Game Day Round 3, 2025: West Coast vs Fremantle - The Owen Derby

[Yeahnahmate]

So what? He did next to nothing else.

Having a player who can only do anything at ball ups is a liability.

Id be happy to keep him in despite his weaknesses but its far from the disaster some are making out here

Guessing you didn’t watch the first two rounds. We desperately need first use to do ANYTHING

 

[Bleedblueandgold]

Imagine being Hall right now. So disheartening for young players. For some reason after four years of rebuilding we havnt learnt that we need to play young players

It's revolting imo.
Sends a message that you don't get selected based on form.
How do you get dropped after a promising effort like that, even if it's for the player you came in for.
You'd even argue that we need an extra mid over a forward like Long or Owies.

 

[bzparkes]

I agree, and coincidentally he has 8 years of prior history winning 6 CP a game. Doesn’t address our need to win the ball. Tackles can also mean you’re often second to it and chasing tail. I like Graham, was decent in Rd1 - but did far less that contributed to what could be winning football than Hall last week. Again, both should play - and it’s still a stinker of an omission

So who does Hall replace?

 

[bzparkes]

It can be clutching to say our best in a demoralising loss where our best is actually closer to 23rd best on ground and amounts to zip.

What’s your plan based on the first few weeks to address us getting smashed for first use? Because Fridge doesn’t address that need

Using your own criteria: It was ONE game.

 

[Hoskin300]

So what? He did next to nothing else.

Having a player who can only do anything at ball ups is a liability.

Id be happy to keep him in despite his weaknesses but its far from the disaster some are making out here

Your obsession with graham is straight up strange. There is literally no way you can argue that hall is a liability. He had a 14 contested possession, 7 clearance 1 goal game.

 

[stallon]

Guessing you didn’t watch the first two rounds. We desperately need first use to do ANYTHING

We have since added Baker into the middle to replace Duggan.
We have also gotten 2 more games of match conditioning into Hewett/Reid.

We arent vsing Witts this week either, or the rest of the GCS midfield that destroyed us. We wont be on the backfoot as often now the Witts matchup is out of the way

 

[bzparkes]

Reckon I could name ten things that stuffed our team and development since 2021 before I got to “rejigging”.

Sure but making players play positions they didn't play as juniors when they did play AFL didn't help.

 

[Yeahnahmate]

Given Hall was a late inclusion (from outside the original squad of 26) for the injured Graham it shouldn’t really be a surprise that he makes way in the midfield when Graham returns

Unless of course he got us more first use than any of our onballers in either of the first two games. Consider me surprised

 

[stallon]

Your obsession with graham is straight up strange. There is literally no way you can argue that hall is a liability. He had a 14 contested possession, 7 clearance 1 goal game.

What are you on about
Hall did nothing outside ball-ups, you cant argue that fact.

Graham 100% should be in the side, as far as im concerned Graham isnt the one holding Hall out of the side

 

[Yeahnahmate]

Your obsession with graham is straight up strange. There is literally no way you can argue that hall is a liability. He had a 14 contested possession, 7 clearance 1 goal game.

On 65% TOG when we couldn’t win the pill at all the previous week WHEN GRAHAM PLAYED

 

[RustyShacklefordFalcon]

Pity his one-wood is something we sorely lack, but think we can do without. If we want to build as spruiked by Mini - by winning some games of footy, well……

Yes I'm sure the selection committee thinks that we can do without winning contested ball...

Come on man, try to look at this with some nuance. The GC game was an outlier, that was an absolute shellacking in contested ball in all thirds of the ground due to lack of effort and intent. Last week, the entire team lifted to meet a very good side in that area. Clay was not the entire reason for our improvement. It was a team effort. Do you think Clay would have played like he did against Brisbane in round one with everyone dropping their heads around him? Highly unlikely.

No one is detracting from his brisbane game, but it wasn't a perfect game either and its way too early to be sooking about him going back out of the side.

Also, Graham was never dropped..he was injured. Does Graham not deserve to come back? And if you're keeping him, then who is going out? Long is your best bet there, but then you're shoe-horning Clay into the HFF...not ideal either.

I see where people are coming from, I do. I'd love to watch Clay again this week but we might just have to be patient.

 

[UseR2006]

 

[Yeahnahmate]

Yes I'm sure the selection committee thinks that we can do without winning contested ball...

Come on man, try to look at this with some nuance. The GC game was an outlier, that was an absolute shellacking in contested ball in all thirds of the ground due to lack of effort and intent. Last week, the entire team lifted to meet a very good side in that area. Clay was not the entire reason for our improvement. It was a team effort. Do you think Clay would have played like he did against Brisbane in round one with everyone dropping their heads around him? Highly unlikely.

No one is detracting from his brisbane game, but it wasn't a perfect game either and its way too early to be sooking about him going back out of the side.

Also, Graham was never dropped..he was injured. Does Graham not deserve to come back? And if you're keeping him, then who is going out? Long is your best bet there, but then you're shoe-horning Clay into the HFF...not ideal either.

I see where people are coming from, I do. I'd love to watch Clay again this week but we might just have to be patient.

I predict more ‘outliers’ then - to the point they become the norm amongst a bigger sample size unless we can set up our side to win the hard ball. Plenty of very nice midfields getting about

 

[Ambrose Burnside]

The GC game was an outlier, that was an absolute shellacking in contested ball in all thirds of the ground due to lack of effort and intent.

**** me was the last game you saw us play before this year the 2018 Grand Final?

 

[RustyShacklefordFalcon]

**** me was the last game you saw us play before this year the 2018 Grand Final?

You do realise we're talking about Clay Hall and Jack Graham here, right?

 

[sharps24]

I'm not defending it but Hall wasn't even named in the extended squad last week, flew over to be a like for like replacement and now Graham is back he goes out according the match committee.

However, of course he should be playing. And of course Long shouldn't be playing. Be nice to see some creative thinking applied here. We've got 4 small forwards in the side and at least 2 of them are contributing very little. **** Long off to WAFL to play as a midfielder for however many years it takes to make it there at AFL level and break into the seniors, he aint a small forward.

Play Harley forward, blokes not got the tank to go through the middle at the minute yet is a certified match winner. Run with a mid rotation of Hall, Graham, Kelly with some impact rotations from Baker, Reid and Ryan/Brockman.

Good on Jack Williams, deserves to be in the side. Assume one of Bailey or Archer isn't playing.

 

[hudson2006]

The GC game was an outlier

How can anyone following the Eagles over the last 4 years come to that conclusion?

The Brisbane game was the outlier, make no mistake. Until we string some wins together and turn that surprise into actual good form, the rd 1 performance is absolutely what anyone should expect from us.

Sad that winning 1 quarter of AFL football and drawing level in another is a surprising improvement, but here we are.

I hope Jilliams plays a blinder in his role, like Hall did in his.

 

[RustyShacklefordFalcon]

How can anyone following the Eagles over the last 4 years come to that conclusion?

The Brisbane game was the outlier, make no mistake. Until we string some wins together and turn that surprise into actual good form, the rd 1 performance is absolutely what anyone should expect from us.

Sad that winning 1 quarter of AFL football and drawing level in another is a surprising improvement, but here we are.

I hope Jilliams plays a blinder in his role, like Hall did in his.

If you want to wallow in the failures of years gone by and expect our R1 performance every week, be my guest.

Me, I like to enjoy my footy.

 

[Yeahnahmate]

How can anyone following the Eagles over the last 4 years come to that conclusion?

The Brisbane game was the outlier, make no mistake.

I hope Jilliams plays a blinder in his role, like Hall did in his.

I just don’t think you are paying attention as a fan if you think we don’t need ball winners badly, and the impact of dropping our best one at the minute. Yes it’s a small sample size but getting it first and allowing our runners to receive was why we were even in the Brisbane game. Hall on bended knee shovels to Dewar who nails it from 50. That stuff doesn’t happen unless we address what’s been a problem for a long time whenever Yeo has been out.

It’s like a young replacement forward coming in, kicking 4 and getting dropped the next week.

JWill to play a blinder like Hall just to get dropped like Hall!

 

[stallon]

Good on Jack Williams, deserves to be in the side. Assume one of Bailey or Archer isn't playing.

Jack is in to play Watermans role, Archer and Bailey should be playing too. Thats our normal structure

 

[hudson2006]

I just don’t think you are paying attention as a fan if you think we don’t need ball winners badly, and the impact of dropping our best one at the minute. Yes it’s a small sample size but getting it first and allowing our runners to receive was why we were even in the Brisbane game. Hall on bended knee shovels to Dewar who nails it from 50. That stuff doesn’t happen unless we address what’s been a problem for a long time whenever Yeo has been out.

It’s like a young replacement forward coming in, kicking 4 and getting dropped the next week.

JWill to play a blinder like Hall just to get dropped like Hall!

Oh I agree, would have kept Hall in, at least as sub instead of another useless* small forward. Just thought it was weird for RSF to think that the rd 1 performance was an outlier.

*useless if nobody is able to win the ball in the first place.

 

[ziad]

Sure but making players play positions they didn't play as juniors when they did play AFL didn't help.

U6's or what. Paid professionals I am thinking.

 

[Keys]

Even Simpson’s on board with the double bird at the 9 minute mark

 

[hudson2006]

If you want to wallow in the failures of years gone by and expect our R1 performance every week, be my guest.

Me, I like to enjoy my footy.

It’s only the outliers that are enjoyable these days. That and Jake Waterman, when he plays.

 

[RustyShacklefordFalcon]

It’s only the outliers that are enjoyable these days. That and Jake Waterman, when he plays.

I feel your pain...I'm just choosing to view this as a fresh start since half the list has been turned over and we have a new coach and game plan. Our perspectives are just different, that's all.