Honest reflection and the path forward

[mjp]

I'm not sure that quite works either, we will just throw players into roles.
Lewis Young was around the mark of versatility we probably need but we wanted him to play ruck.
Schache has been on a wing, forward and back. Cordy forward, back and in the ruck.

I'd prefer a tallish defender and of course a ruckman.

Good forwards play forward.
Good defenders play back.

Players who aren't quite good enough get thrown from one end to the other.

You can make you own decisions on what that means with regards a player like Young.

[Hotdog60]

I'd like to be a fly on the wall to see what happens when they review the tapes. Or do they review because that would be the time one on one to hold no punches. Do we have too many nice coaches and not enough to tell it how it is.

[jeemak]

I am going to agree with you that the ruck is a major factor and I'm not going to comment much more except to say:

1/. I didn't like the recruitment of Martin. To me, if Brisbane couldn't keep him on the park then he simply couldn't stay fit...Combined with a player whose best footy was 100% in the rvm and, well, we've got what we recruited.
2/. By the time Sweet is ready this group will likely be done. I think we are looking 2024/25 not 22/23. I have hope for him though.

Setting that issue (the ruck) aside - we take teams for granted far too often. I wrote a post last year entitled "Our club was born in blood and boots" lamenting the effort we see from our bigger name players (at times). I feel like I am lambasted for criticising Macrae and his on-field body language whenever he is moved out of the centre square. Bont is blowing in and out like the wind. Smith has been amazing this year but is dead-set playing for 1-2 handball give + receive stats which is rubbish and my thoughts on the Treloar recruitment remain well known. Love him as a player, definitely best 22. Unfortunately he plays a position in which we already have strength when so many other areas needed bolstering.

In the Adelaide game - our reliance on inexperienced players in key positions really hurt us. Late in the game the ball was kicked forward to Jamarra who was in a 2-v-3 contest...but in front. His options were simple:
1/. Get it out of bounds, wait for the cavalry to arrive and live to fight another day.
2/. Roll the dice, keep it in by tap-tap-tapping it around and hoping for the best.

He chose option 2. He failed to recognise the importance of the moment (that's OK - he's played like 5 games) and Adelaide took the ball away and scored at the other end. Game.

Now - we can lament the loss of Bruce and blame the fact that Jamarra was the deepest and therefore the key target on injury. But I think that would be a mistake...because his MINDSET in this moment has been inherited from his team-mates.

I just think our mindset is ALL WRONG though. We treat the opposition with zero regard. Our mids zone off continuously, our forwards (exception of Naughton) go through the motions with regards applying pressure...as a result, our defenders are constantly chasing butt.

We give the opposition a look every week - our effort is not unacceptable by and large...but we don't play ruthless footy. We all want to play 'nice' footy, pretty footy...I still say we have too many who would rather LOOK good than BE good. I think our mids would all rather look at their name on the internet with a big number in the possession count than a 'W' in the win column. And I know when I say that (because I have before) I am told it isn't true and they are trying hard and don't I know there are AA players in there etc.

I know the guys I am talking about are magnificent players and I sincerely admire some of the things I have seen them produce on the footy field. But when Cripps runs around and does what he wants. When Ben Keys finishes with 33 (or whatever) and runs riot in the last q...when Petracca goes absolutely STUPID in the grand final (I mean, the GRAND FINAL) and not one player takes it upon themselves to actually DO SOMETHING about it, well, I think this means that there is something just a little bit awry with our outlook.

I'm rambling again now and I've probably ridden this horse into town too many times now to be taken seriously but if the keys to the 2016 win were the commitment shown by Morris and Liber on the defensive side of the game together with the marking of Boyd providing us a pathway out of D50, well, who is there to perform those crucial (but pretty fundamentally SIMPLE) acts in 2022?

The Adelaide loss doesn't worry me as such - it's one point and whilst they deserved the points we nearly pinched it. But the continued effort based lapses are 100% a pattern and it really is time for the players to acknowledge it and FIX it. Believe it or not, they need to fix this as individuals....as in, "I am going to do it" rather than making it a 'collective' solution...a collective answer to this question (effort and defensive accountability) means one thing to me - we have players who are trying to hide behind the group when each person needs to be held to account.

Good post.

I've been questioning the leadership, discipline and ownership of the playing group for years. The lapses in these areas must be maddening to the MC.

[The Bulldogs Bite]

It's an assessment of the last 4 or 5 years. We lose games we shouldn't because we flirt with the footy and the opposition. We've lost games to Gold Coast, Carlton, a final to St Kilda...the list goes on. I don't think being a 'great side' is the most important thing to us...being a 'good side' but being a 'great player' seems more the balance we are going for.

Agreed - it's actually not dissimilar to GWS before 2016. The whole 'Ferrari' vibe. Essentially we have a midfield of guys who probably all think or want to be the #1 man. All shine no substance. On paper it looks unbeatable, in practice it just doesn't work because the best midfield is one that works together collectively for the betterment of the team and not the individual stat sheet

[BornInDroopSt'54]

We are a game and percentage out of the eight atm.

[WBFC4FFC]

It's a balancing act but we needed to play with more risk than what we did. The fact English was out made the kick down the lines hard to mark and control the footy.

English would have had 30 marks on the weekend if he played but then again, the Crows would have had to change their strategy in forcing the Bullies to kick along the wings to packs as a result. Was a huge out given the way he has improved this season.

Aside from the risk, a little more hunger/mongrel will help. They are trying and doing the one-percenters but just need a little spark to get the breaks happening their way. You make your own luck and this season they have not had much luck but they have not been daring enough either to date.

[FrediKanoute]

We are a game and percentage out of the eight atm.

No bad all things considered.....as bad as we have been we are a winning run away from being top 4.

[Grantysghost]

See - I don't want that.

I want a player with a clear 'bent' either way. A key forward or a key back - who knows his role and is comfortable with it.

A ruckman? Yeah. There is a draft every year...draft one every year.

Just a clear back it's not hard.

[Grantysghost]

No bad all things considered.....as bad as we have been we are a winning run away from being top 4.

Say what now. Top 4 is nigh on impossible.

Would need to win 13 of 16?

[GVGjr]

Say what now. Top 4 is nigh on impossible.

Would need to win 13 of 16?

Top 6 is still in play though but we will need to get a rattle on. Essendon game is now very important.

[GVGjr]

Good forwards play forward.
Good defenders play back.

Players who aren't quite good enough get thrown from one end to the other.

You can make you own decisions on what that means with regards a player like Young.

I sort of agree, the players that are getting thrown around is because we don't have depth in the positions they need to cover.

[Mantis]

Top 6 is still in play though but we will need to get a rattle on. Essendon game is now very important.

The Adelaide game was the important one and we played like millionaires.

We all expect us to flick a switch and away we go, but what are we basing this off? Names on a piece of paper?

[GVGjr]

The Adelaide game was the important one and we played like millionaires.

We all expect us to flick a switch and away we go, but what are we basing this off? Names on a piece of paper?

It's a good point, this needs to be a player led recovery.

[azabob]

The Adelaide game was the important one and we played like millionaires.

We all expect us to flick a switch and away we go, but what are we basing this off? Names on a piece of paper?

Yep, names on a piece of paper. We are now in a corner as we can't afford to drop any high profile players as the players in the VFL are not there.

[Happy Days]

I reckon we can drop one of the high profile defenders for Crozier and probably be about the same. Maybe if we drop one of the high profile defenders for Crozier we don’t turn it over 40m out from goal from a kick in with the game on the line.