What do you think of our 2014?
As for 2014, if you said to me at the start of the year that we would spend the year dealing with more early season ending injuries, late season injuries to required senior players, lack of recognised rucks come finals and not enough of our kids taking the next step to be putting the pressure on our veterans meaning we did have an over-reliance on a core group more often than not but accounting for all that we would make it to week 2 of the finals; I would have taken it.
Then once the season started and seeing what we were capable off when playing at our best, the way we ended the season was disappointing. We seem to get written off each year over the past few years with the “inevitable” fall, but we didn’t start like that where we were just going to be making up the numbers, and sure we were challenged over the first month or so but when we were challenged we seemed to answer the questions thrown at us and it seemed we still had that ability to put our foot down & put teams away when required. Unfortunately that didn’t last, and unlike previous years, when we lost we made sure we lost. During the season we won 17 games with an average winning margin of 28, but those 5 games we lost was at an average of 49 and that really shows not just how poor we were in those losses, but also how some of our wins where we did put the foot down was just masking our deficiencies rather than exposing them and emphasising what we needed to work on.
It was also frustrating that when we did lose we seemed to struggle to regroup and play in a manner that showed a loss was a hiccup and not the direction we were headed – from rounds 6 to 14 we lost 4 of our 8 games, and then at the end of the season we lost 3 of our last 4. To lose in clusters like that, and at the size of the defeats has been a foreign concept to the club for the best part of the last 10 years and I remember just shaking my head during some of our games wondering what were we doing (or not doing) and just not switched on.
It’s sad and frustrating and all mixed emotions that some of our best football for the season came in the last 10 minutes of the semi-final against North – it seemed that we finally switched on after underperforming over the previous 100minutes, and North didn’t seem to have an answer to how we played. We had seen earlier in the season that we had the ability to dominate matches when we wanted to, and we finally decided to bring the required intensity to the finals but it was too late.
As disappointing end to the season as it was, I believe there are positives to take from it and moving into 2015. We started to see what Caddy is really capable of when not interrupted by injury, Walker started to show at this level what he has shown at VFL level in that he can take the strong pack marks and kick goals, while Duncan elevated his performance across the season, just to name a few.
The important thing now is to build on those positives and not slip into bad habits of expecting others to pick up the slack.
It's a great point you make about the loses in clusters, everything seemed to happen in clusters last year... we got injuries in bunches and even in games we would concede a bunch of unanswered goals each week almost
Momentum was a defining feature of our year. In particular how we didn’t often enough take advantage when we had positive momentum within games and then also taking that into our next game, but more-so that when things were against us we didn’t seem to know how to stop the opposition or get things back on our terms.
It’s easy enough to be sitting in the stands or watching the game on tv and comment how Scott should have done this or that to stop the oppositions run, but a lot of it has to come down to the players when the opposition would take control for extended periods of a quarter within a game. We had enough senior, veteran players taking to the field each week to know that when we are struggling under mounting pressure from the opposition, that when we do get our hands on the ball we need to slow the game down and just control possession for 5 minutes – that sort of instruction shouldn’t have to come from the coach, especially with the experience we had in the side.
Hopefully we have learnt from that and when required played a restrained brand of footy rather than always being excessively attacking and needing to move the ball on at all times, even when it’s not working for us.
Who do you see as our most important player if we are to have a good '15 and why?
For me it’s 2 players – Simpson and/or McIntosh.
Our last couple of years, a big reason our finals series have been derailed is the lack of a recognised #1 ruck being fit and able to play, so instead we have had to go with stop gap measures and unfortunately that doesn’t tend to work too well in big matches, at big moments.
While it would be great to see Simpson able to play 22+ matches this year, more realistically I would rather see him play 15+ and be managed through the season to avoid fatigue and have him available for the important matches, especially finals.
If fit, Simpson would be my preferred choice as first ruck – especially if he can return to the promising form he was showing in 2013 and build from that, rather than the mixed form we saw from him last year. A fit McIntosh would also be great, not just because it would give us the option to play both rucks, although no sure how we would go with all of Simpson, McIntosh, Hawkins & Clark/Stanley/Blicavs/Vardy/Walker (or whatever combo we go with up forward), but to have the choice to swap selections based on if one of them needs a rest or break for management purposes. Then there is the hope that if both are fit, and both are in form (even if one is playing VFL), that it puts pressure on the other one to stand up and also perform and not just get comfortable that they have a spot in the 22 because of their size and role.
Guys like Walker & Blicavs have shown that they can assist in the ruck, and even Vardy had something of a break-out game in the ruck against the Saints in 2013 (when Simpson went down injured), but to me they aren’t ideal #1 rucks or where you want them predominately playing – instead I would rather see them with a focus elsewhere, and if needed play as a relief or #2 ruck. If come seasons end and finals time, it’s back to relying on those guys to be rucking for 120 minutes, then as a team we will be in trouble.
If we can keep one, but preferable both Simpson & McIntosh on the park for the duration of the year, that will go a long way to the team having a successful year.
Do you have much confidence in us keeping them on the park?
I believe we will see both of them in the seniors at different times this year, but not a great deal of confidence that both will be available at the same time and for extended periods of time, where they will be able to support each other and to also push the other to perform better. Considering how much time both guys have spent on the injury lists over recent years compared with actually time on the footy field, I don’t know if we can realistically expect either or both to suddenly run out 22+ games.
I have more confidence that we will see Simpson have some form of impact this year – you never want to see a player have 1 lot of back surgery, let alone the 3(?) lots that he has had, but this time he seems to have been able to rest and allow his back to fully recover before getting into his preseason and not feel rushed or urgency in return as can happen when players have surgery later in the pre-season or early in the new season; not saying clubs put pressure on the players to return, but that players can put that pressure on themselves.
I would rather see us manage Simpson’s workload through the first part of the season, making sure he has enough recovery time between games so that when he is playing consecutive matches he has the ability to impact each game and run them out to the end. That might mean giving him the odd week off, especially when we have interstate trips and the break either side of that game is only 6 days. We do have a tough start to the season, and while we want our best 22 out their each match to give us the best possible chance in every match, it will mean squat is our best prospect as a #1 ruck breaks down from being overworked.
McIntosh, I don’t know what we will see from him this year. I understand why the club went after him but I think they could have chased another out-of-favour ruck from any other club rather than take the risk they did because it hasn’t paid off. He might prove us all wrong and suddenly pull something out this year we weren’t expecting but I’m doubtful on that. I think except for being out injured all year, we will see him get a shot in the seniors at some stage this year, but I don’t expect a lot from him when we do – but I would love to be proved wrong.
And one last question, who is a player... that may be a bit of less than obvious choice that you have gotten a lot of enjoyment out of watching in your time and why?
I know he has been retired for a couple of years now, but a player I did enjoy watching and the type of player I believe we are missing from the team now is David Wojcinski.
While he was never a high disposal getter, he did improve in that area towards the end of his career but I don’t know if he ever got 30 disposals a game, but that wasn’t why he was in the team and it wasn’t what we expected from him. He knew where his strengths were and he played to them – to watch him get the ball on the half back line, then go on a run through the centre of the field, taking 2, 3 or 4 bounces and kick for goal, that is what we remember him for and one of the reasons why at least I loved watching him.
And I still remember that mark he took against the Pies in the final round of 2011 – dying stages of the first quarter, a great leap and put his knee almost into the back of Fasolo’s head.
Definitely a player I enjoyed watching and that is very much missed in retirement.
Thanks for your time
Fair to say you are in my opinion one of the top posters on this board so I think people will enjoy this
Thanks Daz, really appreciate the kind wordsCongratulations on a fantastic series and a mountain of work you have completed. A truly awesome off season experience and one that not only was a great read every week, but added to the quality of the board.
Job well done
Now I want to see you top it for next year!
GO Catters
