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[Wright Away]

Well. It was actually Bock that was brought in. Right before he said he was going to leave. Completely ruined the late season surge to finals the Crows had in 2010.

 

[Tombowler]

Hey guys,

What's the insiders view on how your gonna do against Brisbane? Worried about them being all fired up after last weeks embarrassment? After the Dons game, still aiming for top four? Has the different pre-season training regime been a dud?

Cheers,

 

[Vader]

So if Martin had 20 quality touches last week he would have been dropped and Petrenko would have been retained?

Put it this way, he would have had to have done something pretty special in order to secure his position, given that Callinan was set to return the following week. The fact that he was sub last week is also a pretty good indicator of where he currently stands - last man selected in a team minus several "best 22" players.

 

[Vader]

As for Petrenko.. he will keep getting selected until one of our other forwards discovers the fine art of tackling. Pets might be useless offensively, but he creates scoring opportunities by ensuring that the ball stays in our forward line - by tackling and pressuring the opposition. Pets is clearly not selected on the basis of his offensive capabilities - if that were the criteria, then he'd be stuck in the SANFL magoos.

I'm far from Pets' biggest fan.. but I am realistic enough to understand why he is selected ahead of Johncock & Martin.

 

[Mr_Moogle]

As for Petrenko.. he will keep getting selected until one of our other forwards discovers the fine art of tackling. Pets might be useless offensively, but he creates scoring opportunities by ensuring that the ball stays in our forward line - by tackling and pressuring the opposition. Pets is clearly not selected on the basis of his offensive capabilities - if that were the criteria, then he'd be stuck in the SANFL magoos.

I'm far from Pets' biggest fan.. but I am realistic enough to understand why he is selected ahead of Johncock & Martin.

I think Pet's tackling technique is way overrated. I've seen plenty of players slip out of his tackles.

 

[Mattrox]

I think Pet's tackling technique is way overrated. I've seen plenty of players slip out of his tackles.

When you attempt a lot of tackles, you get more missed tackles than someone who doesn't tackle.

 

[relapse]

I would rather Tamlbing over both. He can actually defend.

and actually has a little bit of flair

 

[Paladin]

Put it this way, he would have had to have done something pretty special in order to secure his position, given that Callinan was set to return the following week. The fact that he was sub last week is also a pretty good indicator of where he currently stands - last man selected in a team minus several "best 22" players.

Several? Like who? Smith is the only "best 22" missing.

Your spiel about best 22 and always being selected in order has some merit for the top 16 or so players but the last 4 or 5 spots are always up for grabs and are selected on form, opposition, gut feel, weather and other factors. Facts are you said Martin and Jaensch would never get a game, were signed up for too long and were 30 deep in the "Vader depth chart" well both played R1 and Martin is unlucky not to be playing this week.

Good to see you are coming around with Jaensch by the end of the season he will have done a Matty Wright and convinced you Taking a while to convince others, a little odd because he was a fan favourite when he started. His problem in the past has been his defensive work - which has been sound all 2013. The rest of his game is very good and he can be a real weapon for us playmaking out of defence.

 

[Elder van Berlo]

Hey guys,

What's the insiders view on how your gonna do against Brisbane? Worried about them being all fired up after last weeks embarrassment? After the Dons game, still aiming for top four? Has the different pre-season training regime been a dud?

Cheers,

Lots of the same questions we've been asking ourselves. Biggest concern for this week's game is that it sounds like rain and we are appalling in the wet.

We're certainly not out of the running for top 4 but it remains to be seen whether the Essendon game was an aberration or a sign that we have regressed this season. Only time will tell. There is certainly a train of thought that we have been a bit cute with our pre-season and that it's now backfiring, but again, only time will tell.

 

[beartoo]

Several? Like who? Smith is the only "best 22" missing.

Your spiel about best 22 and always being selected in order has some merit for the top 16 or so players but the last 4 or 5 spots are always up for grabs and are selected on form, opposition, gut feel, weather and other factors. Facts are you said Martin and Jaensch would never get a game, were signed up for too long and were 30 deep in the "Vader depth chart" well both played R1 and Martin is unlucky not to be playing this week.

Good to see you are coming around with Jaensch by the end of the season he will have done a Matty Wright and convinced you Taking a while to convince others, a little odd because he was a fan favourite when he started. His problem in the past has been his defensive work - which has been sound all 2013. The rest of his game is very good and he can be a real weapon for us playmaking out of defence.

I was impressed by Jaensch in the pre-season games and he had a reasonable game in round 1. There are some that write people off too easily. Been guilty of that myself. I still have hopes that Martin will be best 22 by year's end.
If he languishes in the Magoos, I predict he will seek a trade. This could come back to bite us big time. I rate him highly.

 

[Vader]

Several? Like who? Smith is the only "best 22" missing.

Missing from last week's team - Smith (Jaensch), Callinan (Martin), Shaw (Otten). Replacements in brackets.

Your spiel about best 22 and always being selected in order has some merit for the top 16 or so players but the last 4 or 5 spots are always up for grabs and are selected on form, opposition, gut feel, weather and other factors. Facts are you said Martin and Jaensch would never get a game, were signed up for too long and were 30 deep in the "Vader depth chart" well both played R1 and Martin is unlucky not to be playing this week.

I honestly don't think that there are 4 or 5 spots that are up for grabs. I think the 3rd tall defender spot is one which is still up for debate - or would have been if Shaw wasn't injured again. I could accept an argument that Jaensch & Brown are fighting over one position, once Smith returns - so that's another which is up for grabs. Johncock's hold on a "best 22" position is tenuous at best - Crouch could well have taken his position (albeit with a slight reshuffling due to different roles) within the next week or two.

Martin is not one of those players who is seriously contesting for a "best 22" position. He's just not good enough - and given his age he probably never will be. He'll always be in the "best available" group.

I still think that both Martin & Jaensch were signed for too long and they're depth players at best. Fortunately for them, players ahead of them in the pecking order were unavailable last week - and in Jaensch's case, still MIA this week. They're both "best available", not "best 22".

As for Martin being unlucky not to be playing this week.. I think you have it around the wrong way. He was lucky to be playing last week. This week just sees a return to the status quo.

Good to see you are coming around with Jaensch by the end of the season he will have done a Matty Wright and convinced you Taking a while to convince others, a little odd because he was a fan favourite when he started. His problem in the past has been his defensive work - which has been sound all 2013. The rest of his game is very good and he can be a real weapon for us playmaking out of defence.

I'm not coming around on Jaensch at all. The fact that he's getting a game at all is an indictment on our lack of decent small defenders. He'll be gone as soon as Smith is ready to roll - and he won't be missed. Yes, he's a good kick, but that's all he brings to the table. For my money, his weaknesses far outweigh the positives in his game.

 

[Vader]

I think Pet's tackling technique is way overrated. I've seen plenty of players slip out of his tackles.

Last year he was our 5th best tackler (in terms of tackles laid - according to the stats). The four players above him were all midifielders - VB, Thompson, Sloane & Mackay. Pets pulled off 94 tackles, at an average of 4.1 per game.

Compare that with his peers - our other small forwards:
Callinan - 34 (1.5)
Johncock - 48 (2.5)
Porplyzia - 60 (2.7)
Martin - 12 (1.7)

Pets is head and shoulders above all of the other contenders for the small forward position in this regard.

 

[Elite Crow]

Is an average of 1.6 tackles more a game really that much?

 

[Mattrox]

Is an average of 1.6 tackles more a game really that much?

Yes it is.....

1.6 tackles over a season is like 34 more tackles.....

 

[Coopers]

Nice to see Crouch getting a game.

You have to wonder about Tambling. Sando keeps saying he will play a lot of AFL footy this year but if he cant get agame in front of Brown & Jaensch, I cant see where his opportunities are going to come from.

Sando said that about lynch last week.

Sando: XX will play a lot of footy for us this year!
Homer: You say that so much it's lost all meaning.

 

[Paladin]

Sando said that about lynch last week.

Sando: XX will play a lot of footy for us this year!
Homer: You say that so much it's lost all meaning.

Yeah Sando does roll it out a fair bit. Concerning if your a Lewis Johnston or Lyons and you never get the pump up.

 

[cmndstab]

I love Johncock but he is a hit and miss forward. I'm actually very happy that he's been dropped and Crouch is in. An old player out, a young player in. Unheard of! This is exactly the type of hard call we've refused to make in the past. Yes, yes... I know Callinan is in as well but baby steps.

I'd love to share in the optimism here, but the reality is Johncock has been dropped for Callinan - an even older player. Crouch is in for Martin.

So if Martin had 20 quality touches last week he would have been dropped and Petrenko would have been retained?

You can only choose your team based on the info you have at that time. Martin, as of late week, was seen as clearly the least valuable player in the 22 selected. He wasn't a "strategic sub", he was just the least valuable in the eyes of the coaches.

If he came out and had a blinder, they could have reevaluated that and someone else would have become the least valuable in the 22, but since he didn't, he was the obvious choice to move aside when they chose to include Crouch.

 

[cmndstab]

I think Pet's tackling technique is way overrated. I've seen plenty of players slip out of his tackles.

It's not perfect, by any stretch, but he's a mile better at it than most of our players.

 

[Elite Crow]

Yes it is.....

1.6 tackles over a season is like 34 more tackles.....

What should be our target tackle count, 70 a game? 1.6 a game is worth 2% of our target tackle count. There's also the issue of TOG, Stiffy was sub for a few games last year so I'm sure that gap would be narrowed if he had equal game time.

 

[Freddy Bassett]

I'd love to share in the optimism here, but the reality is Johncock has been dropped for Callinan - an even older player. Crouch is in for Martin.



You can only choose your team based on the info you have at that time. Martin, as of late week, was seen as clearly the least valuable player in the 22 selected. He wasn't a "strategic sub", he was just the least valuable in the eyes of the coaches.

If he came out and had a blinder, they could have reevaluated that and someone else would have become the least valuable in the 22, but since he didn't, he was the obvious choice to move aside when they chose to include Crouch.

Could not agree any more in fact that was my point..

 

[Drugs Are Bad Mackay?]

I'd love to share in the optimism here, but the reality is Johncock has been dropped for Callinan - an even older player. Crouch is in for Martin.

It makes no difference.

We could have had Callinan in for Martin this week and left Johncock in. Instead he is playing SANFL which has been a rare occurence for an under-performing older player at the club previously.

 

[cmndstab]

Well, I guess we could have, yes. It wouldn't have made a lot of sense structurally, but we could have done that, yes.....


In reality, though, we (rightfully) dropped Martin, and brought in Crouch who was demanding a game. At the same time, we decided that Callinan would do better as a goalsneak than Johncock.

Certainly dropping a player of Johncock's status is relatively new ground for us, but that's about it.

 

[Footypie32]

It's fantastic that Johncock played a blinder. Puts all the pressure back on Petrenko, Callinan etc. If either of them plays poorly and we lose it will be pretty hard for Sando to not bring Stiffy back.

 

[beartoo]

Certainly dropping a player of Johncock's status is relatively new ground for us, but that's about it.

Seems I'm stalking you this morning, Stabby.

Camporeale said on Adelaide Now this morning that Stiffy would 'play a lot of football for us this year'.
Now where have I heard those words before?

 

[The Sloane Ranger]

It's fantastic that Johncock played a blinder. Puts all the pressure back on Petrenko, Callinan etc. If either of them plays poorly and we lose it will be pretty hard for Sando to not bring Stiffy back.

Nutter could have a STINKER and won't get dropped for next week as this would emphasize that the decision to play Nutter this week was a poor decision In the 1st place