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Preview Round 13 Swans vs Tigers

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The perplexing thing is we haven’t really improved at the contest.
We won clearance and contested ball vs Adelaide and lost by 90 points. It's the least important thing in today's game. Focussing on the contest has the flow on affect of being reactionary to your opponent rather than positioning yourself to escape the contest towards goal, and creates less positive numbers around the ball carrier - so when the opposition is bursting through, tackling our flat footed ball carrier and ultimately winning the footy and getting the overlap, it looks like a flogging. 'Contest' is nothing but an illusion.

We were the highest scoring team last year by a mile without having great clearance and contested ball numbers. Proof is in the pudding.
 
Having a think about this game and I find it hard to see how more players don't get axed after that woeful performance. But additionally, I don't see how Florent gets a game this week after what appears to be an underwhelming performance. Finals are gone so it's got to be about prioritising sending clear messages to the playing group that moving forward if you aren't performing then you aren't playing. Now you can't drop the whole side of course but I think the consistent underperformance of some players implicates them in being demoted.

Anyway, this is the side I'd go with:

B: Rampe - McCartin - Melican
HB: Blakey - Roberts - Cunningham
C: Jordon - Rowbottom - McInerney
HF: Campbell - Hanily - Francis
F: Hayward - Heeney - McLean
R: Grundy - Mills - Warner

I/C: Sheldrick - Mitchell - Buller - Cleary
Sub: Warner

Emer: Florent - Ladhams - Adams

In: Mills, Hanily, Cunningham, Buller, Francis
Out: Adams, Lloyd, Ladhams, Hamling, Bice

No idea if Francis is fit to play this week given he didn't play anywhere last weekend, but if he's fit I'd go with him despite my concern that he'll be lower on confidence. Hanily's numbers aren't half bad so he can get a game and we need some actual tackling pressure up forward so I'd be directing him and Cleary to be frothing at the mouth. Buller deserves to be given a shot if for no other reason than he hasn't been tried yet. Mills comes back of course and if Cunningham is 80% fit then I'd pick him given that Wicks isn't passed fit to play.

As for the outs, IMO Lloyd either needs to be dropped or be the sub. It's beyond time that he is made accountable for his play this year and we've gotta be prioritising young players so I'd rather he get dropped than Corey Warner or Cleary or Sheldrick. Adams wasn't aided by a lot of long bombing on his head but even so, Hanily deserves a game and the younger guys are prioritised. Ladhams hasn't been awful on the surface but my eyes tell me our clearances are really bad when he's in the ruck. I don't think he's a competitive AFL standard ruck so I'd have McLean go back to the role that he was good at last year and be 2nd ruck. I liked that Cox tried to make the forward line smaller against Adelaide but our delivery was awful and we refused to man up Mark Keane for too long. Get the ball in lower and along the ground and man up Vlastuin or Broad or Balta and we'll give ourselves a chance.

I don't know what in the name of god we've been doing playing Hamling for this long but for the love of god he's gotta go. Not defensive FF, not in defence, he's got to go from the side. He simply does not provide enough as a defender as a lockdown, interceptor, or rebounder to play in 2025. And Bice has been off for a while now so he can have a bit of time in the 2's to consolidate. Not unusual for a guy so new to professional footy to tail off after a good start - he'll be right I suspect and having a bit of a break over the bye and some reserves time to reclaim some touch would be good for him.
Unless something's changed since last Friday, he's not picking Buller
 

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Unless something's changed since last Friday, he's not picking Buller
Given we're down two key forwards and are using key defenders and a ruck in a completely broken forward line, it makes no sense not to at least try him. He hasn't been terrible in VFL and seems to be improving. But clearly there is something that the match committee really doesn't like about Buller and agree, he's not getting picked.
 
Given we're down two key forwards and are using key defenders and a ruck in a completely broken forward line, it makes no sense not to at least try him. He hasn't been terrible in VFL and seems to be improving. But clearly there is something that the match committee really doesn't like about Buller and agree, he's not getting picked.

I hope it turns out to be another Membrey situation so we can look stupid again.
 

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No more spares, please man up 1v1. We aren't suddenly going to hit targets after bombing it long all season but at least we can man up.
 
Must suck being Pete Ladhams.

Got elevated from the VFL last year for the Port game. Lost by 112.

Got elevated from the VFL this year & played the Melbourne & Adelaide games.

Reckon Pete must have walked under a ladder, with a black cat crossing his path on Friday the 13th & then broken a mirror.
 
Please no more adams as a fwd. Watching him attempt to mark the ball was like the short kid at school getting picked on by the taller kid who took his hat & the short kid couldn't reach it to get it back (not talking from experience). I felt bad for him.

OR

Follow the lead of western sydney park soccer when the taller guy is jumping for the ball & give him a good old squirrel grip. Suddenly height isn't an issue anymore...
 
Must suck being Pete Ladhams.

Got elevated from the VFL last year for the Port game. Lost by 112.

Got elevated from the VFL this year & played the Melbourne & Adelaide games.

Reckon Pete must have walked under a ladder, with a black cat crossing his path on Friday the 13th & then broken a mirror.

But we'll always have his bicycle kick for a behind...
 
Last game it seemed like we went with an approach of manic pressure and surging the ball forward. But we lost composure. We had multiple players charging into the contest or flying for the same mark. And then when we did get the ball we would just kick it aimlessly forward.

I don't think we lacked effort in the 1st quarter. Adelaide were efficient taking their chances and clean with the ball to evade our pressure. So we used up all that energy for no result and were then flat in the 2nd quarter.
 

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That was completely different
I still remember Membery’s debut. Kid got himself in good positions and led well and for some reason was ignored all night.
 
Like the team, I am searching for my first MCG victory for a little while…..I am thinking I am the issue. I should stay home and test the theory.
 
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