Pre-Match. Round 21 - Magpies v. Demons.

[Prexm68]

[RudeBoy]

[LaurieHolden]

[Pies4shaw]

^ Macrae had 29 disposals, 8 clearances and 7 tackles. Callum Brown had a fine game - but didn't play as an inside mid. If they haven't given up on Macrae, this is the time to give him a chance. After Macrae, the next best senior-listed player's clearance tally was Thor's 5.

[Cam]

Yes, could be McCrae.

[lazzadesilva]

I could be wrong but I would have thought that Tyler Brown gets another senior game before McCrae 🙄

[Magpietothemax]

I think it would be a fantastic move to test out McCrae in the midfield as a replacement for Adams. It is a year since his last foray into the AFL, and his VFL form now warrants it. To my way of thinking, it is now or never for McCrae. Tyler and Callum Brown are much more "known quantities" than McCrae, and I feel that we need to find out what he is capable of at a senior level. If he can't get a kick against the Dees, then we know that we will have to fall back to Tyler and or Callum in the absence of Tay.
Point taken re Carmichael from P2016: Carmichael has achieved a total of 0 clearances in his 3 games, and is playing much more as a half forward than a midfielder. He is therefore not a real replacement for Tay Adams. With this statistic, it is pretty clear that you either play Carmichael as a half forward and relegate Bianco to the medi sub, or you leave Carmichael as the all flexible, goal kicking sub. At this stage, he is not playing the role of inside mid, and at this early point in his career is most likely not capable of such a role, given his lack of a preseason.

[Take_a_Screamer]

Scott Pendlebury joined Triple M Footy after another narrow win (against Port Adelaide). He discussed:
◉ Maggies hot streak & the run home
◉ Umpires treatment of young gun Jack Ginnivan
◉ Looking forward to finals in a few weeks time
◉ His first fine from the AFL
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lEY6cK2U4e4

[Magpietothemax]

^Thanks for link TaS. Fantastic interview with Pendles. His words re Jack Ginnivan should cut the AFL to the quick, if the AFL is actually a sentient being. He refers to several occasions when players on the field are bamboozled when the free kick to Ginnivan is not paid. He also declared that Ginnivan is not the only player in the AFL who knows how to shrug a tackle, yet Ginnivan is being umpired according to a different set of rules.
Great stand taken in defence of Ginni.

[lazzadesilva]

^^^^

I just wish Collingwood had the courage to confront the AFL about the Martians treating Ginnivan like he is a Rugby union player who hasn’t got a neck, like the Martians don’t have a brain 🤬 The umpires are a disgrace to their profession and it’s acts like this that will deter future umpires being seen as brainless idiots who don’t know what a bloody neck is 😡 Dumb as.

[slangman]

[The General]

I think some consideration has to be given to Will Kelly.

He hasn't been setting the world unfire in the VFL but there is a chance that Howe may miss this week. And we need to see what Kelly is capable of before we hit the finals.

If anything was to happen to Moore and he was to miss, we need a KPD to step in to handle the gorillas. And right now, the cupboard is bare. We are down to Madgen or Kelly. We already know that Madge brings to the table. We need to see what Kelly can do. He may very well take the bull by the horns and own the position. A bit like what Johnson has done.

If not now, when?

[Pebbles Rocks]

If Callum plays, I will start a new thread going into detail about how I have no idea.

[Piesnchess]

It looks like the Deeeeees are real warm favourites, many scribes saying, this is our first real test, this will find us out, can we handle the pressure, Melbourne are back to their best, etc, etc. Forgetting that we have beaten them 6-1 in our last seven matches, and pantsed them by 5 goals on QB. And forgetting, that two weeks ago, the Doggies took them to the cleaners, with ruthless, fast, aggressive play an tackling, our hallmark. Granted they had a good win over a lackluster Freo, who are tiring, but then again, we also beat the Dockers in Perth by six goals. So, there you go, in my view, the match is line ball, and is ours to lose, play as we have been, and we certainly can defeat the Toffs, no doubt.

[David]

It's our hardest game of the last three on paper, and that's saying something. Will be a real litmus test of where we're at – not just whether we win or lose, but how.