Changes for Round 6 v Geelong

[MattW]

IN: Melican
OUT: Hayward

There has been some cheap talk over the last week about Sydney kicking too much to Buddy, but I'm not sure there's much choice with Reid out and no second ruckman to rest forward. If Buddy had converted the marks he took inside and around 50 on Friday, we would have won. It also worked really well against WCE.

Our concerns are more around the contested ball. Heeney and Parker have been our best clearance players this year, and ideally wouldn't play as much forward. I wonder whether Hewett could play more forward - he's a decent mark and set shot. Gary was dangerous on Friday and will be better for the run. Ideally we would have another taller type in there - McCartin, or even Cameron, but they need more NEAFL games. The bye was a bummer this week.

Given the above, it might seem contradictory to suggest Hayward be replaced - and I'm a big fan - he's just a bit off the pace at the moment. Marsh was very good on Friday and perhaps allows Mills to move into the midfield. It'll be great to have Melican back.

[Foreign Legion]

Yep, Melican an automatic in if he is fit. It really annoys me how many byes they have in the NEAFL - 3 I think - stuffs up a lot of guys getting a chance to impress.

I know I will get criticised for this but I really think we should throw McCartin in. Give him 4-6 weeks or until Reid is fit. I seem to remember Reg got his first game at Kardinia Park and I believe he kicked 3 goals on debut but I could be wrong.

Yes he is underweight a bit but he presents well and he won't play in another forward line where someone else is more a target of defenders. Only the club would know if he can mentally handle it I guess but we need bold decisions. If he had 3-4 marks, 10 possessions and maybe a goal I'd consider that success. Saw him play in the last NEAFL game - until the stream died - and he really impressed with his leading. He did not kick accurately (neither did any other Swans) but if he had may have got 4-5 goals.

Am I crazy and is it too early?

[Ralph Dawg]

I don�t think it�s too early to play McCartain, keeping in mind though it�s highly unusual for an 18yo key position player to make much of an impact in his first year. I guess if he can provide a target, bring the ball to ground and apply some forward pressure, then he will do a job. I mean we won a flag with LRT as one of our key forwards doing exactly that!

[Ralph Dawg]

We�re getting smashed at the contest. Our clearances are way down on what they should be and we lack speed. I get the feeling we are just hanging on in games and a blow out is just around the corner, especially as the cats have a strong midfield. But I�m at a loss as to what to do, given our Neafl team is struggling.
In: Melican Ronke
Out: Hayward Hannebury
With Mills to play more in midfield?

[ugg]

. I seem to remember Reg got his first game at Kardinia Park and I believe he kicked 3 goals on debut but I could be wrong.

He did kick 3 on debut but it was at the SCG against Richmond. I have a recollection of being there

Grundy had a solid season and a half in the AFL canberra comp kicking bags of goals along with Luke Vogels (remember him?)

Despite his age McCartin showed enough in the JLT games to indicate to me he could play this year. However I think he has to show consistently solid form in the NEAFL before we promote him.

The main problem for me still lies in the midfield and I don�t think that can be solved by bringing NEAFL players. Whatever factors that are plaguing Kennedy and Hannebery be they physical or otherwise, let�s hope they overcome them quickly.

[Foreign Legion]

He did kick 3 on debut but it was at the SCG against Richmond. I have a recollection of being there

Grundy had a solid season and a half in the AFL canberra comp kicking bags of goals along with Luke Vogels (remember him?)

Despite his age McCartin showed enough in the JLT games to indicate to me he could play this year. However I think he has to show consistently solid form in the NEAFL before we promote him.

The main problem for me still lies in the midfield and I don�t think that can be solved by bringing NEAFL players. Whatever factors that are plaguing Kennedy and Hannebery be they physical or otherwise, let�s hope they overcome them quickly.

Thanks for correction ugg - not sure why I thought he debuted against Geelong. Hannebery had a bad pre season so I think we can expect improvement in every game. Kennedy I think it must be a mental thing he is going through.

McCartin has not shown enough to get promoted on merit but we need height and mobility in the forward half - he fits the bill.

[The Runner]

Hinkley made a strong point mid week that you can't just promote someone who isn't AFL ready because you have a need for their type of player.
No-one has said McCartin is AFL ready, just that we need a tall forward.
Apparently none of our midfield are injured enough to miss a game, but hard to believe for Hanners. Mills to take his place in the middle, Melican to join the back ground if ready.
Newman and Aliir wouldn't have had a chance to correct why they got dropped, so unlikely we'd see more changes.

[mcs]

The main problem for me still lies in the midfield and I don�t think that can be solved by bringing NEAFL players. Whatever factors that are plaguing Kennedy and Hannebery be they physical or otherwise, let�s hope they overcome them quickly.

Summed up my view of it all too Ugg. that is where the problem lies, and unless Kennedy and Hanners find a way to pull their socks up and get something back towards their best, we are going to be struggling big time.

[rb4x]

We are not travelling at all well. I agree main problem is in midfield where along with Kennedy and Hannebury, Parker, Jack and Hewett were also MIA against the Crows in the first half and it was only their poor kicking that kept us in the game. We have problems though both in defence and forwards as well. We have been beaten by both Port and the Crows who are weak at present and were lucky against the Dogs who should have won and are also weak. Giants also not going well so win there perhaps not as impressive as it might have been. Eagles win is now starting to look like our best.

We have only one tall defender at present and that showed against the Crows as we could not hold both Walker and Jenkins who are both out of form. We rely on Rampe and now Marsh punching out of their height division but hopefully Melican will be back and resolve that issue. Rest of the defenders were OK. In the forwards we have only Buddy and the Crows new we were always going to him and could safely triple team him. This should mean we have a couple of loose forwards but they were invisible on Friday and totally ignored.

We need a visible alternate forward target to Buddy and I think that means we do have to play one of Aliir, Cameron or McCartin in the forwards. I have reservations re all of them but think probably Cameron is the best option. At least he will be visible and is form in the NEAFL has been sound but not spectacular. Hayward is just not strong enough to be a forward target at present though love his skills and when he develops I think he will be a star of the future.

The fix in the mids is much harder to imagine. Only Heeney and Jones earnt their keep on that display but Jones spoils much of his good work with some poor errors. Ronke has been good but again not banging the door down and would offer more at the coal face now than either Hanners or Jack. I don't see Longmire making that change in a hurry though. Could look at Fox or Newman but again can't see Horse dropping a senior player for either. I don't understand why Newman is so much out of favour, He offers more than some of the others are delivering.

Thought Sinclair was well beaten by Jacobs but I still had him in my best players. At least he keeps making an effort. A typical game from Rohan. His pressure acts in the first half were all on his team mates rather than the opponents as he was missing in action then in the second half does a couple of good things and eveyonr forgives him. Wish we could get four quarters out of him but he again will stay in the side. On a positive note I thought Towers and Cunningham were good but those two are not our match winners.

[liz]

Longmire made it quite clear in his press conference where he thought the main issue was - ie winning the ball, especially at centre bounces. Every time the journalists tried to draw him on structural issues in the forward line, he came back to the failure of the midfielders to win the ball.

I reckon that if/when he thinks that McCartin (or someone else) is ready to come in and play senior footy, he'll give them a go. But I don't believe he'll bring in anyone he doesn't think is ready just to fix a structural issue up forward unless the midfield is holding its own and we're still getting beaten.

[Steve]

Every time the journalists tried to draw him on structural issues in the forward line, he came back to the failure of the midfielders to win the ball.

He is right, although I would still say it's a 'structural issue' that as soon as we stop dominating contested ball, we push all our forwards up and then have nothing to kick to whenever we do gain possession (or have Buddy outnumbered 3/1).

A lot is said about Longmire's rigid Plan A approach, and I assume he was saying 'I told you so' to his assistants when in the press conference he also said something to the effect "we made a change in the last quarter and Adelaide kicked 2 goals".

Allir was terrible up forward against the Bulldogs, and they rightfully abandoned that experiment - but we desperately need another tall to play forward. If Cameron is half fit I think he has to play - he is a natural forward and would stretch and under-sized Geelong defence, but also can have a go in the ruck to release Sinclair forward.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[liz]

He is right, although I would still say it's a 'structural issue' that as soon as we stop dominating contested ball, we push all our forwards up and then have nothing to kick to whenever we do gain possession (or have Buddy outnumbered 3/1).

A lot is said about Longmire's rigid Plan A approach, and I assume he was saying 'I told you so' to his assistants when in the press conference he also said something to the effect "we made a change in the last quarter and Adelaide kicked 2 goals".

Allir was terrible up forward against the Bulldogs, and they rightfully abandoned that experiment - but we desperately need another tall to play forward. If Cameron is half fit I think he has to play - he is a natural forward and would stretch and under-sized Geelong defence, but also can have a go in the ruck to release Sinclair forward.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

I took Longmire's observation that the Crows kicked two goals once he tried to even up the numbers as a further dig at his midfield, who couldn't get their hands on the ball first. It's hard to come up with a winning structure unless you can win a decent share of the ball at ground level. It wasn't that we weren't dominating contested ball on Friday. We weren't getting close in the first half, and in the second half were still being beaten at centre bounces even if contests around the ground were evened up somewhat.

I don't think there's any point in playing Cameron unless they think he can put himself in dangerous spots. Otherwise the Geelong defence will just peel off him and effectively have another spare in defence. It's close to impossible to tell from watching NEAFL footy whether Cameron yet has the know-how because the forward line is even less structured than at senior level. It is mostly a case of just get the ball in somehow and see what happens (which is partly why the NEAFL team's goal conversion has been so ordinary in the opening couple of rounds of the season).