What a game looming next Saturday. We win and we are definitely playing finals and eliminate any chance Peel or West Perth have of catching us. If we lose we leave the door very slightly open.
That’s overstating it a bit isn’t it? Highly unlikely WP are in a battle for finals. Our immediate battle is with EF for 4th spot and home ground advantage in an elimination final. If we keep winning and Claremont or EP slip up we could pinch 3rd and a double chance.
Expect Aaron Clarke, Paton, Edwards and Simpson to be available and Johnno to play reserves.
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Edwards another week.
WP and Peel no realistic chance of finals - Perth no realistic chance of 3rd.
Looking at East Freos run home - two wins from remaining 4 games should ensure a home final.
All the pressure on us this week over WP, similar to the SD game last week and look what happened there.
The equation is simple for us to miss finals: : we have to lose all of our last 4 and either WP or PT have to win all of theirs. We haven’t lost two in a row all season, nor have we lost to a bottom 5 team. So we should be looking well beyond just scraping in. If our record v bottom 5 teams holds, we should win 3 of 4, which would surely be enough for 4th, if not 3rd.
If Clarke, Simpson and Paton are all available, then they replace McLean and OHB. The other player to come out would be either TBH or Bodle. Let’s home we can get Edwards and Johnston back before finals and not have any more players go down.
We have 3 games against bottom 5 sides in the run home.
WP-H, PT-A, S-A.
We need to beat all 3, the one that I see as vulnerable is PT at Boganville.
Our other game is Cl at home.
I would like to think we could beat them at home.
But have not beaten them for a long time that I can remember.
EP have 2 vulnerable games SF - H, CL - A.
EF have SF - A, EP - H.
I think EF are vulnerable, they will make the 5 but I think they will finish 5th.
That would give us a home final at least.
If we win 4 and EP 2 then we make 3rd spot.
That leaves us with an away final against CL.
That means we have to beat CL twice. Once at home and once away.
Yep we need all our guys back.
Interesting end to the season.
Surely you guys will get the job done v WP…
Geez Perth are home and hosed for a minimum 4th spot finish…EF are jogging on the spot…1/4 from their last 5… yeah losing to Cl by a kick looks like a good performance, but I dont rate Cl like I do SF and EP, both are the two sides who will go into the finals as favourites…Perth have as good a chance as any of the other finals teams come September…
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We need to inject some leg speed into the side after losing Regan Clarke, Oscar Hine-Baston and Brodie McLean in the match against Swans. Off season recruit Conrad Williams might come under consideration with 4 goals in the reserves, Tyrone Thorne and 18 year old Preston Cherry-Bayles we picked up from SF. I like the look of this kid.
My mistake, I forgot Clarke was also an out. In that case, it would be the injured players out and A Clarke, Paton and Simpson in. OHB is listed as TBC on the injury list - is he a chance to play? I can’t see a need to any other changes. Thorne has been disappointing and Williams has only had one good game - he has to show some consistent form. The form players in the reserves are, week in week out, Gray, Della and Q, but, in terms of structure, I can’t see a place for them. Even less for Q with Jacques deserving to keep his spot and Edwards and Johnston nearing a return.
Please stop saying Gray and for that matter Della. Both had loads of opportunities and are not up to it. I don’t care how many stats they rack up they go up to league level and are not up to it.
My opening post on this topic was stating purely the mathematical situation. Yes it is highly likely we will now play finals. It would have to be a massive choke by us and a real turnaround in form from Peel or WP for that not to occur.
That is a harsh assessment of Della. He has had 3 years of footy ruined by injury and, as a result, has played only 9 league games. Loads of opportunities? Beyond that, I don’t have him or Gray in my best 22. However, with 6 best 22 injured, plus the departure of Randall, we are now selecting from players 23-30. I would place Gray in that group. We are coming into finals, and have had a couple of wet months. Grounds like Mandurah and Leederville will be heavy. This is not the time to be debuting someone like Cherry-Bales, as much as he looks like a future prospect. That said, it seems that Stone places a premium on foot speed, which is why someone like TBH - who, after 47 games, has had enough time to prove his worth - seems to be first in line of our depth players. Hopefully the return of A Clarke, Paton, Simpson, Edwards, Johnston and OBH will render this type of discussion moot for the rest of the season.
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I was in Della’s camp 2 or 3 seasons ago when he had a big pre season and looked good in practice matches. As you say he’s had a lot of injuries but the couple of opportunities he had earlier in the season he looked slow and ineffective.
What did Gray do against EP? The only role I saw for him was wear Tom North like a glove. Seemed to spend most of the time on Brayshaw. North and Brayshaw got it 32 and 24 times and kicked 2 goals each.
Didn’t rain that day during the game but was a heavy track.
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Just an interesting aside with the name Randall coming up.
Clark, Stubbs and Randall played for the WA Country side that got flogged by SA.
Those 3 do not figure in our club’s future.
Some may say Randall does but I thought his fitness has already gone backwards.
Had a couple of very good disposals but to me looked disinterested.
Stubbs, well IMHO he looked as lazy as ever even though he kicked a couple of goals.
Clark to me looked out of his depth.
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Listening to Charlie Constable being interviewed this morning it sounds like Clarke might not be available this week and OHB will miss the rest of the season unless we go deep in finals so he’s obviously done some serious damage to his ankle.
This is all bad news.
Is Blake Schlensog contracted for next year?
Was enjoying the hospitality at North Beach v Scarborough on the weekend and looking right at home in the North Beach sponsors area during Perths bye.
Well there’s nowhere to hit the surf in our zones so maybe he’s made a couple of friends while catching a couple of waves. Such a privileged club, insane wealth, private schools and juniors living within a couple of drop punts of the beach and Swan River.
Blake loves the Demons don’t worry about that but I wouldn’t underestimate what a club with no shame is capable of.
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North Beach is a fair way from the Swan River.
Pretty sure Waterford, Salter Point and South Perth have nice views of the water from memory…whose zones are they?..
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I’m talking about your club not North Beach.