Preview Round 16, 2023: West Coast v St.Kilda - Optus Stadium, Sunday 2nd July, 4:40PM AEST *WILKIE 100TH*

[Mowman]

100% -i am concerned with selection integrity and Billings had a ripper-i am all for playing the youngsters but Caminiti and Phillipou have just been going these last 6 weeks

Billing’s has had 1 game after a 4 week layoff wasn’t expecting him to be picked, he needs to put a 4 week block together

 

[gringo2011]

Sandy put a thing out the other day
Bytel player of the month
Averaging 29.4 touches a game

He should be playing this game ahead of Seb

He could at a stretch take Seb's spot but Seb plays the more outside of the three regular mids. I reckon Steele, Bytel and Crouch looks unbalanced to me. We should have rested Steele and given him a run.

 

[Mowman]

He could at a stretch take Seb's spot but Seb plays the more outside of the three regular mids. I reckon Steele, Bytel and Crouch looks unbalanced to me. We should have rested Steele and given him a run.

The practice game against the Bombers he got the ball out to Steele and Crouch his hands were so clean
Twice in a row he got 1st touch to Crouch who kicked into 50

 

[Saintbloke]

He could at a stretch take Seb's spot but Seb plays the more outside of the three regular mids. I reckon Steele, Bytel and Crouch looks unbalanced to me. We should have rested Steele and given him a run.

Agree. We really do lack a quick accelerating inside mid though. Interesting to watch our gae vs Bris- Neale an co were motoring once the ball left the ruckman's hand, and our guys were standing still- I think Lyon made mention of this somewhere.

 

[pluggeranddoc]

Our coach is a highly skilled real estate salesman, he calls rebuilds a renovators dream, aka (Exploration Year)

Real estate aka snake oil!

 

[DougalHoward]

Would you but a house off RTB

 

[Mowman]

If anyone deserves a win on their 100th game it’s Wilkie been a star for us

 

[Sully111]

Sandy put a thing out the other day
Bytel player of the month
Averaging 29.4 touches a game

He should be playing this game ahead of Seb

Agreed

 

[ScrappyDo]

Newnes out dunstan in round and around we go

Newnes was never dropped.

 

[Sainttony]

I would have liked to see Higgins moved into the midfield, Billing’s forward and perhaps Ronnie the sub. Just gives us a different look and I don’t think it can hurt to swap things around

 

[malevu]

Who would you take out and replace with who? Our best performed VFL players are guys like Highmore, Campbell and Bytel. Billings off a small sample size. Otherwise we have a lot of very new kids like Keeler and Hotton who are both off interrupted seasons due to injury and old guys who are probably up against it. We have had a heap of injury to guys who are legitimate upgrade depth like DMac, Jones, Hayes, Billings, Membrey etc.

Got to hope our injury list continues to shorten. With guys like Billings, Jones, DMac and Clark almost ready, pressure for spots will soon be there. This just hasn't been the case so far this year. With Coffield and Hayes back on the track too there should be a few players looking over their shoulders. The likes of Gresham and Byrnes will need to pick their games up pretty quickly.

Howard should be added to that group as well but he's lucky in that we don't have any tall defender options other than Cordy.

Got to feel for Bytel. If he hasn't been able to crack a regular spot despite good form at Sandy and our injury list, hows he going to get a game now? If those guys coming back from injury mentioned above all gain fitness and form Bytel is going to get pushed even further down the pecking order.

 

[gringo2011]

Got to hope our injury list continues to shorten. With guys like Billings, Jones, DMac and Clark almost ready, pressure for spots will soon be there. This just hasn't been the case so far this year. With Coffield and Hayes back on the track too there should be a few players looking over their shoulders. The likes of Gresham and Byrnes will need to pick their games up pretty quickly.

Howard should be added to that group as well but he's lucky in that we don't have any tall defender options other than Cordy.

Got to feel for Bytel. If he hasn't been able to crack a regular spot despite good form at Sandy and our injury list, hows he going to get a game now? If those guys coming back from injury mentioned above all gain fitness and form Bytel is going to get pushed even further down the pecking order.

I think the coaches probably give Howard an out, the defence is getting bombarded because the mids are leaking like a sieve. Opposition sides are getting heaps of entries and our defenders are getting repeat entries and pressure on every touch because our mids are pissing around further back because they've spread before turning it over. I reckon 90% of our issues are midfield related but just don't have anything left in the cupboard to replace them. You can't compete with the best sides with one mid playing close to capacity.

Gresham, Ross, Windhager, Steele are all going below average and Hunter Clark out injured. Crouch going well. Hill and Wood up and down and guys like Byrnes that play high half forward dropping away. Phillipou and Owens who move up with the play seem to be having less impact at the moment too.

I'm hoping playing against a side with less to play for gets some confidence and fun back into a few player's games.

 

[hangdog]

Sandy put a thing out the other day
Bytel player of the month
Averaging 29.4 touches a game

He should be playing this game ahead of Seb

Yep. I'd even carry him as an extra mid on the bench. Steele can text forward more.

 

[BrutThough]

Yep. I'd even carry him as an extra mid on the bench. Steele can text forward more.

Seb can, and likely will based off his last game, spend a decent amount of time on the wing. Bytel can't do that.

 

[stavro#4]

We should win and win comfortably.

But if any club in this god damn league is capable of dropping this game.


It’s us

 

[George]

Maybe we misheard RTB and he actually said it's a year of expedition?

Interstate games so far in Adelaide, Sydney, Perth and Brisbane later in the year?

 

[gringo2011]

Yep. I'd even carry him as an extra mid on the bench. Steele can text forward more.

He had an absolute shithouse game today. 12 possessions and slaughtered by a VFL level midfield.

 

[hangdog]

He had an absolute shithouse game today. 12 possessions and slaughtered by a VFL level midfield.

Damn, did he play a full game? Looks like he got no touches after half time?

 

[gringo2011]

Damn, did he play a full game? Looks like he got no touches after half time?

Not sure, I didn't notice him go off but just thought he was continuing his pretty average game. I didn't notice him much in the first half.

 

[Cairnsman]

I'm a bit more optimistic. Melbourne had a similar injury run before winning a flag. Collingwood fell away with injury then came good again. It's a positive negative. You develop players that would have otherwise played at Sandy and find a level of depth that you never knew you had. I think we just have to stay the course personally.

you lost me at optimistic. and not to make a too fine a point of it, Melbourne's is only half a flag, aka COVID Cup.

 

[Baldur]

If we lose this game I might have the police coming around due to complaints about noise and swearing.

 

[luca77]

you lost me at optimistic. and not to make a too fine a point of it, Melbourne's is only half a flag, aka COVID Cup.

St Kilda supporters rubbishing other teams' flags.

Really... please don't say that out loud wearing your saints gear or, heaven forbid, on radio.

 

[gringo2011]

you lost me at optimistic. and not to make a too fine a point of it, Melbourne's is only half a flag, aka COVID Cup.

That was the Tigers.

 

[AirWinmar]

Not sure, I didn't notice him go off but just thought he was continuing his pretty average game. I didn't notice him much in the first half.

He went off late in the 3rd. I heard at the game he had some type of illness, so may be why he didn't do too well
Edit - 2nd

 

[Premium]

This game has to be used to get self belief back into the players - it just seems they have lost it either through the game plan or just form.
Time for Lyon to lift the guys.