Game Day Round 3, 2021: Essendon v St.Kilda *STEELE 100TH* *CLARK 50TH* *CROUCH DEBUT*

[bird_man]

Essendons mids

Merrett 179cm 82kg
McGrath 180/83
Ham 182/87
Parish 180/80
Smith 176/78
Langford 192/88

One big bodied mid in Langford and he is a pretty average footballer

St Kilda mids

Steele 187/91
Crouch 186/85
Ross 187/86
Jones 182/80
Gresham 177/80
Clark 186/83

We should be able to squash these manlets in the middle.

Obviously need to improve our ball use 100% though

 

[aussierulesrules]

The most hitouts Wright has had in a game is 19. Next most 11. Career average 5. Doesn’t look like he’s ever had the no.1 role in a game there.

McKernan has had games of 31, 30, 29, 27, 26 x 3, 22 x 2, 20, 19 x 3. Career average 9.

So obviously has a lot more experience playing there. Will be interesting to see how that plays out.

Carlisle has had games of 18, 16 and 14.

 

[KingsRansom]

Just on Paul Hunter. People are throwing the toys out of the cot because he has been dropped over Mckernan.

Mckernan has had a full preseason and is an AFL hardened body. Paul Hunter was unblocking people s**t castles 2 months ago, he's probably sorer than a Virgin after her first roll in the sack. Just needs a rest is all

 

[LiterallyNobody]

Just on Paul Hunter. People are throwing the toys out of the cot because he has been dropped over Mckernan.

Mckernan has had a full preseason and is an AFL hardened body. Paul Hunter was unblocking people sh*t castles 2 months ago, he's probably sorer than a Virgin after her first roll in the sack. Just needs a rest is all

I’m not “throwing the toys out of the cot” (btw I know you didn’t mean me, just justifying myself here) as you put it but I don’t think dropping Hunter was the answer. Wouldn’t have dropped Smack either. But dropping Hunter for Carlisle makes sense if he’s going to play ruck; dropping highmore for Carlisle makes sense if he’s going to play defence. Dropping both makes no sense. He can’t play both simultaneously.

 

[aussierulesrules]

I’m not “throwing the toys out of the cot” (btw I know you didn’t mean me, just justifying myself here) as you put it but I don’t think dropping Hunter was the answer. Wouldn’t have dropped Smack either. But dropping Hunter for Carlisle makes sense if he’s going to play ruck; dropping highmore for Carlisle makes sense if he’s going to play defence. Dropping both makes no sense. He can’t play both simultaneously.

Looks most likely that the Battle-on-the-wing experiment might be over and that he’ll take Highmore’s place at CHB. With Wood taking over Battle’s previous forward/wing role.

So McKernan taking Hunter’s spot. Carlisle taking McKernan’s spot. Battle taking Highmore’s spot and Wood taking Battle’s spot.

 

[bird_man]

If it means he doesn't have to play on the wing of love to see Battle given a decent opportunity at CHB.

He showed a heap of promise when he was thrown back a few years ago. Looked like a 10 year key position player in the making.

 

[aussierulesrules]

If it means he doesn't have to play on the wing of love to see Battle given a decent opportunity at CHB.

 

[gringo2011]

If as we should dominate around the ball they should get slow ball movement most of time. I’m not being arrogant but if are a half decent side we really should smash them. No excuses at all not even the ruck. We are bad as them in that position. Neither club could say as good as them.

Our midfield depth is much better but the are pretty even everywhere else. This looks like the kind of game we love to * up. We are just going this year and our forward line looks like it's gone from a weapon to a liability.

 

[Remboy]

I've put last week's effort down to the full moon. Steele and Clark in milestone games this week.
Saints by plenty. Load up!

 

[Saint_Dos]

The most hitouts Wright has had in a game is 19. Next most 11. Career average 5. Doesn’t look like he’s ever had the no.1 role in a game there.

McKernan has had games of 31, 30, 29, 27, 26 x 3, 22 x 2, 20, 19 x 3. Career average 9.

So obviously has a lot more experience playing there. Will be interesting to see how that plays out.

Carlisle has had games of 18, 16 and 14.

Spent most of his career under Witts who has had very good consistency without injury (until now).
Came over to Essendon with Belch and Draper playing so probably hasnt been required for long periods of ruck work

 

[aussierulesrules]

Our midfield depth is much better but the are pretty even everywhere else. This looks like the kind of game we love to fu** up. We are just going this year and our forward line looks like it's gone from a weapon to a liability.

We were smoking it in the preseason games and then had a terrific win against the odds in R1, before being flat and out-of-sorts for possibly numerous reasons last week.

Last week Melbourne had May, Lever, Tomlinson and Gawn behind the ball and manning up our talls. This week it’s 3 guys who have played 72 games between them and Peter Wright.

Very, very different scenario.

We’ve also bounced back very well the next week from poor games under Ratts.

 

[plugger66]

Our midfield depth is much better but the are pretty even everywhere else. This looks like the kind of game we love to fu** up. We are just going this year and our forward line looks like it's gone from a weapon to a liability.

When was the last time we lost to rabble? Yes we have lost a couple when favourites but can’t think of many when this short. Our back and forwards have them covered clearly as well as the mids.

 

[gringo2011]

We were smoking it in the preseason games and then had a terrific win against the odds in R1, before being flat and out-of-sorts for possibly numerous reasons last week.

Last week Melbourne had May, Lever, Tomlinson and Gawn behind the ball and manning up our talls. This week it’s 3 guys who have played 72 games between them and Peter Wright.

Very, very different scenario.

We beat up North who look like the worst side in the comp right now and they played a very young side. Burst out of the blocks against Carlton before letting them come right back and threaten a few times. Played GWS who also look bottom 3 this year and just got over them but in the wet and lost to a Melbourne who are not top shelf but improving. Our 2021 form hasn't looked great to be honest and the missing players look to have made a bigger dent than I had hoped.

Essendon look weak on paper but they still have some good players in and they will bring in some youth. Youthful sides like Sydney, Adelaide and GC seem to be handling the quicker paced game better than some old sides. We should win but I hate the arrogance of pencilling it in and just hope the players aren't as cocky. Hopefully Crouch comes in like a freight train and Hill and Jones are out for redemption.

 

[Rooster 24]

Just on Paul Hunter. People are throwing the toys out of the cot because he has been dropped over Mckernan.

Mckernan has had a full preseason and is an AFL hardened body. Paul Hunter was unblocking people sh*t castles 2 months ago, he's probably sorer than a Virgin after her first roll in the sack. Just needs a rest is all

I don’t think people are throwing the toys out of the cot. As he could not crack a game with last year’s wooden spooner I think most people are completely unsurprised by his modest outputs.

He was a late insurance pick as a 4th choice ruckmen and on the back of a limited pre-season, he played according to ability and preparation. He is now our 5th choice ruckmen and I expect to see him in Sandy colours for the rest of the season.

 

[gringo2011]

When was the last time we lost to rabble? Yes we have lost a couple when favourites but can’t think of many when this short. Our back and forwards have them covered clearly as well as the mids.

North and Freo last year?

 

[stavro#4]

If as we should dominate around the ball they should get slow ball movement most of time. I’m not being arrogant but if are a half decent side we really should smash them. No excuses at all not even the ruck. We are bad as them in that position. Neither club could say as good as them.

******* hell plugger66

I’ve been agreeing with you more and more this week.

Get off the meds and go back to being unhinged and s**t talking.

 

[bird_man]

Our midfield depth is much better but the are pretty even everywhere else. This looks like the kind of game we love to fu** up. We are just going this year and our forward line looks like it's gone from a weapon to a liability.

One game and it forward line is now a liability.

Ease out brother.

 

[JayJ20]

Essendons mids

Merrett 179cm 82kg
McGrath 180/83
Ham 182/87
Parish 180/80
Smith 176/78
Langford 192/88

One big bodied mid in Langford and he is a pretty average footballer

St Kilda mids

Steele 187/91
Crouch 186/85
Ross 187/86
Jones 182/80
Gresham 177/80
Clark 186/83

We should be able to squash these manlets in the middle.

Obviously need to improve our ball use 100% though

It's more like:

McGrath 179cm 82kg
Merrett 180/83
Parish 180/80
Perkins 188/79
Stringer 192/95
Langford 192/88

Perkins and Stringer have been playing midfield in the VFL so I'd expect them to be a part of the midfield rotation with Caldwell and Shiel out.

 

[stavro#4]

North and Freo last year?

That north side is better than the one that turned up yesterday.

I will also say, in both of those games we turned momentum back our way very late. If that was a normal length game, chances are we win both.

 

[stavro#4]

It's more like:

McGrath 179cm 82kg
Merrett 180/83
Parish 180/80
Perkins 188/79
Stringer 192/95
Langford 192/88

Perkins and Stringer have been playing midfield in the VFL so I'd expect them to be a part of the second-string midfield rotation.

Surely Stringer won’t be playing major midfield minutes in his first game back and I can’t imagine Perkins lasting 4 quarters. So you should be down 2 runners in the second half (see north yesterday)

 

[bird_man]

It's more like:

McGrath 179cm 82kg
Merrett 180/83
Parish 180/80
Perkins 188/79
Stringer 192/95
Langford 192/88

Perkins and Stringer have been playing midfield in the VFL so I'd expect them to be a part of the midfield rotation with Caldwell and Shiel out.

Hope Stringer plays midfield

 

[aussierulesrules]

North and Freo last year?

North sure as hell weren’t a rabble when we lost to them.

They finished higher than us the previous year (12th, to our 14th) and then they beat the reigning grand finalist GWS up there, the following week, so they were a million miles off the North of today back then.

Their season only fell off a cliff once they started to get crunched by injuries and lost all their confidence and momentum.

Freo were also a capable team last year and not an almost certain bottom 2 team.

 

[JayJ20]

Surely Stringer won’t be playing major midfield minutes in his first game back and I can’t imagine Perkins lasting 4 quarters. So you should be down 2 runners in the second half (see north yesterday)

No he won't play majority of the game there. I'm guessing it'll be a 65/35 forward/midfield split, but he'll attend some centre bounces especially if St Kilda get on top in the middle.

It's hard to know what they'll do with Perkins, but I hope we do play him in the middle. This is a development year so we may as well play him on-ball.

I just hope Smith isn't anywhere near the midfield.

Hope Stringer plays midfield

He won't play a full game there, but he certainly helps with size in the middle.
He's better than what people give him credit for. Fitness was an issue, but he seems to have slimmed down so we'll see how he goes.

 

[plugger66]

******* hell plugger66

I’ve been agreeing with you more and more this week.

Get off the meds and go back to being unhinged and sh*t talking.

I always talk s**t.

 

[plugger66]

North and Freo last year?

So we were that short? I doubt it. Certainly not north. Reckon the market was pretty close.