Round 7: Adelaide v Western Bulldogs

[Gingernuts]

Big game this weekend and a tough month ahead (Bulldogs, Brisbane @ Gabba, Hawthorn, Carlton). Looking at the fixture if we are 5-5 at round 10 it will be a good effort and give us a chance at finals football.

Symes, Maric & Knights all pushing for selection with massive games in the SANFL on the weekend.

How can we get a win this week??

[hawks21]

Yeah will be interesting at the selection table this week. Personally i would like to see Moran (or Maric) come in and play Tippett at FF the whole game. Also to stretch there backline for height.

For me Knights has to come back in, vital with his run and ability to break the lines.

From memory we have a pretty good record against the Bulldogs and am glad we are playing them while they are struggling for a bit of form and its not Brad Johnsons 300th!!

[Thiele]

Out Griifen, Cook

In Knights Shirley Moran Maric Symes

[Thiele]

ADELAIDE v WESTERN BULLDOGS
Adelaide
B: Graham Johncock, Ben Rutten, Andrew Otten
HB: Simon Goodwin, Scott Stevens, Andrew McLeod
C: Michael Doughty, Scott Thompson, David Mackay
HF: Brent Reilly, Taylor Walker, Nathan van Berlo
F: Jason Porplyzia, Kurt Tippett, Richard Douglas
Foll: Brad Moran, Bernie Vince, Tyson Edwards
I/C (from): Robert Shirley, Brad Symes, Ivan Maric, Chris Knights, Patrick Dangerfield, Jared Petrenko, Nathan Bock

In: Knights, Maric, Moran, Shirley, Symes
Out: Myke Cook, Jonathon Griffin

Western Bulldogs
B: Jarrod Harbrow, Brian Lake, Dale Morris
HB: Lindsay Gilbee, Tom Williams, Ryan Hargrave
C: Josh Hill, Ryan Griffen, Daniel Cross
HF: Robert Murphy, Mitch Hahn, Brad Johnson
F: Jason Akermanis, Will Minson, Shaun Higgins
Foll: Ben Hudson, Matthew Boyd, Adam Cooney
I/C (from): Dylan Addison, Callan Ward, Nathan Eagleton, Andrejs Everitt, Daniel Giansiracusa, Liam Picken, Scott Welsh

In: Ward, Welsh, Williams
Out: -

[FD88]

You'd think that it's Shirley, Symes and Maric to miss, with the Croat in should Bock not pull up. Moran is an interesting one - can take a contested mark and yet will collapse pathetically in even a half-decent tackle at times. He brings some flexibility in our key position matchups though.

[Rik E Boy]

Big game this weekend and a tough month ahead (Bulldogs, Brisbane @ Gabba, Hawthorn, Carlton). Looking at the fixture if we are 5-5 at round 10 it will be a good effort and give us a chance at finals football.

Symes, Maric & Knights all pushing for selection with massive games in the SANFL on the weekend.

How can we get a win this week??

5-5?



TELL IM HE'S DREAMING!

regards,

REB

[silicone skyline]

Moran is a definite IN.

[Sorry Dude]

bock in doubt with an undisclosed injury.

[NFC]

Time for Stevens to find some form, he's been terrible ever since the concussion and really, he's having a season from hell.

I don't think Bock would be a massive loss against the Dogs so I'm kinda hoping he drops out and Maric plays, so he can have a strong game and cement his spot. I don't rate Moran, so we'll see.

Knights is a big in, should have played last week but great to have him back.

Crows by 20 points.

[Gingernuts]

Big game this weekend and a tough month ahead (Bulldogs, Brisbane @ Gabba, Hawthorn, Carlton). Looking at the fixture if we are 5-5 at round 10 it will be a good effort and give us a chance at finals football.

Symes, Maric & Knights all pushing for selection with massive games in the SANFL on the weekend.

How can we get a win this week??

5-5?



TELL IM HE'S DREAMING!

regards,

REB

Yes REB, I am dreaming, that's why I said 5-5 would be a 'good result' .

Reality says we're probably staring down the barrel of 3-8. So reality sucks dude, why not just let a man dream for once!

[finn]

Moran is a definite IN.

i do believe moran is more of a natural forward/ruckman than defender
would like to see him work up forward as one key position, tippett as the other and walker roaming, porplyzia, petrenko and one of edwards/goodwin/burton. keep either maric or griffin in the ruck with stevens playing down back. yeah, initial results may be painful but long term should be fine.

then again i'm not an afl coach.

[Footy Smart]

Time for Stevens to find some form, he's been terrible ever since the concussion and really, he's having a season from hell.

I don't think Bock would be a massive loss against the Dogs so I'm kinda hoping he drops out and Maric plays, so he can have a strong game and cement his spot. I don't rate Moran, so we'll see.

Knights is a big in, should have played last week but great to have him back.

Crows by 20 points.

Are you serious??? he is aour run out fo defence.... he leads the comp in running bounces i believe... he would be a massive loss!!!!!

[silicone skyline]

bock in doubt with an undisclosed injury.

Hamstring I believe

[NFC]

Time for Stevens to find some form, he's been terrible ever since the concussion and really, he's having a season from hell.

I don't think Bock would be a massive loss against the Dogs so I'm kinda hoping he drops out and Maric plays, so he can have a strong game and cement his spot. I don't rate Moran, so we'll see.

Knights is a big in, should have played last week but great to have him back.

Crows by 20 points.

Are you serious??? he is aour run out fo defence.... he leads the comp in running bounces i believe... he would be a massive loss!!!!!

He will still be a loss, but it is lessened against the Dogs. Not a lot of tall forwards, will give Stevens the chance to gain some form in defence and Maric to get another shot.

[Thiele]

Final Sides

ADELAIDE v WESTERN BULLDOGS
Adelaide
B: Graham Johncock, Ben Rutten, Andrew Otten
HB: Simon Goodwin, Scott Stevens, Andrew McLeod
C: Michael Doughty, Scott Thompson, David Mackay
HF: Brent Reilly, Taylor Walker, Nathan van Berlo
F: Jason Porplyzia, Kurt Tippett, Richard Douglas
Foll: Brad Moran, Bernie Vince, Tyson Edwards
I/C: Brad Symes, Chris Knights, Patrick Dangerfield, Jared Petrenko
Emg: Jarrhan Jacky, Robert Shirley, Ivan Maric

In: Knights, Moran, Symes
Out: Myke Cook, Jonathon Griffin, Nathan Bock (hamstring)

Western Bulldogs
B: Jarrod Harbrow, Brian Lake, Dale Morris
HB: Lindsay Gilbee, Tom Williams, Ryan Hargrave
C: Josh Hill, Ryan Griffen, Daniel Cross
HF: Robert Murphy, Mitch Hahn, Brad Johnson
F: Jason Akermanis, Will Minson, Shaun Higgins
Foll: Ben Hudson, Matthew Boyd, Adam Cooney
I/C: Nathan Eagleton, Andrejs Everitt, Daniel Giansiracusa, Liam Picken
Emg: Scott Welsh, Dylan Addison, Callan Ward

In: Williams
Out: Dylan Addison

[lincolnsdirtysecrets]

as soon as we get rid of that fool of a coach the better. we were made look silly. why so many behind the ball?

[Bulldogs007]

Why the Fuc_ does Neil Craig and his stupid assistants consist on this handball game. It would be a great game plan if the Crows where a smart team, but obviously the Crows don't quite know what to do. If you are going to handball whilst running forward you dont run together having 4 players within 3 metres of one another, give your self some space. All you have to do is look at Geelong you dont see them holding each others hand running threw the grounds. they giv themselves space. It is about time Ben Rutten goes the game is to fast for him now, was a great player now just looks silly out there, players run circles around him. Oh and Neil Craig can go with him.

Two promising things from the game today, Taylor Walker apsolute gun. lets hope the Crows will be able to keep him and all the other young guns.

And well done to the Crows they didn't just chip back into defending 50 all day about fuc_ing time.

[FD88]

Why the Fuc_ does Neil Craig and his stupid assistants consist on this handball game. It would be a great game plan if the Crows where a smart team, but obviously the Crows don't quite know what to do. If you are going to handball whilst running forward you dont run together having 4 players within 3 metres of one another, give your self some space. All you have to do is look at Geelong you dont see them holding each others hand running threw the grounds. they giv themselves space. It is about time Ben Rutten goes the game is to fast for him now, was a great player now just looks silly out there, players run circles around him. Oh and Neil Craig can go with him.

Two promising things from the game today, Taylor Walker apsolute gun. lets hope the Crows will be able to keep him and all the other young guns.

And well done to the Crows they didn't just chip back into defending 50 all day about fuc_ing time.

It is opinions and posts like this that infuriate the **** out of me. Did you watch the game mate? Did you?! We had ample opportunity to punish the Bulldogs today and our skill execution in patches cost us dearly. Handballs either missing targets or being dished out at awkward heights, forcing our players to have to sit and wait or collect on the half-volley; this allows the opposition to get at you and force turnovers. Our delivery into the forward line is inconsistent - our forwards create space and we don't kick to their advantage. Multiple times today Stevens, Walker and co. would baulk backwards, create a pocket of space goalside and the kick inside 50 would fall short, making the defender's job a piece of cake. Even worse is our inability to consistently kick adequately to a lead. Again, Walker, Stevens and co. would regularly get out on leads and instead of hitting their chests lace out we'd kick over their heads, or put too much hangtime on the footy forcing them to stop, prop and get picked off by the defense (which has more time to get back to a footy that hangs in the air for ages).

The promising thing today was that for patches we were able to execute and produce some sparkling footy, it's just not happening over the course of an entire game. Both inexperience and the waning of our senior players (Mcleod especially) are major contributing factors to this. At least with them struggling -now- we start to learn to play without so much of their influence before they've actually retired; the same deal as when Ricciuto fell off the scene in late 2006 and his final year in 2007. This means that by the time they do say goodbye, we won't experience a sharp decline in performance as we would if they were in top flight all the way through to the end.

There are some supremely talented footballers in this team now; Taylor Walker is special, averaging just a fraction under 2 goals a game in his first AFL season, in a side that doesn't deliver overly well to its forwards, and for much of the season so far spending large portions of games on the pine, it's an outstanding effort. Take a look at the first year stats of some of the great key forwards going around today, he's tracking very well against them. Great signs.

Mackay is smooth and yes, he's making some skill errors as he starts to spend more time on ground and become exposed to more of the heat of AFL football but his basic skill base is excellent, the kicking technique very sound. His poise is exceptional and he's nippy around the packs. Another with a big future.

I could go on but there's no need, the list has got the makings of a strong, exciting outfit in the coming years, the sad fact is we're going to have to cope with some tough games of footy as the foundation continues to build. The gameplan (which despite all the bleating is tactically quite sound if you plot it out on paper vs. opposition gameplans; it's not a total clone of the Hawthorn zone but a clever variation that with fluent, sound execution will produce high scores; we just ain't executing yet!) will see minor tweaks along the way and we'll say goodbye to some favourite sons. The quality will be sorted from the dime-a-dozen trade bait (as we're seeing...not naming names), but at the end of it the club is giving itself the best chance to become a flag threat again.

We all thought we were little to no chance of a flag this year, and expected another couple of years at least before that changed, yet now we're shocked that we are losing? It's so easy to bag a team on the basis of "we're not winning, so the gameplan must be wrong" when it just isn't that simple. Stick with them; if we can't all see the light at the end of the tunnel in 12 months' time, then it's time to start asking questions.

[lincolnsdirtysecrets]

if we can't all see the light at the end of the tunnel in 12 months' time, then it's time to start asking questions.

Why not ask the question now. we need a clean out. senior players and coach to go. we have not gone anywhere in 5 years and Craig does not have the answers. Sack him FFS

[FD88]

if we can't all see the light at the end of the tunnel in 12 months' time, then it's time to start asking questions.

Why not ask the question now. we need a clean out. senior players and coach to go. we have not gone anywhere in 5 years and Craig does not have the answers. Sack him FFS

Ridiculous. In 2005-06 we had a mature group with Roo, Goody, Macca and Edwards still young enough to play some top-notch footy and we had two serious tilts at the flag; we didn't grab one but that's footy. Geelong went 44 years without any luck FFS. It happens. Even in 2007 there was a feeling that if we could get our best kit together, we had a last-gasp crack at glory; the injuries didn't let up and we were edged out in the dying seconds by Hawthorn.

2008 was the first serious move towards building the next generation Adelaide side; with the support of the senior players who were still up enough to keep us somewhat competitive. 2009 has seen the next wave of kids come through - Walker, Dangerfield, Petrenko, Cook, Otten and no doubt a few more in with real shots at game time as the season wears on. The senior players that have for so long been the heart and soul of the club are not having anything like the impact they used to, and we're paying the price for that. We're at the lowest point of the rebuild right now, where we can't guarantee anything; how high our next peak will be, or whether we are on the right track. It's the same with any club that hits this stage; it brings in the kids, works on a gameplan and hopes that the promise can be delivered on which would = a flag. This is why clubs can go several decades without premiership success, because when all is said and done it's a speculative business, nothing is certain, and that doesn't look like changing.

You can't reasonably condemn us when we're at the lowest ebb of a changing of the guard process. Calls for tweaking yes, but calling for the coach's head, totally new gameplan etc etc, these are ridiculous calls to make at such a formative stage.