Three things I've learned - Round 4

[Nuggety Back Pocket]

Re: Three things I've learned - Round 4

1. Cordy is not a key forward. It is time to elevate Roberts as a potential key forward working with Jones and Stringer as your three big forwards.
2. Try JJ as a crumbing forward to be replaced by Pearce in defence. Teams like Geelong Pies and Blues show what quality small forwards can do. Tutt was clearly all at sea up forward.
3. Play Talia as our second tall defender allowing Morris to show his class against the best of the opposition's small/ medium forward. We need to be bold and look to the future by continuing to play Macrae Stringer and Macrae. At the same time the MC should now retire Gia gracefully.

[Ghost Dog]

Re: Three things I've learned - Round 4

Why didn't Jones move down the ground? Hall used to do it. Grant used to do it. Walker did it.
Why not kick long, instead of folk dancing in front of the goals and getting caught with our pants down?
How many times did I see someone go to ground instead of keeping their feet, only to be two paces behind the Crows players dust?
So many junior footy type issues it starts to make me wonder what's going on.

[KT31]

Re: Three things I've learned - Round 4

1. Cordy is not a key forward. It is time to elevate Roberts as a potential key forward working with Jones and Stringer as your three big forwards.
2. Try JJ as a crumbing forward to be replaced by Pearce in defence. Teams like Geelong Pies and Blues show what quality small forwards can do. Tutt was clearly all at sea up forward.
3. Play Talia as our second tall defender allowing Morris to show his class against the best of the opposition's small/ medium forward. We need to be bold and look to the future by continuing to play Macrae Stringer and Macrae. At the same time the MC should now retire Gia gracefully.

How good having two of him be ?

[F'scary]

Re: Three things I've learned - Round 4

Why didn't Jones move down the ground? Hall used to do it. Grant used to do it. Walker did it.
Why not kick long, instead of folk dancing in front of the goals and getting caught with our pants down?

My junior robot was watching the pre-match telecast and yelling out reports while I did some chores. When C7 went to the before the game locker room shots, he said he heard BMac in the background say "lads, today we have come here to fight" and the camera then panned to the players fighting each other. He reckoned that he then could make out BMac saying, "no, no, we are here to fight the other team." C7 then went to the Adelaide rooms where the players were engaged in a slick warm-up routine that centered around quick handballing and short passing. C7 then went up to the ground where our players had run out and my junior robot said that the camera was showing our players doing silly dancing routines. I dashed back in time to see Big Will doing something that looked like an audition for an amateur production of a Chorus Line. C7 then panned to the other end of the ground where Adelaide were again engaged is a slick session of quick ball handling and sprinting manouvres.

I placated junior and explained that they weren't really fighting each other or dancing and that what he saw was just our way of warming-up for the game. "Just you wait until the ball is bounced," I told junior. And then the game started.

[Nuggety Back Pocket]

Re: Three things I've learned - Round 4

How good having two of him be ?

Should have read Talia. My apologies.

[Sedat]

Re: Three things I've learned - Round 4

Williams injured in vfl ( could you believe it) retire him

Nice parting gift from Fantasia to give Williams a 3 year contract when he struggles to put together 3 games.

[The Bulldogs Bite]

Re: Three things I've learned - Round 4

1. The Cordy experiment needs to end. We need to develop a pure, natural key forward in his position and look for second ruck duties elsewhere. Personally, I would turn our focus to Roberts. If Cordy plays very well in the VFL, switch them back, but at the moment leaving Cordy at FF and saying "he's young, he'll learn" is lost on logic. He's uncompetitive in the air and is very, very slow.

2. Our spread from the contest is so poor. It has been for a while, and whilst I realise we don't have the cattle, the disappointing thing for mine was our positioning. I lost count the number of times Adelaide players were standing on their own 3-5m away from the contest. It was easy, and had nothing to do with our lack of leg speed, and much more to do with our set-ups.

3. Tutt can't play forward. If he's in the side it should be as a wingman or HBFer.

[Ghost Dog]

Re: Three things I've learned - Round 4

TBB Cordy should not have played today. Why blame a player who was put into an environment totally unsuited to them. I don't think he's in our best 22, but certainly, it was an odd move not to replace him, given the weather reports were for rain for some days before the game.
Did this not seem odd to anyone else?

1. Things I learned - Nick Lower is a welcome addition to our team. We badly need players like him.
2. Adam Cooney may just make this season palatable.
3. Macrae shows more poise than many a senior player.

[Dry Rot]

Re: Three things I've learned - Round 4

1. The Cordy experiment needs to end. We need to develop a pure, natural key forward in his position and look for second ruck duties elsewhere. Personally, I would turn our focus to Roberts. If Cordy plays very well in the VFL, switch them back, but at the moment leaving Cordy at FF and saying "he's young, he'll learn" is lost on logic. He's uncompetitive in the air and is very, very slow.

2. Our spread from the contest is so poor. It has been for a while, and whilst I realise we don't have the cattle, the disappointing thing for mine was our positioning. I lost count the number of times Adelaide players were standing on their own 3-5m away from the contest. It was easy, and had nothing to do with our lack of leg speed, and much more to do with our set-ups.

Agree with #1.

Would add to #2 that I reckon our positioning has been a problem for some years now.

[The Bulldogs Bite]

Re: Three things I've learned - Round 4

TBB Cordy should not have played today. Why blame a player who was put into an environment totally unsuited to them. I don't think he's in our best 22, but certainly, it was an odd move not to replace him, given the weather reports were for rain for some days before the game.
Did this not seem odd to anyone else?.

I agree, but I guess the coaching tactics deserve their own thread now.

FWIW I think Cordy needs to set a target to become the #1 ruck. He shows more when he's made to be on the move around the ground, he does handle the ball well for a big guy and I thought his ruck work today was solid when he gave Minson a spell in the second quarter.

It's his work as a FF which is absolutely terrible, and I think it's time the coaching staff realise that it's their mistake and not his. He's just not suited to that position.

[lemmon]

Re: Three things I've learned - Round 4

I agree, but I guess the coaching tactics deserve their own thread now.

FWIW I think Cordy needs to set a target to become the #1 ruck. He shows more when he's made to be on the move around the ground, he does handle the ball well for a big guy and I thought his ruck work today was solid when he gave Minson a spell in the second quarter.

It's his work as a FF which is absolutely terrible, and I think it's time the coaching staff realise that it's their mistake and not his. He's just not suited to that position.

Tend to agree but I cant see it happening. Minson is rightful top dog, if Ayce goes back to Willi he plays behind Wood, when we stand alone Campbell deserves to be the number one ruck. He's so far back in the pecking order as a first ruck and is already 23, the time to display his wares is running dangerously thin. I get the feeling he has to make this niche as key forward/second ruck work or there isn't a spot for him on the list.

[Topdog]

Re: Three things I've learned - Round 4

1. The Adelaide coach is a knob. Completely disrespecting us with the comments about holding us to the lowest score in 50 years.
2. Macrae and Stringer will make it.
3. Playing with no forward line irritates me more each week.

[Mantis]

Re: Three things I've learned - Round 4

1. Things I learned - Nick Lower is a welcome addition to our team. We badly need players like him.

Going on his most recent performance what do you see in Lower that I (and others) are misisng?

[LostDoggy]

Re: Three things I've learned - Round 4

1. The Adelaide coach is a knob. Completely disrespecting us with the comments about holding us to the lowest score in 50 years.
2. Macrae and Stringer will make it.
3. Playing with no forward line irritates me more each week.

I actually prefer that to the fake humility, “All credit to them, they're a great team, but we were able to hang in there today and get the four points, blah blah bloody blah”. We were shit. He called it as he saw it. He wasn't wrong.

My 3 things:

1. Don't let yourself get carried away with a Round 1 win.
2. Don't get on Facebook immediately after a loss.
3. We are slow to adapt. Whether that's an issue with the players, or the coaching group, as a whole we waited until the weather cleared before playing wet footy, whilst Adelaide ran all over us. Yes, it was still slippery, but that didn't seem to bother Mr. Dangerfield.

[LostDoggy]

Re: Three things I've learned - Round 4

Going on his most recent performance what do you see in Lower that I (and others) are misisng?

If I may answer: A bit of mongrel.