Preview Preview and Changes vs North Melbourne. 1:10pm @ NIMBY Park, Sunday

[Tulip]

Out: Harmes (omitted), Melksham (rested)

In: Pig, Smith

Smith needs match fitness after 3 weeks as sub, what better week than this to play him forward?

Harmes a disaster in the seniors, needs to be put to pasture. I'm grateful for his role in 2021, but he hasn't got the speed to be a force going forward, or the discipline to play Sparrow's role.

Hibberd the extra man back means Rivers and Salem get some extra midfield time.

Taj very lucky, wouldn't play him against a top 8 team this week, but would like to give him another chance. There's something to work with there.

Clarkson may be back this week, and North will be seething from a loss on the road to WCE. Need to go hard early.

 

[Bluelegs]

How serious is Sparrows injury? If he's fit I'm having him in for Jordon

 

[Tulip]

How serious is Sparrows injury? If he's fit I'm having him in for Jordon

There's no news . Wouldn't rush him back this week even if fit, but he belongs in the seniors.

 

[schmuttt]

Out: Woewodin
In: Hibberd

If Sparrow is fit he comes in for Harmes. Jordon is on VERY thin ice

 

[Theseventhhamster]

Out:
Harmes - cooked
JJ - forgettable at best
Tomlinson - turned back into a pumpkin

In:
Pig - heck yeah
Smith - The people's champ
Sparrow (if fit) or Laurie, AMW, anyone else who can use the ball

 

[richskee]

I rkn we need to drop Kozzy.

 

[PerfectFooty]

I'd presume Sparrow would just reclaim his spot over Harmes if he's fit

 

[Daemon]

Provided the weather isn't s**t, I'll be #ATG this week.

So I'm hoping that both Pig and Oliver are in because they are awesome.

JJ and Harmes can bugger off.

 

[LeverPuller]

Surely Oliver. Surely.

Harmes can FRO

 

[Toump Ass]

Harmes had a shocking first half, two pretty simple misses, few clangers. But I thought he got better in the second half and wouldn’t mind seeing if he can build on it. Think I like him more than JJ, could just be loyalty, blind faith, superstition or misguised hope though.

 

[amaz199]

You could probably rest half your team and still be favourites for this one. In fact, it would take a tremendous amount of ineptness to give us half a chance.

We're shot. Completely shot. Would be surprised if this is kept under 10 goals.

 

[schmuttt]

Harmes had a shocking first half, two pretty simple misses, few clangers. But I thought he got better in the second half and wouldn’t mind seeing if he can build on it. Think I like him more than JJ, could just be loyalty, blind faith, superstition or misguised hope though.

Yeah as bad as Harmes is I agree, I just feel he could ‘potentially’ offer more than JJ.

You could probably rest half your team and still be favourites for this one. In fact, it would take a tremendous amount of ineptness to give us half a chance.

We're shot. Completely shot. Would be surprised if this is kept under 10 goals.

It was only ten years ago you beat us by 100+ and rubbed our noses in it. I’m hopeful we return the favour, but don’t think I’ll ever shake the feeling we could bungle any game.

 

[Scythe94]

Hopefully Jordon out for Sparrow. Or any of about 10 other guys we have running around in the VFL that have at least one notable strength to their game. Jordon tries hard, sure, but he's one of the more vanilla players I've seen, and is just not cut out to be an inside midfielder at the top level.

Harmes should be out too, but unless Oliver's fit, there's not really another mid option at the moment, and they seem to want to keep Rivers down back for now (can't argue with his form in that role).

Tempting to rest players, but with us hitting form at the right time and percentage being super important in our battle with Brisbane, we need to keep the foot down.

All that being said, we're definitely going to want Hibberd in the 22 come finals, so there's some decisions to be made.

 

[stEdy]

There's a player still in Harmes despite his clangers - hope we can find it, but might have to be at another club. He can still find the footy and when he's on his gut running, overheard marking and finishing around goal is an asset.

I'd also have him above JJ.

JJ just isn't able to adapt his game to AFL and gets caught doing s**t he might get away with at Casey (that HTB at CHB was a killer, turning back into the tackler...).

JJ was better in his debut year because he just did the dirty work and took the simple option each time. Feel like he's trying so hard to impress every time he comes up to AFL that he bites off way more than he can chew and stuffs it up. Plus he's got no touch on his kicks and is slow of mind.

 

[JP2]

Any chance Dunstan gets a run? 41 and 35 disposals for Casey in the last two weeks, and his wonky disposal is less likely to be a liabiity in Tassie, given it always seems to be stupidly windy whenever we play there.

 

[Gysberts2Bate]

nimby park is good content

 

[LeverPuller]

You could probably rest half your team and still be favourites for this one. In fact, it would take a tremendous amount of ineptness to give us half a chance.

We're shot. Completely shot. Would be surprised if this is kept under 10 goals.

Honestly and full fair play to your mob, we need the percentage to hop Brisbane. Wouldn’t be surprised if we put the pedal down.

 

[Gysberts2Bate]

I can already tell that we’re going to be 20 points down at quarter time this week. We’ll pull it back to under a goal at HT, fall behind in the third before getting barely in front, and then kick ten goals in the last after the fans have already decided that we aren’t winning the flag

 

[TheKanga]

You will win by 100+
We couldn't even show up against a wafl team

 

[Lord Nev]

Richo said Sparrow would only miss one game, so I would expect it to be:

OUT: Harmes
IN: Sparrow

Potentially they may swap Smith and Tommo and have Tommo as sub maybe? Wouldn't mind seeing either Spargo or Laurie in for Jordon, but expecting minimal changes this week. Personally I'd drop JJ, but role for role Harmes makes more sense.

The question of the week could end up being - Do we give Grundy a run so Max can have an easy one?

 

[Dory_77]

Tempting to rest some blokes but don't flirt with form.
Like others I'd give Harmes another run. He was frustrating but seemed more up to the pace of the game. JJ just seemed slow of mind and body yesterday.

Would go out: JJ, in: Sparrow.
Hibberd would be handy, but probably easier to manage loads for him in the VFL. Want him fit for finals.

 

[bjwilliams]

Really hoping we pout together a big win here and really sneak into the hunt for 2nd.

Port have one game on us and tougher games for them are Cats, Giants and Tigers. Even with Brisbane who have a tacky Crows, Pies and Saints and our only real worry game should be the Blues and Swans. We need the % boost a bit here.

 

[pjfairbairn]

Harmes and JJ are decent depth options. If we need them in place of the likes of Sparrow and Oliver, we know that they can contribute to a certain degree. No point trashing either, they are what they are - experienced midfield depth.

Likewise Grundy (ruck), Spargo (fwd), Hibberd (def). Throw a returning Fritsch into the mix, as well as potentially one of BBB/Schache/TMac, and we've got a good spread of nearly 30 players in genuine contention. Can even extend to Dunstan & Laurie.

I think Woey is ready for a spell, but nobody banging down the door to take his spot.

Smith for Tomlinson, Sparrow for Harmes if fit.

 

[schmuttt]

Richo said Sparrow would only miss one game, so I would expect it to be:

OUT: Harmes
IN: Sparrow

Potentially they may swap Smith and Tommo and have Tommo as sub maybe? Wouldn't mind seeing either Spargo or Laurie in for Jordon, but expecting minimal changes this week. Personally I'd drop JJ, but role for role Harmes makes more sense.

The question of the week could end up being - Do we give Grundy a run so Max can have an easy one?

I don’t like messing with team composition, if they want to give Gawn some rest swap him for Grundy.

 

[Lord Nev]

I don’t like messing with team composition, if they want to give Gawn some rest swap him for Grundy.

Yeah that's fair. I have no idea yet how I feel about any of it - Do we mess with a winning team and Gawn's form? Could Grundy be sub? Do we risk the two rucks again given how well the forward line went? Just reckon it will be an intriguing one for selection.