Preview Changes for Finals Round 1 vs North

[laurie]

i was reading that aswell, i think he will play next week

Will he wear a helmet or was that just a one off ?

 

[scooey22]

I think it would be for the best if they decide to rest rosa for another week regardless of his progress, its no easy task against north melbourne but i think we can manage without him this week.

 

[West Coast 06]

I get the yips with all this over confidence.

I watched them against GWS last weekend. Yes, I know it was a different game, but if they can reference a game a couple of months ago, then I can look at how they performed last week!

 

[Belltower]

I watched them against GWS last weekend. Yes, I know it was a different game, but if they can reference a game a couple of months ago, then I can look at how they performed last week!

Last quarter last week. Eagles outscore full strength premiership favourites, North outscored by Wooden spooners, should give us confidence. Get on top of them early and kick STRAIGHT and they will start looking to next year.

 

[ChampRevesby]

Last quarter last week. Eagles outscore full strength premiership favourites, North outscored by Wooden spooners, should give us confidence. Get on top of them early and kick STRAIGHT and they will start looking to next year.

We look like a premiership team when we kick straight. As soon as we sort that out, we will win the flag.

 

[idmfts]

With collarbone fractures (obviously I don't know the extent or the type of fracture of fracture Rosa suffered) it's contact drills that count. If Rosa gets through contact drills then he will be a chance to play. I think he's an outside chance for this week, but I'd expect him to play next wk, considering how well he has been reported to be going this wk (if we make it of course)

 

[pantskyle]

I wouldn't underestimate the Roos this weekend. It's finals. Nothing is certain.

 

[RooPower89]

Haha you make us sound very one dimensional. It's being played at our home ground, we have a stronger team than both times we beat you this year, and we've got more finals experience. Yet all it takes to stop us is to limit cox? By no means do I think we're going to walk all over you this weekend, but I think a lot more will have to go right for you than just cox having a quiet one.

Obviously there is more to it, West Coast forwards are dangerous as well. (Hill kicked 4 back in round 6)
Cox to me is your most important player atm, when Freo beat you he only had 9 possessions.

I wish Mcintosh was fit, he would be really handy alongside Goldy in a final vs. two other rucks.

 

[eagles_4_life]

woosh brought travis gasper in for his first game of 2005 in the GF
COULD HAPPEN!

ah no he didn't had played earlier most notably against Adelaide the week before in a prelim

 

[ep2018]

I was think about that the other day. How the hell did we get so close to winning the flag in 2005 without Matera, Lynch or Braun but with Gardiner, Gasper and Kasey Green?

 

[eagles_4_life]

I was think about that the other day. How the hell did we get so close to winning the flag in 2005 without Matera, Lynch or Braun but with Gardiner, Gasper and Kasey Green?

also lost jones before the GF. As others have said previously losing kerr for the most of the game was a killer him coming back was part of the reason we got so close. Greene played a blinder on O'keefe was the reason Kangas took him the next year. To this day i still have no idea why we played an unfit gardiner instead of an unfit matera (although materas record in finals might be part of the reason). Lynch was in a bit of a form slump at the time

 

[Smeg Head]

I was think about that the other day. How the hell did we get so close to winning the flag in 2005 without Matera, Lynch or Braun but with Gardiner, Gasper and Kasey Green?

Need a bit of luck to win the GF, we didn't have any in '05. Swans getting Barry Hall off was also unlucky for us.

 

[Carbine Chaos]

Will he wear a helmet or was that just a one off ?

It wasn't a helmet.

 

[Daz]

Hey lads, I posted this on the North board, I thought you may be interested.

Grima --> Darling - Beat him convincingly last time. Leave that matchup. Darling in better form than JK.

Thompson --> Cox/Nat - Comes in for Delaney who had them last time. Just have to back Thompson to read the flight of the ball better.

Firrito --> Kennedy/Lynch - I doubt both will play. Spud giving up 4cm but he can play tall.

McMahon --> Hill - Perfect matchup. Can go with him in the air and on the ground. Will outmuscle him. Loose was out in R6 when Hill carved and he won the battle in R15.

Atley --> Masten/Strijk/Hams - Depends if either of the last two play and avoid the green vest. Crucial that Atley plays on one of the speedsters and doesn't end up with McGinnity tagging him.

Wright --> McGinnity - He's a crab but he'll pressure us. I'll be pissed if we allow him to get to Atley.

JMac will float in and out of defence as usual.

The fact that Atley is actually our #1 matchup for small forwards makes it almost impossible for the opposition to engineer a defensive matchup. The best they can do is attempt to expose him deep defensively but they don't really have a gun small forward anyway.

Assuming Grima plays, this will be the first time our back 6-7 has played together against West Coast. Grima and McMahon missed R6 and Thompson missed R15. Of course, assuming Kennedy plays it will be the strongest Eagles forward line we've faced. In R5 they had Lycett for Nat and in both games had Lynch for Kennedy.

I'd be interested to read how you expect to matchup on Petrie, Tarrant, Hansen, Thomas and Campbell/Harper (one will likely be sub). Harvey is the other one who will maybe start on a wing but certainly be around the goals a lot.


FWIW, if I were a betting man, I'd say we will go in with this team. I doubt the battle between Mullett, MacMillan, Garlett, Campbell and Harper would concern you guys much.

Firrito Thompson Atley
McMahon Grima Wright
Bastinac Ziebell Wells
Harvey Tarrant Harper
Thomas Petrie Hansen
Goldstein Swallow Cunnington
MacMillan Gibson Anthony Campbell

OUT: Mullett, Garlett, Delaney
IN: Wright, Wells, Grima


Midfield battles...

Wells vs S.Selwood - Plays far more inside than Harvey which will suit Selwood.

Ziebell vs Priddis - Jack generally lines up on the opposition's best clearance player because of his size.

Cunnington and Swallow vs Shuey and Kerr - Just a case of who's left. Cunnington has been arguably our best player over the last 6 weeks. Swallow our best all year.

Bastinac, Gibson, Anthony vs Gaff, Embley, Masten - There's a massive gap in class here. Your blokes actually hit the scoreboard.

Harvey vs McGinnity/A.Selwood - As I said earlier, I don't see a matchup for McGinnity up forward. He should take Harvey (or be dropped).

 

[Quinz]

It wasn't a helmet.

Tom Swift likes this

 

[sTeeL]

McGinnity won't just take whichever potato is left standing at the end so I would expect if Atley is the most damaging small you will see PMac look to stand up next to him at bouncedown.

Crossing my fingers Kennedy and Embley will have managed to work back into better form as they are still below par for their usual. Gaff is still suffering the after effects of that hip injury so I hope its cleared up this week as well.

I think that despite Darling being in better form Kennedy still would needed to be assigned the number 1 defender. Too tall and strong for second rate defenders and will surely work into form of given a chance.

No chance of Rosa playing surely...

 

[the harry]

snip snip

Emac --> Petrie - can't seem to kick goals against top 8 sides, unfortunately most, if not all, teams in the finals are from the top 8.
Schoey --> Tarrant - can't seem to mark the ball when people are nearby, Schoey has better closing speed will not make it easy
Glass --> Hansen - wont have recovered from repetitive knocks to the head, will struggle with directions and motor skill. Will allow Glass to zone off and help out the water boy.
Monkey Jr --> Campbell - 50/50 until Monkey runs through him 5 minutes into the opening quarter
Hurn --> Harvey - both like space, lets put them head to head
NicNat/Cox --> Goldstein/A Edwards - be good to see if they can keep Cox to less than 15 marks
Masten --> Mckinley - Heard reports Mckinley was going to tear up the midfield, should be a good match up.

Doesn't seem to be a match up for Wells, delist.

 

[jesterwester]

Just saw the weather forecast that Perthnow put up- Mostly sunny, 24. Perfect for football, also a good 6-7 degrees warmer to what the roos would have been training in, which also may play a role should the game be close at 3qt.

(Just checked the BOM website, listed as 27 degrees! )

I'm a little nervous about this game, mostly due to the fact that its finals and anything could happen. We need to come out firing, certainly much more than our 1st quarter from last week.

My changes would be:

In: Lynch
Out: Strijk

If Kennedy is out injured then id leave strijk in as the sub. Keep rosa for one more week, and I have no idea who to play as sub. Maybe even Lynch?

 

[ArjenTheGreat]

Hoping Kennedy plays for you guys as he is terribly out of form and has completely lost confidence in his goal kicking. We will have Scott Thompson this time which will help our defence dramtically as well as a non slippery and damp centre wicket area where we direct most of our play.

Had Goldstein & Hansen not been knocked out/injured in the last game it would have been a different story.

Sure you have a few good ins, but when the heat was in last week's game - some of your players were nowhere. I can only hope that this occurs again.

Hope it's a good game and the umpires don't ruin what should be a decent game of footy between 2 average sides.

 

[sTeeL]

If we play like last week, should be a 12 goal demolition of the Roos. I wonder what the score will be if we actually play well...

 

[ziad]

Hoping Kennedy plays for you guys as he is terribly out of form and has completely lost confidence in his goal kicking. We will have Scott Thompson this time which will help our defence dramtically as well as a non slippery and damp centre wicket area where we direct most of our play.

Had Goldstein & Hansen not been knocked out/injured in the last game it would have been a different story.

Sure you have a few good ins, but when the heat was in last week's game - some of your players were nowhere. I can only hope that this occurs again.

Hope it's a good game and the umpires don't ruin what should be a decent game of footy between 2 average sides.

are you bringing your reserves as well?

 

[SpaceClef]

lol subtle troll, nice

 

[ndot]

not sure what to make of north. they had that ~10 week run where they were awesome but have been garbage for the past few weeks. i suppose we have to expect them to play at their best.

at least brad scott can't play the "umpires" card again having already done so earlier in the year. should prevent a reoccurance of the bizarre officiating the in geelong game.

 

[lmach]

Hoping Kennedy plays for you guys as he is terribly out of form and has completely lost confidence in his goal kicking. We will have Scott Thompson this time which will help our defence dramtically as well as a non slippery and damp centre wicket area where we direct most of our play.

Had Goldstein & Hansen not been knocked out/injured in the last game it would have been a different story.

Sure you have a few good ins, but when the heat was in last week's game - some of your players were nowhere. I can only hope that this occurs again.

Hope it's a good game and the umpires don't ruin what should be a decent game of footy between 2 average sides.

I give that troll half a Brad Scott head out of 5.

 

[strengthwithin]

Word on the street is Brad Dick has been elevated (this i know is 100% true). Therefore I think it'll be Strijk out for Dick