Preview St Kilda vs Essendon, Docklands, Friday 14/07/17 @ 7:50 PM

[Mad Bomber Sean]

Surely people see that when you lose a role player like Watson you have to replace them with the next best IN THAT ROLE not just the next best player...

Bird will seriously slow up Saints ability to win easy ball, its the body block, 1 meter handball to Merrett and tackle to create a stoppage that will be valuable tonight. I love Langford but he cant replace Watson, Saints would just walk it out of the middle.

If Langford replaced Watson our clearances would be so bad, it's just not Langfords go. Bird will at least give us a fighting chance.

100% Correct.

The thing is that many people around here simply have NO *en idea about football...

It is one thing to know a guys draft position & how tall he is. How much TALENT he has. But football is a team sport, based on systems & roles. Players need to play the role the team / system needs.

Bird whilst he isn't Watson, is still actually a pretty ok replacement.He knows & plays the role well.

 

[BrunoV]

100% Correct.

The thing is that many people around here simply have NO *en idea about football...

It is one thing to know a guys draft position & how tall he is. How much TALENT he has. But football is a team sport, based on systems & roles. Players need to play the role the team / system needs.

Bird whilst he isn't Watson, is still actually a pretty ok replacement.He knows & plays the role well.

What did you think of Bird playing Watson's role last year? Completely ineffective is my recollection of his play as an inside midfielder.


In any event, I'd be quite confident that it is not Bird that is replacing Watson. It'll be Myers (and it already started in the second half last week) and Bird will come in as an, almost entirely pointless, part of the midfield rotation.

 

[Dave]

What did you think of Bird playing Watson's role last year? Completely ineffective is my recollection of his play as an inside midfielder.

So he'll have the same team around him tonight yeah?

Oh, wait.

 

[BKM78]

I hope you give them a fair touch up.
Good luck.

 

[DapperJong]

I hope you give me a fair touch up.
Good luck.

Rance avatar + typo = lol

 

[BrunoV]

So he'll have the same team around him tonight yeah?

Oh, wait.

What's the goal here? Bring him in to tackle a few players because the rest of the team is better which will hide the flaws in his game?

Seems to me like it's a good opportunity to give some time to some deserving young players who have the ability to be good players and not just 'tacklers'.

It just seems so odd that it's Craig Bird who stands between defeat and victory tonight.

 

[mike14]

Good to see everyone is up to date with the structure of the team......

Watson out = Bird in, pretty ****en easy to understand.

So is the plan for Bird to take Watson's place next season?

 

[Capt Hindsight]

So he'll have the same team around him tonight yeah?

Oh, wait.

Bird you get effort. However his disposal/decision making isn't good and that's why Sydney were happy to let him go to lighten their salary cap. This is what makes him ineffective in AFL.
The best role he did at Sydney was as run with player/tagger. If plays exactly like Watson tonight he'll be useless. If tags a seb ross or jack steven then he will benefit the team.

 

[DonsRule]

 

[Dave]

What's the goal here? Bring him in to tackle a few players because the rest of the team is better which will hide the flaws in his game?

Dunno, to win the game maybe? Every player has flaws, using last year as an example when half the team was out is just crap. Are we papering over Joe's flaws now that the team is back?

Seems to me like it's a good opportunity to give some time to some deserving young players who have the ability to be good players and not just 'tacklers' an opportunity.

Perhaps the coaching staff see him as more than just a tackler?

It just seems so odd that it's Craig Bird who stands between defeat and victory tonight.

Who says he does?

 

[BrunoV]

Dunno, to win the game maybe? Every player has flaws, using last year as an example when half the team was out is just crap. Are we papering over Joe's flaws now that the team is back?

Perhaps the coaching staff see him as more than just a tackler?

Who says he does?

Bird was supposed to be replacing Watson. If you, or the post I quoted, think that Bird is going to win the ball, stand up in tackles and dish the ball out to team mates like Watson is doing you'd want to look at his attempts to do it last year. If his clearance work becomes effective it's because everyone else is protecting him. What have you ever seen in Bird's games that makes you think he is the one we want using the ball out of congestion and on the outside.

I can't see a reason we would select Bird that's not because we're chasing finals and coaches are too hypocritical to trust young players. I's hypocritical because they create the circumstances which result in their being actual or perceived deficiencies in the players they wont select and inevitably overlook the deficiencies in the players they want to select.

 

[Halftimehero]

So is the plan for Bird to take Watson's place next season?

Who knows? This is this season though and we clearly have a structure in place with the personnel on the current list, why * with it?

 

[VelvetSledge]

Crowd is going to be massive. Expecting 45-47k

 

[Dave]

Bird was supposed to be replacing Watson. If you, or the post I quoted, think that Bird is going to win the ball, stand up in tackles and dish the ball out to team mates like Watson is doing you'd want to look at his attempts to do it last year.

Last year was a completely different kettle of fish. Different personnel both in terms of the ruck division and those players around blocking etc. Trying to compare how players went last year with this year is pointless.

If his clearance work becomes effective it's because everyone else is protecting him.

Or it's that the opposition have more players to worry about. Or that our ruckman is more effective.

What have you ever seen in Bird's games that makes you think he is the one we want using the ball out of congestion and on the outside.

His contested ball numbers are ok. His disposal isn't great but then neither is Jobe's atm.

I can't see a reason we would select Bird that's not because we're chasing finals and coaches are too hypocritical to trust young players. I's hypocritical because they create the circumstances which result in their being actual or perceived deficiencies in the players they wont select and inevitably overlook the incidences in the players they like.

Yeah, I'm sure that's it. Rage on.

 

[Fin ice Smuggler]

Forget Bird, bring in the future. It's what Essendon (the Baby Bombers) were renown for...

 

[BKM78]

Rance avatar + typo = lol

Lol yep.
Sorry.
Them.

 

[mike14]

Who knows? This is this season though and we clearly have a structure in place with the personnel on the current list, why **** with it?

Because now would be a really good opportunity to identify what we have and what we might need going forward to either replace Watson or adjust the game plan to suit what we do actually have.

It's not Bird that's the issue, it's that there doesn't appear to really be an overarching plan to what we are doing. If the plan is to 'build' a team for the future (which can include today), IMO it would be much better to insert another player who is likely to be on the list next season, adjust the roles for other players towards what they'll be going forward and then look at the results. If that means that Myers and Merrett as an example have to go and do the clearance work and some like Langford (or anyone else who is likely to be here) comes across as an outside mid then so be it, we can stat to identify whether they can play those roles and what we need to do come trade/draft time.
Playing someone who likely isn't in the medium-to-long term plans just because he's a 'like for like' replacement seems almost lazy

 

[Mad Bomber Sean]

.

I can't see a reason we would select Bird that's not because we're chasing finals and coaches are too hypocritical to trust young players. I's hypocritical because they create the circumstances which result in their being actual or perceived deficiencies in the players they wont select and inevitably overlook the deficiencies in the players they want to select.

Why wouldn't we want to chase finals ?

I dont think that I am the only person who doesn't trust the Langfords or Laverdes or the lazy Francis of the world. I want us to win games of footy now.

Next year, sure these guys will be slightly better but without Watson et al chances are we may not actually be better. Why can't we jag a 6 - 8 spot and give it a crack, our record against the top teams with exception to Crows is actually very good. Look at the dogs last year, who knows what can happen if we make the finals

If I was the coach, i would be selecting the best team for now. We have this group together for maybe one, may be two seasons at most before we have guys like Watson Kelly, Goddard, Stanton, Hocking, Howlett etc hang up the boots. Throw the kitchen sink at it...

 

[MarkG]

After all the crap that Bird is copping on here, I hope he is BOG. First it was TBC who was useless. Next Gleeson. Then Myers is freaking hopeless. And now Bird is useless. Originally it was Armbrose that was the original useless one under Worsfold. Why not trust Woosha and the selectors?

 

[Mercurial89]

haven't we just rewarded VFL form?

he fills a role that we are missing with Jobe out, he has been in good form. Those are really the only two things that should count.

Why should we play someone " because they are young" ?

Back him in, he might surprise us. He isnt going to be the reason we win, and it aint going to be the reason we lose.

Get hyped, Friday night footy! Let's enjoy it.

 

[boncer34]

Come back to me after his 26 touches 4 goal game tonight.

#birdistheword

 

[VelvetSledge]

Come back to me after his 26 touches 4 goal game tonight.

#birdistheword

36*
#buhbuhbuhoomahmahmow

 

[Lance Uppercut]

does anyone know the word?

 

[Whispering_Jack]

 

[MarkG]

Because now would be a really good opportunity to identify what we have and what we might need going forward to either replace Watson or adjust the game plan to suit what we do actually have.

It's not Bird that's the issue, it's that there doesn't appear to really be an overarching plan to what we are doing. If the plan is to 'build' a team for the future (which can include today), IMO it would be much better to insert another player who is likely to be on the list next season, adjust the roles for other players towards what they'll be going forward and then look at the results. If that means that Myers and Merrett as an example have to go and do the clearance work and some like Langford (or anyone else who is likely to be here) comes across as an outside mid then so be it, we can stat to identify whether they can play those roles and what we need to do come trade/draft time.
Playing someone who likely isn't in the medium-to-long term plans just because he's a 'like for like' replacement seems almost lazy

Who would you have brought in to replace Watson?