I got asked to put up a preview from an Essendon perspective on the Brisbane board for their weekly Match Previews so I thought I'd pop it up here as well for those of you that don't go to those parts.
On a side note, for those of you that remember, I was originally going to try and provide a weekly preview on the Essendon board but unfortunately that hasn't been possible. Apologies.
PREVIEW: ESSENDON VS. BRISBANE
7:10pm Saturday 12th July at Telstra Dome
What many would’ve thought a walkover a month ago is all of a sudden a slightly more intriguing proposition. The Lions may sit firmly in the 8, but having been humbled by Melbourne at the MCG prior to the break, are possibly slightly more wobbly than many thought. Essendon on the other have followed a woeful eight game losing streak in the first half of the year with a streak of three wins, albeit against weaker opposition. On top of that, in recent times the Bombers have well and truly had the wood over the Lions. Whilst the recently departed James Hird is owed a lot of credit for those victories, it is some cause for confidence. So whilst on paper Brisbane may look the winner, this game is far from a foregone conclusion.
THE TEAM
B: Nathan Lovett-Murray - Dustin Fletcher - Henry Slattery
HB: Kyle Reimers - Patrick Ryder – Adam Ramanauskas
C: Brent Stanton – Andrew Welsh – Andrew Lovett
HF: Adam McPhee – Matthew Lloyd – Leroy Jetta
F: Jay Neagle – Scott Lucas – Angus Monfries
Foll: David Hille – Jobe Watson – Mark McVeigh
Inter: Sam Lonergan – Jay Nash – Tom Hislop – Jason Laycock
In: Slattery, Neagle, Hislop
Out: Myers (foot), Dyson, Peverill
Three changes is probably less than ideal in a side that’s been winning, but I believe these changes are probably for the better. Henry Slattery should be welcomed back from his fractured cheekbone and will step straight back into our defence. Jay Neagle, after been rested against Fremantle, should be fresh to come back into our forward line after a two week break and Tom Hislop, following some very encouraging form for Bendigo, will be an almost direct replacement for David Myers I expect.
Aside from the clear omission of David Myers with a foot injury, I expect Ricky Dyson to face the chop after a disappointing performance against Fremantle and that move could be reflected in the fact that he played with Bendigo last weekend. Leaving Damien Peverill out is tough, but his erratic disposal could prove very costly at Telstra Dome and he probably didn’t do enough against Fremantle to show his value to the side in place of youth. However, with the possibility of Slattery or Neagle not coming up or Tom Hislop having another week with Bendigo, it’s within the realms of possibility that Damien will get another chance.
WHAT ESSENDON MUST GET RIGHT
I believe Essendon’s defensive pressure through the midfield will play a major role in determining the result of this match. Guys like Simon Black and Travis Johnstone are not ones to waste the football and, as Essendon continues to learn Knights’ game plan, our ability to fill holes in front of leading forwards has been poor, as is reflected in the bags that Brendan Fevola and Lance Franklin have kicked against us. If we’re able to put pressure on the ball carrier and weaken disposal into Brisbane’s forward 50, not only will we weaken the ability of Brown and Bradshaw to simply lead and mark, but we’ll bring into the game our biggest defensive weapon – Dustin Fletcher. Dustin’s been masterful at handling the long ball into the pack in recent weeks, and if Brisbane starts kicking on top of Brown’s head, Dustin will take full advantage. Alwyn Davey played a magnificent defensive game last time round, and it’ll be up to guys like Leroy Jetta and Andrew Lovett to step into his shoes on Saturday night.
Our incisive running game through the midfield hasn’t been sighted as much as we would’ve liked at the start of the season, yet when it’s clicked into gear it’s been devastating. We saw it cut up the Kangaroos for the last three quarters of that game, we saw it smash the Bulldogs for a quarter and we started to see traces of it against Fremantle and West Coast. If we’re going to beat a quality side such as Brisbane, this has to be on. It works as almost a three man weave through the centre of the ground, with an emphasis on handball and run. So far, guys have struggled to get to the right points and it’s been poorly executed (ANZAC Day as a reference) or simply non-existent. Sustaining it has also been an issue. We’ll be a tough side to beat if this run eventuates for some portion of the match, and guys like Mark McVeigh have got to get it happening.
Our ability to kick long and direct to our forward line is another thing we’ve got to get right. Against Carlton we did this superbly, and the efforts of Leroy Jetta last week in this area were top notch and earned him five goal assists. If we’re able to do this, it’ll make the jobs of our deep key forwards in Scott Lucas and Jay Neagle far easier. Not only will there be less pressure to take a mark in a pack situation, but it’ll help us isolate Neagle against an invariably lighter opponent. Whilst he won’t have any kind of prolonged impact, he pushed aside Michael Jamison fairly easily against the Blues and came up with two goals on the back of three the week before which would be a very handy contribution to go with that of Lloyd and Lucas.
Finally, our clearance work is going to play a big part in determining the winner and was the driving force behind our last two wins. We may be up against one of the best in the business in Simon Black, who is ably supported by Luke Power and Jed Adcock, so it’s not going to be an easy task. This means that important roles lie for David Hille, Jobe Watson, Mark McVeigh and Andrew Welsh. David Hille’s been in career best form and is vitally important in providing our midfielders with first use of the ball. Watson won eight clearances against Fremantle to go with his 17 contested possessions and 36 possessions in total. He’s the guy that can get things going our way, and with support from Mark McVeigh, that will give forwards Lloyd, Lucas and Neagle enough ball to have an impact. They all need to be on the top of their game. Andrew Welsh is key in negating Simon Black. Black is nothing short of a champion and won’t be an easy task, but Andrew’s had the scalps of Sam Mitchell, Matthew Priddis and Chris Judd in recent times with the later two scalps proving vital in our victory over those sides. He’ll have to pull off a performance of a similar calibre to beat the Brownlow medallist, but if he’s able to, it’ll take us a long way to winning.
THE KEY MATCH-UPS
Dustin Fletcher vs. Jonathan Brown
Patrick Ryder vs. Daniel Bradshaw
David Hille vs. Jamie Charman
Andrew Welsh vs. Simon Black
Matthew Lloyd vs. Joel Patfull
Scott Lucas vs. Daniel Merrett
THE RESULT
It would be a brave man to tip against the Lions coming into this match, but with history and some recent form on our side, the Bombers aren’t out of this. The highest priority as an Essendon fan is to see our young guys play well, so if that happens and we see traces of our run through the midfield, I think most of us would go home happy enough regardless of the result. The head says Brisbane will win this match by a few goals with superior experience. The heart says Essendon by a few points.
On a side note, for those of you that remember, I was originally going to try and provide a weekly preview on the Essendon board but unfortunately that hasn't been possible. Apologies.
PREVIEW: ESSENDON VS. BRISBANE
7:10pm Saturday 12th July at Telstra Dome
What many would’ve thought a walkover a month ago is all of a sudden a slightly more intriguing proposition. The Lions may sit firmly in the 8, but having been humbled by Melbourne at the MCG prior to the break, are possibly slightly more wobbly than many thought. Essendon on the other have followed a woeful eight game losing streak in the first half of the year with a streak of three wins, albeit against weaker opposition. On top of that, in recent times the Bombers have well and truly had the wood over the Lions. Whilst the recently departed James Hird is owed a lot of credit for those victories, it is some cause for confidence. So whilst on paper Brisbane may look the winner, this game is far from a foregone conclusion.
THE TEAM
B: Nathan Lovett-Murray - Dustin Fletcher - Henry Slattery
HB: Kyle Reimers - Patrick Ryder – Adam Ramanauskas
C: Brent Stanton – Andrew Welsh – Andrew Lovett
HF: Adam McPhee – Matthew Lloyd – Leroy Jetta
F: Jay Neagle – Scott Lucas – Angus Monfries
Foll: David Hille – Jobe Watson – Mark McVeigh
Inter: Sam Lonergan – Jay Nash – Tom Hislop – Jason Laycock
In: Slattery, Neagle, Hislop
Out: Myers (foot), Dyson, Peverill
Three changes is probably less than ideal in a side that’s been winning, but I believe these changes are probably for the better. Henry Slattery should be welcomed back from his fractured cheekbone and will step straight back into our defence. Jay Neagle, after been rested against Fremantle, should be fresh to come back into our forward line after a two week break and Tom Hislop, following some very encouraging form for Bendigo, will be an almost direct replacement for David Myers I expect.
Aside from the clear omission of David Myers with a foot injury, I expect Ricky Dyson to face the chop after a disappointing performance against Fremantle and that move could be reflected in the fact that he played with Bendigo last weekend. Leaving Damien Peverill out is tough, but his erratic disposal could prove very costly at Telstra Dome and he probably didn’t do enough against Fremantle to show his value to the side in place of youth. However, with the possibility of Slattery or Neagle not coming up or Tom Hislop having another week with Bendigo, it’s within the realms of possibility that Damien will get another chance.
WHAT ESSENDON MUST GET RIGHT
I believe Essendon’s defensive pressure through the midfield will play a major role in determining the result of this match. Guys like Simon Black and Travis Johnstone are not ones to waste the football and, as Essendon continues to learn Knights’ game plan, our ability to fill holes in front of leading forwards has been poor, as is reflected in the bags that Brendan Fevola and Lance Franklin have kicked against us. If we’re able to put pressure on the ball carrier and weaken disposal into Brisbane’s forward 50, not only will we weaken the ability of Brown and Bradshaw to simply lead and mark, but we’ll bring into the game our biggest defensive weapon – Dustin Fletcher. Dustin’s been masterful at handling the long ball into the pack in recent weeks, and if Brisbane starts kicking on top of Brown’s head, Dustin will take full advantage. Alwyn Davey played a magnificent defensive game last time round, and it’ll be up to guys like Leroy Jetta and Andrew Lovett to step into his shoes on Saturday night.
Our incisive running game through the midfield hasn’t been sighted as much as we would’ve liked at the start of the season, yet when it’s clicked into gear it’s been devastating. We saw it cut up the Kangaroos for the last three quarters of that game, we saw it smash the Bulldogs for a quarter and we started to see traces of it against Fremantle and West Coast. If we’re going to beat a quality side such as Brisbane, this has to be on. It works as almost a three man weave through the centre of the ground, with an emphasis on handball and run. So far, guys have struggled to get to the right points and it’s been poorly executed (ANZAC Day as a reference) or simply non-existent. Sustaining it has also been an issue. We’ll be a tough side to beat if this run eventuates for some portion of the match, and guys like Mark McVeigh have got to get it happening.
Our ability to kick long and direct to our forward line is another thing we’ve got to get right. Against Carlton we did this superbly, and the efforts of Leroy Jetta last week in this area were top notch and earned him five goal assists. If we’re able to do this, it’ll make the jobs of our deep key forwards in Scott Lucas and Jay Neagle far easier. Not only will there be less pressure to take a mark in a pack situation, but it’ll help us isolate Neagle against an invariably lighter opponent. Whilst he won’t have any kind of prolonged impact, he pushed aside Michael Jamison fairly easily against the Blues and came up with two goals on the back of three the week before which would be a very handy contribution to go with that of Lloyd and Lucas.
Finally, our clearance work is going to play a big part in determining the winner and was the driving force behind our last two wins. We may be up against one of the best in the business in Simon Black, who is ably supported by Luke Power and Jed Adcock, so it’s not going to be an easy task. This means that important roles lie for David Hille, Jobe Watson, Mark McVeigh and Andrew Welsh. David Hille’s been in career best form and is vitally important in providing our midfielders with first use of the ball. Watson won eight clearances against Fremantle to go with his 17 contested possessions and 36 possessions in total. He’s the guy that can get things going our way, and with support from Mark McVeigh, that will give forwards Lloyd, Lucas and Neagle enough ball to have an impact. They all need to be on the top of their game. Andrew Welsh is key in negating Simon Black. Black is nothing short of a champion and won’t be an easy task, but Andrew’s had the scalps of Sam Mitchell, Matthew Priddis and Chris Judd in recent times with the later two scalps proving vital in our victory over those sides. He’ll have to pull off a performance of a similar calibre to beat the Brownlow medallist, but if he’s able to, it’ll take us a long way to winning.
THE KEY MATCH-UPS
Dustin Fletcher vs. Jonathan Brown
Patrick Ryder vs. Daniel Bradshaw
David Hille vs. Jamie Charman
Andrew Welsh vs. Simon Black
Matthew Lloyd vs. Joel Patfull
Scott Lucas vs. Daniel Merrett
THE RESULT
It would be a brave man to tip against the Lions coming into this match, but with history and some recent form on our side, the Bombers aren’t out of this. The highest priority as an Essendon fan is to see our young guys play well, so if that happens and we see traces of our run through the midfield, I think most of us would go home happy enough regardless of the result. The head says Brisbane will win this match by a few goals with superior experience. The heart says Essendon by a few points.
![S.C[BANKS]](https://www.bigfootycontent.com/avatars/m/24/24887.jpg?1338816185){kind=avatar}
