Petracca is a strong contested Mid, one of the best and very suitable for those conditions, agree on the Cameron sub out.....was a mistake as Cox who had rucked well was knackered.
I think LP took my comment as load up with fast small players. Gawn taking control is the best ruck in the league that you play no matter what the conditions. Not forgetting he is one of the fittest players in terms of endurance. Even though he is huge in size. Petracca is one of the most electric players and a size that can play against tall, small, fast, or strong players. He has to play. Mind you he didn’t do much in the first half. Oliver was almost non existent in the first half. Melbourne fed their talls with poor delivery in the first 3 quarters. Melbourne struggled to have crumbing players pick up the spoils. Melbourne under high pressure struggle. Every side does. They just fail to rebound as well as some sides do. Collingwood showed this tonight. Just as we did when we played them both when the heat is on. They both drive hard in the last quarter but if you establish a decent lead before the last quarter, you are a chance to win. Petracca can only do so much. Same goes for Gawn. My comment was based on a first half of football. A trend. I wouldn’t want us to fully load up with tall marking targets that fail once the ball comes to ground. We still need hard bodies in the middle. This appears where the game is won. At the stoppages which is one of our strengths. Faster running types to carry the ball on the rebound might help us win. Defence, middle of the ground and forward. Don’t bet Charlie will kick a bag of 5 goals, and Harry doing the same. They will bring the ball to ground often and then starts the sh@t fight for the ball. The same goes in our defensive 50m. We can’t load up with the tallest line up we have. Unless there is some leg speed and ability to clear the ball forward. Collingwood are genuine and have a balanced squad. They are the side to beat. Them and Brisbane which we haven’t won against recently or probably long term. We have beaten Collingwood with tough pressure footy. We have to beat Sydney next, which is not a choice thing. It just has to happen no matter what. To potentially see Collingwood in a grand final on the final stage. Oops, I just took off the lid.
Coll vs Melbourne showing you need quick contested players not an overly tall lineup that flounder in the wet. Playing too many talls isn't the smart way to go imo.
Smaller forwards and better running players looks the goods in the game tonight. Especially being wet.
Had a good chance to listen to Voss in the press. Spoke very well. Didn’t give too much away as to what was the plan and who is playing and what role for which players. What about the weather, keeping mid players that perform well for the Swans quiet. Voss has a simple solution. You have a system and how to play any side. It doesn’t change much. You have a role so stick to it and do your job. You will lose momentum from time to time. Absorb the pressure and wrestle the momentum back in our favour. Stick to a simple plan and do your job. It doesn’t matter too much about who is selected and in what positions. Do what has worked best in the last 10 weeks and odds are it is a plan that can get the job done no matter who is on the field.
He addressed questions about targeting Cripps and Charlie and stopping their gun players. It isn’t about one or two players. You can’t stop an entire list with too much focus on individuals. Stick to the plan. Wrestle back ever contest possible. Back your confidence and self belief. Enjoy the hype. Embrace the feeling of excitement and have fun. Just remember once the siren goes, to get to your designated task as soon as possible and perform your role. You know what the winning formula looks like and what losing looks like. Do what it was to win and get you into finals. His experience in past finals can only go so far as the game has evolved and changed. This is your opportunity and it sits in your hands. He will back you and trust you will deliver.
He may have made me too confident but he is different to what he was like at the Lions. He is more relaxed and more confident since we almost completely bottomed out 10 weeks ago. He has that cheeky smile answering questions where he believes in this squad. Not that serious look in a coaches face looking stressed and not knowing what to do next.
Even his response as to how Acres is and is it wise to play him if he isn’t 100% ready. Voss said he had his fitness test and passed with flying colours. His is ready to go and eagerly ready for his opportunity to deliver. You would think a coach in this elimination finals situation to be reserved and a little nervous. Has he brought some mongrel into the players mindset? That last game looked like we rotated players to the bench to rest and not go into this final with injuries. It did not look like an all need to win the game at any cost.
Commentator experts still talk about our lack of finals experience and how this could be a disadvantage in this next game against a hungry Swans group that failed last season in the most important game of the year. What about how hungry this group might be to get a taste of a first finals kill in many years.
If we lost this game we would result overall at 7th. Not a disaster. Not great either. If we win it will be at least top 4 as a final result. Voss might get a very good pass for the season or at least resurrection of a potential fail to still get a pass for the entire season. Now we just have to win. There is no other result to look at. The players now need to back the coach in all the way in every contest. Rain, hail or Blizzard it has to be win. At any cost.
If our mids are switched on and take on the challenge our ruck issues won’t be a serious problem. I think at their best Geelong didn’t worry about the ruck abilities of their players. They would target their opposition mids and be happy to be second to the ball. I just hope the mids are going to turn on the heat. We have enough talent in this area. Especially if Cripps, Walsh, Cerra, Hollands are rested enough and ready to go. Hewett and Kennedy can give us enough strength with bigger bodies and consistent efforts while the previous four give us drive out of the clearances. Which is where this game should be won. Harry better play with some smarts. His best and worst games are way too far apart. He could potentially be our weakest link. Most dangerous forward but a problem if he isn’t doing the team needed role. I still can’t see us losing this. If we do, then I will be totally p#ssed. If we are a genuine threat this should be 20 to 30 points in our favour.
The fact we have major scalps above us and beaten them with just as many missing players, there is a worry as to winning against us. How to double team our tall towers. Hence we look to open up the forward 50m with other options on a lead. Get our mids to kick for goal on the run or finding new smaller targets. Looking for opportunities they can’t defend so easily by double and triple teaming our big targets. Just became less predictable. No bombing it into the forward 50m unless the foot soldiers are at the drop to clean up the mess and either score with snap shots or lock the ball in. Creating another stoppage. Avoid rebounds out of deference by bombing the ball in without a plan. I don’t see us losing this first finals game. Not if we bring the best intensity and pressure from the first bounce. We should win this game unless the guys without the experience of finals football choke. They just have to treat this as another game. Sydney are a good unit. Not good enough to go all the way or to beat us after a loss. We are also coming off a loss. Kill their dominant mids and they won’t be able to get scoreboard opportunities. I rate our mids slightly above theirs. Even though the All Australian results might say different. My only issue is with our small forwards. Great on a good day. Terrible if not awake to some hard work. They shouldn’t beat us. Not in my opinion. If they do it shouldn’t be a humiliation. I won’t be angry either way. I am glad we get the experience the players need.
The number one player, for them, we have to shut out of the game is Gulden. I know it unfashionable nowadays but I would have Cottrell put the hardest tag in AFL history on him and completely obliterate his influence. He worries more than anyone else on that team.
He must have had his name on the football against Melbourne. I am sure he was treated for leather poisoning.
Not at all confident about this game. Leaving aside questions about our available / unavailable personnel, the Swans are, from the coach down, a finals proven, battle hardened outfit, hitting form and self belief at the right time.
Beating them will be proof that we have what it takes to win a pressure game in finals. The players confidence would be sky high after a win here. Beating a side that has been there before will be a decent scalp. Now we just have to find a way to make it happen. I don’t care how and with which players in the side. Surely Voss will know what to say to have our boys ready for this challenge.
I still have a small thought that giving Cripps a rest in this last game might keep him fresh and ready for the finals. I could see the Giants going hard at some of our players to make them sore for the first final.
Maybe this was the scare we needed before finals to see how easy it could be to lose a game. Fortunately we didn’t need to lose to get that experience. 4 points is 4 points so take it however you get the result.
Keep resting players and wait to get them back 100%. Do not risk early returns just yet. I don’t think we were the clearance kings tonight. We did not land enough marks we should have. We just had a tough fight we were prepared to endure. Keep playing this unit to develop the squad. They work together very well. Ignore the statistics. It isn’t a team of champions. It is a team that plays like champions. Talks are Dow and Silvagni might be considered for trade at seasons end. Both must have some value. Too many similar talents in this current group.
Feck me. I did not see this one coming. How much opportunities to win, do you give your side by hitting a lead early in the last quarter. That has to be the best victory this season yet. Forget the Saints game. This was a tight game against real quality opponents. We have knocked over the three best sides in the league. What does that tell us? Any mention of Collingwood having the best coach this season will piss me off more than anything. I don’t know how we have turned a bottom 4 side into a potential genuine contender in 8 weeks is something I have never seen. 8 wins in a row. Three of the best sides. All with an injury list. How many wins in a row are needed to win a flag? lol. Kidding with that comment. Too many injuries to bring back into the side and trouble pushing players out. TDK was ordinary in the first half. Absolute warhorse after that. We won without the clearance domination we have had.
We had the umpires call every opportunity to keep Melbourne in the game. Without bias and I will not call umpires out often enough, but tonight Lever and May could jumper hold, wrestle, and push Charlie in the back with every opportunity. Nothing to see here. How many push in the back free kicks were paid the other way with our defenders. Free kick for a dangerous tackle which is very debatable in the last minutes of the game. I just hope Doc is good with his calf corker. We miss him so much when he is not on the ground. You can’t put a value on this guy.
Doc plays his 150 game. In the past these milestone games didn’t go well for us. This season has been a different story for us. Can the club carry their best leader over the line? Demons with debated selections. Fritsch, Harmes, Oliver and probably not the best form to carry through to the finals race. We come in with an unchanged list. Probably the best form we have had all season. Are we due for a loss? We get closer to a loss every win we get on the board. I am thinking at a guess we will fall short by only 2 goals. I hope we are ultra competitive. If our intensity, drive for success and high risk high reward football is in the mindset, then anything is possible. Melbourne is a very difficult side to beat. Their current form doesn’t state it is impossible to win. Is this game more about how desperate to prove a point this Blues unit has before them, than which players are available to hit the field? This could be the most important game of the round. It could be the game that is the real measure of where our club is at. With a list of injuries that is no less than other clubs have. I am not sure what our win loss ratio is against Melbourne in the last 5 seasons. It definitely couldn’t be great.
Melbourne, Gold Coast and GWS to go. Two good sides and a side if you are caught napping could send you a message. GWS will be interesting to finish the season. Melbourne will be our best test. They still show a real threat to get into a grand final. Beating them will show we have sent a real message comes finals time. The Demons have finals experience. Something we don’t just yet. I still feel we might not beat them, but if we do I will not see where we could fail moving into finals. Only lacking experience but maybe supercharged with desire to go all the way based on belief and confidence on what has been achieved in the last 6 or so weeks.
