Prediction Changes: Round 3 Vs Cartlon + Pre-match discussion

sherrif

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We arnt far off having a decent forward line!! Good times ahead!!
Sturt looks like he will be a great kick for goal. Walters will obviously also help improve our goal kicking too. A forward line of Lobb, Sturt, Tabs, Walters, Freddy, Switta with Fyfe rotating in and out is my prediction as our best forward set up this season.
 

theGav56

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There are a lot of footy games to be won before then.
Not really. Entering next year with Sturt and Treacy playing only a handful of games would be terrible. Playing Darcy/Meek forward has little more than short term value. Fyfe forward is unclear in terms of our best forward structure. Those things are fine as an injury response stop gap, but not much more.

The club seemed to advocate that we were focused on improving the midfield to forward connection, so I do expect clarity about our forward line.
 

theGav56

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Sturt looks like he will be a great kick for goal. Walters will obviously also help improve our goal kicking too. A forward line of Lobb, Sturt, Tabs, Walters, Freddy, Switta with Fyfe rotating in and out is my prediction as our best forward set up this season.
I’d be disappointed if Treacy isn’t preferred forward to Fyfe.
 

Madas

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I want them to be prioritizing the players they want in the forward line in 2022.
There are a lot of footy games to be won before then.
Agree with Gav
We've had the shake out following Hogan and we've got our starting 6 forwards So they need to start playing together , the rest can fight for spots and fill when needed

Schultz Tabs Switta
Sturt Darcy Walters / Freddy

JLo probably playing conservative this week , it's a big game that will be huge if we win .
I reckon we'll see Sturt next week at home
Probably agree with others to let Treacy have a bit more game time in the seconds and bring him in against North to kick a bag !
 

Dockeroo

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Surely in the opening 6 or 7 weeks you pick the best available team and try to win every game? If we are at round 12 and out of finals contention then yeah - start playing what is likely to be our forward line in 2022, at the expense of possibly the best lineup available here and now.
But in round 2 at 1:1, just pick the team that gives the best chance of winning.
Moot point anyway because Jlo has shown himself so far to be a conservative coach when it comes to team selection, and rightly or wrongly likes to reward a winning side and pick experienced players.
 

apuchar

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Agree with Gav
We've had the shake out following Hogan and we've got our starting 6 forwards So they need to start playing together , the rest can fight for spots and fill when needed

Schultz Tabs Switta
Sturt Darcy Walters / Freddy

JLo probably playing conservative this week , it's a big game that will be huge if we win .
I reckon we'll see Sturt next week at home
Probably agree with others to let Treacy have a bit more game time in the seconds and bring him in against North to kick a bag !
That is our forward line now, with Fyfe chucked in.
 

apuchar

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Not really. Entering next year with Sturt and Treacy playing only a handful of games would be terrible. Playing Darcy/Meek forward has little more than short term value. Fyfe forward is unclear in terms of our best forward structure. Those things are fine as an injury response stop gap, but not much more.

The club seemed to advocate that we were focused on improving the midfield to forward connection, so I do expect clarity about our forward line.
Sturt won't be playing a few games only, unless injured. He will play most of the season. I wouldn't be replacing Shultz or Switta yet with Henry etc unless their form drops off. We need to choose between Fyfe or Treacy or he forces his way in.
 

theGav56

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Sturt won't be playing a few games only, unless injured. He will play most of the season. I wouldn't be replacing Shultz or Switta yet with Henry etc unless their form drops off. We need to choose between Fyfe or Treacy or he forces his way in.
Unless Fyfe is pretty much our go to forward he shouldn’t be there. But I think once Taberner, Lobb, Treacy and Sturt are playing, Fyfe becomes redundant forward.
 

apuchar

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Unless Fyfe is pretty much our go to forward he shouldn’t be there. But I think once Taberner, Lobb, Treacy and Sturt are playing, Fyfe becomes redundant forward.
I think the young guys will start getting a bit tired in the midfield and Mundy may need a chop out later. I think Fyfe will probably need to pick up the midfield slack at some point.
 
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I think the young guys will start getting a bit tired in the midfield and Mundy may need a chop out later. I think Fyfe will probably need to pick up the midfield slack at some point.
Fyfe in the middle will transform everything. Get Treacy and Sturt in ASAP.
 

wayToGo_

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I'd be very surprised if the conversations we are having on here aren't similar to what they are having (and debating) at selection committee. If both Darcy and Meek weren't playing or didn't work as a pairing last week they'd have debuted Treacy, irrespective of Fyfe being out. It is clear they are worried about mobility on a fast deck but want to keep Darcy in rather than entrusting a 18yo debutant KPF. The fact Treacy was on the plane is a pretty good sign he was very much in the conversation for them. My personal opinion is they should have given Treacy a debut but the reasoning not to has plenty of weight to it also.

I'm personally just excited that some options are appearing finally for the future of our forward line that don't all look woeful. Fyfe, Sturt and Treacy are all possible inclusions next week. Henry is quality, he just needs time to understand the role at AFL level. Lobb, Crowden and Tucker (as a mid who can kick goals) will all be back in the next few weeks. I'd bet on Western improving quickly at Peel also - maybe a late season debut.

As others have said Darcy in the forward line is a short term fix. Although it does rob potential development opportunity for a KPF it also provides ruck insurance and is developing both our young rucks. Doubt we will still playing both Darcy and Meek in a few weeks.
 
Think everyone is getting carried away with Meek, Darcy is the better player currently and we’ll be better off without both of them in the side. If Fyfe is permanently forward I’d go with:

Walters Fyfe Crowden
Switta Tabs Sturt

Lobb off the bench rotating through ruck, wing and forwardline. Think there is enough height there with how Fyfe/Sturt play. I understand there will be backlash over Crowden/Switta over Schultz but I think they have more to offer, difference is marginal though
 
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I kind of get JLo's logic about not going in too top heavy - you'd be effectively replacing a mobile mid-fwd with a first game KPF against one of the more mobile backlines in the comp.

Think it's more horses for courses (as well as trying to boost the confidence of the guys who played pretty well against the Giants - Blakely as the sub was really the only weak link) and there's every chance Treacy, Sturt, Henry (or some combination of all three) come in next week.
 

Troy Cooked It

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Something to remember is JLo early in the pre-season mentioned he wanted to try a 2-Tall forward line, with a solo ruck. I think he is genuinely seeing the capabilities of having Meek our roaming ruck while Darcy plays the key forward who takes the inside-50 stoppages (like Tom Hawkins). This allows Meek to be the kick behind the play which is a big key to holding the ball in our front half.
It would be a big point of difference to have a fresher tap-ruckman in Darcy up against a ruckman who hasn't had the game to get used to his work, to body him and set up some goals just like Switta's one.
Even bigger bonus if he is a good forward too. I personally think that is what Lobb's role was going to be and Darcy be the main ruck but interrupted pre-season and Meek's emergence has got us to here.
Think we will be having a fair crack for this, genuinely think it will be a ripping game and go close just like the last few and I'm hoping our better defensive structure and zippy pressure forwards will be getting on top and keeping it played in the front half.
 

wayToGo_

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I'm expecting we'll go ok tomorrow but my gut is telling me our goal kicking will let us down and we'll miss an opportunity to cement ourselves in the 8 with 3 winnable games coming up. A win would likely put us around 6th position on the ladder! A loss and we likely sit 10th or 11th.

Carlton are fielding a far older and more experienced team than we are. They rightly go in as favourites but if our midfield can at least break even (preferably beat theirs) and not allow them clean i50 entries we could burn them with run and speed on the transition (we are #1 in the AFL atm). Converting that good work into actual scores is where we will likely struggle. Pretty much we only have Walters we can trust in front of goals but I suppose that is one more than last week so who knows?

Not confident but Freo by 12 points (literally). Freo 12.24.96 to Carlton 12.12.84
 
Think everyone is getting carried away with Meek, Darcy is the better player currently and we’ll be better off without both of them in the side. If Fyfe is permanently forward I’d go with:

Walters Fyfe Crowden
Switta Tabs Sturt

Lobb off the bench rotating through ruck, wing and forwardline. Think there is enough height there with how Fyfe/Sturt play. I understand there will be backlash over Crowden/Switta over Schultz but I think they have more to offer, difference is marginal though
yeah i like the look of that forward line, agree with crowden/switta over schultz, difference is small enough that schultz would easily slot in if one of those two are down on form.
 
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