Preview Round 5, 2019: Melbourne v St.Kilda - MCG, Saturday 20th April, 4:35PM AEST

[Gosaints12]

The problem is if it was Melbourne vs saints easter monday then Melbourne would have to back it up on ANZAC day eve. The only way to fix that problem is to play completely different teams. Maybe saints vs carton and Melbourne vs bulldogs.

I happy with the six day break means I get to the saints twice in a week.

 

[Sir Skid]

It's a good sign when a player like Clark plays ok but still gets dropped. Shows that our midfield is improving and you have to play well to stay in.

This is the key message for all players I reckon.

Lift your standard or risk missing out. Love it!

 

[Mowman]

So you would rather we have Gresh and Steven, arguably our two most impactful midfielders, spend more time forward with Clark playing than having Gresh and Steven spend more time in their best position with Kent playing?

Paton is more a defender and has been training/playing there all preseason. With us being so system based this year, swinging him forward on a whin this week isnt going to help him contribute more. Best we play an actual forward in the forward line.

Be interesting to see how much time Steven spends forward tomorrow imo it will be a large chunk of his time and will be used for short little burst on ball until he gets match fitness up

 

[Gosaints12]

If we had dropped Kent for Stuv, would you have been happy if that meant Clark was played out of position, deep in the forward line?
The coaches have confirmed Stuv will play majority midfield so a midfielder had to make way.

Isnt it better Clark plays a full game in the midfield in the VFL than "rotting" in the fwd pocket at AFL?

As much I like Clark playing that does make a lot of sense, but Richo thinks Stuv is a dangerous forward, could we have left Stuv forward and played Clark in the middle and rotated Stuv into the middle and put Newes I’m the forwardline at stages, I see why we left Kent in, but I think a change like that next week would work.

Clark for Kent next week.

 

[kernelT]

This is the key message for all players I reckon.

Lift your standard or risk missing out. Love it!

It only works if you apply it to all players, a 25 year old should get less leeway than a 19 year old IMO.

 

[mrmonkey]

I happy with the six day break means I get to the saints twice in a week.

Sometimes it's a good thing particularly after a good win. A longer break sometimes can stop your momentum.

 

[Cairnsman]

I'm looking forward to this week's match. We beat Melbourne last year with quick F50 entries created from slingshot ball movement from the back half which also exposed Melbourne's weakness defending out wide by switching play quickly and trying to to gun it to F50, probably explains the perception our game plan is to bomb it into F50. Will our modified game plan of holding onto the ball a little longer coming out of the backline work against the Dees. Looking forward to seeing how Wilkie, Battle and our new backline goes cause I reckon the Dees strategists will have made this area of the ground a focus for this week. The mids are going to have a job on thier hand too. Expect Acres to play better than last week and I reckon Steele and Ross will set themselves for elite games.

The game will be one somewhere between the backline and midfield.

 

[Mowman]

It only works if you apply it to all players, a 25 year old should get less leeway than a 19 year old IMO.

I think it’s hard to be given one game then out weather you are a 1st year player or in you 10 th year

 

[VDS66]

But why are people disappointed that Clark isn’t playing? Have you honestly seen anything that warrants selection. Were people disappointed when Phillips was dropped? I thought he showed more than Clark in all honesty.

Clark simply has to play because other teams are playing their first round picks.

Not fair.

 

[bergholt]

I'm a bit worried about this one.

Our clearances vs opposition have been +6, -2, -6, +13. That second half vs Freo they dominated the clearances and that's how we lost the game.

The Dees have two players in the top 10 for clearances - Oliver 3rd and Brayshaw 9th - and then others: Harmes 19th, Gawn 30th, Viney 69th. If they get on the top of us there we're going to have a very tough day.

If we can break even in clearances then I think we'll win, because our defence can cover their forwards, and our forwards can kick enough goals. So this is a huge job for Marshall, Steven, Gresh, Steele, Ross, Sinclair, Newnes, etc.

 

[plugger66]

Clark simply has to play because other teams are playing their first round picks.

Not fair.

And if it doesn’t suit the narrative Why do we have to do what other teams do

 

[kernelT]

Clark simply has to play because other teams are playing their first round picks.

Not fair.

Sometimes you need to invest in your young players and keep playing them so they can build some consistency.

 

[bird_man]

I'm a bit worried about this one.

Our clearances vs opposition have been +6, -2, -6, +13. That second half vs Freo they dominated the clearances and that's how we lost the game.

The Dees have two players in the top 10 for clearances - Oliver 3rd and Brayshaw 9th - and then others: Harmes 19th, Gawn 30th, Viney 69th. If they get on the top of us there we're going to have a very tough day.

If we can break even in clearances then I think we'll win, because our defence can cover their forwards, and our forwards can kick enough goals. So this is a huge job for Marshall, Steven, Gresh, Steele, Ross, Sinclair, Newnes, etc.

We need to beat them with our own game. They have been winning the clearances but have been playing poorly.

I don't see us winning the clearances, but if we can minimise the damage we can then look at cutting them up on the outside.

 

[triggering bro]

I'm a bit worried about this one.

Our clearances vs opposition have been +6, -2, -6, +13. That second half vs Freo they dominated the clearances and that's how we lost the game.

The Dees have two players in the top 10 for clearances - Oliver 3rd and Brayshaw 9th - and then others: Harmes 19th, Gawn 30th, Viney 69th. If they get on the top of us there we're going to have a very tough day.

If we can break even in clearances then I think we'll win, because our defence can cover their forwards, and our forwards can kick enough goals. So this is a huge job for Marshall, Steven, Gresh, Steele, Ross, Sinclair, Newnes, etc.

We will lose the clearances that’s a given. This is obviously Melbourne’s strength but they’ve been so poor in other areas. As example, they beat Geelong in clearances 56-41 & inside 50s 72-48 & still lost by 80 points! They haven’t lost clearances all year (drew with Ess) & are still 1-3 with a percentage of 75. We can cover the loss of clearances if we remain tight in defence & get them on the rebound.

 

[Mowman]

And if it doesn’t suit the narrative Why do we have to do what other teams do

Like only having one tall forward that sort of stuff you mean lol

 

[plugger66]

Sometimes you need to invest in your young players and keep playing them so they can build some consistency.

Yes we did that with gresh billings and dunstan but we didn’t do that with armo and Steven.

 

[mighty_sainters]

Woke up this morning wondering why this hadn’t moved to the game day thread. Yesterday being the last working day of the week made it feel like a Friday.

Seriously not impressed I need to wait another 29 hours for this game.

 

[salt3d]

I doubt Gresham & Steven attend many centre bounces together so your point is moot. Clark would attend a small amount of centre bounces to give the main four (Ross, Steele, Gresham & Steven) a chop out. Otherwise he can slot in in other areas. His versatility can not be underestimated. Kent on the other hand doesn’t have many strings to his bow.

I just want to point out that in the first half last week the combo for most (all?) centre bounces was Steele, Gresham, Clark. So it's not necessarily a given that Gresham and Steven won't be in there together.

 

[OxSaint]

Reasonably happy with the side selected. Hunter although talented was sub par and clearly not quite up to the speed of afl footy yet.

Would have liked to make room for Hind due to it being at the mcg and Melbournes Achilles heal being speed. But Kent was the only other one who was sub par and they play different roles.

I find it interesting that Jono Marsh is an emergency. His speed to tackle forwards like Curnow, J Cameron, Reiwolt, buddy would be invaluable, they are not great match ups for brown. Can Brown, Marsh and Battle all play? If so is Mckenzie or Wilkie in trouble is Marsh bashes down the door?

 

[kernelT]

Yes we did that with gresh billings and dunstan but we didn’t do that with armo and Steven.

Might have cost us a flag too pumping games into eddy and mcqualter instead.

 

[plugger66]

Might have cost us a flag too pumping games into eddy and mcqualter instead.

Well we will never that. Jack had op in 2010 anyway. But wasn’t this about development. They developed pretty well as did gresh and billings. Dunstan didnt

 

[Marlo]

Reasonably happy with the side selected. Hunter although talented was sub par and clearly not quite up to the speed of afl footy yet.

Would have liked to make room for Hind due to it being at the mcg and Melbournes Achilles heal being speed. But Kent was the only other one who was sub par and they play different roles.

I find it interesting that Jono Marsh is an emergency. His speed to tackle forwards like Curnow, J Cameron, Reiwolt, buddy would be invaluable, they are not great match ups for brown. Can Brown, Marsh and Battle all play? If so is Mckenzie or Wilkie in trouble is Marsh bashes down the door?

Wilkie's ability to nullify contests and control a scrap is not far off our best safety net in the team. I really like him and JWebb down back in this hot potato s**t fest.

 

[Jade Buddha]

Sometimes you need to invest in your young players and keep playing them so they can build some consistency.

Even if there is another player that is more deserving of selection?

 

[MOLTEN GANGLANDS]

I can see the arguments both ways re hunter, but what that game will do is make him realise how much harder he has to work on his fitness. He probably thought he was going ok, after that game he'll know he's really gotta lift. Which is what we want.

If he didn't know before he knows now that being a pre-season star and a gameday star are two very different things.

 

[kernelT]

Even if there is another player that is more deserving of selection?

I think that's the point... Parker & Kent, two goals between them in three weeks are clearly given more time to pull up their socks than clark.

See mav sellers last 35 games for the club.