Gamble

[AFL MAN]

i think for round 1 we have to bring in gamble and take out byrnes. the port adelaide defence might not be able to handle mooney and hawkins/lonergan then you have stokesy get a small person, steve johno so a taller player will take him (defiently not pettigrew haha) then gamble who can play tall and small and then you have chappy who can carve any team up on any given day

 

[Scarlett Fever]

but are u kidding about wojo?? he is one of the first picked every week and one of our most important players.... adds super pace, breaks lines, kicks goals, hard at it, would get a game in every other team in the league easily.

ha ha. First picked...yeah right. I will agree he is a good player and worth a spot in any team. However, he doesn't get it enough and can have serious brain fades. Have a look at Port's first couple of goals in the GF when the heat was on. His mistakes got glossed over by the success of the day but I bet BT hasn't forgotten them. More importantly a lot of our young talent has speed and they will be putting the pressure on. Finally he is now injured for a month and someone else will get an opportunity. He will have to fight his way back in now.

 

[Claude Balls]

ha ha. First picked...yeah right. I will agree he is a good player and worth a spot in any team. However, he doesn't get it enough and can have serious brain fades. Have a look at Port's first couple of goals in the GF when the heat was on. His mistakes got glossed over by the success of the day but I bet BT hasn't forgotten them. More importantly a lot of our young talent has speed and they will be putting the pressure on. Finally he is now injured for a month and someone else will get an opportunity. He will have to fight his way back in now.

You seem almost glad that he's injured. Anyway, you have no idea. While Wojak certainly wouldn't be first picked each week, his position is far more assured than you realise. Take Byrnes as an example - he managed to play almost every game last year, despite being Geelong's most maligned player, and despite there being plenty of talent in the VFL pushing for a promotion. The reason was that he brings pace and unpredictability to the front half of the ground... i.e. he serves an important structural purpose. Wojak brings that to the back half, and he is considered to be a much better player.

 

[Pivo]

Looks like somebody has done a me and changed the thread mid-stream

I doubt that Gamble would be a direct swap for Byrnes even though I don't feel we would be losing anything in doing it. However, like it or not, Byrnes hasn't done anything wrong this pre-season and probably deserves a spot in Rd 1.

If we use, rightly or wrongly, the GF team as the template for Rd 1 then, from memory, there are 3 spots open.

Blake, I'll assume, will slot straight into King's spot.

Tenace, in a provocative move, seems a good chance to snag Wojcinski's spot off HB. I'm using a 'like-for-like' theory here as well as reading that he has spent some time on HB this pre-season. Will be interesting. C'mon Kane, make me eat my words!!

N Ablett's spot seems to be down to Lonergan or Hawkins but maybe Gamble can be slotted in here?? Sure, it leaves Mooney as the lone, key tall but maybe Ottens can spend more time forward? With S Johnson and Chapman and Stokes also prowling the forward line I can see Gamble fitting in - or maybe I'm dreaming??

IMO a forward line with a fit S Johnson and Gamble would be a nightmare for other clubs and highly entertaining for us Cat supporters.

Whether it works that way.....

 

[Reg Hickey]

From the GF team:

- Blake for King is a no-brainer

- Hawkins is the obvious choice for N Ablett, and I think they'll do exactly that. Lonergan or Gamble would be a little more left-field, but less likely IMO.

- Prismall for Wojcinski. A spot is there for at least the first 3-4 rounds, and no-one has done more to deserve it over a longer period of time than Prismall. He has been as good as anyone else pre-season.

- I would also swap Gamble for Byrnes. Not like-for-like at all (as someone above astutely mentioned, Gamble is much more of a Dog-type but with more pace and less flair), but with Stokes, Chappy and Gaz available to do some roving I don't think we would lose much at all in that department and would gain a hell of a lot in other departments. Gamble has been a star pre-season and deserves his shot.

I would also love to see Taylor and Lonergan get a go as well, but unless there are any further injuries its hard to see where they would fit. You could possibly see Taylor slotting into the backline ahead of maybe Josh Hunt, but given Port's vertically challenged forward line and the fact that Josh has done nothing wrong in the pre-season, I think it'd be a strange move.

Davenport - I love him and think he will eventually be a gun - but to suggest he is ahead of anyone I have already mentioned is pure fantasy. He will hopefully play a handful of senior games this year, but will need a fairly lengthy injury list and/or some more absolute standout VFL performances to play more than that.

 

[Hood007]

- I would also swap Gamble for Byrnes. Not like-for-like at all (as someone above astutely mentioned, Gamble is much more of a Dog-type but with more pace and less flair), but with Stokes, Chappy and Gaz available to do some roving I don't think we would lose much at all in that department and would gain a hell of a lot in other departments. Gamble has been a star pre-season and deserves his shot.

Good call.
I'm not sure it's as clear cut as Byrnes out, Gamble in though...
Byrnes hasn't done a lot wrong this pre-season and I get the feeling he'll get picked for round 1.
Hope I'm wrong though...

 

[Rosso]

Hawkins, Blake, Taylor, Gamble & Prismal - All played every preseason game and I'd expect the first two would be monties to come in for round 1. Much depends on Maxy Rooke, if he doesn't come up then two of H, Vegas & Pris come in.

Byrnes would be pretty stiff to miss. Has been named in the best for virtually every preseason match and with Wojak out, his pace will be more than handy.

Another long night at the selection table that's for sure.

 

[darren forssman]

Good call.
I'm not sure it's as clear cut as Byrnes out, Gamble in though...
Byrnes hasn't done a lot wrong this pre-season and I get the feeling he'll get picked for round 1.
Hope I'm wrong though...

he will be there round 1, come round 5 though, we will see.

 

[Ricketts]

However, he (Wojac) doesn't get it enough....

Clearly the lowest criteria to judge him by.

 

[Ricketts]

Tenace, in a provocative move, seems a good chance to snag Wojcinski's spot off HB. I'm using a 'like-for-like' theory here as well as reading that he has spent some time on HB this pre-season. Will be interesting. C'mon Kane, make me eat my words!!

I agree. I'm also firmly in favour of the like-for-like positional/playing style changes when needed.

And going by this post it may just be what the coaches will be thinking too:

I noted a definite emphasis on using young or slightly more inexperienced players in the 'key' positions. I.e. Tenace played more of a carrying through the centre role................

........Whether that's to teach them the gameplan ...... I'm not sure.

 

[Reg Hickey]

Good call.
I'm not sure it's as clear cut as Byrnes out, Gamble in though...
Byrnes hasn't done a lot wrong this pre-season and I get the feeling he'll get picked for round 1.
Hope I'm wrong though...

Completely agree. If it was up to me I would play Gamble instead, but my gut says that Byrnes will probably get the nod (maybe they'll play Gamble as well?)

To be fair to Byrnes he HAS had a good pre-season. But he's still a limited player with very average skills for this level, poor decision-making and less pace on-field in the heat of a game than his reputation (and apparently his times in training) would suggest.

In fact, I think Monty is the new Charlie, in terms of being someone who keeps getting a game when there are more highly deserving and just much better footballers in the VFL waiting for a shot (read Prismall, Gamble, et al). How many games has Byrnes played now? 45? Right, I'm going to start calling him "45 Chances" (until his next game, when he becomes "46 Chances") ...

 

[Turbo911]

Gamble will provide a mobile marking option if Hawkins or Mooney are being held. He is a difficult one to match up on - good in the air and quick off the mark - reminds me a little of Paul Lynch.

Whether he can fit in to a round one team is another thing - if Stokes doesn't come up he may be a chance.

Paul Lynch was one of favourite players, a pure natural talent (just wish he had sone decent hammy's).
I have not seen a lot of Gamble, but if he is anything like Lynch, get him in asap!!