Changes Round 6 vs Geelong

[Doggy]

This week is the most winnable of our next three. No resting. If players are passed fit, we must play them.

They are all winnable with our strongest possible squad

 

[RWnBluey]

They are all winnable with our strongest possible squad

Didn’t say they weren’t.

 

[threenewpadlocks]

They are all winnable with our strongest possible squad

Edwards, Grundy and Jackson are not going to be able to bully our young rucks around using strength and height/reach in the same way that Meek and Reeves were either. They might beat our rucks, but they'd do so in different ways, and if people are pointing out that Emmett and Croft are valuable in certain ways but have weaknesses in others, shouldn't they be expected to do better in different matchups?

 

[Doggy]

Didn’t say they weren’t.

I'd argue the 2 at home are more winnable but with a stronger squad they all could be

 

[Libbaaaa]

Lobb showed he could dominate a young, inexperienced tall ruck (Conway) at GMHBA in the second half of that final round game in 2023. Jezza ate his lunch last year as well but not having him down back could even more costly as Neale is the type who will kick a bag against us too.

 

[Viva_Loca]

Straight from the horses mouth, but Libba said he’s back this week.

He hates not playing.

 

[fpm84]

Lobb showed he could dominate a young, inexperienced tall ruck (Conway) at GMHBA in the second half of that final round game in 2023. Jezza ate his lunch last year as well but not having him down back could even more costly as Neale is the type who will kick a bag against us too.

Neale had probably his first breakout game v you last year (5 goals) and is in ripping form this year. He can tear any backline apart if he’s on an opponent that can’t match him for strength.

Agree with what you’re saying about Lobb though - I remember him playing a great game in the ruck against us, and you looked a lot better on Saturday once he went in there.

Curious about Naughton, if he doesn’t play this week do you have another KPF to replace him with, or do you just shuffle things around?

 

[Doggy]

Neale had probably his first breakout game v you last year (5 goals) and is in ripping form this year. He can tear any backline apart if he’s on an opponent that can’t match him for strength.

Agree with what you’re saying about Lobb though - I remember him playing a great game in the ruck against us, and you looked a lot better on Saturday once he went in there.

Curious about Naughton, if he doesn’t play this week do you have another KPF to replace him with, or do you just shuffle things around?

I guess Lewis comes in

 

[BigFloppa]

Libba needs to come back through the VFL imo

 

[Doggy]

Libba needs to come back through the VFL imo

Not going to happen

 

[Foxman98]

In:
Libba Jaques English

Out:
Davidson Budarick Naughton (Emmett if Naughton is fit)

 

[Doggy]

In:
Libba Jaques English

Out:
Davidson Budarick Naughton (Emmett if Naughton is fit)

Is Budarick definitely out?

I'd probably keep Emmett over Croft

 

[Foxman98]

Is Budarick definitely out?

I'd probably keep Emmett over Croft

Gableich said he will "have a stint on the sidelines"

Croft was much better then Emmett on the weekend just missed a sitter Emmett didn't take a single mark Croft took 4

 

[RWnBluey]

I'd argue the 2 at home are more winnable but with a stronger squad they all could be

Despite last week’s win over the Hawks and our subsequent loss, I think we match up extremely well against the Cats having beaten them on their home turf twice in the past three meetings. Not to mention their current ruck setup, which is comfortably the weakest of the next three, and an area we should look to exploit.

Fremantle are always a bit unpredictable on the road, but in my view they’ve taken another step forward this season and are now a better side than Geelong. They’re strong across every line and will be extremely tough to beat.

Swans are flying. Their high defensive pressure, and fast handball-heavy run and spread game is exactly the kind of style our system has historically struggled to contain. If we lose control in the midfield, their speed of transition will likely expose our defence which is still flaky.

And then there’s the open roof at Marvel, which I suspect could neutralise some of our home ground advantage. But that’s a separate discussion altogether.

 

[Libbaaaa]

Mixed news for injured Bulldogs ahead of key Cats clash

There is a fitness watch on several key Bulldogs players ahead of Friday night

www.afl.com.au

Sounds positive for Naughton? Or should it be no surprise if he is TBC when the medical report comes out?

 

[BigFloppa]

Will suck losing another experienced player in Budarick. Might as well be a development year with how many kids we'll be playing.

 

[Doggy]

Will suck losing another experienced player in Budarick. Might as well be a development year with how many kids we'll be playing.

Buderick replaced by Jaques. Hopefully won't be out long.

The others may all return it is still strong enough

 

[Dogs Rule]

Will suck losing another experienced player in Budarick. Might as well be a development year with how many kids we'll be playing.

Absolutely. I reckon call it off now and forfeit the rest.

 

[BigFloppa]

Absolutely. I reckon call it off now and forfeit the rest.

No we still have to play to get games into the kids. We just can't win anymore games until we face Richmond

 

[Dogs Rule]

No we still have to play to get games into the kids. We just can't win anymore games until we face Richmond

You sure we can beat Richmond? I don't know...50/50. We might struggle with West Coast.

 

[stefoid]

I would hate to lose this game to Geelong by 1 point, then Geelong beat us to a top 4 or top 6 spot by the end of the year, because we decided not to pick our strongest possible team.

is picking players with injury clouds picking your strongest team? that and the risk of aggravating injuries that force you to have a weaker team for longer

 

[BigFloppa]

is picking players with injury clouds picking your strongest team? that and the risk of aggravating injuries that force you to have a weaker team for longer

Exactly. You could just as easily say "I'd hate to lose to Sydney by 1 point because X player wasn't as fit as he could have possibly been if we held him back a week longer"

 

[stefoid]

I just don’t understand why people even have opinions on “risking players with injury”, like they have even the slightest clue in regards to the risks. Saw people attacking Bevo for playing Richards, like it’s his fault for playing him that he rolled his ankle…

Let’s just leave these decisions to you know, the medical professionals who actually have the scans & facts in front of them. If they’re declared fit to play they’re fit to play, what exactly is another week going to do?

They know & outlay the risks, it’s just not something a fan can have any slight indication of idea on

well thats the nature of risk isnt it. No player has ever been declared fit and gone out and aggravated an injury? There is no certainty in these matters. Im saying we should be conservative with our top players this early in a season.

 

[Doggy]

Exactly. You could just as easily say "I'd hate to lose to Sydney by 1 point because X player wasn't as fit as he could have possibly been if we held him back a week longer"

If they play they have been passed fit. Which means they are not under an injury cloud.

This "hold them back just in case" line is stupid. They will all be put through fitness tests and noone who is at risk will be played.

 

[BigFloppa]

If they play they have been passed fit. Which means they are not under an injury cloud.

This "hold them back just in case" line is stupid. They will all be put through fitness tests and noone who is at risk will be played.

You're delusional if you don't think players are regularly playing through minor injuries or when their bodies at at less than 100%

You can be at no risk of further injury but still not at your absolute best. Sam Darcy admitted on television after the Essendon game that he's been playing through a few body issues.