Preview St.Kilda vs GWS Giants, Friday 18th September, Gabba, 7.50pm

[Land of the Giants]

Is there any point in even writing this preview?

It's not just that if we beat St. Kilda other results have to fall our way for us to qualify for finals. It's a question of whether we even want to be there.

It's clear the playing group did not take the resumption of the season seriously after downing a near full-strength Richmond in the pre-season, then Geelong in Round 1. The difference in attitude with what followed afterwards is obvious. How else to explain a team so laden with talent losing to North, Adelaide, and Sydney?

When things got going again, a lot of people in the AFL community asked the same question - "Is this a real season?". Well, it certainly has been, and you can bet the AFL will have learned a great deal about scheduling when this is all over. Reports that our playing group hated living the hub concept demonstrate they just didn't buy into the revamped competition idea.

To repeat, we can still make finals if we win, and Collingwood lose to Port, and the Bombers beat Melbourne (and those two results are more plausible than us beating St. Kilda). But we have a lot of attitudinal issues to solve in the off-season, and we're probably better off in the long run getting to work on them as soon as possible.

If the players don't want it, why should we?

Rant over. I still hope we win and keep going.

 

[Determinant]

I'll be barracking for the Saints this week.
At least they deserve a shot.

We deserve a huge kick in the arse and maybe missing finals will bite and help us next year

 

[dlanod]

We need to beat St Kilda and two of:

• Collingwood to lose their last two games;
• the Dogs to lose and we make up 3.3%;
• make up 5.6% on Melbourne;
• make up 10.8% on St Kilda.

So about a 50 point win at a guess. Our biggest winning margin this year is less than 40, for the sake of comparison.

 

[Colonial]

Always want to sign off with a win to give us something to smile about in the offseason.

Do I think it’s likely? No. But can hope.

 

[Giant Strides]

It will be interesting to see how we react to that loss. Overall, another slowish start, but we fought back and actually scored more than zero or one goal in the first term. Looked good in taking the lead in the third term, before perhaps running out of puff in the last. (Don't forget we've had a lot of travel and short turnarounds lately.)

Another short turnaround, so there could be a few changes on that account. Will Cogs return? Tom Green was superb - he cannot be dropped!Is Corr OK to return, in which case presumably Idun goes out. Riccardi needs to come back, so who misses for him - HH, TOJ or Jack Buckley? Hopefully not the latter as I thought he debuted quite strongly. What about Jezza - if battered by the media vipers? Will we give Flynn a chance (I'm guessing not!). Do Reid and Adam Kennedy hold their places?

What I'd like to see:

• Flynn & Riccardi in for HH and Finlayson (gives Flynn a run, but he couldn't ruck one out on debut against Ryder and Marshall)
• Cogs for Reid
• Corr for Idun
• Ash for Kennedy
• Caldwell for de Boer (there being no obvious mid to tag)

What I expect to see:

• Corr for Idun
• Riccardi for Buckley
• Cogs for someone unexpected - hopefully it's just not Tom Green!

 

[Determinant]

We are using computer models to find a way into finals for a team that has shown it doesn't give a s**t about being there week after week...

This year, with some small exceptions, onfield we have been;
Rudderless
Nervous
Lacking focus
Lacking effort
Lacking 1 percenters

Our forwards have been given s**t delivery
Our mids refuse to run both ways
Our backs have kept us in most games, but they don't kick the goals to win.

There is a serious malaise in the playing group that has not been explained or excused.
I expect an actual exodus this year, not the media hyped one that never happens.
Would love to be wrong, but I expect the same soft effort this week from a group of individuals whom are probably being shopped around by their managers

 

[L_W_P]

Hi guys.

I come in (relative) peace

Just wondering if you have an idea of ins and outs for your mob.

I assume that Riccardi comes back in but would you play all 4 talls? Does Coniglio come back with no change in form? Do you have a 3rd tall defender to bring in for Membrey with Keeffe (King) and Haynes (Marshall) occupied?

Really interesting week for your team, regardless of the finals calculation. The make up of your 'best' 22 is really fluid right now...

 

[Colonial]

Hi guys.

I come in (relative) peace

Just wondering if you have an idea of ins and outs for your mob.

I assume that Riccardi comes back in but would you play all 4 talls? Does Coniglio come back with no change in form? Do you have a 3rd tall defender to bring in for Membrey with Keeffe (King) and Haynes (Marshall) occupied?

Really interesting week for your team, regardless of the finals calculation. The make up of your 'best' 22 is really fluid right now...

Would think Riccardi, Cogs, Ward, Perryman, Hill all come back in.

Would hope Flynn or Briggs gets a go in the ruck.

Would also hope Green keeps his place.

We really have no idea. Will be an interesting arvo on Thursday.

 

[gee whiz giant]

There is a serious malaise in the playing group that has not been explained or excused.

That's full on.
I'm more like, meh, just a s**t year, an aberration.
The Suns & Giants have been experiments; at no other time have teams been grown from scratch.
As a comparison, Eagles won GF's in year 6 & 8, Crows in years 7 & 8, Power in 8, Freo 0.
So given our total inexperience to begin with, first 3 years, we still have 2 or 3 years to win a Grand Final and perform similarly to the teams mentioned above.
All pundits who talk about ' window closing' are idiots. What effing window?

We need to identify who can play consistently well into their senior years. We need to identify and keep the champions, even when they go through a poor run of form.

We're also learning first hand that players improve, then plateau. (Taranto, Himmelberg). Will they improve again?

 

[fridgeman]

Buckley a Test, Expected to Play

Jack Buckley suffered a delayed concussion on debut.

www.gwsgiants.com.au

Looking at the injury list and options on the list the KPDs will be a hard pick this week and not sure if the coaches see it as an option but I would move HH to defence

Shaw Keefe Haynes
Williams HH Whitfield
Kelly Coniglio Perryman
Greene Cameron Taranto
Hill Riccardi Daniels
Mumford Hopper Ward
MDB TOJ Ash Kennedy

If Ward or Congilio are not in Reid stays in and possibly Buckley gets another run

 

[Pres]

I would leave Idun in and have another look at him. I'd put Stein in down back if possible.

Himmelberg has had a million chances this year - no need to give him another one as a speculative defender.

Shame this is the second game off the rank this week. If it was the last it would have given a chance to Mumford and Shaw to have proper farewell games. As it is you'd expect both will retire off season with no chair off etc. Disappointing when final rounds play out like this.

 

[Giant Pete]

Don’t care too much. The players blew their chance.
Give Flynn a shot.
Keep Idun in. Keep Buckley and Green in.

 

[Big Stinky Monk]

Quite a few retirement announcements coming out around the league setting up for farewell games this weekend. Mummy's is surely coming. Will be interesting to see if anything from Shaw this week

 

[Giant Pete]

Quite a few retirement announcements coming out around the league setting up for farewell games this weekend. Mummy's is surely coming. Will be interesting to see if anything from Shaw this week

Shaw has to be retiring.

 

[Orange Agent]

From the article about the footy boss giving a spray, its seems doubtful Corr will be playing.

 

[Colonial]

From the article about the footy boss giving a spray, its seems doubtful Corr will be playing.

Corr listed as injured an not due back for 3 weeks so either way.

 

[Pres]

Good part late in the Footy Phil where he spoke about Corr's finish up. Said he's one of only a handful of guys he can remember who got up in front of the group and announced he was leaving.

Said 90% of players wait until the off season when everyone's gone their separate ways or get their manager to call the club on their behalf.

Spoke about the way he went about it with a lot of respect.

 

[Danny88]

Good part late in the Footy Phil where he spoke about Corr's finish up. Said he's one of only a handful of guys he can remember who got up in front of the group and announced he was leaving.

Said 90% of players wait until the off season when everyone's gone their separate ways or get their manager to call the club on their behalf.

Spoke about the way he went about it with a lot of respect.

Agreed. Lok anyone on here who doesn't tune into Footy Phil needs to! He speaks so well about the inner workings of the club

 

[dlanod]

Corr listed as injured an not due back for 3 weeks so either way.

I'm pretty sure that's why Corr announced his departure when he did.

IIRC Phil (or was it Bock) did similar to Adelaide, where they'd already had a season ending injury so announced their departure with a few weeks to go.

 

[Colonial]

I'm pretty sure that's why Corr announced his departure when he did.

IIRC Phil (or was it Bock) did similar to Adelaide, where they'd already had a season ending injury so announced their departure with a few weeks to go.

Phil said he told everyone at the end of season get together, he was promptly shown the door.

 

[dlanod]

Yeah, it was Bock.

Bock to leave Crows for Suns

Gold Coast's first big name signing from another AFL club, Adelaide defender Nathan Bock, says the Suns' offer was too good to refuse.

www.abc.net.au

Bock, 27, on Tuesday announced he would join the cashed-up Suns in a move Adelaide chief executive Steven Trigg says "stings".

Adelaide, out of finals contention, decided Bock will not train or play for the Crows again despite two matches remaining of their season.

 

[Colonial]

Emergencies: Bobby Hill, Matt Flynn, Jye Caldwell, Isaac Cumming

 

[Drummond]

If Hill is fit...why isn’t he playing?

Happy to see Himmelberg dropped, deserved it. Been pathetic lately.

 

[Giant Strides]

If Hill is fit...why isn’t he playing?

Happy to see Himmelberg dropped, deserved it. Been pathetic lately.

Bizarre!

 

[Giant Strides]

Team selection to match the way we've played since the resumption. No Hill, No Ash, no looking forward to the future.

Very frustrated!