Rd 19 v Crows

[stevoswan]

Some footballers are really stupid. With all the talk about concussion and CTE you would think a player would desist from doing this stuff. He had other options to tackle. Showed no duty of care. So a group of past players are suing the AFL for their concussion problems. The AFL should draw a line in the sand and say from now on any player who does this garbage can be sued by the player who got belted. It's should not be the problem of the AFL from now on. They put on the show but it is the responsibility of the players to act appropriately. If I was Harry I would be archiving the footage and his medical records. That footage from behind the goals was damning. It was clearly intentional. Should have got longer. I thought at least 4 weeks.

Then we have the clowns on The Sunday Footy Show, led by former Adelaide Crow Rory Sloane, lamenting that Fogarty got 3 weeks only because Harry was concussed.

"If he wasn't concussed we wouldn't be talking about this" says the stupid Tony Jones. A swinging round arm to the head is a strike so should automatically receive a suspension IMO.

Good to see Fogarty lost his appeal and will still serve the three weeks.

[UUaswan]

Melican is not a like for like swap for Cunningham, but Kyle is, and I cannot understand why he was dropped after the Freo game. Having said that there is certainly a spot for a bigger bodied player in Melican provided that he is fit.
I like the suggestion of Mills to the midfield because despite all the talent we have rotating through there, centre clearances are a big issue, and Mills generally thrives in these contests.
I cannot see them dropping Rampe and he has a good record against Toby Greene, so he will most likely start on him.
Agree with all the comments on Rosas, he tries to do the impossible to often, spectacular when it comes off, but high risk for low returns. Give Datolli a chance, we need to see if he can impact at this level

Kyle needs to come in

The like for like thing with Harry is the issue, put Melican in if fit and play 3 talls, 2 which are very mobile and can intercept

I think Toby is out as well

[BRS328]

I don't think that Bice gives us any more than Kyle would give us if he plays full time in his role and potentially he would be elite within a few weeks at many things that Bice does poorly.
I think Rosas is let go off by Suns for obvious reasons. He is probably an elite kick if there is no pressure ! And nothing else. I think he either puts in the mouthguard and gets to work or do a VFL apprenticeship for the rest of his contract. Dattoli, Cootee, Hanily probably all could do his job and may add more than he does.

Those 2 are my definite outs for this week other than Cunningham. We will have to persist with Mclean.

There are significant issues with how we are playing compared to the first few weeks.
We have become poor marking team
We do not intercept mark especially in our defensive 50
We have low Post clearance ground ball gets
We.have poor inside 50 entries against good teams
We don't have many shots at goals
We are primarily reliant on exceptional f50 efficiency

The inside 50 and shots at goals have all to do with how quickly we can get the ball in our forward 50. But by losing the contest or the opposition making it a stoppage game between the arcs, we then become vulnerable to the problems with our ground ball gets.

Some of this starts with halfback line problems that we are facing. We have lost the run off halfback line in recent weeks - some of it the opposition stopping it and some of it is our personnel not working well enough on that front.
Blakey and Wicks and Bice were the ones who were getting the ball off the halfback and breaking defences. However, Blakey is doing a lot more defending, Wicks is out and Bice is getting less and less time to make the right decision as the opposition is pressing hard against him.
McCartin has lost his intercept game since his concussion. Maybe it has to do with confidence or the opposition pushing and shoving him.

lets fix the backline this week by getting Melican in for Cunningham and let McCartin intercept or Blakey intercept. The confidence that will come from this will seep through the team. And we need to roll our sleeves and work hard in the midfield to provide some grunt in the contest.

Melican is not a like for like swap for Cunningham, but Kyle is, and I cannot understand why he was dropped after the Freo game. Having said that there is certainly a spot for a bigger bodied player in Melican provided that he is fit.
I like the suggestion of Mills to the midfield because despite all the talent we have rotating through there, centre clearances are a big issue, and Mills generally thrives in these contests.
I cannot see them dropping Rampe and he has a good record against Toby Greene, so he will most likely start on him.
Agree with all the comments on Rosas, he tries to do the impossible to often, spectacular when it comes off, but high risk for low returns. Give Datolli a chance, we need to see if he can impact at this level

[UUaswan]

I don't think that Bice gives us any more than Kyle would give us if he plays full time in his role and potentially he would be elite within a few weeks at many things that Bice does poorly.
I think Rosas is let go off by Suns for obvious reasons. He is probably an elite kick if there is no pressure ! And nothing else. I think he either puts in the mouthguard and gets to work or do a VFL apprenticeship for the rest of his contract. Dattoli, Cootee, Hanily probably all could do his job and may add more than he does.

Those 2 are my definite outs for this week other than Cunningham. We will have to persist with Mclean.

There are significant issues with how we are playing compared to the first few weeks.
We have become poor marking team
We do not intercept mark especially in our defensive 50
We have low Post clearance ground ball gets
We.have poor inside 50 entries against good teams
We don't have many shots at goals
We are primarily reliant on exceptional f50 efficiency

The inside 50 and shots at goals have all to do with how quickly we can get the ball in our forward 50. But by losing the contest or the opposition making it a stoppage game between the arcs, we then become vulnerable to the problems with our ground ball gets.

Some of this starts with halfback line problems that we are facing. We have lost the run off halfback line in recent weeks - some of it the opposition stopping it and some of it is our personnel not working well enough on that front.
Blakey and Wicks and Bice were the ones who were getting the ball off the halfback and breaking defences. However, Blakey is doing a lot more defending, Wicks is out and Bice is getting less and less time to make the right decision as the opposition is pressing hard against him.
McCartin has lost his intercept game since his concussion. Maybe it has to do with confidence or the opposition pushing and shoving him.

lets fix the backline this week by getting Melican in for Cunningham and let McCartin intercept or Blakey intercept. The confidence that will come from this will seep through the team. And we need to roll our sleeves and work hard in the midfield to provide some grunt in the contest.

2 Birds 1 stone
Rampe to Mills role, Melican, Snell in
Mills to the Middle

Relying on a 36yr old to be a key defender is stupid, Freo are the benchmark, they play 3 tall fwds, get with the program, only thing he can do nowadays is qtr back, he is past it.

Bice was good early this year and last year running the wing, not saying others aren't past him but he thinks he is Blakey with his dinky kicks deep in defence, he is a runner, certainty not a defender, if we play him, let him run up the ground.

[SwanSand]

I don't think that Bice gives us any more than Kyle would give us if he plays full time in his role and potentially he would be elite within a few weeks at many things that Bice does poorly.
I think Rosas is let go off by Suns for obvious reasons. He is probably an elite kick if there is no pressure ! And nothing else. I think he either puts in the mouthguard and gets to work or do a VFL apprenticeship for the rest of his contract. Dattoli, Cootee, Hanily probably all could do his job and may add more than he does.

Those 2 are my definite outs for this week other than Cunningham. We will have to persist with Mclean.

There are significant issues with how we are playing compared to the first few weeks.
We have become poor marking team
We do not intercept mark especially in our defensive 50
We have low Post clearance ground ball gets
We.have poor inside 50 entries against good teams
We don't have many shots at goals
We are primarily reliant on exceptional f50 efficiency

The inside 50 and shots at goals have all to do with how quickly we can get the ball in our forward 50. But by losing the contest or the opposition making it a stoppage game between the arcs, we then become vulnerable to the problems with our ground ball gets.

Some of this starts with halfback line problems that we are facing. We have lost the run off halfback line in recent weeks - some of it the opposition stopping it and some of it is our personnel not working well enough on that front.
Blakey and Wicks and Bice were the ones who were getting the ball off the halfback and breaking defences. However, Blakey is doing a lot more defending, Wicks is out and Bice is getting less and less time to make the right decision as the opposition is pressing hard against him.
McCartin has lost his intercept game since his concussion. Maybe it has to do with confidence or the opposition pushing and shoving him.

lets fix the backline this week by getting Melican in for Cunningham and let McCartin intercept or Blakey intercept. The confidence that will come from this will seep through the team. And we need to roll our sleeves and work hard in the midfield to provide some grunt in the contest.

[UUaswan]

I’ll be fascinated to see how we use Dattoli if we bring him in. I know he was notionally recruited as a small forward but since I first saw him, I’ve got him pegged as a midfielder. Or at least someone who can do serious stints through there. He’s got some of the cleanest hands at the club and his work in handball chains is elite. Just knows how to time his release and weight balls to the advantage of a teammate. Exactly the sort of player we need in there.

He might not yet have the tank to do more than punch hit in there, but I just hope he’s not stuck in a forward pocket.

After playing Cleary fwd and never seen him pick it up off the ground or Sheldrick 60% game time for over 2yrs, Who the @@@@ would know what this match committee has planned for Datolli.

He isnt rucking in the 2s so maybe he comes in to support Grundy ?

[imuninformedtwo]

I’ll be fascinated to see how we use Dattoli if we bring him in. I know he was notionally recruited as a small forward but since I first saw him, I’ve got him pegged as a midfielder. Or at least someone who can do serious stints through there. He’s got some of the cleanest hands at the club and his work in handball chains is elite. Just knows how to time his release and weight balls to the advantage of a teammate. Exactly the sort of player we need in there.

He might not yet have the tank to do more than punch hit in there, but I just hope he’s not stuck in a forward pocket.

[BRS328]

Cootee and Datolli have to come in, their VFL performances is exactly what we need from the Mid Fwds, we need to prove a point or waste another season.

Kyle has too much upside to be in the ressies

Id say most likely to have a future from the 2s is
Kyle, Dattoli, Green, Snell, Phillipou.

That's a few to bring in, a few older guys need to step aside, the time is right, we are playing like sh8t with the same old same old.

Still cant believe Rampe hasn't been given the quarter back role, been undersized his whole career

I would add Bowen to that list. He seems composed when he has the ball. Injuries have been his biggest issue.

[UUaswan]

Some really good, thoughtful comments here.
With regard to playing style, when we get the game on our terms it is very difficult to stop. Equally when the game is on the oppositions terms we look like a disorganised rabble.
We need to improve massively without the ball - exhibit A being the first quarter on Friday night. Poor with the ball and shocking without it. We are too easy to move the ball against. One of the few positives from Friday is that we managed to stop the rot and get back in to the game.
Contested ball work is dreadful. Mills might help. Sheldrick being given more than 60% game time might help too. Rowbottom should be back in the midfield. We can't leave all the contested work to Heeney and then hope he gets it on the outside as well. A midfield of Gulden, Warner, Heeney is all attacking intent and aside from Heeney there isn't much defensive appetite there. That's where Rowbottom is essential.
We are missing McInerney more than expected. With him and Blakey streaming forward we have a couple of options. At the moment all the opposition has to do is put some work into Blakey and our run from the back half stops. Maybe Campbell could help (another positive from Friday).

It feels like we have spent a lot of time recruiting the outside types without a great deal of thought for the inside bulls. Whoever comes into the team this week, I hope they are willing to put their head over the ball and show a bit of grit.

Mills is an All Aus mid.

You only play them behind the ball to create run, from a Holmes, Zorko type.

Mills is neither, he doesn't create run and we have Blakey for that. He is an inside bull wasted in defence

Rowy can either rotate with Heeney and Warner or put him more inside and let JJ tag a back flanker and hit the scoreboard

Sheldrick is a total head scratcher, may as well move him on playing him the way we do

[Jimitron5000]

Some really good, thoughtful comments here.
With regard to playing style, when we get the game on our terms it is very difficult to stop. Equally when the game is on the oppositions terms we look like a disorganised rabble.
We need to improve massively without the ball - exhibit A being the first quarter on Friday night. Poor with the ball and shocking without it. We are too easy to move the ball against. One of the few positives from Friday is that we managed to stop the rot and get back in to the game.
Contested ball work is dreadful. Mills might help. Sheldrick being given more than 60% game time might help too. Rowbottom should be back in the midfield. We can't leave all the contested work to Heeney and then hope he gets it on the outside as well. A midfield of Gulden, Warner, Heeney is all attacking intent and aside from Heeney there isn't much defensive appetite there. That's where Rowbottom is essential.
We are missing McInerney more than expected. With him and Blakey streaming forward we have a couple of options. At the moment all the opposition has to do is put some work into Blakey and our run from the back half stops. Maybe Campbell could help (another positive from Friday).

It feels like we have spent a lot of time recruiting the outside types without a great deal of thought for the inside bulls. Whoever comes into the team this week, I hope they are willing to put their head over the ball and show a bit of grit.

[UUaswan]

Lloyd won't be dropped clubs just don't do things like that. but those would be the three change i would make (2 will definitely happen)

Cootee and Datolli have to come in, their VFL performances is exactly what we need from the Mid Fwds, we need to prove a point or waste another season.

Kyle has too much upside to be in the ressies

Id say most likely to have a future from the 2s is
Kyle, Dattoli, Green, Snell, Phillipou.

That's a few to bring in, a few older guys need to step aside, the time is right, we are playing like sh8t with the same old same old.

Still cant believe Rampe hasn't been given the quarter back role, been undersized his whole career

[Dow]

Cunningham Lloyd Rosas
Cootee, Kyle, Datolli

Lloyd won't be dropped clubs just don't do things like that. but those would be the three change i would make (2 will definitely happen)

[UUaswan]

Cunningham Lloyd Rosas
Cootee, Kyle, Datolli

[BRS328]

I've found most of these post game anaylsis posts constructive, with alot of thought put into them.

I was a bit surprised by Rosas' recall. as i had been calling for lDattolli and Cootee to be given priority for their body of VFL performances.

Bice had strong numbers but i wasn't sure if he had addressed his defensive weaknesses (tackling). He is a skilful player and it's between the ears stuff that needs improving.

This is now a challenging time for Cox & co to address weaknesses that have been exposed by quality teams, with 5 games to the finals. Still enough time to have us peak at the business end.

With Wicks and now CunnIngham out (conc), wonder who will play that small defender role?

If Heeney is carrying an injury, then please rest/manage him. Still have vision of his 2024 GF foot injury.

Harry Kyle to replace Cunningham for mine. I thought he was unlucky to be dropped after the Freo game. He played very well in the VFL game against a very strong Brisbane team with 16 primary list players in their squad against 12 from the Swans.
If Heeney is carrying an injury Injury bring in Cootee.
Rosas and McLean were both terrible against Adelaide so I would also look at Datolli and anyone who will at least competes as replacements to replace both

[imuninformedtwo]

I wouldn't worry about a 2nd ruckman when Grundy plays around 85% game time. We just can put in anyone against the opposition's 2nd ruck and prepare for this situation.

I think McLean should be dropped. If we want a 3rd tall forward, we can move Serong there, but I don't mind going smallwer and just become less dependent on our tall forwards. If Curnow is on, it's great and If he's not, then our smaller forwards and mids can go to work.

We won't have a specialised small defender this week with Cunningham our, so others will have to fill in. I would brink in Snell and have Rampe play on smller players.

I would also drop Bice and Rsas and bring in Kyle, Cootie and Datoli along with Snell.

Close to where I am at, partly because I think our misery starts in a midfield needing depth and oomph.

And that starts with Mills, as we need a first hands player to take some of the load off Isaac and ease the need for Errol to go inside.

From there, with that happening and Harry C out, Dane needs to go to a small anyway, so bring in Snell as the third 'tall'.

I've made clear I want Kyle back in and Bice out. I'd also bring Cootee or Dattoli in - with a focus on whomever can best give us 40 per cent midfield time.