Preview R4: Changes vs. Gold Coast Suns (Match of the Round!!!)

[Viva la Mattner]

Any straws you got man, give em here, I'll clutch them with you.

I hear you

It really has to be last chance saloon for Murph

 

[Drugs Are Bad Mackay?]

3-0 and flying. List oozing with talent. Other teams playing awfully. Only Nicks could ruin that buzz

 

[Cromulant]

I hear you

It really has to be last chance saloon for Murph

That saloon should have shut a year ago.

 

[Betts are off]

I'm gonna be interested to see who'se CBA's goes up and by how much this week. Matt Crouch averaged 68% CBA's over the first 3 rounds. My guess is Peatlings numbers get a big spike. And Draper will get a bump. Might even see Keays or ANB get their first rotations of the season.

I'd personally like to see Keays get a few CBA's as a defensive mid against Rowell.

 

[Viva la Mattner]

I'm gonna be interested to see who'se CBA's goes up and by how much this week. Matt Crouch averaged 68% CBA's over the first 3 rounds. My guess is Peatlings numbers get a big spike. And Draper will get a bump. Might even see Keays or ANB get their first rotations of the season.

I'd personally like to see Keays get a few CBA's as a defensive mid against Rowell.

As long as he doesn't rotate Laird through there now that Nank can play his role
Would not be shocked if he panics and throws Laird in as the grunt mid

 

[Betts are off]

As long as he doesn't rotate Laird through there now that Nank can play his role
Would not be shocked if he panics and throws Laird in as the grunt mid

I really hope not. Laird's going great in defense, and I wouldn't want us to get him back in the midfield for his own sake.

Between Draper, Peatling, ANB and Keays surely we can cover 20ish CBA's

 

[Eagleboy2011]

As long as he doesn't rotate Laird through there now that Nank can play his role
Would not be shocked if he panics and throws Laird in as the grunt mid

Laird is playing very good footy in defense. Leave him there.

 

[StonesThrow]

We have Zac Taylor but crazy Nicksy couldn't wait to get his boy back in the team.

Zac Taylor is not a pure small forward. We need pure small forwards.

 

[Pugsley]

Zac Taylor is not a pure small forward. We need pure small forwards.

Still a better option to play there than Murphy.

 

[George CantStandYa]

Zac Taylor is not a pure small forward. We need pure small forwards.

He’s not and we do, but he’s better option now than Murphy.

Also the dickhead coaches are developing him as a small forward and giving Murphy his midfield minutes

 

[Mutineer]

Zac Taylor is not a pure small forward. We need pure small forwards.

Sebastian Murphy had a big game for the Northern Knights on the weekend no doubt peaking interest in him.

 

[Cromulant]

He’s not and we do, but he’s better option now than Murphy.

Also the dickhead coaches are developing him as a small forward and giving Murphy his midfield minutes

TBF to the coaches, I have no issues with him developing some forward craft in the 2s.

Even so, hes a better footballer than Murphy forward or otherwise

 

[George CantStandYa]

TBF to the coaches, I have no issues with him developing some forward craft in the 2s.

Even so, hes a better footballer than Murphy forward or otherwise

It looks like how they are pigeonholing him though. Murphy should not be getting sanfl midfield minutes ahead of him especially when we use that form to justify playing Murphy as a small forward in the AFL.

 

[OzSparrow]

WOW - its not hard the changes even if Crouch is out

Rachele out
Milera out
Crouch out

Nankervis in
Taylor in
Pedlar in

Draper goes straight into the team and Pedlar goes to sub. Nankervis to Milera's halfback position. Crouch's inside role is shared with Dawson, Draper, Taylor and Soligo

Ssshhhh stop talking logically and sounding informed.
That's not the way the AFC rolls.
We embrace and reward mediocrity better than any franchise around.
No way this happens under the current selection model.

 

[ams4crows]

Zac Taylor is not a pure small forward. We need pure small forwards.

He is a better pure small forward than Murphy though! Look at the last game last season against Sydney! Murphy has never played that well

 

[Viva la Mattner]

 

[MRB37]

Zac Taylor is not a pure small forward. We need pure small forwards.

Murphy isn't a small forward either, despite this being his 8th odd year in the role. He's a a guy we play as a forward because he's too small to play as a midfielder.

 

[crows dude]

I really hope not. Laird's going great in defense, and I wouldn't want us to get him back in the midfield for his own sake.

Between Draper, Peatling, ANB and Keays surely we can cover 20ish CBA's

Dawson, Rankine, Soligo, Peatling, Draper. Thats five players to run through there. More than enough.

 

[crows dude]

Zac Taylor is not a pure small forward. We need pure small forwards.

Better than Murphy as a small forward.

 

[Betts are off]

People give Bodhi Uwland a lot of credit. But he's listed as the match up for FOG on AFL.com

Giving away 4cm and the better part of 12kg (by the look of him, maybe more).

Could be the key match up

EDIT; Imagine when he needs to stand Curtin. Giving away 9cm

 

[ftmch]

Murphy has been picked to play Rachele’s exact role. Rachele played as a full time high half forward for the first 9 quarters of the season before getting his rib cage caved in. There is no other replacement from within the team taking that role (especially considering Crouch is out and no full time midfielder has come in to the squad).

It’s a moronic selection, and any coach with a clue would have picked Zac Taylor to play that role, especially in a team already containing 2 “workhorses” in the forward half in ANB and Keays. The role that needed replacing was a creative, skillful player who can set up goals and kick them himself when opportunities arise. That player is Taylor. Not Murphy.

The fact that Taylor is not even getting selected as an emergency this year is beyond belief. Was comfortably in our best dozen players in the last 8(ish) games of 2024 (including kicking 3 in the final round when half the senior players didn’t try), and takes morning shits that are better AFL half forwards than Lachie Murphy.

Not quite as ridiculous as the above blunder is the fact that Milera has been retained for this game. His game against North was nothing short of embarrassing to watch, and his selection looks certain to resign Nank to the sub role, which is a shit choice, considering Nank is clearly better at pretty much everything involved with being a creator off half back or a wing than not only Milera, but also Sholl.


On a more positive note, Crouch being rested and no Berry coming in means Draper is an absolute certainty to start in the 22. I would say Peatling takes Crouch’s normal role (with a view towards “cooling” one of Anderson or Rowell), and Draper essentially takes Peatling’s normal role for the day.


All in all, tonight’s selection is another example of the blind faith in proven losers over exciting youngsters that has plagued Nicks’ coaching career. What are we, getting Lachie to a contract trigger or something? Newsflash - nobody wants him and he’ll be in about as much demand as Ned McHenry if we don’t sign him up for next season.

I’ll be the first one to put my hand up and say “Nicksy nailed it” if Murphy has 20 and 2 and we win, but I’m not sure you’ll find anyone who knows football who thinks Murphy is a better anything than Taylor moving forward. They clearly value “experience” over many other things, and are failing to take into account that all Lachie Murphy actually knows is losing. That’s what he is experienced at doing. Losing.

Amen

 

[Betts are off]

Dawson, Rankine, Soligo, Peatling, Draper. Thats five players to run through there. More than enough.

Dawson Rankine and Soli are already on a high rotation. We need to find 20+ more outside of them to cover Crouch's input to date

 

[Cromulant]

Dawson Rankine and Soli are already on a high rotation. We need to find 20+ more outside of them to cover Crouch's input to date

I suspect Neal Bullen will get a bit of a run.

 

[SLOWNE]

Zac Taylor is not a pure small forward. We need pure small forwards.

I'd rather they bring in Taylor, throw him in the mid rotation and give Rankine more time forward.

Taylor has shown he has chops around goals, a resting Rankine would create havoc in the forward line and I bet our shape would still manage to keep itself just fine.

Taylor, Dowling, Pedlar should all be a country mile in front of Smurph.

 

[1970crow]

There seems to be a real lack of look at me smart arse posts having a go at posters after Murphy’s selection…..

Old Cromulant and I had a bit of to and fro in the SANFL thread. Apparently it's "not that hard to understand" how far back Murphy is in the pecking order. But I'm too mature a person to say I told you so. So I won't.

Stifling the development of other mids, I can only guess the reason he plays there is to keep his fitness up. I doubt he's as far back in the pecking order as most would want him to be.

I think he is.

The coaching staff said they want guys like Edwards, Taylor and Co to have greater flexibility in their games.

It's not that hard to understand

Murphy being preferred backup to those players if a forward spot opens up isn't hard to understand either.