Preview Changes vs Freo

[Drugs Are Bad Mackay?]

Sarcasm unwarranted --- I didn't take a derisive tone with you.
What "schedule"? We've both said plenty about the Club's lack of transparency wrt to injuries and recovery time, then you complain that Walker's coming back before the Club's (alleged) predicted time. Why believe them, about that?
Why not think of it as good news? Seriously.
Btw, fitness staff do not have a pain-detecting or player-ready device. When Walker's foot was still sore pre-GF, do you think they made him play? They would've said "How's the foot, mate?" and he'd have said "Yeah, a bit sore but I'm good to go".
Walker's playing on Sunday might be a similar case ie "You ready, Tex?" --- "Yep, no worries".
It was unexpected, for sure, but neither of us knows if Walker is "cherry ripe", or not.
The risks/consequences of playing a sore or injured Walker are greater than a single loss to Freo. I'd like to think that Pyke is not that dumb. Walker, too, since it's his body's soundness that'll be on the line.
On top of that, Tex might have thought he needed the game against Freo as good prep to play the Hawks 6 days later.

Read the article Vader posted above

 

[Drugs Are Bad Mackay?]

Drugs Are Bad Mackay? , Cap's post is reasonable:

PLUS Tex would have some say in it, too. For all we know, Tex might have said he's ready to go.


The highlighted sentence is an example of your certainty about something you couldn't possibly know, for certain.
Maybe it's just a matter of writing style eg "I doubt that we're ... bringing Tex back based on his own recovery and fitness levels" is fair.
If Tex plays poorly, or worse, sits on the bench after a quarter because he's re-injured something, then you're probably right. If he plays well enough to impact the game and we win, then bring on the Hawks.

Ditto to above - read the article

 

[Vader]

They aren't mutually exclusive ideas tho? We can be settling for a few mediocre players due to the fact there's no one better available?

Players like Petrenko were forced out when better players were recruited. It happens all the time. Unfortunately, none of Adelaide's recruits have been good enough to force out players like Mackay. We've been hoping for it for years, and I think it probably would have happened this year - if the injury curse hadn't struck.

 

[Large 1]

There's an article on The Advertiser's website today, reporting an interview with Mark Ricciuto. Roo pretty much confirms that Walker's selection is a case of hitting the panic button. Here are some selected quotes:


https://www.adelaidenow.com.au/spor...e/news-story/a9ff2112cebbf4f6e348a14fb02a7b98

Walker has been rushed back ahead of schedule, cutting his "mini pre-season" short. They did this because the losses of Lynch & Laird, combined with Adelaide's ladder situation, made it imperative that he do so. He has not returned because he's magically returned to full fitness. They hit the panic button.

No point keeping your best moves for the final dance if you don’t ever get there.

 

[Geoffa32]

He was one of the best on in that game until injury.

We would have won had it not happened.

He is cursed this year.

Essendon game. Kicks a stupid dribble kick for goal misses and they over run us and we lose.
Port game. He cannons into Gov. The resulting spill of the ball sees Motlop kick an easy goal.
GWS game. He is near BOG. Gets a severe eyepoke and can't play out the last quarter in a game that was close and we.lead in the last term.

Sent from my SM-G930F using Tapatalk

 

[jackster83]

Players like Petrenko were forced out when better players were recruited. It happens all the time. Unfortunately, none of Adelaide's recruits have been good enough to force out players like Mackay. We've been hoping for it for years, and I think it probably would have happened this year - if the injury curse hadn't struck.

I don't disagree with that but I'd argue that they aren't given the opportunity to take Mackay's spot. Mackay being preferred over Milera is just the latest example.

 

[Vader]

No point keeping your best moves for the final dance if you don’t ever get there.

Big risk/reward trade off with playing Tex this week. The risk is high, particularly on the hard deck of the Burswood Stadium, that Tex will injure himself again. If that happens, we'd be totally destroying any chances we still have of making the finals. The reward is likely to be minimal, given that he hasn't completed the mini pre-season and is still well short of full fitness. He had no impact last time he played, and it's doubtful how much impact a half-fit Walker will have on Sunday.

 

[Vader]

I don't disagree with that but I'd argue that they aren't given the opportunity to take Mackay's spot. Mackay being preferred over Milera is just the latest example.

Milera has now gone past Mackay, and Seedsman's improvement this year has been astronomic. Mackay's position in the team would be extremely doubtful right now if Smith wasn't injured. Gallucci & Dots haven't set the world on fire, which has also helped Mackay's case for selection.

In Otten's case, we've recruited 4 talls - Fogarty, Keath, Dear, Himmelberg. Fogarty is clearly preferred to Otten already. Dear looks unlikely to make it. Himmelberg is promising, but still a way off. Keath has played a few games, and is probably preferred to Otten for vacancies in defence. That's a typical AFL strike rate. You recruit players, and hope to hit the bullseye. Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn't - in which case you're stuck with the mediocre players for longer than you'd hoped.

 

[ShadeyP]

Otten was only given a 12-month contract. He's out of contract at the end of this year. Our lack of depth in the talls department may mean that he gets another contract - depends on what futures the club sees for Dear, Keath, and Himmelberg.

Hartigan is a fixture in our best 22, and there's no pressure coming from the SANFL on his position (sorry, Keath supporters). Hartigan is contracted until 2020, and this makes perfect sense.

This is the problem though , Talia and Hartigan both too cumbersome and have the same deficiencies that are isolated with the more mobile forward lines . Hartigan is very much a specific match up first 22 . He has been f..kin terrible this year and most of last , he is just a dumb footballer

 

[Vader]

This is the problem though , Talia and Hartigan both too cumbersome and have the same deficiencies that are isolated with the more mobile forward lines . Hartigan is very much a specific match up first 22 . He has been f..kin terrible this year and most of last , he is just a dumb footballer

We don't have any alternatives. We've recruited multiple talls in recent years, but none of them have been good enough to force Hartigan out of the team. If they find someone better, Hartigan is gone - just as Petrenko was gone, the minute we got Betts & Cameron.

 

[ShadeyP]

They aren't a strong club like they were previously. I also doubt he would get a game back when they were winning premierships.

Henderson fits the Hawks efficient style of play perfectly and the softer grounds and clearly superior fitness staff have benefited him as far as keeping him on the park with continuity . He was close to putting it together here but injury , shifting roles etc curtailed him .
Similar thing for Impey , the Hawks recruit for purpose and players flourish .

 

[ams4crows]

walker is purely in the side for leadership purposes, he'll hopefully play from the goal square for the whole day. Just lead up to the ball, mark, kick a goal.

 

[Interloperer]

Players like Petrenko were forced out when better players were recruited. It happens all the time. Unfortunately, none of Adelaide's recruits have been good enough to force out players like Mackay. We've been hoping for it for years, and I think it probably would have happened this year - if the injury curse hadn't struck.

Agree with this up to a point. In the case of players like Petrenko, I think they've been forced out by players who *could* have been better, but mostly have turned out to mostly be around the same level of ability. (With the notable exception of Charles Cameron.)

In contrast to Mackay*. Where the club has chosen to favour the incumbent, rather than an untried player of similar ability.

Many talk of 200 games of mediocrity out of Mackay, but over the same period you'd probably have another 200 games of mediocrity out of a rotating cast in the 'not statistical defensive forward' position.

* I also think in the case of Mackay's non-development there is a failure of coaching and an inability to separate a 'soft' performance from a bad one. But that is another story.

 

[CrowBloke]

Read the article Vader posted above

Tried, but paywalled.
I saw the Roo quotations from it though:
"“Hawthorn had been on the radar, or even after the (round 14) bye, so it’s at least a week earlier than what they had planned". “But you’ve got to change your plans when you’ve got so many injuries like the Crows have now.’’"
From that I'd deduce that they planned for Tex to have another week off, but it doesn't make me certain that he's sore or still injured.
From what I've read, Tex has been on some kind of mini-pre-season conditioning program. ALL players who've been rested, or come back from injury (or whatever they've done with Tex) would benefit from another week or two off.
We'll see on Sunday how Tex is under match conditions.
I'm expecting that Tex will be underdone, not match-fit, but it would be madness if they risked him if he's injured. There's enough evidence to conclude that Hass is incompetent, but Pyke is not crazy.

 

[CrowBloke]

walker is purely in the side for leadership purposes, he'll hopefully play from the goal square for the whole day. Just lead up to the ball, mark, kick a goal.

... or three, or four ...
A man's gotta hope.

 

[mistylake]

I don't disagree with that but I'd argue that they aren't given the opportunity to take Mackay's spot. Mackay being preferred over Milera is just the latest example.

So we’ve got a resign Sloane thread and Tom Lynch. Mackay is up this year to and no mention at all. Club might do a Lyon’s with him super cheap resigning or trade you’d think. But strangely undroppable.

 

[hey shorty]

If he's even good for 60% gametime he will offer more than Lynch did in the last fortnight.

Also, it means he takes the best defender, allowing Fog and Jenkins a bit more of a free reign.

 

[hey shorty]

So we’ve got a resign Sloane thread and Tom Lynch. Mackay is up this year to and no mention at all. Club might do a Lyon’s with him super cheap resigning or trade you’d think. But strangely undroppable.

Matt Wright was delisted after playing 20+ games during his last year.

Ship David to Carlton.

 

[azza77]

Sheesh tex wouldn’t want to injure himself Sunday

Being rushed back from his "mini pre-season" to play on one of the hardest, and worst grounds for feet/ankle related injuries it seems. Yuck.

 

[footy4ever]

Everyone is rightfully spooked because of our endless injury situation, but coming back 6 days earlier than planned after an extended time out, is this such a terrible thing?

If Tex gets a soft tissue injury this week, who's to say he wouldn't have got it next week anyway? Is an extra 6 days break going to prevent that?

Anyhoo, Tex aint getting injured on Sunday, although this season...blaaaaaaaaah!

 

[footy4ever]

Ship David to Carlton.

We'd have to give up 2 firsts for that.

 

[ad victoriam]

I would have thought 2m is pretty insignificant 1 m each end.
And 3 m each side seems bugger all to.
I really think these small differences are overplayed somewhat.

It not just the width and length. as they take the measurement from the widest and longest points.
Its how deep or swallow the Pocket run, That makes ground different.
The Ground is wider for longer it has deeper pockets. Like Alberton oval compared to Prospect Oval

 

[ad victoriam]

Don't rule out the weather prediction in Walkers decision. Original because of the Hard deck they may have put of his return until the MCG game. but with the Changes made to soften Optus stadium and the weather forecast, the Risk may have decreased considerably.
Therefore Walker call.
Perth on Sunday 100% chance of thunderstorms and solid rain starting late Sat

 

[Bay62]

Matt Wright was delisted after playing 20+ games during his last year.

Ship David to Carlton.

Straight swap for Cripps

Done deal

 

[mistylake]

Matt Wright was delisted after playing 20+ games during his last year.

Ship David to Carlton.

Could be the way it goes.
Maybe a lowly paid contract. So he can be dropped or held onto in the 2’s for our horror run of injuries in 2019 when we realise Hass and Burton are actually the best in the land, after a deep and thorough review