When Do we Start Criticizing the Football Department

[Axe Man]

Re: When Do we Start Criticizing the Football Department

Our handballing in particular has been terrible. I and others made mention of how crisp and clean our handballing was against Freo in rd 1, we used handball as a way to work the ball up field and we looked terrific. How things have changed.

Our handball is absolutely the thing that stood out to me at the game yesterday. I know there are plenty of aspects to our game at the moment which are not up to scratch and are being pointed out at length by supporters, but our hand skills were shocking yesterday. Seriously I'm a hack footballer but I would rarely miss a target by hand, it's the simplest skill in the game. I lost count of the number of times handballs were directed at teammates feet or behind them as they ran past. We desperately need to improve our handskills under pressure or we stand no chance of penetrating a rolling zone.

[Bornadog]

Re: When Do we Start Criticizing the Football Department

One thing that needs to be said in defence of the coaching staff is that they have no control over the number of simple errors our players have made over the past 3 weeks. Our handballing in particular has been terrible. I and others made mention of how crisp and clean our handballing was against Freo in rd 1, we used handball as a way to work the ball up field and we looked terrific. How things have changed.

I see this differently, you have to look at reasons for the hand balling errors.

A team like the Saints who play the rolling zone so well put pressure on players by having numbers around the player with the ball. Geelong do this very well. Once you are surrounded, your handball and decision making is effected and your excution is not as crisp. The Saints roll forward and next thing our back line is flooded and we can't get the ball out of there resulting in some clangers. However, there was some evidence a few times when we kicked the ball very very long and found a spare player running in the forward fifty with most of the opposition forward of the centre square.

The coaching team needs to look at how we can pierce the zones and that may mean we have to change our style of play.

[Dry Rot]

Re: When Do we Start Criticizing the Football Department

Where does the buck stop with no forward structure, poor skills, managing injured players etc?

If this continues, we'll lose most of the next 10 games.

[Jasper]

Re: When Do we Start Criticizing the Football Department

In a way I'm glad we haven't committed to Eade yet because we need to evaluate by mid to late season if he is the best person to take the club into the next 3 years. Personally I hope we do stick with him but he if he can't get us into the top 5 or 6 this year we would need to have a rethink.

[lemmon]

Re: When Do we Start Criticizing the Football Department

Just with the out of form players, its probably worth throwing Hudson into that basket.

[LostDoggy]

Re: When Do we Start Criticizing the Football Department

We start criticizing when we can't make the finals. I don't believe it will happen.
I also don't believe this BS about we only beaten 3 bottom clubs. North had a full list at the time since 3 prime movers are missing and Freo in Perth in round 1 is no push over.
At the same time last year we were flying just as much as St.Kilda are this year.

[LostDoggy]

Re: When Do we Start Criticizing the Football Department

Where does the buck stop with no forward structure, poor skills, managing injured players etc?

If this continues, we'll lose most of the next 10 games.

Sorry David but thats a major over reaction.
Our forward line is was fine until a few weeks back. We haven't had a really good key forward for years but its rarely why we lose.
Poor skills? We have some top players out of form or with no/little pre-seasons, hard to say their skills are poor when they don't get ball.
Nothing we've heard tells us we have managed our injuries poorly.

[AndrewP6]

Re: When Do we Start Criticizing the Football Department

Sorry David but that a major over reaction.
Our forward line is was fine until a few weeks back. We haven't had a really good key forward for years but its rarely why we lose.
Poor skills? We have some top players out of form or with no/little pre-seasons, hard to say their skills are poor when they don't get ball.
Nothing we've heard tells us we have managed our injuries poorly.

Well said...

[BulldogBelle]

Re: When Do we Start Criticizing the Football Department

You could argue that our two most important players effectively player their 'first' games for the season this week in Cooney + Murphy

Cooney was getting better as the game progressed...he was starting to hit his straps in Q3 and Q4

I'm sure that at least one or possibly two senior players will be dropped this week, sending a message to the rest of the group

[Bornadog]

Re: When Do we Start Criticizing the Football Department

You could argue that our two most important players effectively player their 'first' games for the season this week in Cooney + Murphy

Cooney was getting better as the game progressed...he was starting to hit his straps in Q3 and Q4

I'm sure that at least one or possibly two senior players will be dropped this week, sending a message to the rest of the group

22 possessions, won't be long and he will start to be really dangerous.

[Rocket Science]

Re: When Do we Start Criticizing the Football Department

I think Ern's been a little quick to dismiss the 'calibre of the opposition' factor.

You can only beat the opponent you're given, but full list or not North have major issues and look to have embarked upon their least competitive season for a some time, Fremantle are an unmitigated rabble with a mortgage on a bottom four spot, while Richmond's situation barely requires comment. All three are looking crook enough that they could be sporting new coaches by this time next year.

Was our forward line really "fine", or was it and the broader team simply able to get away with things you can't away with against legitimate opposition?

I'm not ready to chuck the season yet, and there are some explainable factors feeding into our ordinary recent form, but we're suddenly looking pretty bloody dysfunctional for a team that's supposed to have realistic designs on a top-four spot, and I'm concerned about the gap between our best and our worst.

[Dry Rot]

Re: When Do we Start Criticizing the Football Department

Sorry David but thats a major over reaction.
Our forward line is was fine until a few weeks back. We haven't had a really good key forward for years but its rarely why we lose.
Poor skills? We have some top players out of form or with no/little pre-seasons, hard to say their skills are poor when they don't get ball.
Nothing we've heard tells us we have managed our injuries poorly.

Well ES, before the season started I thought we'd have trouble with zones and in the pre-season a handful of us here were concerned about our skills.

Perhaps we're wrong (I hope so) but IMO we haven't really played well this year and the whole team seems out of sorts on all sorts of levels.

I suppose the questions are why and how we can rectify it. I hope it doesn't turn out that other coaches have figured us out and we simply can't handle these new zones well applied.

[Dry Rot]

Re: When Do we Start Criticizing the Football Department

I think Ern's been a little quick to dismiss the 'calibre of the opposition' factor.

You can only beat the opponent you're given, but full list or not North have major issues and look to have embarked upon their least competitive season for a some time, Fremantle are an unmitigated rabble with a mortgage on a bottom four spot, while Richmond's situation barely requires comment. They're looking crook enough that all three could be sporting new coaches by this time next year.

Was out forward line really "fine", or was it and the broader team simply able to get away with things you can't away with against legitimate opposition?

I'm not ready to chuck the season yet, and there are some explainable factors feeding into our ordinary recent form, but we're suddenly looking pretty bloody dysfunctional for a team that's supposed to have realistic designs on a top-four spot, and I'm concerned about the gap between our best and our worst.

IIRC even the Tigers gave us a hard time for a quarter with a zone. And the Freo game might have got interesting if they could have hit a target.

[Rocket Science]

Re: When Do we Start Criticizing the Football Department

Indeed. It's ironic that Freo basically slit their own throats against us by racking up what I think (IIRC) was a league record in a game for goals conceded by turnovers (16)...before we ourselves topped the league in rounds 4 and 5 combined for the very same thing (28).

[LostDoggy]

Re: When Do we Start Criticizing the Football Department

Well ES, before the season started I thought we'd have trouble with zones and in the pre-season a handful of us here were concerned about our skills.

Not sure where this concern on our skills came from, the skills were the least of our worries. If you are talking about the isolated last 3 week block than maybe but if there was a strength last year than our skills was one.

Perhaps we're wrong (I hope so) but IMO we haven't really played well this year and the whole team seems out of sorts on all sorts of levels.

I suppose the questions are why and how we can rectify it. I hope it doesn't turn out that other coaches have figured us out and we simply can't handle these new zones well applied.

I don't buy this zones arguement either, when our top players can't find the ball it doesn't matter what zones the opposition employ cos they have the ball.