changes for geelong game

[fonz_#15]

Xavier Clarke is an excellent small defender.

Far better in defence than his brother.

would not bring him in as a defender...no way in hell.

[Fresh Prince]

i am not quite sure where some of are coming from. eddy while not highly skilled does a great defensive job in the forward line. Dempster will leave a big whole no doubt, and with bakes gone will be very hard to fill. I dont know how people think we can play Gardiner and Gwilt in the same side, both arent quick, not great overhead, dont tackle real well and the skills are below par. I would say we can only carry one of those guys with X AND Ball the ins. If Ball is fit

[Sobraz]

Out: Demp, Eddy or CJ
In: Ball, X...

I'd probably drop CJ for X, but its a line ball... 13 touches from 91% game time, despite his 4 tackles, was a poor game in a dominant side.. His last month he has struggled IMO..

Gilbo to play on Steve Johnson, Blake on Mooney, Max on Lonergan... Jimmy G, Raph and maybe Birss to pinch hit roles in defence, but not to get tied down there...

Key back 4 to be Gilb, Max, Chips, Blake with the other 2 to be rotated depending on match-ups..

[bigcarl]

i'm tipping it will be x in for dempster and if ball is passed fit it will be ball in for dempster and x will miss out.

wouldn't drop cj. the chasing and tackling pressure he brings to the side is very important imo.

[spert]

No way CJ will go out of that team while RL values hard work ethic. X has a history of leg injuries and can't seem to string a lot of games together when it counts. The side should remain unchanged except for a replacement for Dempster -it's not so much that Geelong are fast, it's that they contest hard, so maybe a stronger body like LFisher may be the only option.

[saintsRrising]

Dempster Out:

Which means that we lack a guy now to play on small defenders.

*Gwilt is not an option for small defenders IMO.

*L Fisher is, but I do not thing he has the pace or form to go with them.
*Geary would also be another option, but in his senior games of late he looked lost and his thinner build would count against him as the Geelong smalls have strength.

So the options for me are:

*Birss and Jones.

Raph to still play down back as well.

So I would not bring in a defender as I believe that the options already in the 22 are better.

So the possible ins are:

Ball, If deemed fit enough would be first choice. Would love his toughness in the contests against the Geelong mids.


X would be second choice.

Both X and Ball??

I would loved to have seen how X actually played this weekend. If he looked razor sharp and is fully fit Lyon will be tempted to bring hiin too.

Eddy played very well against the Dons but not so well against the Crows.

Charlie adds a lot to our forward structure even if he lacks a bit. So keep.

Gwilt. I like the idea of Gwilt's bigger body up forward against the Cats as most of their players have solid bodies. It could be a choice of Gwlt vs Gharlie.

The other factor here is that there is a theory that the Cat's backline, if vunerable , is vunerable aginst talls. So hence RL may want to keep one or both.

[bigcarl]

Dempster Out:

Which means that we lack a guy now to play on small defenders.

*Gwilt is not an option for small defenders IMO.

*L Fisher is, but I do not thing he has the pace or form to go with them.
*Geary would also be another option, but in his senior games of late he looked lost and his thinner build would count against him as the Geelong smalls have strength.

So the options for me are:

*Birss and Jones.

Raph to still play down back as well.

So I would not bring in a defender as I believe that the options already in the 22 are better.

So the possible ins are:

Ball, If deemed fit enough would be first choice. Would love his toughness in the contests against the Geelong mids.


X would be second choice.

Both X and Ball??

I would loved to have seen how X actually played this weekend. If he looked razor sharp and is fully fit Lyon will be tempted to bring hiin too.

Eddy played very well against the Dons but not so well against the Crows.

Charlie adds a lot to our forward structure even if he lacks a bit. So keep.

Gwilt. I like the idea of Gwilt's bigger body up forward against the Cats as most of their players have solid bodies. It could be a choice of Gwlt vs Gharlie.

The other factor here is that there is a theory that the Cat's backline, if vunerable , is vunerable aginst talls. So hence RL may want to keep one or both.

you make some good points, including cj as a small defender. question is what would you do if you were ross and the match committee?

[Cosmo Kramer]

Hello everyone,
Long time reader and first time post.
Just to introduce myself played around 350 games of footy so i think i know a little about footy.

We just have to play through Harry Taylor and Josh Hunt's opponents as these two are the weal link in the Geelong backline.
Hunt refuses to back into a pack and they need to drag him to the goal square in a one on one or get taylor back there as his body strength in a one on one is suspect to.

[St. Luke]

Dempster for Ball if 95%+ fit.

otherwise

Dempster for X (with Raph moving back into Dempster's role).

My thoughts also. Apparently X has been cleaning them up in the VFL

[bergsone]

Hello everyone,
Long time reader and first time post.
Just to introduce myself played around 350 games of footy so i think i know a little about footy.

We just have to play through Harry Taylor and Josh Hunt's opponents as these two are the weal link in the Geelong backline.
Hunt refuses to back into a pack and they need to drag him to the goal square in a one on one or get taylor back there as his body strength in a one on one is suspect to.

Wellcome mate,having played about the same ,you will come to realise that means little to most on here,who have never kicked a ball in anger
Agree on Hunt and especially Taylor as he does look suspect in the one on ones,maybe Gwilt on Taylor ,Schneider on Hunt,if Kosi can take grabs up forward,could really stretch em.Scarlet always seems to play well against us,but that was G Train era,maybe C Gardiner to get Scarlett,take him away from play? Anyway wellcome

[To the top]

Cosmo Kramer is right on the money.

Plus making Scarlett accountable for someone - in the same way we put presssure on Bassett at Adelaide - another side which always want a spare defender third up and to and use that defender on the rebound.

We have attempted to play Gehrig as a decoy previously out of a forward pocket and to attract Scarlett, but have not been able to achieve the desired outcome.

Once we dismantle the Geelong defensive structure of a "spare" in Scarlett, the remainder will crumble because even Harley is not that good when he does not have the support.

Collingwood trouble Geelong, last year in the finals and again this year because they attempt to bring pressure on each and every Geelong player.

So the model to beat them is well and truly out there.

One loss for the year to date counts for jack's crackers now.

[Cosmo Kramer]

Hi To the top and bergsone,
Thanks for that.
The cats like to zone off in their defence and we have to seperate them so they cant help each other out to much and have as many one on ones as we can and forward pressure is a must(obvious i know).
Man on man footy will be the only way to do it,thats why collingwood play well against them and thats why i cant see how this roaming zone crap the hawks play will stand up in september where each player has to be accountable for a player.

[mad saint guy]

I've been to the last two games and have been watching our fringe players very closely, but it's still tough to make a call this week.

I think we're a vastly better side with Ball and X in the team, but I really don't want to see a repeat of the 2006 elimination final with 17 uninjured players by half time.

Eddy saved himself this week. His form had dropped off but he played a very solid game yesterday and looks like a player who will go up a notch in a finals atmosphere.

Birss played another good game and is clearly in our best 22. Should not be considered for omission.

Gilbert's defensive efforts over the past two weeks have been excellent. His spoiling has been absolutely first-rate and looks well on track to be our next full-back.

Charlie Gardiner is not the type of player I like. He is a very, very slow thinker, he drifts in and out of games and has ordinary skills. That said, he has the engine to present all day and has worked hard to provide us with an extra marking option. I don't mind whether Charlie is in or out.

Jones has really struggled recently. He didn't get much of the footy on Sunday and he used it poorly when he did. I saw three relatively simple shots at goal that he fluffed, which is becoming a trend for him. If Xavier is fit then I think CJ will lose his spot.

King had a quiet patch recently but thoroughly enjoyed rucking against young Bellchambers (who looks to be a very promising player for the future). King is a smart, strong ruckman who will give everything next week against his old team. He does probably lead St Kilda for shots at goal put out on the full, though.

Raph played a great game as the loose man in defence and is completely safe. He read the play very well to cut off so many Essendon inside 50's and looks confident in himself for the first time since 2005.

Gwilt was a bit quiet but earnt his spot. He's not going anywhere.

Dempster had established himself in our best team, but he is definitely one of the players who we can cover reasonably well. Depending on the role he would have played, we can bring in any of L.Fisher, McQualter or Ferguson. Or we could even play Raph as a defender and bring in an extra runner.

[stinger]

possibly only one change.........out dempster in ball...if fit....otherwise in clarke.......if someone else has to go out it should be gardiner.........never...i repeat.....never eddy...fs......eddy had 19 possessions...and more importantly...5 tackles........against 11 and 2 for charlie........must admit charlie is improving...but he is not in the same league s eddy .......imhfo, that is......

[stinger]

Dempster Out:

Which means that we lack a guy now to play on small defenders.


I would loved to have seen how X actually played this weekend. If he looked razor sharp and is fully fit Lyon will be tempted to bring hiin too.

Eddy played very well against the Dons but not so well against the Crows.

Charlie adds a lot to our forward structure even if he lacks a bit. So keep.
.

i had a good view of eddy in the crows game....kept my eye on him.....he continually made space...but was ignored by all and sundry with the exception of banger..........he would have had stacks of possessions if the players would only flowering kick the pill to him.....gardiner is a dud...imhfo....would be glad to have to eat my words though.......

[plugger66]

In X or Mini
Out Dempster

I reckon Bally isnt going to come up and as we are guareenteed 2 games they may err on the side of caution. Having said that if he is fit they must play him.

[Saints Premiers 2008]

Hello everyone,
Long time reader and first time post.
Just to introduce myself played around 350 games of footy so i think i know a little about footy.

We just have to play through Harry Taylor and Josh Hunt's opponents as these two are the weal link in the Geelong backline.
Hunt refuses to back into a pack and they need to drag him to the goal square in a one on one or get taylor back there as his body strength in a one on one is suspect to.

Wellcome mate,having played about the same ,you will come to realise that means little to most on here,who have never kicked a ball in anger
Agree on Hunt and especially Taylor as he does look suspect in the one on ones,maybe Gwilt on Taylor ,Schneider on Hunt,if Kosi can take grabs up forward,could really stretch em.Scarlet always seems to play well against us,but that was G Train era,maybe C Gardiner to get Scarlett,take him away from play? Anyway wellcome

hopefully not gwilt on taylor as we won't win the game that way, more like taylor to kosi as harley likes being the loose man and does his own thing

scarlett to rooey with maybe charlie attempting to follow scarlett around a bit...

hopefully hunt goes to yapper and he continues his rich form as hunt really isn't that good...if hunt goes to say charlie he could still do his own defensive tag on scarlett as hunt is neither accountable nor any good...much like the nick maxwell...might look tough but is soft as

[SAINT JUMP]

msg back. to bag cj. if you watched the game. he had a job to do.A tagging job, Never left 5 out of his sight.

[noob]

ferguson would be handy against a team like geelong, his roughly the same height as the geelong team and his probably on his last chance never know. on paper our backline seems pretty tall. but i guess they'll just put back in ball or some of the best for scorps.

[Winmar7Fan]

dempster's injury is a blow as it breaks up a back six that has conceded only about 10 goals in two weeks.

geelong might struggle to kick a winning score if we can keep it as solid as it has been.

i'd be looking at l. fisher possibly as a replacement as he can play a similar type of role.

out: dempster (inj), eddy.
in: l. fisher, x. clarke.

obviously ball would be a certain in if fit, but there's a big doubt on that.

thoughts? ideas?

Are you serious ? You must have done the old eeny meeny miney mo to have chosen him.

[desertsaint]

Birss sould NOT be dropped this week.

no chance surely - i'd have him in front of a few - charlie's not impressed me, and there's no way scarlet would be wasted on him.

perhaps raph goes forward, birss replaces demster down back - that's if bally and x both come in.

if charlie stays then cj's possibly played his year - would be unlucky, but you need experience over youth in finals.

if ball & x are 100% they should play.

[Legendary]

Think logically I guess ...

What role can X. Clarke play best?

Half forward pushing up to the middle, providing a marking option and plenty of pressure and tackling in the forward line, and also some leading.

Who could he replace in the side?

J. Gwilt, who plays the same role.

Who would do it better?

X. Clarke.


OUT: J. Gwilt, S. Dempster (inj)
IN: X. Clarke, L. Ball

[bigcarl]

dempster's injury is a blow as it breaks up a back six that has conceded only about 10 goals in two weeks.

geelong might struggle to kick a winning score if we can keep it as solid as it has been.

i'd be looking at l. fisher possibly as a replacement as he can play a similar type of role.

out: dempster (inj), eddy.
in: l. fisher, x. clarke.

obviously ball would be a certain in if fit, but there's a big doubt on that.

thoughts? ideas?

Are you serious ? You must have done the old eeny meeny miney mo to have chosen him.

i said it without any firm conviction and really as a way to get discussion going on the make up of sunday's team.

ball (if fit) and probably xavier are in our best 22, so for both to come in someone (apart from the injured dempster) will have to go out.

if both are fit and ready to go i'm sure eddy's name will come up at selection when it is discussed, along with a few others.

RAPHAEL? (no way imo. he was outstanding on sunday)

CJ? (his tackling, pressure and work ethic has been vital in the second part of the season)

CHARLIE? (possibly. but neither ball nor xavier can play chf or act as a foil for riewoldt. very important to structure to have more than one forward who can take a contested mark)

BIRSS (seems to be able to handle most of the jobs the coach throws at him)

EDDY (promising junior member of the side)

GWILT (generally much improved as a player. needs to kick a goal or two if persevered with as a forward, but i like the physical pressure he tends to put on opponents)

the question is, would xavier offer more than any of the above?

i think what will probably happen is that xavier will come in for dempster.

or if ball is fit he will come in and xavier will miss out.

[Teflon]

x if fit CAN play defence - he provides run options,DOES tackle and another mid option. Id drop Eddy for X IF fit.

Ball would awesome to get back (to take a selwood) hed come on for Dempster.

Agree on Geelong backs loving to zone off - they set up so much attack from there we need to go man on man and its ALL about pressure from there.

One thing Collingwood earlier in the year is held their tackles - Cats are great at getting through......tackle well.....stop their run.....

We can do this IF we are switched on for 4 qtrs.

[lefty]

I think Birrs gives a decent effort. Perhaps he can tag C.Ling?

Dempster out. Unsure about Eddy or CJ though. Depends on the matchups.

Few possibilities..
- Ball (But he'd have to be 100% otherwise play the following week if we loose)
- X-man (Is he right or will he pull a hammy?)
- Armatage (Reckn he's a gun myself, rate him > eddy)
- Fiz (Dono, doubtful, unless given a specific role to run, hasnt had a good year)
- Gwilt (I think hes alright, flexable, tall, fast, mobile)
- L.Fisher (Very solid, might match up well on a big geelong player?)
- Ferguson? (Doubtful)
- Geary? (Doubtful)

I think the key to geelong is forward line pressure. Their kickouts, they do these little chip kicks, 20m, but once they go past the 50m arch, they are full running, once they hit the square its a long bomb/kick forward. I've seen some team (cant remember who), stuff up geelong quite badly with forward line pressure when they kick out.