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Changes Rnd 1 - Vs Demons

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I agree with many that have Colyer out of the team. We need to back the players that can hit targets and make quick decisions. Players like Young need to play every game if fit. Frederick did some good things, however he really needs to improve his defensive game. Out forward line would be ok if we could actually transition the ball better. I am hoping yesterday was am anomaly because we were so one dimensional, and uncreative. I cannot believe how many times players were standing still when kicking the ball - are they getting taught this??? Surely you take 2-5 steps for some momentum into a kick.
 
In theory I would like to see Fyfe up forward more but watching the last two scratch matches he’s still the best contested possession player I’ve ever seen. I hope the kids step up.
 
Yesterday’s loss was a blow, but I‘m still bullish on our year ahead.

Serong makes such an enormous difference to our side with his ball winning and excellent disposal under pressure. Cerra is another excellent all rounder in the middle with good ball winning capability and error free disposal. Ryan is an AA defender and distributor.

The guys they replace from yesterday’s side are Banfield and Blakely (not AFL standard) and Watson (who I rate as a promising young player - but he coughed up a goal or two yesterday).

I would persist with Treacy as Lobb’s replacement and go with Switta in for Walters. I also won’t mind if the match committee finds a way to bring in Chapman at the 11th hour.

Hopefully Crowden comes up OK. Fyfe should have no problem with the MRP.

Fine with Meek for now in the ruck and give Darcy more time to prove his fitness.

So round 1 looks like being something along the lines of the following:

Ryan, Pearce, Hamling
Hughes, Cox, Young
Aish, Brayshaw, Frederick
Tucker, Treacy, Crowden
Shultz, Taberner, Switkowski
Meek, Fyfe, Serong

Cerra, Mundy, Conca, Acres (would happily see Chapman here instead of Acres)

We need Ryan to take the majority of the possessions Hughes was getting yesterday.
 
Yesterday’s loss was a blow, but I‘m still bullish on our year ahead.

Serong makes such an enormous difference to our side with his ball winning and excellent disposal under pressure. Cerra is another excellent all rounder in the middle with good ball winning capability and error free disposal. Ryan is an AA defender and distributor.

The guys they replace from yesterday’s side are Banfield and Blakely (not AFL standard) and Watson (who I rate as a promising young player - but he coughed up a goal or two yesterday).

I would persist with Treacy as Lobb’s replacement and go with Switta in for Walters. I also won’t mind if the match committee finds a way to bring in Chapman at the 11th hour.

Hopefully Crowden comes up OK. Fyfe should have no problem with the MRP.

Fine with Meek for now in the ruck and give Darcy more time to prove his fitness.

So round 1 looks like being something along the lines of the following:

Ryan, Pearce, Hamling
Hughes, Cox, Young
Aish, Brayshaw, Frederick
Tucker, Treacy, Crowden
Shultz, Taberner, Switkowski
Meek, Fyfe, Serong

Cerra, Mundy, Conca, Acres (would happily see Chapman here instead of Acres)

We need Ryan to take the majority of the possessions Hughes was getting yesterday.


Easy to spot our glaring weakness - that forward line is rank! Schultz, Switta, Crowden, Tucker as our small - med forwards with little to no relief on the bench. Treacy CHF...

Other than to persist with Henry over one of Crowden or Switta I don't really have any answers on how to fix it. I don't think Western is ready unfortunately...

Our total disregard for drafting or recruiting creative, attacking small forwards over the years is biting hard! sigh...
 

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Out: Lobb, Walters, Hughes, Watson, Blakely, Banfield and Conca.

In: Serong, Cerra, Wilson and Ryan.

Ryan Hamling Wilson
Young Pearce Chapman
Aish Serong Brayshaw
Tucker Treacy Mundy
Crowden Tabs Schultz

Meek Fyfe Cerra

Cox Acres Frederick Henry
 
Giving the young guns a go this weekend even if it's as emergency makes a lot of sense as the experience of travelling and to the MCG will be invaluable.
 
This won't be the team, but its who I'd play. I went for Hamling forward ahead of Cox because i) he's said to have suggested to the coaches in previous years that he should be given a go there, ii) it gives Chapman a chance to play Hamling's role and iii) he's mobile enough to let us play 3 talls.


Hughes Pearce Ryan
Wilson Cox Young
Aish Fyfe Tucker
Frederick Hamling Crowden
Switkowski Taberner Treacy

Meek Brayshaw Cerra

Serong Chapman Mundy Henry
 
So, you either play an 18 year old off the rookie list at FF or swap in our best current KPD, two other more natural defenders coming off long-term injuries who have both been less than impressive when played at FF, or another draftee who is super talented but also seemingly a lot more suited to playing down back than up front.

Or two inexperienced, non-mobile ruckmen...one of which will likely be underdone.

Ouch.
 
So, you either play an 18 year old off the rookie list at FF or swap in our best current KPD, two other more natural defenders coming off long-term injuries who have both been less than impressive when played at FF, or another draftee who is super talented but also seemingly a lot more suited to playing down back than up front.

Or two inexperienced, non-mobile ruckmen...one of which will likely be underdone.

Ouch.
I'd put in the 18yo already with a man's body, good kick, good lead and mark, and angrily competitive and let him learn on the job. I'm hoping we're done with the idea of putting a big player in a position and expecting them to perform as a goal kicking forward just because they're a similar size. FF takes a certain personailty and most don't have it. And I like the idea of two rookie KPFs working together and kicking goals against all the top 10 'superstar' draft picks in similar positions. Has a certain Freo underdog flavour about it (Pav aside).


Hamling Pearce Ryan
Wilson Cox Young
Aish Serong Tucker
Crowden Taberner Fyfe
Mundy Treacy Henry

Meek Brayshaw Cerra

Watson Schultz Acres Frederick
 
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I'd put in the 18yo already with a man's body, good kick, good lead and mark, and angrily competitive and let him learn on the job. I'm hoping we're done with the idea of putting a big player in a position and expecting them to perform as a goal kicking forward just because they're a similar size. FF takes a certain personailty and most don't have it. And I like the idea of two rookie KPFs working together and kicking goals against all the top 10 'superstar' draft picks in similar positions. Has a certain Freo underdog flavour about it (Pav aside).
Could Chapman be moulded into a KPF? He looks to have a great footy brain. Could well be an option.
On a separate note, does anyone have any update on how Hugh Dixon is tracking? The club didn’t rule out redrafting him if he showed up well in the WAFL
 

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Could Chapman be moulded into a KPF? He looks to have a great footy brain. Could well be an option.
On a separate note, does anyone have any update on how Hugh Dixon is tracking? The club didn’t rule out redrafting him if he showed up well in the WAFL
I hope it's not that bad, but if Lobb's injury is a long one, and Hugh's actually been working hard, he would be a good example of a worthy mid-season acquisition. Knows the club, players and game plan so could hit the ground running.
 
Ryan Hamling Hughes
Logue* Cox Young
Aish Cerra Frederick
Crowden Tabs Mundy
Fyfe Treacy Henry

Meek Serong Brayshaw

Tucker Schulz Conca Pearce

* Assuming Logue is fit for round 1, if injured perhaps Pearce in that role with Wilson on the bench.
 
Could Chapman be moulded into a KPF? He looks to have a great footy brain. Could well be an option.
On a separate note, does anyone have any update on how Hugh Dixon is tracking? The club didn’t rule out redrafting him if he showed up well in the WAFL
I think he could ( 🙏) play as 3rd tall especially if Darcy doesn’t play rd 1 and Treacy has to support Meek. With Tabs as the only tall forward he is double teamed too easily, which might not be a problem if we could lower our eyes occasionally.....
 
Is Meek really immobile?

He got involved in more play around the ground than the rest of West Coast's ruck division combined, well 2 touches less.

Meek is the closest ruckman we've had to Sandilands since Sandilands given the amount of clearances he wins himself. That was the hidden little secret of our peak time, Sandi was just as much of a clearance threat as the two mid winning the ball while Crowley shut down the other.
 
if Lobb's injury is a long one, and Hugh's actually been working hard, he would be a good example of a worthy mid-season acquisition.
Redraft Sandi if that's the case.

Can anyone check if old 211 is running a few extra laps before and after training.
 
Could Chapman be moulded into a KPF? He looks to have a great footy brain. Could well be an option.
On a separate note, does anyone have any update on how Hugh Dixon is tracking? The club didn’t rule out redrafting him if he showed up well in the WAFL
I think we should introduce him in the position we envisage Sturt playing. Roaming forward flanker/3rd tall. Freedom to get up on the wing, marking ability, defensive and attacking, decent tank, good disposal, footy smarts. Beats the Hell out of being groomed in the wafl for a possible defender position. And if he isn’t going to be, then a couple of Logue, Watson, Duman or Hughes should be trialed forward.
 
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Melbourne looked pretty ordinary without three of their core midfielders, and the forward line was bog ordinary too. Bulldogs dominated them. Would be an amazing baptism for Meek and Treacy if they happened to debut and went head to head with Gawn and May though. They were both terrific although May went off injured (looked minor).
 
I said Acres was a spud a few weeks ago and people weren't happy. He is exactly the same player for Fremantle as he was for St Kilda.

Will have a few games of 30 touches and look like an A Grader and then go full Colin Sylvia and disappear for 3 weeks on end while shirking contests.

Fine as a depth player but we're not winning flags with him in our B22.
Strangely I do rate acres highly. Yeah he will get those 20 disposals a game. He will get between 16-24 disposals on an average day then gets 2-4 of those 30 disposals games.

He won't be in our best 22 if we get into a grand final with this current team.

He can be best 22 if Freo makes an Elim final.
 
What I think should happen and what will happen can be different.

The team that will go out:

Hamling Cox Conca
Ryan Pearce Young

Acres. Fyfe. Aish
Meek. Brayshaw Cerra

Shultz. Taberner Frederick
Banfield. Treacy Henry

Tucker, Hughes, Mundy,
Strangely I do rate acres highly. Yeah he will get those 20 disposals a game. He will get between 16-24 disposals on an average day then gets 2-4 of those 30 disposals games.

He won't be in our best 22 if we get into a grand final with this current team.

He can be best 22 if Freo makes an Elim final.
Remember Schammer.

Ranked up the possessions because teams were ok with him turning over the ball.

Acres is not as bad as Schammer but the principle is the same.

Acres has tunnel vision, too much hang time on kicks, misses the handball receivers and bombs it.

Teams put effort into players that hurt.

Personally Acres is pretty suited to an inside role but we have a long list of those type players.
 
I'll have a go;

Ryan Pearce Logue*
Hughes Cox Young

Frederick Serong Aish
Meek Brayshaw Cerra

Mundy Taberner Shultz
Henry Hamling Fyfe

Tucker, Crowden*, Chapman, Darcy*

Hamling to FF - need someone who can actually pluck one and we don't have any forwards so why not

*assuming they are fit

Acres and Conca to slow moving the ball

Banfield = B grade
 

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Changes Rnd 1 - Vs Demons


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