Preview Changes for the Prelim v Port Adelaide - Sat @7:40

[Brian Perrin]

As much as I love Wally I think we need some manic pace and pressure in the forwards. JJ was ok in the second half so likely it’s him for Flea and Scott/Garcia on the bench


Sent from my iPhone using BigFooty.com

 

[maddog37]

Bont looked like he was in a lot of pain from the knee and has been struggling for a while with his shoulder. I wonder if its better to roll the dice and let him have a few weeks rest to get himself cherry ripe for a GF. Would be a huge gamble but imagine if it worked out.

Astro seems a bit ginger too. Wrap him in cotton wool and play Cordy at full forward.

 

[bullruckle81]

We smashed you in every single relevant stat that last game. You were lucky to keep it so close bceause we couldn't kick

Well then here’s hoping you have an even worse night in front of the sticks this week then.

 

[bobs head soup]

Pretty sure he hasn't been 100% for a while tbh. The knee just adds to whatever else he's carrying.

True. By 100% I mean certain to be playing.

 

[ossie_21]

Bont looked like he was in a lot of pain from the knee and has been struggling for a while with his shoulder. I wonder if its better to roll the dice and let him have a few weeks rest to get himself cherry ripe for a GF. Would be a huge gamble but imagine if it worked out.

I think we should forfeit this week so that the whole team can recover properly and then we are cherry-ripe for the grand final

 

[Dogs_R_Us]

JJ in, Wally the sub

 

[Del165892]

I think we should forfeit this week so that the whole team can recover properly and then we are cherry-ripe for the grand final

There's a few problems with that approach.

I genuinely think its worth considering letting Bont rest and recover depending on the severity of his injuries. If he's only able to play at 50% of his usual capacity then he's unlikely to be the difference between us winning and losing against Port. But if his injuries could benefit from the time off to the point that he can get himself back to 90%+ capacity then he could be the difference in a GF. There's absolutely a risk assessment decision to be made here and I don't think its as clear cut as saying if he can play he should play.

 

[stevieg1969]

We opted to go in with one tall-ish defender (Croft), and next tallest were Curley and Kretiuk, neither of who were big enough to play genuine KPD. From memory Ellis was injured, Southern too.

Playing one tall KPD had worked late in the season, but the final round v North for top spot was our last hurrah. Qual final we beat Eagles, who had lost last 2 games against other finalists Saints and Crows. They were underdone, Malthouse omitted his captain Worsfold and Minton-Conell kicked 5. All that did was mask our weakness.

We had a weeks break, while Crows came from 5th, lost to Melbourne then bounced back against Swans in Sydney.

Ellis didn't play after r20, Southern after r15. Wallace had weeks to get another young KPD into the structure, but chose not to.

When we beat Adelaide at Princes Park during the season, backline had Croft, Ellis and Southern, Crows had no McLeod and no Jarman.

Crows came into the prelim match hardened, while our defensive structure was a glaring weakness, dissected by some media leading into the game.

I was lucky (?) enough to be in a box that day with, amongst others, Neil Cordy. He was in Dogs supporter mode that day, but said before the game the biggest concern was our under-sized defence.

Opening bounce, Blight stretched our defence starting Pittman forward, so Croft was the only option, Kretiuk on Jarman, Smith on Robran - madness. Liber tagged McLeod- he had 3 goals 5 mins into the 2nd quarter. Robran kicked goals from the 50m arc. Wallace tried Croft on Robran as well, but Crofty couldn't play on everyone. Ellen played tall for them as well.

At the opening bounce of the 1998 prelim, Crows were a monty.

How Wallace set up was irrelevant - we were overwhelming favourites before the first bounce. Not so much after 15 minutes.

 

[The Inbetweener]

We smashed you in every single relevant stat that last game. You were lucky to keep it so close bceause we couldn't kick

And we smashed you last time we played you on your home deck.

 

[Dogs Rule]

Nah. Any hint of concussion and he shouldn't be anywhere near a football field. A game of footy is not worth jeopardizing your long term wellbeing

I would be keen to know what 'low level' means. Are we talking bumping your head into a door level? If it's concussion just say concussion. Full stop, no further explanation.

 

[Ash1337]

JJ should be the 1 playing for weightman. Wallis for sub.

 

[Doggy]

And we smashed you last time we played you on your home deck.

But but but they had players out

 

[Al dente]

Bevo "We'll need to call on a handful of those boys to play in a preliminary final"

suggests multiple players, hope its not bont and/or daniel who are missing.

surely Stef plays if anywhere near fit, bont mostly forward

 

[Doggy]

Bevo "We'll need to call on a handful of those boys to play in a preliminary final"

suggests multiple players, hope its not bont and/or daniel who are missing.

surely Stef plays if anywhere near fit, bont mostly forward

Ffs.. just can't take a trick

 

[doggy_dog]

Bevo "We'll need to call on a handful of those boys to play in a preliminary final"

suggests multiple players, hope its not bont and/or daniel who are missing.

surely Stef plays if anywhere near fit, bont mostly forward

Most likely just a figure of speech. He would have barely had a chance to see the players yet at that point and certainly wouldn’t know how each of them pulled up

 

[port_adelaide_1870]

Port’s biggest weapon is their dangerous small forwards. Unlike Brisbane who only had Cameron, port have 3.

Technically we have 5 dangerous small forwards Gray, Rozee, Butters, Fantasia, and Motlop (when Motlop actually comes to play) will interesting which of your defenders play on who.

Think if it rains it will help you boys coz we haven’t been the strongest wet weather team the past 2 years. Rely heavily on quick ball movement and fast handballs which the rain reduces that effectiveness

 

[aabp1978]

Let's reverse the South Australian Finals curse.

Despite being favourite to defeat the Crows in each final we've played against them (1997, 1998 and 2015), they eliminated us from each of those finals campaigns. Let's buck that trend this week, as the underdog, and knock out their South Australian rivals.

You listen to the media, and even some of our supporters, and it seems like we're destined to lose this week. A lot of what I'm reading and hearing seems to suggest that because Port are full strength, riding a seven game win streak, and playing a home Preliminary Final against a team that has travelled two weeks in a row, has lost three of their past five matches, and have some key personnel either injured or in doubt, the result of a Bulldogs loss is a foregone conclusion.

I'm here to tell you it's not. Did the Crows in 1997 think it was a foregone conclusion that they'd lose to us in the Preliminary Final?

Going into the 1997 Preliminary Final, the Crows enjoyed a comfortable victory in week one of the finals, before winning an absolute thriller in their Semi Final to earn their way through to an away Preliminary Final. This is quite similar to our finals campaign thus far.

In 1997, the Crows lost by less than a kick in the final round of the season. Sound familiar?

In 1997, the Crows' Preliminary Final opponent defeated them late on in the Home and Away season on the road. Sound familiar?

In 1997, the Crows defeated their Preliminary Final opponent early on in the season, despite that victory being on the road. Sound familiar?

On Preliminary Final Saturday in 1997, the Crows faced adversity by having the following key players unavailable: Ricciuto, Liptak and Caven. They also lost their leading goal kicker (Modra) during the match.

This Saturday night, the Bulldogs too will be facing adversity with a few key players either being unavailable through injury, players under an injury cloud, and players who have recently returned from injury that haven't quite re-established their best form.

The odds are stacked against us, but they were also stacked against the Crows in 1997.

It's time to reverse this effing curse and win a cut throat final against a South Australian team.

And no better South Australian team to do it against... While your club clearly owes the Crows nothing, please do us this tiny, little favour of defeating the Powa...at least 60% of the state will be thankful!

 

[bresker]

0 - 1mm forecast at the moment, hopefully that changes as we are definite mudlarks

 

[DognBones]

JJ should be the 1 playing for weightman. Wallis for sub.

Well JJ won't be getting a game on form which has been very poor for weeks. We'd be hoping for a seismic shift in effort and impact.

 

[charcoalchicken]

Well JJ won't be getting a game on form which has been very poor for weeks. We'd be hoping for a seismic shift in effort and impact.

Was good as the sub last game.

 

[weltschmerz]

Technically we have 5 dangerous small forwards Gray, Rozee, Butters, Fantasia, and Motlop (when Motlop actually comes to play) will interesting which of your defenders play on who.

Think if it rains it will help you boys coz we haven’t been the strongest wet weather team the past 2 years. Rely heavily on quick ball movement and fast handballs which the rain reduces that effectiveness

Yeah, I think we have one strong small lockdown defender. Duryea, Cameron kicked three on Wood and then Duryea locked him down. Might play on Gray or whoever's causing the most havoc.

 

[Bodicifer]

There's no way Bont will not play. Prelim final, he's sore, no structural issues, he will 100% play.
Bevo flagging a few changes etc. is Bevo doing what Bevo does best. He will keep PA guessing up until the first bounce. Don't be surprised if he swings a late change to whatever team he announces.
JJ comes in and I'd bring in Crozier as the medi sub.

There's no way Bevo will do it, but Sweet should be playing. I'd actually drop Young for Sweet against that big bastard Lycett, he's a monster. Prelim finals aren't about who deserves to play, they're about winning.

 

[threenewpadlocks]

Maybe "multiple changes" is simply in reference to the fact that JJ will play a full game, and someone else will play sub, technically one change but two players preparing differently from last week.

People are reading too much into it.

 

[RedWhite&Blue]

Bont will play but there is an issue so take it that he will be jabbed up to the gills...

 

[Libba39]

Assuming Drew goes to Libba again, then why not send libba to Boak or Wines to create a free player? Drew is such a well-focused tagger that this could throw him off.

And especially if Bont misses, Dunkley should play in the square with the one job - tackling the opposition ruck if they try to take the ball out of the air.