Crusader wrote:
FarmerBlue wrote:
I have been to 3 training sessions since New Year. Based on that and a few conversations I reckon Rd 1 will look a lot like this
B: Williams Young McGovern
HB: Cowan Weitering Saad
C: Acres Cripps O'Brien
HF: Martin McKay Fisher
F: Curnow TDK Motlop
Foll: Pittonet Hewett Docherty
Int: Cerra C.Durdin Newman Kennedy Silvagni
Hollands will be close but I think they will be patient
Interesting how they use Silvagni if they play two rucks
Boyd Walsh Cuningham Fogarty Honey Cottrell not considered
Marchbank & Carroll very unlucky
Sure, why not?
I mean, the two and a half rucks will be a short-lived experiment - and an unwashable stain on Vossy’s season if we get dummied between the arcs like last time… but yeah, in it to win it.
I'm guessing the 2.5 rucks are the selection of Pitto, TDK and SOS as the half.
I've been fortunate to have watched the 22 rounds over a 2 and 3 day period between visitors this January.
We looked surprisingly very good in the first 5 rounds before Pitto got injured in round 6: 4 wins, 1 loss.
Towards the end of the season I agreed with Voss decision to drop SOS and play with 2 bonafide rucks because I thought he was a tad slow defensively (in the F50 arc).
Having watched the 2022 season closely I have to change my viewpoint and say SOS was a valuable player most weeks, and apart from the Freo loss and the Brizzy loss I thought the rucks were not the reason we failed to win enough after round 17 (vs Crows). Our injuries from round 17 included: Kennedy, Walsh, Hewett, Cerra, Williams, Boyd and Newman. Injuries to our mids and small defenders cost us, and getting games into TDK were priceless.
I thought playing 1.5 rucks against McInerney was where we failed, but throwing Young in the ruck, to make up our 2.5 rucks was a revelation, but we were robbing our KPD to pay for our ruck.
I think you're being a bit tough suggesting the 2.5 rucks was the "unwashable stain on Vossy's season".
Pitto is the strongest ruck, TDK is developing and SOS is a lead up target. I have a feeling that may continue in 2023 given SOS form in the preseason playing the lead up role. I like 3 talls and 3 smalls in the forwardline. I guess that implies the rotation of the 2.5 should be the bench. Pity Pitto isnt a dangerous forward, and TDK is not a reliable kick for goal (Ditto SOS).
Maybe the Voss strategy is a good one, but the players haven't been performing at the level we expect for 4 quarters and 22 games. The question is will they all improve in 2023, and I'm curious what Voss and the MC do with the rucks, let alone what happens to TDK's contract.