With star forward Mark LeCras in doubt for this week’s game against Port Adelaide, much of the discussion around the match committee table will focus on the forward structure should the club’s leading goal-kicker fail to play.
The possibilities are many and varied.
Do the selectors look at the overall team structure, bring in another defender or midfielder and push someone from last week’s line-up into the attacking 50 metre arc? Do they go like-for-like and elevate a player in good WAFL form who deserves an opportunity?
The queue of in-form players from the first two rounds of the WAFL competition is long.
Matt Spangher and Will Schofield were outstanding for East Fremantle and Peel respectively at the weekend, backing up from good first-round efforts. They were listed as emergencies for the Brisbane game, so were close to first-up selection. Click here for this week’s in-depth WAFL report.
Then, of course, there is Bradd Dalziell who was traded into the club as the replacement for Brent Staker. He travelled as the emergency last week, while Scott Selwood - another unlucky player to miss the initial 22 - did his selection chances no harm with a terrific effort for Perth.
Selwood picked up 26 possessions, but laid a remarkable 16 tackles to show his class.
Should the match committee opt to bring a defender into the line-up, comeback king Beau Waters could push forward and play at the opposite end of the ground. Likewise Sam Butler could move forward. Or perhaps they could push Daniel Kerr, Andrew Embley or Chris Masten.
Regardless of the outcome, it is likely the composition of the forward line will consume much of their time.
“(Lecca) is still a bit sore in his hamstring,” coach John Worsfold offered at his weekly press conference. “He cramped up in the last quarter and because he is a little sore still that means he is unlikely to play this week.
“Scott Selwood, Matt Spangher, we could shuffle the side around. Ashton Hams is in red hot form. We can’t elevate him at the moment because we don’t have a spot, but there is a possibility depending on a few things.
“(Selwood) was unlucky to miss out last week. He went back and had 26 possessions, tackled strongly in the WAFL, so he went back with the mindset to show he was in good touch and ready to step up. We can’t really ask any more for him.
“If Lecca doesn’t come up, we would consider Beau up forward absolutely. We played him forward a couple of times during the pre-season and he is good enough to play that role.”
In casting forward to the challenge against Port Adelaide, Worsfold offered an insight into the match committee’s decision.
“Port Adelaide, in terms of their forward line set-up, do things a little different to Brisbane. We have a fair idea, we saw Port Adelaide firsthand here in the NAB Cup and we know they have some very good young players as well, so it is going to be a good challenge to see some of our young players against theirs. We are confident our senior players are going to perform well and give us a real good shot at it.
“You look at what Port are doing. You watch them, over the whole pre-season as well as last week and draw your own conclusions. We will be pretty well prepared for them.”
