The Run home - shall I book my holidays for September?

[Nuggety Back Pocket]

Re: The Run home - shall I book my holidays for September?

Our forward line has become a major problem, with Stringer Picken and Dickson well down on last year. The defence has held up reasonably well. There needs to be a major overhaul of our attack, to be anywhere near being a serious contender.

[FrediKanoute]

Re: The Run home - shall I book my holidays for September?

Our forward line has become a major problem, with Stringer Picken and Dickson well down on last year. The defence has held up reasonably well. There needs to be a major overhaul of our attack, to be anywhere near being a serious contender.

I agree, but our attack was functioning well before we got hit with injuries to Crammers and Cloke. Roughie going down robbed us of our ability to play Boyd mostly as a ruckman and McLean, Smith and Dickson have been a shadow of the players they were last year.

Is there a need for a clean out? I don't think so. I think its all about a full preseason. Our guys have never caught up the 3 or 4 weeks the opposition had on them. UNderstandable too - we are a young side and the tanks of our guys whilst good are not great.

As for booking holidays......well I am in Munich Prelim weekend and then have a wedding in Portugal for the GF weekend so I'm not concerned about how deep we go in September.

[Bornadog]

Re: The Run home - shall I book my holidays for September?

Our forward line has become a major problem, with Stringer Picken and Dickson well down on last year. The defence has held up reasonably well. There needs to be a major overhaul of our attack, to be anywhere near being a serious contender.

The way I see it, our midfield is our biggest issue.

We are down on contested possessions, clearances and stoppages and therefore have not been able to feed the forwards like we were last year. Whilst the defence has held up pretty much and we are one of the lowest scored against, our defenders run and bounce and attack has not been lethal like last year.

[bulldogtragic]

Re: The Run home - shall I book my holidays for September?

The way I see it, our midfield is our biggest issue.

We are down on contested possessions, clearances and stoppages and therefore have not been able to feed the forwards like we were last year. Whilst the defence has held p pretty much and we are one of the lowest scored against, our defenders run and bounce and attack has not been lethal like last year.

That's why I'd like us to pursue Rockliff as a free agent to address it with mature talent. I think he's top 12 in the league for contested possession, clearances and inside 50's while nearly getting it 30 times a game with an efficiency at nearly 70%.

[Eastdog]

Re: The Run home - shall I book my holidays for September?

The way I see it, our midfield is our biggest issue.

We are down on contested possessions, clearances and stoppages and therefore have not been able to feed the forwards like we were last year. Whilst the defence has held p pretty much and we are one of the lowest scored against, our defenders run and bounce and attack has not been lethal like last year.

Generally our defence has been pretty good but lately even in that area we need to pick up a bit.

I don't know the team certainly has changed dramatically from last year although it would have been good to keep Joel Hamling but that's done and dusted so can't go back now. I posted in one thread is it a movational thing we have achieved the summit and really are content - that surpurises me a bit as I thought we would still be hungry and go for another flag again.

[merantau]

Re: The Run home - shall I book my holidays for September?

I've been having the odd sleepless night trying to work out the cause of our malaise this year. Of course it's multi-faceted. So here goes:

Injuries. We have had some significant injuries this year but we had just as many, if not more, last year so, I discount injuries as a critical factor.

Form. Star players from last year have been down on form at various times and for various reasons.
Clay Smith was mega during the finals but did not make the 22 for the first game.

Tom Boyd: has shouldered a big load and has not had the rxpected impact this year.

Tory Dickson has been sadly out of sorts. I would have played him off half back in the second half last week and put JJ forward. Dickson tackles well and can run with the ball too. He's got a good tank too.

Libba. Who would have thought he'd be dropped for lack of form?

The Bont. A mixed bag. Brilliant and team lifting at times but he has been targeted by opponents and treated harshly by umpires at times. Rule changes have blunted one of his, and our, most attacking weapons. When Bont gets his hands on the ball first - good things happen.

Stringer: mercurial, enigmatic. Promises Toorak, delivers Toolern Vale. Can do anything on the field but sometimes does nothing. Makes the difficult look easy and the easy look difficult. Does he know how to lead? Always seems to be flying from behind to take a big pack mark. Often gets a piece of it but seldom hangs on.

Suckling. Has earnt the role of whipping boy after earnest application to the task. Does some good things but the ledger shows he's in the red I'm afraid.

Matthew Boyd. Has the game passed him by? Perhaps, but the main difference this year is less support from those around him, and I include mids dropping back in this, which means he has not had that little bit of extra time to dispose of the ball.

Fletcher Roberts: has found himself out of the side
Shane Biggs has also been dropped for lack of form.
Toby McLean has been inconsistent this year.

Bob came back well but hasn't been able to have the impact he would want.

Easton Wood. His intercept marking and running with the ball have dropped off but I can't fault his endeavour.

JJ. In the last three weeks he's become a talking point for all the wrong reasons. A nightmare for him and for us. If something doesn't change he is in danger of becoming football's Daryl Cullinan. You have to DO SOMETHING JJ. I suggest you do what you do best: get the ball and run with it.

Roughie: what is his role? I think ruck, ruck, ruck. What a pity Adams went down again.

Fitness: Last year we applied relentless pressure to the contest. We just haven't been able to do that this year. I don't know why that is. Can that change over the next 8 weeks. I doubt it.

Nailing the big moments. We have been very poor in this area. It cost us against GWS and dare I say it against the Cokes twice. But although we didn't deserve to beat them we could have had we taken our chances.

There, I'm reasoned out and I haven't even got to the MC and what happens, or doesn't happen during games.

[Eastdog]

Re: The Run home - shall I book my holidays for September?

Pretty accurate summary merantau.

Here are a few players who have done quite good this season. Note some are out current with injuries and one came back from a big injury.

Luke Dahlhaus
Lin Jong
Caleb Daniel
Mitch Wallis
Jack Macrae
Marcus Adams

[merantau]

Re: The Run home - shall I book my holidays for September?

Pretty accurate summary merantau.

Here are a few players who have done quite good this season. Note some are out current with injuries and one came back from a big injury.

Luke Dahlhaus
Lin Jong
Caleb Daniel
Mitch Wallis
Jack Macrae
Marcus Adams

Yes, I agree with your assessment. I am also happy with BJR to an extent but then again he has missed some vital kicks.

[Eastdog]

Re: The Run home - shall I book my holidays for September?

Yes, I agree with your assessment. I am also happy with BJR to an extent but then again he has missed some vital kicks.

Jack Redpath a very good mark and gives us a bit in the forward line.

[merantau]

Re: The Run home - shall I book my holidays for September?

Pretty accurate summary merantau.

Here are a few players who have done quite good this season. Note some are out current with injuries and one came back from a big injury.

Luke Dahlhaus
Lin Jong
Caleb Daniel
Mitch Wallis
Jack Macrae
Marcus Adams

Yes, I agree with your assessment. I am also happy with BJR to an extent but then again he has missed some vital kicks.

[jeemak]

Re: The Run home - shall I book my holidays for September?

Much like last year list health and continuity will be a massive factor.

We've really struggled as the hunted in the face of each of the above pretty much from the word go this year, and that coupled with some match committee and coaching hubris has put us behind where we could have credibly been in terms of wins and losses.

The match committee and coaching staff put their balls on the line by playing players in funky roles outside of the conventional and it's continued to cost us. They genuinely via match day evidence believe basic fundamentals of talls versus talls, smalls versus smalls and ball winners versus stoppers is rubbish.

Whilst I have massive issues with the way the playing group has applied itself in quarters from first to last across the year, I really struggle with fundamental positioning at contests or stoppages and in ground set up. These are coaching issues, and I don't see them being rectified soon.

[jeemak]

Re: The Run home - shall I book my holidays for September?

Addendum - We are easy to get behind, but we can't ever get behind.

[Dry Rot]

Re: The Run home - shall I book my holidays for September?

7 Wins and currently sitting in 10th spot a game out with bad percentage. Can we make the finals?

The run home


Rd 16: Adelaide (Adelaide Oval)
Rd 17: Carlton (MCG)
Rd 18: Gold Coast (Cazalys Stadium)
Rd 19: Essendon (Etihad Stadium)
Rd 20: Brisbane Lions (Gabba)
Rd 21: GWS (Etihad Stadium)
Rd 22: Port Adelaide (Eureka Stadium)
Rd 23: Hawthorn (Etihad Stadium)

Yep, leave now.

Most of them are now at best 50/50 games and most will probably be losses.

I did predict this in another thread and got flamed....

[Ozza]

Re: The Run home - shall I book my holidays for September?

Yep, leave now.

Most of them are now at best 50/50 games and most will probably be losses.

I did predict this in another thread and got flamed....

You must be rapt with our loss of form then.

[bulldogsthru&thru]

Re: The Run home - shall I book my holidays for September?

You must be rapt with our loss of form then.

More that he was flamed for being 'hysterical'. Obviously no pleasure in being proven right but to be called 'hysterical' after what has proved to be correct is a bit disappointing.