Preview Geelong. Grand Final. You know when. You know where.

[ZoBlitz]

I'm going to believe that Lachie coming back from a 6 week injury in only 3 weeks is some divine intervention that will result us in winning a flag, but I can't help but to worry about the media storm that will follow if we lose. The media are already lining Lachie up, and if we lose, he will receive a lot of criticism and hate from the AFL media and fans alike.

It might be me, but who cares about the media whether we win or lose?

 

[Sproj]

Yeah. Cats went all in and gsve us a blueprint to beat.

But ... they now know what we know. So maybe they will create a new game that we don't know so when we go out knowing what we know we actually know nothing and get smashed again.

That's why you focus on your own game. Geelong were perfect in the QF and they made us very poor. Basically, we need to do what we normally do and dominate from the middle. We also need our small forwards to be way more defensive to try and lock it in the front half. Whatever happens, we just cannot let them smash us out of the middle like they did in the QF, that's where for us it will be won and lost.

 

[SizeMatters]

Playing Neale is just dumb. Unless he plays well, doesn’t tear his calf to pieces and we win then it’s a master stroke.

 

[twhowler]

Davis, the Gov, Stevie J: Inside 11 of the Grand Final's most famous injury calls

With Lachie Neale pushing to make the most unlikeliest of comebacks in Saturday's Grand Final, we look at 11 of the biggest injury stories leading into the decider

www.afl.com.au

Plenty of good and bad stories from people playing with injury. Just hope we have made some clear calls internally and we don't have any speculation beyond Thursday. It's the distraction that seems to hurt

Re tactics, yes Geelong won't just role out the same gameplan. But everything they did worked perfectly last time. It would be hard to replicate that hit rate.

For all their dominance Rayner's post-hitting shot would have put us i think 3 and a bit goals down?

Likely ins / outs from that game

OUT Berry (who was limited) IN Marshall
OUT Day IN Oscar

OUT Stewart IN ??

So from that game, things have turned slightly towards us.

The Geelong replacement will be interesting. Do they bring back Stanley, meaning Blicavs can go back but has fewer ruck minutes, where he has been excellent? Stanley is 34yo and might not exactly be cherry-ripe in game one back from a hammy.
Or do they play Clark and just go smaller? If so it will help us be confident we can actually bring the ball to ground instead of conceding intercept marks in our forward 50.

I have been right off Charlie but his last 2 weeks have been pretty bloody good. He looks to have his energy back and is playing for the team. He just needs to run around like a maniac and create the pressure back there with Kai and Gallop.

I know we had petrol in the tank for last year's GF but it will be a real watch if we can do so again. Gallop for one has had 3 AFL finals in 3 weeks now. Levi too would be starting to feel like it's a long season. Marshall at least should have no problem running out the game given his tank.

After the QF we would be desperate to start well and just to feel like we are in the game in general play, and that we have our match-ups right, and have Clugga in the game.

The Cats have been pretty comfortable when falling behind against the swans and hawks in recent weeks. You would think it will be a struggle to just overrun them. I think our best hope is getting a decent lead, and them having to go more attacking, and picking them off.

Fages told the team at half time in the PF - let's get our revenge against Collingwood. Obviously it proved to be a masterstroke - but did he sense we were running on empty?

 

[Gadzorks]

That's why you focus on your own game. Geelong were perfect in the QF and they made us very poor. Basically, we need to do what we normally do and dominate from the middle. We also need our small forwards to be way more defensive to try and lock it in the front half. Whatever happens, we just cannot let them smash us out of the middle like they did in the QF, that's where for us it will be won and lost.

i thought i was being funny. Swing ... miss

 

[HereIGoAgain]

It might be me, but who cares about the media whether we win or lose?

Most importantly, while the club has copped it recently from these pompous media twits it doesn't seem to have had any effect on the players at all. The team just ignores the noise and other external factors and marches on.

It has been a lively debate regardless of anyone's standing in this matter but when the team is named every Lions fan is going to back them all to the hilt. That is what matters.

 

[SizeMatters]

Might be in the minority but I reckon playing Big O and Fort is gong to hurt us especially against Cats running power.

 

[Darren Downunder]

Might be in the minority but I reckon playing Big O and Fort is gong to hurt us especially against Cats running power.

You may be right
But who would you drop, Sizey?
The psychological damage would be terrible
And who would you choose to replace them?

 

[Nathan Barley]

Might be in the minority but I reckon playing Big O and Fort is gong to hurt us especially against Cats running power.

I agree. Unless GOAT is dumb enough to play Stanley

 

[twhowler]

I agree. Unless GOAT is dumb enough to play Stanley

Yeah i kind of think Stanley could be a win for us if he plays. On the flipside if he doesn't play they might struggle to intercept. Morris demands a good opponent. And can they afford to ignore Gallop? It was telling that when he took his final mark, while excellent, nobody was near him and he got a free jump at it.

Oscar is slow in the forward line but i am hoping he goes full decoy mode. Day was shot in the last final so if Oscar can just drag his opponent away, Oscar for Day could be a decent upgrade

 

[Paul Mac]

We got our mum a concession ticket for grand final but she is not up to going. I have no idea how the DM stuff works so will check with my kids when I get home but if anyone interested we have a ticket available level section 32 next to cheer squad I presume. $425.00 if anyone interested which is what the ticket cost. Whoever the first people come back if anyone interested will sort out when I get home when kids can help me but just throwing it out there that’s all. Obviously we want a Lions supporter to get it.
Section M32 Row W

Thanks to the people who DM’d me. I just replied to the first person who DM’d me so if they take it it is gone so thanks for the people who contacted.

 

[ZoBlitz]

Chucked up a poll about the Neale/Berry selections.

 

[Kernel Kurtz]

Yeah. Cats went all in and gsve us a blueprint to beat.

But ... they now know what we know. So maybe they will create a new game that we don't know so when we go out knowing what we know we actually know nothing and get smashed again.

They beat us once they got on the outside, like Collingwood on the weekend like the Gold Coast at Carrara.
We just have to win the battle before the ball exits and even if they win the ball there has to be someone on their hammer so a rushed kick is forced.
Once we have possession we seem to do well.
Although I think in the Geelong game we over did the handballs .
That was a glitch and we are back to our system.
It's one reason why I'd like Revelle in the side .
He just is another player that can read the moment and pull it up for a second if required or play on quickly.
So underrated this quality as is not easy not to feel the pressure and play 100 miles an hour.

 

[Kernel Kurtz]

Might be in the minority but I reckon playing Big O and Fort is gong to hurt us especially against Cats running power.

That might come down to our inside fifty entries.

 

[3KZ is Football]

I voted Neale and not Berry. I am going to assume that Fagan will listen to the medical staff and Neale will have proven his capacity during the training sessions between now and the game. He’s too good to leave out.

 

[The Zork]

I worry about Neale not being able to run with their quicker mids. But that’s regardless of a calf.
If he can be the reason we win more ball first then play him. But I wouldn’t mind seeing him using his smarts in the forward line feeding out to a flashing Bailey or Cameron.

 

[twhowler]

I worry about Neale not being able to run with their quicker mids. But that’s regardless of a calf.
If he can be the reason we win more ball first then play him. But I wouldn’t mind seeing him using his smarts in the forward line feeding out to a flashing Bailey or Cameron.

There was a lot of early damage from Dempsey. Surely we get someone to play tighter on him - he was basically a high half forward and seemed to be on nobody for the first quarter.

Nobody else really torched us individually.

I can't imagine us being as bad in clearances, in particular centre clearances, again.

Stewart had 22 possessions, 7 marks, 1 goal.

Charlie Cameron and Day were almost unsighted. One is in a much better head-space, the other dropped

I am my usual lean pessimistic self in terms of feeling like it will be hard to win. But i don't think the QF, despite being played 3 weeks ago, is a great guide for this game.

 

[irish]

Neale as the sub I recon let him loose in the second half when cats are tiring and gives him less time with the injury

Could be a game changer

 

[Tricky Dicky]

We got our mum a concession ticket for grand final but she is not up to going. I have no idea how the DM stuff works so will check with my kids when I get home but if anyone interested we have a ticket available level section 32 next to cheer squad I presume. $425.00 if anyone interested which is what the ticket cost. Whoever the first people come back if anyone interested will sort out when I get home when kids can help me but just throwing it out there that’s all. Obviously we want a Lions supporter to get it.
Section M32 Row W

DM sent Paul Mac
(DM = envelope symbol - top of page, 4th from right )

 

[LucasAndrews]

We got our mum a concession ticket for grand final but she is not up to going. I have no idea how the DM stuff works so will check with my kids when I get home but if anyone interested we have a ticket available level section 32 next to cheer squad I presume. $425.00 if anyone interested which is what the ticket cost. Whoever the first people come back if anyone interested will sort out when I get home when kids can help me but just throwing it out there that’s all. Obviously we want a Lions supporter to get it.
Section M32 Row W

Hi Paul I have no clue how to DM but I am v. interested when you know. Thanks

 

[Beware The Wounded Lion]

I understand the concern RE Neale’s fitness and his lack of outside run against the Cats’ midfield, but the bigger factor for winning a GF is contested ball and clearances. We lost both areas in the QF but won both in Round 15 at GMHBA. The last team to lose contested possession and still win the premiership was West Coast in 2018 (lost by -3, mind you).

We’ve never had a quick midfield core. Our strength lies in our stoppage work: keeping the ball contested, using clean and dynamic short handball chains, and surging forward to even numbers. This was the formula against Sydney in the GF, where their outside run was negated by our dominance inside.

That inside contest will again be decisive. In the QF, Geelong won CP + clearances and gained control through strategic tagging and enormous pressure, forcing us into rushed contested possessions and capitalising on our turnovers to launch forward.

Including Neale greatly enhances our chances of clean first use. Our midfield has improved in this area since the QF – against the Suns and then against the Pies - we scored 10.5 from stoppages. While there is some risk of disrupting the balance, Neale has already proven he can perform on the biggest stage under an injury cloud. Plus, our midfield was physically dominated in the QF - I can't envision them allowing this to happen again.

Lachie's inclusion would also allow Levi to focus purely on an outside role rather than splitting minutes inside. This could prove crucial for his game, as Geelong’s midfield bulls are far more physical than Collingwood’s.

Lastly - if Neale does go down early - we still outscored Collingwood 70-28 in the 2nd half without Neale & Berry and with Bruce playing full-time wing, we won't be in unfamiliar territory.

 

[Clarkythelion]

Everyone has a view of what will happen on the weekend, right or wrong it their view. the one I found interesting is what the data says. How the teams have been measured across the last few years and especially this year on a pure data basis from Champion Data. You can watch it on YouTube if your into data and stats.

The most interesting data I found was points scored by teams in time on period of each Qtr - The bulldogs were the second best team with a points differential of +166 Geelong are over and above every other team by a mile +422 points. Probably is a sign of healthy players and a healthy list and being super fit.

We on the other hand, not so good, near the bottom, we kinda limp into the end of each Qtr. This could be more travel and a harder draw we had. It's interesting but not definitive. We certainly need fit players to run the game out and be switch on late.

 

[McIvor]

Neale as the sub I recon let him loose in the second half when cats are tiring and gives him less time with the injury

Could be a game changer

If Neale is to play, per my post days ago, I only want him to play as starting sub. See how far we can go without him. If we’re winning early in the fourth, bring him on and if his calf goes it goes or inject him early in the third if we’re losing and need a change, likely for either a McInerney / Fort depending on whether we need the extra run.

 

[lionsfooty1]

Hunting a ticket for the game. If you can assist please DM me, thanks.

 

[Lets Roar like '44]

Zorko saying he sat next to Neale on the plane but still not sure if he’s gonna play. Either he’s telling porkies or Lachie is really struggling.