Rd 2 vs Geelong Cats @ SCG - Pre-Game Thread

[NeonBible]

Its not all about possession numbers , but lets face it , even you would admit his not damaging enough to get away with only 18 touches . He doesnt kick goals , he 's not quick, hes not skilful . He has to get a lot of the ball to make up for the lack of damage his possessions do to other sides . Kennedy isnt any of those things either but hes fit and strong and works his arse off to get as much of the ball as he can . Thats how he does the damage , with 25-30 touches to his name . Maybe RB will get there , i am no fortune teller , but cmon, played nearly 50 games as an inside mid now and never had 25 touches , so its fair to say its looking unlikely . I like RB for his tackling , his a dog with a bone , and loyal to the club so hes welcome on the list as a blood , but as far as im concerned we are wasting our time bothering with him when we have a proven champ of a mid in Kennedy right there . The flag is within reach , we can win it , but not if we are still in rebuild mode of gifting games to younger lesser players just because they 're the right side of 25 !

Hope you wont bite my head off for this , they are just my thoughts and dont want a nasty debate. You can give yours too , i will be nice

Hi TB,

18 possessions.. i understand from a glance this doesn't seem a massive game from James. He won't be getting any Brownlow votes!! Perhaps you are wondering if he ever will.. accumulation doesn'f seem to be his strong suit and i think he lacks the star potential of many of our other young cygnets..

But could it be worth broadening your definition of "damaging"?? It might not have been the most eye catching game.. but.. 13 contested possessions, 7 clearances, 10 tackles, 7 score involvements, 31 pressure acts, 266 metres gained and 5 inside 50s.. all at a disposal efficiency of 83%... that's an enormous amount of damage he inflicted on the Giants!! I am certain Leon Cameron would have been sitting up and taking notice of the quiet achiever who was making life difficult for his players!

[longmile]

Any word on why ladhams isn't getting a game? On paper seems a better option than McLean

[Roadrunner]

Hi TB,

18 possessions.. i understand from a glance this doesn't seem a massive game from James. He won't be getting any Brownlow votes!! Perhaps you are wondering if he ever will.. accumulation doesn'f seem to be his strong suit and i think he lacks the star potential of many of our other young cygnets..

But could it be worth broadening your definition of "damaging"?? It might not have been the most eye catching game.. but.. 13 contested possessions, 7 clearances, 10 tackles, 7 score involvements, 31 pressure acts, 266 metres gained and 5 inside 50s.. all at a disposal efficiency of 83%... that's an enormous amount of damage he inflicted on the Giants!! I am certain Leon Cameron would have been sitting up and taking notice of the quiet achiever who was making life difficult for his players!

Hi Neon,
Unfortunately we are all wasting time responding to TB- he simply doesn’t want to acknowledge Rowy’s worth to the team. Without even going into the stats, which you so aptly brought to our attention, simply watching the game everyone ,including TB, would have seen a young man trying his heart out and significantly contributing to the team.

Nothing to do with any comparisons with Joey, as that is a separate topic altogether.

TB, once and for all open your other eye regarding JR You can have your opinion, of course, and everyone here knows it so can you please keep it to yourself? There are plenty of other players you can comment on and we’re happy to hear it. Really, this has been going on for far too long to the point of becoming very annoying!

[O'Reilly Boy]

Any word on why ladhams isn't getting a game? On paper seems a better option than McLean

From what I have seen—and admittedly that is mostly on television over the past year—McLean is a bit of a package. Offers defensive pressure, is a physical handful, clunks marks, and good below his knees. Ladhams, from what I've seen, is more in the mold of a mobile ruck who can offer a good forward target. It would be nice to see him get a game, but I'm pretty happy with what I'm seeing McLean doing. Looking forward to being at the SCG tonight to get a sense of what he gets up to when the ball is not in his area.

[TheBloods]

Hi Neon,
Unfortunately we are all wasting time responding to TB- he simply doesn’t want to acknowledge Rowy’s worth to the team. Without even going into the stats, which you so aptly brought to our attention, simply watching the game everyone ,including TB, would have seen a young man trying his heart out and significantly contributing to the team.

Nothing to do with any comparisons with Joey, as that is a separate topic altogether.

TB, once and for all open your other eye regarding JR You can have your opinion, of course, and everyone here knows it so can you please keep it to yourself? There are plenty of other players you can comment on and we’re happy to hear it. Really, this has been going on for far too long to the point of becoming very annoying!

Might be annoying but if its between him and Kennedy in the mids then its relevant ! I had let it go until i saw people on here getting ready to put Kennedy out to pasture just cause someone 10 years younger knows how to tackle !

It will take care of itself anyway as RB will get pushed out once Chad and Paps are back but in the mean time we are wasting Kennedy in d50 for someone who tries hard but frankly isnt fit to lace Joey 's boots

[TheBloods]

The rest of the team is perfect . Wicks will go for Papley , or hayward , neither are a loss on current form . Kennedy at HB is the only problem with this team so of course im gonna talk about it !

[Nico]

Does Wicks go to Stewart as a defensive forward?

[Bexl]

Any word on why ladhams isn't getting a game? On paper seems a better option than McLean

He is named in the reserve team to play tonight and by looking at that team the medical sub tonight will be either Read or Sheldrick as they are the two not named to play in the reserves.

[stellation]

Even with the less than ideal weather and ongoing global pandemic I expect there will be a decent crowd in. Really glad the league ground next door isn't in operation at the moment, could have been one of those nights where a game on next door and the extra 2k folks that brings could really make getting out of the Moore Park area a drag.

[i'm-uninformed2]

Even with the less than ideal weather and ongoing global pandemic I expect there will be a decent crowd in. Really glad the league ground next door isn't in operation at the moment, could have been one of those nights where a game on next door and the extra 2k folks that brings could really make getting out of the Moore Park area a drag.

It is the first time in several years that I've felt a pang about no longer living in Sydney.

[Roadrunner]

Might be annoying but if its between him and Kennedy in the mids then its relevant ! I had let it go until i saw people on here getting ready to put Kennedy out to pasture just cause someone 10 years younger knows how to tackle !

It will take care of itself anyway as RB will get pushed out once Chad and Paps are back but in the mean time we are wasting Kennedy in d50 for someone who tries hard but frankly isnt fit to lace Joey 's boots

Joey is a champion but he is on a one year contract. His time in midfield is going to be limited and I’m sure he knows this. We’re not putting him out to pasture: just recognising that whilst he can have the occasional run in midfield, the future is with JR if he is up to it. He put in a great shift against the Giants, so we can rely on Horse and his team to make the right decisions-we will see. It’s pretty simple: if JR is picked to play in midfield you are wrong- simple as that!

[Mark26]

The rest of the team is perfect . Wicks will go for Papley , or hayward , neither are a loss on current form . Kennedy at HB is the only problem with this team so of course im gonna talk about it !

Didn't you say not too long ago that you were going to stop talking about Rowbottom?