Prediction Round 2: Changes v Melbourne

[BStaff17]

What incriminating pictures of JLo does Sean Darcy continue to hold over him. Utterly absurd you continue to pick him after last week.

The incriminating picture is his massive contract

 

[freo84]

The incriminating picture is his massive contract

I've heard its huge!

 

[swanny1234]

The incriminating picture is his massive contract

I’ve always been told it’s not about the size of your contract, but how you use it….

 

[greatgatsby]

There is no planet where removing 7 AA jackets from a midfield makes a team better, especially given Olivier and Petracca aren’t exactly performing badly at their new teams

Very fine performer in his day, notoriously difficult to work with, and ... some way past his prime.

 

[greatgatsby]

I’ve always been told it’s not about the size of your contract, but how you use it….

... and getting up for games has been a problem lately

 

[swanny1234]

Probably better for them. Playing with more unpredictability and pace

Agree, their mids last week with Kozzie, Windsor, Langford etc look faster more dynamic.
Clarry in particular is slow.

 

[swanny1234]

Gawn tore us to shreds in that MCG game last year. Feeling some déjà vu incoming

Yep especially whenever Darcy is on field… he won’t be able to go with him.

I really think the American should’ve played, he actually has had some decent games vs Max in his Collingwood days. And he’s better at rotating forward whenever Jackson is in the ruck.

 

[The Feeder Club]

Have all the 'replace Darcy' agitators considered the remote possibility that, with Darcy below par last week and apparently doing minimal training this week and Cox an emergency, Darcy might be a late out? The named team might just be there to reassure him he is still seen as #1 choice for the spot, but they will still pull him this weekend as he's underdone.
We're dealing with elite sportsmen here that have different psychological profiles that the coaches need to be attuned to to get the best out of them. So on rare occasions team selection might have a more nuanced view than the blood lust of supporters after a loss
Put him on your watch list people and if I am wrong and he still runs out Saturday and has another stinker, then vent away

 

[swanny1234]

Have all the 'replace Darcy' agitators considered the remote possibility that, with Darcy below par last week and apparently doing minimal training this week and Cox an emergency, Darcy might be a late out? The named team might just be there to reassure him he is still seen as #1 choice for the spot, but they will still pull him this weekend as he's underdone.
We're dealing with elite sportsmen here that have different psychological profiles that the coaches need to be attuned to to get the best out of them. So on rare occasions team selection might have a more nuanced view than the blood lust of supporters after a loss
Put him on your watch list people and if I am wrong and he still runs out Saturday and has another stinker, then vent away

You don't name someone just to reassure them they're the number 1 then pull them out.

 

[Piggy Smalls]

I feel like dropping Darcy now would be like shutting the gate after the horse has bolted. If last week was about managing his load then he should be better this week, why would we drop him now?

Max Gawn

 

[Piggy Smalls]

Huge game for my buddy Amiss too.
If Sturt was fit he'd be in some serious trouble. Needs to get involved. There's not a lot of room to carry a 7 possession forward these days.
I beloeve he's got the talent. He just needs to believe in himself a bit more.

 

[Perfect Purple]

I’m now officially very, very nervous.

When you read that both Darcy and Pearce again trained away from the main group you can back it in that they will be on managed minutes again. Throw in Young not being in the midfield to deliver those sublime kicks to our forwards and you just know we are going to struggle to win this.

 

[ubiquitous226]

... and getting up for games has been a problem lately

Lucky we have the big Cox to come in

 

[ubiquitous226]

Put him on your watch list people and if I am wrong and he still runs out Saturday and has another stinker, then vent away

 

[stax on the mull]

I don’t know how as an AFL coach you could see the performance of Darcy last weekend and think that was even remotely okay and back him in again. Plenty had bad performances but Darcy could barely move.

Even if he somehow comes out and plays a blinder this week (against Max Gawn of all people) this selection alone just proves there is no selection integrity, there is no way any other coach in the league is playing Darcy again especially when we have an AFL capable ruck sitting at Peel.

View attachment 2555752

Just going to leave this here again because I feel it’s relevant. If he produced this against a first gamer how do you think he’s going to go against the best ruck in the league?

What is scrubbed out in that image?

 

[Randomizor]

What is scrubbed out in that image?

The graphic accidentally switched the TOG numbers. That’s what’s scrubbed out I believe

 

[PrancingPony]

I do hope Darcy doesn't cop too much from people online, he seems to cop it unfairly quite regularly, it's the match selection committee people should be directing their criticism towards, it's not like it's Sean's fault he's getting picked every week.

 

[sumavich]

You right Pony! I'm guilty of it. He just looks too non committal at times I'm sorry.
I'll give him the benefit of the doubt for this game, but as someone stated earlier, he's playing for his career imo

 

[PrancingPony]

You right Pony! I'm guilty of it. He just looks too non committal at times I'm sorry.
I'll give him the benefit of the doubt for this game, but as someone stated earlier, he's playing for his career imo

Fair call, and as I've said previously, his game last week is open to criticism, but realistically he probably shouldn't have been out there to begin with.

I just hope these last couple of weeks don't increase the amount nuffies going around saying he deserves to be delisted or traded (not so much on BF, but in general)

 

[sumavich]

Compare him to Milan Murdock who has battled to get a gig in the AFL, debuting at 25 for the Toast.
Kid was having the time of his life, just trying his guts out.
Darcy in his time has definitely been gifted games at Freo, and you are right it's not his fault

 

[2big2strom]

Incredibly preditcable.

I also hope playing an underdone Young (along with another handful of players) in a L was worth it. They never learn with him.

You predicted that the selection panel would debut Chris Scerri did ya?

 

[BurnedScones]

I take exception to people saying that Darcy isn't professional enough or insinuating that he slacks off. He's clearly been trying hard to get his body right and it's just not happening for him, it must be frustrating.

I'd like to clarify my early 'closing the gate comment' by saying that I would not have picked him last week. The only benefit that we've gained from playing last week is that he should be better for it this week. I'm clearly a Darcy fan but I'll admit the word should is doing a lot of heavy lifting.

 

[dominguez]

I feel like dropping Darcy now would be like shutting the gate after the horse has bolted. If last week was about managing his load then he should be better this week, why would we drop him now?

They'll be too stubborn to drop Darcy but he was poor last week and Cox was fantastic against the Crows so Cox should play.

If we lose to Melbourne and either Gawn dominates and/or Darcy struggles the pressure on JLo throughout next week will be massive.

Choosing Darcy over Cox who is 8 years younger could be justified if we were rebuilding but almost every pundit has us top 4/top 6. We'll look back on that Geelong game in August and say poor selection at match committee cost us top 4 or top 6. Carrying Fyfe last year was fine but the club owes Darcy nothing. Pick the side most likely to get the 4 points. That side has Cox, not Darcy.

 

[dominguez]

Yup. If he plays like he did against Geelong, he's gone.

Gone where? He's contracted for 6 seasons, this year and the next 5.

Match committee have put so much pressure on themselves and big Sean by selecting him underdone last week and this week.

They could have played big Mason for 3 5 7 10 however many weeks it took for Darcy to find fitness and a bit of touch at Peel. Now the football world will be watching Darcy closely this week, and if we lose the blow torch will be on JLo.

 

[dominguez]

Fair chance this all ends up as a great steaming WC looking pile of shit in 3-4 years time

Hayden Young is 24, I'm confident they'll get his body right.

Darcy is a worry though because we have no real ruckmen coming through. If we had a 21 year old ruck tearing it up at Peel I'd say do a Clayton Oliver at seasons end if Darcy's still struggling and get him off our books but then we're left with just Jackson, Cox who is 36 next year, and Riddle who is very green. We're stuck with Darcy for at least the next 18 months, lets hope he stays fit but Cox should have played this week and last.