R23 V Sydney | Sunday 29th March | 5:00pm | RoF

No Boxall, Doyle, Fenton, McGlinchey, Boyd, Stevens, and Burns.

Muscat expected back. JBS and Cunningham expected to be out. Coming back from injury are Appiah and Ridenton. 

Must win, 6 pointer, rah rah rah

                     Moss

Lia    Durante      Sigmund     Muscat

                    Riera

  Rodriguez        Bonevacia

                   Hicks

   Krishna                Griffiths

Italiano

WeeNixer - Dimairo? Gulley? Blake?

Rufer

Ridenton

Appiah

Assuming Boyd is a no-go, but if available he would be handy on the bench. Could start Dimairo or Gulley at RB and put Lia in midfield.

Still not a bad team that. Lia will start, though; and Roly will probably be further forward.

Who are Sydney missing for this game

Hopefully, in action..

Janko and Antonis. 

I think we will probably be lucky to get a draw.  Our current away form is obviously the reason for us doing so well. 

Someone from WeeNix?

Blake? Would far rather giving one of the weenix guys a run than try to convert Lia into a fullback again. Would even prefer Riera at RB with Lia staying in midfield.

Especially considering Lia probably just had two of his best games in a Nix shirt in midfield.

A Rod perhaps? a bit left field, but Riera Lia Bonevacia Hicks and Rodriguez at right back with Manny on the left, just for the one game?

I'd be loathe to move Riera!

Roly can play anywhere except goal.

I worry for the pax.

World Cup Final on.

Half the team out...

Don't Worry, Be Happy!

Not feeling good about this game at all, boys. Probably won't even watch it.

                 Moss

Blake*    Dura   Sig   Manny

                Riera

           Lia        Roly  

Krishna   Griffiths    Appiah?

Italiano

Rodriguez

Hicks

Ridenton

Rufer

Change as little as possible

*Blake, Gully or Dimairo, pick one Ernie. 

from what i can tell there has been big raps of the rb from the reserves (tam?), surely calling him up to the first team is better than moving a cm or dm to play rb

I originally thought Dimairo, but then felt Lia would be better than chucking an 18 year old in. Anyone know if Gulley is around? He's much more experienced than Tam but hasn't been in the WeeNix side for a while.

Didn't play the last WeeNix game so probably injuried.

Blake not really a right back though. 

Im Going to buy a couple of boxes of Peppermint Chocolate Trumpets when I do the shop this week. 

Tam Dimairo (the rb from the #WeeNix) has been playing very well. I don't know if he's ready to be blooded into the top team yet though. And doing so against Sydney might be a BIG step... I think Ernie will go with experience for this game. He might bring DiMairo up onto the bench and put him on with 20 to go if doing so is reasonable at the time.

I don't think who gets called up to the bench is much of a debating point. DiMario is a FB and Blake from what I saw at Kiwitea, is a right half/winger but its most likely that whomever gets called up probably wont be used anyway. There are 3x 1st teamers ahead of that person like Stevens last week so are they really going to play? I would be surprised if Ernie makes all 3 subs as it stands when his options are Appiah, Ridenton and Rufer. He might just rely on the players fitness to get them through the 90 because his subs have probably played collectively 90 min of HAL all year and coming back from injury.

Of all the options that are there at FB, Manny is the most experienced so you either play him at RB and find a LB or leave him at LB and find a RB. Either way, one of those FBs will be makeshift. I don't think its a smart move to blood a guy from outside the squad and say 'here you go, make a name for yourself' so expect it will be a person with in the team already to fill in and the lowest risk option.

Options:
Lia has played at RB I think for a game or two and was slated to play that position I think 4 years ago under Ricki but got injured preseason I think? He seems to be the most natural fill in option at RB with Manny at the left.

Riera has played LB for ACFC a couple of times so do you put Manny at RB, Riera at the LB and Lia/A-Rod in place of Riera? In favour of this is no Janko for Sydney so makes it slightly easier but then you don't want to break up that defensive diamond of Riera, Sigmund and Durante.

Other options would be A-Rod at RB and he has a nice passing game for that and does a truck load of work off the ball so that *could* be an option or as a rank outsider, you tell Hicks he is at LB this week. He is quick, left footed, can get forward which Ernie likes and you tell Manny to sit deeper. I guess its how defensive Hicks can be really for this to work.

Its really a case of pick your poison to a degree and logically for me, Lia would be the lowest risk of all the options.

Blake has also played CB several times this season for the WeeNix JV, and very well too. 

(Note: I am Not disagreeing with what you say, just adding to your "From what I saw at Kiwitea St." knowledge base)

"for me, Lia would be the lowest risk of all the options." No.  Lia would be shredded at RB, especially versus Sydney.  I really really hope that Lia dont start there...

Alex has to play in front of whoever plays RB too I reckon....

Dont forget that Roly can play centre back and is a specialist DM.

The biggest thing is not not to have our momentum shattered too badly I reckon....

Roly is also our best attacking player.

I have no options.  Merely, factors to be thrown into the mixer.  and yes silly me, i thought siggy was going to korea for some reason not boxall.

Lia would get annihilated at RB.  I think thats a given.  I reckon if we were weighing up pro's and cons, dropping a newbie in there has a 76% chance of being more effective....

Oh, best option of all is A league stopping for FIFA windows like the rest of the world....

Which World Cup? WC was last year!

We still have a good core team of players, fringe player have to to step up. Possible a win.

Megaloz Mr Vadar, you grumpy old cnut!   I think Ernie is on your wavelength tho, he'll be reluctant to bring a someone totally new into the starting line up.

vinnie can do a job. A hatchet job if need be. My pick is lia for rb and him to play bloody well.

Full back is the problem position.

We are better off having Lia, Riera andAlex in the middle, with Roly, Griffs and Krishna further forward.

Hicks on the bench unless he can play leftback

The loss of the All Whites and injuries leaves us short on experience yet you would rather throw a young débutant in against a fellow title contender as opposed to a player with 150 appearances in the form of his life? Sure he has limitations But he is one of our most experienced players and at a time when we will be stretched that experience  is invaluable

Trollin' much???