Round 16 Match Preview: Geelong v Western Bulldogs

[Pembleton]

Thanks to Twodogs for asking me to do the match preview for what is probably our biggest home and away game since at least round 22 1998.

Last Time Out

20-Jul-2007, R16
Footscray 3.1 4.4 6.8 9.9 63
Geelong 8.2 13.6 15.11 20.18 138
Docklands Attendance: 44688

This was one of the worst losses amongst the infamously bad run at the end of last season. The dogs, without a number of important players were torn apart by a Geelong team that was playing very well and on its way to the premiership.

Other recent games...

01-Apr-2007, R1
Footscray 4.5 11.7 15.8 17.11 113
Geelong 5.3 7.9 8.13 13.15 93
Docklands Attendance: 42626

The final margin of 20 points flattered Geelong. Brad Johnson gave the highly rated Tom Harley possibly his worst ever beating, and Matthew Scarlett couldn't match him when shifted across either. The dogs never looked in any danger of losing after quarter time.

Interestingly, in 2006, Geelong and the Dogs played twice, each winning one game by a single point at Docklands.


Form
Western Bulldogs: Have won 6 in a row since the only loss of the season so far, which was a narrow loss to North when Johnson missed a relatively easy shot after the siren. The Bulldogs last really impressive performance was agianst Brisbane at the MCG on the 14th of June (a full month ago). They ecked out a tough win over Collingwood the following week, and there was nothing to get excited about in the uninspiring wins over Port Adelaide and Melbourne either side of the bye weekend.

Geelong: Have also won 6 in a row since their only loss of the season so far, when Collingwood beat them convincingly. For a team that dropped only 1 game, they were reasonably unimpressive in the first half of the season. In the last few weeks however, they have been beating teams in an ominous way.


Notable absentees

Bulldogs: Question marks over the availability of Ryan Griffen, Tom Williams and Scott Welsh, who all missed last week's game. Also, Scott West and Shaun Higgins will not be considered.

Geelong: Cameron Ling and Gary Ablett are both likley to miss. Matthew Egan is unavailable for the rest of the season. Shannon Byrnes has been listed for a possible round 16 return, but that has been set back a couple of times already, and i would guess that it is unlikely he would come striaght into the senior team.

Up forward

Our forwards have a big task against Geelong, who have a very good backline, even with Egan sitting in the stands.

Scarlett is is an attacking weapon from the last line of defence, and it will be interesting to see how Eade deals with him. Minson plonked deep in the square is unlikely to get much joy out of him, and Wilbur's lack of athleticism could allow Scarlett to cut us up going the other way. Welsh Hahn or Johnson are his other likely opponents, depending on who plays and how we set up. Whoever he goes to will have to work hard leading up to keep Scarlett honest, and then be willing to work hard to keep him from setting the Cats up.

Harley is the other one to be really concerned about. He leads the league in taking marks from opposition kicks, which means he is very good at reading the ball coming into the backline, and will leave his man to go get it. Like Scarlett, whoever Harley goes to will have to keep him honest by providing a lead up option as much as possible, to keep him from floating around.

We are in a good position to cause Geelong trouble because we often line up with an entire forward line of potential leading options. It makes us unpredictable and should help us to keep their really important backman out of their comfort zones.


In the Midfield

No Ablett and Ling change the midfield contest significantly. A lot more pressure will now fall to Joel Corey, Jim Bartel, Corey Enright and Joel Selwood.

The dogs have had to get used to not having Scott West in the team this year, with Cooney Cross and Boyd doing most of the hard yakka. Griffen would be a very handy inclusion if he comes back. Farren Ray provides a lot of hard running grunt work, and Nathan Eagleton works as hard as any midfielder in the game to make position forward of centre.

In the ruck, Ottens has started to get going after missing the first half of the season, with last year's grand final heartbreack story, Mark Blake, his sidekick. However, the Hudson and Minson combination is formidable. Hudson's work around the contest makes life a lot easier for his midfielders.

With no Ablett and Ling, if the dogs come out willing to do the hard work they will have the edge here, especially if Griffen comes back in.

Down Back

Mooney Lonergan Ottens Johnson and Chapman are the guys to worry about.

I have written possible match up combinations a few times, but deleted it because it gets overly complicated. So i will try and keep it simple. The key will be whether Everitt Gilbee Williams and/or Wight can do good defensive jobs on whoever they get. It will cause us problems if Lake Morris and Hargrave have to get shifted around to try and cover for holes elsewhere.

The X-Factor

The unknown element to this game is how much the coaches will hold back. Both sides are securely locked in to a Melbourne qualifying final, and whilst top spot and playing whoever finishes 4th instead of Hawthorn are worth something, they're not worth that much. As obvious as it is, you can't win the premiership in July, and the coaches will be very mindful of that. Avoiding a confidence sapping belting is very important, but other than that, there is no need to show the other team all your best tricks for how to beat them. The players from both teams will be up for this big match, but the coaches will approach it with winning the premiership rather than winning the game as the highest priority.

The verdict

The quirky '08 draw means Geelong are yet to play either of the other top 3 sides, which means the Geelong '08 model remains somewhat of an unknown quantity. Clearly they are still well ahead of most of the league, but what about Footscray and Hawthorn, who have also been dominating? Are the Dogs in a metaphorical 'no mans land' between the cats and the rest, or are we right up next to them, or dare i say, are we possibly even ahead of them? Saturday will finally give us some decent insight into these questions, but the answer will not be definitive, that won't come until Spring.

I am really unsure how this one will go, and if in doubt, i figure you may as well be optimistic, so...

Dogs by 34.

[The Coon Dog]

I wondered how you would handle the match ups. Very tricky indeed & you used common sense as always. I'm not game enough to go there either.

As said in another post last week, Geelong initiate so many forward thrusts from defence.

Someone must be assigned to make Scarlett accountable as he loves to zone off & be the link bringing the ball from defence.

The other one who seems to get under the guard a bit is Milburn, so often he leaves his man to get to a contest, so whoever his opponent is has to be aware of that.

Getting first use of the ball will be crucial so those assigned centre square duties must be on top of their game.

Another element we usually don't need to consider is the elements; wind/rain. I'm not too sure how this may work for/against us suffice to say, we can't afford to be pushed off the ball as easily as we have in past seasons.

Every player has to make a conscious effort to make as many tackles stick as possible.

Agree with Pembleton, I think both coaches will approach it differently to the expectation of supporters.

[craigsahibee]

We are in a good position to cause Geelong trouble because we often line up with an entire forward line of potential leading options. It makes us unpredictable and should help us to keep their really important backman out of their comfort zones.

That's the key to stopping Harley from rebounding and marking our forward 50 entries. If we are unconventional, which is how we have won 3 of the last 5 against Geelong, we will have a great chance of knocking them off. Like most games, getting first hands on the ball from the centre is the key. Cooney will be keen to improve on his game against Melbourne and with his ally in Griffen back in the side, he will welcome the support. Expect Boyd to have a lockdown/run with role and Cross will xpect a heavy tag from Selwood or the speedy Wojincski to try and exploit Daniel's perceived lack of pace.

Should be an enthralling Saturday afternoon in front of the Plasma.

Go Dogs

[whythelongface]

As always a good read Pembleton.

Looking at the Geelong team their strength is the lack of any obvious weakness - it will be interesting to see who comes in for both Ling and Ablett. David Johnson will come into calculations, especially as he has previously done a good job on Aker.

Max Rooke is another player who has impressed me. Will he again play a tagging role in the midfield? Who will he line up against?

Their forward line is formidable, as stated by Pembleton, with the likes of Mooney, Chapman, Johnson and Ottens. You can also add Travis Varcoe to the list - he is quick and is a goal sneak. One major asset of his game is his ability to chase, as noted in one passage of play on Saturday where he chased down two Freo players and forced a turnover.

Whilst I do think that we have a genuine chance to win, I still think Geelong will prevail by 15 points.

[Mantis]

It's going to be an intriguing match.

As Pembleton stated in his very good write-up this is our biggest H&A game for the best part of 10 yrs, but with the finals beckoning for both teams and as stated by previous poster's I think a few aces will be left in the pack. In saying that I still want our player's to be severely tested against the pacesetters of the comp over the past 12 to 14 months.

I still have my doubts over up to 4 to 6 player's in our team on how they will play under 'finals like' pressure. I hope these player's can rise to the occassion and there will be no better chance to prove there worth than by performing in this game. There are no weak links in the Geelong armour so we cannot afford to have passengers.

The area's of improvement will be severly tested this week:

* We are a much better contested ball team this year - It is also a strength of Geelong. We have been poor in this area over the past 2 games so hopefully we will see a turn around this week. We have had a few too many player's sucking out the front of packs waiting for a releasing kick or handball to come there way rather than giving the likes of Cross and Boyd a chop out.

* Our defence has improved, but to a man Geelong have a bloody dangerous forwardline so all of our defenders will need to bring there 'A' game.

* We have a very dangerous forwardline so we need to share the load. We became a bit to predictable against Melbourne. We continued to kick the ball long to the hot spot even though it wasn't working. We need to hit up the leading player and force Geelong to play tightly on our forwards. We also need our forwards to spread, we can't allow the Geelong defenders to group together as they work so well together. We have to try and drag Scarlett, Harley and Milburn away from each other and the only way to do that is to use there opponents.

I am hoping that we give a good account of ourself, but I am not to worried about the result.... There will hopefully be a more important clash between the 2 clubs in a couple of months time.

[LostDoggy]

Don't even worry- Shaggy will take control down in the backline ;)

But seriously, i think yesterday's dismal game against Melbourne has lowered expectations of the Dogs.
They are capable of being a very dominant team, and i'm expecting a hard fight from both sides.
If we lose, well we can see what we need to improve on for September. If we win, well....
GO DOGS!!

[bornadog]

Good write up Pembleton, and very optimistic with a win to the dogs by 34 points.

The one thing Geelong have over us is experience, particularly with their backline who have an average of 150 games each. Its going to be a great test for us, however, the doggies of 2008 have alot of self belief and confidence, so lets hope they take it into this game and are not intimidated by playing Geelong.

[Twodogs]

No one wants to give potential match ups a go?


I start with Scarlett and get bogged down.

[hujsh]

No one wants to give potential match ups a go?


What about

Lake-Mooney
Hargrave-Chapman
Morris-Johnson
Wight-Lonergan
Addison-Stokes

When Ottens goes forward then
Wight-Ottens
Everitt-Lonergan

I think that's alright for us

[Mantis]

Match-up's:

Our forwardline:

Murphy - Mackie
Hahn - Milburn
Aker - Enright
Welsh - Harley
Minson - Scarlett
Harbrow - Wojinski

Johnson was hardly in the forwardline on Sunday, but I think he will spend more time down there this week, Hunt will go to him if he plays forward.

Our defence:

Lake - Mooney
Morris - Johnson
Hargrave - Chapman
Gilbee - Varcoe
Addison - Stokes
Williams/ Wight - Lonergan

Everitt will help out if Ottens or even Hawkins are down there.

Midfield:

Cooney - Rooke
Boyd - Corey
Cross - Bartel
Griffen - Selwood

[1eyedog]

Mooney Lonergan Ottens Johnson and Chapman are the guys to worry about.


Stokes too, their whole forward line really is in pretty good form.

[LostDoggy]

Scarlett on Minson will be a disaster playing right into Scarlett's hands giving him the speed advantage to run forward.

Both Johnson and Welsh are better bets on Scarlett as their strong leads will keep him honest and not allow him to sit back and run off from a handball.

[Mantis]

Scarlett on Minson will be a disaster playing right into Scarlett's hands giving him the speed advantage to run forward.

Both Johnson and Welsh are better bets on Scarlett as their strong leads will keep him honest and not allow him to sit back and run off from a handball.

But do we get to make this decision?

[The Coon Dog]

So with Tom Williams definitely not playing this week, how does our backline structure up?

* Refer to thread: http://www.woof.net.au/forum/showthread.php?t=3082

[LostDoggy]

Morris on Steve Johnson
Harris on Mooney
Addison on Varcoe
Hargrave on Chapman
Everitt on Lonergan
Gilbee on the other forward flanker

Gilbee worries me against strong teams, defensively he is very weak. Dont think he is accountable enough to take Chapman.

[Mantis]

^^^

Pretty much as I posted. If Ottens goes forward I would expect Wight to go to him and Everitt to switch to Lonergan

[The Bulldogs Bite]

Scarlett on Minson will be a disaster playing right into Scarlett's hands giving him the speed advantage to run forward.

Both Johnson and Welsh are better bets on Scarlett as their strong leads will keep him honest and not allow him to sit back and run off from a handball.

Makes Johnson very important for this game - need him to have a big one and demand one of Scarlett or Harley. In Round 1 of last year, he tore both of these apart and booted 8 goals. Of course he's been playing a vastly different role so far this year, and it's highly unlikely Johnson's going to kick 8 again, but we need him to be much more dangerous up forward than he has been.

If Johnson is of little to no impact up forward as he has been lately, then as you said, Scarlett will goto Minson and that's not going to favour us by any stretch of the imagination. In many ways, Johnson is the key part of our forward line this week - I would expect Murph, Welsh, Aker, Hahn & Gia to keep playing the consistent quality football that they've played throughout the season to date, but I want & hope Johnson can lift his game to a level nearing last year because if he doesn't I think we may struggle a little bit.

It's going to be a great game, probably the most exciting match we've been involved in for many years during the regular season, I really hope we take it up to them and can exploit possible weaknesses in their game. If we're able to do that but still lose, we at least have something to take out of and work on - particularly with key players to come back. We haven't rolled over to anybody this year, and I'm sure the boys are frothing at the mouth to fire a few punches into the best side of the last two years, so it should make for a very interesting four points.

[wimberga]

See this games going either way by 20-30 points or blowing out geelongs way unfortunate,y :(

[dog town]

Kardinia park is a long and narrow ground which means alot of traffic will be going through the middle of the ground. It is hugely important that we force them to turn the footy over in that area as much as possible. They run forward incredibly hard and although they have the best defence in the competition if we can catch them out by getting the ball back off them then we are a better chance of scoring heavily against them.

The cats backline is incredible at leaving an opponent to help each other out and they are also all very good one on one. Something else they do really well is leave an opponent to run straight up the ground to recieve a sideways kick. This means the cats are always moving the ball and rarely kick down the line. Our forwards need to be aware of this because they will all do it all day. When bringing the ball forward we need to lead and kick at angles to split up the cats defenders. Most sides would have had this as a plan but its easier said than done.

The midfield battle is hardly worth talking about until we know for certain whether Ablett will play. So many of the match ups depend on him. Certainties on our side of the fence are that Hudson is vital and Boyd will probably have a run with role. Cooney and Griffen should present a few concerns for the cats. They are both strong and can break tackles which is what Geelong have been doing to other sides.

Hargrave and Morris are super important down back. They will most likely combine to take on Johnson and Chapman. Lake will be huge for us on a narrower ground and hopefully we can free him up to impact as many contests as possible just as the cats will be hoping with Scarlett and Harley.

I wouldn't think we will allow Geelong to play with a loose man. They would kill us with the rebound that would provide. I just dont see us allowing that even though we do usually prefer to have one of our guys loose.

[Twodogs]

Looking at our competetive advantages the one that really stands out to me is our leg speed. Geelong are robust and move the ball quickly but we have some genuine pace amongst our midfielders. Cooney, Griffen and Aker have to be keys for us and get plenty of the ball.



What plans will Geelong come up with to negate our advantage?

[Sockeye Salmon]

But do we get to make this decision?

We do if Minson doesn't spend much time at FF.

I can see Hudson and Minson having 60% game time each.

[Mofra]

We seem to have completely opposite gamestyles, adding to the intrigue.

Geelong are arguably the most direct team in the league, using the corrider more than anyone else.
We are perhaps the most indirect - our basic plan A is to switch the ball (we are the best switchers in the legue) until the opposition leave the fat side at least 1% open, and then take the space until we get a F50 entry, where we attack via the most unpredictable forwardline in the comp. Skilled is a narrow ground which forces us to be a little more direct, which may or may not help us.

Strangth at the stoppages will be the key. We need to attack the ball like we did against the Hawks & Swans. If we do, we win. Simple.

[Mantis]

Strangth at the stoppages will be the key. We need to attack the ball like we did against the Hawks & Swans. If we do, we win. Simple.

Not as simple as that, but as a team we need to hunt in packs especially when Geelong are in possession. The Geelong player's have extreme confidence in one another's ability so do take risks by running forward in waves, they back the skills of the team-mates even when they are under pressure. If we can create turn-overs in these situations we may be able bust them open going the other way.

Would be hoping that as a team we play this committed style which we have played on a few occassions this year and don't leave it to the usual suspects (Boyd, Cross & Ray) as we have in the last couple of games.

[The Pie Man]

^^^

Pretty much as I posted. If Ottens goes forward I would expect Wight to go to him and Everitt to switch to Lonergan

Who does Everett take in the meantime?

Agree with the matchups so far.

Tiller looks a dead cert to get dropped

Any chance of running Griffen with Ablett? I think Boyd will get this with a 'try and win the ball when in his area' attitiude, but after we beat them in 05 and Griff came out with the 'I don't feel he respected me' call after the game, that would be a juicy contest

[Mantis]

Who does Everitt take in the meantime?

Not to sure.

I think he can play a floating role, picking the player's who rotate into Geelong's forwardline


Any chance of running Griffen with Ablett? I think Boyd will get this with a 'try and win the ball when in his area' attitiude, but after we beat them in 05 and Griff came out with the 'I don't feel he respected me' call after the game, that would be a juicy contest

Wouldn't think so. Griffen wouldn't have the stamina to run with Ablett + is too important for us. Initially I wanted Cooney to follow Ablett around as it was a certainity that Ling would be following Cooney, but with neither likely to play it will certainly give the respective coaches the opportunity to try a few match-ups's which previously they may not have tried.

[dog town]

Looks like Saturday is going to be windy like last Saturday. Might even have a few showers out at Geelong which should spice things up even more.

[bornadog]

We do if Minson doesn't spend much time at FF.

I can see Hudson and Minson having 60% game time each.

Against Collingwood we decided not to play Minson at FF but we didn't handle Shaw well and he had a field day. We can't let Scarlett repeat this.

[LostDoggy]

Geelong like to move the quickly through the corridor and pump it into their 50. I expect Lake to be one of our key playmakers. With his ability to read the play and take contested marks in our defensive 50 and also rebound (Ably assisted by Gilbee and Shaggy) he could be the key to us winning.

[Go_Dogs]

Great preview and discussion.

Going to be an absolute ripper of a game, and I just can't call it. The fact is that we match up very well with Geelong - have done over the past few years and although the personel has changed a little on both sides, I still think the match ups are pretty good.

The one advantage that I think we have is that we have more game breakers - especially with Ablett out. Bartel, Enright, Corey, Selwood - these guys aren't really match winners imo, but they do the job every week and never give an inch. If we can match them over the field in contested ball/hardness and total disregard for our bodies, then I think we have the silk to beat them.

Steve Johnson, Stokes, Chapman and Wojcinski (who was pretty quiet last week) are the names I think we need to be extra mindful of, because they are the ones who could blow the game open in the Cats favor.

For us to win, Cooney, Griffen, Akermanis, Johnson, and Murphy are all going to have to play well. Morris, Harris, Boyd, Cross and Hargrave will most likely be given the more daunting stopping roles around the ground and if they can break even with their opponents I'll be pretty happy.

Hopefully for our sake its not too windy, or wet as your post mentioned it may be DT.

[dog town]

Hopefully for our sake its not too windy, or wet as your post mentioned it may be DT. I dont think we need to be afraid of this situation. It is something we need to learn to deal with anyway. They are a robust side but that is not all it takes in those conditions. We are a bigger side now and have our fair share who would prosper in those conditions. Generally when its a bit windy or wet the game is as much about desire as it is about skill. It might end up being a reasonable day anyway but I doubt it.

[Rocco Jones]

Great work Pembles.

Just a few thoughts on the game:

Cats forwards vs Dogs backs
Mooney- Lake
Lonergan- Wight/Everitt
Chapman- Hargrave
Johnson- Morris
Stokes- Addison/Gilbee
Varoce/Gamble- Gilbee

As already suggested, these match ups are a lot more complicated then simply listing names against eachother. I'd have Everitt help out as a tall if/when Ottens/Blake goes forward or if Wight is struggling/playing elsewhere.

Our forward line vs their backline will be fascinating, their respective strengths tie in with the others vulnerability. Scarlett and Harley are a great duo against most sides but have the potential to tear our small backline apart. Scarlett not only stops his opponents but he also provides great rebound and Harley leads the league for marks from opposition kicks, he is an absolute master at it. As Pembleton mentioned, playing an immobile forward in Minson is extremely dangerous against Scarlett. It sounds (and probably is) crazy, but I would consider playing a defensive tall against Scarlett for segments of the game, whose primary role is to get him away from contests (decoy etc) and restrict his space to create damage. Wight would be my man for this role.

In depth midfield match ups are a bit pointless in modern day footy. Boyd will probably run with Bartel and Cross with Corey. Hopefully Cooney and Griffen really make the Cats miss their jet in Ablett.

As a few have stated, I don't think the respective coaches see this as big as others, with the natural inclination to keep a few cards down their sleeves.

[Mantis]

Our forward line vs their backline will be fascinating, their respective strengths tie in with the others vulnerability. Scarlett and Harley are a great duo against most sides but have the potential to tear our small backline apart. Scarlett not only stops his opponents but he also provides great rebound and Harley leads the league for marks from opposition kicks, he is an absolute master at it. As Pembleton mentioned, playing an immobile forward in Minson is extremely dangerous against Scarlett. It sounds (and probably is) crazy, but I would consider playing a defensive tall against Scarlett for segments of the game, whose primary role is to get him away from contests (decoy etc) and restrict his space to create damage. Wight would be my man for this role.

In depth midfield match ups are a bit pointless in modern day footy. Boyd will probably run with Bartel and Cross with Corey. Hopefully Cooney and Griffen really make the Cats miss their jet in Ablett.


It was very effective for Collingwood when Rocca played on Scarlett. Rocca led up the field thus dragging Scarlett away the defensive 50 and Collingwood were able to isolate Cloke on Taylor.

Whoever plays on Scarlett has to have Scarlett's respect or he will just zone off him. If he doesn't have his respect at the start of the game he will have to by the end otherwise Scarlett will kill us.

And for the second part I would swap those 2 around. I think Corey might be just a little to quick for Cross.

[LostDoggy]

I'm scared this week. I really want to win. Just hope we don't get pumped.

[craigsahibee]

It was very effective for Collingwood when Rocca played on Scarlett. Rocca led up the field thus dragging Scarlett away the defensive 50 and Collingwood were able to isolate Cloke on Taylor.

Whoever plays on Scarlett has to have Scarlett's respect or he will just zone off him. If he doesn't have his respect at the start of the game he will have to by the end otherwise Scarlett will kill us.

And for the second part I would swap those 2 around. I think Corey might be just a little to quick for Cross.

Cam Wight as a leading defensive forward on Scarlett. Just tossing a few ideas around. What do you reckon?

[Mantis]

Cam Wight as a leading defensive forward on Scarlett. Just tossing a few ideas around. What do you reckon?

You missed the most important word in my post 'respect'. You would think that Scarlett would have very little for Wight. I don't think it would work, but Cam might surprise.

[Pembleton]

It was very effective for Collingwood when Rocca played on Scarlett. Rocca led up the field thus dragging Scarlett away the defensive 50 and Collingwood were able to isolate Cloke on Taylor.


You have mentioned respect, and i don't think Minson would be paid the same respect as you have to pay Rocca. Minson has never once in his career been a damaging leading forward, and his teammates are rarely likely to go to him on the lead outside of 30-40 metres from goal. On the other hand, even though he is relatively immobile as well, if you let Rocca lead up, his teammates will use him, and if you don't go with him, he is likely to drop bombs from 60 on you all day.

[Mantis]

You have mentioned respect, and i don't think Minson would be paid the same respect as you have to pay Rocca. Minson has never once in his career been a damaging leading forward, and his teammates are rarely likely to go to him on the lead outside of 30-40 metres from goal. On the other hand, even though he is relatively immobile as well, if you let Rocca lead up, his teammates will use him, and if you don't go with him, he is likely to drop bombs from 60 on you all day.

No probably not, but I think Scarlett would have to show Minson a bit more respect than Wight.

In saying that it still comes back to us playing smart footy. If we continuously kick long balls into the forwardline, as we did against Melbourne, the Geelong defenders will have no problem in clearing the ball, but if we use our brains and spot up the leading player we should go ok.

[Pembleton]

No probably not, but I think Scarlett would have to show Minson a bit more respect than Wight.

In saying that it still comes back to us playing smart footy. If we continuously kick long balls into the forwardline, as we did against Melbourne, the Geelong defenders will have no problem in clearing the ball, but if we use our brains and spot up the leading player we should go ok.

Oh right, i didn't pick up the camparison to Wight context, i agree with you on that. The advantage of Wight would be that defensively he has the capacity to run with Scarlett, wheras Minson would struggle to keep up.

[strebla]

Could we possibly play Stack or O'keefe as fast moving hard takling half forward flanker to keep control of geelongs run and bottle up the midfield?

[bornadog]

Could we possibly play Stack or O'keefe as fast moving hard takling half forward flanker to keep control of geelongs run and bottle up the midfield?

Although they are both in good form along with Reid, who would you drop to bring in these young guys for their first game? It would be a bold move.

[strebla]

Although they are both in good form along with Reid, who would you drop to bring in these young guys for their first game? It would be a bold move.

I would think hill or harbrow as hill not strong enough harbrow not tall enough good time to see where they are at though

[Mantis]

I would think hill or harbrow as hill not strong enough harbrow not tall enough good time to see where they are at though

No thanks.

Stack has played all year across half back and O'Keefe's form has dipped which is not un-common for first year player's.

What Hrabrow loses in height he makes up with tenacity and would be in our best 3 or 4 tacklers on the list. Plus he wants to chase and tackle all the time unlike a few of his more experienced team-mates.

[strebla]

No thanks.

Stack has played all year across half back and O'Keefe's form has dipped which is not un-common for first year player's.

What Hrabrow loses in height he makes up with tenacity and would be in our best 3 or 4 tacklers on the list. Plus he wants to chase and tackle all the time unlike a few of his more experienced team-mates.

Thats the reason i like the look of stack in the forward line as he will give us defensive presure and could also if needed go back on to a varcoe or chapman for example.
Agree on Harbrown tenacity but worry about aeriail abilty

[Go_Dogs]

Thats the reason i like the look of stack in the forward line as he will give us defensive presure and could also if needed go back on to a varcoe or chapman for example.
Agree on Harbrown tenacity but worry about aeriail abilty

Just not the right game to throw kids into the deep end I feel Strebla, and also I don't think bringing in an inexperienced kid to do the hard defensive stuff is the right way to go about it. As a team we'll need to lift our defensive efforts across the board, and I feel it should be the senior players responsibility and opportunity to lead from the front in that regards.

[strebla]

Just not the right game to throw kids into the deep end I feel Strebla, and also I don't think bringing in an inexperienced kid to do the hard defensive stuff is the right way to go about it. As a team we'll need to lift our defensive efforts across the board, and I feel it should be the senior players responsibility and opportunity to lead from the front in that regards.

Fair enough can't really argue with your reasoning but i always like to think outside the square and put a different twist on things as i believe both players more than capable and new players bring new enthusiasm

[Go_Dogs]

Fair enough can't really argue with your reasoning but i always like to think outside the square and put a different twist on things as i believe both players more than capable and new players bring new enthusiasm

No worries at all on my end mate, good discussion. I'm actually really looking forward to Stack debuting too, and I'm hopeful it'll happen before the years end. Just not this week :D