West Coast coach Adam Simpson insists it will be more than just chaos versus control when his team lines up against the free-wheeling Melbourne in Saturday's preliminary final at Optus Stadium.
The Demons are the highest scoring team in the AFL, and they also rank No.1 for contested possessions.
Overall, Melbourne's style of play has been labelled 'chaotic', with their fast-paced technique carrying big risks but also producing big rewards.
West Coast are considered to be a more measured side in comparison, but Simpson thinks those descriptions are too simplistic.
"That's probably words you've heard throughout the week," Simpson said of the chaos versus control theory.
"We don't necessarily control the ball, and they're not necessarily chaotic.
"That's a good throwaway line, but there's a bit more to it than that."
The Demons boast a major advantage in the ruck, where All-Australian big man Max Gawn is expected to dominate Scott Lycett and Nathan Vardy.
But the Eagles seem to hold the aces in attack and in defence.
Two-time Coleman Medallist Josh Kennedy didn't play when the Demons beat West Coast by 17 points five weeks ago, while Jack Darling lasted just 10 minutes before being concussed.
Simpson believes their presence will give West Coast a vital boost in attack.
"They give you a target to kick to, and they're pretty hard to stop when they're at their best," Simpson said.
Sam Frost and Oscar McDonald are set to be handed the task of minding Darling and Kennedy.
Up the other end, Melbourne will be relying heavily on 19-gamer Sam Weideman and Tom McDonald to stand up in attack.
Demons defender Jake Melksham did an excellent tagging job on intercept king Jeremy McGovern five weeks ago, and Melbourne are expected to use the tactic again.
Simpson said it was a straight-forward decision to recall veteran defender Will Schofield in place of Brad Sheppard (hamstring).
Melbourne coach Simon Goodwin would have had a harder time in deciding to axe Bayley Fritsch to make room for defender Joel Smith.
The winner of Saturday's game will qualify for the grand final, but Simpson feels his team have done enough mental work to stay in the moment.
"We've done a few things with the mindfulness stuff, how to stay on task," Simpson said.
"That's been ongoing for a couple of years now. The mental side of the game is always important, but that work has been done."
"It's a pressure environment this AFL industry, with social media and society in general. How to deal with the outside noise is really important."
Share
