Preview Changes vs Geelong

[boneofshin]

Podsiadly has been offered a one week suspension.

 

[Wild Bill]

Vard wil go forward too.

Unit.

Someone I am not overly concerned about - Pods is far more dangerous - Grima should have him well and truely covered. Thompson on Hawkins and Hanson the loose to help out.

 

[Psicosis]

Someone I am not overly concerned about - Pods is far more dangerous - Grima should have him well and truely covered. Thompson on Hawkins and Hanson the loose to help out.

Problem with a guy like Vardy is that he is just the kind of guy that has a breakout game against North. Hopefully this trend is something that doesn't continue going forward.

 

[lukegags]

Worst call of the year?????

Says the bloke who constantly called for Hansens head (& who has Jack Reach-around as his Avatar)

At least I won't be needing to retract any statements, Jack!!

 

[Deep We11s 1]

Out: Tarrant, Grima, Swallow
In: Daw, Garner, Jacobs

Hine, Thompson, Mullett
C Delaney, Hansen, Atley
Wells, Cunnington, Harvey
Goldstein, Ziebell, Bastinac
Adams, Petrie, Garner
Thomas, Black, Daw
McKenzie, Macmillan, Gibson
Jacobs

We'll beat the pussies by 30 pts

 

[DarwinRoo]

Seriously WTF?

 

[tazaa]

Tarrant is so far ahead of Daw that we are a 5 goal worse side with the change.
Tarrant is a natural forward who leads to the right places and has footy smarts Daw can only dream of.

Our forward line functions with him there.

 

[Wild Bill]

Tarrant is so far ahead of Daw that we are a 5 goal worse side with the change.
Tarrant is a natural forward who leads to the right places and has footy smarts Daw can only dream of.

Our forward line functions with him there.

Agree.

 

[Juryduty]

Tarrant was solid against demons, racked up a few touches. He did drop a sitter and miss his goals but he had those shots at goal. To suggest he should be dropped is outrageous, he is miles ahead of Daw, has more to his game, in my viewTarrant stays in.

 

[The Maestro]

Underestimate Vardy and he will destroy us.

Kid can play and will prove to be a handful up forward.

 

[Black Diamond]

Only reason to bring Daw in for Tarrant is if we think Daw's rucking is needed ahead of Tarrant's ability as a forward.

 

[Ahern2Boof]

OUT: Swallow

IN: Jacobs

Show us why we fought tooth and nail to get him to the club.

 

[Jay-Z]

Only reason to bring Daw in for Tarrant is if we decide to tank for draft picks.

EFA

 

[Higgins2Waite]

Underestimate Vardy and he will destroy us.

Kid can play and will prove to be a handful up forward.

He's only ever kicked multiples against the saints (2011), and Gold Coast. Grima will easily dispatch of him when he comes forward.

 

[Higgins2Waite]

Levi for Swallow is the only change worth considering.

Grima out? Tarrant out? MacMillan out?

I question Jacobs tank given his previous injuries and lack of AFL game time. How is it better to bring him in instead of Levi? Levi will run all game, lay more tackles, and can shut down an opposition player (would send him to Stevie J if he's playing in the middle).

Daw is nowhere near ready to play AFL. In the games he's played he's absolutely blown up (with the muscle he has he needs to develop a better tank otherwise he's going to burn through oxygen and fatigue every game). Tarrant is far superior at the present and works better with Petrie and Black.

I don't think Currie is needed if Goldie is given a chop out for longer like he was against Melbourne.

Hine to Motlop (can't shake a tag yet).

No Chapman and Pod is big because Chapman's footy smarts have destroyed us too many times to count, and no pod means less diversity for Geelong (oh no not the 'swingman Harry Taylor'. It's a massive win if Harry Taylor is taken out of the backline so I hope they try it again.)

 

[Jack Reacher]

Says the bloke who constantly called for Hansens head (& who has Jack Reach-around as his Avatar)

At least I won't be needing to retract any statements, Jack!!

I'm 100% sure Harper is a gun and will prove you wrong, I know talent when I see it

 

[Wild Bill]

Problem with a guy like Vardy is that he is just the kind of guy that has a breakout game against North. Hopefully this trend is something that doesn't continue going forward.

True - Kerridge can't get a game for the Crows - well I think he will next week.

 

[GarnerSmash]

34 clearances a game. Ranked 16th in the AFL. They’re hardly the sort of numbers you’d expect to see associated with a side that sits second on the ladder. Yet Geelong has shown that winning the ball first from a stoppage is not as crucial an area as many believe. The Cats’ answer is to force turnovers through their pressure.

After 18 rounds, Geelong has regained the ball from the opposition the most out of any side at an average of 72 per game. To add to it, once the Cats have the ball via a turnover they regularly make the opposition pay, as the below table illustrates.

Average per game Turnovers forced Points from turnovers Points per 100 turnovers
Geelong 72 71 98.9
AFL average 65.6 53 81.4
Differential +6.4 +18 +18.5

Geelong has the highest total of marks from opposition kicks in 2013, with 277 from its 17 games, ahead of Essendon (268) and Fremantle (266).
Unsurprisingly, Harry Taylor leads the way for the Cats with 40 from 16 games, ahead of Corey Enright and Tom Lonergan.

Player Marks from opposition kicks
Harry Taylor 40
Corey Enright 30
Tom Lonergan 28

However, Geelong’s style does leave it vulnerable if a side can win the clearances and use the ball well. Looking back to Round 2, this is exactly what North did in the first half.

The Kangaroos entered the rooms at half-time with a 35-point lead after kicking 12 goals to six in the first two quarters. They had limited their turnovers and significantly won the clearances by a count of 27-17.

[RELATED: NMFC Playbook: Round 2]

Therefore North was left with astronomical numbers from its clearances. Its strike rate of 203.7 points per 100 clearances was a show of its midfield dominance while Geelong only forced 27 turnovers, down on its average of 36 per half throughout the rest of the year.

However while Geelong’s clearance count on the whole may look unimpressive, it had one trick up its sleeve which it used to devastating effect in the second half – the clearance out of the middle.

From 16 centre bounces in the second half, Geelong won nine. North finished with just three.

Yet around the rest of the ground North maintained its stoppage dominance, winning 18 of the 28 ball-ups and throw-in clearances.

Second half Centre bounce wins Ball-up wins Throw in wins
North Melbourne 3 10 8
Geelong 9 5 2
Differential -6 +5 +6

The difference was, unsurprisingly, turnovers. Where Geelong was unable to get the ball back in the first half, it had plenty of opportunities in quarters three and four due to its increased pressure.

Geelong Turnovers forced
Second half 43
First half 27
Differential +16

Nevertheless the blueprint for North is laid out in the first half of the previous meeting.

While it’s easier said than done, winning the clearance count and then more importantly, protecting the ball will

 

[The Butcher]

Good read BTron, thanks. I hope we have sweepers ready for the get out handball at every stoppage possible. And that we win

 

[scooby1279]

Scott said inside midfielders Levi Greenwood and Ben Jacobs headed Swallow's likely on-field replacements, but made it clear his captain was almost irreplaceable.

 

[Twinkletoes]

I'd be interested to see Greenhead playing without a tagging job, ala Spitter. The lad can tackle and can bore in for the contested ball. It could be the making (or breaking) of his career at North.

 

[Higgins2Waite]

I'd be interested to see Greenhead playing without a tagging job, ala Spitter. The lad can tackle and can bore in for the contested ball. It could be the making (or breaking) of his career at North.

Agreed, just annoys the hell out of me because it shouldn't be make or break for him. We are a better team with him in it! Has a tank, tackles, finds it, pressures...should be playing.

Amazing how most are calling for Jacobs to come in when those same people were most likely caling for his head at the start / questioning why we picked him up. He needs another pre-season and is untested as a inside player in an AFL game. Big question mark over his ability to run out the game.

 

[Saintly31]

Amazing how most are calling for Jacobs to come in when those same people were most likely caling for his head at the start / questioning why we picked him up. He needs another pre-season and is untested as a inside player in an AFL game. Big question mark over his ability to run out the game.

Still a big question mark over whether he can even play to be honest.

I'm not sure that is right about the posters changing their minds though mate. I reckon it is the same types promoting Jacobs as they did for Round 1.

In any case, I agree entirely Greenwood gets next crack as inside mid and no bloody tagging role to string him up by if we lose.

 

[Higgins2Waite]

Still a big question mark over whether he can even play to be honest.

I'm not sure that is right about the posters changing their minds though mate. I reckon it is the same types promoting Jacobs as they did for Round 1.

In any case, I agree entirely Greenwood gets next crack as inside mid and no bloody tagging role to string him up by if we lose.

I don't know Saintly. There seems to be a mob on here that drag youngsters through the mud if they don't hit the ground running, and then those who want Harper in EVERY bloody week even though he isn't performing in the VFL (not to mention bringing in other youngsters). I'm sure there is some overlap there. A lot of impatient sods.

Agreed. I'm sure even if he played as an inside mid it'll be "played well but let player X (Geelongs highest possession getter) pick up 35 possessions." I still think he could be our Brad Sewell!!!

 

[Psicosis]

Still a big question mark over whether he can even play to be honest.

I'm not sure that is right about the posters changing their minds though mate. I reckon it is the same types promoting Jacobs as they did for Round 1.

In any case, I agree entirely Greenwood gets next crack as inside mid and no bloody tagging role to string him up by if we lose.

Disagree, the kid can certainly play the game, he was a fantastic player at u18 level and as all inside midfielders that aren't of a freakish man-child physique, do take time to get their bodies right for the transition to AFL. I don't think there is any better example then our own Ben Cunnington, who up until late last year and this year, was not replicating his u18 form at the top level. It's because like KPP, inside midfielders do take time to develop to the rigours of AFL level, their body size and engines do need to improve dramatically, which is why people questioning their ability before they even have an ample opportunity is so f*cking stupid.