BJ In, Raph Out

[joffaboy]

hows the luck of poor old charlie gardnier couldnt crack the Geelong seniors team and looks like being in the same possition at the saints

yeah it is bad luck, but better than being delisted all together I suppose.

As for Raph. Bad luck mate. The Raph haters will rejoice and turn their small minds to Blake now you aren't in the 22.

As for the selection, I would have bj over Raph in the team every day of the week and twice on Sundays.

Raph is no dud as some idiots here call him, but really need to improve his disposal, confidence, and show his true ability.

Even Nicky got dropped to the twos for poor form in the olden days.

Go get em bj. How about the rebound out of defence? With bj, Gram and Sam Fisher?

Well done to Blake and Leigh Fisher for keeping their spots in the team.

As someone else said, this is great depth. Only changes for the first three games have been positional - no injuries. When was the last time we saw this?

[spert]

Saw enough of Geary to make me think he needs to stay in the team..a real prospect and can play at senior level no probs. Still a bit worried about our top-heavy forward line...maybe Roo on the wing could be real winnner.

[joffaboy]

Saw enough of Geary to make me think he needs to stay in the team..a real prospect and can play at senior level no probs. Still a bit worried about our top-heavy forward line...maybe Roo on the wing could be real winnner.

Fair enough, but look at the options and flexibility Lyon has with them in the team. All up forward, interchanging, Roo on a wing, or down back, Kosi down back, or the ruckmen resting forward.

Really Lyon has nothing to complain about with the options available.

[nicko016]

Someone had to make way for Goodard and Raph was the unlucky one. But just because he isn't playing doesn't mean all gloom for Raph. He's going to improve with every game no matter whether its with us or the Scorpions and there's a big difference between being dropped on form and dropped to make way for someone else and he's not being dropped on form so its goods signs for both him and the club.

[st_Trav_ofWA]

[Go get em bj. How about the rebound out of defence? With bj, Gram and Sam Fisher?

lets just hope they are accountable enuff on thier players having rebound is no good if they are to busy playing off their man to stop him

[The_Dud]

best decision in my opinion

Raph should now be made to earn his place back in the side, and he'll have to start playing bloody well to get back into that line up

all we need now is a decent game plan and we'll be right

[joffaboy]

best decision in my opinion

Raph should now be made to earn his place back in the side, and he'll have to start playing bloody well to get back into that line up

all we need now is a decent game plan and we'll be right

All he has to do is wait until after round 4 when there will be wholesale changes.

[Murray Pitts]

I have some pretty good mail that M. Gardiner wont play this week. Has a strained calf from midweek training. Raph will take his spot in the selected side with Kosi sharing ruck duties with King.

[Unforgiven]

Players are at 10 times greater the risk of re-injuring their ACL in the first month of competitive football in their comeback. Also at 4 times greater risk of doing an ACL again in the rest of their career.

Goddard has 3 weeks (or 3 games) under his belt so he is nearly out of the most dangerous peroid in terms of comming back. Looks like medical staff are doing their part

[stinger]

in all honesty I think our best 22 looks very good, but our emergency look a bit think with charlie, and clint.

raph has talent but is probably at least 2 to 3 months away from realising it.

add maquire and baker to our 22 and drop jones and charlie....and suddenly the emergencies are very strong...would certainly get a gig with most sides....then there is still dempster to come....

[bigcarl]

Still a bit worried about our top-heavy forward line.

funny you should say that because so are the bulldogs.

their supporters have been wondering out loud all week about how best to counter our tall forwards.

http://www.bigfooty.com/forum/showthread.php?t=427738

[bigcarl]

I have some pretty good mail that M. Gardiner wont play this week. Has a strained calf from midweek training. Raph will take his spot in the selected side with Kosi sharing ruck duties with King.

i reckon blake should pinch-hit in the ruck if gardiner's injured. we'll need kosi forward to take full advantage of their vertically-challenged backline.

[stinger]

I have some pretty good mail that M. Gardiner wont play this week. Has a strained calf from midweek training. Raph will take his spot in the selected side with Kosi sharing ruck duties with King.

we will see....

[chook23]

Still a bit worried about our top-heavy forward line.

funny you should say that because so are the bulldogs.

their supporters have been wondering out loud all week about how best to counter our tall forwards.

http://www.bigfooty.com/forum/showthread.php?t=427738

tend to agree with spert a bit here.

Last week for lengthy periods we had 2 bigs on I/C
King or Gardiner

Kossie/Gehrig/Roo

leaving us in essence one midfield type rotation short........

not exploited by Carlton though....

Kosi form was a worry .....needs to pick up this week.

[saintsrus]

I have some pretty good mail that M. Gardiner wont play this week. Has a strained calf from midweek training. Raph will take his spot in the selected side with Kosi sharing ruck duties with King.

i reckon blake should pinch-hit in the ruck if gardiner's injured. we'll need kosi forward to take full advantage of their vertically-challenged backline.

Sounds good on paper as Kosi seems to lift against this team

[bigcarl]

Kosi form was a worry ... needs to pick up this week

my concern is that without kosi forward we will go back to the kick-it-to-roo-and-fraser plan that was ineffective and netted the lowest score of any team in the competition last season.

i'm worried that guys will start chipping it sideways waiting for a chance to hit riewoldt or gehrig on the chest (all the while giving the opposition a chance to get numbers back) rather than banging it in quickly to the type of contest that kosi will always provide (whether he kicks goals or not).

also the fact that if they don't put a very good defender on kosi he's likely to carve them up. and if they do put a very good defender on kosi then who is on gehrig and riewoldt?

but it has all been said before.

to me the most compelling argument is that having kosi forward should stop riewoldt being monstered by two or three opponents

[JuanTheSydSainter]

While we shouldn't expect BJ to immediately return to the form he displayed in the opening rounds of last year (was on fire and our best player IMO), I'm optimistic that he will come on a lot quicker than Lenny did last year.

There are plenty of differences between BJ's & Lenny's situations.

* BJ is younger. Younger bodies recover better. BJ also had plenty of improvement still left in him at the time he was injured while Hayes was already at his peek and had been for some time.

* BJ's main weapon is his disposal while Lenny's is his physicality and hardness at the contest. Reports from those who have seen BJ in Casey games suggest that his disposal is as good as ever.

* BJ did every session of the pre-season bar competitive work. Last year Lenny spent much more of the pre-season in the rehab group.

* Lenny was rushed back into the side earlier than was ideal because of our lack of depth last year, especially our lack of midfield depth. BJ has been nursed through Casey, gradually building his game time.

* Lenny suffered another injury (shoulder/collarbone?) just as he was on the improve. This won't happen to BJ

* Improvements in our fitness and conditioning set up as evidenced by a blessed pre-season injury-wise. We have had far less injuries than the AFL average! What's doing?

So, overall I'm optimistic regarding BJ's return. Of course ee need to be patient but let's not assume things will pan out exactly like they did for Lenny.

[Unforgiven]

Bj and Lenny are different players. I think we will see Goddard hit better form quicker, than what it took Lenny to get going. Goddard has been great in the praccie matches, getting in and under packs, his confidence in his body and knee seemed very high.

[The_Dud]

Saw enough of Geary to make me think he needs to stay in the team..a real prospect and can play at senior level no probs. Still a bit worried about our top-heavy forward line...maybe Roo on the wing could be real winnner.

with the right game plan being top-heavy is no problem

it just amazes me how the coaching staff continually manage to botch up a simple and straight forward game plan

[midas_touch]

Agree with the change. It would be good to see BJ's trademark 60 metre passes once again. Bad luck to Raph, who I hope will continue to improve in the scorps. Its great to see that we have decent depth now, and have been injury free (touch wood).

[joffaboy]

I have some pretty good mail that M. Gardiner wont play this week. Has a strained calf from midweek training. Raph will take his spot in the selected side with Kosi sharing ruck duties with King.

I thought they didn't get to train midweek (wednesday) because of the strong winds.

Did he strain his calf getting out of his car?

Oh well we shall see.

[st.byron]

mm interesting scenario

Bakes could possibly come in for Geary, and I think Fiora may even be at risk on his return...
As for making way for Goose - the only person I can think of could possibly be Blake...
Surely Ross wouldn't drop a Ruck ???

Thoughts?????? (assuming no injuries)

would have Bakes over Fiora any day.
Think Raph is a bit stiff as he's just developing confidence and IMO needs a regular run in the side to grow. Remember he's only played 32 games. Would have preferred to keep Raph and drop Fiora. But fair enough, Fiora was ok last week.
To add Bakes and Goose to that side, would certainly lose Fiora for Bakes, not sure who for Goose though. Tough call if it comes to that.
Thank god we at last have most of our list to pick from.

[skeptic]

would have prefered Raph in the team ahead of Blake

am very glad to see Goddard back though

[mad saint guy]

my concern is that without kosi forward we will go back to the kick-it-to-roo-and-fraser plan that was ineffective and netted the lowest score of any team in the competition last season.

i'm worried that guys will start chipping it sideways waiting for a chance to hit riewoldt or gehrig on the chest (all the while giving the opposition a chance to get numbers back) rather than banging it in quickly to the type of contest that kosi will always provide (whether he kicks goals or not).

That was also the game plan that saw us close to if not the highest scoring team from 2004-2006. Last year we didn't score because we stuffed around with the footy too much in the midfield and defence (and did a terrible job of it). This year the difference is that we have our best players available and the team should be able to maintain possession better, and make it harder for the opposition to score (by having our defence and midfield fit, and also knowing when and how to initiate a flood)

With Ross Lyon as coach we are not going to kick the ball quickly and long to our forwards regularly unless the opposition do not flood in any way and they play one-on-one against our forwards. That simply isn't going to happen.

I'm all for having Roo, Kosi and Gehrig in the side, but not all starting in the forward line. If Roo is getting killed by his opponent in the air then move him to the midfield and put Kosi forward. If Roo and G are tearing it up (as they did very effectively for 3 years) then let Kosi pinch hit in the ruck and lend a hand to our defence.

I have some pretty good mail that M. Gardiner wont play this week. Has a strained calf from midweek training. Raph will take his spot in the selected side with Kosi sharing ruck duties with King.

If that's true it is shocking luck for Gards (I think he is still capable of being a dominant player), but it would make more sense selection-wise. King can hold his own against Hudson and Kosi would absolutely slaughter Minson around the ground. Raph is a good match up for any of Murphy, Hahn or Hill.

[bigcarl]

That (riewoldt and gehrig) was also the game plan that saw us close to if not the highest scoring team from 2004-2006.

that's true but it is worth remembering that we came unstuck spectacularly in those years because neither GT, riewoldt nor gehrig had an answer to the flood.

both roo and fraser are terrific on the lead but neither is a super contested mark. i said it back then and i still say it now. we needed someone down there who could take a contested mark, a la koschitzke.

contested marks and lightning quick delivery to guys who can take them are the best way to beat a flood ... none of this chipping it around and waiting for their guys to get back in numbers.

kosi forward just gives us that extra dimension of being able to kick to a contest, something that cannot be said about a forward line that contains just riewoldt and gehrig.

i'd have kosi at chf and fraser at ff and employ riewoldt nominally on the hff, but with a licence to go anywhere in the front half.

they'll need to put a very good defender on kosi otherwise he'll chop them up and if kosi has a very good defender on him then who is on riewoldt and who is on gehrig?

the most compelling argument for kosi forward is that it ought to stop riewoldt being monstered by two or three opponents and reduce our at times pathetic reliance on him.

many avenues to goal; not just a couple.

anyway, i feel strongly that RL should stick to his guns on this one. otherwise we'll again be trumped by a flood.

a predictable tactic and, unfortunately, a predictable outcome.

end of dogmatic rant