Preview Preview and Changes Vs Adelaide

[Jumbo]

Any word on how ticket sales are going for this game?

 

[finbarr]

It won't be cold, wet and blustery, it'll be perfect conditions for football. And Matt Thomas should never come in when we have a fully fit squad under any circumstances.

 

[Peck]

It won't be cold, wet and blustery, it'll be perfect conditions for football. And Matt Thomas should never come in when we have a fully fit squad under any circumstances.

So Matt Thomas has what we call the "Reverse-Gold Pass" now?

Anyone who is playing well deserves a spot in the team. Cassisi and Gray deserve spots in the team if they are playing well, they have earned those spots over years, its not a gold pass to bring your ex-captain back in just because we have young players playing alright. I think it would be a very good idea to get some more experience in our backline for this week, as they have really not been under much pressure just yet. I'd prefer the trio of Pittard/Stevenson/Heath to stay in, so they can learn to deal with pressure, but if Hinkley wants the win more than the experience, then so be it.

 

[Doctor Feel]

All this talk of "harder bodies" is such a 2008-2012 loser mentality. Our guys in our 22 have big bodies now. We don't need to make changes just based on "BUT MATT THOMASZ HAS BIG MUSCLEZ"

 

[Doctor Feel]

So Matt Thomas has what we call the "Reverse-Gold Pass" now?

Anyone who is playing well deserves a spot in the team. Cassisi and Gray deserve spots in the team if they are playing well, they have earned those spots over years, its not a gold pass to bring your ex-captain back in just because we have young players playing alright. I think it would be a very good idea to get some more experience in our backline for this week, as they have really not been under much pressure just yet. I'd prefer the trio of Pittard/Stevenson/Heath to stay in, so they can learn to deal with pressure, but if Hinkley wants the win more than the experience, then so be it.

Problem: Disposal.

It's pretty clear as soon as Hinkley came in, can't kick, can't play.

 

[Schulzenfest]

I think it would be a very good idea to get some more experience in our backline for this week, as they have really not been under much pressure just yet. I'd prefer the trio of Pittard/Stevenson/Heath to stay in, so they can learn to deal with pressure

Thanks for your opinion, Mr. Cornes/Rowe.

Ability and form > experience. Every, EVERY time. Someone like O'Shea has only been OK so far, so if he was replaced by Cassisi, then fine. But Pittard, Stevenson and Heath have all been in very good form. If one of them was dropped for a guy who spent most of last year spudding it up for the sake of 'experience', it would be ridiculous.

Also, the relevant 'experience' isn't always about games played. Pittard, Stevenson and Heath have two games (plus the preseason) worth of experience under Hinkley's hard running, quick moving style of defensive movement. Cassisi has two years of experience under Primus' bullshit short chipping triple switch style of defensive movement. That's not a good thing. Watch the first half of last week's game and see how much worse (how Primus-y) our ball movement out of defence was when Carlile (who didn't play Round 1 so was playing his first game under the new system) got the ball as opposed to when anybody else got the ball. The new style will take time to adjust to. Pittard, Stevenson and Heath have had more time to adjust to it than Cassisi has.

if Hinkley wants the win more than the experience, then so be it.

Fallacy. Pittard, Stevenson and Heath are better players than Cassisi NOW. Getting experience into these guys and going all out for the win are one and the same thing at Port Adelaide.

 

[Ralph Lorenz]

The krows will be so disappointed that they have to play yet ANOTHER game against a 'winnable' opponent in the wet if it rains.

Begin operation Excuse MaGoose

 

[Chrizzt]

I would expect that O'Shea stays in as I reckon Hinkley will want to try him, along with Jonas, Trengove, and Carlile against Walker and Jenkins to get a better feel for what key defensive roles they can play against various types of opponent.

I'm not totally opposed for Cassisi coming in, as he'd make a good hard-ball extractor down back when the ball hits the ground. Carlile did alright with that last weekend, and Jonas has shown a bit of it, but O'Shea, Heath, Stevenson haven't shown heaps in terms of pulling the ball out of a pack.

 

[Doctor Feel]

I would expect that O'Shea stays in as I reckon Hinkley will want to try him, along with Jonas, Trengove, and Carlile against Walker and Jenkins to get a better feel for what key defensive roles they can play against various types of opponent.

I'm not totally opposed for Cassisi coming in, as he'd make a good hard-ball extractor down back when the ball hits the ground. Carlile did alright with that last weekend, and Jonas has shown a bit of it, but O'Shea, Heath, Stevenson haven't shown heaps in terms of pulling the ball out of a pack.

Not their main role to do so. However Stevenson and Heath have both been immense in traffic with the ball.

 

[Steve Dore]

...... Pittard, Stevenson and Heath are better players than Cassisi NOW. Getting experience into these guys and going all out for the win are one and the same thing at Port Adelaide.

This.

 

[Chrizzt]

Not their main role to do so. However Stevenson and Heath have both been immense in traffic with the ball.

I agree on both counts, just saying I could understand why Cassisi might get a game.

 

[cj_09]

It won't be cold, wet and blustery, it'll be perfect conditions for football. And Matt Thomas should never come in when we have a fully fit squad under any circumstances.

It'll definitely be wet.

 

[Steve Dore]

..... O'Shea, Heath, Stevenson haven't shown heaps in terms of pulling the ball out of a pack.

That trio have won plenty of the contetsted ball down back and used it well.

Wet or not Cassisi couldn't run out of sight on a dark night.

 

[finbarr]

It'll definitely be wet.

Doubt it. Shower or two is nothing.

 

[kaysee]

Mitchell would have the speed but he wouldn't have the physicality to go 1v1 against Crows mids.

Coming as a mature recruit from the WAFL, he's a more mature body than a simple young rookie. I think his strength holds up fine.

 

[kaysee]

Doubt it. Shower or two is nothing.

Agree... can't really see it rain having that much effect on the game. It wont be tropical or consistent rain and the ground drains well. Might make things a bit slippery, but no more so than the dew last Saturday night.

 

[LeoMessi]

Coming as a mature recruit from the WAFL, he's a more mature body than a simple young rookie. I think his strength holds up fine.

I'm sure he's strength holds up fine but your comparing a 75kg player against a 90kg player. If i was the opposition player getting tackled, I'd know which one I'd like to be it!

 

[BornPort]

 

[Bob Neil]

Given recent posts suggesting it will be wet I think the issue of Port's two ruckmen against Crows' one becomes very interesting.

1. Will the wet conditions make every true ruckmen more of a liability around the ground and hence advantage the Crows? I think it's fair to say that none of these three ruckmen really have the flexibility to play other roles or add significant value around the ground.
2. In the two games so far, Port's two ruckmen (I know Redden's out this week and Renouf in) have each had ~75% time on ground. Assuming they're never on the bench at the same time, then they spent 25% time off each making it 50% of the time in total that one ruckmen is on the bench. That's 50% of the time that the rest of Port's players only have two bench spots to rotate through. In contrast Jacobs has 90% TOG and hence only takes up one bench spot 10% of the time. Would the limited availability of rotations reduce the effectiveness of other players.

 

[RangaInTeal]

Given recent posts suggesting it will be wet I think the issue of Port's two ruckmen against Crows' one becomes very interesting.

1. Will the wet conditions make every true ruckmen more of a liability around the ground and hence advantage the Crows? I think it's fair to say that none of these three ruckmen really have the flexibility to play other roles or add significant value around the ground.
2. In the two games so far, Port's two ruckmen (I know Redden's out this week and Renouf in) have each had ~75% time on ground. Assuming they're never on the bench at the same time, then they spent 25% time off each making it 50% of the time in total that one ruckmen is on the bench. That's 50% of the time that the rest of Port's players only have two bench spots to rotate through. In contrast Jacobs has 90% TOG and hence only takes up one bench spot 10% of the time. Would the limited availability of rotations reduce the effectiveness of other players.

Point two is a very good query!

However, I think first use of the ball is paramount and two ruckmen will give us first look at it. One to Crash and Bash and the other to pick on a sore and sorry Jacobs as the night progress'

 

[Schulzenfest]

Given recent posts suggesting it will be wet I think the issue of Port's two ruckmen against Crows' one becomes very interesting.

1. Will the wet conditions make every true ruckmen more of a liability around the ground and hence advantage the Crows? I think it's fair to say that none of these three ruckmen really have the flexibility to play other roles or add significant value around the ground.
2. In the two games so far, Port's two ruckmen (I know Redden's out this week and Renouf in) have each had ~75% time on ground. Assuming they're never on the bench at the same time, then they spent 25% time off each making it 50% of the time in total that one ruckmen is on the bench. That's 50% of the time that the rest of Port's players only have two bench spots to rotate through. In contrast Jacobs has 90% TOG and hence only takes up one bench spot 10% of the time. Would the limited availability of rotations reduce the effectiveness of other players.

Renouf fulltime ruck, Jacobs fulltime ruck
Lobbe 2nd ruck/key forward, Jenkins 2nd ruck/key forward
Schulz fulltime forward, Walker fulltime forward

We have the same amount of key position players (Westhoff is not playing as a key position player this year, he's playing as a wingman). The only difference is your 2nd ruck is a better forward than ruckman and our 2nd ruck is a better ruckman than forward. And you'd have to include Jenkins' TOG stats in the comparison from point 2 to make it fair (although the Crows would probably still be ahead).

 

[RangaInTeal]

Point two is a very good query!

However, I think first use of the ball is paramount and two ruckmen will give us first look at it. One to Crash and Bash and the other to pick on a sore and sorry Jacobs as the night progress'

If we have the footy in our hands it's a lot easier to run, chasing is a different story... I hope that makes sense?

 

[finbarr]

I really don't think the weather will play a significant role. The forecast is for a shower or two with a fining trend if anything.

Some people may also remember the second showdown of 2007, a crows home game, when Dean Brogan went down with a back injury in the pre-match warm up. It rained for most of the match and we got utterly creamed in the ruck and at stoppages.

 

[RangaInTeal]

Renouf fulltime ruck, Jacobs fulltime ruck
Lobbe 2nd ruck/key forward, Jenkins 2nd ruck/key forward
Schulz fulltime forward, Walker fulltime forward

We have the same amount of key position players (Westhoff is not playing as a key position player this year, he's playing as a wingman). The only difference is your 2nd ruck is a better forward than ruckman and our 2nd ruck is a better ruckman than forward. And you'd have to include Jenkins' TOG stats in the comparison from point 2 to make it fair (although the Crows would probably still be ahead).

Again, another very good point! How much better this board is with informed opposition supporters popping in to raise good points and queries!

 

[Del80659]

I'm sure he's strength holds up fine but your comparing a 75kg player against a 90kg player. If i was the opposition player getting tackled, I'd know which one I'd like to be it!

"Littlest player on an AFL list and he wraps up that tackle at 69 kilos!"