#29 Patrick Ambrose -- forward or back?

I still think he should be played as a tagger!

In fairness to the club (briefly) what injuries do take time and are a ā– ā– ā– ā– ā–  to deal with

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Scan next Monday, if completely heeled hopefully available next week.

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Fingers crossed. He wouldā€™ve been very handy to run with Riewoldt on friday dammit!

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God i cant wait for this lad to be back!

this bloke is huge for our chances.

Who goes out for him?

Hartley? Gleeson?

Hard to make the call!!

Is easily best 22 though.

Sure as ā– ā– ā– ā–  wont be Gleeson.

Having missed ~12 weeks of footy Iā€™d suggest heā€™s got a couple of weeks in the VFL ahead of him, at least.

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A week minimum, no chance of this guy coming straight back in after what happened through the recovery. Especially with Heartly playing well.

It could be a horses for courses type of choice. When playing at his best I would have thought that Ambrose would have been a better opponent for someone like Hipwood from the Lions. He was too mobile for Hartley.

Bags? Kelly and McGrath can play lock down small roles, Gleeson can pinch hint on the smalls and intercept, Conor does his thing. Against a smaller forward line like the tigers bags probably stays and Hartley makes way.

Gleeson had been amazing but do we want him playing on Rory lobbe?

That said there are probably only two forward lines which we could justify paying 3 kpds against, gws and crows. Maybe Sydney if Tippett comes back.

Tricky decision.

Conor, McGrath and Gleeson need to stay imo. They are an integral part of our ball movement. Kelly is the general and obviously you canā€™t leave out hurls. So if Ambrose is to come back itā€™s between the other two lock down players.

Nobody needs to be dropped from our backline on current form.

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Yeah, thatā€™s probably true. So do we leave Ambrose in the VFL if fit? I reckon he is a September footballer.

Might push one of the flankers to the wing or bench and play the 3rd genuine tall although that in itself would be a horses for courses selection reserved for the likes of Adelaide, GWS or a full strength St Kilda (who all can play 3 genuine tall forward).

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What makes it a tough selection is that Gleeson is playing so well at the moment as that intercept mark defender.

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More midfield/wing minutes for McGrath or McKenna?

Having said that, weā€™ll probably need to give Fanta and Walla more midfield minutes to fit Lav in.

And then thereā€™s Langa and Fangaā€¦

Nice problem to have i guess.

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Hartley played very well on Bruce with 9 marks 100% disposal efficiency, but .that Brown golliwog at north is very mobile and may expose him like Hipwood did.

Anyway I think Ambo will need to fight his way back in through the VFL.

Good as he is at the lockdown role in the AFL, he plays well off half back in the VFL, so he might get that role to get a bit of the ball and get to take a few marks. .

Yeah, only way to fit the 3 talls would be to push one of the flankers further up the ground. In which case one of the wings/HFF probably misses out.

Laverde is competing with Stewart and heā€™s not pushing him out anytime soon IMO. Langford is competing with Myers any evidently heā€™s not pushing him out just yet.

Franga isnā€™t within cooee of selection at the moment IMO. Would be competing with Ambrose for the genuine 3rd tall defensive spot.

Nice problem indeed. Itā€™s a novel idea playing depthā€¦

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I donā€™t know where he fits to be honest and I donā€™t know if heā€™ll get back in

Not because heā€™s no good, but just because our defensive unit looks so solid right now

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There have been good signs that Franga is playing himself back into form and settling down in the backline. He is a genuine beast who is winning one on ones with his power and physicality as well as marking well and is an emerging alternative to any of our intercepting defenders ( like Marty / Hurls /Pops)