Preview Round 6: Essendon vs North Melbourne, Carrara, 11/07/2020 @ 7:40PM

[ant555]

I think everyone is beyond using the team structure to reinforce inconsistency of selection standards and the free ride senior players get.

As was the case for Green before him, an invalid could play Zaharakis' "role". There are simple objective criteria that can be applied to Zaharakis' role. He's not tagging or even doing a defensive role on an opponent, he doesn't get the ball, he's almost never in the TV screen. The most he could be said about the role is that he takes up space on the ground in the zone.

I could play that role tonight and so could most people reading this. Football and football coaching is in a very strange place if it has convinced itself such a role assists with winning football matches.

It the Essington selection table handbrake that is always left on. It seems that it cannot be turned off.

I think you are right to an extent.
I can understand them picking a defender and replacing a defender but then the next selection is a midfielder for a forward.
My question is if Redman goes out for form issues or like for like then why does a forward not come in for Zaharakis who has severe form issues and the only "role" he is playing is left right out by himself.
Comes down to coaches and senior players I guess. Seems to happen at a lot of clubs. Can not drop the senior bloke with runs on the board even if he could not catch Covit 19 at Rydges on Swanston.

 

[ant555]

Ok, read my post again for starters.

At no point did i say Zakka deserved to be in the side, in fact i clearly said i didnt and would rather play Cahill or Mozzie in whatever role they seem to be playing him in if he has another game like he has since the resumption. But for whatever reason (that i dont understand) the coaching staff seem to believe that Zakka is either playing his role well (surely not) or they dont think there is a senior player running around in the scratch matches that could have more of an influence at this point in the same 'role' (also doubt this, but it is the more likely of the two).

All i said was i dont think Zakka staying in and Redman being dropped is at all correlated because they play very different positions.
I get Redman is one of your favourites, and i too think he was stiff to get dropped but he has had a couple of poor weeks and we have far more senior depth in the Half back department, which means there is a pressure to perform. Redman was dropped for McKenna, not to keep Zakka in the side.

True but the question is how the bloke at one end is replaced like for like but the out of form at the other end is not despite being in worse form.
Then Merritt comes in for Stringer. Strange.

 

[TheGrizz]

True but the question is how the bloke at one end is replaced like for like but the out of form at the other end is not despite being in worse form.
Then Merritt comes in for Stringer. Strange.

If you bring Zerrett in for Zaharakis, who do you bring in for Stringer?
Clearly the structure of our forwardline will change so they probably didnt think we had a person that could fill Stringers role.

Maybe (and my guess is) that Langford and Zerrett will share in Stringers midfield minutes with Langford also swinging forward, and Zaharakis will keep his current position

 

[Dave]

Hurley played on brown last time we versed north, he had a field day on the lead.

He played on him for a half, Brown took 3 marks on leads and kicked 2 goals. After half time Hooker played on him.

 

[blitzer]

If you bring Zerrett in for Zaharakis, who do you bring in for Stringer?
Clearly the structure of our forwardline will change so they probably didnt think we had a person that could fill Stringers role.

Maybe (and my guess is) that Langford and Zerrett will share in Stringers midfield minutes with Langford also swinging forward, and Zaharakis will keep his current position

This is some kind of circular logic which ignores the fundamental point. Zaharakis has been playing crap all year and just put in an absolute stinker. He should have been replaced by a player that could play better - I'd put up both Cahill and Mosquito as guys that would play better than he did if you brought them in right now. That's not even including just bringing Fantasia forward and playing Redman down back. There's tons of options. If you want someone more able to play Stringer's role than Begley is an option too with his recent play in the midfield.

 

[Cold Sober]

What would have been so bad in playing Belly and Phillips.
We need a straightener up forward. Please don't mention McKernan as a reason not to.
McKernan can play anywhere.

 

[blitzer]

What would have been so bad in playing Belly and Phillips.
We need a straightener up forward. Please don't mention McKernan as a reason not to.
McKernan can play anywhere.

Because neither Bellchambers or Phillips is that good up forward?
Unlike Hooker who could easily play key forward and has proven himself there and we have other players who could play key defensive posts.

 

[Milanista28]

Plan A destroy in midfield any forward mix works plan B Hooker forward.

He'll start back.

Tippa Smack Towner
Raz Laverde Smith/Zaka/Langford

 

[yodellinhank]

What would have been so bad in playing Belly and Phillips.
We need a straightener up forward. Please don't mention McKernan as a reason not to.
McKernan can play anywhere.

The bit with Bellchambers

 

[Swerving Irv]

Gilt edged opportunity tomorrow night to scrap a 5 or 6 goal win over a bog average opponent and gain a valuable advantage over the competition. We can sit comfortably in the top four with a game in hand and a host of good to great players to return at various stages.

North will be a good test of our maturity. Should we win, I might begin to believe that with Daniher, Heppell, Stringer, Ambrose, Redman and co all somewhere near full fitness that we'll be able to do some damage where it counts. Our midfield was unbelievable last week. Let's see it again.

 

[DallasCrane316]

He played on him for a half, Brown took 3 marks on leads and kicked 2 goals. After half time Hooker played on him.

Yep. Hurley got injured. And Hooker had to go to Brown (Hooker had the back issue too)

 

[JayJ20]

I have a horrible feeling about this game. Exactly the type of game we lose for no reason at all.

Great win last week. Opposition got smashed. They lost 3 in a row. Hammered by injuries. We're strong favourites.
Perfect storm for Essington.

 

[Red Black and Blue]

I have a horrible feeling about this game. Exactly the type of game we lose for no reason at all.

Great win last week. Opposition got smashed. They lost 3 in a row. Hammered by injuries. We're strong favourites.
Perfect storm for Essington.

The reason will be a lack of forwards. Stringer has kicked twice as many goals as anyone else and we've only had 6 players kick more than one goal. We're going to need some goal kicking from the mids to get it done.

 

[freddy mercury]

Norf extremely confident on their board.

It's a bit cute how much they hate us.

 

[MNC Bomber]

Hi all , I have 2 tickets to game that I cant use now ;-(
If anyone would like them free, please pm me and I can send to email or mobile
They are Level 2 reserved
First in gets them....

 

[Runk]

Norf extremely confident on their board.

It's a bit cute how much they hate us.

It’s the envy.

They can’t handle the envy.

bless em

 

[Fridge16]

It’s funny how opposition supporters always say Stringer is overrated and hasn’t been any good since the Bulldogs but now we can’t win without him....

 

[Bombers36]

Norf extremely confident on their board.

It's a bit cute how much they hate us.

I love it that Norf hate us - but understand they can have some confidence going into this game. They still have some top class players - Higgins, Polec, Zurhaar, Ben Brown and Tarrant and with Stringer out our forward line is significantly depleted. Our worry is our key forwards for this game are McKernan, Laverde & Townsend (the '3rd tall' at 187cm) have only kicked 11 goals between them in 4 games..If we look at North they have Zurhaar (6 goals), Brown (6 goals) and Taylor 5..WE need our mids to dominate and kick goals and our small forwards Tippa & Fanta also to hit the scoreboard...
I hope we dont come out with that classic Essington mindset...

 

[eth-dog]

It’s funny how opposition supporters always say Stringer is overrated and hasn’t been any good since the Bulldogs but now we can’t win without him....

It was the same with Fletcher. When he was playing "he doesn't pick up a man" and when he wasn't it was "you'll struggle for height without Fletcher"

 

[Mr Mojo Risin]

Hi all , I have 2 tickets to game that I cant use now ;-(
If anyone would like them free, please pm me and I can send to email or mobile
They are Level 2 reserved
First in gets them....

Ahh tickets, how fondly I remember those times.

I would love to say I could use them and it’s a very nice offer, but I’m a dirty Victorian and not allowed.

 

[84859300]

Geez I hope Zakka comes out and plays a blinder and makes us all look like fools!

You just know that he wont

 

[84859300]

It’s the envy.

They can’t handle the envy.

bless em

 

[blitzer]

I love it that Norf hate us - but understand they can have some confidence going into this game. They still have some top class players - Higgins, Polec, Zurhaar, Ben Brown and Tarrant and with Stringer out our forward line is significantly depleted. Our worry is our key forwards for this game are McKernan, Laverde & Townsend (the '3rd tall' at 187cm) have only kicked 11 goals between them in 4 games..If we look at North they have Zurhaar (6 goals), Brown (6 goals) and Taylor 5..WE need our mids to dominate and kick goals and our small forwards Tippa & Fanta also to hit the scoreboard...
I hope we dont come out with that classic Essington mindset...

Polec is a top class player?

Also only Townsend has even played 4 games out of our 3 forwards. So a comparison would have needed to be based on goals per game. All those North key forwards are only averaging about a goal a game or just slightly over. So they are hardly dominating. I do agree we haven't named a great forward line due to injury but i think we are way stronger through the rest of the ground and North always struggle vs good small forwards of which we have plenty.

 

[Beerfish]

Norf extremely confident on their board.

It's a bit cute how much they hate us.

Their sympathy thread has been nothing but tumbleweeds this week for some reason.

 

[eth-dog]

I love it that Norf hate us - but understand they can have some confidence going into this game. They still have some top class players - Higgins, Polec, Zurhaar, Ben Brown and Tarrant and with Stringer out our forward line is significantly depleted. Our worry is our key forwards for this game are McKernan, Laverde & Townsend (the '3rd tall' at 187cm) have only kicked 11 goals between them in 4 games..If we look at North they have Zurhaar (6 goals), Brown (6 goals) and Taylor 5..WE need our mids to dominate and kick goals and our small forwards Tippa & Fanta also to hit the scoreboard...
I hope we dont come out with that classic Essington mindset...

Cam Zurhaar is currently a 22 year old 1 goal/game medium forward. He's talented and very agressive at the man and ball, sure, but if he's top class then we have a dozen that could also be counted at that.

Their confidence would also be very low. They're on a 3 game losing streak, the last of which was a spanking at the hands of the Bulldogs where they only just managed to scrape past Josh Bruce by himself. I rate Bruce but he's not one of the players that shoud be anywhere near the "beating teams by himself" mark.