I'm not sure what the MC expects when Curnow, Cachia, Mclean, Bootsma and Rowe run out of the race -they're all fairly ordinary really. Then you add Walker, Gibbs and Simpson in defence and you make it so easy for opposition sides to clamp down on Judd and Murphy and you're basically shot before you even start playing the game. Surprisingly disorganised for a coach of Malthouse's standing.
As I have been saying every week, Casboult must play FF, Henderson, Waite, Jamison, McInnes etc for the other key positions and for god's sake put Yarran on the wing and bring Graham in if he's fit.
Gibbs bashing starts when it was clear he was one of our best and beat (what should have been) Freo primary avenue to goal .
Gibbs was reasonable on Mayne IMO but probably got judged on some of his skill errors in general play where he turned the ball over......I keep saying it but Gibb needs to be played onball and in attack and I would have moved Walker forward as well.......Gibbs is a midfield goalkicker not a defacto FullBack. Mick didnt coach that well tonight IMO and let the game slide...
Gibbs is hardly the problem - he is in fact a champion midfielder being asked to play out of his natural position. Ditto Walker, who is wasted in defence and would have been useful running through the middle tonight.
Walker, Judd, Gibbs, Waite (on a wing), Robinson, Carazzo all playing through the midfield are more than capable (physically and talent wise) of matching it with Mundy, Fyfe, Crowley and Barlow. prefer to start Cachia in defence to play a lock down role, such as the one that Gibbs played on Mayne and lets never waste Walker on a pest like Ballantyne - bring back Joseph for those roles.
Up forward, we are kidding ourselves with Rowe - he's not up to it. Casboult has so much more to offer and wjo knows how good he could be stationed at ff with hendo at chf. Warnock also needs to play and i'd be cutting our losses with Brock and blooding Graham.
We'll all be watching Rowe closely this week. Last week he was very close to being a liability, whilst Casboult from all reports was very good again in the Reserves.
Graham is also unlucky, but I wouldn't be surprised if he is only considered as a replacement for McLean.
Think it will be won and lost in the midfield like most games between the better teams......Fyfe, Barlow, Mundy and Hill will need negating and I expect Judd wont get much of the footy if his old mate Crowley picks him up. Sandilands is also back which means Kruezer will have to be at his best and need to run the giant around. The Freo giant usually posts up at FF during some stage in the game when they play us and we need to make sure we have the right mix of talls to man him up. Ross Lyon will close the game and make it a slog fest and I dont expect to see any pretty footy and I reckon Mick will do the same and it may get down to who gets their matchups right.
Murphy and Gibbs need to stand up and I expect the former to be also heavily tagged and bullied....
If it was a Freo home game then I would have said the Dockers but at Etihad I think we can get home if Mick gets his planning right....
Rowe out, Casboult in, is a must. Rowe, unless he is on his own, can't take a mark, and even when on his own there is no guarantee. He also lacks in the area of a second effort. There is no second effort from Rowe at all. Casboult can mark and has no hesitation in crashing a pack when going for a mark. He is also a much better ruckman. Two things are holding him back.
His kicking for goal is atrocious, and he lacks fitness to run out a full game. If you have a look at his performances when he's played, he's virtually disappeared out of a game after half time. It's an are that demands he work on or his days at Senior level are numbered. But for the rest of the season, he is a far better bet than Sam.
Don't agree. Rowe has shown a lot more than Casboult this season and his game against the Suns wasn't bad.
Casboult has potential but that's not enough to earn a place in the 22.
Disagree. Casboult kept us in it against the Hawks and has shown much more against quality opposition. I'm sure Michael Johnson would prefer to play on Rowe rather than Casboult.
Rowe out, Casboult in, is a must. Rowe, unless he is on his own, can't take a mark, and even when on his own there is no guarantee. He also lacks in the area of a second effort. There is no second effort from Rowe at all. Casboult can mark and has no hesitation in crashing a pack when going for a mark. He is also a much better ruckman. Two things are holding him back.
His kicking for goal is atrocious, and he lacks fitness to run out a full game. If you have a look at his performances when he's played, he's virtually disappeared out of a game after half time. It's an are that demands he work on or his days at Senior level are numbered. But for the rest of the season, he is a far better bet than Sam.
If he wasn't asked to Ruck such a large portion of the game, it wouldn't be an issue. Warnock and Kreuzer rotating in the ruck and Casboult and Henderson up forward? Lacks a rotation, but you can always activate a midfielder as a sub if it becomes an issue.
I would consider Bell but not Graham...Freo have big mids and we need the extra size of Bell to combat them.
Lucas has to play...was poor vs GC but wont learn anything from that by being sent back to the twos, his previous from has been ok and I want to see him do will this week and show some character...good players usually play well after a poor game and its a good test for him.
Bell needs to put a case forward and has struggled for most of the year. It's disappointing as from all reports he has a big tank, size and can be aggressive. However, he may well be perceived as being "one-paced" and as lacking awareness in traffic.
Surely Casboult comes in for Rowe this week?? Whilst he offers team flexibiliy, he simply couldn't mark the ball on the weekend and if you do that against quality sides the ball will rebound out of our forward 50 with interest! Subject to availability, I'd be bringing both McInnes and Casboult into the side to face the Dockers for Rowe and one other.
Does Cachia have an injury niggle? He wouldn't be dropped on form would he?
If we're never going to play Laidler again (Bootsma in instead) then I hope we have a good trade lined up for him.
MC may see Graham as a Brock McLean replacement - ball winner, but lacks pace. I would have liked to see Casboult into the side, to allow Rowe to play back to cover McInnis. We look like we need one more tall for balance.
Was great to be on the right end of a close match.
Not a great contribution from Judd, Murphy, Gibbs and Carazzo tonight, so to get up was encouraging. So many questions tonight. When is this midfield group going to click? Are we better with Robinson and Bell around the ball? Is Brock really giving us something? What is the best use of Scotland?
Walker's contribution off half back seems to be waning and I'd seriously consider moving him to a HFF or wing role for the next couple of games and push Yarran back, to freshen things up.
I'd also consider bringing Casboult into the side, as whilst Rowe is bringing the ball to ground we really lack Casboult's attack in a marking contest.
As I pointed out Elwood he took that mark because he was in the vicinity. He is an absolute dud! He can have all the skills about the place but he has to GET the ball not wait for it to be handed to him. And his lack of pace and intensity is incredible.
Choo, name all his highlights for the game. If you can reach two you are doing well. Don't make a remark about a post without backing up your own comment.
Second game for the year and a young key position player. He shows real poise under pressure and rarely makes mistakes, but can lack intensity at times. his torpedo, handpasses in traffic and pinpoint passing, plus of course that outstanding mark under real pressure was fantastic.
Worst on Ground? Watson. Should never get another game. Can anyone remember him using any intensity over the last couple of weeks? He can only gain possession when he is the immediate vicinity. He cannot GET the ball! Never helps out. Runs , no, make that TROTS beside the opposition.
Henderson was just what we needed tonight. Rowe is a keeper if he can get his endurance working . Watson probably did more in the seniors than he does in the juniors. Simo well done, Judd same old magic, and Garlett getting more active along with Yarran. Much better efforts. Not pretty but better for certain.
I just can't agree with you there Mantis, I reckon he is a stop-gap measure until a better option comes along. He plays the CHF position pretty well due to his years of experience in the role at Norwood but he has some limitations which will get exposed against the better teams.
I will say this though, he's a much better key forward option for us than Casboult purely on the back of his kicking for goal.
Good solid win, but our lack of pressure across the field and particularly when defending opposition kick-ins remains a concern. Rowe played well tonight and positioned well enough, but I'd prefer to invest the time into Levi who has far more upside. Levi could become a nightmare for opposition defences, whilst Rowe is only ever going to be a solid contributor at his best ( like tonight).
I was so pleased to see Robbo out and Watson in before the game - it really was fantastic watching Watson's composure in traffic tonight and he didn't look out of place.
Next week will be a lot tougher and we will need to up the tempo considerably if we are to be a chance against them next week.
I would have an easier time accepting dropping Casboult for Watson, but I really can't get my head around dropping Casboult for Rowe. Does Rowe have comparable upside as a key forward? Dont think so and it's far more likely that Rowe will never cut the mustard at AFL level.
I'm not seeing a lot of evidence of a coach that consistently gets the best out of fringe players.
Rowe is probably a better key defender than Watson. I doubt the 'aints have a tall forward slow enough for Watto.
"Probably" is the operative word in your response and I'd rather try a first round draft pick than a self confessed journeyman
I would have an easier time accepting dropping Casboult for Watson, but I really can't get my head around dropping Casboult for Rowe. Does Rowe have comparable upside as a key forward? Dont think so and it's far more likely that Rowe will never cut the mustard at AFL level.
I'm not seeing a lot of evidence of a coach that consistently gets the best out of fringe players.
