DaVe86
9 Jul 2008, 12:38
I've been doing this weekly on Nicks, thought I'd put it here as well. Just a preview i write every week with matchups, selection dilemmas and in depth analysis on the side we are playing.
Collingwood proved last week that certain sides simply have the wood over others. Game plans, matchups, venues and even individual players just seem to suit certain sides.
I have always thought Adelaide is one of these teams. I considered our record against Adelaide to be very strong. However, when looking up previous records, I have come to realise that Adelaide have in fact won 5 of our last 6 matches. Our 1 win since 2004 came in a tight encounter at AAMI stadium last year.
Thankfully, none of these matches were at the MCG. In fact, we have not played Adelaide at the MCG since before 2003. Adelaide play the Dome very well and are able to completely shut games down. They struggle more on the bigger and wider MCG.
In fact, the Crows have not beat Collingwood at the MCG in the last decade. So each team go into this game with cause for optimism.
The last encounter was round 22 last year at the Dome…effectively a dead rubber for us as top 4 was out of range and we could not really move from our position on the ladder irrespective of the result. However, we did lead for much of the game until the Crows ran away with the match.
Analysing this game, I have confidence that we can really trouble Adelaide. The Crows have not beaten any quality sides this year. Geelong proved last week that they are far from a top 4 side and have many weaknesses.
Depth is one such weakness. I think Collingwood’s depth really proved the difference last week against the Swans who had too many fringe players along for the ride. The Crows were the same against Geelong.
Ultimately, I feel Adelaide play a pretty similar style to Sydney. They will hold the ball as long as they need, push back into defence hard and choke up a game. This style of game should suit us. They tried to play the ball on last week but failed due to their lack of a key marking presence up forward. Their reliance on a first year player to shoulder the Full Forward role is a real worry.
On the injury front, Andrew McLeod is likely to miss a few more games, whilst the Pies will go the rest of the year without Rocca. Some concern must surround Davis who looked very proppy on the weekend. Unlucky midfielder Brent Reilly will also miss a month of footy. McLeod and Reilly are 2 big omissions for the Crows as they break the lines and dispose the ball well.
Our record over the last 4 years suprises me because I think we match up very well against the Crows.
At the selection table:
Malthouse may be forced to make a big decision on a defender. Adelaide lack any real tall marking targets up forward, whilst we had 5 key defenders in the match against Sydney.
I think Malthouse will be keen to bring Wellingham back into the team if fit. He has added pace and flare to the midfield. Goldsack’s name has been thrown around as a possible omission, however it is important to note that he played as a defensive forward last week against Malceski, Barry and Kenelly and did very well. His tackling pressure was enormous and was instrumental in causing Sydney the difficulty they had moving the ball quick from defence.
I’d be very careful dropping Wakelin or Brown. I’d also be very careful bringing in Josh Fraser. I think Wood and Bryan are doing a fantastic job and their toughness is worrying teams. Bryan’s footskills around the ground have improved 100%, as has his efforts and workrate. Bryan is spotting up 50 metre targets on the chest. Wood is taking contested marks and winning hitouts. I think Josh should be rested until near finals to get that knee right whilst we get valuable gametime into these 2 ruckmen. Adelaide have a weak ruck division without Hudson or Biglands anyway. Maric is a decent prospect, but Tippet has been forced to makeshift ruck, as well as hold up the forward line. Bryan and Wood should intimidate…perhaps more so than an injured Fraser.
Remember also that Bryan kicked 3 goals in last years important win at AAMI stadium and was perhaps the matchwinner. Without Rocca, we could use Bryan in a similar role again.
Unless we decide to drop a defender (perhaps Goldsack simply based on matchups), or Leon Davis does not come up, I think we will go in unchanged. The one to come in if a change is made would be Wellingham if fit. Macaffer, Dawes and Isles are knocking on the door at reserve level as well. I think John Anthony was ok and deserves another go. He is hard at it and has clean hands. On a better surface, his kicking for goal should also improve. He is usually a lovely kick.
Matchups:
Defence:
Brown v Tippet – reckon this would be an exciting matchup. 2 young up and coming KPP’s. Brown played on the resting ruckman last week…so should be suited to Tippet. His agility may worry Wakelin a bit, so Brown’s extra closing speed may be beneficial. Would love to see this matchup eventuate.
Wakelin v (whoever Crows elect to play as a tall forward) – Last week the Crows tried Stevens unsuccessfully. They may try this again. Wakelin would be well suited. They also played Gill, but gave him very little gametime. If Gill plays forward, Wakelin should account for this spud easily. They may even elect to promote James Sellar from the reserves who was promising over off-season but has only played 1 match this year. They seem desperate for a tall. They may also swing a surprise and start Bock up forward as he did last year at times.
O’Brien v Burton – Tough matchup but I think Harry would be suited. Given Goldsack’s shut down roles last week, he may also be an option. Harry has enjoyed playing on smalls this year. Burton is not necessarily a small, but he is no Fevola. Harry’s strength and speed are a good match. Goldsack may be a touch skinny in a marking contest, but is also a great match.
Maxwell/Goldsack v Porplyzia – This guy is in All Australian form. He is one of my favourite players going around at the moment and is having his breakout year. Unfortunately, it seems his shoulder is restricting him. Last week, he was unable to push into the midfield. Tom Harley played on him all night and played him very well. The slow ball movement didn’t help, but in the past Craig has put Porplyzia into the midfield to get into the game. Last week surprisingly he did not. This surprised me because he is a great in and under clearance type player and considering the Crows were getting smashed in the midfield, it seemed an obvious move. He hurt his shoulder earlier in the year, and perhaps this is preventing him moving into the midfeld.
If so, we should treat him as a permanent forward, and Goldsack or Maxwell should have enough speed and beat him in the air. Porplyzia is a fantastic overhead mark, so playing a tall on him last week was a great move from the Geelong coach. We should be planning for Porplyzia as he is a very dangerous player and a match winner. he is kicking goals and winning 20+ disposals every week.
Heath Shaw v Goodwin – (When forward) – Similarly to his game against Brad Johnson, Heater would be well suited to Goodwin as well. Goodwin is unaccountable like Johnson and will bring Heath into the game. I think the best way to use Heath in the backline is to put him on a quality forward and let him get into the play. This is better than a tagger taking him to the goalsquare away from the action.
Goodwin will also play a lot in the midfield…probably rotating with Scott Thompson. Heath would also be the right matchup for Thompson if he goes forward.
Midfield:
Goodwin v Burns/O’Bree – I doubt we’ll tag Goodwin when he plays midfield. Goodwin started the year as a forward and was dominating, but has moved into the midfield. This is perhaps due to Reilly’s injury and the fact Porplyzia is playing as a stay at home forward. Last week he won 30+ disposals but was ineffective. A head to head matchup will probably eventuate similarly to the Kirk v Burns matchup last week.
R. Shaw v Thompson – Rhyce has been taking the best midfielders every week and beating them. Scott Thompson is now the Adelaide number 1 midfielder, and Rhyce will most likely go to him. Thompson has been totally tagged out of games in the last fortnight, so Rhyce’s speed should trouble him. The worry is when Thompson pushes forward. As I said earlier, I think Heath should take this matchup as Thompson is too good in the air for Rhyce. Adelaide has a number of rotations, so I think we’ll be using rotating matchups to counter.
Edwardes v Johnson – Tyson Edwardes I still believe is one of their most dangerous players. He is ageing, but was clearly the Crows best last week. Edwardes is another who will rotate between midfield and forward. Against the Cats, he played mostly midfield. Point is that we have to be cautious. Edwardes can take a game apart as he is very accurate on goal. Ben Johnson should have the pace.
The other possible matchups for Edwardes would be Marty Clarke. Mick has not been afraid to give Marty big jobs. Marty would be a great little matchup for Edwardes with his pace and guts. But I feel Edwardes smartness and experience would exploit Marty a bit. I feel the better option may be to use Marty on Douglas who is becoming a dangerous, but often wayward forward. Some close attention should be payed to Douglas.
The other option for Edwardes could be to attack him with either the out of form Pendlebury or Dale Thomas. Mick put Thomas onto guys like Bartel earlier in the year when he was out of form. Playing on a quality player allowed him to focus on someone else as opposed to having to get the ball for himself. Obviously, playing on the good players brings you around the ball and usually frees you up because they do not tag going the other way.
Playing Pendlebury on a quality Adelaide midfielder could be a clever option from Mick to spark Pendlebury into form.
Perhaps he could even be used on the young Knights who is becoming a big ball winner but is usually ineffective with is disposal.
Will be interesting to see if the Crows play Shirley and Massie. Last week, they were given the jobs on Ablett and Bartel. Both were forced to move. Bartel was too good for Shirley, whilst Massie was forced to go into the backline to play Steve Johnson from time to time. I don’t feel Massie was too bad, but I’m very surprised to still see him in an AFL outfit. This guy has been around for 13 years now so surely he is a bit past it. His kicking was awful. However, his defensive jobs on both Ablett and Johnson were commendable. He was probably one who didn’t get smashed by an opponent.
Shirley was once a premier tagger but has had his colours lowered this year. When analysing Collingwood, I’m sure the first 2 names that spring to mind are Didak and Swan. I think Massie and Shirley will get these jobs. Doughty is another tagging option for them.
Forward:
The Crows obviously have a great backline. They have many options to play on different opponents.
I think they’ll opt with Bock on Travis Cloke. Bock seems to be getting the big jobs on the versatile forwards lately. As Trav pushed up the ground last week, I think Bock will be the most suitable option over Rutten who prefers to stay at home.
Rutten might be a bit lost without Rocca there. Rutten has a terrific record against Rocca. This may leave him without a matchup. Rutten has played a lot of gametime without an opponent this year and is winning much more of the ball. Without Rocca, Rutten will most likely take whoever goes to Full Forward. That may be John Anthony, or it may be a resting Bryan or Wood. Given Bryan’s 3 goals last year, I doubt they’ll leave him unguarded.
If Anthony gets Rutten, he’ll be in for a tough night. The important thing is he leads hard up the ground, and tackles hard in the forward line. Rocca’s role has always been to bring the ball to ground. So he has to make sure that he does not allow his opponent to get a clear fist away. There has to be an honest marking contest every time. That’s when Davis, Thomas and Didak become handfuls.
Bassett will most likely go to Medhurst. He’s a good option for Medhurst sizewise. Again, I think the best thing for Medhurst to do is make Bassett accountable. Move up the field, take him away from his comfort zone. Basset is another Crow defender who enjoys zoning off his opponent and getting a lot of cheap marks.
There’s nothing I hate more than seeing the Adelaide defenders getting 25+ disposals each with 15 marks. They drop back and play the game on their terms.
Given our dangerous forward line, this should unsettle the crows. Didak, Medhurst, Thomas and Davis will each float into the midfield forcing their opponents with them. Our tackling pressure and accountability is also fantastic. We go man on man when necessary, a tactic which is probably the way to go against Adelaide. Each of our forwards has to get into the play and take their opponents with them. Crows defenders will also be aware of how dangerous our forwards are and will be forced to play accountable.
Johncock will most likely go onto Davis. Johncock is another who ‘poos’ around in the backline picking up loose possessions. He is in terrific form and again was one of the Crows better players in a humiliation last week.
Given Leon’s injury, and Johncock’s bigger frame, Davis may be in for a tough night. Again, the important thing is to make Johncock accountable. That will mean pushing through the midfield. it will also mean manning him up. Without McLeod, Johncock now becomes the Crows rebound guy. If he gets loose, a defensive forward will be necessary.
Mcleod is listed as indefinite on the injury list…many experts are saying 3-4. So I doubt his availability this week, although I am yet to hear official word. He usually dominates us.
The Crows might also opt to use Doughty on Didak. Doughty is an honest player. He played on Chapman last week with some success. Chapman was still good, but not dominant in a crushing victory.
Crows would feel they match up quite well against Collingwood, as I feel we match up well against them. Neill Craig tried to play attacking last week, but it was unsuccessful. They resorted back to chipping and made a mess of it when they had some run going. They bombed long to a nest of Cats and didn’t lower their eyes under pressure.
It will be interesting to see Craig’s instructions this week. Will they resort back to their natural game which is defensive? Sydney try this against us time and time again and fail. Craig has said that his gameplan will beat the weaker teams, but will fail against the strong teams. He believes they have to learn to be more attacking. He is spot on, but last week the Crows showed that without a tall forward line, they struggle to move the ball quickly. Burton and Porplyzia are the crucial 2 we have to stop.
What is also evident is that tackling pressure will hurt them. The Cats displayed the same level of intensity that we showed against them. If the Crows are trying to be more attacking, pressure will rush them. Accountability will force them to start chipping or kick to a contest where we have the height.
Looking forward to a tough struggle. Will probably be reasonably low scoring but it will be tight. Midfield is important, but defence just as crucial. Getting the Crows on the backfoot early is the name of the game. After a humiliation last week, they will come out firing early. A good start from us will plant the seed of doubt into their heads.
Another 8 point game for the Pies. A chance to put space between us and the competition, and get within a whisker of the Swans who have a tough match against the Hawks.
Pies by 15
DaVe out.
Collingwood proved last week that certain sides simply have the wood over others. Game plans, matchups, venues and even individual players just seem to suit certain sides.
I have always thought Adelaide is one of these teams. I considered our record against Adelaide to be very strong. However, when looking up previous records, I have come to realise that Adelaide have in fact won 5 of our last 6 matches. Our 1 win since 2004 came in a tight encounter at AAMI stadium last year.
Thankfully, none of these matches were at the MCG. In fact, we have not played Adelaide at the MCG since before 2003. Adelaide play the Dome very well and are able to completely shut games down. They struggle more on the bigger and wider MCG.
In fact, the Crows have not beat Collingwood at the MCG in the last decade. So each team go into this game with cause for optimism.
The last encounter was round 22 last year at the Dome…effectively a dead rubber for us as top 4 was out of range and we could not really move from our position on the ladder irrespective of the result. However, we did lead for much of the game until the Crows ran away with the match.
Analysing this game, I have confidence that we can really trouble Adelaide. The Crows have not beaten any quality sides this year. Geelong proved last week that they are far from a top 4 side and have many weaknesses.
Depth is one such weakness. I think Collingwood’s depth really proved the difference last week against the Swans who had too many fringe players along for the ride. The Crows were the same against Geelong.
Ultimately, I feel Adelaide play a pretty similar style to Sydney. They will hold the ball as long as they need, push back into defence hard and choke up a game. This style of game should suit us. They tried to play the ball on last week but failed due to their lack of a key marking presence up forward. Their reliance on a first year player to shoulder the Full Forward role is a real worry.
On the injury front, Andrew McLeod is likely to miss a few more games, whilst the Pies will go the rest of the year without Rocca. Some concern must surround Davis who looked very proppy on the weekend. Unlucky midfielder Brent Reilly will also miss a month of footy. McLeod and Reilly are 2 big omissions for the Crows as they break the lines and dispose the ball well.
Our record over the last 4 years suprises me because I think we match up very well against the Crows.
At the selection table:
Malthouse may be forced to make a big decision on a defender. Adelaide lack any real tall marking targets up forward, whilst we had 5 key defenders in the match against Sydney.
I think Malthouse will be keen to bring Wellingham back into the team if fit. He has added pace and flare to the midfield. Goldsack’s name has been thrown around as a possible omission, however it is important to note that he played as a defensive forward last week against Malceski, Barry and Kenelly and did very well. His tackling pressure was enormous and was instrumental in causing Sydney the difficulty they had moving the ball quick from defence.
I’d be very careful dropping Wakelin or Brown. I’d also be very careful bringing in Josh Fraser. I think Wood and Bryan are doing a fantastic job and their toughness is worrying teams. Bryan’s footskills around the ground have improved 100%, as has his efforts and workrate. Bryan is spotting up 50 metre targets on the chest. Wood is taking contested marks and winning hitouts. I think Josh should be rested until near finals to get that knee right whilst we get valuable gametime into these 2 ruckmen. Adelaide have a weak ruck division without Hudson or Biglands anyway. Maric is a decent prospect, but Tippet has been forced to makeshift ruck, as well as hold up the forward line. Bryan and Wood should intimidate…perhaps more so than an injured Fraser.
Remember also that Bryan kicked 3 goals in last years important win at AAMI stadium and was perhaps the matchwinner. Without Rocca, we could use Bryan in a similar role again.
Unless we decide to drop a defender (perhaps Goldsack simply based on matchups), or Leon Davis does not come up, I think we will go in unchanged. The one to come in if a change is made would be Wellingham if fit. Macaffer, Dawes and Isles are knocking on the door at reserve level as well. I think John Anthony was ok and deserves another go. He is hard at it and has clean hands. On a better surface, his kicking for goal should also improve. He is usually a lovely kick.
Matchups:
Defence:
Brown v Tippet – reckon this would be an exciting matchup. 2 young up and coming KPP’s. Brown played on the resting ruckman last week…so should be suited to Tippet. His agility may worry Wakelin a bit, so Brown’s extra closing speed may be beneficial. Would love to see this matchup eventuate.
Wakelin v (whoever Crows elect to play as a tall forward) – Last week the Crows tried Stevens unsuccessfully. They may try this again. Wakelin would be well suited. They also played Gill, but gave him very little gametime. If Gill plays forward, Wakelin should account for this spud easily. They may even elect to promote James Sellar from the reserves who was promising over off-season but has only played 1 match this year. They seem desperate for a tall. They may also swing a surprise and start Bock up forward as he did last year at times.
O’Brien v Burton – Tough matchup but I think Harry would be suited. Given Goldsack’s shut down roles last week, he may also be an option. Harry has enjoyed playing on smalls this year. Burton is not necessarily a small, but he is no Fevola. Harry’s strength and speed are a good match. Goldsack may be a touch skinny in a marking contest, but is also a great match.
Maxwell/Goldsack v Porplyzia – This guy is in All Australian form. He is one of my favourite players going around at the moment and is having his breakout year. Unfortunately, it seems his shoulder is restricting him. Last week, he was unable to push into the midfield. Tom Harley played on him all night and played him very well. The slow ball movement didn’t help, but in the past Craig has put Porplyzia into the midfield to get into the game. Last week surprisingly he did not. This surprised me because he is a great in and under clearance type player and considering the Crows were getting smashed in the midfield, it seemed an obvious move. He hurt his shoulder earlier in the year, and perhaps this is preventing him moving into the midfeld.
If so, we should treat him as a permanent forward, and Goldsack or Maxwell should have enough speed and beat him in the air. Porplyzia is a fantastic overhead mark, so playing a tall on him last week was a great move from the Geelong coach. We should be planning for Porplyzia as he is a very dangerous player and a match winner. he is kicking goals and winning 20+ disposals every week.
Heath Shaw v Goodwin – (When forward) – Similarly to his game against Brad Johnson, Heater would be well suited to Goodwin as well. Goodwin is unaccountable like Johnson and will bring Heath into the game. I think the best way to use Heath in the backline is to put him on a quality forward and let him get into the play. This is better than a tagger taking him to the goalsquare away from the action.
Goodwin will also play a lot in the midfield…probably rotating with Scott Thompson. Heath would also be the right matchup for Thompson if he goes forward.
Midfield:
Goodwin v Burns/O’Bree – I doubt we’ll tag Goodwin when he plays midfield. Goodwin started the year as a forward and was dominating, but has moved into the midfield. This is perhaps due to Reilly’s injury and the fact Porplyzia is playing as a stay at home forward. Last week he won 30+ disposals but was ineffective. A head to head matchup will probably eventuate similarly to the Kirk v Burns matchup last week.
R. Shaw v Thompson – Rhyce has been taking the best midfielders every week and beating them. Scott Thompson is now the Adelaide number 1 midfielder, and Rhyce will most likely go to him. Thompson has been totally tagged out of games in the last fortnight, so Rhyce’s speed should trouble him. The worry is when Thompson pushes forward. As I said earlier, I think Heath should take this matchup as Thompson is too good in the air for Rhyce. Adelaide has a number of rotations, so I think we’ll be using rotating matchups to counter.
Edwardes v Johnson – Tyson Edwardes I still believe is one of their most dangerous players. He is ageing, but was clearly the Crows best last week. Edwardes is another who will rotate between midfield and forward. Against the Cats, he played mostly midfield. Point is that we have to be cautious. Edwardes can take a game apart as he is very accurate on goal. Ben Johnson should have the pace.
The other possible matchups for Edwardes would be Marty Clarke. Mick has not been afraid to give Marty big jobs. Marty would be a great little matchup for Edwardes with his pace and guts. But I feel Edwardes smartness and experience would exploit Marty a bit. I feel the better option may be to use Marty on Douglas who is becoming a dangerous, but often wayward forward. Some close attention should be payed to Douglas.
The other option for Edwardes could be to attack him with either the out of form Pendlebury or Dale Thomas. Mick put Thomas onto guys like Bartel earlier in the year when he was out of form. Playing on a quality player allowed him to focus on someone else as opposed to having to get the ball for himself. Obviously, playing on the good players brings you around the ball and usually frees you up because they do not tag going the other way.
Playing Pendlebury on a quality Adelaide midfielder could be a clever option from Mick to spark Pendlebury into form.
Perhaps he could even be used on the young Knights who is becoming a big ball winner but is usually ineffective with is disposal.
Will be interesting to see if the Crows play Shirley and Massie. Last week, they were given the jobs on Ablett and Bartel. Both were forced to move. Bartel was too good for Shirley, whilst Massie was forced to go into the backline to play Steve Johnson from time to time. I don’t feel Massie was too bad, but I’m very surprised to still see him in an AFL outfit. This guy has been around for 13 years now so surely he is a bit past it. His kicking was awful. However, his defensive jobs on both Ablett and Johnson were commendable. He was probably one who didn’t get smashed by an opponent.
Shirley was once a premier tagger but has had his colours lowered this year. When analysing Collingwood, I’m sure the first 2 names that spring to mind are Didak and Swan. I think Massie and Shirley will get these jobs. Doughty is another tagging option for them.
Forward:
The Crows obviously have a great backline. They have many options to play on different opponents.
I think they’ll opt with Bock on Travis Cloke. Bock seems to be getting the big jobs on the versatile forwards lately. As Trav pushed up the ground last week, I think Bock will be the most suitable option over Rutten who prefers to stay at home.
Rutten might be a bit lost without Rocca there. Rutten has a terrific record against Rocca. This may leave him without a matchup. Rutten has played a lot of gametime without an opponent this year and is winning much more of the ball. Without Rocca, Rutten will most likely take whoever goes to Full Forward. That may be John Anthony, or it may be a resting Bryan or Wood. Given Bryan’s 3 goals last year, I doubt they’ll leave him unguarded.
If Anthony gets Rutten, he’ll be in for a tough night. The important thing is he leads hard up the ground, and tackles hard in the forward line. Rocca’s role has always been to bring the ball to ground. So he has to make sure that he does not allow his opponent to get a clear fist away. There has to be an honest marking contest every time. That’s when Davis, Thomas and Didak become handfuls.
Bassett will most likely go to Medhurst. He’s a good option for Medhurst sizewise. Again, I think the best thing for Medhurst to do is make Bassett accountable. Move up the field, take him away from his comfort zone. Basset is another Crow defender who enjoys zoning off his opponent and getting a lot of cheap marks.
There’s nothing I hate more than seeing the Adelaide defenders getting 25+ disposals each with 15 marks. They drop back and play the game on their terms.
Given our dangerous forward line, this should unsettle the crows. Didak, Medhurst, Thomas and Davis will each float into the midfield forcing their opponents with them. Our tackling pressure and accountability is also fantastic. We go man on man when necessary, a tactic which is probably the way to go against Adelaide. Each of our forwards has to get into the play and take their opponents with them. Crows defenders will also be aware of how dangerous our forwards are and will be forced to play accountable.
Johncock will most likely go onto Davis. Johncock is another who ‘poos’ around in the backline picking up loose possessions. He is in terrific form and again was one of the Crows better players in a humiliation last week.
Given Leon’s injury, and Johncock’s bigger frame, Davis may be in for a tough night. Again, the important thing is to make Johncock accountable. That will mean pushing through the midfield. it will also mean manning him up. Without McLeod, Johncock now becomes the Crows rebound guy. If he gets loose, a defensive forward will be necessary.
Mcleod is listed as indefinite on the injury list…many experts are saying 3-4. So I doubt his availability this week, although I am yet to hear official word. He usually dominates us.
The Crows might also opt to use Doughty on Didak. Doughty is an honest player. He played on Chapman last week with some success. Chapman was still good, but not dominant in a crushing victory.
Crows would feel they match up quite well against Collingwood, as I feel we match up well against them. Neill Craig tried to play attacking last week, but it was unsuccessful. They resorted back to chipping and made a mess of it when they had some run going. They bombed long to a nest of Cats and didn’t lower their eyes under pressure.
It will be interesting to see Craig’s instructions this week. Will they resort back to their natural game which is defensive? Sydney try this against us time and time again and fail. Craig has said that his gameplan will beat the weaker teams, but will fail against the strong teams. He believes they have to learn to be more attacking. He is spot on, but last week the Crows showed that without a tall forward line, they struggle to move the ball quickly. Burton and Porplyzia are the crucial 2 we have to stop.
What is also evident is that tackling pressure will hurt them. The Cats displayed the same level of intensity that we showed against them. If the Crows are trying to be more attacking, pressure will rush them. Accountability will force them to start chipping or kick to a contest where we have the height.
Looking forward to a tough struggle. Will probably be reasonably low scoring but it will be tight. Midfield is important, but defence just as crucial. Getting the Crows on the backfoot early is the name of the game. After a humiliation last week, they will come out firing early. A good start from us will plant the seed of doubt into their heads.
Another 8 point game for the Pies. A chance to put space between us and the competition, and get within a whisker of the Swans who have a tough match against the Hawks.
Pies by 15
DaVe out.