Opinion Round 2 Changes vs. Geelong

[Wizard]

I have watched the game on reply since and still agree with my comments.

Matt De Boer was our leading tackler and he spent the least amount of time on the ground. Sheridan and Suban's ball use was average at best.

I swear, if Nick Suban goes to ground again without disposing of the pill prior to the blowing of an umpires whistle, I will run onto the WACA and give Hoggy a cuddle in the next Big Bash game.

Hes an interesting one as the sub isn't he.
In a high intense, close, high pressure contest i think he is almost the perfect sub as he plays with such an intensity that he slots in perfectly.

In an open running uncontested game, hes next to useless as the sub. A real catch 22.

 

[Harry Reems]

Does Crowley in this time still keep earning money from his signed playing contract?

I doubt it, as he is in breach of his contract and the AFL code of conduct by not consulting the club doctor.

He would be getting some pay as he is still training though.

 

[DudleyDocker]

I have watched the game on reply since and still agree with my comments.

Matt De Boer was our leading tackler and he spent the least amount of time on the ground. Sheridan and Suban's ball use was average at best.

I swear, if Nick Suban goes to ground again without disposing of the pill prior to the blowing of an umpires whistle, I will run onto the WACA and give Hoggy a cuddle in the next Big Bash game.

Agree on Suban, just think we need to persevere with Sheridan for a little longer. He has done nothing wrong, and I think his disposal is much more damaging than DeBoer's. Lord knows we need as many good disposers as we can coming out of the backline.

 

[go_the_dockers]

Hes an interesting one as the sub isn't he.
In a high intense, close, high pressure contest i think he is almost the perfect sub as he plays with such an intensity that he slots in perfectly.

In an open running uncontested game, hes next to useless as the sub. A real catch 22.

I would love to see Weller as a sub. He has clean skills, can kick a goal, and should have the ability to break the line in the last quarter.

I have watched the game on reply since and still agree with my comments.

Matt De Boer was our leading tackler and he spent the least amount of time on the ground. Sheridan and Suban's ball use was average at best.

I swear, if Nick Suban goes to ground again without disposing of the pill prior to the blowing of an umpires whistle, I will run onto the WACA and give Hoggy a cuddle in the next Big Bash game.

Sheridan got better as the game went on, and his skills were a lot better in the second half. I think nerves got to him a bit, which is why he over kicked the ball in the 1st half.

 

[Scham]

If Mayne is fit I think Ross would like him to have the opportunity to play in the forward line with another tall (Tabs). He'd also give us insurance in defence if one of our talls gets injured during the game.

So it might well be Suban and De Boer who make way for Tabs and Mzungu?

 

[holy diver]

Watching the Geelong ruck struggle against the Hawks yesterday, Sandilands & Clarke are going to absolutely have periods of domination in the ruck - if not the entire match. - It will go a long way to winning over in Geelongistan.

 

[dockshark]

IN: Mzungu, Tabs
OUT: Suban (horrible), Mayne (deserves another run but ankle iffy)

Make it happen match comittee

 

[fpm84]

Sorry for the intrusion guys, but Johnson has been cleared to play.

Do you expect you will tag him or Selwood?

 

[Boppo]

Stevie J fine only

 

[Boppo]

Sorry for the intrusion guys, but Johnson has been cleared to play.

Do you expect you will tag him or Selwood?

Tag Johnson. He loses his rag easily and Selwood is going up against our mids seemingly by himself.

 

[fpm84]

Tag Johnson. He loses his rag easily and Selwood is going up against our mids seemingly by himself.

I'll be interested to see how it goes. No doubt Crowley knew how to get under his skin, as he did with others. The onus will be on Johnson to really respond this weekend.

 

[Fred Ziffel]

Geelong were humiliated by Brisbane coming back from 50 points down two years ago, Freo played them the week after and went down by 40 points. They may still be good enough to rebound from this.

This game not similar in many ways.
Are you referring to the kardinya game when we were decimated by injury ? We had some debuts in that game ?

Next week , the situation is reversed. They now have no midfield especially if sniper gets a week.

Late edit; I hear he got off. Unbelievable , this sporting body.

 

[go_the_dockers]

IN: Mzungu, Tabs
OUT: Suban (horrible), Mayne (deserves another run but ankle iffy)

Make it happen match comittee

Selwood will get the tag.

 

[clogged]

This game not similar in many ways.
Are you referring to the kardinya game when we were decimated by injury ? We had some debuts in that game ?

Next week , the situation is reversed. They now have no midfield especially if sniper gets a week.

The point is they have been humiliated a few times over the past few years and still come back and won the games they needed to. Sydney beat them by 110 points last year. They made top four anyway.

It was a bad result for them, but Hawks also did it to the runners up last year. Touched up Sydney by the same margin in the GF.

It could just be that Hawthorn are that much better than the rest of the comp.

 

[Lach72]

Mzungu comes in.
Taberner comes in.

Suban and De Boer out unless Mayne isn't fit.

Blakely and Weller to continue developing. I'm itching to see them both play.

Maybe the derby, against WC one paced short midfield

 

[pavsbootlace]

I think it's worth remembering that Geelong finished equal first on points last year after the H& A season. Hawthorn are a level above everyone else.

Then Cats will not be easy to beat at the Cattery.

 

[Fred Ziffel]

Mzungu comes in.
Taberner comes in.

Suban and De Boer out unless Mayne isn't fit.

Blakely and Weller to continue developing. I'm itching to see them both play.

Maybe the derby, against WC one paced short midfield

wc game looks ideal for one of those to debut. If they both have good games for Peel this week it will be very difficult for the selectors to ignore them.

 

[Fred Ziffel]

I think it's worth remembering that Geelong finished equal first on points last year after the H& A season. Hawthorn are a level above everyone else.

Then Cats will not be easy to beat at the Cattery.

Agree, this Geelong game is huge.
If we win this game I would be confident of beating Sydney at Subiaco; our season would be off to a flier and with upward pressure from young players.
We really have to beat Geelong.

 

[Moo]

Those who are dropping De Boer - assume you dozed off in the last 10 mins of the game after too many Easter eggs

 

[estibador]

Hawthorn humiliated us early last season and the next week we bounced back to smack Essendon by 10 goals at home.

We're a bit better than Essendon hopefully, but I won't be taking the Cats lightly.

 

[Agenfrida]

wc game looks ideal for one of those to debut. If they both have good games for Peel this week it will be very difficult for the selectors to ignore them.

That's what I thought when Viv Michie tore up the WAFL every week. If we're winning and people are doing what's asked of them it will be hard to find a spot for them, especially if Crozier starts performing.

 

[Lach72]

Those who are dropping De Boer - assume you dozed off in the last 10 mins of the game after too many Easter eggs

No. Mzungu takes Suban's spot.

It's De Boer or Mayne for Taberner...who you picking?

 

[JamFrank]

The point is they have been humiliated a few times over the past few years and still come back and won games that matter. Sydney beat them by 110 points last year. They made top four anyway.

It was a bad result for them, but Hawks also did it to the runners up last year. Touched up Sydney by the same margin in the GF.

It could just be that Hawthorn are that much better than the rest of the comp.

I think it's worth remembering that Geelong finished equal first on points last year after the H& A season. Hawthorn are a level above everyone else.

Them Cats will not be easy to beat at the Cattery.

Yeah, my initial post about smashing them was a little tongue in cheek.

This week will be a massive test of geelong's psychological fortitude. Coping a big loss like that in rd.1, when all the player's would've been thinking they might have had another crack at the GF this year, will either leave them lacking confidence in their own ability, or will galvanise them with a harder edge for this week - wanting to make a mends.

I will say this however, their form for the last half of 2014 wasn't brilliant. Following their 110 point loss to sydney in Rd. 11 they beat carlton (twice and only just on both occasions), st. kilda, lost to GC, just beat essendon (who two weeks prior lost to melbourne), beat the bulldogs, beat melbourne, beat GWS, did beat NM and Freo (just, with the help of the umpires), lost to hawthorne and beat brisbane.

So I'd say other than NM and Freo, their form after that 110 point loss was only great against some pretty weak opposition. Perhaps they've been on the slide for a little while now? Their senior players have done enough in a few clutch games to get them over the line, but their form seems to be weaning. Enright, Kelly and Bartel looked pretty ordinary yesterday. Mackie was a late withdrawal with a soft tissue issue. Hamish McIntosh is underdone.

You look at Hawthorne and all the older player's on their list; they just seem to be getting better - maybe that is a result of the Hawthorne game plan and the player's knowledge of it.

People were predicting a Freo slide as a result of our ageing list, but maybe we're going the way of Hawthorne (who have the 4th oldest list, 0.6 yrs on average younger than Freo) while Geelong are going the other way?

To me, it seems like our bottom four players are around the 23-25 year mark, whereas Geelong's are 18/19 year old rookies (Lang, Cockatoo, Gregson). All three of these guys looked pretty lost out there and caused a lot of turn overs. While we just had Suban doing that for us

Maybe our list has been managed that little bit better, in that we have a bit more experience in our younger brigade than geelong, and that could prove the difference...

 

[Docker82]

Those who are dropping De Boer - assume you dozed off in the last 10 mins of the game after too many Easter eggs

The men with either one of the vests are easy targets I'm afraid.

Suban was easily worst on ground for freo imo. It's becoming far too common as well unfortunately.

 

[clogged]

I agree with that JamFrank. The issue with Geelong is their midfield has been on decline for years, at the end of last year they lost midfield depth in the prime 23-27 age range (Varcoe, Christensen and Hunt) and the senior players they've picked up don't fix that problem.

Most of Freo's midfield is in that prime age bracket, only older blokes being Mundy and Pearce.