Preview Round 23 - Essendon Bombers vs The Greater Western Sydney - Saturday, August 19th - 4:45 pm @ Unsponsored Stadium, NSW

[Snake Charmer]

Bryan dropped also for his future ruck partner while the dude who has retired is playing. What am I missing?

 

[Algorithmic Hot Takes]

What to make of it?

I have no idea how players are traveling physically, for example Bryan could be shagged, and not in the good way, or it could be the selection panel just like Phillips?

Stringer probably will be missing a bit of touch as others have mentioned.

Draper will probably do alright, I'd love to see the mulletted one tear the ball out of an oppo players hand and gallop towards the goal and snag one just for a laugh.

It could be a stroke of genius from Brad or just a stroke.
Bring on Saturday I guess.

I sort of want a win, but then I think we'll get our arses handed to use next week or the week after anyway as I've mentioned before. I'm a positive sort I guess.
I hope they play to win, and don't just go through the motions in any case.

 

[Kong]

Why would you drop Baldwin after the game he just had...

This is one of the players that makes me question Scott a little.

I really admire his ability to articulate reason and vision, but one of the things he said early in the season was along the lines of, they'll keep players in the VFL until they're ready (injury and form, presumably) to stay in the AFL side.

He said it a few times about Reid, but also in general. I thought it was great.

But then you see him ignore Baldwin's form and fitness (still adds up to the first part of his comments), then drop him twice after good performances.

Davey is another whose selections/droppings have been confusing. Odd.

 

[Shanghaistu]

Bryan dropped also for his future ruck partner while the dude who has retired is playing. What am I missing?

Saving him from being pulverised by Briggs and Preuss maybe?

 

[andleanback]

Apologies for the intrusion - I come in peace. Does anyone know why Setterfield is not getting a game?


Sent from my iPhone using BigFooty.com

Been out for over 3 months, has only had 1 vfl game

 

[andleanback]

Saving him from being pulverised by Briggs and Preuss maybe?

Pulverized? Briggs barely beat Hayes and lord last week. Bryan can hold his own, he’s over 100 kegs

 

[Beerfish]

Bryan dropped also for his future ruck partner while the dude who has retired is playing. What am I missing?

Farewell game against the club he was drafted to?

 

[JT_the_Man]

Pretty spineless selection imo.

 

[Snake Charmer]

Farewell game against the club he was drafted to?

Lol if that’s the case.

 

[JT_the_Man]

You’d think Baldwin played well enough to get 6 Brownlow votes against North the way some people are reacting.

He had some good moments absolutely, but he had a pretty minimal presence otherwise.

Also, of course they’ve gone out to make finals. Why wouldn’t you? Making and playing in a finals game would be gold for the likes of Hobbs, Menzie and Tsatas if we make it. It’s 100% the right call

Have we really gone out to make finals though? If we were doing that Caldwell and Setterfield are in.

 

[TheWeapon]

The problem matchup is Toby Greene

4

Toby Greene

Age

30

Ht

182cm

Wt

85kg

Pos.

Fwd

Career

Season

Last 5

D

22.7

5star

K

12.5

5star

HB

10.2

5star

M

4.8

5star

T

3.0

5star

G

1.2

4star

D

17.5

4star

K

9.5

4star

HB

8.0

4star

M

4.8

4star

T

1.0

2star

G

2.3

5star

D

26.6

5star

K

12.4

5star

HB

14.2

5star

M

4.8

5star

T

3.6

5star

G

0.0

1star

. I think if Kelly gets the task Toby might just end his career by humiliating him, far too many tricks. Earlier in the season McGrath would have been my preference but he seems to have lost his pace recently

 

[Kyptastic]

Have we really gone out to make finals though? If we were doing that Caldwell and Setterfield are in.

My guess is they're happy with the role Perkins is playing in that defensive midfielder role and if Caldwell comes in you're looking at a Hobbs or Tsatas out - they did say once they picked Tsatas they want to keep him in. I think you can make a case either way for those two being in or out.

 

[ghostdog]

Kelly is an option as stringer would be another forward. If Kelly goes back into the defense, I’d say it’s highly likely that they drop Baldwin.

Well played.

 

[ghostdog]

Which would have to occur if you want Heppell to realise and finally call time.

FTFY

 

[Wahooti Fandango]

I'd be really cautious..

Setters in for Kelly for mine. Kelly looks like a man looking for a position at the moment. Hepp has kept him out of the backline and he didn't look great up forward.

Personally I'd only make the two changes with Setters and Draper. Let the other two come back via the VFL and actually some some form first.

You’d think Baldwin played well enough to get 6 Brownlow votes against North the way some people are reacting.

He had some good moments absolutely, but he had a pretty minimal presence otherwise.

Also, of course they’ve gone out to make finals. Why wouldn’t you? Making and playing in a finals game would be gold for the likes of Hobbs, Menzie and Tsatas if we make it. It’s 100% the right call

He played better than BZT who got pantsed.

 

[Lore]

This is a pretty good indication of what we can expect over the coming years, for better or worse (and I’m not complaining).

What are Brad’s selection heuristics on the evidence?

• Seniority matters. Runs on the board have a higher weighting than recent form. Perhaps a belief in returning to form in the AFL instead of being dropped
• Younger players need to substantially outperform senior players to force their way in, if there’s competition for positions
• Middle-rung established players, when returning from injury, are not an automatic in necessarily
• Top players returning from injury are an automatic in but only if proven to be fully fit and ready
• Some players who are omitted will be “soft dropped” by being named as sub but then late-replaced as sub on game day. Possibly done to ease the landing
• Accomodating the above, the team structure will generally be maintained on the field by moving some players around
• While “playing players in their best position” is important, it may bend to:

1. Accomodate gaps in the selected side
2. Fill gaps that arise during the course of the match
3. Experiment with players in different positions over the course of a small (?) stretch of games

Observations:

• Preferred back six (current) is largely settled, barring injuries
• Midfield group is a bigger core of players and, given various injuries, has been less settled but well-stocked at most times, also noting the younger age profiles of some midfielders
• The forward structure is mostly settled but the players haven’t been due to injuries and other factors, including Weid’s form
• The small forwards, except for Menzie, have rotated a lot due to lack of solid 2nd/3rd options at this time

This sort of post deserves oxygen beyond whatever is left of the 7 day lifespan of a preview thread.

Also deserves some scrutiny but I’ll do it later and probably in some other thread

 

[Beerfish]

Lol if that’s the case.

 

[Kyptastic]

He played better than BZT who got pantsed.

BZT played on Nick Larkey, who's third in the Coleman.

Baldwin played on Tristan Xerri, who's kicked three goals for the year.

It's not a fair comparison.

 

[Wahooti Fandango]

BZT played on Nick Larkey, who's third in the Coleman.

Baldwin played on Tristan Xerri, who's kicked three goals for the year.

It's not a fair comparison.

Well I can only go on the games Baldwin has played...

 

[Kyptastic]

Don The Stat preview is out now

 

[Snake Charmer]

Do you honestly think he’s in for a farewell game against the club the drafted him? Lol we are a chance to play finals footy

 

[Lore]

Do you honestly think he’s in for a farewell game against the club the drafted him? Lol we are a chance to play finals footy

That could also be a factor, since Draper and Flip is our best combination.

Also if Drapes is coming back from injury they might want him to have a lighter ruck load, and they’re not going to dump that on Bryan. Flip offers more as a forward than Bryan also.

 

[frodos gardener]

This sort of post deserves oxygen beyond whatever is left of the 7 day lifespan of a preview thread.

Also deserves some scrutiny but I’ll do it later and probably in some other thread

Please do. I’m still trying to work it out myself but a good shared understanding of selection policy will be helpful to all.

 

[Snake Charmer]

That could also be a factor, since Draper and Flip is our best combination.

Also if Drapes is coming back from injury they might want him to have a lighter ruck load, and they’re not going to dump that on Bryan. Flip offers more as a forward than Bryan also.

I doubt it’s a factor at all. 0.

What you have said is definitely the reason he is playing over Bryan. In saying that I would of preferred to see a Bryan Draper combo to finish the year

 

[Learntopray]

The problem matchup is Toby Greene. I think if Kelly gets the task Toby might just end his career by humiliating him, far too many tricks. Earlier in the season McGrath would have been my preference but he seems to have lost his pace recently

Toby will get him on short hit up leads all day, while Kelly ball watches.