Preview R16: Changes vs. Richmond Tigers (after the bye)

[PCORF]

Murphy not being omitted is almost a big a joke as naming Jones and Burgess in the squad.

I'm thinking the remaining games after Richmond, we could lose most of them if we are not careful with selection, change to a more defensive style gameplan, etc. Murphy will be probably in the side for the rest of the season and Draper forgotten. Murphy can tackle but otherwise he is an average player. For Nicks it is all about experience. For me I'd be starting Draper this weekend, no excuses.

Let's look at the remaining games.

Richmond away = we have not beaten this side at the MCG for 24 years, so any win will do. If Brisbane can end
their drought in Geelong surely we could do the same in this manner.
Melbourne home = have been inconsistent but you cannot drop your guard here. This team can match it with the best if they are focused. Brisbane found out the hard way a few weeks ago.
Western Bulldogs away = another inconsistent side at times but at their best they're tough to stop. Our away record vs them is ordinary in recent years save the 1 point win a few years ago.
Gold Coast home = they are better but have struggled on the road, no excuses if we lose this one.
Port home = showdowns are showdowns, they are often battles.
Hawthorn home = Friday Night prime time game against a side we rarely beat at home. We'll need our luck here.
West Coast away = should take care of this side.
Collingwood home = no chance? ... This game will truly test where we are.
North away = they give it their best most weeks.

 

[skittlebrew]

In a weird way I’d like to see Jones get a crack. For no other reason than he was a pick 9 and we need to get something from 7 years of him running past the ball, squibbing and still looking like a schoolboy.

That's the absolute last thing we should do.

Might as well rename the kid sunk cost. Only value of holding Jones was to get a junk draft pick off Tassie and I doubt that's ever going to happen.

 

[PCORF]

That's the absolute last thing we should do.

Might as well rename the kid sunk cost. Only value of holding Jones was to get a junk draft pick off Tassie and I doubt that's ever going to happen.

The Devils may never join the league so he could be stuck here.

 

[Mutineer]

In a weird way I’d like to see Jones get a crack. For no other reason than he was a pick 9 and we need to get something from 7 years of him running past the ball, squibbing and still looking like a schoolboy.

Chayce Jones never ever squibbed a contest if anything he has always gone harder than most.

Knock him on other traits but squibbing is absolutely way off the mark.

 

[Multiballz]

Murphy is kept in to spite supporters

Cant help but feel that.

 

[1970crow]

In a weird way I’d like to see Jones get a crack. For no other reason than he was a pick 9 and we need to get something from 7 years of him running past the ball, squibbing and still looking like a schoolboy.

I've never seen him squib a contest.

 

[Michaels]

Pardon the intrusion!

For those interested, I had Rob from Crowcast on last night to chat about the upcoming game this week to get a Crows perspective on things for a more balanced preview of the game.

-Both teams current form lines
-The Impact of the bye
-Arrival of Balme and Daniel Jackson

Daniel Jackson

Age

39

Ht

188cm

Wt

92kg

Pos.

Mid

Career

Season

Last 5

D

18.4

5star

K

10.5

4star

HB

7.9

5star

M

3.8

4star

T

3.8

5star

CL

3.6

5star

No current season stats available

D

9.0

3star

K

5.6

3star

HB

3.4

3star

M

1.4

2star

T

3.8

5star

-Line ups
-Key match ups

all the best for this weekend, think you will walk away a bit happier than me though!

 

[betterthanu]

Yeah, Jones is as tough as they come. Its literally probably his biggest strength.

 

[Multiballz]

In a weird way I’d like to see Jones get a crack. For no other reason than he was a pick 9 and we need to get something from 7 years of him running past the ball, squibbing and still looking like a schoolboy.

Looks young,but Squibbing?
Youre confusing him with Sholl or Milera i think. Then again, Ive seen him look and run straight past the ball, eyes locked onto some inconsequential random player more than once..

 

[maxlilly]

Murphy is kept in to spite supporters

And to keep the media staff employed

 

[maxlilly]

No confidence in his own game plan no confidence in young players.

The players have no confidence in Nicks game plan

 

[1970crow]

That's the absolute last thing we should do.

Might as well rename the kid sunk cost. Only value of holding Jones was to get a junk draft pick off Tassie and I doubt that's ever going to happen.

Jones is ridiculously over-maligned around here. His first season was ok and he showed a bit of promise. We then went about 'developing' him to the extent that he couldn't crack double figures as a full time mid in the 2s and would have been lucky to make a div 3 ammo's side. He was then rebuilt by playing behind the ball, where he went pretty well. A role I would have him in ahead of Milera and Laird in a heartbeat. He went well enough that he was moved to a wing, where he went perfectly well again, until injury.

The first comparison below is Chayce's 'putrid' 2024 after returning from injury against current wing mainstay Isaac Cumming. And the second comparison is Chayce's pre-injury 2023 on the wing against Cumming. And note that Cumming is playing in a much better performed side.

I'm not saying Chayce is a great footballer, but he's nowhere as bad as many on here think. Certainly he's not value at the pick we got him at and there was a period of time there where he wasn't even worthy of SANFL selection. But upon his return he made a good fist of playing behind the ball and then on a wing. His return from injury was disappointing and it's resulted in him playing only SANFL so far, but if you're accepting what Cumming is dishing up, then it's hard to understand how you can be so critical of Jones output in 2023 & 2024.

 

[weekend at bernies]

looking like 1 change.
Peatling for Pedlar.

Murphy selection is all about backing him in after all the comments from his selection against Hawks.

This is a game we have to win if we're serious this year. I said the same when we played Freo though.

 

[MRB37]

looking like 1 change.
Peatling for Pedlar.

Murphy selection is all about backing him in after all the comments from his selection against Hawks.

This is a game we have to win if we're serious this year. I said the same when we played Freo though.

I do wonder at times if that's often a factor in Nicks thinking. We've seen him get frustrated and make jabs at fans in pressers before, a bit of "I know better than them" stubbornness kicking in.

 

[Ciao Giacomo]

Can't melt yet - hopefully Murphy is a late out.

Perhaps his stunning effort of 11 disposals (just 4 kicks) and a DE of 46% and no goals, points or goal assists is enough to keep him in the side.

Pedlar had 3 disposals in 65% ToG against Hawthorn but it is not obvious when he copped the corky. He had 10 disposals and 42 metres gained in our 90 point win against Sydney and kept his spot.

Murphy’s 11 disposals and 147 metres gained in 80% ToG was a typical Murphy game as a small forward. The 7 tackles were handy but there were a couple of moments when my television was in danger.

With Pedlar injured, my preference would be to play Zac Taylor but this is based on potential rather than his AFL stats this year.

The other question is our reluctance to use Sid Draper as a small forward. If we don’t think he is ready to play as a fulltime midfielder then I think playing him as a small forward in the AFL rather than a midfielder in the SANFL is preferable.

 

[FR0GGY]

Pedlar had 3 disposals in 65% ToG against Hawthorn but it is not obvious when he copped the corky. He had 10 disposals and 42 metres gained in our 90 point win against Sydney and kept his spot.

Murphy’s 11 disposals and 147 metres gained in 80% ToG was a typical Murphy game as a small forward. The 7 tackles were handy but there were a couple of moments when my television was in danger.

With Pedlar injured, my preference would be to play Zac Taylor but this is based on potential rather than his AFL stats this year.

The other question is our reluctance to use Sid Draper as a small forward. If we don’t think he is ready to play as a fulltime midfielder then I think playing him as a small forward in the AFL rather than a midfielder in the SANFL is preferable.

Pedlar is seriously in trouble of wasting a career and being delisted, has only played 34 games which makes it wrong that a player like Murphy has played over 100 games when the decision should have been made 3 years ago.
You can see the potential there with Pedlar, which is the only reason he’d get another year, Murphy not so.

 

[Drugs Are Bad Mackay?]

Jones has played some reasonable football for us in defence, and was having a decent season on the wing before doing his Achilles in 2023 (I think it was that year...). There have been occasions where he's looked like being an AFL player alongside plenty of very quiet matches.

He'd never previously found the football as an inside mid for us. Even at SANFL level he'd go through entire games for 6 possessions.

It's why he ended up having to play elsewhere.

This season he's getting his hands on it in the midfield though. I'd be more comfortable with giving someone like Jones another chance at AFL level than Smith.

 

[Drugs Are Bad Mackay?]

Is Draper injured?

bigman mentioned that he got helped off the ground during match sim

 

[Scorpus]

Is Draper injured?

bigman mentioned that he got helped off the ground during match sim

He's named in our SANFL side

 

[Mr_Moogle]

People liking Jones selection is hilarious.

 

[happy_knackers]

Burgess has been in the 25 man squad more often that not this year hasn't he? My take is that he is purely there as cover for if ROB goes down in the last couple of days leading into the game or something like that, never actually as a realistic option they're mulling over. I reckon he'd have to be fully aware of that too.

 

[Firewalker]

Jones has played some reasonable football for us in defence, and was having a decent season on the wing before doing his Achilles in 2023 (I think it was that year...). There have been occasions where he's looked like being an AFL player alongside plenty of very quiet matches.

He'd never previously found the football as an inside mid for us. Even at SANFL level he'd go through entire games for 6 possessions.

It's why he ended up having to play elsewhere.

This season he's getting his hands on it in the midfield though. I'd be more comfortable with giving someone like Jones another chance at AFL level than Smith.

In terms of my Chayce Jones gauge meter I’ve found the needle shifting from a firm red at the start of the season to more in the green as well, maybe it’s just because you forget a lot of his shortcomings because of how long he’s been out of the AFL team or maybe it’s just because the sight of old man Smith or try-hard Murphy leads you to start bargaining with your mind everyday that even Chayce, a pick 9 draft pick has to be a better alternative to them.

He’s actually one of the handful on the list that can actually kick a football semi decently at full pace whilst breaking away from congestion so that’s probably made him look like a ‘different option’ recently to Nicks.

 

[Cromulant]

People liking Jones selection is hilarious.

He hasnt been selected ??

 

[Mr_Moogle]

He hasnt been selected ??

Yeah but people are already coping in case he makes it in because they don't trust Nicks to not blunder selection.

 

[crows dude]

I'm thinking the remaining games after Richmond, we could lose most of them if we are not careful with selection, change to a more defensive style gameplan, etc. Murphy will be probably in the side for the rest of the season and Draper forgotten. Murphy can tackle but otherwise he is an average player. For Nicks it is all about experience. For me I'd be starting Draper this weekend, no excuses.

Let's look at the remaining games.

Richmond away = we have not beaten this side at the MCG for 24 years, so any win will do. If Brisbane can end
their drought in Geelong surely we could do the same in this manner.
Melbourne home = have been inconsistent but you cannot drop your guard here. This team can match it with the best if they are focused. Brisbane found out the hard way a few weeks ago.
Western Bulldogs away = another inconsistent side at times but at their best they're tough to stop. Our away record vs them is ordinary in recent years save the 1 point win a few years ago.
Gold Coast home = they are better but have struggled on the road, no excuses if we lose this one.
Port home = showdowns are showdowns, they are often battles.
Hawthorn home = Friday Night prime time game against a side we rarely beat at home. We'll need our luck here.
West Coast away = should take care of this side.
Collingwood home = no chance? ... This game will truly test where we are.
North away = they give it their best most weeks.

We should beat Richmond, Melbourne, Gold Coast, West Coast and North. Thats 14 wins. Snag on or two others we are in top 4 range