Round 19 Selection Dissection
Brad is excited. Three in a row on the cards though he'd still like to see a number of team changes this week. Will it happen or will the team we saw against the Eagles remain?
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North Melbourne v Hawthorn
Saturday, July 23
Blundstone Arena @ 1:45PM
Back to win back wins for the first time since the opening fortnight of the season, and while the game wasn’t a masterpiece to watch, there were a lot of positives to come out of the performance.
We finally received a second NAB Rising star nominee, with Josh Ward gaining the nomination this week after having his much anticipated break out game. 34 touches, seven marks and five tackles. Future star.
Our future was well and truly on show, with Dylan Moore continuing his emergence as a midfielder (25 touches, six marks and seven tackles), Jai Newcombe (28 touches) playing his hard in and under role, Connor MacDonald and Will Day showing their class with two goals each. We also had James Blanck blanketing Josh Kennedy, Finn Maginness (21 touches) playing a lock down role on the Eagles Tim Kelly and Ned Reeves (39 hit outs and a goal) solid in the ruck.
This week we come up against North Melbourne in a game we simply must win. Three wins a in a row would be huge for the confidence of such a young side and would give us seven wins for the season, which at the start of the season would have been considered a “pass mark”.
There will be at least one change at selection, so let’s look at what may happen…
The Backline
Once again it was great to see our future backline all play together. Blanck, DGB, Scrimshaw, Hardwick and CJ need to play together for the rest of the season.
James Sicily in his Michael Tuck-esque long sleeves also played a solid game. With Nick Larkey in doubt to play for North Melbourne, our backline should be too strong for the Roos.
Hardwick v Zurhaar will be the match-up of the day to watch.
The Midfield
Let’s start with the positives. Josh Ward take a bow! Dylan Moore was brilliant again, collecting 25 touches, seven marks and a goal. Jai Newcombe had 28 touches and played one of his better games.
The biggest negative was the loss of clearances yet again. We won hit-outs 62-24, yet lost clearance by seven. We were lucky we were playing the 17th placed, tanking Eagles side because we would not have beaten too many others.
The Ruck
How good is to have two fit and firing rucks! We are now 4-0 this season when two rucks play. Big Boy (15 touches, one goal and 21 hit-outs) and Ned Reeves ( 39 hit-outs and one goal) combined well all day.
If Max Lynch gets through in the VFL this week, it may be time to send Reeves in for shoulder surgery and let Lynch and McEvoy play the last five games of the season together.
The Forwards
Vintage Luke Breust- a bag of six! He could have kicked 8! He was also part of what some are calling the worst free kick in AFL/VFL history.
It was good to see Will Day play forward and kick two goals along with Connor Macdonald.
To finish the game with over 100 points and Mitch Lewis kicking just 0.1 was a great effort. Hopefully this week we see the return of Jack Gunston and Sam Butler.
At selection
What should happen:
Out: Morris (omitted), Impey (omitted), Morrison (managed), Koschitzke (medi-sub)
In: Phillips, Gunston, Butler
B: Hardwick, Blanck, Scrimshaw
HB: Jiath, Sicily, Maginness
C: Morrison, Moore, Day
HF: Mitchell, Gunston, Butler
FF: Breust Lewis McEvoy
R: Reeves, O’Meara, Ward
Int: DGB, Phillips, Nash, Macdonald
Sub: Impey
What will happen
Out: Morris (omitted), Koschitzke (medi-sub)
In: Gunston
B: Hardwick, Blanck, Scrimshaw
HB: Jiath, Sicily, Maginness
C: Morrison, Moore, Day
HF: Mitchell, Gunston, Impey
FF: Breust, Lewis, McEvoy
R: Reeves, Ward, Newcombe
Int: DGB, O’Meara, Nash, Macdonald
Sub: Shiels