King, Gardiner and McEvoy

[kp83]

How do we think we'll structure up with the 3 big men in? Is it as simple as Gardiner to play permanent FF and King and McEvoy to rotate rucking?
Or could Kingy be a late withdrawal for an extra midfielder in Armitage?

[xander]

rotate all 3 through the ruck, bench & forward?
king isnt really a forward but mcevoy has played there a bit i think.

[saintluke]

Gards to play CHF the whole time perhaps/rotating with McEvoy off the bench. King is much better suited to dropping back behind play when he's not in the centre. Not too concerned with the 3 men playing being that one of them is Gards.

[Seaford_Saint]

In my humble opinion, I think Kingy is a dead set certainty to be a late-withdrawal... they won't go in with 3 talls

[older saint]

IF play 3 big they will rotate through FF.
Raining all week down there look for Armitage in for King

[plugger66]

All 3 will play. MG to play at FF with Ben there occasionally. Will not work but we have little choice. Expect Blake to go forward a bit as well.

[claystreet]

Big Mac at HF is where i think he will play

[vacuous space]

Will not work but we have little choice.

We played the first games against Port and the Dogs with one genuine key forward. It's conceivable we could do it again, especially if conditions are ordinary. I know I'd prefer Gardiner to be rucking over the other two.

[plugger66]

Will not work but we have little choice.

We played the first games against Port and the Dogs with one genuine key forward. It's conceivable we could do it again, especially if conditions are ordinary. I know I'd prefer Gardiner to be rucking over the other two.

Well 2 of them have to be on the ground at the same time so one has to be forward all day. yes we won those other games with one forward but that was Roo and we also had Hayes, Bj and Joey. Anyway the results matters very little but losing players to injury matters a lot.

[St Fidelius]

IF play 3 big they will rotate through FF.
Raining all week down there look for Armitage in for King

I would like to see Nick Heyne get a game up forward, but also Armitage will also help in the midfield

With the rain it will be perfect for Bally IMO

I hope he plays a blinder

[vacuous space]

Well 2 of them have to be on the ground at the same time so one has to be forward all day.

If we go in as selected, then yes - we have to play two on the ground at once. I think we had other options at the selection table and still could go another direction. I'd be fine if they picked Armo over one of the rucks and went with a Kosi-Gwilt-Milne-Schneider-Mini-Eddy forward setup. Maybe put Dempster up there and hope that he kicks straighter than he did against the Dogs.

Personally, I think our forward pressure is more important than having two genuine tall targets. Playing a ruckman up forward is a hole on the defensive side of the ball. I'm not about to start a 'game was lost at the selection table' thread, but I don't agree with the selection and I'm a little surprised that match committee went that way.

[#1GILL]

Me thinks Dawson will play fwd

[St Fidelius]

Me thinks Dawson will play fwd

I would have thought that, but not will Gilbert still out...

[Premiers2009]

i agree with vacuus space.
while MG has been huge forward there's no need to re-invent the wheel.
they have no tall defenders anyway so MG can float and do whatever.
Macca will be able to compete with Taylor there's no question.
If Kingy can pitch-hit it will be fine, our crumbers and mids will hit targets.
I would be against Kosi doing any ruckwork. I think he is too good a target for the likes of Ray, Ball, Gram and co.
Still with Schnieds and Milney crumbing.

[InkerSaint]

I'd like to think that Ross The Stats Man knows something about the Hawks, and that this is a strategic selection and not just "resting" players.

Saturday's game just got a helluva lot more interesting.

[Schillaci]

I reckon Gards will play forward effectively taking Riewoldts place and Kingy and Big Mac will alternate the ruck duties.

[saintsRrising]

Gards to play CHF the whole time perhaps/rotating with McEvoy off the bench. King is much better suited to dropping back behind play when he's not in the centre. Not too concerned with the 3 men playing being that one of them is Gards.

2 on the ground and one in the stands staying warm.
Armo to play.

[stinger]

Gards to play CHF the whole time perhaps/rotating with McEvoy off the bench. King is much better suited to dropping back behind play when he's not in the centre. Not too concerned with the 3 men playing being that one of them is Gards.

2 on the ground and one in the stands staying warm.
Armo to play.

bookmarked.....

[To the top]

To play small is to play into their hands, no matter the conditions.

Kosi playing as he has been playing, higher up the ground, with McEvoy and Gardiner who have better marking hands than King rotating further forward.

A big man with the ball delivered to advantage can position and hold out for chest marks against an undersized defence - and then there are the spillages.

So we can attack to position and not be sucked into their ring-a-rosy "game".

The defensive acts by our forwards will also be of importance meaning the pressure stays on the likes of Milne, Schnieder, McQualter and whoever else goes up there.

Then we have to control their 2 key forwards and ensure the ball hits the ground in their attacking zone.

Big chance for some players here, including Ball, so you would expect a real red hot go.

On the basis of those representing this weekend it is not only the usual suspects mentioned on here who are at risk when the "automatics" like Riewoldt, Gilbert, Hayes, Montagna and Goddard return.

So of the 22 representing on Saturday, 5 must go.

Some who have been down on form over the past couple of weeks will be fired up because their competitors are now on the park and are now in direct competition for the spots.

Play well and you stay in.

Play an average game and the performances over the past couple of weeks will be analysed in coming to decisions.

Players will not miss out on the basis of one average game this weekend after successive satisfactory games - but a couple of average games over a couple of weeks is a different story if one or more of the promoted players (except Gardiner who is an automatic) really puts his/their hands up.

It will be a most interesting day.

And how Dawson, Max and Blake fit into the defensive 6 will be of interest given Gilbert is an automatic inclusion into the defensive 6.

There will be pressure on Raph to again engineer the rebound in the continuing absence of his "partner in crime", Gilbert - and he will need some support.

He has stood up very well so far in Gilbert's absence so we look for that to continue.

[Unforgiven]

Would like to see Koschitzke move out to the CHF area, play Riewoldts roll in the team this week. Would be much easier assignment having Benny Mac or Gards leading out from the square as a FF then having them play the mobile CHF roll.

Im assuming Kingy dropped, will lead to this happening, and Gwilt/Dempster helping up out forward. If All 3 stay in, then a rotation of Forward for Benny and Gards will happen I tip.

[BAM! (shhhh)]

Suspect Kosi will end up playing CHF. The marking/mobility/endurance combo Kosi brings suits the position pretty well, he's just never going to play enough time there to cememnt himself because we've got Nick Reiwoldt.

Gwilt at full forward as it's played in the modern game, leading up from the goalsquare.

McEvoy/Gardiner to float in the forward line and head for the goalsquare when Gwilt leaves it.

While given our list, I do think it's important to stretch their backline for height, I agree with Vacuous Space, it's our forward pressure which is where we're more likely to be able to get on top of them. On one hand, Reiwoldt is hardly the worlds fiercest tackler, on the other, none of the ruckmen are going to cover ground the same way.

The flipside though - if Reiwoldt's out, and Goose is injured, who but a ruckman would we bring in that will provide a height option AND pressure? I don't know if Lynch is a bonafide option in his first year, and what other talls do we have? If King IS dropped, who comes in for him?

[To the top]

I must go to different games because I have noted that Kosi frequently starts ahead of Roo - with Roo in the square.

From there they rotate.

And this has been working very well.

[stinger]

Gards to play CHF the whole time perhaps/rotating with McEvoy off the bench. King is much better suited to dropping back behind play when he's not in the centre. Not too concerned with the 3 men playing being that one of them is Gards.

2 on the ground and one in the stands staying warm.
Armo to play.

bookmarked.....

half right.....


but i knew the three ruckmen would play.....was hoping armo would get a gig but....

[saintsRrising]

Gards to play CHF the whole time perhaps/rotating with McEvoy off the bench. King is much better suited to dropping back behind play when he's not in the centre. Not too concerned with the 3 men playing being that one of them is Gards.

2 on the ground and one in the stands staying warm.
Armo to play.

bookmarked.....

Well I was wrong...and right

Mind you...what happened to that bad weather forecast?

Big Ben did well as a big foward

[stinger]

see post above yours....