Do we bring Young into the team and play him or TDK forward? Charlie had 2 and sometimes 3 blokes on him yesterday and May and Lever will be double teaming him this week. Young won't kick a bag of goals but at least a tall presence. Hard no to Young as a forward. Maybe Doc plays more down back this week to replace Kemp and Ed comes into the starting 22 and Binns as the sub?
Unless Fisher's defensive game has developed a lot, I'm not confident v Tigers smalls and Gresham. The two former can steal the game
I know Fish got one game primarily off half back but since then seems to have been more mid or forward in the 2s from my recollection. Suspect he will more likely be used mid or forward.
I'm not sure i get the hysteria around Pittonet this week.
We picked him when he clearly wasn't fit because we were down too many other soldiers. Despite that, he still outperformed TDK who played he worst game for the year, if not 2 years.
Somehow, some raw kid is supposed to be an upgrade on both?
Yeah nah.
O'Keeffe is not an upgrade on either of them as a ruckman, but as a forward undoubtedly is better than Pitto even at his immature stage of development and on TDK's performance against Collingwood I would expect O'Keeffe could better that effort. Meanwhile TDK has been very impressive in the ruck in Pitto's absence and is a much better option to go head to head with Marshall, whom I really rate. The St Kilda backups are just part-timers and I reckon O'Keeffe could at least hold his own there and maybe even better. Anyway, I get that O'Keeffe is a left-field suggestion and only a kid but I just think the match-ups align for it.
Don't know why people think O'Keefe is ready. He's still a fair way off. We still need Pitto's toughness, especially against this mob.
Agree O'Keeffe is very raw but I don't think he is as far off as all that. St Kilda don't boast a lot of defensive height and his main duty would be to offer a bail-out option up forward which I think he could do better than Pitto and at least as well as TDK (unless TDK chooses this week to move from "almost brilliant" to actual brilliance) and some relief minutes in the ruck. The problem with Pitto and TDK in the same team is the impact on run and the limited value of either (but especially Pitto) up forward. That said I am not opposed to Pitto leading the ruck division but loss of run is a price that then has to be paid.
There is a part of me that thinks this would not be a bad week to blood Binns to give us some extra run and out of left field I could see O'Keeffe as a chance to replace Pitto, swinging TDK into the ruck and letting O'Keeffe do the forward/ruck role. He shows more forward than either of Pitto or TDK and whilst he is no hare he is more mobile than Pitto even without injury concerns. I don't think O'Keeffe is anywhere near fully developed and if JSOS was available I'd be looking at him doing the relief ruck but he isn't so there it is. Lemmey is way further back than O'Keeffe and I don't see any other options if we have stamped Young's papers as a forward, which I think we should have.
Their first quarter was awesome and they finished strong, but when all is said and done they beat the Hawks who are cellar dwellars. A return for Membrey appears likely and if King and Hill get up they will be greatly improved assuming they are fully fit. However they seem to have lost Jones and perhaps Sharman, so its not all one way traffic from the medical room. Caminiti is on report but I don't think it warrants a week - looked worse on first blush - but who knows with the lottery that is the AFL suspensions system. All in all I think we should have their measure absent any unforseen player unavailability.
The Kemp argument is probably a bit futile because it all depends on what happens with other players...and what the side looks like in five years time. What I'm pretty confident of is that Kemp has shown enough to indicate he'll be a big part of that.
All I'm saying is don't close our minds and pigeonhole him. Robbie Walls would still be playing back pocket if we thought like that
Nah, he'd be retired by now - as a career back pocket !
I remember all the talk and speculation, but he has not played there since being drafted. Injuries aside, he is not required there, but is very much required to continue playing the role he is playing.
Agree. would love to see him let loose in the midfield at some stage but this is not the week for it.
Its like suggesting that we swap Weitering to play in a ruck role because we are short there. Could potentially play there in a pinch, but there is no benefit to the team in doing so....quite the opposite...so why do it.
This would have been a good game to blood Binns in, but with our outs and the selection of Hollands that now seems unlikely absent late changes. Given the lack of height in the side it seems to me the sub will have to be either Young or Marchbank to cover the possibility of one of our talls going down - ordinarily you would expect the sub to be a runner but here I think we have to buck the trend. Marchbank would give run anyway, whilst Young gives us KP and ruck cover in the event of the worst.
Worried about the return of Ed, love the warrior but I think this year has been his one year too many and would rather have looked elsewhere.
Binns again showed he is a class above VFL. O'Keeffe was very good but a ways to develop. likewise though less prominent Lemmey Marchbank showed his class but needs more miles in the legs, Hollands good first run after injury. Motlop and O'Brien just OK, Plowman showed this is his level, big Durds looked OK early but drifted out, however he is ready to step in if we need a tall defender. Carroll and Honey both busy but don't see the step up to firsts level at least at this stage.
Of the non-AFL guys Ronke should be on an AFL list - preferably ours.
O'Keefe still has a fair way to go, but I do like his combativeness. He had a reputation at U18 level for staying in the play; now he's really showing it in the VFL. 11 taps and 4 clearances early in the 3rd quarter. Really like his game today but still very young and raw
Same 4 as at 3/4 time the standouts, but Dow probably overtaken by Binns as our best - Paddy seemed to be under a tag that last quarter. Either of those two (subject to the last second head clash) Carroll or Motlop could justify a senior recall next week.
