Pre-Match - The Big One: Collingwood v Hawthorn

[pietillidie]

[pietillidie]

delete double post

[HAL]

Can you please rephrase that with fewer ideas, or different thoughts? I've lost the context, pietillidie. Are we still on It's recognition that Rocca?

[noddy,]

[HAL]

I wish I played an instrument. My parents could not afford the lessons.

[noddy,]

[HAL]

Such an original name!

[noddy,]

sheesh. you can talk..

[pietillidie]

[Joel]

[duggieboy]

LOL. Very clever pietillidie!! (Way too clever for a response from Hal)

[stui magpie]

The more I think about this, the more I believe we need a big body that can take contested mark in the forward line.

From what I've read, the hawks play a 4 man forward line, pushing flankers back to wings ad wings to HB, so they "flood" the opposition forward line. MM has the choice of manning up those players, thereby congesting our forward line or leaving 2 loose men in defence same as the Haks and clogging the midfield. Either way it means the clearences are going to be hard work and under pressure and it will be difficult to create room to spot up a leading target, Someone who can take a contested grab when the balls just banged forward to a contest is gold in those situations.

If Rocca plays, grea. If he doesn't I believe going short in the forward line will get us killed becasue their loose men will cut off space. Reid is not the answer at this stage cos he appears to play more as a leading player.

I don't think we can play 3 ruckmen in the same game yet, so I'd drop stretch (although on form he's doing more than Bryan) and rotate Bryan and Josh between FF and Ruck. That's purely because Bryan is a better contested mark than Guy. If MM wants to take the gamble, play all three with Josh mainly at FF and Guy and Bryan rotating off the bench.

If we don't have a tall forward up there, he Hawks will be able to play Croad in the forward line.

[noddy,]

yeah. and don't forget that their best key defender is a little feller (campbell brown).

we know that fraser can play well up forward and having him and trav there would have them thinking hard about how they'll match up.

any goals that come from bryan would be a bonus. i wouldn't want to be relying on him to kick goals.

hopefully it's all a moot point and sanity prevails with rocca.

[uuuuu..... The LoneSTAR]

I don't think i've seen Hawthorn play this year - not once! But gee after Saturday night i'm sure we'll look good on paper

[collingwoodjoe]

Rocca is out for two weeks, so he won't be that contested mark in the forward line your looking for.

Bryan has played 1 and a bit quarters as a full forward for us and while the tactic has worked, it is just that, a tactic, he is not a stay at home, contested making FF and a Croad for example would pants him.
Fraser is also not a great contested mark, although he is a good forward option, although not in this case.

Also playing one ruckman and a wrestling full forward in rotation is going to tire Fraser and Bryan out and a big part of what we need to do to win (against most teams, not just the Hawks) is run the opposition rucks off their feet, and, especialy against the Hawks we need our rucks to be able to drop back and fill space in their attack to clog the leading from Franklin, Roughead and Boyle.

Davis, Cloke and Thomas are all pretty good arialists, and Swan, Lockyer and Co can dob a few running in from the centre, you cant really flood off a fast break so you will always need players who can break fast for the lead and goal and that is what Reid and Medhurst can both do for us.

The thing is we have to back our own gameplan and back our own kids to win this one. Our victory over the Swans was a great example of what can happen when we do, Reid is the logical replacement for Rocca, and Medhurst provides another avenue to goal, apart from them leave the side as it is!

(unless we bring in Brown as well, but that is unlikely I guess)

GO PIES!