AFL Game Day R1 2021

[bulldogsthru&thru]

Don't get too far ahead. The Saints might have loaded up on small forwards but their midfield still has big question marks. We'll smash them in the phone box and the ball won't even get to their forward line. I really don't rate St Kilda at all and think they'll struggle to make the 8 this year.

Big call. I see where you're coming from though. They've got some decent names in there: Steele, Crouch, Hannebery, Jones with Hill, Billings and Gresham complementing them but yeah it's unproven and perhaps 1 dimensional but it's a work in progress. Ours blow them out of the water for sure, but it did last season too and look what happened in the final (ie our forwards were hopeless and thier's took every opportunity. Their mids worked hard. Ours didn't really. They won.)

[Twodogs]

Don't get too far ahead. The Saints might have loaded up on small forwards but their midfield still has big question marks. We'll smash them in the phone box and the ball won't even get to their forward line. I really don't rate St Kilda at all and think they'll struggle to make the 8 this year.

Completely agree.

[SquirrelGrip]

Of all those Saints mids, Steele and Hill are the only ones I'd be interested in - and even then, whose spot does Steele take?

I do agree with you that it is all about work-rate. On Friday watching from a row close to the front, I'd forgotten how hard Libba works at every contest. Bailey Smith's breakout game was really due to his work-rate - stopping goals at one end and tackling Pendlebury fiercely at the other. Hopefully the competition for spots with our mids will be won by those prepared to work the hardest.

[comrade]

Didn't Lath kick two for us as a small pacey forward? I wasn't at the game, did he play high?

We also had McNeil playing as a small pacey forward, but he struggled as you might expect for a first gamer when he got his hands on it, but did manage to get into some good spots.

Vanders got just as much ball up field as he did inside 50. McNeil is also a similar type. Neither are the natural, pacy forwards that sides like Richmond, Sydney, Saints and Port have in abundance.

[bornadog]

Didn't Lath kick two for us as a small pacey forward? I wasn't at the game, did he play high?

We also had McNeil playing as a small pacey forward, but he struggled as you might expect for a first gamer when he got his hands on it, but did manage to get into some good spots.

Yes Lath played the small forward role as did McNeil. Both have pace to burn and McNeil will learn from his experience.

I thought we locked the ball in our forward half really well, with Pies unable to break out.

[bulldogsthru&thru]

Of all those Saints mids, Steele and Hill are the only ones I'd be interested in - and even then, whose spot does Steele take?

I do agree with you that it is all about work-rate. On Friday watching from a row close to the front, I'd forgotten how hard Libba works at every contest. Bailey Smith's breakout game was really due to his work-rate - stopping goals at one end and tackling Pendlebury fiercely at the other. Hopefully the competition for spots with our mids will be won by those prepared to work the hardest.

Yeah I agree, I wouldn't replace any of their mids for ours. Well, at least not in a salary cap context. I mean, I'd take Steele over Dunkley but that wouldn't work for our cap. Would you take Steele over Macrae? Hill I suppose I shouldn't have said is a mid. He plays the wing and whilst he has excellent pace and skills, he can be a liability when he's choosing not to work hard and I've had enough of players like that. It's really just their small forwards that I envy.

[comrade]

Yeah I agree, I wouldn't replace any of their mids for ours. Well, at least not in a salary cap context. I mean, I'd take Steele over Dunkley but that wouldn't work for our cap. Would you take Steele over Macrae? Hill I suppose I shouldn't have said is a mid. He plays the wing and whilst he has excellent pace and skills, he can be a liability when he's choosing not to work hard and I've had enough of players like that. It's really just their small forwards that I envy.

It's crazy we have players like Hayes and Roarke Smith on the list (how many one paced mids/flankers do we need) and haven't taken a swing on more speculative pacy small forward types. I'd feel a lot more comfortable if we had a few more developing at VFL level - has to be a priority for our recruiting team at this year's draft.

[Happy Days]

It's crazy we have players like Hayes and Roarke Smith on the list (how many one paced mids/flankers do we need) and haven't taken a swing on more speculative pacy small forward types. I'd feel a lot more comfortable if we had a few more developing at VFL level - has to be a priority for our recruiting team at this year's draft.

Not to trot out this excuse again but I think we really did try to get some in this draft. Its been proven we were into Rowe and would’ve likely got him had Adelaide not been such cowards, we nominated Western from Freo’s NGA at the Bedendo pick, and obviously brought McNeil in (and played him in round one no less). We’re at least showing an awareness of it as an issue which is more than we’ve been able to say many times in the past.

Also you are very not wrong about it being crazy Smith and Hayes are still on our list.

[jeemak]

I guess we prefer Wallis now, though if he starts to struggle which he may then it opens the door for a Cavarra, Weightman or West to play that role, noting that Jamarra is quick and could do some damage also.

[Dry Rot]

I didn’t see any of the game Dry Rot. McDonald kicked 3. How did he look ?

Very good. McDonald looked like he was in his third season, not his first AFL game.

Bevo should show the team that game. Swans delivery into the forward line was very good - the opposite of ours.