Teams-Preliminary Final 2010

[Hotdog60]

Re: Teams-Preliminary Final 2010

Really surprised that Hooper kept his spot, besides kicking a goal from a softish free he had no influence on the game.... I don't like it.

One can hope that being his second game that he has learned from the first, maybe also can settle to the pace.

No doubt there would have been a few jitters last week in a big game, this one is no exception and will a little more accustom to what happens on the playing field.

The next thing is the defender doesn't rate him and he sneaks in for 3 or 4 goals.

[Mantis]

Re: Teams-Preliminary Final 2010

One can hope that being his second game that he has learned from the first, maybe also can settle to the pace.

No doubt there would have been a few jitters last week in a big game, this one is no exception and will a little more accustom to what happens on the playing field.

The next thing is the defender doesn't rate him and he sneaks in for 3 or 4 goals.

The pace will increase so I doubt it.

Eagleton>>>Hooper.... Do you get the picture?

[Hotdog60]

Re: Teams-Preliminary Final 2010

The pace will increase so I doubt it.

Eagleton>>>Hooper.... Do you get the picture?

OK, but I'm living in hope.

It would be nice if we do the Milne trick back at the Saints by using Hooper if his on and the defenders are chasing Barry.

[LostDoggy]

Re: Teams-Preliminary Final 2010

I think Gia will play predominantly through the midfield tonight, Addison and Gilbee will play the defensive forward roles. This is where Gia I think has played his best football, this will also give us the extra carry through the midfield.

[Doc26]

Re: Teams-Preliminary Final 2010

I think Gia will play predominantly through the midfield tonight, Addison and Gilbee will play the defensive forward roles. This is where Gia I think has played his best football, this will also give us the extra carry through the midfield.

Who for Cats or Pies ? He will be one tired boy come Saturday night

[Murphy'sLore]

Re: Teams-Preliminary Final 2010

Just heard on SEN Griff came off from training clutching his hamstring. Say it ain't so...

[LostDoggy]

Re: Teams-Preliminary Final 2010

My bad, getting to excited, so much anticipation!!!!

[1eyedog]

Re: Teams-Preliminary Final 2010

I think Gia will play predominantly through the midfield tonight, Addison and Gilbee will play the defensive forward roles. This is where Gia I think has played his best football, this will also give us the extra carry through the midfield.

You may be spot on, but he won't be doing it tonight. Gia was doing midfield drills today at training.

[1eyedog]

Re: Teams-Preliminary Final 2010

Just heard on SEN Griff came off from training clutching his hamstring. Say it ain't so...

It ain't so. I watched him come off and he wasn't holding his hammy or thigh. The discussion around this is odd, I honestly don't know which journo picked up on this.

[Desipura]

Re: Teams-Preliminary Final 2010

It ain't so. I watched him come off and he wasn't holding his hammy or thigh. The discussion around this is odd, I honestly don't know which journo picked up on this.

I did not attend training, for those that did was it just as bit of a kick and light jog type session?
I would have thought that it would not have been too strenuous.

[1eyedog]

Re: Teams-Preliminary Final 2010

I did not attend training, for those that did was it just as bit of a kick and light jog type session?
I would have thought that it would not have been too strenuous.

It was very light, 45 mins. Simple in tight hand balls with light bag work, set plays from full back to full forward and then goal kicking for the forwards, some high marking with bags for Wood, Minson and Jones and midfield set play drills with bags and that was it. Very light session, very light impact.

[Desipura]

Re: Teams-Preliminary Final 2010

It was very light, 45 mins. Simple in tight hand balls with light bag work, set plays from full back to full forward and then goal kicking for the forwards, some high marking with bags for Wood, Minson and Jones and midfield set play drills with bags and that was it. Very light session, very light impact.

Pretty hard to do an injury then?

[Raw Toast]

Re: Teams-Preliminary Final 2010

I appreciate your considered response, and to a certain extent I agree that the pace of the game has changed to the detriment of slower players like Mitch, and I certainly agree that he does not have the same impact in the forward half as he did even last year. However, the biggest change in that regard in my opinion is the addition of Hall to our forward structure, it has changed things around enormously. In years previously, our forward line would work as group, gather numbers around the ball and lock it in to then muster scores from stoppages. Also, the approach into the forward fifty would be careful, forwards would have time to react and congregate. Now with Barry in the team, the focus is first on creating space, then on getting the hell out of his way, then on hoping that he marks the pill, then on chasing tail if he doesn't. As a commentator said in the first half of the Sydney match, "It's Hall or nothing at the moment". And it's not because he's the only one giving a half decent effort either, it's simply because with him in the side, our forward line is so dramatically different to what it has been for 5 years. Guys like Hahn, Johnson and even Higgins have been made to look silly and slow this year as their reading of the play becomes useless amongst the carnage that Barry creates.

Good point. It's been a strange year as for most of it our forward line has not seemed to function that well, yet we were still scored more than 13 other teams. I've actually argued against the tide in regards to Johnson who really helped the forward line function better when he came back two-thirds of the way through the season (and the stats Eade pulled out seemed to indicate this).

But I'd argue that the change brought about by having Hall in the team is yet one more reason to drop Mitch at the moment, because he hasn't shown that he can work effectively in this set up (at least during the season - he was going well in the preseason, but that is too long ago to count now).

I partially agree that Hahn should be seen as competing against a lot of other players, but he struggles to compete with most for three reasons. Firstly, he lacks run which we've also lacked as a team this year, so although Mitch might be in the best 22 players, it's very hard to have a balanced enough team with him in it (and one of the biggest advantages the Pies have had over us and most other teams is their extraordinary run).

Secondly, he can now longer switch to down back. Maybe he could if his confidence was up, and he got to the right places quite a few times against the Pies, but he needed to mark the ball as the third man up and then hand off quickly to start a counter-attack and he did neither. Thirdly, in a related point, he is often a liability with the ball in his hands when not close to goal, as he either hatches it or gives it off quickly to a bad option.

The combination of all these makes it hard for him to push anyone out of the 22 imo, though as Mantis noted the MC seem to rate him higher than Everitt, Jones and possibly Hill (and it is admittedly a close call with all these three, though at the moment I think all have more upside than Hahn, and all make our team look more balanced, though I'd be tempted to replace him with a midfield type, just a pity that we're lacking depth here at the moment).