Preview Changes & Preview vs Geelong Cats

_M_16_

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Nov 26, 2009
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Reckon we will struggle to kick a score this weekend. Narrow ground, less room to open up space inside the forward 50 which we have been doing well recently. We always struggle against numbers dropping back. And whilst Naughton has stood up the last wo weeks, but admittedly against pretty average opponents, we will be naïve to think he will do it so easily this week *though if he does, throw Boyd's millions at him already). The Cats defence been standing strong this year, and they will double team Naughton and intercept everything if we try the bomb it high into the forward line approach. Our midfielders will battle hard all game, the onus will be on their delivery inside 50 and our forwards ability to work together to make space or make something happen from ground level.
 
Bailey Williams must be headed to SA and if he’s not, he soon will
Williams was rubbish in the JLT games and was bad in the few senior games he played this year. Maybe the club want to see him put it together in the twos for a bit longer than 1 or 2 games before giving him a recall. Did the same with Wallis and Caleb last year too if I recall
 
Williams was rubbish in the JLT games and was bad in the few senior games he played this year. Maybe the club want to see him put it together in the twos for a bit longer than 1 or 2 games before giving him a recall. Did the same with Wallis and Caleb last year too if I recall

Last week was his first decent game by his standards imho.
 
Williams was rubbish in the JLT games and was bad in the few senior games he played this year. Maybe the club want to see him put it together in the twos for a bit longer than 1 or 2 games before giving him a recall. Did the same with Wallis and Caleb last year too if I recall
Williams trained as a mid all summer then was thrown back for his AFL games.
TBH I like Haye's story but would prefer Williams on a wing. He killed it last week at VFL level. I want him to stay but think he'll leave.
 
Sep 27, 2011
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Williams trained as a mid all summer then was thrown back for his AFL games.
TBH I like Haye's story but would prefer Williams on a wing. He killed it last week at VFL level. I want him to stay but think he'll leave.
Spot on Mofra, he trained as a mid over summer on the back of last year’s performances where he played so well in the absence of several injured players, then come round one with almost a full list to choose from he was forced to play across half back and was a little lost for both speed and more so accountability.. His last two games have been the Williams of old and he’ll be back in the team sooner rather than later. With Daniel’s almost a permanent half back and the emergence of young he’s had to wait a little longer.
 

footyfan000001

Cancelled
Jun 8, 2006
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Was hoping English would get up for this game

Really feel like we need to have Trengove in the backline to take on the brute forwards

With Esava out, they only have Hawkins I guess who seems to be playing up the ground more. Not sure how Fort would go forward?
 
Aug 1, 2008
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I feel like I'm watching a different Hayes than everyone else. He's no star but he runs both ways, sets up a goal or two a game and sometimes kicks one of his own. He plays his role very consistently across four quarters, and for all the class of Dale and Lipinski they are very inconsistent players and can go missing for huge parts of the game, not to mention they're not as good defensively as Hayes. They'll get their chance eventually but Hayes as been nowhere near as bad as some people are saying and doesn't deserve to be dropped.
Hayes can’t win a contested ball situation. Even when he has the better position to start with - if the ball is on the ground the best you can hope for is a ball up. Just not up to it.
That’s 3-4 balls a game that should go our way but will not.

Give him some space he looks capable but it’s fools gold.

I get Gowers plays a role and on the replays I’m often surprised at good things he has done.

Hayes however is being unfairly rewarded games and providing much less than what lipinski, Dale or Williams offer and they are younger with much more upside.
 

TiAn_

Norm Smith Medallist
Sep 19, 2006
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Hayes can’t win a contested ball situation. Even when he has the better position to start with - if the ball is on the ground the best you can hope for is a ball up. Just not up to it.
That’s 3-4 balls a game that should go our way but will not.

Give him some space he looks capable but it’s fools gold.

I get Gowers plays a role and on the replays I’m often surprised at good things he has done.

Hayes however is being unfairly rewarded games and providing much less than what lipinski, Dale or Williams offer and they are younger with much more upside.

That unforced fumble at half back last week that directly resulted in a goal for the Lions was painful. Would be understandable from a kid, but he’s 24 in a few weeks.
 
That unforced fumble at half back last week that directly resulted in a goal for the Lions was painful. Would be understandable from a kid, but he’s 24 in a few weeks.
And yet in the same game he took on three opponents on the wing, neutralised the situation until help arrived and (I think) it resulted in a goal to us instead of one the other way which it probably would have been if not for Hayes. I've been trying to find footage of it but without success so far. Hope my memory of it is accurate!

Yes, we all cringed at the fumble and (just as bad) his handballing it infield instead of toward the boundary line but not many have given him credit for the good stuff he does. Fumbles happen. He'll learn from the mistake of handballing it inboard. It's probably been shown to him once or twice this week already.

I agree he's marginal best 22 but really some of the criticism of him here has been a bit hyperbolic.
 
With Esava out, they only have Hawkins I guess who seems to be playing up the ground more. Not sure how Fort would go forward?
Fort is 6'7" in the old, and has been playing forward in the VFL. I assume that his role will be to keep out of Hawkins way, and to bring the ball to ground.
 

chop0205

Team Captain
Mar 28, 2007
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I have had a lingering feeling that we will knock the Cat's off all week and I'm in quite the predicament! Top of the ladder in the tips, and it seems an unnecessary risk! I can remember being at Kardinia in 2016 and walking away thinking, "This will be the last time we lose to these blokes in a while".
Whilst that has not come to fruition, we did knock them off last year and generally match up pretty well IMHO, provided we get some run off the half back line which is critical. Hopefully Caleb continues to carve it up back there.
Tip the Cats, $100 on the tot on the dogs I think.
 
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