Preview AFL Round 8 - Match Preview Collingwood@Carlton (MCG– 1:45PM)

Putting an inexperienced player like Wills on arguably the best inside mid in the league because of ‘size’ would be a big mistake.
He might be inexperienced in terms of AFL games, but Wills is 25. Besides I never said we should put Wills on Cripps, only that he has the size to match him at stoppages.

To elaborate (unnecessarily?) along with his marking around the ground one of Cripps' assets is he's so much bigger than most AFL mids meaning he can push bodies out of his way to gain the footy or clearance. While Wills doesn't posses the same dash to subsequently break free like Cripps he's a brute in close and is very good at getting first hands on the footy to release teammates even with blokes hanging off him. Wills is also a tackling machine who not only hits hard, but more importantly sticks his tackles. Both will be important in helping to neutralise Cripps' influence.

We've had issues with opposition clearances all season; worse and often much smaller players than Cripps have caused those issues. A hard big bodied inside mid is an important addition regardless of how few AFL games Wills has played.
 

Thatsmyname

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We're big and heavy in the middle now, should monster them.
 

Thatsmyname

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Jeez Aish still not back in seniors or reserves.
And Sier reserve interchange?
 
Huge danger game. We struggled to beat them last year on both occasions. They’ll be hyper motivated after last week and get 3 good ins while we lose two significant players.
I see Lynch named as emergency....let’s hope that’s not as cover for Grundy
Lol
 

Nuffsaid

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I feel like we should smash Carlton but I feel equally as confident that we will be Curnows slump buster and we will somehow be made to work all the way.
On another note looking forward to the nostalgia of a Saturday afternoon fixture- not too many of them anymore.
 

NeverWobble

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So despite Adams and Beams being sidelined we’ll have Pendlebury, Sidebottom, Treloar, DeGoey and Wills as our first choice midfield rotations. Greenwood, Thomas and Brown could also pinch hit in the guts. Mayne slots straight back into a familiar role. Pretty enviable position to be in at the moment.
 
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So despite Adams and Beams being sidelined we’ll have Pendlebury, Sidebottom, Treloar, DeGoey and Wills as our first choice midfield rotations. Greenwood, Thomas and Brown could also pinch hit in the guts. Mayne slots straight back into a familiar role. Pretty enviable position to be in at the moment.
On paper it looks great except we haven't been winning clearances, and Adams in particular is an important loss in this respect. Beams should also be but hasn't performed to expectations. Nevertheless we are 2nd on the ladder so we are obviously doing something right.
 
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What's everyone's thoughts on perhaps getting Corey Gault in for training sessions to replace that whatchamacallit cushion thingimagigy the trainers use for players to jump on for match simulation and s**t.. figured would be more realistic to have Gault just stand there like a kreas which he has a good amt of experience doing and that re and have blokes jump on his back and s**t re. Keeping it real.
 
On paper it looks great except we haven't been winning clearances, and Adams in particular is an important loss in this respect. Beams should also be but hasn't performed to expectations. Nevertheless we are 2nd on the ladder so we are obviously doing something right.
We score frequently from our centre clearances. Other clearances are less important given we are so good at getting the ball back. I could be mistaken, but from memory the great Hawthorn side of the three peat was not a high clearance side.
 
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I’m not sold on Wills coming in.
Sure he’s an inside player perhaps considered “like for like with Adams to some extent” but he isn’t a clean inside player like Adams and I worry about his work on the spread with ball in hand having to kick it.

Lock it in, he's named.

Look I get your doubt but let's be fair dinkum we can't surely 100% replace a grunt like Tay - the closest would either be one of the two bears if you're going to go with the definition of "like for like" and it happened to be Wills.

If we play our swarm and spread and he plays in inside defensive role (I'm tippin that'll be the instruction from the panel) the mix won't be a lot different.
 
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I think this is the weakest 22 we have fielded this year. Wills, Brown, Reid and Greenwood are guys that I wasn't expecting to play much seniors and they're all in the side at once. If there was any week to test our depth this a good one for it but I hope we don't need to do it for too long.
 
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Lock it in, he's named.

Look I get your doubt but let's be fair dinkum we can't surely 100% replace a grunt like Tay - the closest would either be one of the two bears if you're going to go with the definition of "like for like" and it happened to be Wills.

If we play our swarm and spread and he plays in inside defensive role (I'm tippin that'll be the instruction from the panel) the mix won't be a lot different.

I think the selection panel will be thinking of sending him to Cripps where he can apply inside pressure at stoppges. The other option was Pendles. The selectionof Wills frees Pendlebury up to be more free wheeling. Pendlebury's work kicking inside 50 has been fantastic and I think we've decided to maintain that.
 

grayza2018

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Great recovery from Mayney, slot back onto that wing nicely

Very interested to see how Wills goes, we've been crying out for that type (via Sier) so hopefully pays off with Rupe
 

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We score frequently from our centre clearances. Other clearances are less important given we are so good at getting the ball back. I could be mistaken, but from memory the great Hawthorn side of the three peat was not a high clearance side.
Jmac as you go to the games, does it look like we don’t get the ball a lot from the centre?

That’s the real stat. Which team has the most control.

To the eye we do. We have the advantage.

But the opposition will counter it by, roving themselves to Grundy, or grabbing our mid that’s the initial beneficiary.

I’d rather be us than them when it comes to our centre work.
 
Been having some positive visions about the game, including one where Pendles collects the ball from the centre bounce and ambles and zigs and zags his way to the forward line, and I shout at him to pass it off -- just get rid of the ******* thing! -- but he ends up taking 7 bounces and kicking the goal. I am left ashamed for doubting him and I am left awestruck.

Dunno where these visions come from, but anyway we'll end up winning this one by 27 points. I think it'll be a wrestle for most of the day, and then we find the higher gear.

Good to see Kreuzer up and about, likeable guy for Carlton people, but not as likeable as Mayne.
 
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Been having some positive visions about the game, including one where Pendles collects the ball from the centre bounce and ambles and zigs and zags his way to the forward line, and I shout at him to pass it off -- just get rid of the ******* thing! -- but he ends up taking 7 bounces and kicking the goal. I am left ashamed for doubting him and I am left awestruck.

Dunno where these visions come from, but anyway we'll end up winning this one by 27 points. I think it'll be a wrestle for most of the day, and then we find the higher gear.

Good to see Kreuzer up and about, likeable guy for Carlton people, but not as likeable as Mayne.

The way you write really does paint a picture Gimpz.
 

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The depth we have in the mids is exemplified in this game, missing A grade Beams, and the terrier Adams and we are still covered nicely.
That’s where depth is fantastic.

Grundy Pendlebury Treloar Sidebottom topped up with Wills, Greenwood (Bull and Pig), Phillips, oh and that guy De Goey.

Carlton have one top liner, A grader there in Cripps. Curtail him and then their green shoots?
 
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