Elixuh
See you on the 9th green at 9
Back home for round 22. It feels a bit like groundhog day as we face off against yet another team vying for a spot in the top eight.
While the Crows form has been erratic away from home this season, it is now sudden death for them to keep their season alive so I expect them to throw everything at us on Saturday.
For the Lions, we are in a tussle for a top two spot and like the other sides in the top four are struggling a bit to find our best form. Despite this, we have been strong at home all season and I expect this trend to continue.
Both sides with a lot to play for!
The things that I am looking out for this week…
Midfield form
I think our biggest concern now is midfield form. A few indifferent weeks in the middle. Being unable to win clearances, particularly at centre bounce, puts us in a lot of strife and means we must sweat turnovers, never ideal. We seemed to do ok in the Fremantle game in the fourth quarter so that was positive.
My view is that our current midfield woes are mainly down to dips in form rather than strategy. With Will out we lose a bit of flair and creativity and need Lachie and Dunks to elevate their form. I think we will see that this week.
Many have said it is time to give Dev a go, some have said it is unconstitutional not to. While I am not against the idea, I think we need to accept he has his limitations, especially in regards to his ball use (obviously he will develop over time!). This seems like the right opponent to test him against.
In any event, our midfield is going to be an interesting area to keep a watch on over the next three weeks.
Tex and Payne
Don’t worry I made sure I got his name right!
Tex is one of the in form forwards of the comp at the moment and keeping him quiet is a tough job but is one of the keys to us winning on Saturday.
Up steps Jack Payne.
Jack has had an excellent year and I expect he will probably get the Tex matchup. He is ready for it and will do a great job, but will need help from those around him.
Having watched a few Adelaide games, it all comes down to supply and pressure on the ball further up the field. So it would be great if the midfield could help out so that Jack can shine.
Fast start
Another thing to watch out for is a Crows fast start. They piled on five goals against Gold Coast last week to lead by 29 points at the first break.
Listening to Fagan’s post match press conference, I think the boys will be ready for a hungry Crows team with nothing to lose.
Rayner hitting form
Can Cam back up his good form?
Rayner has had a few quiet weeks but seems to be hitting form at the right time of the year, with a nice performance against Freo.
We saw against Freo that his skill by foot when around the ball is elite. If Eric, Joe and King Gunners are playing well up forward then that is my preference. Strong big body. Excellent instinctive running patterns. Highly skilled around the ball.
Getting Cam’s confidence up heading into finals will be big for us.
Dawson and Dunks
I’m going to level with you. I have no idea where Jordan Dawson plays and I couldn’t pick him in a police line-up. HOWEVA, I always hear his name brought up as one of Adelaide’s best players and apparently he is their Captain too (???). Anyway, assuming he plays somewhere on ball (again mea culpa if he is in fact one of their key forwards), I assume we send Dunks to him in what could be a great matchup.
The Suns sent old man Swallow to Dawson last week which proved effective with Dawson only managing 8 disposals to halftime. Curbing his influence on the game and ability to distribute the ball will be another key for us.
Role players
As we get to the end of the home & away season another thing I am looking out for are our role players and those guys that are bottom six of our best 23 each week. My sense is this is an area we have really improved this year and will go a long way to winning us a flag.
The guys that I’m referring to in this category include…Wilmott, Linc, Ah Chee, Dev, McKenna, Lester and Fletcher.
King Gunston is back baby
I think we can all agree now that the King Gunners trade has been a success as he single handedly won us the Freo game off his own boot. As John F Kennedy famously said during his Inaugural Address in 1961, “Gunners is back baby”.
What better way to end this preview and show our appreciation than with an acrostic poem to celebrate the great man.
Jumping high, he soars to the sky,
AFL’s stage, where heroes vie.
Crafty moves, he outwits the rest,
Kicking goals, he is truly blessed.
Graving Lions’ pride, he takes flight,
Unleashing talent, pure delight.
Nimble footwork, he dances with glee,
Swiftly navigating, sets opponents free.
Tireless efforts, he never shies,
Onward to victory, he defies ties.
Never backing down, he’s tough as stone.
Prediction
Lions by 20+ goals.
Thank you for your time and enjoy the game this weekend everyone! Go Lions.
This preview is dedicated to the memories of BRAB & Nunez
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