Well, here it is, boys and girls. The final round of the 2019 home and away season. It seems like only yesterday that we were bouncing the ball for the first time in anger for the year. Where does that time go?
This week, we line up against the team that we narrowly beat on ANZAC Day and whom e could quite realistically face again in a fortnight, the wounded but still finals bound Essendon Football Club. For us, the equation is simple: win and we can still get into the Top 4, with the double-chance in our pocket. Lose, and we have to fight our way through September via the long road of sudden-death.
The teams:
Tip: Collingwood by 40 points.
Over to you…
I wouldn’t be trading Scharenberg, PP unless there was a crystal clear benefit attached.
Trading Scharenberg and retaining. Mayne, Thomas and Greenwood is ludicrous,
Having said that, unless you are in the inner sanctum of the salary cap, draft picks and trades over the next two years (eg If he had to go as part of getting Whitfield), it’s hard to say.
And he may have put his hand up to go back to SA.
It’s seems a shame that when player and club have been through such an agonising journey and he is just getting back on his feet, that it may end now.
I think he has had the rough end of the stick, often playing without tall support and having to try and play on a mismatch
I do agree however that we do not want to go in too tall or too slow against Geelongs smaller forwards on a greasy night.
Which made Varcoes omission all the more puzzling.
I would have preferred Thomas to be dropped and Varcoe to play forward in Thomas’ place – at least initially – but have him there as redundancy if he is required to back onto Narkle, Dahlhaus or Grien-Myers.
Essendon have the most selfish players in the AFL – Sheil, Stringer, Saad, Fantasia all try to do everything themselves – and are they poorly coached.
Despite that they had enough chances early to make it interesting bit – apart from McGrath – are going nowhere. The WCE had it all their own way but won’t get that next week, regardless of who they play
Although I was initially surprised by Scharenberg being dropped I suspect the concern is his lack of pace. Geelong have a number of quick/agile forwards like Dalhous, Rohan and Ablett and Shaz would be exposed. As for the Langdon comparison, yes Shaz is a better decision maker and has superior disposal but he is nowhere near as strong one on one and, although similar paced, is not as agile when the ball hits the deck. We can only hope Noble is not overawed by the occasion.
Varcoe unlucky but Brown would have been equally unlucky had he been dropped and I think the conditions may suit him a little better.
By the way you can’t have it both ways NMU with the “seeya Shaz” comment. If he is traded for reasonable currency I see no issue with it. If we traded in a player who had done 3 knees you would be screaming about our stupid recruitment policies. So if we pass one on to another club you should be cheering. Shaz has been unlucky but on the evidence to date of similar players we should keep Langdon.
Essendon doing everything they can to make them look good though, RS.
Its half time in Perth and you would like to have your cash on the Eagles. They seem to be a lot better than they have been most of the times I have seen them this year – the finals brings out the best in some of their players. Not sure how they got toweled up by the Hawks last week. Whoever plays them next week will not be looking forward to it – they will probably go in as favorites even though the match will be played in Melb.
Roughead Moore and Elliott are the significant changes RS – if we had them last year we would be Premiers.
The rest is vanilla – Brown isn’t any better than Varcoe, Wills isn’t better than Sier (the way he was playing last year) and Noble isn’t better than anyone – he should not have been selected.
Scharenberg is no poor mans Langdon – his decision making and disposal are far superior to Langdon but Langdon plays bigger in defence and is a better congested mark. Not much difference there.
Cox is the obvious absence and key difference between last year and even R1 but the bottom line is we aren’t playing last years grand final again.
We are up against a different side this week, with different strengths and weaknesses and – statistically speaking – they have the wood on us this year and in our last three encounters. (although comparative stats at the MCG alone, rather than season averages are probably more relevant).
But as I said a few posts ago, we have almost never played this line up together (even taking Noble out of the equation) so anything could happen.
I still think we go in as the underdog and all the pressure is on them, especially Scott. Bucks and our players know we can come back from a qualifying loss and still make it to the GF.
If they lose at the G and then have to face the Eagles there next week in a semi, they will be shitting bricks.
The team is in and as speculated Scharenberg has been dropped with Madgen and Varcoe with DeGoey, Stephenson and Sidebottom returning. Moore remains in the team as does Noble, Thomas and Wills. I always thought that Brown would make the final 22 as he has played nearly every game this year and they have kept picking him when others like Daicos, Varcoe and Thomas have been dropped to the VFL at different times. It is hard to get a read on Scharenberg – is he basically a poor mans Langdon or is he capable of reproducing his junior form now that he has had 3 knee reconstructions. It would appear that the selectors have not been convinced with his form since coming back this year as this is the second time he has been dropped and the side is already missing similar players such as Langdon and Quaynor through injury and have Murphy and possibly Appleby coming through.
I would have still picked Scharenberg because if the Cats midfield starts getting on top the only option would be to move Greenwood into a tagging role and that leaves us a bit light down back with Noble the only player on the bench who can play back. It could be that they can throw Mayne back if things get out of hand but there really is not much else. I actually think that Noble has shown a bit in his few games this year – at least he has pace and can kick the ball efficiently – so I am not critical of his selection. Whether he can play a defensive role in the cauldron of a final at this stage of his career is debatable but it would appear that is what is expected of him. For me it would have been Scharenberg for Wills or Thomas and Greenwood being given a tagging role on Dangerfield or Kelly (Selwood appears to spend most of his time on the wing these days).
It will be interesting to see who the Pies line up in the reserves match against the Cats on Friday evening. Maybe Wells, Aish, Sier and even Reid can push for senior selection.
From last years GF 22 we have lost Goldsack, Langdon, Cox, Aish, Varcoe and Sier and have included Roughhead, Moore, Elliot, Noble, Brown and Wills. A stronger team?
That selection probably puts the nail in the coffin of The Berg remaining at Collingwood. Will no doubt head to the Crows or Port now. Going to reflect badly on the club if Langdon struggles with his knee going foward.
I can understand us wanting to play a more nimble defence against the Cats small forwards but dropping a 200 game, 3 x premiership player, who has played 20 finals (including 4 grand finals), is tough as teak, quick as lightning and can play back, mid or forward, in favour of a bloke who was overlooked for multiple drafts, was in the SANFL three months ago, has played three games of AFL – and no finals – and who has the body of an 14 year old with bulimia, makes absolutely no sense to me at all.
Dumb
When the Cats win contested possession they win – 16 from 16 this year.
We dropped a bloke who goes 50/50 contested and uncontested and lays 3-4 tackles a game for a total uncontested player who does not even have the physical strength to lay a tackle.
And the ground is going to be greasy and a hard slog with the predicted weather.
Dumber.
Foxsports reporting that Scharenberg is a trade target.
See ya, Schaz.
Hearing Noble stays in but Scharenberg to be dropped.
Well he has had a bad foot injury this year, so he certainly fits our recruiting profile and he does come from our “cursed” 2013 draft.
Given he was taken with pick #33, I imagine we will have to part with similar p even though he isn’t worth it – and maybe get a late pick back.
He has had 6 years at the Lions, hasn’t completed a full season – when the Lions were hopeless – and now cant get a game in the side that has made the eight.
Looks like another Sam Murray trade to me.
Having said that, we haven’t got much to trade with and – given the reputed weakness of this draft – maybe getting a known quantity, even a weak one, is better than taking a punt in the draft?
I am starting to wonder now though whether the club is working on the assumption that Beams is finished and we therefore need to find another midfielder from somewhere that wont cost much (in teems of trade and salary)
PS. Varcoe rumoured to be dropped for Friday night.
Pies leading the race to sign Tom Cutler from Brisbane.