Another Thursday night game, at Adelaide Oval at 19:30.
I doubt I'll get home in time to see the beginning.
This is going to be ugly, unless we can really turn things around.
Every chance we will - just see which soft-cocks get selected.
3 weeks ago many on here ticked this game off as a win. they are another team that have had a crap year but at home i trust them more than us to rise for this game and perform.
our fans and the club internally have the ‘injury excuses’ locked and loaded and our organisation will use it turn up our toes and lose against an average team.
if we were a serious football club we would go there and crush them. Sadly it wont happen.
We'll win.
Just to add more confusion to the state we're in.
Part of me wants any 'statistical' possibility of finals to be done and dusted so we can get to the serious business of some hard decsion making, and seeing some kids get a run with an eye to the future.
We are broken now. Will struggle to win another game.
Yep, if its not this game, it will be another game we are more likely to lose, but somehow manage a win.
Just when you think you've got this team worked out, they throw a curveball at you and suck you back in.
Port are flakey, have injuries and are struggling with the Kenny vs Carr coaching fiasco, I think we are good chance if we pick the right team and Ports injuries dont come up ok and players like the Hornet, Wines, Alir etc are still missing.
If it was at Marvel or the MCG I would be very confident but being a home game for Port makes it a bit more difficult because we have a horrible interstate record, still Im backing us to rebound and while finals are probably off the table there will be few players needing to impress. Id be adding some younger players and doing a better job with our matchups too, Cincotta has to play on Butters or Rozee.....was wasted on Caleb Daniel who got plenty of the ball but isnt a Nth prime mover or major threat imo and its these odd moves that can feck up your team when things are tough.
Indeed. We need to stop either Butters or Rozee and Cincotta should have the job.
One of our tactical errors was not playing through Cincotta, as Caleb Daniel is loose. Make him man up and they lose their drive from defence.
Cincotta is a better player when he is shadowing a guy who can play mid.
Our forward line: I would be playing through Aliir's opponent as much as possible, assuming we can hit a target. Aliir zones off well, but is loose, especially to a leading forward.
Billy Wilson has to get a game soon...before he goes off the boil ::)
We cant beat the Adelaide teams at The AO nor can we beat an egg at the moment. Port may be flakey and rubbish but we are flakier and more rubbish so I give us no chance.
60 point loss coming up.
Port beat the Giants in Canberra a few weeks ago.
We haven't beaten a decent team all year apart from the Cats who were napping at the time (pardon the pun).
Can't see us winning this, but then again who would know with this group ?
It's one we can win out of contrite for last week's embarrassment.
Normal service them resumes the week after and get pumped. That after we lead at half time, where we sit on top of the ladder at 11-3 and 130%. Really shows how our 2nd halfs suck. Bash and crash for 45 min, exhaust ourselves, then watch sides who can run and transition, something our game plan hasn't kept up with, and just run all over us.
We keep beating Geelong for some reason. Even managed to play 4 qtrs.
Can we put in a request to play Geel, NM, Ess and West Cost 6 times each next year?
We actually thumped Port last year in Adelaide. The days our when last qtrs were very powerful.
Pity they returned the favour in Melbourne. We have one mighty 8 goal qtr, the rest crap and got run over. More familiar for us....lol.
If we get a response and win this game I think it's a sugar hit type fake.
I guess need to start from somewhere...
Some are saying the club doesn't need to make irrational and big decisions in the offseason and will be measured and methodical.
They said that last time and hired an assistant coach that was sacked from his previous senior coaching gig.
Certainly will be. I expect a response but just for a week.
I really dont know what to expect. As ol mate Gattuso once said, "Sometimes maybe good, sometimes maybe s h i t"
Agree, the heat is on the players as well as the coach and I expect a response especially given Port are similar to us in terms of consistency and effort.
Based on our form on the last 12 months we are a sure thing to lose this.
Not sure why i keep hearing things like 'knowing us we will win this' - who the hell have we beaten of any note in the last 12 months. Nadda. Fans need to stop thinking about the 2nd half of 2023 and focus on what we have done since which is F all.
It's a little hard to believe the 'pile on' for at team sitting 10th on the ladder with a percentage of 105%.
You would think we were Fitzroy in their death throes.
But here we are.
It's probably a season defining, maybe career defining moment, for some.
Senior leaders have come out, saying 'they're the ones who have to take responsibility.'
(They seem to be saying it a bit this year.)
Well after the very public lashing they've received this week... there really is nowhere to hide.
They will look absolutlely silly if there isn't a strong response.
There can't be any weak lapses.
The talk just won't wash anymore.
These guys don't do pressure. The more pressure the more we crumble. Its why we didnt win in round 1.
You reap what you sow, getting comfortable being uncomfortable might be the root cause.
Boyd playing on a wing would be one selection for me. He is combative and can deliver to forwards.
Against North we allowed them to run in numbers and beat us up around the ball.
Ben Campo in the middle also if coaches are brave enough!
Will be interesting to see selections. Hopefully not just Evans back in!
Ab
I've thought about Boyd on the wing/half-forward role delivering to the forwards.
The thing about Boyd though, is that despite the high possession numbers he gets in the VFL a lot of them are from kick-ins or switching play with his fellow backs and sharing it around.
Earlier in the year it was Docherty, lately it's been Billy Wilson.
In those situations he often has time and space.
He can pick targets and his accuracy is pretty good.
Would he have that same freedom further up the ground?
I expect there would be considerably more pressure
The possessions would be more limited and the accuracy might not be as good.
If it's worth a try it might be better to see how it works at VFL level first.
Play him as a small forward even.
I think one of our biggest problems, and also our most predictable weakness, is finding a role for Saad that leaves him free to make use of his heavily one-sided run.
It's just too easy for him to be corralled by the opposition, and that forces him into a soft disposal that often is a pre-cursor to the turnover.
Don't get me wrong, I love his ability and attack on the footy, he does the sacrificial things as well as anybody. But it's no good fans clapping his intercepts and attack at the footy if his next disposal puts a team-mate in the hospital zone.
Opposition actively create these scenarios, our MC needs to solve the puzzle.
Yep
On the run he's great.
It's those 'hack-out kicks' when he is under pressure or cornered that often end up pretty costly.
God almighty if playing one of the bottom teams when we are close to full strength in round 1 is pressure our team cant handle we are well and truly screwed.
If the pressure of expectation against a bottom team is too much for this group good luck going deep into a season against the best opposition.
I wont bother discussing the pressure of playing a close GF as this list if it cant handle the above wont ever make it.
Eventually Pavlov's Dog will develop a prey mindset, fear of being a victim can be crippling.
The fans and media that pile on the players after a loss, they are part of the problem not part of the solution.
There is a difference between a technical or tactical debate, and blatant abuse.
For example, Mathieson's comments are destructive not constructive. In effect he spit in the face of players like Ollie Hollands, Lachlan Cowan and Jagga Smith. Ollie Hollands in particular is starting his career off better than a previous 300 gamer like Kade Simpson, yet Mathieson gave OH a drive by at the first opportunity.
Hope the new boys turn up and give it a good crack.
Right decision to include youth, wonder if that was a directive from Management and we are going to see an emphasis on development.
Been a long time coming for Billy. Hope both the lads go out there and tear it up.
I'd assert the MC had no choice but to make some changes, that loss was unacceptable, and it's a short break.
The bigger news might be, if in the absence of injury, which couple get dropped.
I hope like hell we don't pick the kids and make one of them a sub, maybe sub is now the ideal role for Doc.
IN : Wilson, Boyd and both Youngs.
OUT : Binns, Carroll, Pitto, Durdin
Fair enough, cant understand how Acres keeps getting a game TBH.
Would've played Lemmey instead of Young, but otherwise good enough.
Saad and Acres should consider themselves very, very fortunate.
Acres looks injured most weeks he plays and needs to be managed imho.
Port have picked a few duds so I think that helps us, dont mind our ins as young kids will give you effort and it often inspires the older players to step up too.
Because he is one of our best and most consistent players?!
Against North....
2nd most pressure acts (28)
3rd most meters gained (356)
=2nd most score involvements (6)
=1st marks inside 50 (3)
=1st contested marks (2)
=1st tackles inside 50 (2)
=4th most inside 50's (4)
5th most possessions (21)
4th most contested possessions (9)
=4th most marks (7)
=8th tackles (3)
=7th clearances (2)
=2nd most shots on goal (1.2)
What more do you want from him?
Interesting extend bench. O'Farrell, pittonet and Corey durdin.
How many of them have made the flight over?
How many will come back ready for the VFL on saturday?
Those outs weren’t responsible for the NM loss
Would’ve liked to have seen more heads roll
HOF was OK in the maggos.
Yeah my tip is young to be the sub on last weeks form (flynn). Motlop starts, and HOF comes in if weiters doesn't get up. Corey durdin would have to come in of cripps doesn't get up....
Our line-up:
B: 1 Jack Silvagni 23 Jacob Weitering 26 Nick Haynes
HB: 42 Adam Saad 37 Jordan Boyd 15 Sam Docherty
C: 36 Cooper Lord 9 Patrick Cripps 13 Blake Acres
HF: 39 Alex Cincotta 8 Lachie Fogarty 11 Mitch McGovern
F: 33 Lewis Young 30 Charlie Curnow 6 Zac Williams
R: 12 Tom De Koning 5 Adam Cerra 4 Oliver Hollands
Int: 35 Billy Wilson 29 George Hewett 45 Flynn Young 3 Jesse Motlop 14 Orazio Fantasia
Em: 22 Harry O'Farrell 27 Marc Pittonet 19 Corey Durdin
Interesting:
[1] Patrick Cripps - will he miss? If he was so sick to be isolated, he would be very unlikely in my mind. Who replaces him? That isn't clear at all. But I would be very surprised if he played the sort of game we need, as we need him at his best, He hasn't been there this year at all.
[2] Charlie Curnow - how fit is he? Charlie was awful last week, his body language hasn't been great all year, but last week was ... I don't want to think how bad it was. If he doesn't get goals before half time, he doesn't get any. And his kicking, which has been the difference more than once, has been very haphazard this year.
[3] Pitto was actually good early last week, but he always starts well and then drops away (well, in the last 18 months anyway). Having him out when they have a real ruck as a backup is questionable. But I can't see him coming in if Cripps or Curnow doesn't get up.
[4] Tom de Koning - has he already gone? You couldn't say he hadn't last week. Sweet usually plays well against Tom. Last year Sweet rising was the difference at Marvel.
[5] Small forwards - are they going to have an impact? Last week Motlop was good when he came on; ten possessions in the last quarter. But he rarely performs 2 weeks in a row. Fog? His form has been ordinary of late. Durdin - deserved to be dropped. The great form he displayed in the month or so after his return was brilliant, but he hasn't had a kick in weeks. Should he come in for Cripps? I wouldn't do it. Fantasia - looked OK in patches and seemed to give a damn last week, but he rarely does 2 in a row either.
[6] Weitering - is he fit? Supposedly, he's pulled up well after last week, but he has ben struggling with niggles for ages. Do we play him on Georgiades, who is playing well and leading brilliantly? Georgiades might be too quick for Jack, who'll probably play on Visentini.
[7] Cincotta - last week was very ordinary. Do we play him on Butters or Rozee? I guess we have to, as he is the only tagger we've got. Last year he was a great success, but his form this year hasn't been much.
[8] Doc - last week he got a lot of the ball and wasn't a bad player, but his limitations were certainly obvious. Port do have speed in the forward line. I am happy to see Billy Wilson get a go: he does have some pace. But, where does that leave Doc?
[9] Port have a tall defence; he have to think and move the ball in intelligently, not just bomb it away, or we'll just turn the ball over. I am not thinking much of Young as a forward. Keep Port's talls accountable and we should kick a decent score. Last year, with Charlie moving well and us kicking it to him intelligently, he murdered the Port defence. When we lost control of the centre and started bombing it in long, the Port tall defenders killed us.
From another thread>
I hope we don't play injured players. I've always been against, as the injured guys never reach their normal heights. I quite like it when the opposition do it, because I think it is something we can exploit. Unfortunately, we don't seen to exploit much these days. I still wouldn't play anyone suspect, especially as we need everyone at their best, not their worst.
The hornet has a bung shoulder, if any of the usual Port suspects act up, I'd be testing it out and tell him so.
We've nobody on our list that will do that sort of stuff other than accidentally, we suffer attacks we do not inflict them.
I don't feel at all pessimistic about this game. In recent years we've seldom put two 'stinkers' in back-to-back. This'll be a real good test of character, especially considering all the troubling media attention (deserved) that we're experiencing of late.
I don't think we'll win. The external hate and speculation merry-go-round, players injured or underdone, interstate, 5 day turnaround. A win will be a bridge too far IMO.
My worry is, that we are simply bringing in new blood to up the enthusiasm, maybe give a sugar hit.
Thing is, this will only last a short period, and then that will wane.
One of the issues that I can see, is that this is looking like hard work, and not much fun right now, and whilst bringing in some youthful exuberance will give everyone a bit of a pep, its not going to result in a good turnaround.
This weekend is a soft target, honourable loss wont hurt. A big loss would be devastating, and then we have a win which will simply mask everything until next week.
Collingwood could be a coach killer next week.
Dropped kids instead of asking questions about the real problems, again.
The thing is the kids arent setting the world on fire. M. Carroll is ok, if you want someone who gets uncontested ball off half back. I thought Binns was alright, but clearly didnt do what he was expected to (which might have been to hold position out wide, rather than get sucked into contests).
Ultimately, I think Voss is trying to balance the number of debutants we have in the team, and when I say that, I dont just mean first year players, I mean guys like Cooper Lord, Corey Durdin, and Jesse Motlop. Its fine to play a few of them at once, but then adding Flynn Young, and Billy Wilson is a bit of a sink or swim demoralising thing for the rest of the team.
We complain about the load not being spread, and the game plan being no good, but you cant expect players to play in a team and have the appropriate cohesion with their teamates, when theyve played less than 50 games for the club.
I agree about Binns and, although he has some limitations, I am pleased to see Boyd selected; he doesn't take a backward step.
I read on BF (which means take it with a grain or ten of salt) that Binns tend to do his own thing instead of following instructions. Apparently, it has been a trait since his U19 days. It makes me wonder two things: why we recruited him, and if we are going to retain him. But it does explain why he gets dropped.
Boyd, on the other hand, tends to do what he is asked to do.
We have certainly got some harsh critics.
I think that Acres isn't playing his best footy but he is consistently among our top performing players. I guess he hasn't kicked a match winning goal in the dying minutes for a while now ::)
Is Cripps playing
We play in too many close games and it amplifies the clangers made by players, but unfortunately it's risk and reward in close games, and you need the risk to come off to get a result. Clangers in a close game are the worst kind.
If Crippa doesn't come up I'd like to see Cooper Lord given the gig.
HOF insurance for Weiters?
Congratulations to Jack on playing the Silvagnis' 679th V/AFL game tonight.
The Silvagnis will pass the Murphys' tally tonight and are closing in on the Kennedys' 695 game record. Of course, the Silvagnis are unique in that they are a one club family.
Let's hope Jack and his teammates mark the occasion in style!
Flynn Young the sub........ just not fair! Give a new kid a specific roll first up in his preferred position where he can succeed rather than a spare parts player who could end up filling a gap anywhere!!
Thats ok, we are playing 15 injured players so he should get subbed in soon enough.
Wouldn't surprise to see him earlier rather than later.
Reasoning for sub spot may centre around fitness levels.
They're probably still getting him up to speed with the demands of AFL level football
Give him a taste at this level and see how he goes.
When he comes on it won't matter who he replaces...He'll slot into a role that suits, most likely around half-forward/wing
Win just win. Thats all
I was pretty flat after last week's game, so I turned on the vfl game on the train on the way home.
Young for mine wasn't as good as the stat sheet showed and I thought he was a quiet achiever relative to some of the others so not shocked to see him sub.
Ollie warming in the centre with the mids, Wilson in releasing him from the backline by the look of it.