Unofficial Preview Round 1, 2023: Hawthorn v Essendon, MCG 3.20pm March 19th

[StillAtLarge]

Sicily - Jones
Blanck - Wright
Frost - Stringer
Scrimshaw - Perkins
Hardwick - AMT
Jiath - Guelfi

 

[AlwaysHawks15]

It is scary the coverage they get until it turns to crap for them

It's literally nonsense fluff pieces. There training no harder than anybody else but you wouldn't know it with Watson's channel 7 there at every training session. You would think they would have learnt by now not to put too much focus on the club when all they have done the past 15 years is disappoint.

 

[AlwaysHawks15]

Sicily - Jones
Blanck - Wright
Frost - Stringer
Scrimshaw - Perkins
Hardwick - AMT
Jiath - Guelfi

Yep, Sicily will take their least potent forward in Mitchell's eyes. Jones isn't an automatic starter. Rekon they go with Weidemann who's more developed as a player and more experienced.

 

[TBoyleSuperstar]

Tough to call so early…..but
B Hardwick. Blanke. Scrimshaw
HB Jiath. Sicily. DGB
C. Day. Ward. Amon
HF Wingard. Kossie. Moore
F. Meek. Greene. Bruest

Foll Reeves, Worpel, newcombe
Int. McDonald, Weddle, Maguiness, McKenzie
Sub Nash

 

[AlwaysHawks15]

It's pretty simple really. We need Sic to be our version of Tom Stewart. Roam the backline doing as he pleases while the other defenders do their jobs. Not every team has an impervious player who can control things like we do. We need to use it to our advantage.

 

[Howe Amazing]

Could Day rotate between mid and HFF I wonder with back 6 pretty well set

 

[FB19]

Can see a world where we go tall in defence. Blanck DGB Frost Sicily Jiath Hardwick. Centreline seems easy Day Newk Amon. HF line Moore Jeka Wingard. FF line Brockman Reeves Breust. Followers Meek Ward Worpel. Bench Kosi scrimshaw MacDonald Maginness Sub Impey.
Injured Lewis Morrison Morris
Unlucky butler mackenzie nash stephens Greene long

 

[CHUBBSS]

Can see a world where we go tall in defence. Blanck DGB Frost Sicily Jiath Hardwick. Centreline seems easy Day Newk Amon. HF line Moore Jeka Wingard. FF line Brockman Reeves Breust. Followers Meek Ward Worpel. Bench Kosi scrimshaw MacDonald Maginness Sub Impey.
Injured Lewis Morrison Morris
Unlucky butler mackenzie nash stephens Greene long

Doubt frost plays with that defence, if cj moved into a more attacking role maybe and we need to get 15+ games into dgb this year.

Mackenzie, Nash and Greene surely all play, with Nash the only consistent older body in the middle. I reckon Jeka will find it hard to displace Lewis, kosi and greene in the side (and we have two rucks to position). He will have to demand it.

The team is finally getting hard to pick.

 

[Baz_hawk]

I really hate the sub rule. Just make it 5 on the bench and 100 rotations cap.

Anyway, here is my pre-intraclub best 23:

FB: Hardwick Blanck Scrimshaw
HB: CJ DGB Sicily
Ce: Amon Newk Day
HF: Greene Jeka Moore
FF: Breust Meek Wingard
Fol: Reeves Ward Worpel

Int: MacKenzie Macdonald Nash Stephens
Sub: Butler

I've no doubt forgotten someone...

 

[TylerDurden]

I really hate the sub rule. Just make it 5 on the bench and 100 rotations cap.

Anyway, here is my pre-intraclub best 23:

FB: Hardwick Blanck Scrimshaw
HB: CJ DGB Sicily
Ce: Amon Newk Day
HF: Greene Jeka Moore
FF: Breust Meek Wingard
Fol: Reeves Ward Worpel

Int: MacKenzie Macdonald Nash Stephens
Sub: Butler

I've no doubt forgotten someone...

I'd say Kosi for Jeka.
Morrison for Stephens.
Impey for Butler.

 

[Tomohawks]

I really hate the sub rule. Just make it 5 on the bench and 100 rotations cap.

Anyway, here is my pre-intraclub best 23:

FB: Hardwick Blanck Scrimshaw
HB: CJ DGB Sicily
Ce: Amon Newk Day
HF: Greene Jeka Moore
FF: Breust Meek Wingard
Fol: Reeves Ward Worpel

Int: MacKenzie Macdonald Nash Stephens
Sub: Butler

I've no doubt forgotten someone...

That would be Impey. He's in with one of Nash and Stephens missing out. We need his run, toughness and experience out there.

 

[Strapping Young Lad]

The team is finally getting hard to pick.

Similarly to last year, until we got a few injuries early.

 

[Simon Crawshay]

It's pretty simple really. We need Sic to be our version of Tom Stewart. Roam the backline doing as he pleases while the other defenders do their jobs. Not every team has an impervious player who can control things like we do. We need to use it to our advantage.

Geez I reckon if we gave Sicily the luxury of playing loose in the backline like Stewart does he could average 30 possessions and 10 marks a game I have never seen anyone read the flight of the ball as good as he does (apart maybe from Lake).

I still think Sam will want him to keep being our number 1 key defender though and keep playing on the likes of Lynch, McKay etc as he's just so damn good at beating those big key forwards with his body positioning and superior reading of the flight of the ball.

If we could clone him and have one as a key back, one as a floating half back, one as a midfielder and one as a key forward we would probably win the flag this year!

 

[KermitJagger]

Geez I reckon if we gave Sicily the luxury of playing loose in the backline like Stewart does he could average 30 possessions and 10 marks a game I have never seen anyone read the flight of the ball as good as he does (apart maybe from Lake).

I still think Sam will want him to keep being our number 1 key defender though and keep playing on the likes of Lynch, McKay etc as he's just so damn good at beating those big key forwards with his body positioning and superior reading of the flight of the ball.

If we could clone him and have one as a key back, one as a floating half back, one as a midfielder and one as a key forward we would probably win the flag this year!

Funny part is last season Sic averaged more disposals, more metres gained, more rebounds, less defensive turnovers, more marks, more intercept marks and a similar % of overall team score involvement while at the same time having over 3x more defensive 1:1s and almost double the spoils.

I hate labouring the point this far past AA selection, but the criminal part about his non-selection is that he's already playing Stewart's role as well as Stewart does. The difference is he's also locking down on opposition talls at an AA calibre.

 

[StillAtLarge]

Funny part is last season Sic averaged more disposals, more metres gained, more rebounds, less defensive turnovers, more marks, more intercept marks and a similar % of overall team score involvement while at the same time having over 3x more defensive 1:1s and almost double the spoils.

I hate labouring the point this far past AA selection, but the criminal part about his non-selection is that he's already playing Stewart's role as well as Stewart does. The difference is he's also locking down on opposition talls at an AA calibre.

This will no doubt be an unpopular view but I don't think Sic is quite at Stewart's level tbh.
When we played the Cats last year he singlehandedly repelled just about every foray inside 50 after quarter time.
He's an incredible player, I remember watching Freo beat them at pork barrel park by less than a kick- if Stewart hadn't played the dockers would've won by 6+ goals.
Don't get me wrong - Sicily is a gun but he's capable of dishing up some stinkers. Stewart almost never plays a poor game

 

[KermitJagger]

This will no doubt be an unpopular view but I don't think Sic is quite at Stewart's level tbh.
When we played the Cats last year he singlehandedly repelled just about every foray inside 50 after quarter time.
He's an incredible player, I remember watching Freo beat them at pork barrel park by less than a kick- if Stewart hadn't played the dockers would've won by 6+ goals.
Don't get me wrong - Sicily is a gun but he's capable of dishing up some stinkers. Stewart almost never plays a poor game

Not really the thread for it, but you're holding Sicily to account for being in a poor team. Stewart has the liberty of being in a good team which managed to win the 5 games he was absent by an average of 40 points, and won their way to the premiership despite his middling at best finals series. Even when he plays average footy it's not highlighted because Geelong are a better team. On the flip side, we saw what happened when Sicily was moved out of our back line against Richmond in Rd 22. Lynch kicked 8 goals in just over a half of footy.

 

[PT Bar None]

I really hate the sub rule. Just make it 5 on the bench and 100 rotations cap.

Anyway, here is my pre-intraclub best 23:

FB: Hardwick Blanck Scrimshaw
HB: CJ DGB Sicily
Ce: Amon Newk Day
HF: Greene Jeka Moore
FF: Breust Meek Wingard
Fol: Reeves Ward Worpel

Int: MacKenzie Macdonald Nash Stephens
Sub: Butler

I've no doubt forgotten someone...

It'll only be a 2023 rule. They'll make it 5 interchanges for next season...


Before bringing in a concussion sub for season 2026 to make it "less unfair" for teams who lose a player to concussion mid match. And so on...

 

[peetoo]

It'll only be a 2023 rule. They'll make it 5 interchanges for next season...


Before bringing in a concussion sub for season 2026 to make it "less unfair" for teams who lose a player to concussion mid match. And so on...

By accident or design we wonder?

 

[hawkman]

Hobbs in race to be fit for Round 1, Tigers forward sidelined

Essendon and Richmond confirmed the respective news on Monday afternoon.

www.sen.com.au

 

[arupist]

It'll only be a 2023 rule. They'll make it 5 interchanges for next season...


Before bringing in a concussion sub for season 2026 to make it "less unfair" for teams who lose a player to concussion mid match. And so on...

Then we will get to having a defensive and offensive team swapping out at each possession change and games running for 4 hours. A TV bonanza for the AFL.

 

[barbster]

Tough to call so early…..but
B Hardwick. Blanke. Scrimshaw
HB Jiath. Sicily. DGB
C. Day. Ward. Amon
HF Wingard. Kossie. Moore
F. Meek. Greene. Bruest

Foll Reeves, Worpel, newcombe
Int. McDonald, Weddle, Maguiness, McKenzie
Sub Nash

Need to get games into Nash, preferably at senior level
Sub would have to be the worst situation for him, better having a run around in the seconds

 

[Dewyyyyy]

This will no doubt be an unpopular view but I don't think Sic is quite at Stewart's level tbh.
When we played the Cats last year he singlehandedly repelled just about every foray inside 50 after quarter time.
He's an incredible player, I remember watching Freo beat them at pork barrel park by less than a kick- if Stewart hadn't played the dockers would've won by 6+ goals.
Don't get me wrong - Sicily is a gun but he's capable of dishing up some stinkers. Stewart almost never plays a poor game

The same game you're talking about Stewart, Sicily was one of our best alongside Duke & Titch.

He beat Cameron & Hawkins on multiple occasions and repelled attacks, and set up from defensive 50, he was elite.

Could've picked a better game & comparison.

 

[extractasam]

Need to get games into Nash, preferably at senior level
Sub would have to be the worst situation for him, better having a run around in the seconds

Agree around Nash. We have significant lack of experience in the midfield and will get ground out of the game by their midfield too easily without him around bashing people imo

 

[burger09]

Sic did touch up Cameron that day. Fair effort.

 

[Tomohawks]

Funny part is last season Sic averaged more disposals, more metres gained, more rebounds, less defensive turnovers, more marks, more intercept marks and a similar % of overall team score involvement while at the same time having over 3x more defensive 1:1s and almost double the spoils.

I hate labouring the point this far past AA selection, but the criminal part about his non-selection is that he's already playing Stewart's role as well as Stewart does. The difference is he's also locking down on opposition talls at an AA calibre.

Let's not get carried away here. He's absolutely elite at all said apart from the bold. If he was that as well, he'd be the greatest backman of all time. Don't get me wrong, he's a solid defensive player as well. But calling him an AA standard lockdown defender on big talls is a stretch. Let's be real. That's not his gig and nor it should be.