Always Right Match Committee R22 vs Melbourne 2025

[Happy Days]

Come on man. You need to take your personal bias aside. No way you can drop Poulter instead of VDM.

Honestly I forgot VDM was even in the team. Good point and you’re right.

EDIT - I’m not ever dropping my personal biases though sorry not sorry

[Dogs 24/7]

I don’t actually think this will happen, it’s a bit of a change up from our normal 7 defenders setup but I really like this and think it makes our side stronger defensively as well as more damaging in the front half.

Cleary Buss JOD
Dale Lobb Bramble

Freijah Libba Williams
English Bont Libba

Kennedy Naughty Sanders
Poulter Darcy West

Garcia JJ Sellwood McNeil - sub Baker

In: Sellwood
Out: VDM

I really liked JJs game - I think he played much higher than usual and than the other two running defenders (mostly following Jones far up the ground) but his closing speed is still the best in the side and I like it in our front half (coming up from def/wing). Having him sitting just out of the fwd 50 picking off the exits is a huge defensive advantage. I think he’s at his best when he sees an intercept opportunity, picks up an extra yard of pace.

I still think Jj, Bramble & Dale all in defence is too suspect. I want Sellwood in to add a more defensive edge to our backline - he has some real **** about him, I think him & Cleary are both versatile enough to take the best smalls or mediums, offer some drive out of defence and chop out the talls aerially. Sellwood is built for our game style to use his athleticism to chop out our defense out the back. Both can sit on a tall making it more likely we can roll Lobb through the ruck (which is an absolute MUST)

What I think bringing Sellwood in does is frees up one of Dale, Bramble & JJ to move further up the ground and become a more offensive threat and add some pace to the front of the ground which we still don’t really have with Williams/Freijah on the wing & Sanders/Kennedy HFF etc I think it opens up another more damaging aspect to this side whilst not hurting our run out of the backline as I think you only ever need 2 of the 3 down back.

Could open the possibility to play Dale a bit more like NWM and get him using the ball in the front half. Push JJ high like he did on Thursday etc - it just really opens up our game.

So in that scenario I have our 3 wing rotations as Williams, Freijah & one of Dale, JJ, Bramble rotating through to add pace

Baker very stiff, he really was good but I like him as sub and still can’t trust him in a high pressure game (which Thursday wasn’t). Poulter and McNeil keep their spots after good games but have to keep going as they have Davo, Harmes, Dolan etc red hot pushing for their spots.

So a little left field & a different setup - and I don’t expect this to happen. But I think that makes us a better side and would love to see it. Think much more likely to beat a good team in finals and defend better against the best with that line up.

Love the passion and left of field suggestions and of course the backing of Sellwood but I do want to question why playing 8 defenders might be worth it against the Dee's?
As others have mentioned it's not like Sellwood has shown and ability to be a lock down player and despite his prowess in reading the kicks into the forward line and his ability to intercepted I'd be concerned about him playing on a tall.
Which match up do you see for him?

[doggies ftw]

I really don’t understand this.

Baker has been starting 22 in 5 games this season. Carlton, Freo, Geelong, Essendon and GWS. Three of these are top 8 and potential finalists.

Against Carlton he came off early, playing 60% game time. He had 10 kicks and his disposal efficiency was the same as Freijah, Davidson, Kennedy and Harmes.

Against Freo he had 17 kicks, 1 behind Dale who had the most. He had 5 clangers, 1 behind Kennedy who holds the club record of 12 in a game this year.

Against Geelong he was close to our best player in the first half. Overall disposal efficiency was the same as JJ, Freijah , Duryea, Richards and Harmes. The reason we lost that game was the forwards refused to kick goals.

We can all remember his last two games because they have just happened. His disposal efficiency was 100% and 93%. He was the most efficient player over the two games. You can’t criticise him until you have finished criticising numerous others.

Against GWS he was given 70% game time. Coming on in short bursts to use speed as an impact player. We don’t have others who can do this.

He is a dasher, takes on the opposition and kicks to gets high metres gained. Makes some mistakes but no more than others in the same circumstances.

I want half of the team to revert to his game style. Then we would not be sweating about making finals.

Fair enough you’re probably right he’s been better than I’ve given him credit for. Hard to argue with his stats and he’s doing the job asked of him - personally I just have others ahead of him but as I mentioned I don’t expect this to happen anyway. I do worry about his disposal in high pressure games - de% doesn’t tell the full picture, but as long as he keeps to his strengths and kicks long majority of his possessions it shouldn’t be too much of an issue.

[doggies ftw]

Love the passion and left of field suggestions and of course the backing of Sellwood but I do want to question why playing 8 defenders might be worth it against the Dee's?
As others have mentioned it's not like Sellwood has shown and ability to be a lock down player and despite his prowess in reading the kicks into the forward line and his ability to intercepted I'd be concerned about him playing on a tall.
Which match up do you see for him?

For mine it’s less about the dees and more about settling on a line up for the final 5 games (should we make it that far) and the 8th defender is just as much about releasing one of the 3 running smalls to spend time further up the ground and make us more dangerous in the front half too.

For the Dees in particular I could see him playing on any of Melksham, Fritsch or Pickett. Petty & JVR taken by Buss & JOD, Lobb playing off Fritsch who doesn’t really have a defensive bone in his body so he can focus on intercepting. Cleary & Sellwood our best two smaller defenders 1on1 with Melksham & Pickett.

[Garbs_7]

Yeah easy one for me personally this week,

Harmes in for VDM.

Freijah maybe needs a rest as his output has been a little down. Young guy, long season etc, wouldn't be the worst thing if he started as sub this week.

[Rusty12]

Yeah easy one for me personally this week,

Harmes in for VDM.

Freijah maybe needs a rest as his output has been a little down. Young guy, long season etc, wouldn't be the worst thing if he started as sub this week.

Good solution.
I like this, wanted to get Harmes in, but not as sub.

[Mofra]

Yeah easy one for me personally this week,

Harmes in for VDM.

Freijah maybe needs a rest as his output has been a little down. Young guy, long season etc, wouldn't be the worst thing if he started as sub this week.

I agree, hopefully the 10 day break helps. He's only 19

[Bumper Bulldogs]

I hate hearing the new if a coach sacking the week we play a team. This game just got a lot more difficult. Side generally come out pumped up after a coach sacking

[Mat Lyons]

I hate hearing the new if a coach sacking the week we play a team. This game just got a lot more difficult. Side generally come out pumped up after a coach sacking

Historical stats reveal that teams have a 41.5% success rate after a coach sacking. So, more likely to still lose than win, but it certainly would show a spike in performance, as the season's win:loss ratio of a sacked-coach-team is surely below 41% for that season.

Personally, I see the timing as a blessing, as it will sharpen our focus and resolve even more, ready for the fight the Demons will show.

[Rusty12]

Historical stats reveal that teams have a 41.5% success rate after a coach sacking. So, more likely to still lose than win, but it certainly would show a spike in performance, as the season's win:loss ratio of a sacked-coach-team is surely below 41% for that season.

Personally, I see the timing as a blessing, as it will sharpen our focus and resolve even more, ready for the fight the Demons will show.

Yep, agree, It is irrelevant

[meenies]

Historical stats reveal that teams have a 41.5% success rate after a coach sacking. So, more likely to still lose than win, but it certainly would show a spike in performance, as the season's win:loss ratio of a sacked-coach-team is surely below 41% for that season.

Personally, I see the timing as a blessing, as it will sharpen our focus and resolve even more, ready for the fight the Demons will show.

Mat, do you know what our record is? I seem to think we lose more than win.

[Bornadog]

Mat, do you know what our record is? I seem to think we lose more than win.

According to AI. Melbourne features twice and lost both times

Coach	Team	Year	Round of Sacking	Caretaker Coach	Next Game Result
Dean Bailey	Melbourne	2011	19	Todd Viney	Lost to Carlton by 76 points
Michael Voss	Brisbane Lions	2013	20	Mark Harvey	Defeated GWS Giants by 60 points
Mark Neeld	Melbourne	2013	11	Neil Craig	Lost to Collingwood by 83 points
Brendon Bolton	Carlton	2019	11	David Teague	Defeated Brisbane by 15 points
David Teague	Carlton	2021	End of season	Michael Voss (new coach)	Defeated Richmond by 25 points
Stuart Dew	Gold Coast Suns	2023	17	Steven King	Defeated St Kilda by 26 points

[Rusty12]

Anyone else get the feeling the Dees senior playing group, went to Goodies and got shit faced last night?

[BontlowSzn]

I hate hearing the new if a coach sacking the week we play a team. This game just got a lot more difficult. Side generally come out pumped up after a coach sacking

If Goodwin was coaching a farewell game against us this weekend then I'd be slightly concerned. Seems very well liked by the playing group. I actually think him getting sacked and gone already will have the opposite effect.

[Pleather Sole]

Unfortunately Harmes has a flu relapse so its no go for him.

Out Vandermeer
In Dolan as sub