Given his broken leg history he’d have been petrified no doubt when the incident happened.
But as soon as scans cleared any damage just about getting swelling/soreness down. Icebaths a plenty.
I’m backing him in to get up
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We need to send a please explain to the AFL on how we can so consistently get Margetts in Perth against West Coast. It can’t be a coincidence.
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Memo: Classification Top Secret Not for further distribution without authority
To: Head of Umpiring
From: AFL Head office
Subject: Change to outcome expectation management policy for WC v Essendon game
The board for optics and product delivery attendee expectation management has reviewed the game outcome expectation management policy and directs you to increase the Essendon handicap from 3 to 4 goals per game. You are further directed to review your implementation of the policy as the board has been reviewing social media and forums. The board notes that policy implementation has become too obvious and on field staff must make greater effort to obscure implementation. Complaints of sub-optimal umpiring have reached unacceptable levels (translation FFS even Hawthorn fans were complaining about decisions that they were the beneficiaries of).
I trust your timely and full compliance with the above directions.
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Might have something to do with the fact that he’s from Perth?
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Should be perfect conditions, They have had almost 120 mm of rain in the last 3 weeks so the surface should be in really good condition, not concrete, like at the start of the season.
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McGovern is a gun player but pretty sure stamina is not one of his key attributes. He plonks himself in the D50 and just reads the play coming in. Francis could be a good match up. McGovern will just roll off Brown and let someone esle take him when he leads up the ground.
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Which is why l suggest McNurnan plays as a stay at home forward and contest each and every mark with McGovern. He should be able to halve most contests and allow our small forwards in to crumb goals.
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Doesn’t really work like that.
Brown is a 196cm kpf, they can’t just let a HBF take him as he pushes up. Kicks get directed to taller players for a reason.
Marking the ball across half forward offensively is gold (and something we’ve missed) as can then handball off to players running past/ hit up kicks into the 50 as well as allow rest of team mates to setup defensively.
Brown took 9 marks in the game last year (we just kept hitting him up) meaning McGovern couldn’t really zone off on him, had to try stick tighter and we could then kick into the 50 without him there.
If he plays on our deepest fwd they will just stay closer to goal and again keep him out of the action. When he wants to be patrolling around that 30-70m zone, and they gain most of their scoring attacks from picking off the ball in that area as a lot of teams do.
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Brown is very accurate from 50m too. It would be a mistake to let him break away and lead out.
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Yep. Nailed his two attempts from outside 50 in the 2’s on weekend.
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Best way to beat mcgoven is to do the exactly what we have in the last two weeks. Lower our eyes and kick to into space of our leading fwds.
This was the difference between us and hawthorn. We went inside 50 with some control. They bombed it into there inexperienced fwd line against 2 of the best interceptors in the business. Hooker and hurley.
Long bombs into the fwd line will be mopped up all day. Mcgoven is not the only one down there that does it for them.
Hooker, hurley, and ambro will really have there work cut out for them, and need help from pressure up the ground. Let there mids Kick it to the advantage of kennedy or darling and its game over for us.
Speed is what wc lack and where we exel, we need to take advantage of this. If we allow them to control the air with there good marking players it’s game over.
We have the speed to create relentless pressure. But we do lack strength to hold tackles against there big bodied players. Geelong walked through our tackles earlier this year.
Will be an interesting game, but I can’t say I am very confident.
If we can win the midfeild battle, link up with our outside with our run, and get our good ball users kicking inside 50 we are a chance.
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True. Highly unlikely chance then 
Really need a tall marking target to come in for Stringer.
Hawks took that many intercept marks from our long kicks down the line due to our lack of targets.
Eagles will feast on this as they love this more than any team.
Francis in for Stringer
I don’t think Brown has enough presence in the air.
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OUT: Begley… Stringer?
IN: Brown… Francis?
B: Saad Hooker Hurley
HB: Red Ambrose McKenna
C: McGrath Heppell Guelfi
HF: LAV Brown TIPPA
F: Fantasia Smack Stringer?
R: Belly Shiel Zerrett
B: Parish Langford Clarke Zaka
Brown not a contested marking target us such, but a very good lead up target. One that we have been missing. He complements Smack well. Franga just doesn’t have the work rate Brown does.
Brown in for Stringer.
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Reckon Brown… don’t know that Francis would beat McGov.
Brown has more chance of picking up possies from some hard running outside 50 (he can kick em from there too) and maybe pick up some cheap marks/goals running back into the 50 unaccompanied
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Browns form before injury was great. His work rate is massive. 20+ disposals, 2 to 3 goals, 7+ marks. He is not flashy, but a very good player. Frang just isnt there yet as a fwd.
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For anyone wondering, the Club put SMack through a fitness test on his “stomped foot” this morning and he appeared to pass with flying colours.
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Heard Hooker won’t be on the flight tomorrow…
Because he’s already over there now…
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Eagles board talking about Simpson press conference - Yeo and Hurn likely to play.