3 Things I've learned round 15 vs the Eagles

[bornadog]

Roberts is 196cm, just re-signed for 2 more years.. The men in charge clearly see hm as being good enough.

We also have Collins (194), Young (197) and NMM (196) who are all developing their craft at Footscray.

No doubt a gun key defender would be extremely handy, which is why it was reported we were right into Hurley, but we have a number already contracted so unless we get rid of a few of these we need to continue to develeop them.

Collins, Young and NMM will take a while to develop. Do you think we should be targeting an existing backman. BTW, I don't know who would be available.

[Mantis]

Collins, Young and NMM will take a while to develop. Do you think we should be targeting an existing backman. BTW, I don't know who would be available.

No, I'm comfortable with what we have... Hamling has been a huge loss, but we showed last year that with the right attitude our defensive system can hold up regardless of personal.

We have more pressing issues up the ground to address.

[soupman]

We have enough key defenders. If a good one became available we should go for them but really I'm comfortable with the personnel we have available, just not how they're playing atm.

[Flamethrower]

1. If someone had said to me in 2015:

We will win the flag in 2016, but then have 2 seasons of 7-15 in 2017 and 2018 while the young guys go through growing pains, before re-emerging as genuine premiership contenders in 2019 and beyond - I'd take that in a heartbeat.

We are still a very young side with a couple of really old dudes in Bob & Dale (and Matt Boyd when he plays) that skew the stats. Our best players are years off their peak.

2. The AFL shoud stop recruiting umpires from centrelink.

3. The roof should be permanently closed, and removed completely - the shadows caused by the low roofline, and the glare from the glass high rise buildings ruins the enjoyment of the spectacle live and on TV.

[Mofra]

1. The non effort in the third quarter was insipid. Did I really see us not contest a boundary throw-in in the Eagles forward pocket that resulted in an uncontested goal?

Yes, Roughie was too busy wrestling with someone and pointing at others and didn't get to the throw in in time.

1. We give the ball to Suckling at every opportunity, it's not working.
2. We persist with a short forwardline against intercept marking defenders, it's not working.
3. JJ needs to work through the physical attention. Run his opponent off his legs is the only way if he's going to stay in the backline.

[bulldogsthru&thru]

I know after our poor performances there are a lot of question marks over the list. But i watched the last quarter of the prelim final last year and it is night and day the difference between then and now. Ok we have a few holes in the list, with leg speed and foot skills being the major one, but we are not as bad as we are currently performing. That's a mental thing in my opinion. We have a great list, but it is only capable of so much if determination and hard work is lacking. Same goes for any team really.

[bornadog]

I know after our poor performances there are a lot of question marks over the list. But i watched the last quarter of the prelim final last year and it is night and day the difference between then and now. Ok we have a few holes in the list, with leg speed and foot skills being the major one, but we are not as bad as we are currently performing. That's a mental thing in my opinion. We have a great list, but it is only capable of so much if determination and hard work is lacking. Same goes for any team really.

We play a game style that includes relentlessness pressure, tackling and this must take a lot out of players and hard to sustain.

[GVGjr]

No, I'm comfortable with what we have... Hamling has been a huge loss, but we showed last year that with the right attitude our defensive system can hold up regardless of personal.

We have more pressing issues up the ground to address.

This is what I don't understand, with Hamling and Adams already on our list we put in a massive play for Hurley and upon missing out on him and with Hamling being traded and with Adams also requesting a trade back home we basically said no we are right for key defenders Roberts, Adams and Morris can handle it. We are very fortunate that Cordy has kicked on.

[1eyedog]

This is what I don't understand, with Hamling and Adams already on our list we put in a massive play for Hurley and upon missing out on him and with Hamling being traded and with Adams also requesting a trade back home we basically said no we are right for key defenders Roberts, Adams and Morris can handle it. We are very fortunate that Cordy has kicked on.

Perhaps we were interested in playing Hurley forward. Or playing him back giving us the opportunity to play Adams more forward.

[jeemak]

Or, we thought Hurley was too good not to chase and threw what we could to get someone we saw as elite into the defencive mix.

With him off the table we probably thought who we had was as good as anyone else we could realistically land.

[The Underdog]

This is what I don't understand, with Hamling and Adams already on our list we put in a massive play for Hurley and upon missing out on him and with Hamling being traded and with Adams also requesting a trade back home we basically said no we are right for key defenders Roberts, Adams and Morris can handle it. We are very fortunate that Cordy has kicked on.

Realistically though, what other experienced useful options were available? It's not like there were multiple Hurley's out there and we did go very heavy on tall kids in the draft, although they are necessarily a few years away. We probably figured with Cordy moving back plus Adams coming back to join Roberts, plus the hope of Collins coming on that we had some coverage, although not a heap of ready depth. Adams injury and Roberts being out of form has killed that though.
I tend to be of the opinion though that the problem's for our defenders are starting further up the field.

[westdog54]

This is what I don't understand, with Hamling and Adams already on our list we put in a massive play for Hurley and upon missing out on him and with Hamling being traded and with Adams also requesting a trade back home we basically said no we are right for key defenders Roberts, Adams and Morris can handle it. We are very fortunate that Cordy has kicked on.

I might be missing something here but didn't we draft Young as a key defender?

And did Adams ever actually "request a trade"?

[jeemak]

I might be missing something here but didn't we draft Young as a key defender?

And did Adams ever actually "request a trade"?

Adams said he'd be open to a trade from memory, but was also fine with seeing out his contract. He's now extended.

[Happy Days]

Perhaps we were interested in playing Hurley forward. Or playing him back giving us the opportunity to play Adams more forward.

Sounds about right.

[macca]

Hurley got out marked by Rohan a few weeks ago in the dying stage of swans vs dons on the goal line .Real question marks over his passion. Maybe it was a good thing we missed out on him? Salary cap free and all allows us to make a FA play this year