cj69 wrote:
This is a side to beat Collingwood and gain confidence for the future.
FB: Browne Jamison Austin
HB: Anderson Bower
RussellC: Joseph Gibbs Armfield
HF: Yarran Kruezer Robinson
FF: Betts Fevola Waite
RR: Hampson Judd Murphy
Int: Hadley Scotland Thornton Stevens
Emerg:
Grigg Bannister Garlett
This side will be suited to the MCG and doesn't need to be tall against Collingwood.
Defensively strong and has genuine goalkicking options. Stevens to play in bursts when heat out of game.
Lots of options through the midfield and not to tall (which has been a problem) in defence giving us run.
Guys like Armfield, Joseph, Anderson, Browne to run the lines and take the game on!

I have mixed feelings about this side ..............
They are going to be going in with a WEAKENED (not dead) forward line (Dawes and Reid are reportedly doing well in the VFL and Anthony will be coming back). That said the Docker's and Essendon* both had weak or out of form forward lines leading up to our games ........... Show them too little respect (like we did the Dockers last week) and we will lose ..........
I can't see a team with Grigg as an emergency and Russel in it. Grigg has A LOT more strings to his bow, and would have him in the side over Russel in a heart beat !!!!!!!!!
Wiggins troubles me ............ Looks important for our "structure" but has gone missing since having a good start to the season, and can't kick for goal to save his life. That said, his role is to take marks and link up going into the forward line, and to take a whole 2 UM against Freo .......... He needs to go back to the VFL ...........
I also don't think Houlihan should have been dropped when he was ........... He is talked up as a soft, unaccountable player but I think he has been harshly judged. I can remember him going at quite hard a number of times and having to do a double take when I realised it was Hoops. He is averaging 3.5 tackles from his 6 games which is pretty good compared to some of the other players in the side (Armfield (2.2), Russel (3), Wiggins (4.1), Joseph (2.6), Gibbs (3.9), Murphy (3.9)). I am not saying he is up to the standards of a Gibbs or Murphy, but to rule his as soft is pretty harsh. He also give us a bit of class with the delivery into the forward 50 (something lacking on the weekend) and can kick a goal himself.
So my team would look like
FB: Armfield Jamison Thornton
HB:
Anderson/Browne Bower
GriggC: Joseph Gibbs
Houlihan HF: Betts Waite Robinson
FF: Yarran Fevola Kruezer
RR: Hampson Judd Murphy
Int: Hadley Scotland Austin Stevens
Emerg: Bannister Garlett
RussellI like Armfield in the backline and think we need to get it settled !!!!!!!!!!! Thornton still starts as the 3rd tall defender but Austin covers him (and the rest of the backline) Grigg to come in for Russel (who is unlucky to be dropped !!!!!) and one of Anderson or Browne to come in (don't know about their respective form enough to make the call which one to include) (I could see that being our backline in the future .............). Collingwoods ruck division is weak at the best of times, so Hampson should be thrown the challenge to ruck the majority of the game and Kreuzer played as a 3rd tall/link up player (ala a Wiggins role except with skill). If Kreuzer needs to ruck while Hampson is on the bench then Austin comes forward. If Waite is in the forward line then play him at CHF. If the defence is getting pumped then move Waite up back and bring Austin into the forward line.