Greetings All,
Much consternation over the suspension of Toby Greene where his effort to protect himself cost him a week of footy. Accept where the tribunal fell here, wonder what would have happened the other way around if Toby got to the ball first and Jordan Boyd protected himself after running with the flight of the ball. Can’t accept the non-suspension of Jesse Hogan in the same way George Hewett was not suspended earlier in the year. Having players not being suspended for throwing punches sends all the wrong messages. The AFL has anointed itself as the custodian of the game, therefore they must set the standard of what is acceptable and unacceptable on the field. It send all the wrong messages to the game at the lower and junior levels. The NRL gets this one right – if you throw you go!
Inside Knowledge (4%) vs A Handy Bye (96%)
What intelligence does Adam Yze bring to the Tigers after his time at the Demons? The selection of two ruckmen to go up against Max Gawn looks an interesting tactic to try and wear him down. We have seen Max battle on occasions when the opposition have physically targeted him. While both teams come off the bye it was particularly convenient for Melbourne who were able to shunt Oliver off to the surgeon to repair his hand. Not so bad for the Tigers as they get Grimes and Hopper back as well. However, they are still missing plenty from their best line up, while the Demons have a significantly healthy list. Yze’s knowledge of the Dees will help but the Dees should have too much talent and experience across the ground to take this one.
Bull Durham (22%) vs Bobby Socks (78%)
It’s been a while since the ANZAC Day game has had such meaning from a ladder perspective as well as the overriding meaning of this game. The injection of Sam Durham to the midfield has given the Bombers so much more grunt and accountability. The interesting choice they have is whether Two-metre Peter returns and if so for whom? Wright, Goldstein and Draper all playing might be too cumbersome against the fleet-footed Pies. The climatic conditions may also play a part. Part of the Pies fleet of foot stocks include Bobby Hill who has reset the bar for sharing dishing off goals for fun last week. Essendon have stifled the Dogs and Crows in the last two weeks, can they do that to the Pies? Just think Collingwood will be able get off the chain enough to post a winning score.
Kermit (52%) vs Holding the Fort (48%)
Kingsley indicated it wasn’t easy being Greene – it also applied to his other Green who was put to the sword by Cripps last week. While they were overrun last week, the Giants were good until the Blues managed to stop their run. The Lions will need to do the same, not many better teams to watch than the Giants when they are running. The Lions will be without McInerney so Darcy Fort is likely to take the key role in the ruck. They were not terrible against the Cats from a contest perspective but simply did not adapt to the conditions. Might not be wet but likely to be chilly in the nation’s capital, which also gives them a chance with the Giants relatively poor record at Manuka. The absence of Toby might be the key difference for this game. The other Giant forwards are dangerous, but the presence of Greene makes them so. Fagan will not have as many worries preparing his defence. On the other hand, Adam Kingsley left no doubt about where he thought last week’s game was lost, expect his midfield to respond accordingly. A tough one to pick but I reckon the loss of Oscar will be significant and the Giants to have enough of the footy to win.
Lest we forget
Sal
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