Prediction Round 2, 2026: Changes vs North Melbourne

[duffmalind]

West Coast WAFL will play East Freo at 11.15AM on Sunday at Mineral Resources Park. Perfect for a quick look before the AFL game.

 

[duffmalind]

TK in for his annual Grand Final game before he fu*ks off for rest of the season.

As others have stated, minis point about needing more experience than youth is pretty pathetic considering our actual sh*t players are the seniors them selfs lol.

If Kelly goes really well, we win.

 

[duffmalind]

Would rather both getting experience over someone like Duggan hacking it out of the back half but that change would never happen.

Don’t mind the ins but it feels a bit desperate to bring in 3 senior players and drop 2 kids who weren’t that bad last week.

Why would we be desperate for a win? 1 from the last 26 games are not enough for you? Some people are never satisfied.

 

[RustyShacklefordFalcon]

Perhaps we just go back to having 2/3 of the squad on the injury list so we no longer have the need to melt about selection? Geez, it feels nice to have some competition for spots again. Love Lindsay, but let him build in the WAFL for a bit. It's not unusual

 

[Deplorable trumpster]

I am OK with them looking for some extra experience. You can't criticise them for not investing enough in youth because 70 odd games per player is about as young as you can get.

I guess i just have some reservations about the experience coming in being in the form of Kelly. The sight of that bloke casually jogging around the park and putting in half assed efforts for the last few years really gave me the s**** when it was hapenning. Especially since he was on big money at the time. I hope they have read him the riot act and told him his career is over if there is any more of that.

 

[Elite Pete]

Get ready to get ripped by the umpires
Non VIC teams are getting smashed by the umps when playing Vic teams.
Free kicks Interstate vs Vic
Syd 19- Carl 23
GC 17 - GEEL 29
GWS 13 - Haw 21
Bris 16 - WB 17
GWS 16 - WB 25
FRE 15 - GEEL 24
Adel 15 - Coll 14
PA - North 22 all
Syd 16 - Haw 27
Adel 18 - WB 23
58+ vic sides 6 free kicks extra a game.

Boise of affirmation somehow became a thing yet no mention of the run vic teams are getting

 

[wce_all_da_way]

Get ready to get ripped by the umpires
Non VIC teams are getting smashed by the umps when playing Vic teams.
Free kicks Interstate vs Vic
Syd 19- Carl 23
GC 17 - GEEL 29
GWS 13 - Haw 21
Bris 16 - WB 17
GWS 16 - WB 25
FRE 15 - GEEL 24
Adel 15 - Coll 14
PA - North 22 all
Syd 16 - Haw 27
Adel 18 - WB 23
58+ vic sides 6 free kicks extra a game.

Boise of affirmation somehow became a thing yet no mention of the run vic teams are getting

Free kick count is obviously not everything blah blah blah etc etc. But...

How the **** did Geelong get twelve more than GC??

 

[omgfridge]

Get ready to get ripped by the umpires
Non VIC teams are getting smashed by the umps when playing Vic teams.
Free kicks Interstate vs Vic
Syd 19- Carl 23
GC 17 - GEEL 29
GWS 13 - Haw 21
Bris 16 - WB 17
GWS 16 - WB 25
FRE 15 - GEEL 24
Adel 15 - Coll 14
PA - North 22 all
Syd 16 - Haw 27
Adel 18 - WB 23
58+ vic sides 6 free kicks extra a game.

Boise of affirmation somehow became a thing yet no mention of the run vic teams are getting

Crom fans complained bout the umps yet seem to not understand the below the knees rule. Nothing to do with Nicks playing kick to kick side to side footy that isn't holding up this season.

 

[Cornelius Roy]

Liam Duggan led our metres gained last week, and also total kicks. He had 4 kick ins out of 11, so average them at 40 metres from play ons. So he got a free 160 metres of gains. Using in play metres gained he becomes our 10th best in that stat. Statistics . Just sayin...
Maric and Lindsay had 6, Young had 1.
Who the hell is going to take our kick ins this week with Maric, Lindsay out? I suggest McCarthy through necessity.

Also decided giving petracca 5m of space at th contest was the best way of defending him which directly led to at least two of his early goals and he just isn’t damaging enough going the opposite way to be able to play so lax in defence.

You’ve made a really good point here, looking at the top level stats to justify performance is incredibly flawed. A handful of players Sheep dogging disposals deep in defence with little hurt factor whilst offering very little on the other side of the ball has plagued this club for a while now.

The metrics that don’t get picked up is that a number of our senior defenders dont stop players, they get run around far too easily, their tackles don’t stick far too often and they just give their opposition players far too much space. I honestly can’t wait to have starcevich in this defence to show what defensive accountability really looks like and I think the younger brigade show a different mindset to a lot of our seniors in this respect - case in point, Reuben Ginbey.

 

[BSD]

Like it or not our captain isn’t getting replaced by a guy that’s played one senior game.

Giving more games to Lindsay is beneficial to our long term future rather than giving games to Duggan who has passed his use by date.

 

[BSD]

Also decided giving petracca 5m of space at th contest was the best way of defending him which directly led to at least two of his early goals and he just isn’t damaging enough going the opposite way to be able to play so lax in defence.

You’ve made a really good point here, looking at the top level stats to justify performance is incredibly flawed. A handful of players Sheep dogging disposals deep in defence with little hurt factor whilst offering very little on the other side of the ball has plagued this club for a while now.

The metrics that don’t get picked up is that a number of our senior defenders dont stop players, they get run around far too easily, their tackles don’t stick far too often and they just give their opposition players far too much space. I honestly can’t wait to have starcevich in this defence to show what defensive accountability really looks like and I think the younger brigade show a different mindset to a lot of our seniors in this respect - case in point, Reuben Ginbey.

A good summation of our so called captain.

 

[Barrybran]

Surely thats the queue for Baker to move elsewhere...

More likely means Allan is out, Davis vs Allan for the wing opposite Duursma in 3-4 weeks time hmm

I think you're right in that it becomes Davis v Allan but there's a world where we can bring Starc and Lindsay in without forcing Davis or Allan out.

Starc in pushes Baker forward and Cripps out. Lindsay in pushes McCarthy up the field, which pushes one of the midfielders into the F50, and pushes Kelly out. That midfielder is likely one of Yeo or Reid, being the preseason experiment. In reality, Yeo and Reid start in the middle with Baker, Murdock and Newton all starting on field, and one of Davis/Allan as the 'forward' bench rotation. Rotations would see Yeo/Reid push into the F50, Newton/Murdock/Baker rotating to the bench, Davis/Allan coming on field on the wing and Duursma/McCarthy pushing into the middle. Hough can also pinch hit in the middle to leave McCarthy in defense alongside Lindsay.

One of Kelly/Cripps in the side is probably better balance than one of Allan/Davis but we can make Starc and Lindsay work with both Allan and Davis in the side. Schoenberg/Macrae are other options to enable aa straight swap between mid and forward for Yeo/Reid, leaving both of Kelly/Cripps and one of Davis/Allan out.

 

[archiemoses]

Feel we are too tall and too mid forward heavy. McCarthy, Allan, Yeo will need to play behind the ball at some stages.