catempire
Hall of Famer
Factors at play:
1. Ryan Gamble. I’m torn on this one. On the one hand, if my frame of mind is “play the best 22”, I think Gamble comes straight back in. Of all the options for that 21st/22nd spot, he is the player the brings the most unique qualities. On the other hand, I think there’s merit in making him go back to the VFL and telling him that spots in this side are at a premium and lapses in discipline like his strike last weekend can be more costly than a week on the sidelines. It wouldn't hurt for him to learn a lesson from this by going back to the VFL, working hard and showing that he really wants his spot in the senior team.
2. Brent Prismall. Had a below average game against Sydney when people were expecting big things from him (rightly or wrongly). The question to answer is do you give him more time and get a better idea of where he’s at or do you go down the ruthless path of sending him packing him straight away? My instinct says that we don’t learn anything from dropping him after that performance. Against probably the toughest opponent in the league, in his first AFL game in 12 months, a below average performance doesn’t tell us much at all. In addition, Bomber has been vocal about giving opportunities to the younger brigade early in the season and to drop Prismall after one game would seem to fly in the face of that.
3. Max Rooke. Still seems to be battling. His hardness can never be questioned but he just seems to be lacking a bit of polish and form. My feeling is that now that he is in, there is little point dropping him back to the VFL without having a clear suitable replacement.
4. Harry Taylor. Was reportedly left out against Sydney because of matchups and the fact that Hall wasn’t playing. Freo will go in with Pavlich and one other tall (probably Tarrant or Murphy). Egan is usually our matchup for Pavlich so Taylor could be considered again. The problem is who makes way for him. The answer may be Ling if his ankle doesn’t come up.
5. Shannon Byrnes. Has reportedly got a stack of it in the VFL in the past couple of matches. One wonders what he has been told to work on when he goes back to the VFL as this seems to be Bomber’s usual approach. I doubt that he has been told he needs to get more of the footy. I would suggest one thing he has been told is that if he is to maintain a spot in the side as a small forward then he will need to score more heavily. His 19 goals from 48 AFL matches so far are not going to be the types of numbers that will do the job. His one goal in two VFL matches doesn’t seem to have addressed this point.
So for mine, assuming Ling doesn’t come up:
In: Taylor
Out: Ling (ankle)
1. Ryan Gamble. I’m torn on this one. On the one hand, if my frame of mind is “play the best 22”, I think Gamble comes straight back in. Of all the options for that 21st/22nd spot, he is the player the brings the most unique qualities. On the other hand, I think there’s merit in making him go back to the VFL and telling him that spots in this side are at a premium and lapses in discipline like his strike last weekend can be more costly than a week on the sidelines. It wouldn't hurt for him to learn a lesson from this by going back to the VFL, working hard and showing that he really wants his spot in the senior team.
2. Brent Prismall. Had a below average game against Sydney when people were expecting big things from him (rightly or wrongly). The question to answer is do you give him more time and get a better idea of where he’s at or do you go down the ruthless path of sending him packing him straight away? My instinct says that we don’t learn anything from dropping him after that performance. Against probably the toughest opponent in the league, in his first AFL game in 12 months, a below average performance doesn’t tell us much at all. In addition, Bomber has been vocal about giving opportunities to the younger brigade early in the season and to drop Prismall after one game would seem to fly in the face of that.
3. Max Rooke. Still seems to be battling. His hardness can never be questioned but he just seems to be lacking a bit of polish and form. My feeling is that now that he is in, there is little point dropping him back to the VFL without having a clear suitable replacement.
4. Harry Taylor. Was reportedly left out against Sydney because of matchups and the fact that Hall wasn’t playing. Freo will go in with Pavlich and one other tall (probably Tarrant or Murphy). Egan is usually our matchup for Pavlich so Taylor could be considered again. The problem is who makes way for him. The answer may be Ling if his ankle doesn’t come up.
5. Shannon Byrnes. Has reportedly got a stack of it in the VFL in the past couple of matches. One wonders what he has been told to work on when he goes back to the VFL as this seems to be Bomber’s usual approach. I doubt that he has been told he needs to get more of the footy. I would suggest one thing he has been told is that if he is to maintain a spot in the side as a small forward then he will need to score more heavily. His 19 goals from 48 AFL matches so far are not going to be the types of numbers that will do the job. His one goal in two VFL matches doesn’t seem to have addressed this point.
So for mine, assuming Ling doesn’t come up:
In: Taylor
Out: Ling (ankle)
