Leadership Group are they up to It

[LostDoggy]

Re: Leadership Group are they up to It

So other than training hard, you see zero leadership traits whatsover? I know he has some shortcomings but I find this statement over the top and disrespectful.

Immediately off the top of my head.....he puts his head over the ball, wins contested footy, consistently performs week after week, never gives up, and plays through injury. There are five traits I would see as desirable in a leader at our football club. He lets himself down with his defensive efforts but to completely ignore his other qualities is rediculous.

Hee Here !

[LostDoggy]

Re: Leadership Group are they up to It

So the club made a mistake in naming Boyd our new captain?

We seem to be going around in circles in recent weeks with subjects, but that's forum life, so here goes.

Boyd was my choice. I'm interested to know who (at this point in our season) would have been better?

These aren't all my opinons, some are fact, some are peoples perception also:

Cooney - injured and down on form
Cross - playign days numbered and seen as the same type of player as Boyd
Lake - injured and down on form
Gia - wrong side of 200 games - debate always rages
Higgins - injured and down on form, poor attitude
Murphy - great season so far but always waiting for his knees to give way
Ward - too young, unsettled possibly
Griffen - great so far
Morris - likewise with Griffen
Who outside of this group would have been relistic? Nobody. Who would has had a better presence on field to date this season, apart from Boyd? Nobody.

Few facts from Footywire for Boyd in 2011:

2011 Statistical Rankings

Ranked 2nd in Total Inside 50s
Ranked 10th in Total Goal Assists
Ranked 2nd in Total Kicks
Ranked 12th in Total Handballs
Ranked 1st in Total Disposals
Ranked 4th in Total Supercoach Score
Ranked 2nd in Total Dreamteam Score
Ranked 4th in Inside 50s Per Game
Ranked 17th in Goal Assists Per Game
Ranked 2nd in Kicks Per Game
Ranked 15th in Handballs Per Game
Ranked 1st in Disposals Per Game
Ranked 5th in Supercoach Score Per Game
Ranked 2nd in Dreamteam Score Per Game

http://www.footywire.com/afl/footy/pp-western-bulldogs--matthew-boyd

[Bornadog]

Re: Leadership Group are they up to It

I disagree, we have potential leaders in Ward, Roughy, Jones, Libba and Wallis

Agree but they are young. We need a leader from the mid 20's players who will be ready when Boyd retires. Unless we jump the mid group and have a young Captain.

[Desipura]

Re: Leadership Group are they up to It

Agree but they are young. We need a leader from the mid 20's players who will be ready when Boyd retires. Unless we jump the mid group and have a young Captain.

Why mid 20s? Ward is currently 21 yo, he will be 23-24 yo by the time Boydy is ready to hand it over. I think it's a good potential situation to be in, with leaders at the right time of their careers in that they would have played enough games to have established themselves, and have a number of years ahead of them to leave a legacy to the younger guys on the list

[GVGjr]

Re: Leadership Group are they up to It

Boyd is a fantastic player and has so many admirable qualities as a player and as role model for footballers everywhere. His defensive efforts and his propensity to give teammates a spray are less admirable qualities, glass houses an all that.
I think the wider question though is not Boyd and his failings but that of how does having a "leadership group" affect MC selections and younger players willingness and ability to take responsibility and initiative in the Leading Teams environment. How are the team dynamics affected by having a "leadership group?" When players in the "leadership group" are constantly backed to lead by their selection in the team what happens when they don't lead? Who has the responsibility to pick up the slack and is empowered to do so? Higgens giving Liberatore a spray is probably a good example of why having a "leadership group" is not always a positive thing.

[Topdog]

Re: Leadership Group are they up to It

So other than training hard, you see zero leadership traits whatsover? I know he has some shortcomings but I find this statement over the top and disrespectful.

Immediately off the top of my head.....he puts his head over the ball, wins contested footy, consistently performs week after week, never gives up, and plays through injury. There are five traits I would see as desirable in a leader at our football club. He lets himself down with his defensive efforts but to completely ignore his other qualities is rediculous.

Yep but when you add in he is selfish and unwilling to man up it negates the getting the ball bit IMO.

I was saying this last year aswell so this isn't a all is doomed approach from me. and when I have met Boyd he appeared to be a super person to me, I just think he is not a leader that will drag a group across the line. I recognise I am in the minority on this.

[Ghost Dog]

Re: Leadership Group are they up to It

Yep but when you add in he is selfish and unwilling to man up it negates the getting the ball bit IMO.

I was saying this last year aswell so this isn't a all is doomed approach from me. and when I have met Boyd he appeared to be a super person to me, I just think he is not a leader that will drag a group across the line. I recognise I am in the minority on this.

someone remind me why Ryan Griffen was never in the mix to be captain? didn't want to be?

I love the way he drags himself out of tackles and keeps on chugging.

[A dogs life]

Re: Leadership Group are they up to It

Yep but when you add in he is selfish and unwilling to man up it negates the getting the ball bit IMO.

I was saying this last year aswell so this isn't a all is doomed approach from me. and when I have met Boyd he appeared to be a super person to me, I just think he is not a leader that will drag a group across the line. I recognise I am in the minority on this.

That you are!

[chef]

Re: Leadership Group are they up to It

That you are!

Nah, I agree with topdog.

[KT31]

Re: Leadership Group are they up to It

Personally besides being a hard trainer I don't see any in Boyd.

You have got to be kidding, once a rookie and made it to club captain, Boyd has led from the front and is in our top four players this season.

[jeemak]

Re: Leadership Group are they up to It

When the opposition are making fun of you like they did with there ball movement on Sunday you just have to keep running. I fully understand the game has changed and the players are suffering because of it, but it isn't good enough to allow the opposition to play keepings off like they did and when your leaders aren't doing all they can to guard an opponent then something has to change.

As far as running to the point of exhaustion and being unable to run anymore - well I don't cop that because our players (leaders included) had no problems running at full tilt when we had possession, they just didn't do it defensively which is when it counts, or atleast it did against Hawthorn.

I think it's an attitude thing that affects us just as much offensively as it does defensively.

I know our midfielders (flankers included) run forward, but they don't spread very well. It takes a lot of effort to spread quickly after a contested situation, and this is an area we've been beaten in constantly this year. We do so much useless, lazy and unthinking running when we get the ball.

The defensive side of our running from my perspective stinks of limited thinking by our players. Sure, you need to stick to a structure, but if an opposition player breaks and is dangerous while uncovered then you need to bust a gut to stop it. So many times this year we've kept defensive formation while the momentum of the other team has rendered us witches hats.

We have a leadership issue at the club. I've come around to that point of view reluctantly and I've tried to stay positive, but it's getting a bit too hard to do that now. In the past it has taken us to lose a first up final to click us in to gear and from that point on we've been able to compete. Throughout home and away games we've displayed some incredibly apathetic behaviour over the last three years but we've been able to string a few together irrespective of that. This year, we don't have the cattle or experience to win whilst being apathetic to the cause. We need to get our shit together in a big way to turn things around, because at this point we don't look like we care at all.

Only solid leadership can turn the above around. It's been a changing of the gaurd in terms of leaders, and they're growing into it but they really need to pull a cat out of the bag now.