Preview Round 12 - Sydney vs Melbourne @ The MCG, or How a Footy Club was Murdered

[Punts]

Might go watch the 2s also

 

[caesar88]

5 votes: J.Lloyd

Means we’re doomed.

Let's be real DQ, even if we sucked and Lloyd WAS our best, would this board ever swallow it's pride enough to give him 5 votes?!

 

[Bloods86]

Had a cheeky gander at the POTY votes from the corresponding match last year in which, despite losing, we had a very, very good game against the best team. The votes went: Mills, Rampe, Parker, Rowbottom, Warner.

Three leaders and the two young midfield bulls getting votes will almost always mean we've had a good night at the office. You suspect we're gonna need something similar tomorrow night. I feel like if by tomorrow night we're giving POTY votes to a Fox or a COR cause "at least they gave their all" then we might be in trouble.

Or alternatively, some X-factor players like Heeney or Papley featuring will also be a good sign. When they're up and about, we rarely lose. No surprise our wavering form has coincided with their wavering form.

Possibly more to do with almost our entire midfield being in the bests. Although that could actually be true tomorrow and we can still lose.

Personally I think the indication of a good night at the office is if the worst 5 is difficult to write and justify. 5 standouts can be anyone, but if there's an even spread beneath them, that works.

 

[scaryness]

Had a cheeky gander at the POTY votes from the corresponding match last year in which, despite losing, we had a very, very good game against the best team. The votes went: Mills, Rampe, Parker, Rowbottom, Warner.

Three leaders and the two young midfield bulls getting votes will almost always mean we've had a good night at the office. You suspect we're gonna need something similar tomorrow night. I feel like if by tomorrow night we're giving POTY votes to a Fox or a COR cause "at least they gave their all" then we might be in trouble.

Or alternatively, some X-factor players like Heeney or Papley featuring will also be a good sign. When they're up and about, we rarely lose. No surprise our wavering form has coincided with their wavering form.

Someone actually used the POTY archives!

 

[BarneyBent]

For what it is worth, JMac should be on Langdon because he has a bit of a running pedigree. One article written about him said "As a year 12 student McInerney clocked a sub-52 second time for 400m and finished second in a major schools championship in Melbourne.

His GPS numbers for game day running and high-speed efforts were spectacular as he doubled the repeat speed efforts of West Coast Eagles flyer Jack Petruccelle, and was the only player in the program to hit real high-speed effort. He was alite."

Personally, I would prefer he was elite, but we take what we can get.

Ironically, this is one of the situations where I wish we'd used Bell more. For all his faults he has elite running capacity and is a good tackle. I've always wanted to see him tried as a defensive midfielder but we've persisted with him forward. I would actually like to see how he does shutting down a Langdon type. I think he might surprise.

Oh well. Probably too late now.

 

[RubbaDuck]

Kinda agree with your take on McInerney but also kinda don't. I think he's seriously out of form at the moment and is just lacking a general intensity. It makes him appear soft and lacking the hardness required to play midfield. When he's in form though, it's a very different McInerney. He has no issue throwing his light frame around with little regard for his safety. So I think it's important to differentiate between a player's usual form and what the player might be currently performing like.

He'll never be much of a tackler as he's just not strong enough and tends to slip off like a cake of soap, but that wouldn't be his job in the midfield. If we're putting a relatively skinny, fleet-footed guy into the mids, he is there to attack the ball and break away from contests. So missed tackles isn't a fair thing to judge him on. Parker, JPK and Mills can't tackle blokes in motion either, because even though they are strong and hard as nails, they are too slow to catch them. They can only tackle stationary players in scrums (which is still valuable - tackling players in motion is incredibly difficult as it usually requires pace and strength combined.)

I do however agree that we should try and avoid having McInerney on the inside. People will point to his last quarter against North earlier this year, or his second half against Essendon last year. But doing it for four quarters is very different to doing it for one or two. In those cases, he was a break glass emergency option as the midfield wasn't performing well enough. Nice that we were able to call on him in that role, but we shouldn't need to. I don't want our silky, running, outside ball user having pressured, rushed disposals working in a telephone box of space. We have players suited for that, McInerney is suited for space.

I agree. I should have been cleear that I was referring to 2022 McInerney. His best and his worst games can be worlds apart, which is why I see him as a bit of a barometer for the team.

BTW. "tends to slip off like a cake of soap". A great piece of descriptive writing

 

[Dubai Quacker]

Ironically, this is one of the situations where I wish we'd used Bell more. For all his faults he has elite running capacity and is a good tackle. I've always wanted to see him tried as a defensive midfielder but we've persisted with him forward. I would actually like to see how he does shutting down a Langdon type. I think he might surprise.

Oh well. Probably too late now.

I’m not sure if this is a wind-up, or if you’re serious!

 

[RubbaDuck]

Call me crazy but I actually hope we play Mills at half back again this week.

Mills' is so valuable around the ball that I wonder Fox has been brought in to play that role. I've always been a bit of a fan of Foxy. He's like Dane Rampe's understudy.

I can see your thinking. It was a masterful in-game switch and it undoubtably won us the game, but Mills is still at his most damaging in the midfield. Blakey back will stiffen our defence.

 

[BarneyBent]

I’m not sure if this is a wind-up, or if you’re serious!

Deadly. He's big bodied and a hard runner, but not good at finding the ball himself, nor is he a good user of it. Telling him to follow someone and stop them having an impact would play to his strengths. Theoretically.

The traditional tagger role has gone out of favour these days but I think it would have been worth trying. Better that leaving him at half forward to have no impact.

 

[swanssince2002]

If we somehow beat them, lid off immediately in the post game thread. 20 pages in 3 hours

 

[RubbaDuck]

Ironically, this is one of the situations where I wish we'd used Bell more. For all his faults he has elite running capacity and is a good tackle. I've always wanted to see him tried as a defensive midfielder but we've persisted with him forward. I would actually like to see how he does shutting down a Langdon type. I think he might surprise.

Oh well. Probably too late now.

Bell's speed and attack are a big part of his game. He needs to learn where to run to get more of the pill but I think your idea has merit.

 

[Kiama Chris]

Love this, and a nice reminder that every Swan is someone's favourite Swan.

He's a very nice young man is James. Represents our club well.

 

[Kiama Chris]

Deadly. He's big bodied and a hard runner, but not good at finding the ball himself, nor is he a good user of it. Telling him to follow someone and stop them having an impact would play to his strengths. Theoretically.

The traditional tagger role has gone out of favour these days but I think it would have been worth trying. Better that leaving him at half forward to have no impact.

It might work or it might not but I love seeing people thinking outside the 9 dots. Bell is a real gut runner and does quite well in the midfield in the VFL rather than up forward or playing a role. Not sure he has enough burst speed to deal with a Langdon but we'll never know unless he gets a crack some time.

 

[kelpie_X]

I didn't say anything about Wicks being in form

Wicks plays a specialised role and has beaten Ronke I'd guess

Players play roles

And ducks quack. So what?

 

[kelpie_X]

Wicks and Ronke aren't even the same types really. Ronke is more a crumbing player, his best contribution is kicking goals, his defensive work isn't up there with Wicks. From what Campbell did before "arriving" at the Swans and being put down back, he sounds more similar to Ronke than what Wicks does. Wicks doesn't need to crumb or kick goals to have a good game (though it wouldn't hurt). But you spoke about Wicks positively, as if he's actually doing his role well enough at the moment to warrant a spot over someone who you think isn't. Imo Campbell can perform a bit of a different role down forward sure, but have a better impact.

Of course he can. Why? BECAUSE HE IS A BETTER AFL PLAYER THAN WICKS

 

[kelpie_X]

Love this, and a nice reminder that every Swan is someone's favourite Swan.

s**t kicking style. Bell I mean, not the kid. Boom, Boom!

 

[GotTheGoodes]

Shake It Off is an undeniably great song by any measure.

Millky95, thoughts?

 

[GotTheGoodes]

Rumour has it he orders a parmi and a pony of beer too. Disgusting behaviour.

Maaaaaaaaate... from you of all people?

 

[GotTheGoodes]

We'll win by 42.

*37

 

[caesar88]

Millky95, thoughts?

I don't really care what Millky thinks about Shake It Off, cause the haters gonna hate, hate, hate, hate, hate

 

[SwansProudly]

Game Day - Fuschias v Bloods Saturday 4 June 7:25 @ big ground

Fuschias: 1st Bloods 7th 1910s Fuschias aka Red Legs to 1933 the Demons Team Changes: Bloods: In: Joel Amartey, Robbie Fox, Nick Blakey Out: Lance Franklin (Suspension), Braeden Campbell (Omitted), Matthew Roberts (Omitted) Interchange: Braeden Campbell, Hayden McLean, Ben Ronke, Dylan...

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