Sturt v West at Commander Centre Oval - Saturday.

Sturt are sitting comfortably after their bye and will be super confident.

A couple of errors and injuries stopped West being 3 and 1, but Unley's a Blood's graveyard.

Sturt pretty easily here, maybe?

Been 12years since we last won at unley think it will 13 after sat

Sturt by 4-5 goals.

Sturt 65pts

Game being broadcast on 107.9 LifeFM

Hey guys - we're only 2 wins up from wooden spooners. We deserve to be underdogs. Please?

before seeing the teams, i'd think Sturt would win a close one

Sturt have started well this year and look good going forward. They have the forwards who can kick a big score. West blowing hot and cold and it is difficult to see where the goals will come from. Fisher kicked 5 (all in the 2nd half although I am not sure why that matters), nearly 50% of their total last week. DB's by 4-5 goals.

West's team:

BRAD FISHER D WEBB N CARUSO
C SCHMIDT T SLATTERY J EZARD
A FIELKE L HILL S BIRSS
D CAIRE A HARTLETT J BEECH
S GREEN J TIPPETT R FERGUSON

RUCKS
R WILLITS
B MACREADIE
BEN FISHER

INTERCHANGE
M BORHOLM
M LOBBE
R LAIRD
T SILVERLOCK
N HOMBURG

INS:
M BORHOLM
T SILVERLOCK
N HOMBURG
M LOBBE
L HILL

OUTS:
M STILL (OMITTED)
B CROUCH (HAMSTRING)
S BRICKNELL (CONCUSSION)

I think West have a good chance here if they play good hard ATTACKING footy.
But I reckon it's Sturt by plenty this time, especially if the Bloods go hyper defensive.

Sturt have the potential to be the big surprise packet of 2012. If they play to that potential they should account for West by around 4 goals.

Sturt team

F Riley Duldig Kane
HF McIntyre F Evans Gum
C Sharples Sheedy Kerridge
HB Tambling Stephens Hinge
B Hansen McLeay Anderson

R Kurtze Thomson Crane

Bench Cahill Jenkins Miles Greenslade

Much discussion in double blue land in regard to the omissions / non-selections.

The combination of no injuries, players coming back from injury, available afl players is making it very tough for players to break into the side.

Regular starters who can't currently get a gig;
- Plant
- Cubillo
- C Evans
- Grundy (just returning from AIS)
- Stokes (first game in ressies coming back from ACL injury)
+ a few other youngsters that played some games last season

I hope this competition for spots is a good thing.

As a West supporter, I am surprised that Cubillo isn't in the side, also Plant.

Looking at the line-up, though, it's hard to see who they'd replace, apart maybe from one or two on the bench?

Excellent win by the Bloods. Thought our tackling was superb. First win at Unley since 2000. Not sure what happened to Brad Fisher, but Webb really stepped up in the last quarter when the game was up for grabs.

Some poor shots at goal left the result in doubt longer than it should have been.

Sturt won the hit-outs 67-31 and went inside 50 eight more times than the Bloods (50-42).

West moved the ball better, had bodies on the line, tackled and smothered their hearts out, forced a lot of errors from Sturt. How many times did the Double Blues kick out on the full?

Makes me think if it's a wet winter the Bloods will definitely make the five.

The umpiring was consistent in its inconsistency.

Well done Bloods

I am lost for words.

A Great effort by the bloods today considering, Birss didn't play & Fisher was off early in the second qrt.

I thought Logan Hill played his best game for the club.

Hartlett has been a great the past 3 weeks. He needs to continue to play like that as he he is so importsnt to us now.
Caire & green were great & Ezard & Schmidt also found the ball. ezards best game this yr..
Webb did very well with 3 goals.
Howeverw e got smashed in ruck. Lobbe played Ressies & I would think he isnt to far away

lachlan wrote:However we got smashed in ruck.

It doesn't seem to matter all that much does it? I've seen so many games over the years where a ruckman dominates the hit outs, but plays in a losing team. What matters most is who gets the ball out of the middle.

Brad Fisher has an eye injury according to this report by Jai Bednall for The Advertiser. Hope it's not serious.

http://www.adelaidenow.com.au/sport/afl/tall-timber-pays-off/story-e6freckc-1226335169678

Bundy wrote:I am lost for words.

Ditto.

Adelaide Hawk wrote:

lachlan wrote:However we got smashed in ruck.

It doesn't seem to matter all that much does it? I've seen so many games over the years where a ruckman dominates the hit outs, but plays in a losing team. What matters most is who gets the ball out of the middle.

It's an interesting point AH, but I'm not even sure if it matters who gets it out of the middle either. Not only do the stats show we were blitzed in ruck, Sturt also had 12 more clearances than us. I guess you can win every clearance but if you stick the ball down the opposition's throat once you've cleared it, that stat means nothing. In fact, so many of the stats mean nothing now. They really only had any meaning in the days when players kicked the ball forwards.

Cummon you guys, have a little faith. Even though the Bloods have been inconsistent so far this year their worst loss has been by a mere couple of goals against an upbeat Bays unit playing for the first time under their new lights. This was always going to be a hard one, just look back on the Bloods first game under their new lights and the spirit they demonstrated on that wonderful night. It was beyond all expectations.

It is a huge build up for the home club who worked so hard to fight for the money and government approvals to get their respective ovals lit up so you would expect a spirited performance first up, wouldn't you!!!!!!

The only other loss was to North by 7pts after a courageous fight back (with no men on the bench to rotate in the second half) and hit the front late in the last quarter, just to be pipped at the post. North's performance yesterday surely showed that their a side to be reckoned with and Glenelg showed their vulnerability.

The long walk back to the car in the rain at Unley was worth every step (with a spring in it) and a contented smile on the face after a decade or so of misery leaving that paddock. I'll take a win any day, especially against the blue boys at Unley.

The SANFL comp is already shaping up to be very competitive so anything can happen on any given week. Expect some ups and downs during the remainder of the season.

What West would like I'm sure is to see Centrals beat the Eagles on ANZAC day (to make them zip 5) before the Eag's slowly come good in the second half of the season and knock off a few teams around West on the ladder. This will help as long as West keep their winning ratio above 50% from now on. Please keep up your support and belief even though I know sometimes this is severely tested.

Well said MP