Luke Beveridge and club direction

[stefoid]

For me the game in a nutshell was Melbourne 20 marks inside 50, us 8.

We are pretty awful at kicking to our teammates advantage. Both across the ground which gave Melbourne an edge in contested ball numbers despite us absolutely killing them at stoppages, and particularly inside 50 which is where we have been losing games turning hard work into morale sapping easy opposition rebounds.

There were quite a number of occasions where we had players who had made space ahead of the ball where a flat direct kick to their favoured side would have been perfect and instead we did some loopy/floaty kick that allowed melbourne to close the space and spoil.

In the second half we were stagnant ahead of the ball, giving the ball carrier nothing much to kick to. Whether that is chicken and egg I dont know (i.e. nobody bothers to run because they dont expect to be rewarded for it?)

So did we sacrifice spread to keep numbers around the ball to ensure we won the stoppages? Or do we just lose focus and morale and just stop running? Maybe a bit of both.

Once we were certain to loose I tried my best to stop ball watching and started watching players ahead of the ball when we had possession.

We seemed to concede the corridor to Melbourne as the game went on. The number of times Melbourne was able to control the corridor by having just two players commanding the entire area while we fiddled around on a flank.... and then of course any turnover on a flank was particularly dangerous, giving allowing melbourne to rebound through the most dangerous part if the ground.

Personally I can handle losing because of mistakes and fatigue that come with fielding an inexperienced team. But I dont want to see us losing because we are structurally terrible

[whythelongface]

It's not like we don't get it in our forward 50 often enough. It's what we do when it gets there is the problem.
Fumbles, dropped marks that should be taken by a league player and missing set shots that school kids would get 98% of the time.
Delivery from up the field is the first thing I would look at. we need mids that can find a target or put it to their advantage.
We still do a lot of bombing it in and make it someone else's problem.

It really boils down to delivery into the fwd 50 quickly and efficiently. Melbourne played a wonderful counter attacking game last night waiting for the turnover in our back half and using speed and skill to deliver the ball into their fwd 50. This meant that the fwd 50 was not crowded and was isolated to one on one contests. To do this effectively you need the cattle. Something we lack at present.

[SlimPickens]

Just on our forward enteries, watch how Lever did his knee yesterday. It’s not only our blokes who cop it, poor kid is done for the year due to our terrible kicks into the 50

[Twodogs]

Just on our forward enteries, watch how Lever did his knee yesterday. It’s not only our blokes who cop it, poor kid is done for the year due to our terrible kicks into the 50

So what's happening to them? Are they twisting to readjust their position and their stops are getting caught in the ground and holding the knee still while the rest of the leg moves?

Players just seem to pull up like they have pinged a hammy but it's a big knee instead. Libba did the same, just braced to jump and bang, no contact or anything.

[bulldogtragic]

A genuinely honest question, what is our game plan as designed by the coaches in the last month? I can't work one out.

[Happy Days]

Another genuinely honest question - at what point does the immaturity and turnover of the list stop being a consideration, and the coaching group start taking heat for leading a proven premiership quality team all the way to the bottom 4 (or close enough to it)?

Not saying we're there yet, but this drop off is astounding and it's plainly obvious that the players aren't getting the most of out the abilities.

[ratsmac]

It really boils down to delivery into the fwd 50 quickly and efficiently. Melbourne played a wonderful counter attacking game last night waiting for the turnover in our back half and using speed and skill to deliver the ball into their fwd 50. This meant that the fwd 50 was not crowded and was isolated to one on one contests. To do this effectively you need the cattle. Something we lack at present.

this has been evident all season. We are either too slow or indirect moving the ball forward allowing the opposition to pack our forward fifty or we simply turn it over with a shitty skill errors in dangerous (corridor) parts of the ground. We take risks that are way too risky because there is no defending a turn over. Stupid football.

A genuinely honest question, what is our game plan as designed by the coaches in the last month? I can't work one out.

Chirp chirp... Chirp chirp. (That's my terrible attempt of crickets)

[G-Mo77]

Another genuinely honest question - at what point does the immaturity and turnover of the list stop being a consideration, and the coaching group start taking heat for leading a proven premiership quality team all the way to the bottom 4 (or close enough to it)?

Not saying we're there yet, but this drop off is astounding and it's plainly obvious that the players aren't getting the most of out the abilities.

We are there now HD, even Gold Coast would knock us over pretty comfortably right now. They're all pushing the youth narrative at anyone who will listen and it's their excuse for this plummet into insignificance. To be fair it is a decent bail out but when the team is running around like a chook without a head who takes the blame for it? No one is putting their hand up.

[merantau]

In trying to get a handle on what's happened to us since 2016 I'm going to put our flag 22 under the microscope. As a baseline each flag winner will be given 2 scores out of 10. The first represents their value to the team in 2016, the second represents what they have contributed, or been able to contribute, to our team development since then.

Shane Biggs - playing in the VFL. Has gone backwards. 7.5 - 4
The Bont - Rule change and more attention from opposition has blunted his impact on games 10 - 7.5
Matty Boyd - lost his position in the team before retiring. 8 - zero
Tom Boyd - missed a lot of footy through no fault of his own. 8 -4
Zaine Cordy - has been pretty consistent. 6 - 7

Luke Dahlhaus - skills have not improved. Doesn't kick goals Gone backwards. 7 - 5
Caleb Daniel. Playing more in the defensive half these days it seems. Still gets his share of the ball but ... 7 - 5
Tory Dickson - crippled by injury 8 - 4
Josh Dunkley - playing VFL . 7 - 4

Joel Hamling - gone. 8 - Zero
Lachie Hunter 8 - 7

JJ - major disappointment Lost form, confidence. 8 - 4

Tom Liberatore - underwhelming 2017. Tragic injury after getting into shape 8 - 2.5

Jack Macrae - elite player. Has been stellar. 8 - 10
Toby McLean - definitely a plus for us 6.5 - 7.5
Dale Morris - injuries 7 - 6

Liam Picken - the player we have missed the most. 10 -5

Fletcher Roberts - VFL 5 - 2
Roughie - injuries, loss of form 6.5 - 3

Clay Smith - injuries, loss of form 7 -2
Stringer - 6.5 - zero
Easton Wood - lost form. 8-6

Our problems are multi - faceted but I think the general gist of what I've outlined above goes some way to explaining our predicament.

[bornadog]

Just on our forward enteries, watch how Lever did his knee yesterday. It’s not only our blokes who cop it, poor kid is done for the year due to our terrible kicks into the 50

So his knee was our fault

[SlimPickens]

So his knee was our fault

Yep pretty much. Big factor in ACL injuries is a sudden unexpected change of direction. Also known as a bulldog forward entry.

[SlimPickens]

So what's happening to them? Are they twisting to readjust their position and their stops are getting caught in the ground and holding the knee still while the rest of the leg moves?

Players just seem to pull up like they have pinged a hammy but it's a big knee instead. Libba did the same, just braced to jump and bang, no contact or anything.

Footy boots never get brought up in the research although I feel like it’s a huge factor. Our knee is the meat in the foot/ankle and hip sandwich. A footy boot restricts the players ablilty to adapt their movement to deal with the stresses put through the knee, funnily enough so does the “protective” ankle tape and hence when the force is too great something gives way.

[Twodogs]

I'd never considered the ankle tape. It still makes my eye water when I read Jack Dyer's solution to his cartilage problems was to tape a penny between the bones of his knee to replace it for the match.

[bornadog]

Yep pretty much. Big factor in ACL injuries is a sudden unexpected change of direction. Also known as a bulldog forward entry.

Sorry you have lost me.

If the solution to not getting an ACL was found, you would be a millionaire.

[SlimPickens]

Sorry you have lost me.

If the solution to not getting an ACL was found, you would be a millionaire.

It’s a joke with some science thrown in for good measure.