Round 1 - Ess v Hawks - Sunday 19th March 2023 - 3.20pm @ the G - the buildup

Football Discussion Dustin Fletcher Hangar
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Ftfy

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With a new season fast approaching, as a supporter it feels like having a berth on the Titanic but knowing in advance the outcome of the voyage.

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Newcombe
Ward
Worpel
McKenzie
Amon
Wingard - might need some midfield minutes

Parish
Shiel
Setterfield
Merrett
Martin
Caldwell

You would imagine over the length of the game the young Hawk mids get tired and we run over the top of them. It wonā€™t be a walk in the park.

Meek & Reeves likely share the ruck and try and out work Draper.

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Love the analogy.

and then this is blitz just watching the inevitable

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I got my ticket they better farking perform and beat these hacks dont make me leave during the first qrt again Bombers

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Last game for the year if we get done Nino?

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Dont think so

Last game i went to was against Freo that game was the final straw for me

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From the article:

ESSENDONā€™S PREDICTED 23

B: M. Redman, J. Laverde, J. Ridley
HB: J. Kelly, B. Zerk-Thatcher, A. McGrath
C: S. Durham, Z. Merrett, W. Setterfield
HF: N. Martin, S. Weideman, A. Perkins
F: Alwyn Davey Jr, P. Wright, H. Jones

FOLL: S. Draper, D. Parish, D. Shiel

I/C: J. Caldwell, M. Dā€™Ambrosio, A McDonald-Tipungwuti, Jye Menzie

Sub: W. Snelling

Notable absentees: Jake Stringer (hamstring), Dyson Heppell (foot), Nik Cox (back), Zac Reid (back)

Jon Ralphā€™s selection dilemmas: Brad Scott would love to have got more evidence about his small-forward pecking order against St Kilda but in a three-goal effort where only Alwyn Davey Jr, Sam Durham and Peter Wright hit the scoreboard question marks remain.

Davey not only hit the scoreboard, he had 13 touches from 79 per cent game so everything points to a round 1 debut against the Hawks.

Will Snelling, restricted to eight games by injury last year, played only 22 per cent game time so seems behind McDonald-Tipungwuti and Menzie.

If Matt Guelfi, third in the best-and-fairest last year, is ready off a calf injury he could push one of that pair out.

Harry Jones won only seven possessions but is the future so Brad Scott can choose to play only Wright and Weideman or go with three talls.

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Ralph is an A-grade tossa but I reckon thatā€™s a pretty good stab at it, some positional stuff aside.

Hopefully Caldwell being named is based on some good intel re his ankle. Iā€™d consider Langford a notable absentee, and I reckon Snelling will probably play ahead of Walla (with Hind as sub). Personally, Iā€™d also play Voss ahead of Jones.

Will be interesting to see how some of those senior players go in the VFL praccy match this Sat - there are definitely still a couple of spots up for grabs.

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It is close.
I donā€™t see Tippa in the team at all. Definitely Snelling takes his spot.
I still think only one of Weideman and Jones makes it. But I donā€™t think we want to see Phillips in their place and canā€™t seem to find another reliable player to get a game. Kyle Langford would have been handy in our forward line.

I also donā€™t see Voss or Baldwin getting a senior game yet.

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Jon Ralph does not consider Langford a significant absentee. Is that because Jon Ralph does not even know who Langford is?

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If Guelfi is fit and healthy, he plays. He is way too important to the team to leave out

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Yeah, I hope he plays a full game in the VFL praccy on Sat.

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Probably because only some Essendon fans rate him
I doubt heā€™s an automatic pick at a number of clubs

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Thatā€™s because heā€™s not.

He wouldnā€™t be in the best 22 at most other clubs.

Setterfield is already better than him in his ideal role and he couldnā€™t even get a game for Carlton most of last year.

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Langfords ideal role is HFF and Setterfields is inside mid, where he was behind some significant players at Carlton in Cripps, Kennedy and Hewett.

I reckon he would be best 22 in at least half the teams in the league, most could definitely use him in the forward line.

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I was a little peeved that Jon Ralph list Reid as a significant absentee, as a permanent significant absentee is not something I had considered. I like everyone hope Reid gets going soon, but in terms of what they have done so far in their career, Langford has a least had a few games where he has dominated. I realise they play in different positions, but to me I suspect that it is lazy work by Jon Ralph, and that he forgot that Langford exists.

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That is legit a VFL standard team

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Nonsense

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13 players on my count who would be just as suited to be the VFL.