Preview Round 3 v Fremantle Optus Stadium Saturday March 28 4.15pm -Crisis Creates Opportunity

[Rich01]

Hopper is still our 2nd best midfielder. Definitely a better option than Ross or Prestia still.

Ross after all the pre-season talk has been as underwhelming as usual. Dud, delist.

Ross is what he is, a first change mid.
He shouldn’t be considered at all one of our top three starting mids and the fact that he is, is concerning.

 

[Calcium Man]

I don't think it's about protecting OHB but more about thinking that a slow lumbering 208cm ruck who doesn't offer anything away from the contest is not the right decision. With Gray he is more capable of covering the ground and getting back into the D50 and providing a bit of support to our defenders. For all we know they may just be thinking of doing what you're suggesting and opting for Balta and Lefau to ruck and Gray takes the KPD spot. I guess we'll find out what they're thinking at about 4.15 tomorrow afternoon when they head into position.

But why is Gray going to change anything at ground level substantially to what OHB would provide when he’s had 2 touches vs the Dees and 2 touches vs Blues and 0 tackles in both games in a secondary ruck role?

And again, if we throw him into the ruck he needs to negate Darcy and Jackson in the actual ruck contest first before competing at ground level. Gawn just used his height and physical size to shove Gray away and grab the ball from the ruck to dump it forward or punch it forward and out stoppage zone, again conceding territory. This is exactly what Longmuir should be telling Darcy and Jackson.

 

["The Roar Is Back"]

Hopper is still our 2nd best midfielder. Definitely a better option than Ross or Prestia still.

Ross after all the pre-season talk has been as underwhelming as usual. Dud, delist.

Ross is a far better player without hopper . He has the potential to be our best midfielder by some distance.

 

[Calcium Man]

Hopper is still our 2nd best midfielder. Definitely a better option than Ross or Prestia still.

Ross after all the pre-season talk has been as underwhelming as usual. Dud, delist.

Ross has been far superior to Hopper this year.

 

[Michaels]

When we get flogged by 10 goals it will be because we didn't pick enough slow potatoes?

Not saying we need to pick more of them, just saying with the players we have in now and their natural game style, that a really wet day actually plays to their strengths.

It is still on them to execute that though. Nothing is ever a given.

 

[ShereKhan]

OHB is 25, played NBL and is a Ruck.

Gray has played 4 games and is a defender who we started training as a ruck 2 weeks before the season started.

Not to mention Sean Darcy is massive but let’s thrown a skinny undersized kpd at him in the ruck to protect that 208cm ruck.

It's not protecting him physically....

It's going to be wet....what value is there in debuting a guy who is 208cm in a 10-goal loss in the wet, against the best mobile ruck in the league, where he has almost no chance of taking a mark or getting more than 3 disposals?

I've seen us debut kids before in lost causes interstate and I hated it....Will Martyn v Adelaide Crows comes to mind.

I'm not saying Gray is a great option....I just think it would've been a terrible time to give OHB his debut. It's like debuting a new opening bat on a green seamer versus Marshall, Holding, Garner and Croft.

 

[_RT_]

But why is Gray going to change anything at ground level substantially to what OHB would provide when he’s had 2 touches vs the Dees and 2 touches vs Blues and 0 tackles in both games in a secondary ruck role?

And again, if we throw him into the ruck he needs to negate Darcy and Jackson in the actual ruck contest first before competing at ground level. Gawn just used his height and physical size to shove Gray away and grab the ball from the ruck to dump it forward or punch it forward and out stoppage zone, again conceding territory. This is exactly what Longmuir should be telling Darcy and Jackson.

Gray played 17 minutes against the Dees attending 4 CBA and 12 ruck contests & 39 minutes against Carlton which is quite low TOG so it's a bit harsh to judge his lack of impact as a ruck.

Like you said maybe the plan is to go with Balta and Lefau in the ruck and swing Gray back, maybe the plan is to rotate all 3 through the position. No doubt it's something that was discussed in depth at match committee before they settled on the plan.

All we can do is try something and see how it pans out.

 

[ShereKhan]

I got no problem with picking most of our experienced players, even in midfield, Lalor can’t play full time mid and Hotton/Smillie/Cumming obviously injured. I’m also expecting another top 3-4 pick, so I’m also just looking for green shoots with our experienced players guiding them.

But McAullife should be picked ahead of Hopper for the rest of season. Hopper has had 15 turnovers in 2 games, while only providing 18 pressure acts (Prestia has had 17 in one game and Taranto 46) his kicking efficiency is 31%, and gets caught constantly because he’s probably the slowest player in the comp or gives away frees because he’s beaten to the ball.

What did worry me was a written Q&A I saw with Lalor...not sure where?? but they asked him who was the coach's pet and he said 'Hopper'.

It worries me not just for midfield minutes in 2026, but also what happens from 2027-2029. He simply must be a trade out end of 2026....take any pick we can and pay a portion of his wage....we cannot afford him to stymie the development of everyone else any longer.

When I watched Rachelle last night get 31 and look amazing in midfield...all he needed was an opportunity. Rachelle is not a tough player...but he's skilled with high footy IQ. Sonsie is a poor mans Rachelle but watching him last night made me wonder what Sonsie could do in midfield if only given a chance.

Every single CBA until Hotton/Cumming/Smillie come into the team should have at least one of Campbell, Sonsie, Grlj, MRJ or McCaullife....no questions asked. Whatever mix of TT, Prestia, Lalor, Ross or Hopper you want around that is fine.

 

[Rocco sifreddi]

Cant believe Prestia wanted to go again this season.

Cant believe yze let him

 

[ShereKhan]

OHB is into year 3 now and trained solely as a ruck. He also played footy from u/12s to u/18s.

Gray isn’t a ruck, has been doing it for 4 weeks vs OHB 3 preseasons and also came from outside the talent pathway so really doesn’t have a super amount more football upbringing than OHB.

We also just played Gray as a backman not a ruck in last weeks vfl game and OHB as a ruck, so Grayson 4 weeks of training as ruck still has the poor bastard trying to play his actual position.

Be 100% honest...if it's monsoon conditions as forecast, what would you expect OHB's statlines to read for the game?

I'd say: 1 kick, 2 handballs, 0 marks, 2 tackles and 14 hit-outs.

IMO let's just give the guy a chance to actually clunk a few and get some of the ball in his debut.

 

[Lord of the Wings]

Ross has been far superior to Hopper this year.

47 disposals versus 44 disposals so far is hardly far superior.

 

[SouthernStripes]

Keeping my expectations super low for this . I’ll be happy with some Lalor brilliance, a couple of crafty goals from Alger and some straight kicking from our two young talls. Overall though I fear we gonna get pumped harder than Bonnie Blue

 

[ShereKhan]

Yeah how's that approach going for Yze so far. Wooden Spoon, 2nd last and almost certainly bottom 2 again this year. Ummmm, Ummmm Mark Neeld was more succcessful FFS.

Did Melbourne trade out 4 of their best players in prime age and take 8 kids at the draft at the end of Neeld's first season in charge?

We've got about 8 of our best-23 not playing this week. In fact I don't think there'd be more than a couple of games in Yze's entire coaching career where we've had less than half a dozen of our best team missing.

Take out Bolton, Baker, Rioli and Graham.... have Grimes and Dusty retire....then take out 7-8 of your best team most weeks....Tom Hafey wouldn't get out of the bottom-4 under those circumstances.

 

[kozi]

at what point do we call grigg and ask him to take over?

2023

 

[Vassp]

47 disposals versus 44 disposals so far is hardly far superior.

yeah, and all disposals are equal, makes heaps of sense.

 

[Groupie_]

2023

such a missed opportunity

campaigner already had 4 seasons with the scats at that point and we overlook him for the magnificent yze

 

[Grrr]

47 disposals versus 44 disposals so far is hardly far superior.

Did you watch Hopper last week, gave it to the opposition all game. Ross was our leading score assist player last year and has started the year well enough. Consistency has been Ross's biggest problem, so far so good.

 

[Lord of the Wings]

Did Melbourne trade out 4 of their best players in prime age and take 8 kids at the draft at the end of Neeld's first season in charge?

We've got about 8 of our best-23 not playing this week. In fact I don't think there'd be more than a couple of games in Yze's entire coaching career where we've had less than half a dozen of our best team missing.

Take out Bolton, Baker, Rioli and Graham.... have Grimes and Dusty retire....then take out 7-8 of your best team most weeks....Tom Hafey wouldn't get out of the bottom-4 under those circumstances.

You make some fair points except Graham was a spud not one of our best players and most of the kids we've drafted with the picks we got for Bolton, Baker and Rioli are either injury prone, poor kicks or both.

 

[Morro]

I am choosing to believe Balta plays ruck, and Gray goes back. Its the only logical choice now IMO.

Also cant believe Kmac isnt starting mid.

 

[Calcium Man]

It's not protecting him physically....

It's going to be wet....what value is there in debuting a guy who is 208cm in a 10-goal loss in the wet, against the best mobile ruck in the league, where he has almost no chance of taking a mark or getting more than 3 disposals?

I've seen us debut kids before in lost causes interstate and I hated it....Will Martyn v Adelaide Crows comes to mind.

I'm not saying Gray is a great option....I just think it would've been a terrible time to give OHB his debut. It's like debuting a new opening bat on a green seamer versus Marshall, Holding, Garner and Croft.

He’s not a kid he’s 25 almost 26

 

[Calcium Man]

Be 100% honest...if it's monsoon conditions as forecast, what would you expect OHB's statlines to read for the game?

I'd say: 1 kick, 2 handballs, 0 marks, 2 tackles and 14 hit-outs.

IMO let's just give the guy a chance to actually clunk a few and get some of the ball in his debut.

It’s not about his stats. I don’t expect shit from OHB, I’m not really expecting much more from Gray stats wise either.

I don’t want to throw Gray to wolves and get beat up by bigger rucks in physically gruelling conditions when there’s a perfectly good big lump of ruck who’s mid 20s is available to take that for punishment instead.

It’s the same argument that many make when reminding us that Taranto/Prestia/Hopper/Lynch are being played because Lalor/Hotton/McAuliffe/ Armstrong are not ready to take full responsibility in midfield/kpf.

 

[Vassp]

Did you watch Hopper last week, gave it to the opposition all game. Ross was our leading score assist player last year and has started the year well enough. Consistency has been Ross's biggest problem, so far so good.

I dont think sense matters anymore. Some still think its 1985.

 

[Calcium Man]

47 disposals versus 44 disposals so far is hardly far superior.

Yeah but

15 vs 8 clangers
63 vs 31% kicking efficiency
15 vs 7 turn overs
11 vs 5 tackles
39 vs 18 pressure acts

Is basically twice as superior

 

[DickieKnee]

We gonna loose bad

 

[rfctigerarmy]

We gonna loose bad

Yep, gonna be 50+