Preview Round 6 vs Port Adelaide

[justroyal]

Wright, Jmac, McDonald.
Jesus. Not only are we going to have the slowest midfield, but the slowest backline too...
Meanwhile Larkey and Brown will be going to ground quite a bit...

 

[Friday Night Lights]

Happy for Larkey and glad TT is back.

McDonald was always coming straight in but it should have been at the expense of Wright or McMillan. No senior players going out is farcical.

Bailey going out is baffling. Hasn’t put a foot wrong and we absolutely need his running power.

Jy needed a spell weeks ago but looked to be turning the corner. Odd timing but hard to argue with.

Ahern... what the * has gone wrong since last season? We know the talent is there so there’s gotta be more to this. Looks like we’re butchering him. In dark times like this he’s the type of footballer I want to see out there giving us hope, not rotting away in a VFL team that is somehow going even worse than the seniors.

 

[Better Loosen Up]

Happy for Larkey and glad TT is back.

McDonald was always coming straight in but it should have been at the expense of Wright or McMillan. No senior players going out is farcical.

Bailey going out is baffling. Hasn’t put a foot wrong and we absolutely need his running power.

Jy needed a spell weeks ago but looked to be turning the corner. Odd timing but hard to argue with.

Ahern... what the **** has gone wrong since last season? We know the talent is there so there’s gotta be more to this. Looks like we’re butchering him. In dark times like this he’s the type of footballer I want to see out there giving us hope, not rotting away in a VFL team that is somehow going even worse than the seniors.

As far as Ahern goes, is pretty obvious that the fall out with Bard has to have a fair bit to do with it.

 

[Masked Avenger]

Disappointed about Scott, I don't think he'll be anything other than a B grader but he needs a better run at it. Ahern deserves to be dropped but there are plenty of other senior players who have been worse.

I don't rate Larkey but at least he will be given a opportunity to test himself at AFL level. TT needs games, has been slightly underwhelming to this point but you can see the talent he has.

You must be talking about Brad, not Bailey? Bailey's the future. B grade pfft. Stout hearted, smart, athletic and leader written all over him. On second thoughts, he probably doesn't fit in. On Ahern, clearly different rules for different players. Surest way to kill morale. Clarkson would play Ahern every day of the week. But what would he know.

 

[Better Loosen Up]

I wonder if JMac thinks this week is a must win or not...

 

[mouncey2franklin]

Let me get this straight. The changes were:

In: Larkey, McDonald, Thomas
Out: Scott, Ahern, Simpkin

So that is a capable midfielder (Ahern) OUT, a very young midfielder (Scott) OUT, and a small forward (Simpkin) OUT.

Meanwhile none of the inclusions are midfielders: a medium defender (McDonald) IN, a tall forward (Larkey) IN, a small forward (Thomas) IN.

So by my maths Brads Scotts has simultaneously managed to weaken the midfield depth while making the team TALLER.

This is after we got belted by a faster team at the Dome last weekend. So now we are going even taller at a ground open to the elements?

And we are going in with weaker midfield depth? After getting exposed in the midfield both inside and outside last week?

Is this a joke?

Does Brads Scotts have some kind of 'bonus payout if sacked before the BYE' clause in his contract or something?

Right now he appears to be playing a game of chicken with the board.

bok-bok-baaaaaaaaaawk

 

[Mordecai]

As far as Ahern goes, is pretty obvious that the fall out with Bard has to have a fair bit to do with it.

what fall out?

 

[mouncey2franklin]

And another thing. Larkey has had to wait two years for another crack at AFL level, and Brads Scotts brings him in for this game?

Really?

A game at Adelaide Oval where we always get belted. And where it is likely to be wet and slippery.

The week after we just got destroyed in the midfield. And even our best user of the pill is kicking it sideways.

Is Brads Scotts trying to set Larkey up to fail?

I feel for Larkey. If he ends up at another club kicking bags I won't blame him one iota.

This is a farce.

 

[ferball]

what fall out?

Didn't you know?

 

[Mordecai]

Didn't you know?

We need to get Ahern a DSLR camera with a telescopic lens to get some photos of Brad.

 

[Waussie]

went on a long spiel about about how center clearances are our problem - telegraphs that Plan C is throwing Ziebell into the centre to re-capture the magic from circa 2014. then drops Paul Ahern and leaves Dom Tyson in seconds. Against Wines, Boak, Rockliff, Powell-Pepper et.al ....

A master stroke.

He's going to baffle them with bullsh...t

 

[ferball]

After weeks of calling for the coach to enforce standards he finally does by dropping our worst players in a 10 goal loss in our only marquee game and then gets slammed for it. The poor campaigner can't win.

Also after people calling for Larkey to get a game for weeks now he's finally got one its wrong? What?

 

[Waussie]

I wonder if JMac thinks this week is a must win or not...

No but it would be nice!

 

[mouncey2franklin]

And look at that backline. Yes, injuries have crucified us. But just look at that backline.

McDonald and Macmillan are turnover merchants. Tarrant appears cooked and no longer rebounds out of defence like he used to. Thompson has never been the most dependable with ball in hand. Wright is as slow as a wet week at the moment (nothing against him, one of the few players in the team I like, but he is underdone).

This means it will be solely up to Pittard and Atley to move the ball out of defense quickly. LOL. Two dudes out of seven who can actually break lines on the run without turning the ball over immediately. At any given time there is a good chance one of them will be on the bench, leaving just one get-out option on the field.

This would have been barely acceptable twenty years ago. In the modern game, it is the closest thing you can get to throwing a game of football.

Unless of course our midfielders flood back and/or run two ways to help out and provide options. Which ours never do. Look at how Richmond and Collingwood midfielders create two-on-ones for easy outs. The mids run across to the man with possession to either handpass over the top or provide a block for a run. Whenever a switch happens, their mids (like Houli and McIntosh) burst laterally across the field to get extra numbers around the ball-receiver. Our mids never do that.

So when we have possesion across half-back,you can expect Wright to pass to Thompson, who will push hard backwards behind the mark, and then kick back to Wright, who will wheel around and kick to Macmillan, who will pretend to take on a tackler, sell himself into trouble, pass a dinky handball to Pittard who by this stage will be under pressure because the Port press will have moved up to swarm, and then Pittard will be forced to bomb it long to a contest, which we will be lucky if Goldstein breaks even, but more likely, Sam Powell Pepper (my tip for the Kerridge) will burst away with the ball and spot up a target all alone in our back 50. Probably a mid like Boak or Rockliff who will have burned off Cunnington three minutes prior.

We're in for a slaughtering. $5 for Port 60+ is easy money. Some of the easiest money you will ever see. Gamble responsibly.

 

[mouncey2franklin]

One more thing. Who are Port's three leading goalkickers at this stage of the season?

Rozee (1.86m)
Ebert (1.89m)
R.Gray (1.83m)

Meanwhile the last two times he has played against North, Sam Gray has kicked 4.1 and 4.1.

Last year his highest-scoring match for the season was against us. In 2017 his second-highest scoring match was against us.

Who is going to mind these four guys? Macmillan? Lol.

Tarrant and Thompson will go to Ryder/Lycett and Marshall, one would think.

I don't see any permutations or combinations with the remaining 'defenders' which don't scream bloodbath.

 

[Cool Kangas]

Gasometer where’s the game day thread??? Lift your game!

 

[king rising]

Not really, Jono Brown managed nothing more than one tackle in his first game and he was ok.

Comparing Nick Larkey and Jono Brown. You’re good for a laugh... I’ll give you that.

 

[Billy Not Really]

And another thing. Larkey has had to wait two years for another crack at AFL level, and Brads Scotts brings him in for this game?

I really feel for him, if this game goes south, and I think it will. We'll be run off our legs and our defence is slow & disorganized. It's a real trial by fire game.

He'll be cut first by next week, guaranteed. This game is a complete farce for our youngsters, its expecting ALOT of them against an experienced PA outfit, especially in the midfield/forward, in hostile territory on a Friday night.

But who knows, maybe he'll kick a bag. Loss or win I hope the future of this club makes an impact and show up our deflated vets.

 

[Roo182]

Port by 38. Despite axing Ahern, Simpkin and Scott, Larkey and Thomas are still young/wildcards, and MacDonald is Macdonald, at least he has match experience.

FWD: Mason Wood has been a non-factor, if he doesn't light up, it's double teaming Ben Brown FTW. Ziebell needs a bounce back, hopefully running him as CHF will encourage him to get physicality back by adding more fwd/mid pressure.
MID/Backs are as good as they're going to get for us right now (with the exception of LTI's coming back like Jacobs or Daw). Unless Hall, Higgins and Polec get the room they need to move, and Cunners/Anderson win the contests, we will get rickrolled by Rocky, Wines and Westhoff.

This game's key matchups will be:
- Ziebell applying mid pressure at CHF to counteract Ebert & Boak, giving Polec/Hall/Higgins more opportunity to run.
- Wood needs to take pressure off Brown.
- Tarrant needs to win vs Paddy Ryder
- Jmac on Robbie Gray scares the **** out of me.

Looks grim, but let's see if they can dig deep and get it done.

 

[King Corey]

After weeks of calling for the coach to enforce standards he finally does by dropping our worst players in a 10 goal loss in our only marquee game and then gets slammed for it. The poor campaigner can't win.

Yes, the entrenched senior players who have accrued 4, 13 and 40 games respectively were clearly the exact players people had in mind with respect to the above.

What's your opinion on our selection been?

 

[the flying ham]

Port by 38. Despite axing Ahern, Simpkin and Scott, Larkey and Thomas are still young/wildcards, and MacDonald is Macdonald, at least he has match experience.

FWD: Mason Wood has been a non-factor, if he doesn't light up, it's double teaming Ben Brown FTW. Ziebell needs a bounce back, hopefully running him as CHF will encourage him to get physicality back by adding more fwd/mid pressure.
MID/Backs are as good as they're going to get for us right now (with the exception of LTI's coming back like Jacobs or Daw). Unless Hall, Higgins and Polec get the room they need to move, and Cunners/Anderson win the contests, we will get rickrolled by Rocky, Wines and Westhoff.

This game's key matchups will be:
- Ziebell applying mid pressure at CHF to counteract Ebert & Boak, giving Polec/Hall/Higgins more opportunity to run.
- Wood needs to take pressure off Brown.
- Tarrant needs to win vs Paddy Ryder
- Jmac on Robbie Gray scares the **** out of me.

Looks grim, but let's see if they can dig deep and get it done.

Ziebell is not and never will be a CHF. Chuck Larkey on from the first bounce, tell him to fly for marks and create a contest. Otherwise why bother.

On SM-G950F using BigFooty.com mobile app

 

[Caracas]

Any chance we could delete the first post in this thread, please? I’m down enough about what’s happening right now without seeing “LOL who cares” every time I check BigFooty on my phone.


On iPhone using BigFooty.com mobile app

 

[Caracas]

I can only assume this week’s selection points to a change in our game plan. I expect to see more long balls into our forward line. Having Larkey there along with BBB, Wood and Jack, obviously, gives us more targets up there. The danger will be Port rebounding from their half backline. To me, this means we have make sure our forward entries are deep, rather than shallow. Immediately after McGrath scored Essendon’s first of four goals in the second quarter, we clearly won the centre clearance and quickly kicked it forward. Unfortunately, it was a very shallow entry, enabling the Bombers to rebound and score again. Of course, the ideal result for us would be if Larkey and Wood are successful in drawing defenders away from BBB. At the end of the day, it’s hard to see us getting within 60 points of Port. In fact, the entire game could be spent in our defensive 50, if Port play like they did against WC.


On iPhone using BigFooty.com mobile app

 

[GreatBradScott]

Reckon we will have two okay quarters and limit the damage.

 

[Passmore]

Not really, Jono Brown managed nothing more than one tackle in his first game and he was ok.

Didn’t it take Kade Simpson about 3 games to get a stat? 300 games later......


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