In Minson Johnson Wood Higgins

[doggies ftw]

If he's not fit, he won't play. Simple as that.

Do you think Eade is that stupid?

Obviously he is as he has played injured players every week pretty much.

 

[Turtle]

Moles getting dropped absolutely amazes me, thought he was one of our best last week, i must've been at a different game! Thinking this means 1 of Griffen or Johnson definitely wont play as their is no way i can see how Moles would've been dropped.
As for Jones, i agree with many others that he has been as good as any of our forwards in his chasing, which i think is crucial against Collingwood, and i would like him in also, but if it's played in the wet i can cop him missing.

 

[P-MONEY]

We are already one rotation down with Johnson being named.. I know he is our captain and i love him to bits.. But he is injured and is a liability!!!!!!

Moles would be a better replacement imo... Play him forward and let him run into the middle of HF.

Do i think eade is stupid? No.. But i think he is not a very good player manager..

 

[maddog37]

Play johno one out at ff and push Barry up the ground. Thoughts?

 

[dogzrule]

Moles being dropped ??? At least he 1/ Gets the Ball and 2/ Can run with it, Addision does neither

 

[josh the gent]

I LIKE:

The first three ins: Minson, Higgins, and Wood.

The fact that Prestigiacomo is not even named as an emergency - Hall should be able to get the upper hand on whoever he plays on.

We should be able to win at least the ruck (Hudson/Minson vs Jolly/Leigh Brown), and Hall's position.

I DON'T LIKE:
Johnson playing. Experience does count for quite a bit in the finals - if Johnno is finally clear of his injury he is ok for our 22, but if he pulls up lame in the second quarter, we are in deep poo. He hasn't looked right all season tbh.

Some of the outs. Specifically dropping Liam Jones, Brodie Moles and Everitt. Someone has to perform a forward tag role - if that is DFA, then so be it, but if he doesn't then why was he picked?

I would have prefered Jones to Hahn, however, Hahn's strong body in the wet may be what has got him over the line. I really like Jones' chasing, that for me is what should have gotten him in the team!


IN THE END... what does it matter - we are in a Qualifying Final, and I am totally pumped for this game on Saturday!!!

If it rains heavily, it will become a slog fest, and the names coming in will be pretty decent in those conditions everyone would have to admit. DFA should be in his element!!!

GO DOGGIES!

 

[dogwatch]

Not happy with the selections unless there is a very rigorous culling of players who are not 100% fit by 5pm Saturday. To repeat, we have injury clouds over at least Johnno, Wood, Griffen, Lake and maybe Higgins and Williams. If they all play and even one of them breaks down during the game due to an aggravation of a pre-existing ailment I will be utterly ropable.

I really wanted Jones and Everitt to play but if the team has been picked for wet weather I will defer to match committee's judgement. However I thought Moles should have been included on that basis. We are developing a history of dropping regular players on the eve of finals (Hill, Everitt in recent years, Jones, Everitt, Moles this year).

Lastly, while I would rather we keep him, it is plain that Everitt is heading down the same path as Skipper, Wight, Callan etc in being marked as "not to be picked unless desperate" (although wtf Callan is an emergency!). Whether MC has good reason for this (eg Andrejs' attitude) I don't know, but clearly we aren't going to get much value out of retaining Everitt on our list if he's not playing senior footy. I have now switched position and believe we ought to seek a trade for him very vigorously this November (while he still has some value). At least we might get a win-win out of a player-for-player trade (we must not trade him for a draft pick unless it's in the top 12, which seems unlikely).

Anyway, as someone said it's now down to 22 v 22, so bring it on. We may be outsiders but we're definitely in with a chance.

 

[PSP18]

Emergencies: Tim Callan

It's that time of year again...

 

[Bulldog1954]

Moles and Addison aren't in competition. Addison is playing because Collingwood have a plethora of small forwards who often cut us up and we are missing our best actual defender. Addison can play on a Didak / Davis / Beams, Moles can't

 

[The Boy From Brasil]

Lastly, while I would rather we keep him, it is plain that Everitt is heading down the same path as Skipper, Wight, Callan etc in being marked as "not to be picked unless desperate" (although wtf Callan is an emergency!). Whether MC has good reason for this (eg Andrejs' attitude) I don't know, but clearly we aren't going to get much value out of retaining Everitt on our list if he's not playing senior footy. I have now switched position and believe we ought to seek a trade for him very vigorously this November (while he still has some value). At least we might get a win-win out of a player-for-player trade (we must not trade him for a draft pick unless it's in the top 12, which seems unlikely).

Eade would have traded him for pick 23 in last years shallow draft which gives an indication of how the coach and the football department rate him. Being in and out of the side this year his stocks wouldn't have risen a great deal, so I think the chance of being him traded for a top 12 pick is zero.

IMO he would be traded in the order of 25-35. I really want to keep him as he has talent and I want to stockpile our talented draft picks, but really if they are not going to play him, what is the point. And it is a two sided equation as well. You can bet that he wants out of the club to get an opportunity elsewhere as much as the club wants to trade him off.

 

[boydsno1]

My gut tells me that either Griff or johnno won't play. Im pretty sure we will be seeing moles out there. Deserve's it.

Regarding Everitt. I think he will stay and will get an oppertunity next yr. Shaggy is getting older and hall has one yr left. There will be options down either end for him. I like him and would be sad to see him leave.

With it being wet i can understand him being dropped along with jones. The weather will make it hard for jones and with his light frame he could get pushed around. If it was dry im pretty sure he would have been in as his a good lead up target. Just got to work on his field kicking.

 

[charcoalchicken]

When I heard on SEN today that Johnson was in and Everitt (or Moles) had been omitted I got quite pissed off with the selectors, Johnno has a lot better chance of injuring himself or playing poorly than actually doing something.

 

[LondonBulldog]

HF: Jarrad Grant, Mitch Hahn, Brad Johnson
F: Daniel Giansiracusa, Barry Hall, Shaun Higgins

On a dry September day that slow / unaccountable forward line will beat nobody. Eade has failed to address this problem all year.
I hope it pours rain.

 

[Leon]

Poor Jones, feel sorry for the kid, very unlucky I reckon.

He didn't have a good game last week but has presented well and applied pressure and chased and tackled well in attack very well since debuting.

I would have given him another chance.

Aside from that I like the team.

Go Dogs.

 

[jeemak]

I'm a little bit surprised that Everitt wasn't retained to share the ruck duties, and I thought that potentially Jones could have been retained in case Williams went down with injury and Hahn had to go back into defense.

On the ruck, perhaps Eade believes that Will offers more presence around the stoppages than what either Everitt or Williams would, if that's the case then going with a conventional ruck set up makes sense.

I've not been a fan of Moles all year due to his one sidedness and his lack of vision in close contests but he is a little stiff this week. Although, if all of Johnson, Higgins, Griffen and Wood are going to play then someone has to miss out. Addison gets a chance to prove himself in a slog, and you'd think if he can't have a reasonale game this week he has a limited future at the Dogs.

 

[yebiga]

Can we somehow go back in time to the eve of the round 20 game against Geelong. After we enjoyed our best and most gutsiest win against Adelaide in the wet.

And select the side as we should have: no change.

 

[Rooey23]

I think they kept Addison is the team to play as a defensive forward against O'brien or Shaw. Can't see both of Johnson and Griff playing, and we need Moles' pace so I am convinced he will play.

Jones is unlucky to lose his spot before Hahn, but i guess Hahn provides a little bit more flexibility.

Surprise to see Callan as an emg. Maybe comes in for Minson if it is really wet and takes one of the small forwards?

Everything is going to have to go right for us to get up, but stranger things haven't happened right? If we can limit their scores from turnovers we will be well on our way. GO DOGGIES!

 

[Spectre]

This is a very dangerous game they are playing, if that's the side that goes in. Three of those four ins are raw/previously injured/still injured, and worries over Lake and Griff compound that. A high intensity, high tackling match in a hailstorm is NOT what Johnos achilles needs, for example. Would be immensely surprised if we don't have guys breaking down. Also, this team already lacks midfield presence. We needed more of that, not less. None of those ins can cover Moles as a full time mid.

Wasn't really confident we'd do any damage anyway, and was thinking we'd get away with a narrow loss, given the weather. With those changes, I'm now worried about Eade not following his own promises of keeping injured players out of the mix, which could lead to a) us getting pumped and, worse still b) some much more serious injuries (would suck horse balls if this match ends Johnos career, messes up Higgins for next year, etc).

For what it's worth, would have left Johno and Higgins out of it, put Moles and Jones/Callan in, depending on tactics.

 

[jeemak]

This is a very dangerous game they are playing, if that's the side that goes in. Three of those four ins are raw/previously injured/still injured, and worries over Lake and Griff compound that. A high intensity, high tackling match in a hailstorm is NOT what Johnos achilles needs, for example. Would be immensely surprised if we don't have guys breaking down. Also, this team already lacks midfield presence. We needed more of that, not less. None of those ins can cover Moles as a full time mid.

Wasn't really confident we'd do any damage anyway, and was thinking we'd get away with a narrow loss, given the weather. With those changes, I'm now worried about Eade not following his own promises of keeping injured players out of the mix, which could lead to a) us getting pumped and, worse still b) some much more serious injuries (would suck horse balls if this match ends Johnos career, messes up Higgins for next year, etc).

For what it's worth, would have left Johno and Higgins out of it, put Moles and Jones/Callan in, depending on tactics.

Why leave Higgins out? He got through the game last week at Willy and pulled up well. We need class up forward, he provides that.

Johnson on the other hand, I can only think that he sat out the remainder of the Sydney game a couple of weeks ago for precaustionary reasons and trying to avoid a major setback in a vitual dead rubber. If he breaks down, the club is going to look pretty stupid for playing him.

 

[Morris Major]

Andrejs Everitt set up the winning goal against Adelaide in the pouring rain.

Just sayin.

 

[Dazb86]

Nah **** that. If Johnson plays and limps around Eades position should be questioned.

Given the way that Collingwood generate so much run from their halfback line I would prefer a team that is set up to be accountable for their man. Higgins doesn't provide this and neither does Johnson. Sadly Hahn is too slow to do it anymore.

If I watch Collingwood get the ball in their backline and spread and run while we watch them carve us up I will be spewing.

 

[Rooey23]

Yeah no doubt Everitt is stiff. Must be frustrated that they won't let him string any games together.

Seems like Eade has no faith in him.

 

[SonOfScray]

On paper its a strong team. Injuries and form suggest that it is going to really battle. Collingwood kill us on the counter when we fail to hit a target in the forward line, or when it hits the deck and we simply cannot get hands on the footy of pressure the ball to keep it locked in.

Even if the mids win the day, we'll get slaughtered when Barry gets triple teamed or if Grant goes into his shell a bit. Balls goes in, comes out and sent back with interest. We've seen it all before and I can't say it appears to have been addressed in the slightest.

Expect to see Higgins and Johnno lame, watching the Pies halfbacks run the ball freely from the backline, find an overlapping ball to Ben Johnson who will run and carry and hit a mid sized Pie fwd on the tit. A real worry.

The flag will wag, this year. But it looks like we are going to do the hard way.

 

[Spectre]

Why leave Higgins out? He got through the game last week at Willy and pulled up well. We need class up forward, he provides that.

Don't believe I've seen him provide that class since his injury woes started earlier in the year. That, and the fact that he wont be played as a pure forward, but will be almost certainly thrown into the midfield to compensate for our now critical lack of runners - and almost certainly be unprepared for that, IMO. Lastly, Willy ain't a full strength Collingwood - he's underdone, and I think this game will show that. Reckon Son of Scray summed the rest up pretty well.

 

[yebiga]

I really don't know where the mc is going.
The only good thing about that is that Malthouse is probably as bemused as I am.

Some observations:

during the last few weeks the Eagle has played forward with some success. So the inclusion of both Johnson and Higgins makes no sense.

With Moles omitted, the plan must be to move Gia into the midfield rotations.

Addison is another oddity, I can't see him playing down back. He must be slotted to pick-up a midfielder or play as a defensive forward as he has a few times this year and v Essendon last week. Possibly a forward tag on Shaw or O'brien.

Hahn, I believe will play down back. He has not played forward since coming back into the team. Without Morris Hahn becomes crucial. He will probably rotate thru Brown, and Dawes where he can probably match their strength and pace.

This leaves Wood to go to Davis and Harbrow to strengthen the midfield.

I think our best chance comes with the non selection of Presti. This leaves N Brown, Reid or Maxwell for Hall. If Hall is on, non of them can match him. Occasionally, throwing Lake up their could really unsettle the Pies defense.

It comes down to what happens in the middle and with Cooney out this is going to be a real challenge.

The pies bat very deep in the midfield:

Swan, Pendlebury, Wellingham, Blair, Beams, Didak, Ball, Thomas
v
Boyd, Cross, Gia, Ward, Harbrow, Picken, Higgins and a suss Griffen.

We are clearly conceding some leg speed and creativity. We just have to be harder, stronger and more determined.

In the ruck, Hudson should match Jolly and Minson should be able to dominate Brown. This could be the edge we need. It would force Jolly to spend more time on the ball, reducing his effectiveness as the game progresses.

Finally, I really hope Johnson and Higgins are 100% because otherwise, I suspect their will be a lot of anger from the members. The management of Everitt will be questioned. The Coach will rightly be accused of weakness, permitting the player leadership group to become the proverbial tail wagging the dog; playing favorites, personality, seniority and freindship ahead of form and ability.