Thanks for analysis.Pies2016 wrote:Can’t overstate how big the Merrett loss is to them. He had just come off a BOG, so his suspension more than balances out any Adams penalty ( if that happens )
They also have their own injury concerns with Jones and Zerk - Thatcher also. ( both talls ) Unfortunately the long range forecast is for good weather on the day, so it would appear both Draper and Phillips will loom large as scoring options for them.
Best way to beat them is to simply control the ball for longer periods and that’s where the Merrett out really hurts them.
Reckon we’re in this more than some might think.
Yes, Draper and Phillips loom large. That is why I think we need to select Kreuger, not for the ruck but as a tall forward, so that Ash J and Billy F can provide consistent contests in the ruck and hopefully around the ground. We must take optimism from Billy F's performance last week in the ruck.
Our pressure against St Kilda was elite for 99% of the game, so we will need to reproduce this. The loss of Murphy is in my mind the greatest of our losses, as his ferocity at the contest, marking prowess and intercept marks contributed greatly to this pressure. However, given that the loss of Adams is compensated by their loss of Merrett, and McStay did not make a tangible contribution over the game due to his early injury, there is no reason to believe that we cannot replicate the same kind of pressure and superiority in contested ball. I agree, we are not out of this. We have many elite players across all lines. JDG returning will be important
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