Prediction Changes and Pre match discussion vs Essendon round 15 @ The Gabba.

[Kellythatsit]

What is it that makes you guys so bullish on winning this comfortably?


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I don’t think anyone is expecting a comfortable win. It’s more that it’s make or break now and if we want to be a serious premiership threat we need to win against Essendon.

 

[Astro7]

Kind of excited about this, it isn't the strongest team, but there's some players who will get a crack at their more natural positions (Allen, Williams) and then there will be a number who will be playing out of position (Redden, Jetta, Nelson, Duggan, Hutchings etc.)

Those fringe mids will be possibly up forward and those HBF types will be roaming the middle at stages, I just hope it all comes together.

I'm excited that there are some solid ins and some inexperienced raw talent newbies, but I'm equally nervous as to how and where these players will be used and how they work together?
Simmo saying "we're looking at our future team" is very ambiguous - I know it's a good thing long term, and we don't have much choice, but hoping it's a good thing for tomorrow night?

 

[PremiershipNo4]

Totally agree we need to do much better at ground ball gets and contested footy. We are missing Yeo and Reddens grunt.

So does that mean that is all we should discuss?

Daniher turning Essendon from pretty average to bloody good will have no bearing on the game? So how we handle the
Dons most dangerous and influential forward isn't important to discuss?

OK then!

Hopefully for us they don't play him and they go back to being average.

I did discuss it and pointed to different opinion than yours, and never said we shouldn't discuss anything.

 

[Wedgetailed Westerner]

Many years ago Freo supporter after Freo supporter would call into the ABC radio Saturday morning sports talk show and ask the same question; how does Dan Parker keep getting a game? And George Grjlusich and Co would give the same standard answer; Freo lack height in the backline, therefore Parker plays. The fact that he was a total liability didn't seem to matter, as long as he was tall.

In an ideal world Waterman would be in and provide some extra height, but I'd rather they picked the players deserving of a run.

Hungry Tiger is that you?

 

[Mulldogg]

Gerard used to be a fan of ours, didn’t he?

Gerard Healy? Unabashed West Coast advocate.

The former ABC nerd? Hates us and only provides veiled praise through gritted teeth. I think he’s a Cats fan so that might explain the angst.

 

[Rowan18]

He looked quite good in the marsh series game against Essendon.

He was the second best ruck on the ground, behind Nic.

Wow - that game seems like years ago. I went with my mate and about 3 weeks later the season was postponed at the start of the outbreak.

 

[ukurrie]

That clown has bought into the "Eagles can't play outside of WA" mantra harder than anyone else this year.

Well, even if that was true, we have some work to do to prove him wrong, don’t we?

But it’s not true.

As of last Thursday, he had us top of his rankings and took some heat for it. His rationale was that until he saw evidence that we were going to struggle in the hub again, he would assume we wouldn’t.

Gerard used to be a fan of ours, didn’t he?

For the last couple of seasons, yes.

 

[FreeTK]

What is it that makes you guys so bullish on winning this comfortably?


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I think when you're one of the premiership favourites you should be bullish about your chances against a team not currently in the top 8.

It's certainly a bit of a throw together team from our point of view, and Essendon's team looks like a strong team on paper but there isn't much of a form line for many of their in's.

West Coast should still be heavily favoured to win comfortably.

 

[FreeTK]

Well, even if that was true, we have some work to do to prove him wrong, don’t we?

But it’s not true.

As of last Thursday, he had us top of his rankings and took some heat for it. His rationale was that until he saw evidence that we were going to struggle in the hub again, he would assume we wouldn’t.

Correct.

And then we lost to the tigers and he dumped us out of his monday wrap up top 4 seedings.

I thought the loss to the Tigers showed we can compete with any team in any location.

If we are able to play like tomorrow night, we should get the W.

 

[Cuzz09]

whateley hardly has a good word for us. Prob since we bent Ablett and his cats over in 92 and 94.

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[Ok Boomer]

Well, even if that was true, we have some work to do to prove him wrong, don’t we?

But it’s not true.

As of last Thursday, he had us top of his rankings and took some heat for it. His rationale was that until he saw evidence that we were going to struggle in the hub again, he would assume we wouldn’t.

Correct.

He had us on top due to Perth form. He has made it quite clear he is basically willing to disregard any Perth form as he believes no more games will be played there, hence the slide from 1-5 on his rankings today, despite playing the reigning premier (and in my opinion the team to beat) off a 4 day cross country break with our best forward knocked out in the first quarter along with several other injuries. On the weekend he basically suggested we will be flat out making seventh. https://www.sen.com.au/news/2020/08/28/why-whateley-has-worries-about-west-coast/

He has fuelled this hub garbage more than anyone.

 

[ukurrie]

And then we lost to the tigers and he dumped us out of his monday wrap up top 4 seedings.

I thought the loss to the Tigers showed we can compete with any team in any location.

If we are able to play like tomorrow night, we should get the W.

I didn’t catch it today - thanks. Not overly surprised he put us outside the top 4. We’re now facing a delicate path with a history of not getting it done in Qld.

 

[ukurrie]

whateley hardly has a good word for us. Prob since we bent Ablett and his cats over in 92 and 94.

On SM-G925I using BigFooty.com mobile app

Very odd. One of us is listening to a different radio show. He’s had us top 2 for most of the year (except for today and earlier in the season when we s**t the bed in Qld).

I’m not sure what people expect when a team is 5th on the ladder with injuries and some questions to answer.

 

[Seadog]

That clown has bought into the "Eagles can't play outside of WA" mantra harder than anyone else this year.

And every other year.

 

[Chris_6678]

Rather not be the fav for flag.

 

[FreeTK]

Very odd. One of us is listening to a different radio show. He’s had us top 2 for most of the year (except for today and earlier in the season when we sh*t the bed in Qld).

I’m not sure what people expect when a team is 5th on the ladder with injuries and some questions to answer.

I think the commentary on West Coast is always overblown, one way or the other.

After Collingwood game people were saying we can't miss, best performance of the year, etc etc.

Then we don't win against Richmond and people jump off us "West Coast are going to be having issues".

Truth of the matter is you are never as good, or as bad as what you think.

It's somewhat frustrating as a supporter.

 

[THE A5]

After 18 i feel like we don't really have the "us against the Vic/rest" mentality or trying to prove the media worng etc. I guess its hard to have that mentality after 2018 but wouldn't mind a bit more of that again/

 

[Cuzz09]

After 18 i feel like we don't really have the "us against the Vic/rest" mentality or trying to prove the media worng etc. I guess its hard to have that mentality after 2018 but wouldn't mind a bit more of that again/

I feel like the 2018 GF was a one off freak of a performance that was the perfect storm for us.

During the 2018 year and since the GF have been similar really.

Nothing crazy, few good comebacks, few annoying losses.

Did we have the hunger before?, have we got the hunger now?

Just gotta take the chance when we get there.

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[Yamumluvsbigcox]

We have lost 3 forwards and bring in 1 .

I would think hutch will play a forward tag role like cripps has been playing.

Allen takes JK role .

Then do we play jetta forward ?

We have Nelson Cole Duggan and rotham as HBFs, redden plays branders role or do we play a Duggan or Nelson on the wing and play redden in the guts ?

 

[Seadog]

We have lost 3 forwards and bring in 1 .

I would think hutch will play a forward tag role like cripps has been playing.

Allen takes JK role .

Then do we play jetta forward ?

We have Nelson Cole Duggan and rotham as HBFs, redden plays branders role or do we play a Duggan or Nelson on the wing and play redden in the guts ?

Yes

 

[bUCKET__]

I think the commentary on West Coast is always overblown, one way or the other.

After Collingwood game people were saying we can't miss, best performance of the year, etc etc.

Then we don't win against Richmond and people jump off us "West Coast are going to be having issues".

Truth of the matter is you are never as good, or as bad as what you think.

It's somewhat frustrating as a supporter.

On the other hand, the "eagles can't win away" line stuck it out for a long while during our winning streak in 2018, which was fun to watch.

 

[THE A5]

That 2018 season was fire. We win 10 in a row. Then absolutly lose our way after the by. Finally break a 3 week losing streak (just) against GWS. Then go to the home of footy and beat the pies convincingly after Nic Nat goes down. Nic Nats injury put a damper but thats when I started believing.

 

[Astro7]

I think the commentary on West Coast is always overblown, one way or the other.

After Collingwood game people were saying we can't miss, best performance of the year, etc etc.

Then we don't win against Richmond and people jump off us "West Coast are going to be having issues".

Truth of the matter is you are never as good, or as bad as what you think.

It's somewhat frustrating as a supporter.

For sure, between the fluctuating 'noise' of the media and to an extent the same on here -it ranges between overblown confidence to classic HT or EP pessimism and with the unknown Hub II factor, it's a bit of an enigma.
The results of tomorrow's game should tell us a lot for the future hub games.
But if it's a win, some might say - 'Ah, but Bombers were a bottom 8 side!?'
It's 4 points closer or further basically...

 

[Pottering]

Hungry Tiger is that you?

Neither hungry nor a tiger.

 

[Altum Volantes]

I think the commentary on West Coast is always overblown, one way or the other.

After Collingwood game people were saying we can't miss, best performance of the year, etc etc.

Then we don't win against Richmond and people jump off us "West Coast are going to be having issues".

Truth of the matter is you are never as good, or as bad as what you think.

It's somewhat frustrating as a supporter.

It swings wildly with the Eagles - I think it’s because they are never (ever) front of mind for the Vic media, so they jump on hard but are very quick to bail out.

I said it in the lead up to the Richmond game - if we lose, they will jump off us and it’ll be all about the Tigers again which is what happened.

That said, WCE just have to keep winning and block out the noise, just like we did in 2018 when every man and his dog came for the club after Gaffy met Andy (‘WEAK COAST EAGLES’, from our beloved sponsors at The West...who then lit up their HQ in blue and gold for GF Week...).

If we play anywhere near our best for the majority of the game we should be able to handle Essendon. If we are off the boil, it could be ugly. Oh and if Essendon do win, they will go from ‘Just sack Woosha now and play the kids dammit!’ to ‘BOMBERS CHARGE TO FINALS! PERFECT COACHING SUCCESSION DOES EXIST!!’ in the space of 2 weeks.

Gotta love them.