Preview Round 21, 2021: St.Kilda v Sydney - Marvel Stadium, Saturday 7th August, 7:40PM AEST *PRIDE GAME* *COFFIELD 50TH*

Who Wins?

  • Saints

    Votes: 9 24.3%
  • Swans

    Votes: 28 75.7%

  • Total voters
    37
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Ephemeral Hope

Brownlow Medallist
Apr 24, 2021
11,119
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I think we have this one in the bag. What we got out of the last match is Membrey back in goal kicking form (albeit too late for yesterday, Max King continuing to show that he can create separation from his defender and take marks (also still kicking confidently in front of goal) and Cooper Sharman demonstrating that he has what it takes to be a third tall option. If King and Membrey can draw the biggest defenders Sharman can at least utilise the space (we've seen he's actually smart enough to do it).

With pressure off for the season we can hopefully experiment with a different forward structure or game plan. If Paddy's back we have a few different weapons or tools in the forward line.

King's way of generating scoring opportunities is to be isolated 1 on 1 and use speed and reach to take marks or get infringed upon. Rowan Marshall can play the role of bringing the ball to ground or taking pack marks, he's got the muscle and mass to do that better than King without wearing himself out, Membrey can do the same. Sharman can just continuously run around hopefully with freedom to get the cheapie passes that don't go to either an isolated King or the pack with Membrey/Marshall.

The Sydney match wasn't too long ago and while our kicking at goal was abysmal that day, we didn't look at it like we were soundly beaten and rather look at it as a match that got away. Our midfield matched up well with theirs and hopefully we can do the same. Dunstan and Crouch need to completely be inside to free up Steele to play more inside/outside. We play best when Steele isn't relegated to only doing the grunt work, he has the instinct and composure to go for a run with the ball and put it into a good spot, wouldn't mind seeing him playing more free, receiving the ball and then using it well and if he happens to end up in amongst the contested stuff, doing the hard work then. Similar to how Jones prefers to play on the outside, running and delivering the ball yet still being able to play hard contested footy when required. If you swapped the speed of Jones for more composure and game sense you'd get Steele in that role.

Byrnes, Hill, Jones, Steele, Connolly are players I wouldn't mind seeing play the link up role between the midfield and the forward line, outside of Hill they're all more than capable inside as well as on the run.

I've gone through and created a potential best 22 based on injuries, availability and partially experimenting to see all the different roles each player can fulfil for us. I've listed sort of sub roles which is just how I think about positions and roles within the team. I imagine picking a team and the gameplan will have to depend on utilising players with multiple capabilities in a way that covers for the single role players/specialists. There's nothing wrong with specialists but if we have a few in the same position we need to be able to rotate other players through other roles.

Again alot of these are just made up roles based on how I think about team structure.

B: Joyce, Wilkie, Webster
HB:Hill, Clavarino, Connolly
M: Steele, Bytel, Jones
HF: Butler, Membrey, Higgins
F: Marshall, King, Sharman
R: Ryder, Crouch, Dunstan

INT: Byrnes, Long, Billings, Highmore

One on One Defenders big forwards: Joyce, Wilikie, Clavarino
One on One Defenders small forwards: Wilkie, Webster
Rebounding Defenders: Hill, Webster, Connolly, Highmore
Intercepting Defenders: Highmore, Wilkie, Clavarino

Inside Grunt Midfielders: Dunstan, Steele, Bytel, Jones, Crouch, Byrnes,
Outside Midfielders: Steele, Byrnes, Jones, Hill, Connolly, Higgins?, Billings,
Run With Players/Taggers: Steele, Bytel?, Dunstan?

Ruck: Paddy Ryder, Rowan Marshall

Small Forwards Goal Kicking: Billings, Butler, Higgins,
Half Forward Link up player: Higgins, Butler, Billings (supposedly), Membrey, Sharman (no clue)
Pack Marking Forward/Bring the ball to ground: Marshall, King, Membrey, Ryder (durability and endurance concerns in this role)
Mobile/Opportunistic Marking Forward (Those "Happened to be in the right spot" type ones): Sharman, Membrey, Higgins, Steele
One on One Key Forward: Marshall, Ryder, Membrey, KING (head and shoulders better than this than the others)
Pressure/Tagging Forward: Butler, Long,

EDIT: What's the status on Sinclair's injury. If he's back he fits the exact same roles that Connolly and Hill do.
 
Aug 15, 2009
12,035
15,163
Geelong
AFL Club
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Max between Rounds 1 and 12: 14.23 :(
Max between Rounds 13 and 20: 20.4 :oops::oops:

The man has somehow gone from Levi Casboult to Plugger in terms of accuracy. He is gonna shred teams
 
Jun 17, 2018
3,180
12,779
AFL Club
St Kilda
Watching Max King kick bags and clunking marks is the only thing keeping me interested in the remaining games.
Also enjoy Paddy's work when playing.
Swans by -10 to + 85 points.
Go the 4 guys that turn up to play. Good luck.
 
D-Mac’s back. Seems almost unfair on Sydney. We should probably be given a handicap of 5 goals, just to give them some semblance of a chance and hope.

But can he play on Buddy? 🤔 😉
 
Watching Max King kick bags and clunking marks is the only thing keeping me interested in the remaining games.
Also enjoy Paddy's work when playing.
Swans by -10 to + 85 points.
Go the 4 guys that turn up to play. Good luck.
This will be a smashing by 65 + points Swans are a professional unit they won’t fail to turn up like our club does
 

Minga

Club Legend
Mar 23, 2021
1,677
9,182
AFL Club
St Kilda
Swans and Cats will be absolute smashings our boys will chuck the towel in

The Cats have been on a huge winning streak lately. Once they have their top 4 spot all wrapped up they’ll drop games in the regular season and probably even rest players. Happened last year, they lost a fair few games towards the end of the regular season. Kinda hoping they still beat us (and they should) at GMHBA for draft picks sake, that being said it would be a good win down there.

As for the swans, who knows they might run out of legs, but even if they do they are mentally opposite to our side atm, very tough and will get the job done like they did against us earlier in the year. If we don’t capitalise, they will. Really what separates the top 8 from the rest of the scrap heap.
 

Murraj1966

Brownlow Medallist
Jun 13, 2009
12,405
12,781
Melbourne
AFL Club
St Kilda
Honestly who gives a *.

If they win now that the pressure to make finals is off it proves how mentally piss weak they are.

I'm so sick of watching the same 3 players bust their ass week in week out for the rest to float around.

Jack Billings has laid 4 tackles in 5 weeks for * sake
 
Who cares
Swans by 55+

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The Cats have been on a huge winning streak lately. Once they have their top 4 spot all wrapped up they’ll drop games in the regular season and probably even rest players. Happened last year, they lost a fair few games towards the end of the regular season. Kinda hoping they still beat us (and they should) at GMHBA for draft picks sake, that being said it would be a good win down there.

As for the swans, who knows they might run out of legs, but even if they do they are mentally opposite to our side atm, very tough and will get the job done like they did against us earlier in the year. If we don’t capitalise, they will. Really what separates the top 8 from the rest of the scrap heap.

Hawkins, Cameron, Ratagolea, Rohan…. I feel sick at the very thought of this!
 

HunterClarksHeadband

Club Legend
Oct 10, 2020
1,017
3,883
AFL Club
St Kilda
Hawkins, Cameron, Ratagolea, Rohan…. I feel sick at the very thought of this!

Yeah, I honestly believe we’ll be viewing some incredibly hard to watch football over the next 3 weeks. Potential for some huge blowouts The Doogs injury right before the backline faces the Buddy/Hawkins/Cameron power forwards is comical.
 
Yeah, I honestly believe we’ll be viewing some incredibly hard to watch football over the next 3 weeks. Potential for some huge blowouts The Doogs injury right before the backline faces the Buddy/Hawkins/Cameron power forwards is comical.

I'm not sure “comical” is the word I’d use.
Excruciatingly painful viewing is what it’s going to be.
 
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_Maximus_12

Premiership Player
Jul 20, 2007
3,175
13,357
Victoria
AFL Club
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Other Teams
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Everyone talks about how dangerous we are with Ryder and Marshall in the same team, but I think it's more the fact that they're keeping Paul Hunter out of our side.
His selection is honestly embarrassing. To the point that we don't even play him as a number one ruckman and he has literally 0 other strings. We play with one less player when he plays.
 
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