Getting smaller Finals 2020

[Dyer'ere]

The gods have ordained it. Soldo is out. Lynch is out. Lynch will come back. (Thank you, Lords of the past.)

When the gods ordain good luck we call it a godsend. Noah Balta looks a lot like that. (Somebody was out.)

Months ago the gods took Dion Prestia. Shai was accelerated. But a youngster, he is now getting deserved attention. And is not yet a Prestia. Something of a godsend.

With Prestia out (Chimp out and Dusty one-out) we get some very low numbers at stoppage, clearance and score from.

And with Soldo out we'll get less ball to good grass and will need to find new ways to generate CB scores. Nank will get clearances soon. Not Hit2s. He may concede from CB. He'll do fine around the ground.

The Soldo thing is new. Bad. But we saw our stoppage weakness post Prestia and changed our defence for more attack. (The numbers we produce are mindblowing.)

Our back six (seven) is full of hurt. Even Grimes is getting on the gallop as a matter of policy. (And he's the negative one.) We got smaller. More about run, line-breaking and incisive use. And less about spoils and down the line exits. (Of course, we can get back.)

Balta, Grimes, Vlastuin, Houli, Baker, Short, Markov. (Smalls get 80% TOG.) It looked like an experiment until it worked. Backline smaller. (More about ground ball.)

Having got smaller in the backline to good effect, do we get smaller forward? And in the midfield by shedding a ruck?

How can we ordain that our bad luck is a godsend?

 

[Smoking Aces]

We are doing the reverse 2017. Small backline.

Question is how does Astbury slot into that philosophy?

 

[TOT70]

The return of Edwards and, hopefully, Prestia will address the low clearance numbers.

As a rule, I don’t mind injuries that keep players out for a while because of the opportunities it creates. No Soldo next year means one of Chol or CCJ will fast-track in 2021.

It also means Nank is going nowhere, which is also a good thing. Don’t be surprised if the Nank-Soldo combination dominates clearances for many years to come.

 

[year of the tiger]

Agree our defence is our strength and looks stronger now than previously, does that mean having Balta play instead of Astbury is the reason. Markov has replaced Broad and does he stay in the team given he adds to our speed and strengthens our strength even further? - question is how many defensive marks does Soldo normally take because his injury will weaken our midfield further but will it impact on our defence. Big rucks stand out in the dying stages of close big (finals) games so this is where Soldo loss will hurt.

Astbury is class but is his injury a blessing in disguise and does Soldo‘s injury complicate this further.

If we want to maintain current structure then does Chol come in but he is more a ruck forward and I am not sure how he goes in defence where we may need another tall at times.

Selwood and Ablett back will mean Geelong should get more forward looks so our clearance work needs to improve - does Edwards and Prestia balance that out.

So for our first finals game some thoughts

Caddy is a finals player - is their space
Higgins - misses the cut this year
Astbury - does he miss on structure
Broad - can Broad pinch hit in the ruck
Chol - can he stand up across 3 or 4 final games
Rioli and Castagna - with Prestia and Edwards to return and Soldo injured can’t see the selectors making any more than 3 changes so safe you would have thought.

Aarts and Ross come out for Prestia and Edwards - that’s a given
Broad or Chol for Soldo - do we go with the 2017 or 2019 tiger model

This is all assuming Lynch recovers

 

[Rancey18]

Good thread. I am fascinated to see what we do regarding Astbury this week/for the finals.

 

[tigertim]

Good thread. I am fascinated to see what we do regarding Astbury this week/for the finals.

Yeah, me too.

1: Does he play down back and we have a very tall backline?

2: Does he play down back and Balta get moved out elsewhere?

3: Does he play up forward?

4: Does he miss out completely with Chol and Edwards as the 2 “ins”?

 

[Baloo]

Dave back in the squad would have us covering any team's tall timber combo. It would give the other 4(5) smalls the option to run forward earlier to receive

 

[angle ankle]

The gods have ordained it. Soldo is out. Lynch is out. Lynch will come back. (Thank you, Lords of the past.)

When the gods ordain good luck we call it a godsend. Noah Balta looks a lot like that. (Somebody was out.)

Months ago the gods took Dion Prestia. Shai was accelerated. But a youngster, he is now getting deserved attention. And is not yet a Prestia. Something of a godsend.

With Prestia out (Chimp out and Dusty one-out) we get some very low numbers at stoppage, clearance and score from.

And with Soldo out we'll get less ball to good grass and will need to find new ways to generate CB scores. Nank will get clearances soon. Not Hit2s. He may concede from CB. He'll do fine around the ground.

The Soldo thing is new. Bad. But we saw our stoppage weakness post Prestia and changed our defence for more attack. (The numbers we produce are mindblowing.)

Our back six (seven) is full of hurt. Even Grimes is getting on the gallop as a matter of policy. (And he's the negative one.) We got smaller. More about run, line-breaking and incisive use. And less about spoils and down the line exits. (Of course, we can get back.)

Balta, Grimes, Vlastuin, Houli, Baker, Short, Markov. (Smalls get 80% TOG.) It looked like an experiment until it worked. Backline smaller. (More about ground ball.)

Having got smaller in the backline to good effect, do we get smaller forward? And in the midfield by shedding a ruck?

How can we ordain that our bad luck is a godsend?

Like it a lot...
.back 7 locked
.centre line locked
.forward smalls locked george lambert edwards rioli (finally stepped up & locked)
.broad (enjoys an air contest) & chol (5 confident scratch goals) share tall forward 2nd ruck role
.aarts v ross ( also stepped up) remaining spot....probably aarts small forward relief.
.unrelenting pace, hardness & skill...new age combo.
.frightening match ups for opposition...its why we dominate finals.

 

[TOT70]

This week: Chol replaces Soldo and plays back up ruck and tall forward. Astbury replaces Lynch and plays full forward/CHF swapping with Jack. Most likely Jack takes Lynch's role closer to goal and Astbury plays further out. This gives us the option to swing Astbury back to full back and swap him with Balta if the need arises.

When Lynch comes back: In Lynch out Chol. Astbury back to defence and Balta/ Lynch to share second ruck duties as required.

Chol stays in the team if he can kick a bag of goals up forward. He gets one, maybe two games to show if he really wants this.

Seems simple enough to me. Oh, and Edwards in for Ross. Caddy cools his heels for another week. He should be frothing at the mouth by the time he gets back in.

 

[Number8]

Adelaide currently plays three talls -- Walker, Himmelberg and Fogerty.

Reckon we'll find a way to include Astbury this week, if only to see how the taller combination works.

Could also mean Chol doesn't play, with Balta giving Nankervis the ruck chop-out.

O'Brien is a great ruck but Himmelberg only a so-so support to him.

 

[MD Jazz]

There is no way Astbury comes back and plays forward. Crazy talk. Chol the obvious replacement.

Chol will play mostly forward with a little ruck relief. Nank can shoulder a lot of the load, he prefers being No.1 banana.

 

[DavidSSS]

Astbury is a defender, and he improves our backline. Must play in defence.

Balta been trained as a defender. Ruck only in defence.

Chol to replace Soldo, Nank No1 ruck.

Astbury in, no idea who is out, geez this is hard. Can we have Markov on the bench and someone else loses their place on the bench?

Shedda in, either Ross or Aarts very unlucky, both probably unlucky when Prestia is back.

When Lynch is back?

Difficult to fit all the good players in.

DS

 

[eZyT]

I think ivans knee and ccjs kebab brawl klub

Is a godsend

Cause all the uncertainty; of noldo, choldo, mabior rhyce-jones, ivan pendlebury, CCJank ..... all those combination, we can release from our minds.

Its a mental de-frag at the perfect time, allowing our brains to perform at their most analyticals for the serious part of this B2B push.

Its Chank,

IRegardless of your persuasion.

Well cross the bridge of luring caleb daniel to tiger miniland in november

 

[AngryAnt]

ok

 

[AstuteTiger]

We are doing the reverse 2017. Small backline.

Question is how does Astbury slot into that philosophy?

Could be horses for courses with Dave, like if we played west coast with Kennedy, Darling, and Allen
We have so much run with our smaller blokes in Houli, Short, Markov, and Baker.
Even Balta and Grimes are also very quick.