contract signing.

Many players starting around the arc would show plenty of heat map time going back and forth through the middle post the center bounce

I see him as an on baller (post the bounce) sitting a kick behind for the intercepts.  

You may well be right in terms of starting in the middle (as a mainstay) in the last 6 games though.  I'd need to go back and watch all of those matches.

Those numbers are his CBAs for the last 6 games.  He also had 27, 29, 32 and 38 disposals in those games.

He was 100% in the middle for the last 6 games.  It started against Freo when he lined up on his brother

Agree I like him behind the ball after the CBA but starting in the midfield, and now even more so with the Gawn injury!

[loges 6,767]

32 minutes ago, Action Jackson said:

I generally try to be optimistic, however I have heard a few Dees fans say the performance against Brisbane was 'un-Melbourne like' and I question whether that is correct.

Based on 2021 I would say yes, but if we base it on 2022 I'd say it is actually very much in line with how we have been playing.

It's all well and good having stars in the midfield, but if they don't work together as a team it won't make a difference.

We can talk all we want about being more attacking, but if the pressure is turned up and everyone goes into their shells then it's all talk.

I am concerned with the way we play and our inability to be flexible mid game and this must come back to the coaching.

Not confident for Sunday.

I think we'll learn a lot this weekend.

[Dee Zephyr 19,324]

35 minutes ago, Action Jackson said:

I generally try to be optimistic, however I have heard a few Dees fans say the performance against Brisbane was 'un-Melbourne like' and I question whether that is correct.

Based on 2021 I would say yes, but if we base it on 2022 I'd say it is actually very much in line with how we have been playing.

It's all well and good having stars in the midfield, but if they don't work together as a team it won't make a difference.

We can talk all we want about being more attacking, but if the pressure is turned up and everyone goes into their shells then it's all talk.

I am concerned with the way we play and our inability to be flexible mid game and this must come back to the coaching.

Not confident for Sunday.

On what we’ve seen the last two years I’d say it’s more to the un-like Melbourne side of things.

The Lions game was the first game since start of 2021 where we were comprehensively beaten for the first 3 quarters and found ourselves trailing by almost 50 points. That is the biggest deficit we have seen since 2020 ended. 
Last year we had decent leads in all our losses except Geelong from memory. 
But if we front up like we did last Friday night we are toast. 

[Deemania since 56 6,810]

13 hours ago, WERRIDEE said:

He done an alright job on Cameron stick with him. Cameron's better than Papley. Papley is overrated and never should have been AA ahead of Fritsch.

I'd play a close-checking, defensive JSmith on him in the first quarter and see where that takes us in terms of 'driven' opportunities upfield. 

[WERRIDEE 5,638]

2 hours ago, Neil Crompton said:

Joel Smith injured again Werridee?

Forgot him

10 hours ago, WERRIDEE said:

B: Lever, May, McVee

HB: Bowey, Petty, Rivers

C: Hunter, Brayshaw, Langdon

HF: Petracca, McDonald, Neal-Bullen

F: Fritsch, Brown, Spargo

FOLL: Grundy, Oliver, Viney

IC: Hibberd, Laurie, Sparrow, Chandler

SUB: Jordon

I think it will be wise to play an extra midfielder against the Swans considering our midfield woes last week. McDonald and van Rooyen aren't ruckmen so they will lose the tap outs anyway.

 

Reserves

B: Adams, Tomlinson, D.Smith

HB: K.Turner, D.Turner, Buntine

C: Howes, Dunstan, Sheppard

HF: Moniz-Wakefield, van Rooyen, Melksham

F: Sestan, Jefferson, J.Smith

FOLL: Bell, Harmes, Munro

IC: Gregory, Valentine, Steele, Grey, Cross

 

[Bring-Back-Powell 15,557]

3 hours ago, SPC said:

It is that time of the year to make Sam Reid look like Plugger! 
 

He's been on the sidelines all year so hopefully he won't make it to the line this week.

Agreed, he always has the better of us and had his way with Tomlinson last year.

[Guest]

ROUND FOR REACH - April 2nd

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Edited March 28, 2023 by WalkingCivilWar

[MrFreeze 2,055]

I'd love if Sestan developed his tank and become that power forward mid hybrid like Toby Greene 

[Roost it far 10,166]

I've got no idea what's going to happen. I thought the Doggies might get us and that we'd thrash Brisbane. Gawn went off and the players thought he'd done his ACL and it totally rattled them. (Well that's my take) My mate still thinks Goodwin is an ordinary coach with no plan B. I'll be watching this week for a serious response and some clever coaching. If not, I'll be joining him. Also if we don't play JVR, a player who loves a contest and can take a mark, then I really hope the others respond.

[layzie 34,528]

2 hours ago, Action Jackson said:

I generally try to be optimistic, however I have heard a few Dees fans say the performance against Brisbane was 'un-Melbourne like' and I question whether that is correct.

Based on 2021 I would say yes, but if we base it on 2022 I'd say it is actually very much in line with how we have been playing.

It's all well and good having stars in the midfield, but if they don't work together as a team it won't make a difference.

We can talk all we want about being more attacking, but if the pressure is turned up and everyone goes into their shells then it's all talk.

I am concerned with the way we play and our inability to be flexible mid game and this must come back to the coaching.

Not confident for Sunday.

It's very much a case of what got you here won't get you there, but then you forget that it got you here.

We bemoaned the lack of fast ball movement last year and while I definitely wanted us to speed up and become a bit more predictable, there was no more assuring feeling I've ever felt in my time supporting this club than going into boa constrictor mode once we got the game on our terms and controlled the pace.

The balancing act was always going to be finding when to use each method. I would really hope we don't go too far away from what got us to this point but the slight tweaks and more experience with them in practice will hopefully reap rewards soon.

[Kick_It_To_Pickett 3,293]

1 minute ago, layzie said:

It's very much a case of what got you here won't get you there, but then you forget that it got you here.

We bemoaned the lack of fast ball movement last year and while I definitely wanted us to speed up and become a bit more predictable, there was no more assuring feeling I've ever felt in my time supporting this club than going into boa constrictor mode once we got the game on our terms and controlled the pace.

The balancing act was always going to be finding when to use each method. I would really hope we don't go too far away from what got us to this point but the slight tweaks and more experience with them in practice will hopefully reap rewards soon.

Having watched last week's replay a few times, I reckon it was more to do with a failure to adapt to the conditions. The humidity seemed to be our undoing. We made so many basic skills errors, all over the ground, that seemed  to be a result of a slippery footy. Petty dropped three basic chest marks, just as an example of that. Our mids double touched everything. I expect that we will be a lot cleaner this week and we will see a return to method that we had in the preseason. I am hopeful of that. If we can win the midfield battle, we will win the game. That final last year was turned when Buddy sucked the umpire in on two occasions. I really hope we have addressed that with the AFL and umpires. The bloke was completely outplayed by May, and resorted to his usual dirty tactics. If they fall for any of his rubbish this week, i'll be ropable. 

[loges 6,767]

31 minutes ago, Kick_It_To_Pickett said:

Having watched last week's replay a few times, I reckon it was more to do with a failure to adapt to the conditions. The humidity seemed to be our undoing. We made so many basic skills errors, all over the ground, that seemed  to be a result of a slippery footy. Petty dropped three basic chest marks, just as an example of that. Our mids double touched everything. I expect that we will be a lot cleaner this week and we will see a return to method that we had in the preseason. I am hopeful of that. If we can win the midfield battle, we will win the game. That final last year was turned when Buddy sucked the umpire in on two occasions. I really hope we have addressed that with the AFL and umpires. The bloke was completely outplayed by May, and resorted to his usual dirty tactics. If they fall for any of his rubbish this week, i'll be ropable. 

Pretty much sums up how I felt. Been to the footy on hot days but sitting in the crowd the humidity was next level 

[HBDee 376]

5 hours ago, SPC said:

It is that time of the year to make Sam Reid look like Plugger! 
 

Haha so true. Membrey for the Saints springs to mind as well. Dines out against us.

[Kick_It_To_Pickett 3,293]

6 minutes ago, loges said:

Pretty much sums up how I felt. Been to the footy on hot days but sitting in the crowd the humidity was next level 

I spent time playing footy up on the Gold Coast, and it was always humid. The ball was always slippery and wet. A yellow football was always worse than a red. I am not sure why that is, but the yellow Sherrin was always harder to grip. I am not excusing our players, as some of the tackling was also deplorable, but so many guys had the fumbles, which were completely uncharacteristic. 

Edited March 28, 2023 by Kick_It_To_Pickett

[Dr. Gonzo 24,468]

If Tomlinson has been playing well in defense and we have to fit May in while our forward line has struggled for connection and to take a contested mark why would they not trial Petty up forward? It just seems obstinate to not consider it.

Move Grundy to the Gawn role, TMac to the Grundy role and Petty to the TMac role.

In May Jordon Hibberd

Out Gawn Harmes Melksham

[Lucifers Hero 40,746]

I posted in another thread that Max being out might be a blessing as it will enable us to play an extra small/medium player.  They have Reid and Hickey out so they will go in relatively 'short'.

Sydney beat us the same way year in and year out.  They let us get first possession at stoppages, put on the pressure and we rush a disposal and turn it over.  Meanwhile our players have started spreading or moving goalward and are out of position to defend the turnover. 

An 'extra' small/medium player to replace Max should go some way to countering that aspect of Sydney's game.

I will be really disappointed if we fall for that trick again, this week.

[58er 6,872]

1 minute ago, Dr. Gonzo said:

If Tomlinson has been playing well in defense and we have to fit May in while our forward line has struggled for connection and to take a contested mark why would they not trial Petty up forward? It just seems obstinate to not consider it.

Move Grundy to the Gawn role, TMac to the Grundy role and Petty to the TMac role.

In May Jordon Hibberd

Out Gawn Harmes Melksham

Tmac far better to do Petty role and say JVR to Macca role with May to FB and Tommo to Grundy role. Harmes and Melksham out Jordon and Hibberd in.

[Lucifers Hero 40,746]

Not sure about dropping Harmes.  We may need a 'run with' player in the middle for Warner, Parker or Heeny.

Warner is really dangerous and went under the radar a bit last year.  The only swan to really stand up in the GF so potentially their most dangerous.  Not sure what happened vs Hawks this week but he was very ineffective.  Reckon Mitchell may have put a hard tag on him.

It is really hard to tell how good Sydney are as their two big wins have been vs GCS and Hawks.  And their end to 2022 wasn't super brilliant:  an ok win vs an injury depleted Dees, a one point win vs Pies and thrashed in the GF.

My lack of confidence for a win is driven more by our inability to beat Sydney in the past than belief that they really good...

Edited March 28, 2023 by Lucifers Hero

[layzie 34,528]

10 minutes ago, Lucifers Hero said:

Not sure about dropping Harmes.  We may need a 'run with' player in the middle for Warner, Parker or Heeny.

Warner is really dangerous and went under the radar a bit last year.  The only swan to really stand up in the GF so potentially their most dangerous.  Not sure what happened vs Hawks this week but he was very ineffective.  Reckon Mitchell may have put a hard tag on him.

It is really hard to tell how good Sydney are as their two big wins have been vs GCS and Hawks.  And their end to 2022 wasn't super brilliant:  an ok win vs an injury depleted Dees, a one point win vs Pies and thrashed in the GF.

My lack of confidence for a win is driven more by our inability to beat Sydney in the past than belief that they really good...

May very well have happened, Finn McGuinness is becoming quite the competent tagger.