AFL Toast Marsh Series 2: 4 point win against the Cats

Can we actually get an undefeated pre-season?


  • Total voters
    21
  • Poll closed .
Observations

Geelong: The Cats had a poor game to start off the Marsh Series, getting smashed by Gold Coast, going down by 68 points as the Suns ran riot. Quinton Narkle was excellent for Geelong with 26 disposals whilst Gary Rohan was the only multiple goal scorer with 3, Tom Atkins also doing well with 22 touches and a goal.

Essendon: Essendon had a great win against West Coast in Perth, the team putting the heat up on the Eagles. Will Snelling was close to best afield, his pressure was outstanding, having 20 disposals, 7 tackles and 2 goals, Whilst Darcy Parish collected 29 disposals and a goal


Head to Head (last 5)

Geelong 3-2 Essendon


Form Guide

Geelong: 0W 0L
Essendon: 0W 0L


Sportsbet odds

Geelong: N/A
Essendon: N/A
Line: N/A ($1.90)


Possible sides

Geelong vs Essendon

B: Aaron Francis - Brandon Zerk-Thatcher - Adam Saad

F: Gary Rohan - Tom Hawkins - Gryan Miers
HB: Jordan Ridley - Michael Hurley - Mason Redman
HF: Josh Jenkins - Esava Ratugolea - Gary Ablett
C: Andrew McGrath - Devon Smith - David Zaharakis
C: Brandon Parfitt - Joel Selwood - Jacob Kennerley
HF: Jayden Laverde - Jake Stringer - Anthony McDonald-Tipungwuti
HB: Thomas Stewart - Harry Taylor - Jordan Clark
F: Orazio Fantasia - Shaun McKernan - Will Snelling
B: Mark O'Connor - Mark Blicavs - Jack Henry
R: Andrew Phillips - Zachary Merrett - Dylan Clarke
R: Rhys Stanley - Patrick Dangerfield - Quinton Narkle
I: Darcy Parish - Martin Gleeson - Kyle Langford - Conor McKenna
I: Jack Steven - Cameron Guthrie - Zach Tuohy - Tom Atkins
I: Brayden Ham - Dylan Shiel - Nigel Lockyer - Brynn Teakle
I: Sam Menegola - Jed Bews - Charlie Constable - Bradley Close

Geelong in: N/A; Out: N/A
Essendon in: N/A; Out: N/A


Geelong defence vs Essendon forward line

Essendon were ranked 10th in the AFL in terms of goals per inside 50 entry last season, getting one 22.3% of the time it enters the 50. Geelong's defence was in the top 4 in this area, constricting the opposition to a goal just 18.9% of the time it entered their defensive 50. Essendon will probably run with a smaller forward line than usual with their injuries, so Mark Blicavs against Shaun McKernan will be one to watch, with McKernan being the only real tall target inside 50, which means Jake Stringer and Jayden Laverde will need to keep intercept experts Harry Taylor and Tom Stewart occupied so smalls Orazio Fantasia, Anthony McDonald-Tipungwuti and Will Snelling can have a chance to crumb the ball.


Midfield/rucks battle

Essendon struggled in the clearances in the back half of the last year, their last 11 games going from 4th down to 12th overall, whilst Geelong were mid table in that particular area. Dylan Clarke will get the challenge of tagging Patrick Dangerfield in preparation of his likely round 1 job of Nat Fyfe, leaving the likes of Joel Selwood, Quinton Narkle and Jack Steven to go head to head with Devon Smith, Darcy Parish and Zach Merrett to go head to head in the battle of smaller midfielders. Brandon Parfitt and Andrew McGrath look likely to go head to head on a wing, their speed and two way running being key features for each player, whilst Brayden Ham and Jacob Kennerley could compete on the other wing as two young, hard running players. Rucks wise, expect Andrew Phillips' physicality to have the advantage over Rhys Stanley at the stoppage whilst the latter will have a distinct athletic advantage.


Geelong forward line vs Essendon defence

Geelong were also very strong forward of centre last year, kicking a goal 24.5% of the time it entered their forward fifty. Essendon have a relatively strong back 7, conceding a goal 21.2% of the time it enters defensive 50, 6th in the league in this area last year. Geelong are going for a 3 tall forward structure nowadays with Tom Hawkins, Josh Jenkins and Esava Ratugolea, young Brandon Zerk-Thatcher will get a big test against Jenkins whilst Michael Hurley and Aaron Francis will likely take Hawkins and Ratugolea respectively. Gary Rohan is a medium forward with good hands and pressure, watch him and Martin Gleeson reunite for the first time since that infamous day in Sydney, whilst Adam Saad will play on superstar Gary Ablett whilst he's up there.


X-Factor Player

Mark O'Connor cam on in leaps and bounds last season, the Irishman quietly becoming a very good player, without the hype of some of his countrymen such as Essendon's Conor McKenna, who he could in fact match up on, or Hawthorne's Conor Nash. Watch this space.


Key stat

Geelong: Clearances. Dangerfield, Selwood, Steven. Need to use these inside beasts well to win this game.

Essendon: Inside 50's. Essendon need 50+ inside 50's to win a game of football, they're good at generating shots at goal when in there.


Tip

Great win last time, hope to have a similar effort but I see Geelong winning by 13 points.
 
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Not that pre-season games are always great viewing, but wouldn't it have made a lot more sense to play this on the Saturday or Sunday when people are more likely to travel down to Colac, rather than at the exact time most people would be driving home from a long weekend?
 
Was a great day down there 2 years ago....carnival like atmosphere. Tipping gleeso won’t have good memories though.

Kick on down at the union hotel afterwards!
And call in sick Tuesday :p
 
Final squad will be announced 4.30 on Saturday apparently.

Presumably two of the guys on the bench get dropped to make 26: Martin Gleeson, Mason Redman, Darcy Parish, Kyle Langford, Brayden Ham, Jacob Townsend, Jake Stringer, Conor McKenna

Of those, Parish, Langford, Gleeson and Ham have already played two pre-season games, so may be rotated.


edit: As eth pointed out below, there are already 26 in the squad (which is how many were allowed for preseason games) so we don’t need to cull an extended bench, unlike a normal Sunday/Monday game.
 
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Bombers36

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Jul 15, 2008
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With the exception of Heppell, Hooker & Ambrose this is as good a squad as we will get in 2020.
Theoretically Bellchambers & Daniher are best 22 also, but both out of contract at the end of the year and the likelyhood of either of them playing for extended period in 2020 is low.
I like how they name Snelling at CHF...!!! Surely SMACK or Stringer plays there...Comon Dons - ot would be great to get a win over the Cats even if it is just a pre-season warm up
 
Yeah absolutely - its when you've been involved and coached footy and used the magnet board then you see them named like that it just looks wrong!
Yeah, I know. One time last year as team manager I put all the forwards back, all the backs as mids and all the mids as forwards on the vara website as a gag
 
Final squad will be announced 4.30 on Saturday apparently.

Presumably two of the guys on the bench get dropped to make 26: Martin Gleeson, Mason Redman, Darcy Parish, Kyle Langford, Brayden Ham, Jacob Townsend, Jake Stringer, Conor McKenna

Of those, Parish, Langford, Gleeson and Ham have already played two pre-season games, so may be rotated.
But we have 26 named?
 
But we have 26 named?
You are quite right. I can’t math. I can never math. Haha. They said in the article that this is the squad and final teams are on Saturday, so I just applied the usual logic of Sunday teams without counting.

I wonder if we’ll do a dry run with 22 and rotation limits. Apparently some of the other teams are doing that.
 
Final squad will be announced 4.30 on Saturday apparently.

Presumably two of the guys on the bench get dropped to make 26: Martin Gleeson, Mason Redman, Darcy Parish, Kyle Langford, Brayden Ham, Jacob Townsend, Jake Stringer, Conor McKenna

Of those, Parish, Langford, Gleeson and Ham have already played two pre-season games, so may be rotated.


edit: As eth pointed out below, there are already 26 in the squad (which is how many were allowed for preseason games) so we don’t need to cull an extended bench, unlike a normal Sunday/Monday game.

Didn't we go with a few players less in the second game last year ? Anyway it will be those who they think are the 22 for round 1 that will get most of the game time I suspect.
 
Didn't we go with a few players less in the second game last year ? Anyway it will be those who they think are the 22 for round 1 that will get most of the game time I suspect.
Yeah, I do recall the likes of Draper and Ham only playing the last 5 minutes in our second game last year.
 
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