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Acceptance - we are now a middling side
- Thread starter Carter
- Start date
W
We will be lucky to make the 8 let alone top 4.
Gc at Metricon 50-50
Stkilda before the bye 50-50
We need to improve our skill level and get someone that take a mark around the ground.
Where not winning the flag.
We will be lucky to make the 8 let alone top 4.
Gc at Metricon 50-50
Stkilda before the bye 50-50
We need to improve our skill level and get someone that take a mark around the ground.
And a ruckman that can jump and or is capable of tapping the ball to our advantage occasionally.
Flogged at the clearances.
Abattoir like butchery of the ball by both hand and foot.
Poor decision making with ball in hand followed by aforementioned poor execution.
Insane gifting of constant fifty metre freebies to the opposition.
Overuse of the ball in short and extremely close where every player remains under constant pressure whereas most teams rapidly spread wide and open.
We're doing a bloody hell of a lot extremely poorly in every game so far this year, yet somehow we remain in every game right up to our eyeballs without somehow managing to get the wins we want and need.
Our best footy when we get it right is still eye wateringly good, but it's just the constant little stupid unnecessary *smile* ups that cost us games.
The worst and most costly *smile* ups in our game are not surprisingly the easiest ones to fix, fifty metre penalties for pathetically stupid infringements that gift goals and momentum to the opposition, for the end result to then be a loss within a handful of points is simply match day insanity. I for one am totally Jack of them n would be happy if the coach ripped a few players into the magoos the following week for giving them away and publicly announced why he was doing it each time.
Starting to look like a massive transition year for the club at the moment, old stars fading with young blokes building some much needed game time. If we can tidy up our game a bit, we can still make finals and hopefully go deep enough to shake the *smile* out of the comp one last time with the older champs. From next year forward it'll be much more about whether the younger blokes will have progressed enough to keep us in the top half of the comp.
Abattoir like butchery of the ball by both hand and foot.
Poor decision making with ball in hand followed by aforementioned poor execution.
Insane gifting of constant fifty metre freebies to the opposition.
Overuse of the ball in short and extremely close where every player remains under constant pressure whereas most teams rapidly spread wide and open.
We're doing a bloody hell of a lot extremely poorly in every game so far this year, yet somehow we remain in every game right up to our eyeballs without somehow managing to get the wins we want and need.
Our best footy when we get it right is still eye wateringly good, but it's just the constant little stupid unnecessary *smile* ups that cost us games.
The worst and most costly *smile* ups in our game are not surprisingly the easiest ones to fix, fifty metre penalties for pathetically stupid infringements that gift goals and momentum to the opposition, for the end result to then be a loss within a handful of points is simply match day insanity. I for one am totally Jack of them n would be happy if the coach ripped a few players into the magoos the following week for giving them away and publicly announced why he was doing it each time.
Starting to look like a massive transition year for the club at the moment, old stars fading with young blokes building some much needed game time. If we can tidy up our game a bit, we can still make finals and hopefully go deep enough to shake the *smile* out of the comp one last time with the older champs. From next year forward it'll be much more about whether the younger blokes will have progressed enough to keep us in the top half of the comp.
I think it's more we haven't adapted well to the stand rules. I don't think - apart from a player like Castagna, who was always crap - our disposal skills vanished.
It's our system. Chaos ball don't work. We've got enough skills across the list. I firmly believe that. We just don't have the desire at the top end, nor the experience at the bottom. The list seems in an awkward transition spot right now.
I think we're about to become Nth Melb from the Scott era. Hanging around the edges of finals, never enough talent to win the flag, but not bad enough to bottom out.
Yep caught the Dogs after a win and was just waiting to see the Swans do the same. The Aints 4-0, dropped to 15/1 for the flag sitting on top.....but who the hell have they beaten???
Yep. Some crazy writing off of our season.
Our biggest losing margin last year was 33 points - to the Saints. We played in the game of the year loast year and lost to the eventual premiers by 3 points.
We have some emerging youth and Dusty showed serious signs yesterday. If he decides he wants another one the rest will follow.
It's a long season and we want our veterans in a position to contribute at the pointy end. Hence the rests.
Cumberland/Sonsie/Clarke show signs of being genuine AFL talents. They have to be played. If Ross ever plays in front of these guys I'll vomit. They have it he doesn't. Cotchin the logical choice to replace Graham in the starting 22 next week.
Prestia has played like a busted arse for 3 games, that won't continue. Taranto and Hopper will get better. Young looks likely.
We need some luck to strike top 4 - although other than Melb I reckon it's a raffle for the other top 3 spots.
We will beat Sydney this weekend and be right back in the mix.
Their backline is rubbish. Unfortunately their biggest dud got injured early and hurt us.
We have their measure, just as we have Carlton's measure at the pointy end.
Melbourne is the only one we will struggle with.
yeah - I haven’t jumped to this side of the fence yet, but I am starting to consider it.
there are only so many close games you can lose before it becomes a real sign that we can get to the line, but just can’t get over it - a true definition of a middling side. I define a middling side from anywhere between 6th to 10th on the ladder at seasons end.
lose to the AFL Swans and its over for the year - then we need to have a long term plan to rejuvenate
Until we can identify what our best team actually looks like and roll with that we will be losing games.
Dimma usually likes to have things settled at the bye - then we roll out in force.
We simply cannot afford to have this rolling conversation about Jack, Cotch, Nankervis, etc.
Best case scenario is our injuries clear a little over the next six weeks and we somehow scrape together enough wins to keep us in the hunt.
Guys like Clarke and Sonsie need to announce themselves.
Our second season halves can be spectacular under Dimma but he has an usually large renovation project on his hands this year.
Dimma usually likes to have things settled at the bye - then we roll out in force.
We simply cannot afford to have this rolling conversation about Jack, Cotch, Nankervis, etc.
Best case scenario is our injuries clear a little over the next six weeks and we somehow scrape together enough wins to keep us in the hunt.
Guys like Clarke and Sonsie need to announce themselves.
Our second season halves can be spectacular under Dimma but he has an usually large renovation project on his hands this year.
You've been absolutely spot on with this from the start. I'm glad I tied my flag to your mast relatively early on in the piece.
Carter is also becoming more and more prophetic as each game passes. Along with Caesar you form the PRE triumvirate of knowledge.
I'd be very interested in your thoughts on how we go forward from the point we find ourselves in now.
I reckon he’s already outlined it…
With long term pain as we plan & implement the right recruiting then go through the hard yards of forming the anatomy of a new team that will have the right size and type structure, age bracket and games played. Unfortunately that always takes a minimum time that has now been prolonged with losing picks that only a Horne-Francis type would have been worth it.
I see this year as a ‘farewell tour’. A last chance to see out and thank those once in a life time players that brought us so much joy.
What an era. It was over at the end of 2020. It’s just more obvious now.
At least getting seats will be easier for a while
The draft might solve a couple of issues with some bargain hunting but for top end talent it's free agency or trading something of value. The problem being is that there is very little tradeable capital at our disposal, we'd have to look at Short, I think he gets interest, I think we may get a pick in the 30-40 range for Graham, I think there could be benefits there when rebalancing the list. Currently we have a glut of inside midfielders but we lack top end class, that has to be sourced from somewhere. Parish perhaps? I'm not sure, there's also the issue of a couple of key forwards that needs to be addressed. Larkey probably stays, Ben King I think too fragile, Marshall a possibility I suppose.
I reckon the club gambled big on 2023. The temptation of giving the champs one more roll of the dice may have been stimulated by Geelong's success in managing their oldies during 2022.
Maybe it is still worth the chance.
I have always had reservations about the GWS duo. They are good players, but 7 years? Probably the only way we could get them.
I do think of Dylan Sheils and Zac Williams and shudder. (Long contracts- good/serviceable but not great)
So now Tommy is injured, we have Broady in the Sinbin and Jack is watching. We are in strife. Grimesy? Vlaussy? Nank? They'll be a year older and no better next year.
Dusty's form pre-kidney injury was middling in early 2021. Shai is still brilliant but still flashy,
Dion is so banged up that he needs to be nursed through the season.
The way I see it the club has declared this must be our year because we will need to drop back while the next tier matures.
We need a lot to go right in the next six weeks, or it might be time to say goodbye to 2023 and sink into the mire of rebuilding.
There will be so much pressure from marketing and merchandising to keep winning games.
So, what do we do? hopefully, we handle post-greatness better than Hawthorn
I can recommend a good session with the 2017, 2019, and 2020 tapes to cure what ails ya.
Gees we were good.
Maybe it is still worth the chance.
I have always had reservations about the GWS duo. They are good players, but 7 years? Probably the only way we could get them.
I do think of Dylan Sheils and Zac Williams and shudder. (Long contracts- good/serviceable but not great)
So now Tommy is injured, we have Broady in the Sinbin and Jack is watching. We are in strife. Grimesy? Vlaussy? Nank? They'll be a year older and no better next year.
Dusty's form pre-kidney injury was middling in early 2021. Shai is still brilliant but still flashy,
Dion is so banged up that he needs to be nursed through the season.
The way I see it the club has declared this must be our year because we will need to drop back while the next tier matures.
We need a lot to go right in the next six weeks, or it might be time to say goodbye to 2023 and sink into the mire of rebuilding.
There will be so much pressure from marketing and merchandising to keep winning games.
So, what do we do? hopefully, we handle post-greatness better than Hawthorn
I can recommend a good session with the 2017, 2019, and 2020 tapes to cure what ails ya.
Gees we were good.
Have a look at the last 5 or six pick 5’s and many of them are no better than hopper. There is much more certainty in trading. I think at the very least we have traded for a reliable foundation to build a team around.
I would argue that we didn’t top up for immediate premiership success but made what we thought the best choices were for the club going forward. The club is pretty clued in about premierships being very hard to come by. It’s us fans who feel entitled to them. (And Geelong)
I would argue that we didn’t top up for immediate premiership success but made what we thought the best choices were for the club going forward. The club is pretty clued in about premierships being very hard to come by. It’s us fans who feel entitled to them. (And Geelong)
