Who Get's The Chop?

[Milton66]

3 games to go, and some players being rested.

26 into 22 doesn't go.

Who do you reckon (not would like) will miss out in the finals?

Blake is going going nowhere, and I reckon we'll see a Zac / Max combo.

Preferred rucks will be Gardi and King.

So who goes?

It will be interesting to see how Armo goes for the next week or 2.

I reckon Dempster is 50/50 and only full fitmess will see him out.

Some one will have to make room for Ball, I suspect. Baker is required for experience and hardness.

Gwilt - out
Eddy - out
Big Mac - out
Geary?

Thoughts on a finals 22 squad?

[thejiggingsaint]

I'm not too bothered if I get the chop or not..just a couple of snags or a burger will do ta!

[HarveysDeciple]

Geary, Eddy, Begley, Armo, Steven, McEvoy, Gwilt get squeezed out eventually

Roo,Dal, Lenny, Joey, BJ,Gilbo, Chips, Bakes in.

but someone else needs to miss.....

[spert]

I think Blake is safe, and actually did OK on Saturday. Gilbert is an automatic selection as is Fisher, and after a good game on Saturday, Armo may edge out Eddy. Coming up to the finals, RL would be very happy to have a selection dilemma like this one.

[SaintWodonga]

Gwilt - out
Eddy - out
Big Mac - out
Geary - out
Begley - out

[claystreet]

Kosi rested Roo in big Mac to stay

Begley out for Chips

Steven to stay for Eddy

Armo out

Baker in

Gwilt out

BJ in

FFS i give up

too hard to know what Ross will do may give some boys an extra week to recover from resting ahhh injuries i meant.

[starsign]

no point in crystal ball gazing too deeply , much can happen!

anyway you'll end up like Bluebaggers who have developed real crystal balls and now recon they can see themselves coming!!

[BringBackMadDog]

Kosi rested Roo in big Mac to stay

Dont think Kosi needs a rest, he missed in Round 17. Plus I think he needs the game time to find his touch again.

[perfectionist]

His hand still seems to be bothering him.

[plugger66]

Kosi rested Roo in big Mac to stay

Dont think Kosi needs a rest, he missed in Round 17. Plus I think he needs the game time to find his touch again.

Rest is the last thing Kosi needs.

[Thinline]

Kosi rested Roo in big Mac to stay

Dont think Kosi needs a rest, he missed in Round 17. Plus I think he needs the game time to find his touch again.

Thought he played like he was resting last weekend to be honest!

Love him, but he hardly cracked a sweat.

[bozza1980]

I don't know, what I do know is that I am glad that I don't have to make the decision.

There are definitely going to be some unlucky players in the next few weeks but 27 does not go into 22.

[ace]

I'm not too bothered if I get the chop or not..just a couple of snags or a burger will do ta!

I'm not too hungry.
Just give me a sip of champers from the premiership cup.

[Con Gorozidis]

ive had a good look at it in terms of team balance etc - and i reckon (barring injury) it might come down to between blake and max. would might be heart wrenching to selectors.

i just cant see a backline with chips, max, zac and blake, gilbo, bakes. might be a tad top heavy. max and blake might be competing for one spot....

juts my opinion though.

[Batnoe]

ive had a good look at it in terms of team balance etc - and i reckon (barring injury) it might come down to between blake and max. would might be heart wrenching to selectors.

i just cant see a backline with chips, max, zac and blake, gilbo, bakes. might be a tad top heavy. max and blake might be competing for one spot....

juts my opinion though.

The good thing is Gilbo, Fisher, Goddard can all play fast and running so having all 6 isnt a bad thing.

[meher baba]

We seem to have had a lot of these threads. I'll try to put the consistent view I have given in the context of selecting an actual team.

IMO, we have 19 certainties for the finals with the 3 uncertain spots marked with the symbols ?, # and @

Baker Max Fisher
Raph Blake Gilbert
Goddard Dal Montagna
? Riewoldt Schneider
Milne Kosi McQualter

Gardi Lenny #

King Ray Gram @

The spot marked ? is the hardest to pick. Gwilt remains the only player who clearly has the mix of physical presence and skills to play the HFF role in the way that I think Lyon would ideally like it to be played, but he isn't quite good enough to command a spot in our top 22. Putting anybody else in that spot means that you don't get an HFF of the type Lyon would like. I therefore suspect we will see Gwilt hanging around on the edge of selection until the last game of the season. If not Gwilt, the spot goes to Dempster, with Armo and Geary outside chances.

# totally belongs to CJ but, if Gwilt suddenly finds form big time in a game (as he memorably did in 2005) and Lyon is totally determined to have Dempster in his top 22 to run all over the park and blot out a Selwood or whoever, then Dempster for CJ is an option. Desperately, unbelievably unfair: but some seriously unfair things are going to have to happen to fit 30 worthy guys into 22 spots.

@, by all that's right and proper, ought to belong to Luke Ball. But I don't think that's 100% sewn up in Ross's mind. On Saturday's performance, if not Ball, it ought to be Armo. Geary can't be totally ruled out either, especially if Armo's performance turns out to be a one-off. Finally, of course, this is yet another spot in which Dempster could be placed.

After a lot of reflection, I can say that the lineup I would favour, if I had to bet my life on it, would be

Baker Max Fisher
Raph Blake Gilbert
Goddard Dal Montagna
Armo Riewoldt Schneider
Milne Kosi McQualter

Gardi Lenny Jones

King Ray Gram Ball

But I honestly can't see Lyon leaving out Dempster if he's fit. And, contrary to many on here, I would guess that Lyon continues to see Eddy as a real possibility as well. Lyon wants to have some players in his team who run around all over the field and fill space: certainly if he has to have some players in his side like Ball who won't do a bit of it.

And, because I'm a fan, I would dearly love to see Jimmy pump himself back up to his 2005 form and push his way in. But he's not there right now IMO.
Dawson? I can't see him playing: if Max and Blake are both ahead of him (and I think they are), then who is going to be Dawson's matchup against the Pies or Cats? Are Rocca or Hawkins going to be playing? The 22nd player in my above list, Armo (or, if not him, Dempster or Gwilt), would offer far more to our team on the MCG on GF day. "He could play in Raph's spot or as third forward" I hear someone say. Good luck with those ideas: go ask Ross and see what he thinks.

McEvoy instead of King? Once again, go ask Ross.

Eddy? As I said, be prepared under Ross's strategy to see him run out in a GF in place of someone most of us think is a better player (eg, Ball). It probably won't happen, but it can't be ruled out.

Steven? Not likely.

Final wild thought. All spots in this team seem to remain open on merit: no player is a certainty other than because of his continuing consistent performance. In that context, I reckon Kosi is going to have to lift his game a tad in the next few weeks to be 100% sure of playing finals footy. CJ and Gram have just dropped off a tiny bit too IMO, so they should pull their socks up a bit too.

[boneless23]

Assuming we are playing the dogs, my ideal first final side would be:

B: Baker Max Blake
HB: Raph Fisher Gilbert
C: Joey Lenny BJ
HF: Dal Roo Schneider
F: Milne Kosi Mini

Foll: Gardiner Ball CJ
Int: King Gram Gwilt Dempster

So therefore Dawson, Eddy, Steven, Armo, Geary and Big Benny would be the unlucky ones. (Dawson the most unlucky but the Dogs just dont seem to have a match up for him).

If we were playing Collingwood, I would bring Dawson back in at the expense of Dempster and possibly bring in Geary to play on one of the pies small fowards (Davis, Dick, Medhurst, Wellingham etc).

The fantastic advantage of having such depth is that you really can adopt a horses for courses attitude and play the best side possible to match up on your opposition.

[boneless23]

and of course I neglected Farren.....he would be in my top 22 but I am unsure who I would leave out against the Dogs. Maybe Ball???

I am sure some you will say Gwilt. I think he gives us a real option to exploit the Dogs lack of tall backs and this was demonstrated quite nicely in rnd 17.

[Gurgman]

His hand still seems to be bothering him.

\

Last time i looked i thought you used your legs to run , not your so called sore hand .

[vacuous space]

McEvoy instead of King? Once again, go ask Ross.

Not a chance. As encouraging as Benny's game was on Saturday, he hardly did any rucking. He played mostly as a key forward. He's not going to be doing that come finals time. I don't think this is another Mark Blake situation. McEvoy is #3 where two are required. Only an injury to one of the top-2 will get Big Ben a run in finals.

I'm also pretty sure that we can play Blake, Dawson and Hudghton in the same time. Saturday was the fourth time we've done it. Blake seems to be rolling off mediums rather than playing KPP this year. Dawson and Hudghton are true key defenders. As tall as our backline is, it works. We have ground level players drift back there to help out.

My stab at a finals team (assuming all but X and Allen are available):

FB: Baker - Hudghton - Dawson
HB: Blake - S. Fisher - Gilbert
C: Gram - Hayes - Ray
HF: Goddard - Riewoldt - Montagna
FF: Schneider - Koschitzke - Milne
OB: Gardiner - Dal Santo - Jones

IC: Ball - R. Clarke - King - McQualter

[desertsaint]

look, i've emailed ross the 22 for this week, as i have done every week - but he continues to play silly buggers and chops and changes it.
so i'm sorry, but i haven't got a clue - expect some changes due to 'injury'.

[oneteam]

McEvoy instead of King? Once again, go ask Ross.

Not a chance. As encouraging as Benny's game was on Saturday, he hardly did any rucking. He played mostly as a key forward. He's not going to be doing that come finals time. I don't think this is another Mark Blake situation. McEvoy is #3 where two are required. Only an injury to one of the top-2 will get Big Ben a run in finals.

I'm also pretty sure that we can play Blake, Dawson and Hudghton in the same time. Saturday was the fourth time we've done it. Blake seems to be rolling off mediums rather than playing KPP this year. Dawson and Hudghton are true key defenders. As tall as our backline is, it works. We have ground level players drift back there to help out.

My stab at a finals team (assuming all but X and Allen are available):

FB: Baker - Hudghton - Dawson
HB: Blake - S. Fisher - Gilbert
C: Gram - Hayes - Ray
HF: Goddard - Riewoldt - Montagna
FF: Schneider - Koschitzke - Milne
OB: Gardiner - Dal Santo - Jones

IC: Ball - R. Clarke - King - McQualter

I guarantee you , nothing surer than Ross having depster in the team. he can play anywhere.
Blake is his back up ruckman.
Dawson and Max are at risk.

[ace]

Andrew Demetriou, Adrian Anderson, and Andrew McKay.

[SainterK]

Going to be some broken hearts come finals time, I don't really want to think about it yet. Couldn't imagine what that tap on the shoulder would feel like....

[ace]

Going to be some broken hearts come finals time, I don't really want to think about it yet. Couldn't imagine what that tap on the shoulder would feel like....

Negligent conduct (one point), low impact (one point) and high contact (two points).
This is a total of four activation points, resulting in a classification of a Level One offence, drawing 125 demerit points and a one-match sanction.
No existing good or bad record.
An early plea reduces the penalty by 25 per cent to a reprimand and 93.75 points towards future record.