Preview lions v Cats at the Gabbatoir

[Bucking Beads]

It won't happen, but you'd hope we'd in the ear of Pendles to bring him up here in some coaching capacity.
If he coaches, it will be for the Pies, but one would think he's got multiple offers on the table.

How is Pendlebury the saviour though? What track record of coaching does he have?

 

[p4p1]

How ripped is beastmode these days.

Really is such a shame he isn't a better footballer. His personality/mentality in our 22 would really help IMO.

 

[p4p1]

If the board have some balls this should be a stuart dew type deciding game for fages.

terrible take.
He has taken us from cellar dwellers to top 4 for a few years running. He and the coaching team don't always get it right, and I personally am in strong disagreement with them continuing to play Gunston. But I am also not sure of any other head coach that would have got us to where we are now and with a culture we can mostly be proud of. The missing piece in the coaching puzzle for us might be as simple as a tactical genius assistant coach. Ironically probably someone with a football brain like Gunners.

 

[p4p1]

I'm currently listening to this weeks Roar Deal and I think Dom Fay must read Big Footy... his changes for this weekend are Lyons and Gunston omitted for Dunkley and Ah Chee. He also commented that Lester was caught out for pace a couple of times against the Demons and was throwing up the possibility of him going out for Gardiner before the finals.

I don't see Gardiner being any quicker than Lester though, similar paced but seems to react a bit more slowly lately.
Gardiner is prone to at least 1 or 2 howlers a game which cost goals, I think with role players you need to choose the ones who are less likely to give up stupid, easy goals.

 

[McIvor]

Outs to solely come from Robertson, Lyons, Coleman or Lester unless there is an injury we don’t know about.

No other player from last weeks name side has ever been omitted under Fagan’s reign as coach which is why I disagree with Mighty Lions post alluding to all players aren’t safe. The facts just don’t support that position at all.

As others have said Dunkley and Ah Chee shorly have to come back in.

 

[Nathan Barley]

I don't see Gardiner being any quicker than Lester though, similar paced but seems to react a bit more slowly lately.
Gardiner is prone to at least 1 or 2 howlers a game which cost goals, I think with role players you need to choose the ones who are less likely to give up stupid, easy goals.

When Dizzy is fit he's much quicker than Lester. Used to be a good matchup for Betts

Also did a job on Jeremy Cameron in the final last year

 

[M Malice]

Outs to solely come from Robertson, Lyons, Coleman or Lester unless there is an injury we don’t know about.

No other player from last weeks name side has ever been omitted under Fagan’s reign as coach which is why I disagree with Mighty Lions post alluding to all players aren’t safe. The facts just don’t support that position at all.

As others have said Dunkley and Ah Chee shorly have to come back in.

Fagan has also dropped Gunston(and Rich), they did not omit themselves that was just a ballsed up attempt to try and save some face for them.

 

[p4p1]

When Dizzy is fit he's much quicker than Lester. Used to be a good matchup for Betts

Also did a job on Jeremy Cameron in the final last year

Fair point. Being fit is the issue he is struggling with. A few years ago I thought he had overtaken Andrews as our most important defender, unfortunately those days seem long gone now.

 

[On the quiet]

Outs to solely come from Robertson, Lyons, Coleman or Lester unless there is an injury we don’t know about.

No other player from last weeks name side has ever been omitted under Fagan’s reign as coach which is why I disagree with Mighty Lions post alluding to all players aren’t safe. The facts just don’t support that position at all.

As others have said Dunkley and Ah Chee shorly have to come back in.

i might be misinterpreting your post but Payne was constantly in and out of the team in 2021, 2022. I think even dropped a few times in 2020 IIRC. As I said I might have misinterpreted your intent

 

[StevoJenkins]

How is Pendlebury the saviour though? What track record of coaching does he have?

Never said Pendles was a saviour, but I reckon his input would be invaluable, maybe even better than Hodge to a degree.

We need new blood in that coaching group.
We have with no real highly rated assistants, and there's been guys who have been in that group for way too long. But to get those new guys who may be something, you've got to put the feelers out early.

 

[Gadzorks]

When Dizzy is fit he's much quicker than Lester. Used to be a good matchup for Betts

Also did a job on Jeremy Cameron in the final last year

We have Wilmot now to take on fast forward. So we get footy smarts in Lester and speed and smarts in Wilmot.

 

[Nathan Barley]

We have Wilmot now to take on fast forward. So we get footy smarts in Lester and speed and smarts in Wilmot.

Unless there are fast talls like Cameron, Rohan and Henry

 

[rye]

think ive read the same melts from 2 specific posters in just about every thread on the first page now

 

[Clarkythelion]

I get the feeling, a bit like my golf game, we have hit a plato, and we have been there a while, maybe even more than this season.

Don't get me wrong, I love Fagan he re-built the team and each game coming home from the GABBA it's odd on to be a win BUT .....

I feel like opposition teams are motivating us, when we are beaten. I feel like opposition teams are driving the changes Fagan makes. When ever we get to a few games of plain sailing out wind just dies off and we flounder, we get a solid beating in positions, the scoreboard, what ever then we find our mojo again. We just don't seem to get a good run of wins where we are UP for weeks on end. We on here so often say - where did that come from when we haven't turned up to play.

Seems to me we have more of a mental thing going on, how do we keep individual player UP rather than these big swings in form (e.g. Charlie) and how do we keep the team as a unit at peace performance. (Travel Vs Home matches is another example) We also seem to have big momentum swings in games.

I just wonder are we mentally tough enough? or do we have real Leadership on and off the ground? It seems to me the last couple of % to greatness is just missing - yet.

 

[Lazza16]

I'm currently listening to this weeks Roar Deal and I think Dom Fay must read Big Footy... his changes for this weekend are Lyons and Gunston omitted for Dunkley and Ah Chee. He also commented that Lester was caught out for pace a couple of times against the Demons and was throwing up the possibility of him going out for Gardiner before the finals.

I think he was referring to, without naming him, 3KZ as well when saying there are some Lester lovers on social media.

 

[Lets Roar like '44]

I'm currently listening to this weeks Roar Deal and I think Dom Fay must read Big Footy... his changes for this weekend are Lyons and Gunston omitted for Dunkley and Ah Chee. He also commented that Lester was caught out for pace a couple of times against the Demons and was throwing up the possibility of him going out for Gardiner before the finals.

Not sure why the love for Ah Chee. An honest toiler but don’t think he’s the game changer we are looking for.

 

[mpal6]

I'm beyond frustrated with how this team operates. We've actually had a stellar list build and are challenging for a premiership. The issues are now mental and tactical. Can we win a Premiership this year? Yes we can! Will we win the Premiership this year? I don't think we will.

I was hoping we'll beat Melbourne (win 5) and continue that run of wins over Geelong, Suns, Dockers and Crows. It would've given us a 9 win momentum entering the game vs Pies.

Instead we have loss- win- loss- 7wins- 2loss- 4wins- 1loss so far. Its more of a spluttering sequence than a ruthless run from potential Premier in my eyes.

Now I'm hoping for 6 wins, including Pies, to close out the season strongly and show we mean business come finals.

 

[M Malice]

Not sure why the love for Ah Chee. An honest toiler but don’t think he’s the game changer we are looking for.

Not a game changer but I would prefer Ah Chee over Gunston any day of the week.

 

[whizkizz]

I get the feeling, a bit like my golf game, we have hit a plato, and we have been there a while, maybe even more than this season.

Don't get me wrong, I love Fagan he re-built the team and each game coming home from the GABBA it's odd on to be a win BUT .....

I feel like opposition teams are motivating us, when we are beaten. I feel like opposition teams are driving the changes Fagan makes. When ever we get to a few games of plain sailing out wind just dies off and we flounder, we get a solid beating in positions, the scoreboard, what ever then we find our mojo again. We just don't seem to get a good run of wins where we are UP for weeks on end. We on here so often say - where did that come from when we haven't turned up to play.

Seems to me we have more of a mental thing going on, how do we keep individual player UP rather than these big swings in form (e.g. Charlie) and how do we keep the team as a unit at peace performance. (Travel Vs Home matches is another example) We also seem to have big momentum swings in games.

I just wonder are we mentally tough enough? or do we have real Leadership on and off the ground? It seems to me the last couple of % to greatness is just missing - yet.

We won 7 on the trot between Rounds 4 and 10 this year. Only the Pies (8) and Port (13) have bettered that.

It's probably a little unrealistic to expect to dominate a game from start to finish (maybe WCE and North bring exceptions). The 6-6-6 ensures there's always an even contest for the ball and allows teams to score in a flurry.

We do seem to play very systematically and I often wonder if we're ruthless enough. I sense it's been coached into the squad to practice controlling the tempo of games when they can, rather than play hell for leather the whole match and put on the absolute biggest score possible.

 

[bungalow_bill]

Maybe we play all 3 of our snails in Gunston, Lyons and Rich + our budding tortoise Froggy.

Rich and Lester emerging from our back line at full pelt View attachment Giant Tortoises at Full Speed.mp4

 

[M Malice]

Rich and Lester emerging from our back line at full pelt View attachment 1744152

I like it, we finally have our big bodied defenders.

 

[Sanchez365]

I wonder if a left field selection could be to drop Lester, move Rayner back into that third defensive tall role and then bring Ah Chee in as the defensive forward.

 

[On the quiet]

Never said Pendles was a saviour, but I reckon his input would be invaluable, maybe even better than Hodge to a degree.

We need new blood in that coaching group.
We have with no real highly rated assistants, and there's been guys who have been in that group for way too long. But to get those new guys who may be something, you've got to put the feelers out early.

Since the beginning of the year, stated that if we did not make the GF or at least be competitive in a Prelim: we might have to look at some of the assistants who have been there for some time. A few of the bigger Melb clubs and some of our main competitors have former head coaches as assistants, and or highly rated ex-players.

I support Fages and IMO he deserves to stay, but perhaps we need some better credentialed assistants, but I am waiting until the end of the season and I believe based on what I watched on the tele in the 3rd Q last week, we will be competitive come the finals.

 

[On the quiet]

I wonder if a left field selection could be to drop Lester, move Rayner back into that third defensive tall role and then bring Ah Chee in as the defensive forward.

It certainly has merit We need someone to go with Rohan (if fit), and Payne has done it in the past but reckon ankle not 100% and he likely takes Hawkins. So other than Starc on Rohan, Cam trained as a back in the pre-season so I think it has some legs.

 

[Lets Roar like '44]

I wonder if a left field selection could be to drop Lester, move Rayner back into that third defensive tall role and then bring Ah Chee in as the defensive forward.

This is the same issue we did with Melb. Why are we, the better team, trying to change things? It should be the other team “trying things” to beat us.