Preview R17: Changes vs. Melbourne Demons

[Golumless]

Well currently Murphy and Tex are both playing.

Exactly.

The thing with any conversation around replacing Tex with a structural change is the replacement is either Murphy, or a prospect who's had multiple years to get past what is a low bar and failed to do so. Notwithstanding there is already a slot in our lineup available for anyone who shows a pulse.

Retain structure? Well now you're picking a guy who's never been more than good-solid depth because the one option who could have built that run to replace him got whacked with the long term injury stick.

 

[Cromulant]

Exactly.

The thing with any conversation around replacing Tex with a structural change is the replacement is either Murphy, or a prospect who's had multiple years to get past what is a low bar and failed to do so. Notwithstanding there is already a slot in our lineup available for anyone who shows a pulse.

Failed to get past a low bar??

You do understand how he finished last year so well, and then was shifted from his preferred position to play forward and does so with similar success to the aforementioned Murphy, only with scope to improve ??

Or are you of the ridiculous opinion players cant improve after year 3 ??

 

[Golumless]

Failed to get past a low bar??

You do understand how he finished last year so well, and then was shifted from his preferred position to play forward and does so with similar success to the aforementioned Murphy, only with scope to improve ??

Or are you of the ridiculous opinion players cant improve after year 3 ??

He finished so well last year he was out of our best 22 in round 1 2025. More to the point, he shifted because there was no spot for him, going against the whole "finished so well" part.

My opinion is if you've had four years on a list and you can't easily get past Lachie Murphy, you don't have a future at the AFL level. After all, on an individual level, most of football l is about ball winning/competitiveness, and if you can play midfield, you should have a game that'll hold up anywhere that isn't a KP role.

 

[George CantStandYa]

He finished so well last year he was out of our best 22 in round 1 2025.

My opinion is if you've had four years on a list and you can't get past Lachie Murphy, you don't have a future at an AFL level.

What if your coach is a moron?

 

[cmndstab]

I'm not sure it makes sense to rest Walker only one match after our bye.

If we were going to rest him, it would have made sense to recognise that we had one of the later byes in the season, and give him a rest around the round 8 mark. But since we didn't, it doesn't make sense to do so now.

If we're demoting him on form, that's another issue, but while he's been a little disappointing this year, I don't think he's been "demotion to the SANFL" disappointing.

 

[BucketsNj]

Not hard to argue at all. We are the highest scoring team atm in the comp. Tex's presence alone takes pressure off the other players.

There's another issue as well, I think. One of the opposition coaches - forget which - was saying that our three talls limit their options as they have to cover all three, where they might have selected a more dynamic back. So their run out of defence is hampered.

 

[Cromulant]

I'm not sure it makes sense to rest Walker only one match after our bye.

If we were going to rest him, it would have made sense to recognise that we had one of the later byes in the season, and give him a rest around the round 8 mark. But since we didn't, it doesn't make sense to do so now.

If we're demoting him on form, that's another issue, but while he's been a little disappointing this year, I don't think he's been "demotion to the SANFL" disappointing.

I think we carry him to the Eagles game

 

[kirky]

I think we carry him to the Eagles game

Secure your finals spot then rest him against Eagles.

He will then get to 300 games this year.

 

[George CantStandYa]

There's another issue as well, I think. One of the opposition coaches - forget which - was saying that our three talls limit their options as they have to cover all three, where they might have selected a more dynamic back. So their run out of defence is hampered.

And yet we’ve been smashed by running half backs

 

[Kane McGoodwin]

So we're picking the guy who failed that badly in his last stint in the AFL side (which was only a few months ago) that he got demoted twice in the depth chart (and to the aforementioned Murphy).

Literally, pick anyone who isn't named Sid Draper (and we clearly don't see Sid as a forward) and you run into the same issues. The reason why Tex isn't being dropped is there is simply no one who is fit and worthwhile bringing in without changing our opinion on Sid (and Tex isn't a roadblock here due to the issues with replacing the 7th forward slot).

Even on the key forward side, it's the same problem. Burgess is a career depth guy. Toby Murray (who is my eventual pick) has lost this year to injury etc.

Failed badly?

Taylor has already had more influential games than Murphy in his short career & hasn't even been settled into a role.

 

[FR0GGY]

Failed badly?

Taylor has already had more influential games than Murphy in his short career & hasn't even been settled into a role.

Imagine replacing someone that fails 99% of the time with someone who has shown that he can do it.

 

[nerRADIAN]

I would hope a professional sporting organisation wouldn’t factor in getting a player to a round number of games just because it looks good on paper at the expense of optimal team selection. I would be all for removing the culture around celebrating players for reaching round numbers altogether.

 

[Drugs Are Bad Mackay?]

Tex is staying all season. Hopefully with a rest or at least a subbed out game or two but he's playing the whole season.

The collective is what matters and it's going well.

There aren't enough goals to go around for every forward line player to be dominating. Fog has had a bit of a quiet month for instance but that's just how it goes. Others have been targeted more lately and coming out of defence we're starting to use Curtin more as a long option.

In 2017 we had a multi-faceted forward line too and there were a LOT of posters on here critical about Charlie Cameron

23

Charlie Cameron

Age

31

Ht

180cm

Wt

76kg

Pos.

Fwd

Career

Season

Last 5

D

12.1

3star

K

8.4

3star

HB

3.7

3star

M

3.0

3star

T

3.2

5star

G

1.5

5star

D

9.6

2star

K

7.9

3star

HB

1.7

1star

M

3.6

4star

T

1.7

3star

G

1.9

5star

D

9.6

3star

K

5.4

2star

HB

4.2

4star

M

1.4

2star

T

3.4

5star

G

1.2

4star

's numbers and calling for him to be dropped.

Then the prelim happened plus the rest of his career... whoopsies. It was just hard to get a kick with other guys starring.

Similar now. Multiple options. They won't all fire at the same time.

 

[1970crow]

The key to selection this week is where we play Michalanney. Do we get hi do do a job on Salem or say last week he ticked the box and will go back to defence until this role is needed again.

I would give Max another week forward and make the following changes;

In - Taylor. Out - Murphy

In - Edwards. Out - Smith

A tough call on Brodie but we know what he offers and he can slip in seamlessly if required later this year. He may also be suffering some fatigue after his 5 cm growth burst this year.

Surely you know that none of that is going to happen.

 

[1970crow]

I'm not sure it makes sense to rest Walker only one match after our bye.

If we were going to rest him, it would have made sense to recognise that we had one of the later byes in the season, and give him a rest around the round 8 mark. But since we didn't, it doesn't make sense to do so now.

If we're demoting him on form, that's another issue, but while he's been a little disappointing this year, I don't think he's been "demotion to the SANFL" disappointing.

He's a straight up liability and unless he has a month or so off, he'll destroy our potential to progress though September.

 

[baldandbroke]

Ok, who replaces Tex?

Not my point.

Like Kane Cornes making sure he got to 300 - I don't think it should be the focus.

Tex was woeful in the Richmond game imo. He only spent 62% TOG, and his field kicking was horrid. Not sure why we needed him in a game against the 17th team on ladder? He should have been rested earlier in the season AND we should be ready to rest him again before the end of the season (Eagles game stands out)

Who replaces him? Anyone who deserves a debut. Edwards comes to mind - shuffle the deck chairs and give the kid a chance to get a taste. Same as Smithers. As an older player that Nicks has decided is essential to our team ... he should have been rested against Richmond so Oscar Ryan could get his debut.

If ANY of our veterans don't come up for finals (they are more likely to be injured late in the season) ... what is our plan B?

PS - I don't understand Murphy playing at all but that is a different discussion - he should not even be the discussion considering some of the other players we have in the SANFL like Taylor, Dowling, Nankervis and Bond.

 

[jamesclean]

IN: Bond, Burgess, Taylor

 

[MRB37]

On that interchange bench named I'm gonna guess we'll pick Rachele, Berry, ANB and Taylor with Smith as the sub.

Murphy, Burgess and Bond go out.

 

[baldandbroke]

IN: Bond, Burgess, Taylor

No OUTS ... so in reality no changes coming?

 

[SugarShane]

Murphy lives! #Continuity

 

[Brenton Davy]

Murphy lives! #Continuity

Fingernail strength is elite!

 

[George CantStandYa]

On that interchange bench named I'm gonna guess we'll pick Rachele, Berry, ANB and Taylor with Smith as the sub.

Murphy, Burgess and Bond go out.

That would make sense, we hope

 

[cleanhands]

Murphy lives! #Continuity

 

[Cromulant]

He finished so well last year he was out of our best 22 in round 1 2025. More to the point, he shifted because there was no spot for him, going against the whole "finished so well" part.

My opinion is if you've had four years on a list and you can't easily get past Lachie Murphy, you don't have a future at the AFL level. After all, on an individual level, most of football l is about ball winning/competitiveness, and if you can play midfield, you should have a game that'll hold up anywhere that isn't a KP role.

Thats a simplistic view.

Whilst there are plenty of good AFL mids who do play well in other places, there's plenty who dont.

 

[Ciao Giacomo]

Surely you know that none of that is going to happen.

Is this the predict what the coaches will do thread or what changes would you make thread?