binman

And further to my post i reckon ANB is big chance to come in (i hadn't even consider him)

It has been pretty close most weeks. And sometimes it is pretty unequivocal about some selections For example i have no doubt at all Fritter will play based n these comments: 'Bayley Fritsch was omitted from last week’s team after arriving late to training, but he should slot straight back into the forward line. The crafty left footer was dominant in Melbourne’s practice match against the Pies on Friday and has a lot to offer at AFL level.' Not every player mentioned comes in of course but i reckon every player who has come in is has been mentioned in it. As an example Omac was not mentioned at all until last weeks article. Enough of a correlation for me to assume Smith is no chance this week. Maybe not Bennell either, but he is in the photo for the article......

In all seriousness please take your ill informed, dangerous nonsense to some fringe facebook site. And keep it there.

Small forwards re our achilles heel. And he is the best in the game i reckon. I liked the idea of Smith coming in for him but that doesn't sound likely. It does sound likely however that Lockhart will come back in and would have the mongrel to harass and niggle Papley. it would be a fun match up to watch actually. You probably have to accept he will kick a couple of goals but if we can keep him to two that's a win as really he is their only regular goal kicking threat.

Agree. Which is why we are not yet a top 4 team.

Agree. Which is the weakness in the game plans of the dogs and saints - if the opposition counter them with a super effective all team defensive zone (of whatever variation - one line, two lines, swarming etc), with all players plying their role and working super hard it breaks down.

Omac can indeed kick 50 off a step, but his role is step one in the automated process. Step one: Omac or one his defensive brethren kick long to a contest from the wing to just inside 50 near the boundary Step two: Kozzie, Spargo or a mid crumb the pack and win a ground ball get from the marking contest and fire it off to the designated spot on the 50 metre arc. Step three: one of Melk, Brayshaw and Trac take an easy mark. Step four: one of Melk, Brayshaw and Trac go back and slot a 50 metre goal. Step five: repeat steps one to four

We were god awful that day. Couldn't kick straight from memory. Was that hogans'last game for us?

Agree jnr. Usually very reliable by foot, in large part because he a sound technique. Though his kicking it was pretty poor against the saints

To some extent our tactics will be influenced by the way Longmuire decides to approach this game. In a couple of recent games (eg the GWS and Port games) the Swans seem to have been trying to go through the corridor a bit more and be a bit more offensive. And in others they have used an ultra defensive, hold the ball, flood the oppositions front half model (eg the dire match against a similarly defensive freo and the pies game, which they almost pinched with a third of the inside 50s or something crazy). Lets hope they look to attack but i fear the desire to stem a big loss might be the way they decide to go. And if so it will be game played n our front half. So ground ball gets, forward half pressure and taking the half chances will be important. And in that scenario we will set out zone really high, with Lever may and Omac up around the wings. We will need to be smart with our inside 50s. And patient. An interesting thing i've noted a few teams doing lately in a crowded front half is really long handballs away from the goals to a free player on our even outside 50. And that player then reloads and goes back in or looks to cross and reset. We did that couple of times against the saints (one by Jones) and also have been doing something similar with kicks from just inside 50 (which i i think are automated), where instead of going to the goal square they square it to a spot just on or outside 50 ones (eg Spargo to Brayshaw in the Pies game) - the vacuum of space riewodt described it as, created by defenders pushing forward to crowd the inside 50 space, and in particular the hot spot 20 out from goal. On my theory we do well against teams with similar game plans but struggle with those with different game plans this game sets up really well as Longmuire is a type one, defence first, systems coach. For that very reason he might looked to adopt a more aggressive approach that involves risky kicks wide or to the corridor, but unlike the Dogs they don't have the cattle (to mix animals metaphors) to pull that off and will lead to a shellacking if we are swtiched on as we will smash them on the counter. Lets hope the try it.

Maybe. But one of the posters is correct. And the other totally incorrect.

You want him to watch the game a third time to confirm your confirmation bias?

A change. I heard May being interviewed on the ABC on Sunday (a show i really like, starts at 12 noon). Asked about fritter, said he slept in and missed the bus. Drove to the ground himself getting there 10 mins late or os. Said he was dead unlucky as the coaches had given them a rev up about the need to get even the smallest things spot on. And the next day he sleeps in. Laughed about it. I had assumed something more serious. Said he would come straight back in. And i believe him. Sorry Hunt, you're out. Fritter comes in for Hannan. Please tackle Fritter. Not you Hunt.

Me too. Times 1000. There have been at least 4 paid against this year that are no different. If in an alternative universe i was a mad saints fans and regularly posted on a footy forum under the name namnib and a Paul Callery avatar i'd be banging on that fellow posters should be worried about the clear 50 we weren't paid not the goal/point by the player who if we we had any clue about recruiting should be in our team.

Total bollocks.

Just saw that. A blunder. So a mistake. So much for factual, accurate news.

Agree, looked to be really busting a gut all night. There was one where he didn't quite get to the ball carrier but put on just enough pressure to impact the kick inside 50 which we marked. Won't get a stat but that is exactly what we need from every player. And didn't get from every player last week

Here's what i think will happen with selections (and also what i agree should happen): Out: Jones: needs a freshen up and two games in 9 games a perfect opportunity Kozzie: needs a freshen up and two games in 9 games a perfect opportunity Hibbo: bad sprain, makes sense to give him at least the swans game to recover Hannan: was given an opportunity with the late withdrawal of Jones last week and hasn't taken it. Kicking was terrible yesterday and could not stick a tackle (a caveat, i'm guessing he did work super hard to cover the switich and outlet kicks and if so Goody may well reward the work ethic) In Bennell: comes in for Jones and plays on the win. They will be thinking a week at time of course and not get ahead of themselves, but have to be planning for finals. If they want Harley available as an option for finals he needs some game time. With no disrespect to Swans and Freo these next two games are the best opportunity to give him some. Will need to be a lot more physical though than he was in the Crows game if he is to remain in the team. Hunt: the chance to return bit on the dees website is usually pretty close to to the mark in terms of who comes in (this week flagging Omac, Rivers and Wagner) and he was a player highlighted. Seems an obvious swap for Hannan, with the added bonus of a better tackler and more speed Bedford: comes in to play the small forward's role (though i suspect Corey Wagner might also be a chance for this role) Smith: a natural swap for hibberd. Wasn't nearly as bad as many suggested as he was given the role of a big. Sit him on Papley with orders to wear him like a glove crunch him at every opportunity. Papley is clever and will likely snag a goal or two but Smith has the speed and strength to go with him and make life difficult for him (lochart might also be a chance for this role)

One of those things is working super hard to man the mark. And when he gets there jumps and moves so it has for the opposition to release quickly or kick on angle. May not look like much but is super important. I have to say though i'd like to see him to start kicking some goals.

That bears repeating moonie - we are in the 8. What ever we collectively think about how we are travelling, the fact remains we are in the 8. And unlike (almost) all our competitors for that spot we don't have any more games against one of the current top 5 sides. The pies have two and a bye, dogs one and a bye and saints one a bye. GWS don't have a game against any top current 5 teams but their four games include the blues, us and the saints. So not an easy run. Our fate is in our hands. Its crazy to think there is only four more games. The next game is Thursday at 4:40 against the swans and the following Monday night against the the dockers (both fly in, fly out games in Cairns). Then five days later we play GWS on Saturday week before finishing the home and away season aprox a week later (date TBC) with our Bombers game. What a football season

projection

Spot on. There seemed to be fewer cameras and so more down the ground shots and wide camera angles and you could see the zone structure much better. That system why i say leg speed is over rated. Sure it helps to have some leg speed but if there is no space to run into it doesn't matter how fast you are. Take Butler - a big part of their model is getting him in space. I reckon their first goal was the only time he was allowed any space to run into all game. Same goes got Hill. No space to run forward into. As i said before the game, with the outs you a can take as read who didn't work hard enough last week. An advantage for us tonight is though traeger park is pretty big is longs and relatively narrow. I have no doubt narrow grounds help our zone. Out turnover s were poor, as were theirs. They all looked pretty stuffed though as it was over 20 degrees i think. Ironically though it was our accuracy from set shots that was the real difference.

AFL stats keep once percenters, which interlude pressure acts i think - but i think it takes a day for it to come up

That was unbelievable call. Smart play by brown (i assume he had nothing forward). Pay he mark as he should and langdon golds that for 10 seconds and then down the line and its game over. Gave them a chance. It was actually a really smart kick by Langdon to get it so deep under pressure. It was great he was switched on as he could of easily just assumed the mark was going to be paid and got tackled.

And barely a stuck tackle between them