Changes Round 5 vs Hawks

[Doggies_13]

Busslinger shouldn't play seniors again imo. Would rather ryan gardiner lol

Are you forgetting round 13 last year? Probably the worst game I’ve seen a player in a dogs jumper play

 

[bigbulldog67]

Busslinger was great last week, actually looks somewhat bigger and stronger and doesn’t have to be a superstar just hold his own which he’s always done when given a chance at AFL level. Didnt watch him yesterday though

 

[Doggies_13]

Smith would be fine against the Hawks rucks.

Either Croft or Emmett as the second ruck/fwd, prefer Emmett.

Buss only comes in if Lobb is going to ruck. Would prefer to keep our backline in tact.

Would therefore go:
Outs English, Jones, Mc Neil and Croft
Ins Smith, Hynes, Gallagher and Emmett

Still a strong team to compete with the Hawks

Actually leaning towards smith given a chance given the types of ruck hawks have and also geelongs lack of ruck.

Also would prefer Emmett as second ruck and keep our backline settled.

Otherwise we have to completely restructure

 

[MaxiBont]

Buss looked like the best of our defenders against Freo last season before getting subbed (due to structure)

 

[lachy]

Busslinger was great last week, actually looks somewhat bigger and stronger and doesn’t have to be a superstar just hold his own which he’s always done when given a chance at AFL level. Didnt watch him yesterday though

Buss was fine yesterday and certainly looks significantly more likely at AFL level than Gards

 

[Doggies_13]

Buss looked like the best of defenders against Freo last season before getting subbed (due to structure)

Yeah I don’t get the Buss hate.

Maybe because posters thought he was our defensive messiah early on.

He’s been serviceable each time he’s played.

 

[TheScriptorWL]

Does Libba return against the Cats, Swans, or Dockers? Do we have an updated timeline there?

 

[dergert]

Are you forgetting round 13 last year? Probably the worst game I’ve seen a player in a dogs jumper play

Yep and I still think gardy would be better than buss.
Nik Cox pushed buss around like he was nothing yesterday. Also burnt him on the lead a few times.

I think we just bring lachie Smith in and pray Meek has an off day.

 

[NthBondiDoggies]

My picks were rubbish - for some reason I left out Friejah and Chuck Sellwood! A bit early to be drunk!!!

Have to get hands on the ball - so will play Lobb in ruck, Darcy will play some ruck also and one of Buss/Gards back.

Richards, Artie, Libba and Trelor out is rough and hard to replace.

West (fair chunk of mid) - Darcy - Dolan

Croft - Naughton - Friejah

Lobb - Bont - Sanders

Baker - Kennedy - Williams

Dale - JOD - Buderick

Sellwood - Gards/Buss - Khamis

Bramble, Davidson, Jacques and Lewis (need a big body to crash into Hawks particularly give Barrass some pressure, and I would prefer Hynes (and his midfield minutes) or Gags (give him a job on Newcombe - we don’t tag normally but 100% pressure and could be useful - use is power to fight) but I expect they have shown their hand and McNeil has threatened to release the photos - so plays.

Could see Emmett - he was great and m VFL and probably replaces Croft who was quiet until last 15 mins and can play ruck also and back if needed). Problem is - Croft is very quick and without him we may look slow. Emmett will very good runner - so not too bad and probably a better ruck.

 

[Dog 36]

Yep and I still think gardy would be better than buss.
Nik Cox pushed buss around like he was nothing yesterday. Also burnt him on the lead a few times.

I think we just bring lachie Smith in and pray Meek has an off day.

Play Gardner may as well give Hawks and Chol a 6 goal start.

 

[DognBones]

Yep and I still think gardy would be better than buss.
Nik Cox pushed buss around like he was nothing yesterday. Also burnt him on the lead a few times.

I think we just bring lachie Smith in and pray Meek has an off day.

If I was Mitchell I'd put Reeves in the ruck at centre bounces and Smith would never get near it. Smith is a great competitor at boundary throw-ins etc but jumping is not his forte.

 

[Anja_Nees]

I suppose the question is how much more will Lobb offer in the ruck than one of the debutants and what will we lose if we move him.

Lobb was never more than an ok ruck, and splitting between ruck and full back doesn’t really work. He’d probably rest forward with any of Darcy, Croft and Naughton relieving.

He’d probably have to be replaced by Buss, and if we don’t go with Buss then it’s probably time to give up on the Buss experiment altogether.

If we don’t think Lobb is going to do more than give a contest at stoppages I don’t see any real reason to do it - just go with Croft or a debutant and line up the same.

 

[Anja_Nees]

Yeah I don’t get the Buss hate.

Maybe because posters thought he was our defensive messiah early on.

He’s been serviceable each time he’s played.

Seems like a good guy and has looked fine when he’s played, but they don’t seem to rate him at all. There’s been plenty of turnover in that part of the ground the last 18 months and it hasn’t led to him getting a game at all.

Was always a curious selection. Wish him the best but it doesn’t look like he’ll get ahead of Buku, Lobb or JOD in a hurry.

 

[Golden_6]

Well it looks like Gunston just pinged a hammy.

 

[Anja_Nees]

Well it looks like Gunston just pinged a hammy.

Footy gods picking up the banana peel they left for us in the shopping aisle.

 

[BigFloppa]

Please let Gunston's hammy be a low grade tear. Just enough to miss a week would be fine

 

[Angak]

Just need to hope the Hawks and Geelong have heaps of injuries today

Gunston?

 

[BigFloppa]

Sicily shoulder smashed to pieces

 

[Anja_Nees]

Sicily apparently struggling too. Might start to square up our problems.

 

[DognBones]

Gunston back on. Damn.

 

[TheScriptorWL]

Looking at this game, I'm sorry... But anyone who thinks Lobb should be the primary ruck next week is not seeing the bigger picture. We need our tried and true duo back there next week and we need a particularly big game from them.

Emmet to debut and play second fiddle to Croft.

 

[bigbulldog67]

Buss was fine yesterday and certainly looks significantly more likely at AFL level than Gards

I think he’ll definitely prefer the way we’re setting up deeper in defence this year too rather than having to cover a huge amount of ground quickly last year which didn’t play into his strengths at all

 

[House_of_Dahl]

How did Buss look in the magoos?

Only saw the second half (got to the game early) but he was solid. Good positioning, composed and used it well.

 

[House_of_Dahl]

Croft didn’t do much up forward, but was actually pretty good when he went to the ruck when English went off.

 

[Deadly Darcy]

Another thing compounding our injuries aside from our opponents coming up are:
V hawks - 6 day break ( hawks off 5)
V Cats - 6 day break (cat off 6 and then 5 days)
V swans - 6 day break (back to back 6 day breaks)
V Freo - 8 day break

Outside of Libba doubt any of the others come back until Freo at earliest. But also last night we couldn’t manage minutes of key players and we will be unlikely to be able to manage minutes in this period or rest players as we probably would have wanted to other than standard management.

If we are better than 4 and 4 with the injuries we seem to have I’ll be happy. It’s a long season and I’m happy to take a few on the chin, get the boys right and go again. The system clearly works better but we will be really challenged if English is out for an extended period.