Preview Changes: R20 Showdown vs Port Adelaide

[Crow till I die]

Anyone would think we're on opposite ends of where our team builds are at with that being said.

It would look different if we rolled Pedlar, Rankine, Rachele and Dawson through there - not a big age gap then

 

[crowsup]

I disagree we have put together our best midfield for the week as unbalanced.

We better hope their players are struggling with the flu... or we will be made to look slow.

Can you name the midfield that would have made us faster? It appears that most of the people here agree that the midfield of Sloane, Keith and Crouch is useless as well as slow. Are we saying that anybody but them would give a better performance?

 

[Crow till I die]

Can you name the midfield that would have made us faster? It appears that most of the people here agree that the midfield of Sloane, Keith and Crouch is useless as well as slow. Are we saying that anybody but them would give a better performance?

Who is Keith?

 

[crowsup]

Who is Keith?

Hoops! Supposed to be Keays.

 

[Scorpus]

Anyone would think we're on opposite ends of where our team builds are at with that being said.

Of course they're happy to take it because our older mids are s**t

 

[jackster83]

We've actually picked an older team than Port for tomorrow. Average age of 25 years, 6 months compared to 24 years, 11 months.

So the second youngest team excuse that the usual suspects like to roll out won't be valid.

 

[FR0GGY]

We've actually picked an older team than Port for tomorrow. Average age of 25 years, 6 months compared to 24 years, 11 months.

So the second youngest team excuse that the usual suspects like to roll out won't be valid.

Lynda will be happy!

 

[Kane McGoodwin]

Can you name the midfield that would have made us faster? It appears that most of the people here agree that the midfield of Sloane, Keith and Crouch is useless as well as slow. Are we saying that anybody but them would give a better performance?

Playing Soligo instead of either Sloane or Crouch would be a good start.

 

[Jeffcrowe]

Q: if it is a tare in the knee can it heal itself while continuing to train and play ?

Bad Meniscus injury is a tear and the answer is no

He did a medial ligament though which is a strain and takes 6 weeks at the severe end but his was more moderate 3-5

 

[Jeffcrowe]

So, you're blaming Fogs form on Keays & Sloane playing midfield ?

Only fog gets the excuse that it’s other players fault

No one else on list gets same latitude

Fog form due to knee , or nicks or Sloane or keays or all of above

Murphy ? Yeah him too , prob ROB as well

Fog made Tomlinson look like peak Steve Silvagni last week , the ‘full back of the century’

Meanwhile McAdam got on his bike and took 8 marks , many of them by presenting at the ball carrier with intent and being hit lace out

 

[Jeffcrowe]

SPP has been the inside Bull .....if we can get first touch inside, it may restrict Butters / Rozee ....and we have to hope Charlie's Knee is worse than thought

Our FWD's hold the key .....if they can get good delivery .....but missing Rankine is huge

Does Keays do a tagging role & on whom?

SPP plays half forward

Are you thinking of Wines ?

Drew is their main inside bull re minutes in there

 

[jackster83]

SPP plays half forward

Are you thinking of Wines ?

Drew is their main inside bull re minutes in there

Massively underrated player.

I'll give Mutineer credit here - he always talked him up even when he spent the first few years in the SANFL.

 

[Jeffcrowe]

sure.. his knee had an impact back in the first few rounds after he came back from it…

but..

Fog‘s return to wrestling seems to correspond more with the return of using keays and sloane in the midfield again..

First half of last season.. sloane (before his knee) and keays are in the middle.. fog wrestling..

second half of last season.. sloane not there and keays moved to half forward… guys like Soligo, berry, shoey are in there a shitload more.. Fog starts dominating..

start of this year before his knee.. fog starts where he left off last year..

Fog hurts knee.. comes back a bit gingerly for the first 3-4 weeks after it..

keays and sloane start getting tonnes of CB’s and mid minutes.. fog wrestling again..

I‘d say the wrestling is linked to the unpredictable kick and hope shite that gets delivered into our forward line.. when sloane, keays and laird are in there (especially together at once)..

you see tex wrestling a lot too at the same time..

when you put a cooked snail paced old man and an erratic energiser bunny who literally gets in his team mates way,is unbelievably unpredictable and even knocks his own team mates over sometimes, it puts pressure on all their fellow midfield team mates.. everyone’s forced to rush their possessions.

the result?.. rushed decisions, rushed disposals.. equal s**t outcomes.. and a more difficult time for the blokes forward of the ball.

No other forward has the same issue so it must just be the way they kick it to Fog

Even milera was looking for Fog last week and couldn’t seem to get it done

Maybe milera is a hopeless ball user too

 

[Jeffcrowe]

Massively underrated player.

I'll give Mutineer credit here - he always talked him up even when he spent the first few years in the SANFL.

Yep he’s very good , and balances out the offensive butters and Rozee

 

[MrBarry]

Anyone would think we're on opposite ends of where our team builds are at with that being said.

Around the ground they are significantly older.

 

[MRB37]

Around the ground they are significantly older.

They've got 5 more guys than us in the 100-200 game bracket, we've got 2 more guys in the 200+ category and overall our team has .4 games more experience and an average age of +7 months.

The age difference ain't just coming from the midfield.

 

[ams4crows]

Wines Houston and SPP all have the flu, hopefully some more of them get it and at least slow them down a bit

 

[MrBarry]

They've got 5 more guys than us in the 100-200 game bracket, we've got 2 more guys in the 200+ category and overall our team has .4 games more experience and an average age of +7 months.

The age difference ain't just coming from the midfield.

When Walker, Sloane and Smith are out our age will plummit back down again. They are skewing the numbers.

 

[1970crow]

We‘ve given complete fxxkn spuds… PROVEN SPUDS… in crouch, mchenry, murphy, sholl game after game after game in our AFL side in the past couple of years and they’ve shown they simply are not up to it.

yet we have a kid with blistering speed, classy skilks, great goal sense, who is incredibly unselfish and has a hand in many of our SANFL goals.. and has kicked 4 goals on four seperate occasions this year.. and we refuse to at least give him a stretch of games at AFL level to see what he can bring.. because apparently he isnt the complete package..

We gave Rowe how many games as a small forward last year before simply delisting him?.. you saying we couldnt have flicked a couple of those to newchurch instead?.

if you think thats a smart move and great list management Wayne.. then I’m afraid its yet another damning indictment on your football judgement..

on which side does tariek keep his opponent though, that's the key.

 

[FR0GGY]

When Walker, Sloane and Smith are out our age will plummit back down again. They are skewing the numbers.

Well that won’t be for awhile.
You can say that about every team though, when the old players are out their age will go down significantly.

 

[WheresGroomgone]

Can you name the midfield that would have made us faster? It appears that most of the people here agree that the midfield of Sloane, Keith and Crouch is useless as well as slow. Are we saying that anybody but them would give a better performance?

I think it is twofold we have chosen an incredibly slow midfield by having Crouch and Sloane in it, the other issue is that Crouch has no other position other than the centre square and both Sloane and Keays are similar but a little more versatile. We have Schoenberg to run through the centre but unless Crouch, Keays or Sloane are on the pine we are weaker somewhere on the ground.

we could have given it more thought and had Cook, Soligo or Nankervis on the wings and had a midfield of Laird, Schoenberg, Soligo, Keay, Pedlar and we are more dynamic at the bounce and definitely stronger around the field.

A real Blight move would have been throwing Nankervis in for a few centre bounces

 

[MsTopG]

Who is Keith?

Plays for the dogs.

 

[MsTopG]

Well that won’t be for awhile.
You can say that about every team though, when the old players are out their age will go down significantly.

May happen quicker than you think. Walker is the only one playing well to get another deal. Sloane looks likely to retire this year and Smith next year.

 

[NSolis]

May happen quicker than you think. Walker is the only one playing well to get another deal. Sloane looks likely to retire this year and Smith next year.

Possible, but I suspect not. There's a chance this is Sloane's last year but I think he'll be around in some capacity next year. He's clearly set the scene for wanting another year and he's also played every game so he's not exactly in a Matt Crouch situation. And I can't see Smith going anywhere next year unless there's a serious injury or downturn in form. There's other list spots of players who aren't getting first team football that they can free up this year if needed.

My guess would be Sloane's last year is 2024, Walker and Smith's are both 2025. Laird who knows, he's contracted to 2026 so at least then. But that's our full complement of veteran players, the club isn't going to be desperate to cut them given that's the complete list.

 

[NSolis]

They've got 5 more guys than us in the 100-200 game bracket, we've got 2 more guys in the 200+ category and overall our team has .4 games more experience and an average age of +7 months.

The age difference ain't just coming from the midfield.

Last week Port Adelaide had an average age of 25y, 10m and average experience of 104.9 games. We had 25y, 2m and average experience of 84.7 games. Significantly less experienced and significantly younger. I haven't checked the numbers you're quoting here but if it's true that we have caught up to them in average experience/age this week it's definitely a huge outlier relative to the rest of the year, based on the fact that they've lost three experienced players this week and we've added Laird.