Always Right Match Committee R20 vs Essendon 2025

[Pleather Sole]

Out: Poulter, McNeil, JJ, JOD-managed/injury rested, VDM
In: Buss, Sellwood debut, Buku, Harmes, Dolan

Bramble, L. Jones, Cleary
Dale, Lobb, Freijah

Williams, Richards, Garcia

Kennedy, Naughton, Sanders
West, Darcy, Dolan

F: Bont, Libba, English

IC: Rotations Buss FB, Sellwood HB, Davidson HF/wing, Buku FWD Utility, 2nd/3rd ruck v Vinsentini

Freijah rotations mid, HB, Fwd
Sub: Harmes

Chance to play the youngsters v Essendon, get a look at possibilities for the remainder.

Smokeys: Arty as sub, Libba rested (if he wants) Jaques debut

[my plums]

Would love it if Arty could come back in to the ones and start performing. We've all seen the glimpses of talent, and the good energy he brings.

[Danjul]

Richard’s not an elite kick of the footy but you want Baker in? Interesting stuff, I’d trust Richards blindfolded with one leg amputated to get the ball closer to a target than Oskar Butcher

A chronology
E
mjp said ….we have to do something and our big guns are Naughton and Darcy.

I said the team is not getting the ball to them enough.

GVGjr commented mentioning Baker and Freijah.

Addressing that problem I said we need to bring in a runner who kicks the ball forward.

I said I would use Baker because he has similar characteristics to Richards. Both have shown a tendency to hold the ball, take on the opposition and then kick forward generating fast forward momentum. Their disposal efficiency stats on the AFL website are very similar. Their meters gained figures are similar. Obviously, playing different roles means that there’s differences too. But they’re not relevant to the point I’m making .

I did not suggest that Baker should replace Richards. I did not say Baker is better than Richards. I did not say Baker was as good as Richards. I did not criticise Richards. I said that because both use speed to break the lines and get the ball quickly forward the team would be better off.

It has nothing to do with Richards v Baker .

So I don’t understand the ridicule above.

As an example of the point I am trying to make… the Collingwood game.

1 more straight kick would have given us a draw. Combined with a rushed behind we get a win. Fast forward to now, everyone is less stressed and aggro.

But it didn’t happen. Why not?? Because we didn’t have enough inside 50s. We had only 43. And that’s not enough to win against the top teams. It’s 7 less than Collingwood had.

It was not enough against Hawthorn and it was not enough against Brisbane on the weekend. Three top teams, three losses being dressed up as valiant defeats.

Back to the Collingwood game ….,

We scored only one goal in the third quarter and Collingwood was going away. Arty Jones had managed only 2 kicks in three quarters and gained 42 metres. His DE was 57%.

By the end of the game Dolan had had 7 disposals at 43% for 127 metres. Sanders had 3 kicks and 108 metres. Bramble had 8 disposals at 75% and 100 metres gained. Harmes had 3 kicks and 100 metres gained.

That’s 5 players for 21 kicks and 470 metres gained. A quarter of the team combined for 21 kicks and 470m. That’s why we lost. It’s a miracle that the forwards kept us in the contest. But they didn’t get enough to work with.

So who got us going? Richards with 17 kicks and 650 metres. That translated into 10 inside 50s for the forwards to work with.

I nearly forgot.. Baker replaced Jones and in less than a quarter had 5 disposals at 80% gaining 160 m.

If the ball is not going forward enough we’re not going to win. Against Freo, a finals contender and game we were competitive in,
Baker had 20 disposals, 17 kicks at 65% DE and 440 m gained. This made him a better contributor than Bramble, Davidson, Dolan and Sanders in my opinion. Others will disagree.

We had 63 inside 50s but Unfortunately we still lost. other factors can be important, in this case allowing the opposition 9 scores including 6 unanswered goals in the last half of the second quarter. Average time between goals was less than 2 minutes and that included retrieving the ball from the crowd.

[doggies ftw]

I can definitely see the reasoning behind wanting Richards back, we’ve absolutely lost a large weapon from our backline and have struggled to fill it. Hes just too good in the midfield though so don’t think you make the change but I guess I’m open to anything at this point. Unfortunately we don’t have two.

Id prefer to just try and find a path forward that works, because Richards in the midfield is our future so any move back is merely a short term bandaid anyway. Does it get us closer to a flag this year? Maybe maybe not. The way our game plan is structured I think it’s more important to keep the ball out of our defence, and Richards in the middle is a big part of that.

I think Sellwood looks like our best ground ball defender out of the side right now so I’d try him first. Cleary played his best game for the club last week IMO so let’s hope that gives him the confidence to build on that. Hope like hell Jacques comes on (although as impressive as he’s been I don’t think he’s ready for AFL) and seriously consider a big offer for Starcevich

[mighty_west]

In : Busslinger, Khamis, Harmes
Out : Poulter, Jones, McNeil

If JOD is injured then Jones stays in.

[The Adelaide Connection]

I don't want to stuff around too much and no team should be looked at as a complete pushover (see WC loss in 2023), but if there is someone (Bont, Richards, Libba, etc) that need a week freshen up, I say do it. By someone, I mean one player.

[westbulldog]

Pleather Sole has it right imo although I have doubts about Garcia

Out: Poulter, McNeil, JJ, JOD-managed/injury rested, VDM
In: Buss, Sellwood debut, Buku, Harmes, Dolan

Glad to see both McNeil and Vandermeer out of the team, book them on the end of season trip now, they add nothing imo.

[Bornadog]

Bevo has confirmed JOD and VDM are right to go and over their injuries. Whether they are picked is another matter

[Jeanette54]

I think this thread makes it abundantly clear, we have nobody in the twos, in positions we need, kicking down the door to get in. It's kind of all deck chairs on the Titanic at the moment.

[Bornadog]

I think this thread makes it abundantly clear, we have nobody in the twos, in positions we need, kicking down the door to get in. It's kind of all deck chairs on the Titanic at the moment.

Agree. Playing 9 players with less than 50 games each week, and the only players left in the twos are also inexperienced, it is tough. Would love Marra, Adz, Weightman and Harmes if ready.

Who do we turn to: Coffield, Gardner, Buku, Scott, Baker or McNeil? The rest also have less than 50 games

[JackCJohnston2000]

I think this thread makes it abundantly clear, we have nobody in the twos, in positions we need, kicking down the door to get in. It's kind of all deck chairs on the Titanic at the moment.

Not sure this was foreseeable though or a fault of list management.

Going into this year, we would have expected to be playing:

a) an extra talented key forward (Jamarra)
b) an extra talented small forward (Weightman)
c) a dependable full back to support Lobb and co. (Jones)

If I told you right now, given all we know, that I could immediately add to this team a 40+ goal tall forward to compliment Naughton and Darcy, a 30+ goal small forward to compliment West and a reliable defender who can match up on opposition full forwards (which is what we expected Jones would be) then I reckon that would have helped quite a bit in these close losses.

And then all of a sudden, we'd be knocking on top 4 rather than top 8. Margins are thin in this league and we're just a few players short right now...

[Go_Dogs]

Don’t forget an AA midfielder from 2024 also!

[GVGjr]

There is a chance it's 3 changes
Baker, Busslinger and maybe Harmes comes up as fit enough
Davidson, Jones and McNeil or Poulter out.

[doggies ftw]

There is a chance it's 3 changes
Baker, Busslinger and maybe Harmes comes up as fit enough
Davidson, Jones and McNeil or Poulter out.

Very rough on Jones IMO, whilst I think Buss deserves the run I think Jones also deserves a 2nd week at least to get up to speed. So simple to just give JOD a week off whether he’s right or not, even if fit there’s obviously been a question mark over him and he’s had so many knocks it won’t hurt either way. One week off and reassess on Jones next week. Just makes too much sense IMO

[Mantis]

Josh Gabelich stating that Jones has been omitted for Buss.