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Go_Dogs
31-03-2008, 12:55 PM
I've basically copied your format Mantis, although quietly mine is a much improved version ;) Hope we can continue some of the same good discussion that Mantis' thread gave rise to last week. Feel free to tear any of my ideas apart...

Match: Western Bulldogs v St Kilda – Telstra Dome – Friday Night

Recent Form: The Saints have looked pretty good to this point, winning a hard fought, low scoring game against Sydney showing their strength for the contested ball and disposing of a fairly weak Carlton side fairly comfortably on the weekend. The Dogs are playing well but must be weary as this match will be a much better indication of where we're at, as St Kilda are playing well and rated by many as a Top 4 side this year.

Recent matches between these 2 teams:

Rd 18 2007 - TD - Friday night - Western Bulldogs 12.13.85 drew St Kilda 12.13.85

Brownlow votes: 3. N Riewoldt (StK), 2. R Murphy (WB), 1. M Boyd (WB)

After winning the first qtr the Dogs got behind but continued to try without much luck. Eventually drawing after looking completely out of it, to getting back in front in a real back and fourth game, our effort couldn't be questioned.

And the corresponding Round 3 fixture last year (let's hope it's not a repeat)
Rd 3 2007 – TD – St Kilda 17.14.116 defeated Western Bulldogs 9.12.66

Brownlow votes: 3. R Harvey (StK), 2. J Gram (StK), 1. N Riewoldt (StK)

Pretty much totally outclassed by a strong showing by the Saints. A pretty forgettable day.

Players missing/ At the selection table:

Western Bulldogs – Higgins has gone out with an ankle, but we may welcome back Eagleton from his week off with an ankle he did in Rd 1. Harbrow may also come back into thinking if he is over his injury. Others players still out from the best 22 include Ray, Williams and Everitt who'll all still be missing for at least a few more weeks.

St Kilda: - The Saints are running pretty well at the moment injury wise and could welcome back any or all of Goddard, Maguire and Dempster this week, Goddard being the most likely to resume at this stage.

Style of play/ team structure’s:

Western Bulldogs – Again this week we played our best football when we were winning the ball in tight and then playing on quickly to an open forward line with lots of deadly small marking players. Our contested work has looked better so far this year and must continue this week against the Saints. Once we have the ball outside we know we can run fast, hard and have great skills - we need to create the time and space to use them.

St Kilda - Play a hard, contested ball winning game inside and around the ground, using runners of half back delivering to a pretty handy tall forward line who they can kick long too, and also use further up the field to control the ball on the way forward. They also have a new ruck division of King and Gardiner whom we need to watch out for, as both can be useful around the ground and go forward and snag a couple of goals. It has also allowed them the luxury of using Kosi as another tall forward target, and he really attacks the packs hard so he's one we have to watch out for.

The Saints aim will be to win more of the contested ball than us through guys like Dal Santo, Ball, Hayes and guys like Montana, Gram, X.Clarke and S.Fisher run all over us. They create some good run and carry through the back half on the rebound and we'll need to make sure we focus on our defensive efforts in our forward 50. Once they have the ball moving through the middle of the ground with speed they have 3 very good and hard working tall forwards who'll enjoy our backline devoid of a few more first choice options in Williams and Everitt.

Our best chance to win will be guys like West, Cross and Boyd playing great games, guys like Cooney and Griffen winning plenty of ball and really running it hard, Gilbee getting a lot of the ball. If these players who create and win the hard ball through the middle of the ground can get more of it than their direct opponents and use it as well as we know they can, we'll have a good chance of winning the game. Hudson and Minson are really going to be tested this week in the ruck and they need to continue giving us first use of the ball and throwing their bodies around in the middle, scraping and helping win the ball and get it moving forwards. They also need to be mindful of their direct opponents and be prepared to run hard into the backline to prevent their opponents from getting easy goals, and also stretch their opponents by running hard forwards when the time is right.

Our forwards will need to again be very productive, and with Murphy hitting his straps, Welsh fitting in beyond expectation, Johnson as reliable as ever and Aker and Hahn back playing the football we needed from them in 2007, as well as Giansiracusa who has been very handy thus far and let's not forget Hill... You get the point, it's a pretty good mix that a lot of teams will struggle to contain for 4 Qtrs.



Key Match-Ups:

Brad Johnson vs Max Hudghton? – I think this could be the logical match up although I'm not sure. If Brad plays further up the ground perhaps someone like Sam Fisher or Gram could go to him. Whoever it is will need to play well as Brad has had some big games against the Saints previously including kicking 6 goals back in Rd 21 2006.

Adam Cooney vs Leigh Fisher? – Tagged Judd on the weekend for patches of the game and although Judd was clearly quite reduced Leigh was servicable, though I don't think Adam will give him as long to catch his breath between efforts.

Dale Morris vs Nick Riewoldt – Big ask I know for Dale, but I just don't think anyone else can do the job. We'll need Lake on Gehrig, which is a big enough match up itself, and Wight I think will have to go with Koschitzke. Hargrave is the other option, but I think Morris is the safer option. Nick will work hard up the field and Morris has the fitness and closing speed to go with him.

Scott West v Lenny Hayes – I think West is doing very well at the moment, winning a lot of clean ball in close, using it well by both hand and foot, running hard to create an option and working well defensively against his opponent when he needs. Hayes is one of the most important midfielders and if West can limit Hayes' influence whilst controlling the ball in close he'll really go a long way to helping us win the game.

Ryan Griffen vs Adam Schneider – Schneider looks to be starting to fit in well, and can run both forwards and through the middle and someone like Griffen can match him for strength and explosive speed, and also hurt him going the other way. He could be the player due for a good game who takes us apart if the Saints dictate the play and are able to run hard. Griffen is also showing signs that he's ready for a breakout dominating display and will be one the Saints have to be weary of, as if he gets anywhere near 30 touches almost all of them will be effective and very important.

Player’s under the pump:

Western Bulldogs

Not really any players under the pump this week, as most players did at least a reasonable job, even Wight who was beaten early came back well and finished the game strongly. Once again though the younger players will be keen to impress against quality opposition as a few like Harbrow and Ray will start to come back into selection frame over the next few weeks.

St Kilda

Sadly, its the #1 and #2 draft picks that we're going to have to look out for, as both Koschitzke and Riewoldt were reasonably quiet against Carlton and no doubt quite looking forward to playing against us. There not under the pump per se, but they'll want big games and playing at TD against our back line they have no excuses whatsoever. Expect them to bounce back in a big way.

Who will win and why:
Geez, it's a tough one this week. St Kilda have seemingly had the wood over us for the best part of the last few years. They have massive strengths in areas that are our massive weaknesses - the tall forward department. Their midfield is strong and will be a great challenge for our side who to this stage in all fairness have probably had a fairly comfortable ride against a younger Adelaide midfield and a pretty unimpressive Melbourne one. This week will be the test.

Our form coming in suggests that West, Cross, Boyd, Cooney, Gilbee, Murphy, Akermanis, Griffen, Giansiracusa, Addison, Hudson and Minson are all in reasonable form and will be good players on Friday night. If these guys can do the job in the midfield, around the ground and running out of defensive with their attack on the ball, body and contest, skills and hard running efforts we'll be a pretty good chance of winning the game.

Our forwards have been good thus far too, and I think the St Kilda back line will struggle as much as ours will. If our guys continue to play well, I think we have too many good players for them to shut down.

Their forward line will be much the same story, as all of Wight, Lake, Morris and Hargrave will likely all have big roles to play throughout the night. If they can even break even with the forwards, and hopefully get some good assistance from some good defensive efforts through the midfield and our F50, they'll have done the job and it should be enough for us to get over the line. We need to make sure we can free up Gilbee again and allow him to gather possessions seemingly at will further up the field.

So do I think will win? Well, I think we're a damn good chance to get over the line. We need to prove that we're a serious contender and I think we can do that this Friday. I'll be tipping the Dogs to get up in a very close one, by 7 points.



As an aside point - What happens at selection table this week? Does Callan stay in to shut down Milne allowing Morris to take on Reiwoldt? Or do we bring in say, McDougall to help out down back with the tall opposition? Or does Harbrow come in to help with the defensive aspects in the forward half of the ground and add some more zip?

If we make only the one forced change of Higgins Out, Eagleton In I'd be fairly content, but it will be interesting to see how it all unfolds as the week progresses.

The Coon Dog
31-03-2008, 01:09 PM
I wouldn't mind Griff having a crack at Reiwoldt, be interesting.

wimberga
31-03-2008, 01:25 PM
Callan playing solely on Milne souds like a good task for Callan and one that i would personally like to see. Wouldnt mind if Mcdougall came in for Wight or Harbrow came in for Higgins.

A good preview Griffen. Just wondering, where will we play Murphy? If Fisher plays loose in defence, do wepush murphy up forward aswell, effectively making it 7 on 7 in the fowardline, or will Murph play back? or wil someting else happen!? would like to hear your thoughts.

Go_Dogs
31-03-2008, 02:34 PM
Callan playing solely on Milne souds like a good task for Callan and one that i would personally like to see. Wouldnt mind if Mcdougall came in for Wight or Harbrow came in for Higgins.

A good preview Griffen. Just wondering, where will we play Murphy? If Fisher plays loose in defence, do wepush murphy up forward aswell, effectively making it 7 on 7 in the fowardline, or will Murph play back? or wil someting else happen!? would like to hear your thoughts.

Thanks wimberga.

Murphy is an interesting one. I quite liked how he was used last week, played behind the ball a bit to find some touch and then moved forward later where he was pretty handy as well. If Fisher is playing a loose man in defence I'd like to see someone go to him as he can be a damaging player just running around by himself. Not sure exactly where we'll start Murph, but I expect he'll play predominately up forward after the weekends efforts.


Re: Reiwoldt v Griffen - a bit left field, and one that I had not considered TCD. Could be a good option if Nick plays up the field a bit, but I'd be a bit worried about big aerial contests, not only for Griff being beaten, but his body taking a hammering. I suppose a lot of it depends on how the Saints play him.

LostDoggy
31-03-2008, 03:09 PM
With Kosi, Reiwoldt and Gehrig in form, we will be doing well to get within 30pts. (With Williams and Everitt out)

LostDoggy
31-03-2008, 03:36 PM
With Kosi, Reiwoldt and Gehrig in form, we will be doing well to get within 30pts. (With Williams and Everitt out)

Kosi's far from in form. He's barely had 10 touches the past 2 games.

And Gehrig isnt really in form either. Comming back from an injury he did kick 4 but from about 6 touches. I'd call that opportunistic rather than in form.

Sockeye Salmon
31-03-2008, 03:48 PM
Kosi's far from in form. He's barely had 10 touches the past 2 games.

And Gehrig isnt really in form either. Comming back from an injury he did kick 4 but from about 6 touches. I'd call that opportunistic rather than in form.

Lake has owned Gehrig the last few times.

Kosi scored 28 points in my supercoach team, the dud. If ever he was going to have a day out, though, it will be Friday night.

LostDoggy
31-03-2008, 03:51 PM
Lake has owned Gehrig the last few times.

Kosi scored 28 points in my supercoach team, the dud. If ever he was going to have a day out, though, it will be Friday night.

IIRC last time we played the Saint's, Lake kept Gehrig to no touches.

And when we are talking about last year, do we refer to Lake as Lake or Harris?

LostDoggy
31-03-2008, 04:00 PM
No team in the AFL can hold on song a forward line of Riewodlt, Kosi and Gehrig.
The game will not be won and lost there. Dry up or effect the supply and we will win.
Our midfield is the key whilst also their rebound from HB.

LostDoggy
31-03-2008, 04:00 PM
Our enforcer Gia on Kosi.

Bulldog Revolution
31-03-2008, 04:15 PM
It is looking likely that Morris will get Riewoldt, Lake to Gehrig

I wonder if Murphy might get Milne, but maybe Callan will be thrown the challenge, is he quick enough?

aker39
31-03-2008, 04:15 PM
Lake has owned Gehrig the last few times.

Kosi scored 28 points in my supercoach team, the dud. If ever he was going to have a day out, though, it will be Friday night.


Don't you even think of trading him.

LostDoggy
31-03-2008, 04:18 PM
I think that we should drop Wight and bring in McDougall or Harbrow instead. He may have gone ok at the end of the last game but against the saints we cant afford to have him go as bad as he did at the start of it.

GVGjr
31-03-2008, 04:33 PM
Terrific review G#16. Morris on Reiwoldt would be a key match-up. Morris should match him on the leads and do OK in the body work but he couldn't go with him in the air. Hargrave would be my tip.

Sockeye Salmon
31-03-2008, 04:43 PM
I think that we should drop Wight and bring in McDougall or Harbrow instead. He may have gone ok at the end of the last game but against the saints we cant afford to have him go as bad as he did at the start of it.

Harbrow in for Wight? To play on Kosi?

McDougall, maybe, but Eade gave Wight a bit of a wrap after the game so I'd say Wight is safe for another week at least.

Wight has the tank and the reach to go with Reiwoldt, anyone game enough?

LostDoggy
31-03-2008, 05:07 PM
I believe that this game won't be won in our backiline, i think that our midfielders and half forward line holds the key. We will win enough of the ball, it's how we use it through the HF line and how we defend when the ball comes out.

Johno normally gets kept quiet by Maxy Hudgton, he is a fantastic defender, we need to make sure we use Welsh and big wil to bring the ball to ground. If we can find alternative avenues to goal and we keep it tight in the half forward line, we will win, I'm certain of it!!

LostDoggy
31-03-2008, 05:10 PM
Harbrow in for Wight? To play on Kosi?

McDougall, maybe, but Eade gave Wight a bit of a wrap after the game so I'd say Wight is safe for another week at least.

Wight has the tank and the reach to go with Reiwoldt, anyone game enough?

I guess you are right about Harbrow, but I still dont think we should use Wight.

Dry Rot
31-03-2008, 05:15 PM
Great preview Griff #16. Well done.

Could Goddard be a nasty wild card? IMO he was beginning to look good before he got injured.

LostDoggy
31-03-2008, 05:16 PM
I believe that this game won't be won in our backiline, i think that our midfielders and half forward line holds the key. We will win enough of the ball, it's how we use it through the HF line and how we defend when the ball comes out.

Agree and I thought I said it?

LostDoggy
31-03-2008, 05:34 PM
Agree and I thought I said it?

sorry dude, I posted before I read..... Good minds think alike, they say;)

Mantis
31-03-2008, 05:55 PM
Wight has the tank and the reach to go with Reiwoldt, anyone game enough?

No thanks.

Think Morris has to go to Riewoldt.

GVGjr
31-03-2008, 06:04 PM
Great preview Griff #16. Well done.

Could Goddard be a nasty wild card? IMO he was beginning to look good before he got injured.

Goddard should be back. Played well on the weekend from all reports and he was running into some decent form when he played for the Scorpions. Not sure if he is ready to dominate though.

dog town
31-03-2008, 06:11 PM
Probably as big as games get this early in the season. Will we go with the flooding and chipping tactics we used last year when we drew with them or back our normal style in? Should be interesting to see which way we go.


Massive game for Cam Wight. Has beaten two small profile opponents and now will most likely cop a fairly good opponent. Logic suggestes he will spend a fair bit of time on Kosi. If we cant rely on him to go with forwards of his stature then he either needs a new position or to improve rapidly. I reckon he can hold Kosi and leave Harris/Morris and Hargrave to tackle the others.

Stkilda play a fairly similar style to Sydney in that they place huge importance on stoppages and are quite prepared to slow the tempo of the game right down when its required. To win the game we certainly have to be competitive at the stoppages but in reality in games where they will try to choke our run we probably have to run even harder than usual. Space will be like gold for us and to get space against a side like Stkilda you really have to work hard to create it.

If I were to tag a Stkilda player it would be either Gram or Montagna. They provide the run and carry for Stkilda and much like Sydney when they are without Kenelly they can look quite pedestrian without it. Giansiracusa may play as a defensive forward on Gram if we can possibly engineer that match up. What is working in our favour at the moment is how even our contribution is amongst our forwards. It is pretty much assured that Gram will have to play on a dangerous player. Callan or Addison could be a chance to tag either Montagna or Dal Santo.

Mantis
31-03-2008, 06:16 PM
Good work Griff, Top stuff...

I'm pretty keen to bring in McDougall this week, but for who is another matter. I would be looking to start Lake on Gehrig, Morris on Riewoldt and Wight on Kosi. If one of our players is getting beat or wose still gets injured we really have no cover. We were forced to play Welsh in defence late on Saturday and really that shouldn't be an option.

For me the key player's to shut down are Gram off half back and Montagna through the midfield. If we can cut down there run and carry it will certainly help in our attempts to win this important game.

Shapes as a big test.

PS. dogtown just beat me too it...great minds think alike.

The Underdog
31-03-2008, 06:21 PM
Terrific review G#16. Morris on Reiwoldt would be a key match-up. Morris should match him on the leads and do OK in the body work but he couldn't go with him in the air. Hargrave would be my tip.

I'd prefer Morris. Shaggy has played on Riewoldt before and never got close. Morris has regularly given up height and done the job.
I think Griffen 16 has got the match-ups about right. Not confident enough in Wight to go with Riewoldt and to be honest, if he doesn't take Kosi, who does? You almost have to be satisfied if you hold 2 of the 3 of them, but the third has a potential to win the game any way. As others have said, the midfield battle is crucial. I also think their backline matches up pretty well with us, although they don't really have a big guy to take Will. Maybe it's time for him to take some grabs in the forward 50.

Selection will be very interesting. Eagleton is the obvious choice for Higgins, and no one else really deserves to get dropped, but match-ups might dictate somebody losing their spot. McDougall would be good back up but will probably miss on form alone. We'll need to do everything right to win it.

On a side note, does anone else think Leigh Fisher looks like Johnno without the smile?

LostDoggy
31-03-2008, 07:46 PM
Good preview Griff!

It surprises me how much emphasis people put on Williams and Skinny being out of the side. Both guys show signs of being great players in the future but do we really miss them that much at the present time? Both guys certainly showed a lot of promise last season but imo neither player is an established best 22 player.

One key to this game will be making sure that Riewoldt gets the majority of his ball up the ground and preferably out wide. He tends to lead out a fair way from goal imo.

I'd like to see the dogs try and exert some real physical pressure. St Kilda will understandably be confident going itno this match due to our form against them in recent seasons. It's very important that we show that we're not intimidated by them and that we're going to play the game on our terms. Don't forget that Ross Lyon still has a tendency to gravitate towards a Sydney style game, which isn't executed anywhere near as well as the Swans.

Obviously there's a lot of focus on who will stop their forwards. I have a theory on this. They can't kick goals if the ball is up our end.

BulldogBelle
31-03-2008, 08:07 PM
Excellent preview Griff#16.

Hopefully STK will make that mistake again and sit Lenny Hayes on the bench in the first quarter. ;)

LostDoggy
31-03-2008, 08:54 PM
astute observations hobdog! Marginalising Riewoldt, in addition to getting first use out of the centre via Cooney, Acker, Cross- and banging it down forward should draw the match day debate down to our forward fifty. Loose skilled players ie Murphy, Griffen and Gilbee have to be used with nouse and flair from a coaching point of view....IMO Cooney needs yet another big one for us to win.

alwaysadog
31-03-2008, 09:16 PM
Really great thread and great intro G16.

Don't forget that the old master in the #35 jumper loves playing against us cause we give him so much space.

firstdogonthemoon
31-03-2008, 10:08 PM
Lovely preview thanks.

I always saw us as having three big tests in the first three games. Beat the crows first, then put someone hopeless like the dees to the sword and beat the crap out of them rather than just winning - and then finally - beat the sts. 2 bogie teams and crushing someone.

After that, we just have to beat the cats and we are almost guaranteed the flag!

or something

The Coon Dog
31-03-2008, 10:43 PM
Just pretending I'm Ernie Sigley here for a sec & betting that Reiwoldt gets the softest free kicks imaginable on Friday night for some sort of perceived contact. He usually does against us!

bornadog
31-03-2008, 11:05 PM
Although the Saints have a tall forward line they don't kick many big scores and infact last year overall, they had one of the lowest average goals per game count.

An interesting thing will be what game plan Eade will use in this game, remebering in last years draw we basically played the same style as the Saints? I would say it all depends on what happens in the first half of the game. I think we should make the Saints chase us and really kick a big score as we have done in the first two games. If our forward line and midfield can maintian the same tackling pressure as in the first two games, then we will blitz the Saints.

The match ups will be interesting. Eagleton will come in for Higgins, but whether Callen holds his place will depend on how Eade decides to match up against the Saints forwards. Wight will take Kosi and probably Morris will take Rienwoldt, Callen will be on Milne unless we decide to bring in McDougall. The Saints may try and rest a ruckman in their forward line to stretch us, so we may need to bring in another tall. Would we bring Street in if McDougall is not in form so that he follows Gardiner around?

Dogs 24/7
31-03-2008, 11:13 PM
Really great thread and great intro G16.

Don't forget that the old master in the #35 jumper loves playing against us cause we give him so much space.

I agree on both points. Great thread and if we ignore Harvey we will do so at our peril. The Saints are packed with talent.


Although the Saints have a tall forward line they don't kick many big scores and infact last year overall, they had one of the lowest average goals per game count.


The match ups will be interesting. Eagleton will come in for Higgins, but whether Callen holds his place will depend on how Eade decides to match up against the Saints forwards. Wight will take Kosi and probably Morris will take Rienwoldt, Callen will be on Milne unless we decide to bring in McDougall. The Saints may try and rest a ruckman in their forward line to stretch us, so we may need to bring in another tall. Would we bring Street in if McDougall is not in form so that he follows Gardiner around?

Excellent point regarding the high scoring. Against us they traditionally kick a good score.

I'd be surprised if Street was promoted but stranger things have happened. I'd question what value Hudson and Minson have in getting back and helping the defenders. Niether of them strike me as Scott Wynd like in that department.

Crizza
01-04-2008, 11:37 AM
I love the pre match comments, very insightful and worthwhile.

Only down side is as it is a must read, it takes 30minutes out of working!

Well Done Griff, and others

LostDoggy
01-04-2008, 12:59 PM
Just pretending I'm Ernie Sigley here for a sec & betting that Reiwoldt gets the softest free kicks imaginable on Friday night for some sort of perceived contact. He usually does against us!
:) Why???
He is a great player just think he is soft. A CHB in the ilk of Peter Foster would beat him.
I also don't have a great dislike for the Saints as they are strugglers like us.

mjp
01-04-2008, 01:37 PM
ES, I am not sure whether Foster would 'kill' Riewoldt. He would not be able to go with him on the lead...it is whether or not you consider the possessions Riewoldt wins at 80-100m from goal to be worthwhile and damaging or not.

I also don't really think he is soft - but the Saints game-plan has him playing in a way that maximises his possession rate but not necessarily his game impact. I still believe he would be an incredibly dangerous full-forward if left there for a season...but I guess that will not happen for at least another season.

LostDoggy
01-04-2008, 02:48 PM
ES, I am not sure whether Foster would 'kill' Riewoldt. He would not be able to go with him on the lead...it is whether or not you consider the possessions Riewoldt wins at 80-100m from goal to be worthwhile and damaging or not.

I know he won't be able keep up with him. Its the dirty factor (maybe outlawed these day) that would make a guy like Riewoldt go into his shell.


I also don't really think he is soft - but the Saints game-plan has him playing in a way that maximises his possession rate but not necessarily his game impact. I still believe he would be an incredibly dangerous full-forward if left there for a season...but I guess that will not happen for at least another season.
I agree he ain't that soft really but i don't think his image is that great in this respect. Crying from an injury was a while back but Last week the club complained about a tactic that defenders have been doing for decades. The second one should have been a free for interference. Who ever brought out the word tunnelling did Riewoldt no favours.

bornadog
01-04-2008, 03:26 PM
Interesting quote from Leon cameron on Bulldogs site:

Cameron said the Saints' tall attacking timber was expected to force some Bulldogs to play slightly unconventional roles, given the continuing absence of defenders Tom Williams and Andrejs Everitt.

"Three big monsters in [Justin] Koschitzke, [Nick] Riewoldt and [Fraser] Gehrig are obviously hard to stop," he said.

"We've got [Brian] Harris and Cam Wight, so no doubt we're going to have to call in another tall in [Andrew] McDougall maybe, or look to a [Ryan] Hargrave or a [Dale] Morris to play above their height.

"It's always a concern playing their talls, but again, hopefully our midfield can get on top and prevent them from going in there with ease."

After missing last weeks round at Willy, not sure if Eade would bring McDougall in.

FrediKanoute
02-04-2008, 03:09 AM
Good preview Griff!

It surprises me how much emphasis people put on Williams and Skinny being out of the side. Both guys show signs of being great players in the future but do we really miss them that much at the present time? Both guys certainly showed a lot of promise last season but imo neither player is an established best 22 player.

I think the consensus view is that if you gave Williams or Skinny the job on one of Kosi, Reidwolt or Gherig, they are likely to step up to the task and at least break even. Many here (me included) are almost conceding that Wight/Hargrave will struggle against any one of those three.

My suggestion, Hargrave gets Kosi and Wight gets Goddard - whilst Hargrave will struggle to match Kosi for height he will expose him with his run. Goddard returning from a long term injury will be a "softer" scalp for Wight.

Mantis
02-04-2008, 09:49 AM
My suggestion, Hargrave gets Kosi and Wight gets Goddard - whilst Hargrave will struggle to match Kosi for height he will expose him with his run. Goddard returning from a long term injury will be a "softer" scalp for Wight.

When do we put Wight under pressure?

He is 200cm and as such should be expected to play on 'tall' opponents. He shouldn't be hidden away on 'soft' opponents while we continually throw Hargrave to the wolves by playing him on taller and stronger opponents.

Sockeye Salmon
02-04-2008, 10:20 AM
When do we put Wight under pressure?

He is 200cm and as such should be expected to play on 'tall' opponents. He shouldn't be hidden away on 'soft' opponents while we continually through Hargrave to the wolves by playing him on taller and stronger opponents.

To stop Reiwoldt you need someone with a massive tank to go with him who has a long reach to get a spoil in.

Time to stop treating Wight like a first year rookie.

Mantis
02-04-2008, 10:32 AM
To stop Reiwoldt you need someone with a massive tank to go with him who has a long reach to get a spoil in.

Time to stop treating Wight like a first year rookie.

Agree.

Time to find out if he can play. Perfect opportunity for Wight to show his capabilities in a big game against a very good player.

GVGjr
02-04-2008, 10:48 AM
Agree.

Time to find out if he can play. Perfect opportunity for Wight to show his capabilities in a big game against a very good player.

Wouldn't he be a better match-up for Kosi or one of the ruckman if they play forward though?

I would think that is still a substantial test of his ability but one he is also better suited to.

Go_Dogs
02-04-2008, 10:57 AM
Wouldn't he be a better match-up for Kosi or one of the ruckman if they play forward though?

I would think that is still a substantial test of his ability but one he is also better suited to.

Agreed. Wight on Reiwoldt seems like a sure way to lose the game. Playing on Kosi or a resting ruck is still going to be a huge challenge for Wight as it is.

I won't disagree with their premise that he needs to be thrown to the wolves a bit more to prove he's up to the level, but playing him on Reiwoldt would be the equivalent of throwing the game.

The Underdog
02-04-2008, 11:27 AM
Wouldn't he be a better match-up for Kosi or one of the ruckman if they play forward though?

I would think that is still a substantial test of his ability but one he is also better suited to.

I agree, I don't think we have another match-up with Kosi up forward and Wight is better suited than to Riewoldt.
As I've said we'll struggle to cover the 3 of them as it is, so we may see a bit of musical chairs if a match-up isn't working. The loss of Williams or Everitt hurts if only from the options it takes away from us.

Rocket Science
02-04-2008, 12:10 PM
Please no McDougall...We're seriously asking for trouble giving him such significant responsibility in his first game for the season versus a reasonably in-form Saints outfit.

So to start proceedings if Wight on Koschitzke's a given, and likewise with Lake on Gehrig, that leaves Morris and Hargrave...however Hargrave's an infraction machine as it is, let alone playing him opposite a free-kick magnet like Riewoldt so I'd be opting for Morris to get the starting job there.

Also, someone suggested elsewhere on the site that Hudson isn't inclined to drop back in defence a la Scotty Wynd...While not entirely sure about that assessment if there's one thing he's been prepared to do do for us so far it's his willingness to put his body on the line and contribute around the ground beyond ruck contests alone. Given the Saints structure I don't see why he couldn't be instructed to do a bit of Wynd-type work versus this week's opponent.

Furthermore, Gehrig's a slug these days so perhaps Lake can be counted upon to leave his man when appropriate and provide 3rd-man-up assistance as required. He's pretty handy in this regard.

Mantis
02-04-2008, 12:15 PM
Yeah fair enough with Wight on Kosi that's the way I would go too, but there will be rotations made and I think we need to give Morris a rest from Riewoldt from time to time.

dog town
02-04-2008, 02:47 PM
Certainly agree with everyone that Wight cant be hidden from good players. If he cant be relied on to take an opposition key forward then we are going down the wrong path by even bothering to play him.

I would have no problem with Wight playing Riewoldt if he is pushing up the ground and mainly playing outside 50 as Wight's running ability will atleast allow him to stay close. It also allows us to have our best two defenders in Wight and Harris on the last line of defence where we need them. Not a fan of playing Wight on him if he is playing deep inside 50. Might be a bit quick off the mark and too strong if isolated one on one for us to be leaving Cam on him inside 50. Up the ground it is a different story and mistakes will be less damaging. Eade has shown in the past that he has no problem chopping and changing match ups according to how the opposition structure up.

FWIW I think Morris will get Riewoldt all night. Eade has said before that one of the first things they do at the start of the week is decide who Morris will play on. Riewoldt is predominantly a lead and mark player and Morris has the best closing speed in the business. They have been playing him a bit deeper at times and if they bring back Charlie Gardiner then expect him to play almost permanently inside 50.

1eyedog
02-04-2008, 07:34 PM
Wight vs Kosi
Lake vs The Big G
Morris vs the big German
Hargrave on a wing to exploit Goddard
Hahn to bash Harvey up (for 10 mins each quarter)
Cross to run with Del Spanyo and go in hard
Gia on Gram

Maxy will go to Johnno
Blake will go to Will
S. Fisher will try to run loose
Callan to get first crack at Milne
One of the Clarkes will get first crack at Welsh, if that don't work and Welsh wins in the air Fisher will go to Welsh and Lyon will free up one of the Clarkes prob the X man.

Maybe........

Rocket Science
03-04-2008, 03:03 PM
Sounds odd saying it, but another one to watch is Fiora who's in reasonable nick and gradually earning more responsibility for them.

Down the other end, am tipping another big contribution from Murph...beyond one of the Clarke's, who aren't exactly setting the world on fire right now and neither of whom are particularly accountable anyway, not sure who else they can attempt to match him with.

Time to stop the rot against this mob, about time we towelled them up.