Nab Cup Expectations!

[FieryNayta]

Ok everyone. We all know the NAB cup is not to be taken seriously. But we all know that if we happen to win the thing, we'd all be happy with a little financial bonus.

Im one of the few who believe that its better to do well in the NAB cup than to just capitulate before the season has even began.

Im asking you all, who would you like to see lining up for the blues during the pre-season competition and who you'd like to see sitting it out! What are you expecting to see on the field and what will make you satisified with the progress that has been happening?

Personally id love to see as many young guns out there as possible (murphy and Gibbs especially) and perhaps give Kouta a break so he is able to endure the full 22 week season.

Id also love to see how Waite and Fisher are doing after a full pre-season, being injury-free.

Love it or loathe it, we'll al be watching the NAB cup, dont deny it!

 

[HBF]

Both Waite and Fisher did pretty well yesterday. Waite played a blinder at CHB, providing a heap of run and carry out of the back half, with only a couple of missed targets and a couple of decision making blunders letting him down.

Fish played accross HF, and took a couple of nice marks, and also included a great left footed snap on the boundary right near the "new" Carlton race. Both players look go and baring injury, look like having a good season.

 

[AndyWalkersGirl]

This would be my team at the start of the game.

B: Bower, O'hAilpin, Thornton
HB:Scotland, Waite, Walker
C: Simpson, Murphy, Bentick
HF:Fisher, Kennedy, Wiggins
F: Edwards, Fevola, Betts
R: Gibbs, Ackland, Stevens
INT: Anderson, Grigg, Cloke, Russell, Hartlett, Blackwell

 

[Blue_4_Life]

This would be my team at the start of the game.

B: Bower, O'hAilpin, Thornton
HB:Scotland, Waite, Walker
C: Simpson, Murphy, Bentick
HF:Fisher, Kennedy, Wiggins
F: Edwards, Fevola, Betts
R: Gibbs, Ackland, Stevens
INT: Anderson, Grigg, Cloke, Russell, Hartlett, Blackwell

Based on what I saw last night, Houla should start on a wing or HBF for sure.

He's bigger, put his body on the line a few times, runs very hard....and most importantly can hit a target.

He kicked a few goals, and set up others through hard running and clean disposal. He was BOG IMO and will have a big year.

I'd swap him for Bentick in your team.

 

[AndyWalkersGirl]

Yeah i like Houlihan. I'd like to see him play a more attacking role this year, either on the wing or on HFF. But for that Nab Cup game, i didn't include him because I'd like to see how the kids go

 

[Blue_4_Life]

Yeah i like Houlihan. I'd like to see him play a more attacking role this year, either on the wing or on HFF. But for that Nab Cup game, i didn't include him because I'd like to see how the kids go

You're a hard task master AWG, he's only 25!

Although if he was a gymnast he'd probably be retired!!

 

[Salaryman]

Based on yesterday evening:


B: Carazzo O'Hailpin Saddington

HB: Thornton Waite Scotland

C: Walker Stevens Simmo

HF: Fisher Kennedy Murphy

F: Cloke Fevola Betts


Foll: Ackland Gibbs Houlihan

Int: Bower Blackwell Anderson Bentick Russell Hartlett

I'd probably start JR as a tag on the best opposition mid and shuffle the midfield around that.

 

[BlueBelle]

My team based on yesterdays performance:

B: Carrazzo Saddington Thornton
HB: Walker Waite Scotland
C: Simpson Stevens Houlihan
HF: Fisher Kennedy Lappin
F: Betts Fevola Cloke
Foll: Ackland Gibbs Murphy
Inter: Bower O'Hailpin Russell Blackwell Bentick Grigg

We should rest Whitnall and Kouta.

Very unfortunate to miss out are Bentick, Hartlett, Edwards and Anderson

 

[strat]

A win would be great for morale it would be just the thing the club needs..we have a great chance we are playing the club who finished just above us last year..they wern't that much better than us...you want to keep winning in the NAB cup so you can keep playing at the good grounds/continue good preparation and not have to go and do the country thing...Essendon had a win last week they would be just as desparate as us for a first round win...should be a great game wish I could see it chances are WA tv won't show that one probably get a re run of Get Smart instead.......

What I do know is that it's only been a few months since our last belting so let's not get ahead of ourselves....consistently playing competitive winning footy is what we lacked last year....that's what I expect this year it's what supporters of all clubs expect it's a no brainer sometimes we will be good enough and sometime we won't ......a determination from everyone to play to their absolute best and beyond is what we want ...you have to win a few games at least if you do that

 

[Blah Blah Blue]

Hartlett - what I saw yesterday I liked. He has to start in the NAB cup, at the very least on the bench.

He is a big body [bigger than I thought] and aggressive, put a couple of blokes on their a$$ yesterday.

Remember he was very good in NAB L/Y and if he is fit then get him in to build confidence as he should be in the best 22 for the regular season.

 

[BlueBelle]

Hartlett - what I saw yesterday I liked. He has to start in the NAB cup, at the very least on the bench.

He is a big body [bigger than I thought] and aggressive, put a couple of blokes on their a$$ yesterday.

Remember he was very good in NAB L/Y and if he is fit then get him in to build confidence as he should be in the best 22 for the regular season.

Saddington keeping Fev to zero goals yesterday gets the nod ahead of Hartlett unfortunately. Hartlett was good also, shows some aggression which is excellent considering I feel we lack that but I can't fit everybody in Actually, make that a because we finally have some depth!!!!

 

[douls]

This would be my team at the start of the game.

B: Bower, O'hAilpin, Thornton
HB:Scotland, Waite, Walker
C: Simpson, Murphy, Bentick
HF:Fisher, Kennedy, Wiggins
F: Edwards, Fevola, Betts
R: Gibbs, Ackland, Stevens
INT: Anderson, Grigg, Cloke, Russell, Hartlett, Blackwell

That would be interesting!

 

[stokesy]

Fisher, Grigg, Simpson, Jamison, Scotland and Whitnall should not be considered after breaking the team curfew.

Reward the players that work hard on and off the field for the NAB Cup opener.

 

[Andyt30]

don;t think Pagan will do that we need everybody they would have to break it more then once " 3 or 4 times" then considerate

 

[FieryNayta]

Fisher, Grigg, Jamison, Scotland and Whitnall should not be considered after breaking the team curfew.

Reward the players that work hard on and off the field for the NAB Cup opener.

I wonder if in the players minds, being left out of the NAB cup team is a punishment or a reward?

First and second year players probably cant wait to get out there and have a crack. The more senior players however probably dont give a stuff.

 

[Marc Shmurf 3]

For mine our NAB Cup team will look like this

Scotland O'hAilpin Saddington

Walker Waite Thornton

Simpson Murphy Houlihan

Fisher Kennedy Gibbs

Betts Fevola Cloke

Ackland Stevens Bentick

Whitnall Hartlett Grigg Russell Bower with either
Wiggins, Koutoufidies, Carrazzo, Anderson missing out

Gees its starting to get hard now

Good signs though.

Go Blues

 

[BlueBelle]

Fisher, Grigg, Jamison, Scotland and Whitnall should not be considered after breaking the team curfew.

Reward the players that work hard on and off the field for the NAB Cup opener.

Then you will also need to include Simmo in that list.

 

[stokesy]

I wonder if in the players minds, being left out of the NAB cup team is a punishment or a reward?

First and second year players probably cant wait to get out there and have a crack. The more senior players however probably dont give a stuff.

If the players who get left out of the NAB Cup think it is a reward, than they shouldn't be on the list at all.

Some players in the competition would see it as a reward.

But if you were passionate about the game, I'm sure you'd want to line up in any game, expecially after a pre-season where no footy has been played.

 

[TorresIsGod]

Personally, I would like an extended run in The NAB Cup (though I would not be too disappointed if we got knocked out First Round).

I want the extended run to give the young kids as much of a run as possible before the real thing starts. The more chances they get at the pre-season level, the more the fans will know what we can expect from them in the future.

Giving the kids a go is a must, and I think they will perform well and prove to all the faithful who think we have a good list with nice depth that we are correct to have so much optimism, and we are going forward.

Picking a lineup will be tough, Waite and Whitnall forward or defense, so many players could play anywhere, so I wont pick a line up, I will be happy with the line up that is selected for our first game, and I will be pleased to watch all the young kids going around, and some old stages.

I read in todays Herald Sun, Nick Stevens has not been out over the off season, he's lost a bit of weight, looks fit and is ready to step up and show us supporters (who have stuck by him, e.g me, there are others), what he can do. He has copped a lot of criticism, and I think at times, it was warranted, but he is always heavily tagged, and still averaged mid-twenties (though, his disposal wasn't always the best).

Really looking forward to getting this season started

We are The Navy Blues, we are The Old Dark Navy Blues, We're the team that never lets you down!!!

 

[FieryNayta]

For mine our NAB Cup team will look like this

Scotland O'hAilpin Saddington

Walker Waite Thornton

Simpson Murphy Houlihan

Fisher Kennedy Gibbs

Betts Fevola Cloke

Ackland Stevens Bentick

Whitnall Hartlett Grigg Russell Bower with either
Wiggins, Koutoufidies, Carrazzo, Anderson missing out

Gees its starting to get hard now

Good signs though.

Go Blues

I notice you've left Russel off the list. I wonder if you did it on purpose or forgot to include him.

Im not a fan of Russel's, and i dont think he'll ever make a good AFL footballer (i hope he proves me wrong). But i think he should be played in the nab cup to give him every oportunity to prove himself this season.

 

[FieryNayta]

If the players who get left out of the NAB Cup think it is a reward, than they shouldn't be on the list at all.

Some players in the competition would see it as a reward.

But if you were passionate about the game, I'm sure you'd want to line up in any game, expecially after a pre-season where no footy has been played.

I completely agree with you. I just wonder though if any players (and im sure there are some) who would rather sit it out.

Hopefully all of our boys would love to play and all put their hands up for selection.

 

[Brad Pearce]

That would be interesting!

haha was thinking the same thing

 

[gandaal]

Would it be considered a punishment or a reward for a senior player not to get picked for an NAB cup game?

Besides staying up late isn't a hanging offence. What Scotland did was incredibly stupid and he should be punished for it but the rest have copped there fine and that's that.

 

[nutcase888]

I'm not to fussed about how we go in the NAB cup.

They should mainly play the kids and definetly rest Lance and Kouta.

I would expect a competitive performance against Essendon but won't be too dissapointed if we lose. Essendon had a bad run with injuries last year and probably wern't as bad as they finished. they will probably want a strong NAB cup performance to kickstart the year. I think Essendon are probably a little bit ahead of us at this point but it shouldn't be to long before we overtake them.

I woul dbe dissapointed if we wern't competitive however.

 

[Adpar]

Bit of a win-win for me.
Would love to see the boys play well and win first round of the NAB. If we happen to lose I get to see them over West the following week.