Pre Match. Pies v. Port. All comments please.

[swoop42]

Port will present a lot of the same challenges as Essendon did with their desire to move the ball with speed.

With Hurley and Hooker you feel Essendon shade them for talent in the key defensive positions but no Cox means we mightn't be able to exploit that now.

Gray missing certainly helps us and while a Ryder or Westhoff will be a threat they shouldn't be as much a concern as Daniher and Stringer and Port will be relying on it's small forwards to impact the game if they're to win.

Not sure if the smaller dimensions of Marvel will help us lock down on the Port run more easily or the pristine conditions under the roof will only aid their desire for fast footy.

[glasseyevfx]

would a taller side have more advantage on a smaller ground or vise versa?
Speed more important than endurance?

[RudeBoy]

Aish missing again is a real worry, as he has a history of concussions. Each one seems to take longer to recover from, and we've all seen what happened to Liam Picken and the poor prognosis for Paddy Mcartin. I hope he returns soon and is OK, but it's got to be a worry.

[Raw Hammer]

Port have some big marking defenders so we need tone smart with our fur ward entries.

[Rd10.1998_11.1#36]

As noted, Buckley said Reid in for Cox. Elliot also in but I didn’t see for who?

“Buckley said defender James Aish, who has battled concussion symptoms over the past fortnight, would miss another week.

Injury-plagued veteran Daniel Wells is yet to convince Buckley he's ready to return at AFL level after stringing together three VFL games”

[What'sinaname]

Oh joy, we'll get to watch Reid play for about 45 minutes before breaking down again.

[Magpietothemax]

Happy to see Reid in, to play Cox's role, except he won't back up the ruck. Roughead to support Grundy, and if necessary Mihocek down back to cover for Roughie. Reid will therefore remain in F50, which will be interesting, given the presence of both Jamie and WHE as well. Checkers, with his brilliant mobility will be freed up to roam more at will. Our F50 will have marking power, flexibility, and a raft of deadly small forwards.
I am wondering about Wills...should he come in to address our apparent lack of power in smashing the ball out of the centre clearances to advantage. He would be there simply to bulldoze his way through in the centre bounces, if selected.
I am unsure between two scenarios A and B:
A: In: Reid and Elliot
Out: Cox (inj), Levi (unlucky)
OR:
B: In: Reid, Elliot, Wills
Out: Cox (inj), Levi (unlucky), Brown (unlucky)
Probably Scenario A, since B involves several changes, which always creates disequilibrium.

[3rd degree]

I think Elliot for JT a better swap we need Levi for the niggle against Port they like a bit of carry on.

[Rd10.1998_11.1#36]

[glasseyevfx]

[glasseyevfx]

As for people who want to drop Varcoe - I think your mad. His tap work is absolutely amazing and warrants a stat as its taking a disputed ball and handing it over to us. Its worth a half dozen uncontested kicks across the backline all day long.

[Pies4shaw]

I'd like to be optimistic but I don't see how we win this game without Cox - not because he's a great player but because his role seems to be critical to the way we set up going forward. Even with Cox in the team, I would have been very concerned because the match is at a stadium where we do not play our best football. I know we've won our last 6 in a row there but we have been lucky enough to play teams there that were travelling fairly poorly (last year, Brisbane, Footscray and St Kilda; in 2017, North, West Coast and St Kilda), so I'm not comforted by that apparent "streak".

I don't really care that we don't star at Docklands, in the bigger scheme of things, because the Grand Final will never be held there and the dimensions of the ground are stupid - but it presents a significant obstacle in the games that we do play there.

[Boogie Knights]

While Wills has tantalised with his size and penchant for tackling, with a full compliment of small(er) forwards on board, JDG is the bull that will be freed to spend more time in the middle. If it's a choice between those 2, then it really isn't a choice...

JDG has been spending increasing time in second halves in the middle which appears to be a strategy to take advantage of his explosiveness and strength against tiring opposition... I think it previews what will happen with a fully fit forward group to pick from.

[K]

^ Well JdG is not fully fit yet, so he cannot spend a full game in the middle.

[eureka]

this is where sier will come in handy