20 minutes ago, Tolstoys Nudge said:

Reid tag wouldn’t have done a thing — maybe avoids that one GOTY but only MAYBE! I am actually glad Trac laughed it off, we prefer him Moping about it & letting it hurt his pride do we? We’ll get em back.

 

Interestingly — seems it’s Tommo over Petty playing back which for me is the wrong call, just can’t see him intercepting whereas Petty would be perfect in that role! But we will see, hope for Tommo he nails-it & maybe even gives us enough for some compo if a club pays him enough. I’d actually prefer he stay for depth but we all know that ain’t happening.

Turnover game will get a good test this weekend with sloppy-saints, need to generate better shots! Mcadam 2nd up I’m backing 💯 & with JVR I think he’ll be more dangerous.. can’t wait!

 

Perhaps Tommo will take Tmacs role and he will then take Lever's role?

Fingers crossed it works! 

1 hour ago, At the break of Gawn said:

A loss late season when all your key metrics are healthy can often be a blip. However, a loss when lots of your key metrics are unhealthy can often point to a more significant issue that many on here are overlooking.

We’re 17th from scores from turnover (Only Richmond is worse) over the last 5 matches and we’ve got a midfield mix who have next to nothing score involvement averages (apart from Trac).

A win this week will be nice, but honestly all I want is to kick a healthy score off turnover and an improvement in score involvements across our mids.

Freo are also the best team at moving the ball so it doesn’t get better next week.

Lions lost to the hawks in round 10. 

The pies were in struggle town when the hawks beat them - hit by injury and their key metrics had cratered (most notably scores from turnover and the back half).

 

Just realised Jack Higgins, who's been their best forward this year, is due back from suspension this week.

M Crouch will return after getting 38 touches in his come back VFL game.

Membrey was rested last week and will come back in fresh for this one.

If Butler gets up, St Kilda will be 100% at full strength which is bizarre given the amount of injuries going around in the league.

Will be a tough one to win given we can't generate a score. In fact every week for the rest of the season is going to be a tough assignment given we can't generate a score.

 

OK, so Petty stays forward. I guess that means the ins are JvR, Langers and Tommo. Given Tommo’s performance against the Pies last year he may get two games to ‘get up to speed’ in preparation for a repeat performance.

15 hours ago, binman said:

@titan_uranus No, I do agree our midfield is down on previous years, at least in terms of looking at them individually.

But we lost gus in the eve of the finals. And clarry, whilst performing remarkably well given his interrupted preseasons, is not yet back to his best. 

And it didn't help losing Bowser in round one, which meant salo had to go back.

Nor did it help salo also getting injured.

Against that viney has been terrific, ditto tracc and Max.  

What I have been arguing is that the midfield isn't really a significant issue for us. The forward line is a much better issue.

Midfields are simply not as important as they were even two seasons ago.

Scores from clearances were something 60-70% of total score when goody took over as coach.

It's now only 20-30%, with scores from turnover being the main score source.

I mean you only have to look at the game we just played.

Seven years ago if we were plus 21 for scores from stoppages we win most games.

Not now, particularly when our opponents absolutely smash us on scores from turnover.

Yes mids play a role in creating turnovers and scoring from them, but no more than the high half forwards and wingers and less than intercepting defenders and half back flankers.

Doesn’t that suggest we are over weight on salary for our midfield? Have we over invested in midfielders for a clearance contest dominance game that is no longer the secret sauce it was?

Saints at full strength. Absolutely their best 22 will be on the park.  FFS.  
 

Agree they bring in Membrey, Crouch, Butler and Higgins. Hunter Clark also likely back in as Sub.  
 

Sinclair Wilkie Howard

Wanganeenmilera Battle Hill

Wilson Crouch Henry

Butler Membrey Wood 

Higgins King Owens

Marshall Steele Windhager

Int  Bonner Phillipou Paton  Dow

sub  Clark

outs. Webster. Caminiti. Collard. Sharman Jones

emerg. Jones Sharman Webster

Saints are 1-5 in the past 6. couldn’t give a rats if they are at full strength 

After last Sunday we should come out firing

18 minutes ago, spirit of norm smith said:

Saints at full strength. Absolutely their best 22 will be on the park.  FFS.  
 

Agree they bring in Membrey, Crouch, Butler and Higgins. Hunter Clark also likely back in as Sub.  
 

Sinclair Wilkie Howard

Wanganeenmilera Battle Hill

Wilson Crouch Henry

Butler Membrey Wood 

Higgins King Owens

Marshall Steele Windhager

Int  Bonner Phillipou Paton  Dow

sub  Clark

outs. Webster. Caminiti. Collard. Sharman Jones

emerg. Jones Sharman Webster

They actually also play the MCG pretty well and had their best win of the season there. They’re a bargain at $3.40

I reckon we will go shorter down back

T mac and Tommo in the same backline will result in many turnovers

Howes and Rivers are tallish and can handle Membery and Owens hopefully 

Our forward line was terrible last week, BBB needs a spell.  Possibly the kind that you see delivered to Princesses in Disney movies.

JVR and Langers are obviously straight ins, Langers for Billings, JVR for BBB.

The question then is who comes in for Lever.

Tommo as a straight swap, or do you send Petty back and bring in another forward?  Or, put Trac forward and bring in any of Sestan / Koltyn / K Brown for rotations in the mid for Petty?

Lower risk is bringing in Tommo and giving Trac time up forward. I think.

 

 

 

59 minutes ago, spirit of norm smith said:

Saints at full strength. Absolutely their best 22 will be on the park.  FFS.  
 

Agree they bring in Membrey, Crouch, Butler and Higgins. Hunter Clark also likely back in as Sub.  
 

Sinclair Wilkie Howard

Wanganeenmilera Battle Hill

Wilson Crouch Henry

Butler Membrey Wood 

Higgins King Owens

Marshall Steele Windhager

Int  Bonner Phillipou Paton  Dow

sub  Clark

outs. Webster. Caminiti. Collard. Sharman Jones

emerg. Jones Sharman Webster

Two things that will happen:

1. We will get jumped in Q1 again

2. We will lose contested footy.

6 hours ago, dino rover said:

Doesn’t that suggest we are over weight on salary for our midfield? Have we over invested in midfielders for a clearance contest dominance game that is no longer the secret sauce it was?

It's a good question. 

Tracc and clarry certainly absorb alot of our salary cap. Max too

But that would the same for all teams ie 2 or 3 gun mids take up a big chunks of the cap.

And perhaps I should have said midfields are not as important as they once were - until the finals.

Come finals, the game often devolves into rugby like brutal combat - teams still dont need the 6 or 7 mids they needed 6-7 years go but they need bulls like tracc, jack and clarry up and firing.

Edited May 23, 20241 yr by binman

1 hour ago, binman said:

Lions lost to the hawks in round 10. 

The pies were in struggle town when the hawks beat them - hit by injury and their key metrics had cratered (most notably scores from turnover and the back half).

 

Difference with pies is they had a 2 game gap between them and 2nd and 3 between them and 3rd with 5 rounds remaining and with that the luxury of preparing for finals. At the present time dees are in a fight to hold a sport inside the 8. By no means is the season over but don’t I don’t think the example is comparable. I could be proven wrong but dees this year unlike the last 3 seem clearly to have fallen back to the pack but some what lucky for us outside swans everyone else has had more than a few stumbles 

Goodwin said Petty will stay forward

57 minutes ago, DubDee said:

Goodwin said Petty will stay forward

He may do better with JVR up there, rather than Brown.

No doubt means Tommo gets a go, which is deserved.

Will be interesting to see who Langers comes in for, the cupboard is definitely getting bare.

Hopefully Bowser can get up, need some silk in this team.

 

 

16 minutes ago, D Rev said:

He may do better with JVR up there, rather than Brown.

 

 

 

He will likely spend less time rucking, which will help him do more up forward.

 

2 hours ago, D Rev said:

Our forward line was terrible last week, BBB needs a spell.  Possibly the kind that you see delivered to Princesses in Disney movies.

JVR and Langers are obviously straight ins, Langers for Billings, JVR for BBB.

The question then is who comes in for Lever.

Tommo as a straight swap, or do you send Petty back and bring in another forward?  Or, put Trac forward and bring in any of Sestan / Koltyn / K Brown for rotations in the mid for Petty?

Lower risk is bringing in Tommo and giving Trac time up forward. I think.

 

 

Petty is not going to the Backline

TMac is not going forward 

From the Coaches Mouth 

2 hours ago, DubDee said:

Saints are 1-5 in the past 6. couldn’t give a rats if they are at full strength 

After last Sunday we should come out firing

Funny I would have said the same after the carlton game. 

4 hours ago, Tolstoys Nudge said:

Reid tag wouldn’t have done a thing — maybe avoids that one GOTY but only MAYBE! I am actually glad Trac laughed it off, we prefer him Moping about it & letting it hurt his pride do we? We’ll get em back.

 

Interestingly — seems it’s Tommo over Petty playing back which for me is the wrong call, just can’t see him intercepting whereas Petty would be perfect in that role! But we will see, hope for Tommo he nails-it & maybe even gives us enough for some compo if a club pays him enough. I’d actually prefer he stay for depth but we all know that ain’t happening.

Turnover game will get a good test this weekend with sloppy-saints, need to generate better shots! Mcadam 2nd up I’m backing 💯 & with JVR I think he’ll be more dangerous.. can’t wait!

 

Does Tommo need to intercept though or just lock down and negate until Lever gets back. He wasn't the worst in his last couple of games, few and far between they may have been.

8 minutes ago, jnrmac said:

Funny I would have said the same after the carlton game. 

difference is WC’s home form was good. two wins and a six point loss to the bombers. They are tough to beat at home

no excuses for us losing though 

If you mean the coming out firing part - yeah agree

Edited May 23, 20241 yr by DubDee

3 hours ago, DubDee said:

Goodwin said Petty will stay forward

My ideal changes vs the Saints...

Outs:  Lever (inj), Billings, BBB, Bowey

In:  JVR*, Langdon, Fullarton*, Woe

Petty to Lever's role (won't happen but should).  Replaced by JVR.

Fullo for BBB (won't happen but should)

Langdon for Billings (will happen)

Woey for Bowey (should happen but probably won't).

I'm not sure Simon's fixation with Petty forward is such a great thing.

When a key player is out sometimes you have to be like water.  Formless.  Water can flow or it can crash.

With Lever's replacement... be water Simon.  It's ok... Petry can go back for a few games.

Sestan as the sub adding a HF / Mid tactical option if Chandler or Sparrow bomb out or a medium - small forward or mid get injured (won't happen).

Sestan is probably a good 4 to 6 weeks away from having an AFL tank that would see him cope with even three quarters let alone four, as mentioned by SG already.

But...he can impact at AFL for a quarter or two and hit the scoreboard.

As a tactical sub from roughly any time mid way through the third quarter he would be a great addition.

Ok so if someone goes down early it's a risk but not a huge one imho.

Simon just needs to get into Ollie's ear before he runs out and tell him... "you in the big leagues now, they watchin' you now, this is where you make it, this is where you make it, this is where you make it.... Permanent!

Edited May 23, 20241 yr by Demon Dynasty

3 hours ago, DubDee said:

I reckon we will go shorter down back

T mac and Tommo in the same backline will result in many turnovers

Howes and Rivers are tallish and can handle Membery and Owens hopefully 

TMac turnovers #demonlandmyths

Tomlinson's kicking is fine too.

It's the combined groundball mobility problems that are the possible issue.

2 minutes ago, old55 said:

TMac turnovers #demonlandmyths

Tomlinson's kicking is fine too.

It's the combined groundball mobility problems that are the possible issue.

Not just that, who's playing the 1.5 intercept role of Lever?  Neither Tommo or T- Mac are really up to that.