If so, it's not only harsh but robs us of some flexibility. Weiters is one of the best key defenders in the game but that's it. He might put his hand up for the odd ruck contest but he hasn't played as a forward since his second season and has kicked just two goals in the nine seasons since then. Young has shown that he can pinch hit in the ruck and is competent as a KPD or KPF.
I guess that someone has to miss out and whoever does will be stiff.
Hold the phone! So now Weitering replacing Young is harsh? Granted he has played a couple of good games but he is not even in the same discussion as Weters in terms of importance to the team unless I have been on Mars the last few years!
It's a no brainer that Weiters comes back in, but dropping Young is still harsh in the context of the contribution he has made since his recall. It would have been equally harsh if Derksen, Dean, Haynes, Kemp, McGovern, etc were dropped for Weiters.
On the SEN website they're saying Young out and Weitering in. Seems a little harsh IMO.
If so, it's not only harsh but robs us of some flexibility. Weiters is one of the best key defenders in the game but that's it. He might put his hand up for the odd ruck contest but he hasn't played as a forward since his second season and has kicked just two goals in the nine seasons since then. Young has shown that he can pinch hit in the ruck and is competent as a KPD or KPF.
I guess that someone has to miss out and whoever does will be stiff.
Often the most dangerous opponent: nothing to lose.
Agree, English and Bont are big out but beware the wounded dog.
Supporters might be focusing on the Doggies’ outs but Fraser will be wholly focused on the 23 they do put on the park. If he fails to ensure that all 23 of our blokes have the same focus, we will be in trouble.
I thought that Weiters looked a bit rusty in the Magoos but was clearly a class above everyone else on the park. He took 12 marks, most of them contested in my book, in conditions that didn't really suit marking. Our three AFL-listed ruck-forwards managed just three marks between them.
On form alone, Reidy should be promoted, but he won't be. Pitto was even better, and with English out, I doubt whether we'd be going with two ruckmen. Again, on form alone, I'm not sure that Weiters should be promoted. On potential and importance to the team, he's a monty to be recalled. But who misses out?
Lobb and Naughton shouldn't hold too many terrors for our defenders although Lobb has a lot of size over Derksen, Dean and Haynes, and Weiters for that matter, but an in form Weiters would be far too good for Lobb. Lewis Young has done well on Lobb in the past and, since his recall, has provided us with a versatile tall who can play forward and back and pinch hit in the ruck. Having Young as a fallback if Lobb was to get the better of Derksen and/or Dean would be handy. If we go like for like, it will be Derksen who misses out, as unfair as that may be, but fairness shouldn't get in the way of putting the best combination on the field.
Another possibility is that Cerra's hamstring is worse than I thought and he can't play. In that case, I would bring Weiters in, play McGovern in Cerra's role, and swing Derksen forward. If Cerra is good to play, I'd be inclined to go with an unchanged side and bring Weiters back for the Freo game where he will be needed.
I expect that Weiters will be desperate to get back, but he is level-headed and a committed team player who will go along with what's best for the team.
I thought the sniffers were rather keen to impart err.... physical pressure on our blokes (a lot of marginally late, marginally high, borderline excessive stuff), and Acres is certainly doesn't back away from that stuff. I still think sides cling to the trope that we're soft but what I saw on Saturday Sunday suggests otherwise.
It would be unfair to say that our softer players were playing for St Kilda. Pitto certainly had his way with TDK though and I thought that he was looking forward to the final siren midway through the second quarter.
Lyon is never reluctant to resort to questionable tactics but their attempted physicality backfired, like most of Lyon's plans.
I don't think that we've ever been soft but there has certainly been a perception that we are. The addition of Ainsworth, Hayward, Florent, Dean, Byrner, Ison and Derksen has hardened us up.
Someone asked about Acres game - it is an interesting question. When he was playing at his peak, an absolute running machine and would get us out of trouble in defence regularly, then bob up for a goal or two - and it really stood out. Now, he has plenty for company in the running and effort department, so doesn't stand out as much. This is a good thing. Don't think that he is playing badly. Still a strong mark, still waiting for the kick OOF, still running heaps, but not as prolific.
The Sheriff was a bit of a novelty when he arrived at Princes Park; a big-bodied winger with a huge tank, a bit of attitude, an ability to have an impact at both ends of the ground ... and regularly hoik the pill OOBOTF. He doesn't really stand out that much any more. I think that he may have lost a yard of pace but I don't think that he has really dropped back to the pack, the pack has caught up with him and we have several players able to perform a similar role with equal effectiveness.
However, Acres' gathering of the ball at speed, running away from opponents and hitting up Byrner for the last goal of the game was very impressive, particularly when just forcing a stoppage would have been an honourable result. And I can't recall the last time Acres had an OOBOTF 🤞
It seems to me that we have become one with the Force again and things are as they should be; beating up on St Kilda and letting them have our castoffs
So much went right for us and it’s hard to single out players when everyone made a solid contribution.
Pitto does deserve a mention and his Golden Fist award was appropriate recognition of probably the best game I have seen him play. With a little help from Young, Harry and Crippa, we dominated the ruck contests and Pitto physically dominated De Koning and Marshall. SOS clearly targeted the wrong ruckman and Geelong can have Marshall. It really was an excellent all-round performance from Pitto and he was almost Gawn-like with his impact on the game.
After Frankie’s first seven or eight games in navy blue, I was starting to think, “What was Nic Austin smoking when he rookied this banana?” Now it seems that Nic is a genius as Frankie continues to play the small forward and high half-forward roles very well, and he took it up another level last night.
Our kicking has improved out of sight and the players are willing to be far more creative and aggressive with their kicking. Crippa’s kick across his body to find Hayward on the wing was superbly executed and I think that it was Dean who did the opposite and kicked across his body on the boundary to a teammate in the corridor. And, speaking of Hayward, hasn’t he, Florent and Ainsworth added some grunt and polish to the team. Charlie might be headed towards another Coleman and De Koning and Jack are getting better coin but the addition of those three seasoned players and our youngsters in Dean, Smith, Byrner, as well as Derksen, has given us an edge.
Smith was quiet and I suspect that learning how to deal with a hard tag will be his homework this week. Of course, he wasn’t shut down completely and our other mids more than covered his reduced output.
It was disappointing to see Nas limp off. Apart from his entertainment value, I was interested to see how Lord would go running with him. Lord started OK but it was a difficult task ahead of him.
Finally, a shout out to Liam Stocker on playing his hundredth game. I never thought he’d get there but it was the best game I’ve seen him play and quite fitting that it was Spud’s Game.
Did anyone hear BT say after Nas’ injury a snide remark about how the players weren’t able to warm up on the ground before the game - inferring the AFLW game gad somehow contributed to Nas’ injury 🙄 ffs so sick of these dinosaurs getting airtime.
I didn't watch 7's telecast - thanks to Kayo
The AFL players could be seen warming up in the background as Abbie McKay was being presented with her Golden Fist award. That was about an hour before the AFL game started. Perhaps BT was referring to the delay between the warm up and the start of the game for the Spud's Game "Light Up The Dark". It was supposed to go for two minutes but was probably closer to three minutes and that could make all the difference with superbly fit AFL footballers
Surely the fact that Nas went into the game with hip and back injuries couldn't have played a part?
