Gary Ablett

[GetDimmaBack]

Article by Dermie in today's HS on Gary Ablett says there's only four players in the game who can go with him. None of them were Bulldogs.

Do we have someone who can take him?

Was thinking Morris, but GA doesn't spend much time on the forward line any more...

[dog town]

Article by Dermie in today's HS on Gary Ablett says there's only four players in the game who can go with him. None of them were Bulldogs.

Do we have someone who can take him?

Was thinking Morris, but GA doesn't spend much time on the forward line any more... Its going to be an amazing first 5 minutes against the cats. I think they will try and run Ling with Cooney and then we would go with Boydy on Ablett. IMO Boyd is clearly our best option and has a fair chance of restricting him without completely taking himself out of the game. I would not underestimate some of the jobs he has done this year. He has good strength and is an intelligent tackler. He would be my first choice to go with Ablett.

The next most likely option is that they will try and engineer it so that Cooney and Ablett go head to head. In that scenario they would probably both have 35 touches and 2 or 3 goals. If they go with this option then its going to alot of shenanigans early as Ling tries to go to Cooney and Cooney tries to go to Ablett. Going to be very interesting to watch.

As Brereton rightly pointed out this morning, if you sacrifice a forward and play with a 5 man forward line they wil cut you up. It is not an option for us I wouldn't think. They are too good at zoning off and cutting off your attacks.

I suppose a roughy for a genuine follow him around at hands length job would be Addison but I just think he would be out classed as brave as he is. It also sacrifices one of our regular midfielders to another position.

Really the best way we can combat it is as a team. If we are ferocious all over the ground then none of there midfielders will have the time they need. The two teams are pretty similar. The cats play as if they expect to win every contest at times which might be the opening we need. Its also why the pies didn't just beat them but smashed them.

[1eyedog]

Boyd is the best we have for that job. The problem for Geelong is they only really have Ling as a quality tagger and we also have an abundance of quality midfielders they need to mind.

[LostDoggy]

Ablett Jr said this? or Snr?

Bit "cocky" if you ask me..if it was Jr choosing opponents he thinks can or cant match up on him?

We're on top of the ladder, maybe he hasnt noticed either so that would rule our midfield out because top sides dont have good midfields?

Can someone please clarify who and why they would say that..

[LostDoggy]

Why not Griff. Has held his own and beaten Ablett in the past.

[LostDoggy]

I'll agree with Boyd over Griff- makes Griff a bit more free. Ling and Cooney will most likely match up, but Geelong still have to worry about players like Aker, Gia, etc.
Would Gilbee be completely unconventional?

[GetDimmaBack]

Ablett Jr said this? or Snr?

Bit "cocky" if you ask me..if it was Jr choosing opponents he thinks can or cant match up on him?

We're on top of the ladder, maybe he hasnt noticed either so that would rule our midfield out because top sides dont have good midfields?

Can someone please clarify who and why they would say that..

Sorry - Dermie wrote the article about Ablett, saying that very few could go with him.
I suppose one could call Brereton "cocky" though...

[Dry Rot]

If Ablett gets on top of Boyd, who is our Plan B?

[ledge]

Why dont we throw Eagle in the middle the Geelong players get confused and give the ball to him instead of Jnr.

[1eyedog]

If Ablett gets on top of Boyd, who is our Plan B?

I would try Gia

[LostDoggy]

You drop a bunch of guys on his head -- Boydy, Crossy, Addison, Tim Callan, Hahn, Coons, Aker, Griff -- rotate them through him and just have them kill him with physicality and tackling and in Coons and Aker's case, run off him and make him accountable. Just watched the Hawthorn game again and everytime a Hawthorn midfielder picked up the ball one of our guys was right on his shoulder to wrap him up in a bone-crunching tackle. Mitchell got sick of it and started complaining to the ump.

Crush the Son of Gablett every time he gets the ball and rub him into the dirt and see how long it takes before he starts crying foul.

[JimmySewell]

You drop a bunch of guys on his head -- Boydy, Crossy, Addison, Tim Callan, Hahn, Coons, Aker, Griff -- rotate them through him and just have them kill him with physicality and tackling and in Coons and Aker's case, run off him and make him accountable. Just watched the Hawthorn game again and everytime a Hawthorn midfielder picked up the ball one of our guys was right on his shoulder to wrap him up in a bone-crunching tackle. Mitchell got sick of it and started complaining to the ump.

Crush the Son of Gablett every time he gets the ball and rub him into the dirt and see how long it takes before he starts crying foul.

i agree

we have to play him real physical and hard and nail him ( but fairly ) every time he gets the ball, similar to what collingwood did to him

we have to be really physical and tough , especially early

[Go_Dogs]

Griff is the man for me, although I don't think he'll have the aerobic capacity to go with him all game.

Either way, they have so many good players that slowing Ablett means very little...it has to be a real team effort.

[Scorlibo]

Someone quick and strong who sticks tackles.

Morris did the midfield job on Johnstone a couple of weeks back, although Gablett is a completely different player, we know that Morris can still do his glove thing through the midfield now and in the sparkling shut down form that he is in he could get the job.

Boyd has shown the ability to play lock down roles, a prime example being against Kerr last year. Kerr is maybe a bit slower than Ablett though and Boydy might not have the agility to go with Ablett like he did with Kerr. Kerr doesn't step as much as Ablett either.

Griff has played with Ablett before and has done the job, admittedly Ablett is a much better player these days but the core attributes for Griff to go with Ablett are still there, strength and agility/speed.

Lets not forget the 41 possession return of Brownlow Bartel. Cross or Boyd to go with him.

It would be cool to see Cooney with Ablett, Cross with Bartel, Boyd with Corey and Griff with Selwood (who both also played magnificent recent games) but to answer the Ablett question, I think that Morris has the experience, strength and speed to go with him.

[Desipura]

I would try Gia
Gia would not be able to keep up with him for pace and would struggle physically one on one.

[LostDoggy]

Gia would not be able to keep up with him for pace and would struggle physically one on one.

Agree. Gia is a better link man down the wing/through the middle than a shut down player.

[Twodogs]

Griff. Ablett would have to compromise his attacking insticts to syop Griff hurting them going the other way, he is comfortable on a back flank, he's done the job before and he's got the pace, mobility and strength to go with GAJ.



But the best method would be just to keep the ball away from him. This is where the midfield will have to work really, really hard to 1/keep possession and. 2/ make it impossible for Geelong to get a lot of clean possession and shoot it into space ahead of Ablett-that's where he kills sides.


Also Williams is super important. If he can get to the fall of the ball, and there's not many in the comp better than him at doing that, then Ablett just wont have the supply of loose abll gets that he usually racks up.

[gs17]

I think Griffen would do an OK job, the key is to get on top of the other midfielders as they protect Ablett. If we get on top of Bartel, Corey, and Selwood they will have to focus more so on their opponents and won't be able to help Ablett out as much.

[ledge]

Our midfield is as good as Geelongs, let Geelong worry about ours and not us worry about them.
If we are getting the ball out of the centre obviously Jnr isnt getting it. He is no problem then.

Sometimes i think we can get to negative on our own players because of the old culture that USED to be there,my thinking is we wont win a premiership worrying about tagging opposition players because that means you will always be second to the ball and also admitting you dont think your good enough.
AFL football nowadays is about players knowing not thinking they are the best, we are the highest scoring club because we believe we can outscore anyone, remember we have only been outscored once this year.
As i said %&$# Geelong let them see what its like to chase us and try and tag us.
A bit hard for Gary to be an influence if we have the ball.

[GetDimmaBack]

Pointless thread, really.

[Twodogs]

Pointless thread, really.


He'll be back in september and we'll have the same problem.