The Final Team Dogs vs Us 8-4-18

Squad selection - Rd 3
Conor Walsh April 5, 2018 6:20 PM

Speedy forward Orazio Fantasia and tough midfielder David Myers have been added to Essendon’s extended squad ahead of its clash with the Western Bulldogs on Sunday.

The pair each completed the side’s main training session on Thursday in their push to return to the side after overcoming knee and calf injuries respectively.

Fantasia had his most impressive season in 2017, booting 39 goals and stamping himself as one of the league’s best small forwards.

But the 22-year-old has been unable to play in any pre-season games this season, while Myers has suffered from minor calf tightness in recent weeks.

Essendon coach Worsfold said both players would put plenty of selection pressure on the match committee and play a full game this weekend in either the senior side or the VFL.

“They feel good, they trained well, so it rounds out a good preparation for those guys. We’re really confident that they’ll play and play well,” Worsfold said on Thursday.

Worsfold said while the players had initially pulled up “really well” from the session, they would still need to show their readiness by recovering well on Friday.

“There’s always the risk that they don’t feel brilliant the next morning, but we’ll deal with all of that as we go forward.

“We obviously weigh up have they done enough to come in and play in the AFL straight away.

“We’re confident they have, but those final decisions still have to be made depending on how they’re feeling.”

Ruckman Shaun McKernan has also been added to the squad at the expense of Matthew Leuenberger and Worsfold said the former Crow adds another dimension to the side.

“He just gives us that good depth of being able to play in the ruck and as a key-position player as well.”

Worsfold also praised a “fresh, ready and really hungry” Mark Baguley who is listed in the squad, but said it would be a “fairly stable” squad heading into the game.

After suffering a disappointing 16-point defeat at the hands of Fremantle last week, Worsfold said he is confident the Bombers can bounce back against the Bulldogs.

“A lot of the improvements that we expect this week are really around players ramping up their energy levels, their desire to play the way we want to play consistently,” he said.

“We were down overall in terms of the way we want to move the ball and getting it inside our forward line and then locking it inside our forward line.

“We’re confident that the players know what it takes to get better at that.”

Worsfold said the side’s main focal point since the loss had been improving those deficiencies, rather than being concerned about the form of his upcoming opponents.

“Really our ultimate aim is that we have full respect for whoever we’re playing week in, week out.

“We were disappointed with our output last week and that’s what we can control and that’s what our whole focus is on this week.”

The extended list of 26 players will be trimmed to finalise the team on Friday.

EXTENDED SQUAD:

B – Dea, Hurley, Saad

HB – Goddard, Brown, McKenna

C – Heppell, Stringer, McGrath

HF – Parish, Hooker, McDonald-Tipungwuti

F – Merrett, Daniher, Stewart

R – Bellchambers, Zaharakis, Smith

I/C – Green, Fantasia, Myers, Baguley, Hartley, McKernan, Langford, Begley

http://www.essendonfc.com.au/news/2018-04-05/team-selection-rd-3

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So I’m guessing Myers, Fantasia and Bags will make the final side.

Guessing Langford, Hartley and Begley omitted.

Mckernan? Do we have an injury concern?

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Myers in Langford out, blitz to collectively go ape.

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Smack would kick 6 against these guys if he actually got picked

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Still a big chance that fanta and myers don’t make it and we go in unchanged.

IN - extended squad - all on bench
Orazio Fantasia, David Myers, Mark Baguley, Shaun McKernan

Bulldogs (extended squad):
IN
Tory Dickson, Jack Redpath, Mitch Wallis, Tom Boyd, Fletcher Roberts, Shane Biggs
OUT
Jordan Roughead (Injured), Jackson Trengove (Injured)

Dont panic. Its round 3 but this is a mini final,

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I won’t be one of them

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Wow… those injuries pile up. If we don’t win this we have big issues.

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WESTERN BULLDOGS

FOLLOWERS
44 Tim English
16 Toby McLean
11 Jack Macrae

FB 12 Zaine Cordy 33 Aaron Naughton 34 Bailey Williams

HB 1 Matthew Suckling 10 Easton Wood 7 Lachie Hunter

C 5 Josh Dunkley 6 Luke Dahlhaus 31 Bailey Dale

HF 39 Jason Johannisen 4 Marcus Bontempelli 46 Lin Jong

FF 29 Tory Dickson 43 Jack Redpath 26 Billy Gowers

INTERCHANGE FROM*
3 Mitch Wallis
17 Tom Boyd
18 Fletcher Roberts
19 Lukas Webb
20 Ed Richards
22 Mitch Honeychurch
24 Shane Biggs
35 Caleb Daniel
*Three to be omitted

http://www.afl.com.au/news/teams

I like to see Smack in the side. Yeah I know he gives away a lot of frees, but really like the grunt he brings.

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Really hope our players get stuck into Johansen at every possible chance. Last year we didn’t and he cut us up.Hope we have learned from Past mistakes

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He’d be rucking against English and Boyd, so if Belly has any niggles, could be an opportunity after a Perth trip last week.

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yeah if we’re turning to smack, we’re asking the wrong questions.

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It’ll be Fantasia and Myers for Hartley and Langford. Lock it in now

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Gonna be tricky if the Doggies only omit 3.

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Hartley is on the bench, he’s going to get dropped for Bags IMO, we don’t need 3 kpd’s.

Myers and Raz to play. Out Langford & Begley.

Smack there as possible cover for JD in case he doesn’t get up and also obviously ruck cover

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Must be special dispensation from the AFL - from their website.

To be fair - the same goes for us:

INTERCHANGE FROM*
15 Josh Green
13 Orazio Fantasia
23 David Myers
12 Mark Baguley
36 Michael Hartley
44 Shaun McKernan
4 Kyle Langford
16 Josh Begley
*Three to be omitted

http://www.afl.com.au/news/teams

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Exactly how it looks to me. Spot on I reckon Speedy.