Team vs Geelong

[George Washington]

Essendon
B: Henry SLattery, Tayte Pears, Bachar Houli
HB: Brent Stanton, Adam McPhee, Cale Hooker
C: Ricky Dyson, Heath Hocking, David Zaharakis
HF: Angus Monfries, Jay Neagle, Andrew Lovett
F: Alwyn Davey, Matthew Lloyd, Sam Lonergan
Foll: Patrick Ryder, Jobe Watson, Jason Winderlich
I/C (from): David Myers, Jay Nash, Leroy Jetta, Mark McVeigh, Hayden Skipworth, Tom Bellchambers, Scott Lucas

In: Skipworth, Myers, Nash, McVeigh, Lucas
Out: Courtenay Dempsey (ankle), Nathan Lovett-Murray (susp)


I can't see Skipworth, Nash or Lucas playing tbh, my guess is Myers and McVeigh.


Ninja edit...

[dave_27]

Dempsey is a really bad loss.

I guess no injuries for more than a week or 2 was too much too ask when it comes to Essendon!

[EFL Boy]

Just noticed then, where is our ruck line?

[Skeeta Olly]

Dempsey > Myers
NLM > McVeigh/Skipworth

That's what I'm guessing.

[EFL Boy]

That line would be Ryder, Watson, Winderlich

[warney7]

Putting Nash in the side to play Geelong will be disasterous.

If he plays and turns the ball over as much as he has in the past, Hooker and Pears are going to have a really tough afternoon.

I think Skipworth will play, he's been out of the side for 5 weeks now, and I think Myers is more likely than McVeigh, given the fact that Mark has only had 1 game in the VFL.

[lamaros]

Skipworth, McVeigh and Myers all chances I expect.

Lucas isn't back, doubt Nash is ahead of anyone. Question if Jetta is dropped or not, that's all.

[dave_27]

Mcveigh IS playing, Knights confirmed it in his preview.

[Lotch]

Good to see Lucas atleast on the extended bench. Hopefully he gets some form and battles for his spot.

[just jetta]

Good to see Skippy back up and about..... McVeigh should add some toughness here and there.
We've been doing well without Lucas, but why not bring him back? It'll be good to have another tall marking forward too exploit Geelong's defence line.

Hopefully we get big games from Lovett and Monfries!
A nice little run through the middle should do us good.

[kelvin_sheedy]

No brainer - McVeigh and Skipworth in.

[Charliebrow 16]

I'd really like to see Lucas back in the squad but we might be a little top heavy with Lloyd, Neagle and Lucas all playing in the forward line at various stages.

McVeigh and Skipworth would be nice inclusions.

[bomberstomake8]

No brainer - McVeigh and Skipworth in.

thats probably the likely scenario however i think myers is also a decent shot because he would be the one most likely to fill dempsey's position. would he be a suitable match up for SJ? myers can match him i feel for height and pace and generally myers has kept his opponents quiet all year although none of them would have been of the quality of SJ.

as for the lucas inclusion i think bringing in lucas would be playing into geelongs hands they have quite a few tall defenders in scarlett milburn mackie taylor, i dont think having another tall forward in the team would really trouble them. players like taylor and lately milburn seem to struggle playing on small forwards so i think a smaller set up could work well.

i think dempsey is a massive loss, he has been our best defender, so creative and very clean hands..

[kelvin_sheedy]

thats probably the likely scenario however i think myers is also a decent shot because he would be the one most likely to fill dempsey's position. would he be a suitable match up for SJ? myers can match him i feel for height and pace and generally myers has kept his opponents quiet all year although none of them would have been of the quality of SJ.


Myers ain't fit to carry Dempsey's boots at the moment. Defensively he's been taken to the cleaners so I'm not sure what your on about.

If anyone we'd have to go with Nash as he can get the ball and run and carry but I'll think we'll see Dyson/Stanton playing a lot more of that role.

[Kong]

Myers ain't fit to carry Dempsey's boots at the moment. Defensively he's been taken to the cleaners so I'm not sure what your on about.No he hasn't. He hasn't played well, but with the exception of the Carlton game he hasn't been 'taken to the cleaners' defensively by any stretch.

[bomberstomake8]

Myers ain't fit to carry Dempsey's boots at the moment. Defensively he's been taken to the cleaners so I'm not sure what your on about.

If anyone we'd have to go with Nash as he can get the ball and run and carry but I'll think we'll see Dyson/Stanton playing a lot more of that role.


not sure what im on about? im not sure what you are on about?

any examples where myers direct opponent has had a big influence on the game? myers has always held his opponent and at least broken even, i havent had any problemswith his defensive ability, he has had problems offensively which is a reason why dempsey is a lot better but against SJ i wouldnt want him to be trying to play off him and provide a target up the ground, give him a strictly lock down role.

with the exception of maybe one match i dont think myers has ever been taken to the cleaners by his direct opponent

[Daytripper]

No he hasn't. He hasn't played well, but with the exception of the Carlton game he hasn't been 'taken to the cleaners' defensively by any stretch.

If Myers has that 'deer in the headlights' look about him now what's he going to be like under the pressure of Geelong.

I don't know which match up from Geelong is good for him to be honest which just leaves his offensive game left. That is basically zero so at least Nash has him covered there.

That said, would have thought McVeigh and Skipwoorth are logical inclusions here.

[kelvin_sheedy]

No he hasn't. He hasn't played well, but with the exception of the Carlton game he hasn't been 'taken to the cleaners' defensively by any stretch.

Every game he's been poor defensively. Why are people trying to spread a myth about him being good defensively? :confused: It's mind boggling.

Go and have a look at all the games and see his opponents waltz around, lead him to the ball, run away from him, etc, etc.

The Geary mark and goal pretty much sums him up. I can't go through every game and every incident but there's been very few contests where he has won out against his opponent... very few. And in most cases he's been playing against no names so you don't expect those guys to come out and have 25+ and 5 goals.

[james_omahoney]

Every game he's been poor defensively. Why are people trying to spread a myth about him being good defensively? :confused: It's mind boggling.

Go and have a look at all the games and see his opponents waltz around, lead him to the ball, run away from him, etc, etc.

The Geary mark and goal pretty much sums him up. I can't go through every game and every incident but there's been very few contests where he has won out against his opponent... very few. And in most cases he's been playing against no names so you don't expect those guys to come out and have 25+ and 5 goals.

Not saying you are right or wrong, but at least list his opponents and goals conceded as a starting point.

[AndyLesPaul]

Essendon
B: Henry SLattery, Tayte Pears, Bachar Houli
HB: Brent Stanton, Adam McPhee, Cale Hooker
C: Ricky Dyson, Heath Hocking, David Zaharakis
HF: Angus Monfries, Jay Neagle, Andrew Lovett
F: Alwyn Davey, Matthew Lloyd, Sam Lonergan
Foll: Patrick Ryder, Jobe Watson, Jason Winderlich
I/C (from): David Myers, Jay Nash, Leroy Jetta, Mark McVeigh, Hayden Skipworth, Tom Bellchambers, Scott Lucas

In: Skipworth, Myers, Nash, McVeigh, Lucas
Out: Courtenay Dempsey (ankle), Nathan Lovett-Murray (susp)


I can't see Skipworth, Nash or Lucas playing tbh, my guess is Myers and McVeigh.


Ninja edit...

Bendigo Bombers


B Quinn Daniher Flaherty

HB Nash T. Slattery Atkinson

C Myers Prismall Reimers

HF Welsh S. Crameri J. Bowe

F Redpath Lucas Bock

R Laycock Scanlon German

Int Bristow Holmes Weekley
C. Slattery Davies Delahunty
R. Taylor B. Taylor Stroobants
Hackett Fiske Klemke

Looks like Skippy and Spike are in

[Boucks09]

I'm not a fan of losing two fit running type players who have been playing all year and had full pre seasons and replacing them with two solid 'in and under types' who are not 100% match fit.

It's a massive risk IMHO.

The only think I can think is that Skippy and McVeigh are going to play predominantly forward with one of Stanton or Dyson to move to the back flank. That could work in playing small down forward and forcing the Geelong defence to play one on one.

[Darealrath]

I'm not a fan of losing two fit running type players who have been playing all year and had full pre seasons and replacing them with two solid 'in and under types' who are not 100% match fit.

It's a massive risk IMHO.



Agreed. We'd have no changes if Dempsey and NLM weren't forced out. I'd be tempted to go with Nash ahead of Skipworth, but it probably won't make much difference.

[dave_27]

Not a fan of skipwoth in for Dempsey at all.

Would have liked to have seen Atkinson get a go.

[Daytripper]

Agreed. We'd have no changes if Dempsey and NLM weren't forced out. I'd be tempted to go with Nash ahead of Skipworth, but it probably won't make much difference.

McVeigh had to come in. Can't have a player of his calibre playing twos.

People forget how good a player he is. Is an automatic upgrade on NLM (and he's had a good season) whilst Skippy is a slight downgrade on Dempsey.

Overall, positives outweigh negatives IMO.

We're going to have the same issues for the next 3 weeks with squeezing Fletcher, Welsh, Reimers and Prismall into the side.

[Kong]

If Myers has that 'deer in the headlights' look about him now what's he going to be like under the pressure of Geelong.

I don't know which match up from Geelong is good for him to be honest which just leaves his offensive game left. That is basically zero so at least Nash has him covered there.

That said, would have thought McVeigh and Skipwoorth are logical inclusions here.I agree that he hasn't offered a whole lot offensively. But my comment was in response to Kelvin's "taken to the cleaners defensively" rubbish.

Every game he's been poor defensively. Why are people trying to spread a myth about him being good defensively? :confused: It's mind boggling.He hasn't been Milburn, Jason Blake, or even Henry Slattery; but he has been OK defensively. I CBF digging it up, but I'm sure Ant posted a list of his direct opponents throughout games, which showed your 'taken to the cleaners' comment to be incorrect. That and the fact that I watch games before commenting on them, have helped me to suggest that Myers has stifled his direct opponents' influence on the game.

I can't go through every game and every incident but there's been very few contests where he has won out against his opponent... very few. And in most cases he's been playing against no names so you don't expect those guys to come out and have 25+ and 5 goals.So? You play whoever's put in front of you; Myers has done that, and kept his opponents quiet, which is his job. I'm not saying he should be picked this week, and I'm not even saying he'll be a great player, but for you to say he's been irrelevant defensively, is tripe.

[Mad Bomber Sean]

Skippy &. Mcveigh are in for sure. Pace out in for reliability. Cant see the others playing at all. No chance for Nash & Lucas really. Don't know why they are mentio we really.would have loved to see Aitkinson & Danher this week though. Mooney & Milburn in for Cats. Makes sense to me.

[kelvin_sheedy]

He hasn't been Milburn, Jason Blake, or even Henry Slattery; but he has been OK defensively. I CBF digging it up, but I'm sure Ant posted a list of his direct opponents throughout games, which showed your 'taken to the cleaners' comment to be incorrect. That and the fact that I watch games before commenting on them, have helped me to suggest that Myers has stifled his direct opponents' influence on the game.

So? You play whoever's put in front of you; Myers has done that, and kept his opponents quiet, which is his job. I'm not saying he should be picked this week, and I'm not even saying he'll be a great player, but for you to say he's been irrelevant defensively, is tripe.

Ant posted he kept Polkinghorne relatively quite... big *** deal. He was on Proud also at times and Rich and they had pretty good games. I didn't know his job was to stop goalscoring machines in Polkinghorne, Proud and Rich. :rolleyes:

If you watch games before commentating then give me a run down on who he's played and who he has kept quiet and what ok jobs he's done. The only time he's kept his man quiet is when he's been sitting on the pine and that's been a fair bit.

How can he be ok defensively when he's been dropped twice and can't get a game with so many out. :rolleyes:

You must have very low expectations in players to accept his performances so far have been anything other than tripe.

[SirJimi05]

Not saying you are right or wrong, but at least list his opponents and goals conceded as a starting point.

He doesn't have the faintest idea.

[kelvin_sheedy]

He doesn't have the faintest idea.

How about you list who he's played on and who he's done well on.

[Tambu]

McVeigh is a very big inclusion, man I hope we can put in a good 4 quarter game and stay competitive against this mob.

It's the ultimate test for our blokes. Go Bombers!

EDIT: Whomb, how dare you steal my avatar :p

[yaco55]

Ant posted he kept Polkinghorne relatively quite... big *** deal. He was on Proud also at times and Rich and they had pretty good games. I didn't know his job was to stop goalscoring machines in Polkinghorne, Proud and Rich. :rolleyes:

If you watch games before commentating then give me a run down on who he's played and who he has kept quiet and what ok jobs he's done. The only time he's kept his man quiet is when he's been sitting on the pine and that's been a fair bit.

How can he be ok defensively when he's been dropped twice and can't get a game with so many out. :rolleyes:

You must have very low expectations in players to accept his performances so far have been anything other than tripe.

You are only looking at part of the story.

One on one defensively Myers has been more than adequate - except for the game against Carlton - and he paid the price by being dropped.

Elements such as disposal efficiency, finding the ball, agility etc have been below average.

[kelvin_sheedy]

You are only looking at part of the story.

One on one defensively Myers has been more than adequate - except for the game against Carlton - and he paid the price by being dropped.

Elements such as disposal efficiency, finding the ball, agility etc have been below average.

How about you list who he's played on and who he's done well on.

[Kong]

Ant posted he kept Polkinghorne relatively quite... big *** deal. He was on Proud also at times and Rich and they had pretty good games. I didn't know his job was to stop goalscoring machines in Polkinghorne, Proud and Rich. :rolleyes:Like I've said, he can only play whoever's in front of him. He did his job in limiting the influence in that game.

If you watch games before commentating then give me a run down on who he's played and who he has kept quiet and what ok jobs he's done. The only time he's kept his man quiet is when he's been sitting on the pine and that's been a fair bit.I'm going on what I can remember, which is:
R2 v Freo; Stephen Hill (5 posessions, 0 goals) & Brett Peake (11 posessions, 2 marks, 2 goals).
R3 v Carlton; Higgins (16 pos, 11 marks, 2 goals)
R5 v Collingwood; Brent Macaffer (11 pos, 5 marks, 1 goal)
R7 v Hawthorn; Osborne (11 pos, 4 marks, 0 goals)
R8 v St Kilda; Gwilt (13 pos, 5 marks, 0 goals).

5 games; 6 opponents, 5 goals.
Those aren't definitively the only match-ups from throughout the match, granted. However that's 5 goals between 6 players. On top of this, Myers also had similar (and in some cases better) influence on the game himself, but that's not the point I was trying to raise. Looking at those, Kelvin, I'd say he did OK defensively. Like I said, not terfific, but OK.

How can he be ok defensively when he's been dropped twice and can't get a game with so many out.Because there have been players the coaching staff feel will add more, namely Dempsey, Slattery and Houli. Not a slap in the face if you ask me. He was dropped because he wasn't adding enough offensively; I feel his defensive work was, again, OK.

[Kong]

Whomb, how dare you steal my avatar :pTake it as compliment :p

[canyoufeelit]

Skippy &. Mcveigh are in for sure. Pace out in for reliability. Cant see the others playing at all. No chance for Nash & Lucas really. Don't know why they are mentio we really.would have loved to see Aitkinson & Danher this week though. Mooney & Milburn in for Cats. Makes sense to me.

Dempesy is a big lose for us this week lets hope he gets up next week. The run off the half he provides is beyond crazy especially that goal against the saints a fortnight ago. Have a feeling Mcveigh and lovett will rotate throught the midfield.

[lemon chicken]

No brainer - McVeigh and Skipworth in.

+1. Daniher would be the only other i would have considered.

any examples where myers direct opponent has had a big influence on the game? myers has always held his opponent and at least broken even, i havent had any problemswith his defensive ability, he has had problems offensively which is a reason why dempsey is a lot better but against SJ i wouldnt want him to be trying to play off him and provide a target up the ground, give him a strictly lock down role.


Ohh Knights please 'NO'.

I'm not a fan of losing two fit running type players who have been playing all year and had full pre seasons and replacing them with two solid 'in and under types' who are not 100% match fit.

It's a massive risk IMHO.

The only think I can think is that Skippy and McVeigh are going to play predominantly forward with one of Stanton or Dyson to move to the back flank. That could work in playing small down forward and forcing the Geelong defence to play one on one.

Im pretty sure McVeigh is capable of playing defence. In fact Im certain of it.

Not a fan of skipwoth in for Dempsey at all.

Would have liked to have seen Atkinson get a go.

Why wouldnt it be McVeigh in for Dempsey?

[yaco55]

How about you list who he's played on and who he's done well on.

Kelvin - You are out of control !

You are making claims that Myers form has been catastrophic - Surely you would have facts and figures at the ready !

I have made a comment about one part of his game which has been satisfactory - But of course you choose to ignore my other posts about his

- lack of agility
- poor kicking
- poor recovery after contests

And i agreed with the selection panel that he should be dropped.

I have one final question

- What position can u see Myers playing in 3 years ?

[Wahooti Fandango]

I think McVeigh and Skippy coming in at the expense of Dempsey and NLM could be a good thing for this game as we need some tough bodies against the Cats.

[kelvin_sheedy]

Like I've said, he can only play whoever's in front of him. He did his job in limiting the influence in that game.

I'm going on what I can remember, which is:
R2 v Freo; Stephen Hill (5 posessions, 0 goals) & Brett Peake (11 posessions, 2 marks, 2 goals).
R3 v Carlton; Higgins (16 pos, 11 marks, 2 goals)
R5 v Collingwood; Brent Macaffer (11 pos, 5 marks, 1 goal)
R7 v Hawthorn; Osborne (11 pos, 4 marks, 0 goals)
R8 v St Kilda; Gwilt (13 pos, 5 marks, 0 goals).

5 games; 6 opponents, 5 goals.
Those aren't definitively the only match-ups from throughout the match, granted. However that's 5 goals between 6 players. On top of this, Myers also had similar (and in some cases better) influence on the game himself, but that's not the point I was trying to raise. Looking at those, Kelvin, I'd say he did OK defensively. Like I said, not terfific, but OK.

Because there have been players the coaching staff feel will add more, namely Dempsey, Slattery and Houli. Not a slap in the face if you ask me. He was dropped because he wasn't adding enough offensively; I feel his defensive work was, again, OK.

Hill/Mundy(from what i recall), Peake, Wiggins, Macaffer/Lockyer, Osborne, Gwilt? Geary.... wow goalscoring machines they are. What a valid point you make. Guys that don't kick goals haven't kicked any on Myers.

If you've noticed his general play he has barely laid any tackles, missed a fair few, hardly any %1's. Not many contested possessions - 2 a game(I'm using Ant's floor method ;)) and apart from Belly the lowest game time on the ground due to him being terrible.

Anyway I'm done on the Myers topic, I'm not wasting my time anymore on it. If people think he's done ok then good luck to them. If people think he's starting to find form like a few posters a week or so ago then good luck to them.

Over and out on Myers.

[kelvin_sheedy]

Kelvin - You are out of control !


Correct.... hence why I'm abstaining from posting on Myers issues. I hope I'm not like a junkie who just can't stop and comes back for more. :D



- What position can u see Myers playing in 3 years ?

Best bet would be for a midfield role like Ling, Watson, Kirk. Use his size and hopefully good tank to monster the smaller mids.

[james_omahoney]

Best bet would be for a midfield role like Ling, Watson, Kirk. Use his size and hopefully good tank to monster the smaller mids.

I actually agree with you on this. I see a lot of Watson-like potential in him.

[Skeeta Olly]

This is why we drafted Myers.

mZymacYaAhE

Seems the fever + some more height has slowed him down as tad.

[SirJimi05]

Anyway I'm done on the Myers topic, I'm not wasting my time anymore on it. If people think he's done ok then good luck to them. If people think he's starting to find form like a few posters a week or so ago then good luck to them.

Over and out on Myers.

Finally! I think the whole Essendon board just breathed a rather large sigh of relief!

[Kong]

Finally! I think the whole Essendon board just breathed a rather large sigh of relief!I bit my (internet) tongue after he called peace for the sake of this board. Oh well, maybe now we'll have some more intelligent discussions around here.

[Daytripper]

I bit my (internet) tongue after he called peace for the sake of this board. Oh well, maybe now we'll have some more intelligent discussions around here.

To be fair, Kelvin is one of the few posters who have any balance on the Myers issue.
He doesn't overtly criticise him. He merely points out to those posters who think he is the next coming of Jesus Christ that they might have to tone down their thinking.

He has been ordinary this year and if anyone goes and posts what a good season he has then they are entitled to have it thrown back in their faces.

I (and Kelvin) really hope he comes good but don't try and tell us that he is going to be a superstar or he played a good game when so far he has shown absoloutly nothing to indicate it.

[lamaros]

To be fair, Kelvin is one of the few posters who have any balance on the Myers issue.

Come again?

Kelvin is a player basher of the highest order. He just happens to be a little more articulate than someone like cawshezy, and keeps his sights narrowed on one or two specific players. His main problem is he over-reacts to expectations and seems to think that you can flog someone to death for not being a superstar because someone else thinks they'll be one.

The idea that anyone on this forum thinks Myers is having a great year and thus constant Myers bashing is needed in order to bring it back down to earth is absurd. No one thinks that and kelvin's blathering on about Myers at every chance he gets is simply a crude and childish vendetta.

[daffo]

I wouldn't mind seeing Nash get a game, Dempseys position will be between Myers and himself, and Nash has been ok at bendigo.

[nighthawk]

This is why we drafted Myers.

mZymacYaAhE

Seems the fever + some more height has slowed him down as tad.

I'm no Myers hater, but that video was certainly not impressive.

[SDog]

looking at the VFL teams, bendigo didnt name skippy.

however myers, nash and lucas all there. suggest he will play against Geelong

[SirJimi05]

To be fair, Kelvin is one of the few posters who have any balance on the Myers issue.
He doesn't overtly criticise him. He merely points out to those posters who think he is the next coming of Jesus Christ that they might have to tone down their thinking.



Quotes please. You are like Kelvin. I can't recall one post from a poster talking up Myers in the way you and Kelvin make out. It's just that we don't have an anti-Myers agenda where we look for any and every opportunity to slag him off.

Good on Kelvin for putting a stop.

[Kong]

To be fair, Kelvin is one of the few posters who have any balance on the Myers issue.
He doesn't overtly criticise him. He merely points out to those posters who think he is the next coming of Jesus Christ that they might have to tone down their thinking.Agree to firmly disagree.

He has been ordinary this year and if anyone goes and posts what a good season he has then they are entitled to have it thrown back in their faces.Nobody has said he's had a good season.

I (and Kelvin) really hope he comes good but don't try and tell us that he is going to be a superstar or he played a good game when so far he has shown absoloutly nothing to indicate it.Again, nobody has. I said he's been OK defensively. Nothing more. Nobody's tried claiming anything too much beyond that, either. Anyway, this issue's been done to death, and I've been a part of this thread being derailed, so let's get it back on track.

How about those Cats, ey? :cool:

[Boucks09]

I'm sorry but I'm very surprised that nobody else (bar 1) has any concerns over the fact that we are losing two running defenders this week and bringing in 2 in and under midfielders/forwards who are not 100% match fit.:confused:

I agree that McVeigh and Skipworth are in our best 22 at the moment and should be in the side...but at the expense of 2 running defenders?

The only way we are going to beat Geelong is to play to our strengths: run, carry, take risks and run some more. We lose arguably the best at it from defense in Dempsey and Lovett Murray and bring in two players who probably havn't broken a line all season and will be playing midfield/forward.

That is not a criticism on McVeigh or Skipworth as that is not their role, but surely we would want to keep our side balanced and atleast bring in either:

- a running defender
- a stopping defender to free up a Houli type player

The fact is we are not going to be able to stop Geelong getting 50+ Inside 50's. But I argue we should place as much importance on running the ball back out of defense and setting up a lot of goals on the rebound in addition to improving our clearance work. With Dempsey and Lovett Murray out and nobody in to fill their roles we are losing plenty of drive out of defense.

I've just got a bad feeling that we are too worried about Geelong's strong bodies in the clearances and are deviating away from our gameplan. If McVeigh is fit to play who should have replaced Lonergan. The suggestion that he will play back is ridiculous.

With these two inclusions we now have the following groups of midfielders:

In and unders: Watson, Lonergan, Hocking, McVeigh, Skipworth
Runners: Lovett, Winderlich, Stanton, Dyson

Given that Houli and Slattery will be given lock down roles on the likes of SJ, they will be forced to play accountable football first, attacking rebounding football 2nd.

I've just got a fear that we are going to run out of legs by including two players who won't be able to play a huge amount of game time, at the expense of two fit runners.

I'm hoping that either Myers or Nash comes in for Skipworth:

Myers - frees up Houli to play the Dempsey role
Nash - to play the Dempsey role

Guess we will have to wait and see, unless Knighta has another plan up his sleeve? (e.g. Dyson/Stanton to play HBF).

[Kong]

Boucks, what do you think of Winderlich, Stanton (and perhaps Dyson as well) rotating between the middle and half-back line? Both have the run & dash ability that Dempsey has, and are both penetrating kicks. Winderlich is brilliant at 'breaking the lines', so I reckon he'd be a great replacement for Dempsey. This could also work with McVeigh and Skipworth filling the then-void left in the midfield and forward line.

[Skeeta Olly]

I'm sorry but I'm very surprised that nobody else (bar 1) has any concerns over the fact that we are losing two running defenders this week and bringing in 2 in and under midfielders/forwards who are not 100% match fit.:confused:



I would. I would also say that Myers would have to come in. But...well....do we really want to go there again..

[Boucks09]

Boucks, what do you think of Winderlich, Stanton (and perhaps Dyson as well) rotating between the middle and half-back line? Both have the run & dash ability that Dempsey has, and are both penetrating kicks. Winderlich is brilliant at 'breaking the lines', so I reckon he'd be a great replacement for Dempsey. This could also work with McVeigh and Skipworth filling the then-void left in the midfield and forward line.

Yeah Whomb I agree they are all viable options to do that role of Dempsey from the back half. But are we not then 'robbing peter to pay paul' so to speak? Who then would play the Lovett Murray role down back (remembering that is where he has played the last 2 weeks)?

Those three you mentioned in particular have been great in the midfield for us and also have the ability to kick goals (something that is crucial as our forwards are going to have a tough night). I agree Skipworth will probably play most of the game up forward with he and McVeigh rotating through the midfield.

I'm just one for structure and consistency within the side. For that reason I see bringing in 'like-for-like' players rather than creating a situation in which other players are then forced to play out of position.

For mine I would have preferred a scenario such as:

Ins: McVeigh, Skipworth, Daniher
Outs: Dempey, Lovett-Murray, Lonergan

At least then you are bringing in a running defender type (Darcy can do that), and replacing a midfielder and swigman with two high quality mids/forwards.

[Skeeta Olly]

Ins: McVeigh, Skipworth, Daniher
Outs: Dempey, Lovett-Murray, Lonergan

At least then you are bringing in a running defender type (Darcy can do that), and replacing a midfielder and swigman with two high quality mids/forwards.

With your thoughts on Darcy.

Yes, he can break the lines. He showed against Kangaroos that he could do that, it's just his disposal was absolutely shocking. It might have been because he had no one to kick it to, or he panicked.

I would say I'd rather Myers to do a lock on one of Geelong's minor forwards, like a Byrnes. Freeing up Houli.

[lamaros]

Boucks, what do you think of Winderlich, Stanton (and perhaps Dyson as well) rotating between the middle and half-back line? Both have the run & dash ability that Dempsey has, and are both penetrating kicks. Winderlich is brilliant at 'breaking the lines', so I reckon he'd be a great replacement for Dempsey. This could also work with McVeigh and Skipworth filling the then-void left in the midfield and forward line.

Dyson is a near cert, given he's played down there a bit already this year, has the pace, and has a good kick. Winders is better closer to goal, so I don't expect he'll be there as much, but might have a turn also.

I see it more as things being the same, with McVeigh playing more forward, moving Zaha on the ball a bit more when needed, and with Skipworth playing more back.

Stanton has had a few poor weeks so maybe they'll try something new with him this go around, he's not as useful to the side when we're playing well, as the spaces in the midfield open up and we often run the ball through without him, maybe he'll get a bit more of a defensive role this time around.

[Kong]

I'm just one for structure and consistency within the side. For that reason I see bringing in 'like-for-like' players rather than creating a situation in which other players are then forced to play out of position.

For mine I would have preferred a scenario such as:

Ins: McVeigh, Skipworth, Daniher
Outs: Dempey, Lovett-Murray, Lonergan

At least then you are bringing in a running defender type (Darcy can do that), and replacing a midfielder and swigman with two high quality mids/forwards.Yeah all good points. I was also of the opinion we should've brought in Daniher to fill Lovett-Murray's role. I would've been tempted to bring in Myers to take over Houli's lock-down role, freeing up Houli to play Dempsey's. However this might be, as you pointed out, messing around with players' roles a bit too much.
Perhaps they resisted bringing in Daniher for fear of Geelong's big bodies.

[SirJimi05]

Yeah all good points. I was also of the opinion we should've brought in Daniher to fill Lovett-Murray's role. I would've been tempted to bring in Myers to take over Houli's lock-down role, freeing up Houli to play Dempsey's. However this might be, as you pointed out, messing around with players' roles a bit too much.
Perhaps they resisted bringing in Daniher for fear of Geelong's big bodies.

This is exactly what i said to my mate when Dempsey got injured.

[nighthawk]

McVeigh isn't underdone at all. IIRC he was asked whether he wanted to play AFL or VFL last week, and he opted for the latter just so there was no risk he was underdone. Read the following thread to see just how good McVeigh is feeling.

http://www.afl.com.au/news/newsarticle/tabid/208/newsid/77817/default.aspx

So it's really only one underdone player, but I think Skipworth will be fine.

Structurally, I agree with the idea we can put some more running type players from the midfield into the half-backline, and some more strength into the mids will come in handy against Geelong.

[rioli brownlow]

McVeigh isn't underdone at all. IIRC he was asked whether he wanted to play AFL or VFL last week, and he opted for the latter just so there was no risk he was underdone. Read the following thread to see just how good McVeigh is feeling.

http://www.afl.com.au/news/newsarticle/tabid/208/newsid/77817/default.aspx

So it's really only one underdone player, but I think Skipworth will be fine.

Structurally, I agree with the idea we can put some more running type players from the midfield into the half-backline, and some more strength into the mids will come in handy against Geelong.

i would go with the final 4 spots. mcveigh,skipworth,bellchambers and lucas

[AndyLesPaul]

Lucas instead of Jetta?

[Phat Toni]

I'm no Myers hater, but that video was certainly not impressive.

Was exactly what I was thinking. Didn't hit too many targets.

[Phat Toni]

Im pretty sure McVeigh is capable of playing defence. In fact Im certain of it.



Would have thought so considering about his first 120 games were played there... I would like to see him match up on SJ, dempsey would be the best option alas that's not going to happen and I hear people calling for Houli, Slatts, Myers and even Nash:eek: to match up on him... God help us if any of those match-up's happen. McVeigh is the only one that can compete with SJ when the ball is either in the air or on the ground.

[bomberstomake8]

I'm sorry but I'm very surprised that nobody else (bar 1) has any concerns over the fact that we are losing two running defenders this week and bringing in 2 in and under midfielders/forwards who are not 100% match fit.:confused:

I agree that McVeigh and Skipworth are in our best 22 at the moment and should be in the side...but at the expense of 2 running defenders?

The only way we are going to beat Geelong is to play to our strengths: run, carry, take risks and run some more. We lose arguably the best at it from defense in Dempsey and Lovett Murray and bring in two players who probably havn't broken a line all season and will be playing midfield/forward.

That is not a criticism on McVeigh or Skipworth as that is not their role, but surely we would want to keep our side balanced and atleast bring in either:

- a running defender
- a stopping defender to free up a Houli type player

The fact is we are not going to be able to stop Geelong getting 50+ Inside 50's. But I argue we should place as much importance on running the ball back out of defense and setting up a lot of goals on the rebound in addition to improving our clearance work. With Dempsey and Lovett Murray out and nobody in to fill their roles we are losing plenty of drive out of defense.

I've just got a bad feeling that we are too worried about Geelong's strong bodies in the clearances and are deviating away from our gameplan. If McVeigh is fit to play who should have replaced Lonergan. The suggestion that he will play back is ridiculous.

With these two inclusions we now have the following groups of midfielders:

In and unders: Watson, Lonergan, Hocking, McVeigh, Skipworth
Runners: Lovett, Winderlich, Stanton, Dyson

Given that Houli and Slattery will be given lock down roles on the likes of SJ, they will be forced to play accountable football first, attacking rebounding football 2nd.

I've just got a fear that we are going to run out of legs by including two players who won't be able to play a huge amount of game time, at the expense of two fit runners.

I'm hoping that either Myers or Nash comes in for Skipworth:

Myers - frees up Houli to play the Dempsey role
Nash - to play the Dempsey role

Guess we will have to wait and see, unless Knighta has another plan up his sleeve? (e.g. Dyson/Stanton to play HBF).

i agree on the two running defenders issue but we dont really have anyone that can fill the void. myers is a possibility but his job offensively has been poor this year. i still would have included him above skipworth

going back to round 2 last year we didnt play too bad but we were pushed around by the superior strength of the geelong players, im guessing the theory with bringing mcveigh and skipworth in is that they are two strong bodied players who can hold there own in the middle

[Skeeta Olly]

NO Defenders.

Final Team



B: H.Slattery Pears Houli
HB: Stanton McPhee Hooker
C: Dyson Hocking Zaharakis
HF: Monfries Neagle Lovett
F: Davey Lloyd Lonergan
R: Ryder Watson Winderlich
INT: Bellchambers Skipworth Jetta McVeigh
EMG: Lucas Myers Nash

[Tonycam*]

So looking forward to this one , You guys are a class side. going to be one of the games of the year in my opinion. Good luck guys , lets hope it live upto what we expect

[PatrickBateman]

So looking forward to this one , You guys are a class side. going to be one of the games of the year in my opinion. Good luck guys , lets hope it live upto what we expect

While I agree to an extent, "one of the games of the year" is a bit far fetched. I think Essendon need to play a little more defensive than usual against the Cats... leave the corridor open at your peril!! Should be a great spectacle. Bombers play very good brand.

[Boucks09]

Would have thought so considering about his first 120 games were played there... I would like to see him match up on SJ, dempsey would be the best option alas that's not going to happen and I hear people calling for Houli, Slatts, Myers and even Nash:eek: to match up on him... God help us if any of those match-up's happen. McVeigh is the only one that can compete with SJ when the ball is either in the air or on the ground.

He played there because he wasn't good enough to cement a spot in our midfield. We are all about building a side as we have seen with playing Hooker, Daniher and Pears on the best forwards and Bachar and Myers playing defensive roles.

Putting McVeigh on SJ would achieve nothing at all both for the team's long term development and for helping us win this game.

[Darealrath]

McVeigh had to come in. Can't have a player of his calibre playing twos.

People forget how good a player he is. Is an automatic upgrade on NLM (and he's had a good season) whilst Skippy is a slight downgrade on Dempsey.

Overall, positives outweigh negatives IMO.



I don't forget how good he is, I just got the impression from Knights comments after the VFL game that McVeigh could have done with another run before coming back.

[Skeeta Olly]

McVeigh rates himself at 100%.

I believe, if we didn't suffer the two loses, we could have had no changes.

[Donakebab]

He played there because he wasn't good enough to cement a spot in our midfield. We are all about building a side as we have seen with playing Hooker, Daniher and Pears on the best forwards and Bachar and Myers playing defensive roles.

Putting McVeigh on SJ would achieve nothing at all both for the team's long term development and for helping us win this game.

Are you crazy? One slight adjustment for one game. If we beat the best team over the last 3 years it would do wonders for the teams confidence which would in turn help with the development of the team. Players play better when they are confident. Duh.

[FrankGrimes]

that video of myers didnt really give me a lot of confidence.. seems to miss a lot of targets uner little or no pressure...

[Boucks09]

Are you crazy? One slight adjustment for one game. If we beat the best team over the last 3 years it would do wonders for the teams confidence which would in turn help with the development of the team. Players play better when they are confident. Duh.

So you seriously think that McVeigh will play defense against Geelong? Come on.

Ofcourse we are going to try and win the game but at what expense? Dempsey could've played if it was a final. We could've taken a risk with Lucas..hell Reimers and Laycock could've also played.

The fact is that this is no different to last week against Richmond in terms of Premiership points. Yes it would be great to beat the best team of the last 5 years but at what expense? I feel it would be better for our long term development to play the same way we have all year. That will provide us with a better guide as to where our side is at. That means no wholesale changes (i.e McVeigh playing back).

McVeigh will not play back this week. Absolutely no chance in hell.

[lemon chicken]

This is why we drafted Myers.

mZymacYaAhE

Seems the fever + some more height has slowed him down as tad.

Two things. He picks the ball up off the ground and runs with pace, no longer existant. And seems to have a different kicking action. If he has OP, get it fixed coz at the moment he isnt showing us why we drated him.

[mattyboy_666]

Two things. He picks the ball up off the ground and runs with pace, no longer existant. And seems to have a different kicking action. If he has OP, get it fixed coz at the moment he isnt showing us why we drated him.

maybe we picked up a different myers? the way he moves there is almost completely different. i don't feel i've seen any of what he shows in that video out on the park. he is going to be a gun, just have to be patient, but 'if' (i think definately) he is carrying something, needs to get that right. looks so restricted in the way he moves atm compared to that

[lamaros]

maybe we picked up a different myers? the way he moves there is almost completely different. i don't feel i've seen any of what he shows in that video out on the park. he is going to be a gun, just have to be patient, but 'if' (i think definately) he is carrying something, needs to get that right. looks so restricted in the way he moves atm compared to that

He wasn't restricted like this last year. I suspect it's a bit of a niggle with injury, coupled with some adjustment to growth and putting on some weight.

Should hopefully get used to his body again and get some of that movement back.

[jbct]

Two things. He picks the ball up off the ground and runs with pace, no longer existant. And seems to have a different kicking action. If he has OP, get it fixed coz at the moment he isnt showing us why we drated him.

We have worse players in the team man and on our list

[Skeeta Olly]

ESSENDON v GEELONG
Essendon
B: Henry Slattery, Tayte Pears, Bachar Houli
HB: Brent Stanton, Adam McPhee, Cale Hooker
C: Ricky Dyson, Heath Hocking, Leroy Jetta
HF: Angus Monfries, Jay Neagle, Andrew Lovett
F: Alwyn Davey, Matthew Lloyd, Sam Lonergan
Foll: Patrick Ryder, Jobe Watson, Jason Winderlich
I/C: Tom Bellchambers, Hayden Skipworth, , Mark McVeigh, David Zaharakis

Changes to selected side:
Nil

Geelong
B: Andrew Mackie, Matthew Scarlett, David Johnson
HB: Shannon Byrnes, Tom Harley, Darren Milburn
C: Jimmy Bartel, Corey Enright, Harry Taylor
HF: Max Rooke, Cameron Mooney, Gary Ablett
F: Travis Varcoe, Tom Hawkins, Steve Johnson
Foll: Mark Blake, Joel Selwood, Cameron Ling
I/C: Shane Mumford, Nathan Djerrkura, David Wojcinski James Kelly,

Changes to selected side:
In: Shannon Byrnes
Out: Joel Corey

[AndyLesPaul]

ESSENDON v GEELONG
Essendon
B: Henry Slattery, Tayte Pears, Bachar Houli
HB: Brent Stanton, Adam McPhee, Cale Hooker
C: Ricky Dyson, Heath Hocking, Leroy Jetta
HF: Angus Monfries, Jay Neagle, Andrew Lovett
F: Alwyn Davey, Matthew Lloyd, Sam Lonergan
Foll: Patrick Ryder, Jobe Watson, Jason Winderlich
I/C: Tom Bellchambers, Hayden Skipworth, , Mark McVeigh, David Zaharakis

Changes to selected side:
Nil

Geelong
B: Andrew Mackie, Matthew Scarlett, David Johnson
HB: Shannon Byrnes, Tom Harley, Darren Milburn
C: Jimmy Bartel, Corey Enright, Harry Taylor
HF: Max Rooke, Cameron Mooney, Gary Ablett
F: Travis Varcoe, Tom Hawkins, Steve Johnson
Foll: Mark Blake, Joel Selwood, Cameron Ling
I/C: Shane Mumford, Nathan Djerrkura, David Wojcinski James Kelly,

Changes to selected side:
In: Shannon Byrnes
Out: Joel Corey
Positive sign :D