Preview Lions v Port @ Adelaide Oval Saturday March 18th @ 3.35 PM Brisbane Time

[dlanod]

Terrorise him you reckon?

He'll tell him how bad life at NM is, and what Ashcroft missed out on.

 

[Dalions]

I think when you look back to the heat that Rich got after winning the rising star, his profile wasn't as big as Ashcroft's. I reckon he is going to receive a ton of heat this year.
The media don't help with articles like 'The Hype is Real' teams are going to use that as ammo to go hard at him and prove a point.

It’s not very often that teams will ‘go hard’ at a first year player. Most teams will generally just back their system to get the job done.
Especially when Ashcroft will actually be probably our 4th string inside Midfielder.
But having said that and as briztoon says, I could definitely see Hinkley sending JHF to him to go head to head with Ashcroft when he is in there.

 

[3KZ is Football]

I think when you look back to the heat that Rich got after winning the rising star, his profile wasn't as big as Ashcroft's. I reckon he is going to receive a ton of heat this year.
The media don't help with articles like 'The Hype is Real' teams are going to use that as ammo to go hard at him and prove a point.

If Ashcroft was starting in a weak team or team in the midst of a rebuild, I’d be a little worried about him, but he is surrounded by superstars in the middle and that is going to make life so much easier. Opponents have got bigger issues, like how to stop Dunkley and Neale.

While we are on Ashcroft, is it just me or does he look like the next Gary Ablett Jnr to burst onto the scene and dominate the AFL competition?

 

[Sanchez365]

Good lineup, definitely a smaller, more agile team. As with most as expecting Rayner to play down back, which means probably Wilmot to the bench and McCarthy to come on in the forward line.

No Boak is a big out for Port but with JHF, Wines, Powell Pepper they have a lot of big inside players for us to counter. We look a little more balanced in this regard with Dunkley and Neale.

As for the outside, it's not a bad game to experiment with some younger wings in Wilmot / Tunstill considering Durrsma and Rozee are both pretty slight. Butters is a good player but he should be easily outclassed by McCluggage.

No doubt we should win this game, but I'm expecting it to be pretty close.

 

[martyparty]

Good lineup, definitely a smaller, more agile team. As with most as expecting Rayner to play down back, which means probably Wilmot to the bench and McCarthy to come on in the forward line.

No Boak is a big out for Port but with JHF, Wines, Powell Pepper they have a lot of big inside players for us to counter. We look a little more balanced in this regard with Dunkley and Neale.

As for the outside, it's not a bad game to experiment with some younger wings in Wilmot / Tunstill considering Durrsma and Rozee are both pretty slight. Butters is a good player but he should be easily outclassed by McCluggage.

No doubt we should win this game, but I'm expecting it to be pretty close.

You’re right that Boak is a big out. He’s getting older but he has been carrying that team. Not sure, but I feel JHF isn’t going to have a big game in his first Port outing and Wines isn’t 100% fit.
Powell-Pepper has matured and is much more likely to put in a reliable performance.. but the player the Lions should be wary of is a fit and free-from-injury Miles Bergman.

 

[Viceregal]

While we are on Ashcroft, is it just me or does he look like the next Gary Ablett Jnr to burst onto the scene and dominate the AFL competition?

As long as you are talking onfield not off field sounds great! Probably do a better job as a captain as well

 

[M Malice]

The last high profile pick 1 I remember getting "terrorised" in his debut was Jack Watts. IIRC his first touch of the ball he got swamped by 2-3 players and driven into the ground, tried to find the vision but can't find it.

 

[DERRINALPHIL]

Lol I'd like to say through meditation and gratefulness. But really just getting too old to give a rat's. Very liberating

I think you may be discounting your maturity somewhat. Sounding like Jordan Peterson, I refuse to worry about anything that will not be an issue in a month. It's the DF, " I refuse to give a rat's about anything that will completely fade away in a month".

 

[briztoon]

Terrorise him you reckon?

Nah. Just JHF being a kent.

 

[KissKiss]

Putting effort into Ashcroft would be crazy for a team. Its just asking for Neale, Clugg, etc to get off the chain. It might make a litttle sense if we were a bottom of the ladder (but then you should back your system anyway), against a top team its suicide.

Even last year Daicos wasnt really getting tagged when Collingwood was going well

 

[briztoon]

Just for clarification, I never said Port would put effort in to Ashcroft.

I did say I expect JHF to try and monster Ashcroft at some point, because I expect JHF to turn in to a major campaigner on the field (the negative connotation of the word btw).

 

[Dalions]

Well atleast the club has come to its senses and posted Fages pre game interview.
I wonder if they received a lot of complaints?

Fagan: Bring it On

Chris Fagan is ready to see his team put all their pre-season work into action this Saturday against Port Adelaide.

www.lions.com.au

 

[nup]

I also predict that many AFL players will be campaigners this year

 

[Grasshopper17]

Well atleast the club has come to its senses and posted Fages pre game interview.
I wonder if they received a lot of complaints?

Fagan: Bring it On

Chris Fagan is ready to see his team put all their pre-season work into action this Saturday against Port Adelaide.

www.lions.com.au

Or maybe Round 1 is considered a "bigger than normal" event. Time will tell I guess...

 

[M Malice]

I also predict that many AFL players will be campaigners this year

I would like to know the campaigner to knowledgeable AFL player ratio as compared to the campaigner to knowledgeable ratio of Big Footy posters.

ie. How many of us are campaigners?

 

[Berrygood]

Pretty happy with the team selected. Great balance of youth n experience. I'm wrapped that Wilmot, Dev and Tunstill have pushed their way in. Big fan of all 3. Prior I think will be sub. I've said before, that when Dev and Prior play together they push each other to another level.

Can't see us losing this one.

 

[Grasshopper17]

How many of us are campaigners?

Guilty as charged.

 

[M Malice]

Guilty as charged.

Welcome to the club Hoppy.

 

[M Malice]

Well atleast the club has come to its senses and posted Fages pre game interview.
I wonder if they received a lot of complaints?

Fagan: Bring it On

Chris Fagan is ready to see his team put all their pre-season work into action this Saturday against Port Adelaide.

www.lions.com.au

I was struck with how well Fages looked in that interview, looks very fresh, happy and alert... most coaches noticeably age during their tenure.

I would say I hope I am looking that well at his age BUT I am 2 years older than him.

 

[Viceregal]

Just for clarification, I never said Port would put effort in to Ashcroft.

I did say I expect JHF to try and monster Ashcroft at some point, because I expect JHF to turn in to a major campaigner on the field (the negative connotation of the word btw).

I wonder how long it will take for the Port faithful to turn on JHF if it turns out that his bad attitude is inherent and nothing to do with being at North / not at Port... of course if he considers his team mates at Port to be just as useless as the ones he had at North then...

 

[twhowler]

I think JHF will be a very good player but i'd be surprised if he is particularly damaging on Saturday. It was way back in October but he did have major surgery on both legs for the artery issue, and was on a modified programme for a long time.

Boak is 34yo and would not have been the difference.

SPP has played some good games against us. Butters I really rate. Rozee looked bloody good last year. Wines is an interesting one seems to have poor knees and has spoken about having it for the rest of his life, obviously a good player though. It's a good midfield, but ours should be better if we are fair dinkum. Ruck Lycett has been a cross between injured and poor of late.

Harris has done well on Dixon in the past. Payne is not a bad match-up for Marshall. Fantasia and Rioli might worry us a bit. Starce for one of them. McKenna for the other? McKenna should know Fantasia's game pretty well so that is what i would go with.

Aliir is a gun at his best. We need to exploit whomever is on McKenzie and Jonas. Port fans reckon they are struggling and they are undersized. I'm also not sure they have a great match-up for Cameron. DBJ? Burton? Houston?

Perhaps I am a victim of recency bias because Port were top 2 in 2020 and 2021 but i just don't see them as having enough quality across this list to win. Games not played on paper etc. I am quietly confident.

 

[iBeng]

Will be fun watching Ashcroft break tackles from JHF and then run rings around him. Possibly the most overrated 1st pick draft player since Watts.

 

[Milux]

I'm not saying Ashcroft won't be a sensation but lowering our expectations would be a big help.

Lucky he's not playing for Collingwood or Essendon. The pressure would be unbearable.

I get this. But watching him this off season I think this man is up to it.

 

[Nathan Barley]

We've exposed Ports front running midfield several times in the past but they've also struggled to have them all fit and firing at the same time.

Will be a good test to see our new defensive setup and transition in the midfield and will be important with our defence vulnerable 1 on 1

Expect our forwardline to win us the game as they did several times last year when we were unconvincing but banking wins

 

[Viceregal]

We've exposed Ports front running midfield several times in the past but they've also struggled to have them all fit and firing at the same time.

Will be a good test to see our new defensive setup and transition in the midfield and will be important with our defence vulnerable 1 on 1

Expect our forwardline to win us the game as they did several times last year when we were unconvincing but banking wins

Vote 1 here for banking convincing wins this year ... please