Preview Round 2, 2019: Essendon v St.Kilda - Marvel Stadium, Saturday 30th March, 4:35PM AEDT

[triggering bro]

You would not ordinarily make four changes to a winning team. But the round 1 team was so unbalanced we need to make wholesale changes for correction.

Too many small forwards. Too many half back flankers. Too many slow inside mids. Not enough marking players & not enough runners.

This weeks team selections should be the easiest for the year.

In: GOAT, Clark, Marshall & Brown
Out: Kent, Wilkie, Pierce & Dunstan

 

[OxSaint]

I would roll a side out like this;

B: Geary brown webster
HB: Savage Battle Wilkie
C: Newnes Ross Billings
HF: Steven Membrey Kent
F: Parker Bruce Long
FOL: Marshall Steele Gresham

Int: Acres Sinclair Mckenzie Clarke

Emg: Pierce Young Joyce

 

[The_Steadier]

Just my thoughts and I’m no expert but it looks like when we are under more pressure we go back to bombing it long and I think the extra tall gives us a better marking target or at least keep to the contest in this situation.

Ideally I would love us to play the fast play to open players, which we did at times but we won’t do that consistently in games.

Just my thoughts.

Yeah i thought the bulk of our i50 entries came from 50m kicks from the wing....

contrasted with GC who did much better breaking a line and kicking much deeper i50 from half forward.

It's a shame there is no i30 stat. I reckon GC would have smashed us for i30's.

 

[Premium]

I would roll a side out like this;

B: Geary brown webster
HB: Savage Battle Wilkie
C: Newnes Ross Billings
HF: Steven Membrey Kent
F: Parker Bruce Long
FOL: Marshall Steele Gresham

Int: Acres Sinclair Mckenzie Clarke

Emg: Pierce Young Joyce

Good side - hope you have nailed it

 

[tim_saints]

Watching On The Couch and listening to Gary Lyon talking about Essendon, love the automatic assumption he makes when makin a point about “what really are essendon right now” where he goes “now they are playing St Kilda this week so we may have to wait another week”

I just love the notion floating around from Essendon fans and journos that we are simply just a match on the fixture and are a complete walkover for a side that looks like an absolute disjointed rabble....

They have been flogged on the weekend off the back of shocking JLT games, why is it an automatic win for them?! We’ve looked better the 3 times we have played footy this year compared to them.

I am so pumped for this game, I would absolutely love to beat the Dons and I think we can. Hopefully we can crush this notion we are just a kick around the park for opposition teams... Richo should show that crap to the players I reckon.

 

[Max the great]

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[saintsrfreak]

Rowan is a pretty big lad now, 201cm, 104 kegs. The only heftier guy on the list is Carlisle at 106 lmao

Should be able to put a shift in with his rucking duties and then hopefully be like Hickey around the ground but kicking goals as well, if he can sharpen up his accuracy.

 

[Fehring]

I reckon Watson's retirement has been as catastrophic for them as Roo's was for us. Neither club had a strong leader last year. We tried to fix that by going and getting Hanners, they went and got Shiel who is not a leader. I thought it was a strange decision at the time for them to put all their eggs in that basket. They look headless. Will be interesting to see if that continues to be an issue.

 

[Joffaboy]

Watching On The Couch and listening to Gary Lyon talking about Essendon, love the automatic assumption he makes when makin a point about “what really are essendon right now” where he goes “now they are playing St Kilda this week so we may have to wait another week”

I just love the notion floating around from Essendon fans and journos that we are simply just a match on the fixture and are a complete walkover for a side that looks like an absolute disjointed rabble....

They have been flogged on the weekend off the back of shocking JLT games, why is it an automatic win for them?! We’ve looked better the 3 times we have played footy this year compared to them.

I am so pumped for this game, I would absolutely love to beat the Dons and I think we can. Hopefully we can crush this notion we are just a kick around the park for opposition teams... Richo should show that crap to the players I reckon.

But that's what many thought about the GC

 

[tim_saints]

But that's what many thought about the GC

The Gold Coast actually showed signs of being better throughout the JLT! They at least showed something prior to playing us, what have Essendon show us so far?! Absolutely nothing, if anything they’ve gone backwards from last year.

It would just be nice to knock em off, they ****ed our chance at finals a few years ago and seem to have the wood on us the last couple of years.

Would be nothing better than beating them undermanned and starting the year 2-0

 

[Aussieviking1]

Has Marshall ever had a game for us as the no 1 Ruck (and not as a FWD/No2 ruck)?
Agree RE Longer not seeming to have much scope for improvement. Am not overly confident in our ruck stocks generally.

Makes sense RE Marshall if we are able to lose hit outs and win clearances. He is better around the ground. Be interesting to see against a better midfield if we can lose hit outs and even break even in clearances.

I personally would like to see Pierce as number 1 ruck and Marshall forward/ruck. If i see Bruce in the ruck again and therefore throw our forward structure out I will spew up....sorry.
GC had 2 mtr in ruck then forward and it worked time again. Every time Bruce went into the ruck we looked weak up forward. During JLT, we had 3 big forwards and the opposition were shitting themselves because our smalls and Membrey were hovering like vultures.

Up back I thought the guys got better as the game went on. We just lack experience there without Robbo. Maybe Brown provides that experience despite no matchup. McKenzie really worried me. Looked like the weak link despite his one good act in the last qtr on Ainsworth who was already injured.

Despite winning clearances, we look slow from the guts. All were one pace. Ross, Dustan and Steele just had no spread. Not sure who comes in for this. Clarke would give some composure but not really quick. Acres has size and composure but same pace also. Maybe a Paton....?

Just my 5 cents...

 

[Diehard Saint]

Watching On The Couch and listening to Gary Lyon talking about Essendon, love the automatic assumption he makes when makin a point about “what really are essendon right now” where he goes “now they are playing St Kilda this week so we may have to wait another week”

I just love the notion floating around from Essendon fans and journos that we are simply just a match on the fixture and are a complete walkover for a side that looks like an absolute disjointed rabble....

They have been flogged on the weekend off the back of shocking JLT games, why is it an automatic win for them?! We’ve looked better the 3 times we have played footy this year compared to them.

I am so pumped for this game, I would absolutely love to beat the Dons and I think we can. Hopefully we can crush this notion we are just a kick around the park for opposition teams... Richo should show that crap to the players I reckon.

I was pretty irritated when I heard that tbh. Just flicked us off as no account.
Hope the Bombers take us as lightly.
What a jerk.

On the other hand, on 3aw, Matthew Lloyd said there was no guarantee they’d beat us this weekend when someone ( I forget who) insinuated the same thing.

Not sure if Lloyd reckoned we could win because we would be the better team however, or just that they would be as putrid as last game.

 

[tim_saints]

I was pretty irritated when I heard that tbh. Just flicked us off as no account.
Hope the Bombers take us as lightly.
What a jerk.

On the other hand, on 3aw, Matthew Lloyd said there was no guarantee they’d beat us this weekend when someone ( I forget who) insinuated the same thing.

Not sure if Lloyd reckoned we could win because we would be the better team however, or just that they would be as putrid as last game.

Bang on mate I was just like “get ****ed Lyon you....” you know what... like turn it up mate maybe you should stick to judging your own club who by the way, had their pants pulled down by a team playing 4 debutants.

I think Lloydy is probably nervous about this one because if they beat us people will just use the Gary Lyon way of thinking, but if we beat them then he knows s**t will really hit the fan.

Praying we beat them, one because I think we are better than Sunday and what people think of us and two to stick it up these experts who have an agenda to just pot us with any chance.

 

[Joffaboy]

Watching On The Couch and listening to Gary Lyon talking about Essendon, love the automatic assumption he makes when makin a point about “what really are essendon right now” where he goes “now they are playing St Kilda this week so we may have to wait another week”

I just love the notion floating around from Essendon fans and journos that we are simply just a match on the fixture and are a complete walkover for a side that looks like an absolute disjointed rabble....

They have been flogged on the weekend off the back of shocking JLT games, why is it an automatic win for them?! We’ve looked better the 3 times we have played footy this year compared to them.

I am so pumped for this game, I would absolutely love to beat the Dons and I think we can. Hopefully we can crush this notion we are just a kick around the park for opposition teams... Richo should show that crap to the players I reckon.

I think it is great, and I hope the coaches tell all the players that Essendon, their supporters and the media think that they are so crap all Essendon have to do is turn up to win.
Keep telling them, they have no respect, and show them what you are made of.

Remind them of their preseason, and how embarrassed they were in 2018.

Let Essendon and their lackeys build it up all week, and remind our players every day how s**t everyone thinks they are.

Can't do this every week, but certainly can this week and if we do win, next week when we will get no credit and it will all be about Essendon.

 

[BrutThough]

I think it is great, and I hope the coaches tell all the players that Essendon, their supporters and the media think that they are so crap all Essendon have to do is turn up to win.
Keep telling them, they have no respect, and show them what you are made of.

Remind them of their preseason, and how embarrassed they were in 2018.

Let Essendon and their lackeys build it up all week, and remind our players every day how s**t everyone thinks they are.

Can't do this every week, but certainly can this week and if we do win, next week when we will get no credit and it will all be about Essendon.

Exactly what I was going to say.

Whatever dribble Garry Lyon said will be plastered on the whiteboard in the team meeting this week.
Thanks Garry for giving us some extra ammunition for this game.

 

[TheEnsign]

Too many small forwards. Too many half back flankers. Too many slow inside mids. Not enough marking players & not enough runners.

This weeks team selections should be the easiest for the year.

In: GOAT, Clark, Marshall & Brown
Out: Kent, Wilkie, Pierce & Dunstan

I agree about needing to change things up notwithstanding the team won, but in terms of wanting Spook out - are you counting Seb as a 'slow inside mid'?

 

[FinBar19]

It's like these 'experts' whose job it is to literally watch and then analyse the teams have not watched us at all through JLT and yesterday.

No we're not world beaters but we have certainly shown more in 2019 than a number of teams thus far including Essendon and are every chance to knock them off.

Pretty unprofessional to be perfectly honest.

 

[SaintersUnite]

Gresham’s report was thrown out... something actually went our way for once?!?!


St Kilda and proud.

 

[gringo2011]

Mate he was strolling out of the goal square at kick ins with like 35m of space in front of him the whole game hahaha... I highly doubt the GC went into the game with a tag job on Sav.

They stopped our run off half back by always getting in their space, they can't tag a kick in obviously but they were always coving Webster and Savage, D Mac had to take on more of a rebound role and often we just bypassed them and the tall backs kicked long from the intercept. Ironically the GC were really efficient, often only needing a couple of clean kicks to set up gaols. Our defensive zones were full of huge holes so it made life easy for them.

 

[gringo2011]

Watching On The Couch and listening to Gary Lyon talking about Essendon, love the automatic assumption he makes when makin a point about “what really are essendon right now” where he goes “now they are playing St Kilda this week so we may have to wait another week”

I just love the notion floating around from Essendon fans and journos that we are simply just a match on the fixture and are a complete walkover for a side that looks like an absolute disjointed rabble....

They have been flogged on the weekend off the back of shocking JLT games, why is it an automatic win for them?! We’ve looked better the 3 times we have played footy this year compared to them.

I am so pumped for this game, I would absolutely love to beat the Dons and I think we can. Hopefully we can crush this notion we are just a kick around the park for opposition teams... Richo should show that crap to the players I reckon.

Stringer pretty much said the same. Hope they all believe it.

 

[eth-dog]

I think it is great, and I hope the coaches tell all the players that Essendon, their supporters and the media think that they are so crap all Essendon have to do is turn up to win.
Keep telling them, they have no respect, and show them what you are made of.

Remind them of their preseason, and how embarrassed they were in 2018.

Let Essendon and their lackeys build it up all week, and remind our players every day how s**t everyone thinks they are.

Can't do this every week, but certainly can this week and if we do win, next week when we will get no credit and it will all be about Essendon.

Look, I get what you're saying, but after the game we had, do you honestly believe that our coaching staff would say that? What Garry Lyon says means nothing. Every one of the members of that show are imbeciles. You have every right to be confident, you won, we lost badly. Josh Bruce loves playing us. I honestly think it'll be a scrappy game where we get over the line by a couple of goals.

 

[austinnn]

I suppose the media and Bombers internal noise are telling all Essendon players to make a statement and reclaim their tattered reputation from the ashes of their first game this season.

All Richo needs to do in regards to that is tell his players they need to reclaim their tattered reputation from the ashes of 2018. They have to regain their supporters' trust and this wasn't lost over a game, this was lost over 21 games last year and cannot be erased with a one point win over a rebuilding team.

The Saints have to show consistent strength and progress over at least rounds 1-5 before we'll trust them again. I personally think we'll do just that.

Bombers 'away'
Dockers away
Hawks home
Demons home
Crows away

Hmmmm...

 

[tim_saints]

Stringer pretty much said the same. Hope they all believe it.

I seriously wouldn’t be phased if Longy knocked that idiot out hahaha like what an absolute tosser stringer is.

Bring on Saturday I say, has a good feel to it this one, I think both sides fans will be up for it, I wasn’t too bothered by it up until today where the disrespect for us as a team has been highlighted by essendon fans, players and journos as a whole.

 

[Impatient Saint]

Pierce didnt play well on the weeknd but lets nots forget it was just his 6th game. If anyone should be critcised for his efforts it is the selection committee for not playing two ruckman and leaving the responsibility to a kid in his 6th game. They have to play Marshall this week and give them both a chance to develop their games. It also leaves Bruce forward which is when we look our best going forward.

Dunstan is another who had a shocker but who replaces him? Acres possibly??? Perhaps its time the club start preparing players like Ben Paton & Ed Phillips for more inside roles.

Brown for The Irishman again hasnt played a lot and didnt do a lot wrong but still has some learning to do. I think Wilkie & Battle offer a little more flexibility and offensive proess at this time.

Lets beat the s**t of the Bombers and start earning some respect back in the industry - rather than everyone thinking we are easy beats.

 

[BrutThough]

Pierce didnt play well on the weeknd but lets nots forget it was just his 6th game. If anyone should be critcised for his efforts it is the selection committee for not playing two ruckman and leaving the responsibility to a kid in his 6th game. They have to play Marshall this week and give them both a chance to develop their games. It also leaves Bruce forward which is when we look our best going forward.

Dunstan is another who had a shocker but who replaces him?

Brown for The Irishman who didnt do a lot wrong but still has some learning to do.

Lets beat the s**t of the Bombers and start earning some respect back in the industry - rather than everyone thinking we are easy beats.

Dunstan didnt have a shocker.