Prediction Round Four Changes vs. Adelaide

[E Shed]

Worner for Walker.
I think Scerri deserves another chance.
Murray can’t be far off.

 

[rgauci]

Walker has been injured. He was a borderline selection in round 1 and didn’t do well. Fit and firing, confident, no problem, but he’s been a shell of a player since the Collingwood final. The shoulder in 2025 did him no good.

Worner is your blue collar backman. He covers a lot of territory and has a bit of a mean streak and the opposition know they’ve been in a contest. When he got beaten in the corridor he was covering someone else’s man.

If Young returns to half back, Worner might be in trouble. Currently I don’t see it. Not Walker, maybe Simpson if he fires.

 

[King Tenz]

You're a little bit obsessed with that drum my friend, he's played 3 games of the AFL season with the team.

I don't think he's the messiah, he was not too bad today.

5 games.

And he's still not performing.

I will keep harping on this.

If his name was Karl Worner you would all be saying he should've been dropped after round 1. We both know this to be true.

 

[Superkoops]

5 games.

And he's still not performing.

I will keep harping on this.

If his name was Karl Worner you would all be saying he should've been dropped after round 1. We both know this to be true.

McVee was much better today. Only two turnovers and generally used the ball well. Still lacking confidence to pull off more attacking kicks but that will come. Last week I agree he was average and him being named on the bench showed that he was under pressure.

Worner on the other hand had brain freeze a few times. One in particular was like a robot malfunction in the middle of the ground there. Just ran basically straight at the Richmond player. Inexplicable error. Also sold Jordan Clark down the river with a handball and only he could see the player sweating on Clark.

Chapman has been better but again had a few moments of his brain not working. One obvious one late where he didn’t know what to do. Also got called holding the ball where you could his brain just stopped working and he took too long.

Would like to see how Cooper Simpson is going at WAFL. Whilst Worner is good defender on the attack just doesn’t take the right option. Whereas Cooper still needs to develop the defensive game but has poise and makes good decisions with kicking.

Given the potential match-ups and the speed of some small forwards I favour the following single change:

Worner> Walker

Emergencies: NOD, Simpson, Murray

 

[FreoRicci]

In: Walker

Would love to know what’s the reasoning was this week not playing. Two weeks out with ‘soreness’.

 

[FreoRicci]

Walker has been injured. He was a borderline selection in round 1 and didn’t do well. Fit and firing, confident, no problem, but he’s been a shell of a player since the Collingwood final. The shoulder in 2025 did him no good.

Worner is your blue collar backman. He covers a lot of territory and has a bit of a mean streak and the opposition know they’ve been in a contest. When he got beaten in the corridor he was covering someone else’s man.

If Young returns to half back, Worner might be in trouble. Currently I don’t see it. Not Walker, maybe Simpson if he fires.

Walker is only 23.
Half the team on the field today was just as bad as Walker (in 2022) in the final last year.

Thought he played pretty well v Geelong in round 1.

 

[Spirit Level]

JL confirmed that we're coming home between the Adelaide and Collingwood games.

What's the point in having 2 games in Adelaide then?

 

[heavho]

Scerri did soo much important little efforts through the middle to keep the flow of the game going against the tigers. He can’t be left out. Team goes in unchanged

 

[PrancingPony]

What's the point in having 2 games in Adelaide then?

I think the reasoning I've heard is so they can be home with family for Easter. Take that for what you will.

 

[purplerunsdeep2]

Maybe rest cherry, now he's had the taste. Go back and work on a few things

Murray to debut

Out: chez
In: Murray

Watch list: Switta, Chapman
Extended watch list: Worner

 

[theGav56]

What's the point in having 2 games in Adelaide then?

Better playing Pies there than Melbourne?

 

[Doctor J]

I think the reasoning I've heard is so they can be home with family for Easter. Take that for what you will.

Maybe so, but that is a colossal waste of jet fuel! So much for a club guided by sustainability.

 

[Doctor J]

Worner for Walker.
I think Scerri deserves another chance.
Murray can’t be far off.

I'll take Worner over Chapman at the moment. Latter seems to have really gone backwards, while Karl is mostly solid. The couple of mistakes he made last night were more than made up for by the rest of his play IMO

 

[eastfreo75]

I think the reasoning I've heard is so they can be home with family for Easter. Take that for what you will.

Then fly out the families.

 

[rgauci]

Walker is only 23.
Half the team on the field today was just as bad as Walker (in 2022) in the final last year.

Thought he played pretty well v Geelong in round 1.

He had 10 possessions, 0 marks, 1 tackle, 203m gained. He was below par, I wouldn’t delist him, he’s got great potential, but he’s not progressed sufficiently between the ages of 20 to 23. I thought we had a star in the making, but he’s just not there.

 

[swanny1234]

If Young returns to half back, Worner might be in trouble. Currently I don’t see it. Not Walker, maybe Simpson if he fires.

I’m really big on Young returning to half back, at least initially.

What Bolton adds as a third genuine mid is creativity and different type of player to the workmanlike Serong and Brayshaw. Reid the same if he goes in there. Johnson and Erasmus also spending a bit more time through the middle which is good.

I think Young, at least to start with, being eased back in with a role off half back is wise, as his body has been letting him down a bit.

Agree eventually he is our best midfielder, but we’ve found something that works with him out, and I’d be quite happy to roll with it for a while and just allow Young to be damaging off half back alongside Clark.

 

[purplerunsdeep2]

Been saying this for a while, young off half back, trial Mcvee a bit higher or Chappy loses his spot

You could argue his kicks off half back are still hitting our forwards on the chest ... and less dump kicks from the centre clearance

Can still give him some centre square attendances, but spread the load

 

[rgauci]

I’m really big on Young returning to half back, at least initially.

What Bolton adds as a third genuine mid is creativity and different type of player to the workmanlike Serong and Brayshaw. Reid the same if he goes in there. Johnson and Erasmus also spending a bit more time through the middle which is good.

I think Young, at least to start with, being eased back in with a role off half back is wise, as his body has been letting him down a bit.

Agree eventually he is our best midfielder, but we’ve found something that works with him out, and I’d be quite happy to roll with it for a while and just allow Young to be damaging off half back alongside Clark.

I’m not sure Young has the endurance or burst speed to play back. Well he does in the same manner that Luke Ryan does, but I’m not sure having two slow backman in the same backline is a good idea.

 

[pK75]

it may well be the best course of action to move Young to the backline, but who’s going to tell him that? You think he’ll be happy after training as a mid for two years?

 

[mattis117]

He had 10 possessions, 0 marks, 1 tackle, 203m gained. He was below par, I wouldn’t delist him, he’s got great potential, but he’s not progressed sufficiently between the ages of 20 to 23. I thought we had a star in the making, but he’s just not there.

Great sample size there!

 

[Jezzitizle]

There is zero chance Young goes to half back, they will manage his minutes at AFL level rotating mid and forward.

 

[DMan 11]

I’d like to see the change in dynamics of Walker and Simpson in for McVee and Worner.
There were many occasions yesterday where a clear option was open through the middle yet we played the wide safety option out of our D50.
I get that you can’t attack all the time but it was frustrating seeing open players demanding the ball up the centre being ignored.
Granted there will be other aspects that are weaker, it’s whether selectors are prepared to accept the ‘bad’ for the good of playmaking.

 

[Snuffaluphagus]

Surely Dawson doesnt get up off a one week calf "tightness". If he doesnt play, it's simply a game we have to bank. Jackson gets to beat up another sub 10 gamer in the ruck (got to feel for poor Gray yesterday) and our midfield with Bolton and Reid now really adding to it should just give us too much dominance. Speaking of, because I've had this discussion you before Dockeroo , with Reid going through their successfully in parts and Bolton tearing it apart, interested to see where you rank our midfield now against the best teams?

 

[swanny1234]

I’m not sure Young has the endurance or burst speed to play back. Well he does in the same manner that Luke Ryan does, but I’m not sure having two slow backman in the same backline is a good idea.

Young isn’t slow, and he’s the best user by foot in the team.
Hardly the same as having Luke Ryan there.

 

[worsemim]

I'd really want Walker in. Don't know how serious the soreness is (did he play WAFL?) but we need a shutdown to stop the rotation of forwards in Pedlar, Rachele, Rankine. Lethal when they can get the ball on rebound; we need someone who can keep pace with them.