Always Right Match Committee Thread - 2021 AFL Grand Final vs Melbourne

[bulldogsthru&thru]

Re: Always Right Match Committee Thread - 2021 AFL Grand Final vs Melbourne

You’d think Keath goes to McDonald. So who’s going to Brown? I’ve thought for nearly two weeks that Gardner was the perfect matchup for him. Cordy is too short.

[jazzadogs]

Re: Always Right Match Committee Thread - 2021 AFL Grand Final vs Melbourne

I don't see Tom McDonald as a huge threat atm. Has only kicked 4 goals in his past 6 games, ~3 marks per game. 194cm 99kg - Zaine is 190cm and 90kg (at start of the year).

Stef v Gawn
Schache 2nd ruck, possibly following Jackson to the backline when he plays as a forward?
Keath on Brown (put body on and block his run, the big unco won't get near it), Cordy on Mcdonald
Duryea on Pickett, Williams on Fritsch. Wood to float and help out Keath/Cordy.
English and Naughton permanent key forwards
Hannan defensive fwd on Lever.
JJ/VDM defensive fwd on Salem.


How about that?

[westdog54]

Re: Always Right Match Committee Thread - 2021 AFL Grand Final vs Melbourne

You’d think Keath goes to McDonald. So who’s going to Brown? I’ve thought for nearly two weeks that Gardner was the perfect matchup for him. Cordy is too short.

Brown is the same height as Dixon and 7kgs lighter and Cordy had Dixon well covered.

He's no Dale Morris but he can punch above his weight.

Gardner's decision making, or lack thereof, will get found out in a GF.

That being said, it's a shit situation and I feel for everyone concerned.

[FrediKanoute]

Re: Always Right Match Committee Thread - 2021 AFL Grand Final vs Melbourne

I too would have had Garnder in ahead of Cordy.
I can't imagine how shattered he is if this is true

And Cordy wouldn't be shattered. There are no easy answers in this one. Team comes first

[jeemak]

Re: Always Right Match Committee Thread - 2021 AFL Grand Final vs Melbourne

Then who comes out and who is medical sub? JJ, VDM or a surprise?

I've got no idea BAD. You tell me!

Whilst you're going away and finding out that answer, here's how I'd go until you do:

FB - Williams, Cordy, Wood
HB - Dale, Keath, Duryea
C - R. Smith, Macrae, Hunter
HF - B Smith, English, Johansens*
FF - Weightman, Naughton, Hannan
Foll - Martin, Bontempelli, Liberatore
Int - Daniel, Treloar, Dunkley, Schache
Sub - Vandermeer

*In respect to the smartest and most successful knuckle dragger in the media, Gerard Healy

Firstly, that is possibly the sickest (channeling Happy Days here) team we have put on the park for a while. My heart breaks for Gardner, like it does for a lot of others who have missed out but with a few fluctuations with form and injury they could've been playing.

The shitting on Cordy isn't something I've ever really understood. He's relatively safe with the ball, he's always in the contest unless trapped in front and he can lay a decent tackle. It's as if we expect our backs to just not let good forwards get on top for parts of a game and that's unrealistic - especially if the system upfield breaks down which ours can do from time to time (like any good team's can). Good forwards beat good defenders all the time, it's going to happen to ours as well but as long as the group up the ground do what they should do to minimise the exposure then things should work out OK.

Gardner's dropping is disappointing and in honesty I'd have him in ahead of Cordy. But at the same time he slows us down when he gets the footy more than Cordy does and while the latter makes an occasional mistake with ball in hand he doesn't make us completely stagnant, and unfortunately Gardner does. I really feel for the bloke, I know what it's like to miss grand finals when you have a more than decent claim on being in the team and Saturday is going to rip him apart.

The forward mix I've selected versus those on the bench is just me thinking that the former gives us the best chance to get on the board early in the game, and then after seven to ten minutes start to rotate out and really hit Melbourne with our midfield depth as they get a bit tired. Schache is the everywhere man but I expect him to go forward to sit on Lever or May depending on who is in better form (there's no way May's hamstring is OK - trust this from someone who did five back related hamstrings in a single season), but it shouldn't happen until the game is settled a little bit.

It's going to be hot early and we need our midfield contingent and rolling up half forwards to blow valves early. They have back up in Treloar and Dunkley on the bench. There is a chance we'll be tightened up on and will struggle to score early, which means that things might need to be changed up early in the game getting these boys an early run.

Daniel is a massive wild card. He is agnostic to positions on the ground, he transcends common sense on a footy field because of how he finds it (which is an element of his game too often ignored and dreadfully underrated) and how he uses it. So I want us to just wait and see where and how he can be used best.

The medical sub in Vandermeer is the best choice. He can play forward from centre and we have a couple of players who can roll back to cover him if we lose a defender.

[boydogs]

Re: Always Right Match Committee Thread - 2021 AFL Grand Final vs Melbourne

Any chance this is a fake leak from the club to put Melbourne off?

[ratsmac]

Re: Always Right Match Committee Thread - 2021 AFL Grand Final vs Melbourne

Tom Morris is a massive Demons fan. Maybe he's trying to cause some disruption in our preparation. I find it hard to believe that we could leak any team selection in grand final week. Bevo is still dirty on Michael Talia for leaking information in a final. It would be a brave man to leak any selection news in a grand final under Bevo's watch

[dog town]

Re: Always Right Match Committee Thread - 2021 AFL Grand Final vs Melbourne

The Gardner news aligns with information I got earlier in the week about likely changes. I think it’s a mistake, dees crumbers have an uncanny ability to hit the ball at pace from spoils, Gardner is our best spoiler and puts angle on them. He never lets it get behind the pack and also has the reach and closing speed to play on multiple sizes/shapes in that team.

I think this takes away some flexibility, I can only assume they have a very specific group of match ups in mind. It could just be that they see the job Cordy did last week as too good to be dropped. He definitely can’t play on Brown in my view.

[Go_Dogs]

Re: Always Right Match Committee Thread - 2021 AFL Grand Final vs Melbourne

Got to say will be surprised if Gardner isn’t named.

I’m not sure on the best match ups but would have thought Keath on McDonald and Gardner a better match up for Briwn who will do most of his work on the lead. Presumably we will role the dice and go short in the backline or push Schache onto Jackson again to follow him wherever he goes.

Starting to feel the nerves now.

[comrade]

Re: Always Right Match Committee Thread - 2021 AFL Grand Final vs Melbourne

Slept on it and like others have said, Cordy or Gardner's performance isn't our path to victory and both have significant weaknesses. Cordy's prelim was rock solid so if he can bring that, we'll be ok. I am concerned about our lack of overall height in defence though.

Keath will get the deepest forward which will obviously change throughout the game but I expect he'll get Brown for a lot of the game. That leaves Cordy on McDonald which I don't really think is ideal and that's without considering Gawn or Jackson.

I think that means we'll see Schache in defence at times and try to force the same type of match ups up forward as we did in rd 19 (Naughton to Lever, Hannan to May). Having Stef to take 80-100 minutes of ruck time helps immensely as it allows English to stay forward and stretch them.

[Mantis]

Re: Always Right Match Committee Thread - 2021 AFL Grand Final vs Melbourne

I've got no idea BAD. You tell me!

Whilst you're going away and finding out that answer, here's how I'd go until you do:

FB - Williams, Cordy, Wood
HB - Dale, Keath, Duryea
C - R. Smith, Macrae, Hunter
HF - B Smith, English, Johansens*
FF - Weightman, Naughton, Hannan
Foll - Martin, Bontempelli, Liberatore
Int - Daniel, Treloar, Dunkley, Schache
Sub - Vandermeer

*In respect to the smartest and most successful knuckle dragger in the media, Gerard Healy

Firstly, that is possibly the sickest (channeling Happy Days here) team we have put on the park for a while. My heart breaks for Gardner, like it does for a lot of others who have missed out but with a few fluctuations with form and injury they could've been playing.

The shitting on Cordy isn't something I've ever really understood. He's relatively safe with the ball, he's always in the contest unless trapped in front and he can lay a decent tackle. It's as if we expect our backs to just not let good forwards get on top for parts of a game and that's unrealistic - especially if the system upfield breaks down which ours can do from time to time (like any good team's can). Good forwards beat good defenders all the time, it's going to happen to ours as well but as long as the group up the ground do what they should do to minimise the exposure then things should work out OK.

Gardner's dropping is disappointing and in honesty I'd have him in ahead of Cordy. But at the same time he slows us down when he gets the footy more than Cordy does and while the latter makes an occasional mistake with ball in hand he doesn't make us completely stagnant, and unfortunately Gardner does. I really feel for the bloke, I know what it's like to miss grand finals when you have a more than decent claim on being in the team and Saturday is going to rip him apart.

The forward mix I've selected versus those on the bench is just me thinking that the former gives us the best chance to get on the board early in the game, and then after seven to ten minutes start to rotate out and really hit Melbourne with our midfield depth as they get a bit tired. Schache is the everywhere man but I expect him to go forward to sit on Lever or May depending on who is in better form (there's no way May's hamstring is OK - trust this from someone who did five back related hamstrings in a single season), but it shouldn't happen until the game is settled a little bit.

It's going to be hot early and we need our midfield contingent and rolling up half forwards to blow valves early. They have back up in Treloar and Dunkley on the bench. There is a chance we'll be tightened up on and will struggle to score early, which means that things might need to be changed up early in the game getting these boys an early run.

Daniel is a massive wild card. He is agnostic to positions on the ground, he transcends common sense on a footy field because of how he finds it (which is an element of his game too often ignored and dreadfully underrated) and how he uses it. So I want us to just wait and see where and how he can be used best.

The medical sub in Vandermeer is the best choice. He can play forward from centre and we have a couple of players who can roll back to cover him if we lose a defender.

Lots of good content here jee and I feel we are well covered for lots of situations that the game will throw at us. I really think we will back our core midfield group (Macrae, Bont & Libba) to go H2H at most times with Melb, but as soon as one of Oliver or Trac get off the chain then Dunks goes to them in a more defensive role than he would normally play. Was interested to notice that Scott when activated as the sub chased Clarry around a fair bit after he had 15 (largely ineffective) touches in the 1st qtr which lessened his impact.... and lots talk about Clarry's haphazard forward entries, but Melb play a ''messy'' game so they just want territory rather than precision.

I can only talk on me, but the thing that irritates me the most with Cordy as highlighted, is his positioning in transition when he gives up too much room behind and due to his physical limitations he can't make ground to spoil (think the mark Ladhams took in Rd 23 in the 3rd qtr). I also think his first 5 steps are awfully slow and he gets dropped on the lead way too easily.... but the MC have more faith in him than others so I guess we hope he doesn't get exposed.

[Mofra]

Re: Always Right Match Committee Thread - 2021 AFL Grand Final vs Melbourne

Well that's one change.
Who goes out for Weightman?
VDM to the medi-sub, Scott back to a regular emergency?

[bulldogtragic]

Re: Always Right Match Committee Thread - 2021 AFL Grand Final vs Melbourne

Well that's one change.
Who goes out for Weightman?
VDM to the medi-sub, Scott back to a regular emergency?

Surely paying $1.01

[Bornadog]

Re: Always Right Match Committee Thread - 2021 AFL Grand Final vs Melbourne

I don't see Tom McDonald as a huge threat atm. Has only kicked 4 goals in his past 6 games, ~3 marks per game. 194cm 99kg - Zaine is 190cm and 90kg (at start of the year).

Zaine is 195cm and 92kg see here

I've got no idea BAD. You tell me!

Whilst you're going away and finding out that answer, here's how I'd go until you do:

FB - Williams, Cordy, Wood
HB - Dale, Keath, Duryea
C - R. Smith, Macrae, Hunter
HF - B Smith, English, Johansens*
FF - Weightman, Naughton, Hannan
Foll - Martin, Bontempelli, Liberatore
Int - Daniel, Treloar, Dunkley, Schache
Sub - Vandermeer

*In respect to the smartest and most successful knuckle dragger in the media, Gerard Healy

The medical sub in Vandermeer is the best choice. He can play forward from centre and we have a couple of players who can roll back to cover him if we lose a defender.

I would go with JJ in and VDM medical sub. Need JJ's experience.

[Mantis]

Re: Always Right Match Committee Thread - 2021 AFL Grand Final vs Melbourne

Zaine is 195cm and 92kg see here

I know we don't want to go down this path as it's been done to death, but do we trust the WB website to be correct (think Lewis Young) given Zaine is listed at 193, and seems about that size, on other websites?