2014 Thoughts

[Colonial]

Another year gone and what a year!
1st back to back wins, 1st wins at the MCG, GABBA & Etihad .
1st win the derby.

Best Performance:

Worst Performance:

Best Player:

Most Improved Player:

Player Gone Backwards:

Where We Have Improved:

Where We Have Gone Backwards/Stagnant:

Leons Report card:

Player to have a breakout in 2015:

Pass Mark For 2015:

 

[Thrashor]

Best Performance: Can you go past the Swans round 1? Knocking off the flag favourite when you are coming off a one win season was huge.

Worst Performance: Round 10 v Richmond. Gee that was horrible and a 2012 throw back.

Best Player: Callum Ward (closely followed by Adam Treloar)

Most Improved Player: Will Hoskin-Elliot

Player Gone Backwards: Possibly Liam Sumner, no idea of his contract status, but I wouldn't be surprised if he is traded.

Where We Have Improved:

Running out games - was a big, big issue in 2013, haven't heard it mentioned this year.

Where We Have Gone Backwards/Stagnant:

Can't think of anything.

Leons Report card:

Fantastic. Very positive, upfront, calm.

Player to have a breakout in 2015:

Cam McCarthy (maybe a year later but I am hopeful).

Pass Mark For 2015:

8 wins, percentage of 90 plus.

 

[Colonial]

Best Performance: Melbourne Rnd 21

Worst Performance: West Coast Rnd 8

Best Player: WHE

Most Improved Player: WHE

Player Gone Backwards/Not Improved: Greene. Cant doubt his heart but geez his disposals.....

Where We Have Improved: Starting to compete for the full 4 quarters. Confidence in that we can compete on our day with any club

Where We Have Gone Backwards/Stagnant: still handballing/kicking allot straight to opposition players.

Leons Report card: Great 1st year as coach. Seems to have the respect of the players and knows how to motivate them. Definite pass mark

Player to have a breakout in 2015: James Stewart

Pass Mark For 2015: 12th and more back to back wins

Still think we are a couple of years away from filling Spotless. Usually takes a year for the flow on effect of a good year to get crowds in

 

[van peebles]

Best player=treloar
Best win=the moccoaccino drinkers
Most improved=shiel
Player gone backwards=Hampton
Where we improved=running games out/lasted the 23 better
Breakout 2015=midfield will carry all before them.
2015=11 wins and by the end of season Leon to explain why were not in finals.
Coach=branded the team with examples on how to play a whole season and keep doing the required.
Favourite=Buggstar,everybody needs a niggler.

 

[OrangeDuck]

Best Performance: As much as I'd love to say knocking off the Swans it has to be the Melbourne win in round 21 with all the hardships we were facing both in the lead up and then during the opening stages

Worst Performance: The West Coast-Richmond double. That's all.

Best Player: Going with Shane Mumford here. Would be very easy to go with a Ward or Treloar but the amount that Mummy brought to the team and really got things working for our mids. One of only four players who were involved in every one of our 6 wins this season, that's not something to just look away from.

Most Improved Player: Adam Treloar, really pushed himself out from the main pack of mids and asserted himself as one of our top if not the top midfielder on our roster. With so much competition in that area with so many talented kids, Treloar really stands out to me (even though he didn't win me the Giants pack in the facebook comp for R23 with his possessions number.)

Player Gone Backwards: Giles, Sumner, any guys who seemed like certain starters at the beginning of the year and somehow ended up regulars in the 2s. Not sure whether it was form or lack of place but it's certainly not a good thing for these guys.

Where We Have Improved: Finishing. Very rarely did you hear about how we will run out of legs. We were much more competitive in a lot more games than in previous years, when we are seen as favourites against a big club like Collingwood you know that general opinion on our club is starting to change and that is a massive improvement.

Where We Have Gone Backwards/Stagnant: Silly little errors, kicking to open opposition players, basic decision making and making the right call rather than trying the glory, highlight reel play some times. Get out there, play footy and win the game. The rest takes care of itself.

Leons Report card: Top notch. I like that he remained very grounded throughout the season, was realistic about the team and his expectations but never came out and put too much pressure onto the team. Has clearly done a whole lot for the development of this team and it's shown on the park.

Player to have a breakout in 2015: Tom Boyd. Without Patton we're likely looking at Cameron and Boyd up front. Teams would be silly to let Cameron off the chain which leaves Boyd as the #2 key forward. Take away a little of his ruck duties and let him rip in the forward 50. With a much more matured midfield producing better quality inside 50s, a guy like Boyd can really come out of his shell and show his potential as a #1 pick.

Pass Mark For 2015: Another year of improvement. Not putting a number on it because last year you would have said maybe 4 or 5 wins, yet we ended up with 6 so it looks like there could have been an underestimation on the team or whatever. As long as we keep moving up over the next few years we will eventually become a strong finals force in the next 3 years.

 

[gee whiz giant]

Another year gone and what a year!:

Best Performance: Yesterday, the first nail-biter that we've won.

Worst Performance: Richmond @ Spotless

Best Player: 1. Mumford, 2. Ward, 3. Treloar

Most Improved Player: 1. WHE, 2. Palmer, 3. Smith

Player Gone Backwards: . Joffa obviously, but felt for Aidan Corr as he was injured soon after the Richmond debacle with no opportunity to redeem. Jeremy Cameron never really looked comfortable all year, Sumner & Townsend lacked requisite quality.

Where We Have Improved: Belief, resolve, all those things between the ears. Also like the game plan thru the corridor with the run and bounce. Off field admin appears strong to bullish. Love the on-line/ twitter presence.

Where We Have Gone Backwards/Stagnant: Crowd numbers @ Spotless; perhaps our ruck stocks are under developed with too greater reliance on Mummy.

Leons Report card: Nice work Leon, B-. Leaves plenty of room for improvement, but would a 'mentor' help?

Player to have a breakout in 2015: Already nominated Plowman elsewhere, 2. Whitfield (we've only seen glimpses of what he could be I think), 3. Cogs & Shiel could be competing for the one spot in a crowded midfield possee. Either/ both will want to lift.

Pass Mark For 2015: Win away at Patersons or Tassie or Adelaide Oval. Further develop the team bond and character. All supporters will need to acknowledge we're more than a 'franchise'.

 

[_GT_]

Best Performance: still round 1 for me...that was one of the best atmospheres too!

Worst Performance: has to be round 10

Best Player: Ward

Most Improved Player: WHE

Player Gone Backwards: Jezza. Injury induced of course, but that really affected his form this year. He'll be very disappointed on reflection.

Where We Have Improved: just about everything. Staying power, efficiency and concentration the main.

Where We Have Gone Backwards/Stagnant: still switching off far too often, particularly in the red zone.

Leons Report card: great first year at AFL level, and without some of the support he'd get at the big clubs. Calm, clear and proactive. Great media performer to.

Player to have a breakout in 2015: Boyd and Stewart

Pass Mark For 2015: 8-9 wins and no big thumpings at Spotless or Star Track. Gotta start making home games wins or very tough for any opposition.

 

[The Giant]

Best Performance: Absolutely beating the Swans in Round 1. I think this one becomes a little bit bigger if you know some particularly arrogant Swans fans. I was speaking to some at 3/4 time who still wouldn't give any credit to us, and after the siren - they were full of excuses. That just made it soooo much sweeter

Worst Performance: Richmond at Spotless. Not much to say here, it was woeful.

Best Player: Callan Ward. He was absolutely spectacular and played a lot of important roles for our team. Mumford was also very important early on, and Treloar improved in leaps and bounds.

Most Improved Player: Will Hoskin-Elliott, starting to develop into a star.

Player Gone Backwards: Hard to pinpoint anybody except Giles here. People on this board are very stiff on Greene if they think he's gone backwards. His suspension was deserved, but the football he played once he came back was far and away the best of his career, still can't kick - but he has hardly regressed.

Where We Have Improved: Ability to run out games for 4 Quarters, we aren't fading like we used to, which is promising. We have also become incredibly good around the stoppages, especially Ward and Treloar, they did a super job of extracting it.

Where We Have Gone Backwards/Stagnant: Disposal efficiency, a lot of aimless handballing around the back which usually leads to kicks directly to the opponent, or just kicking to large groups.

Leons Report card: B+, did a fantastic job with the team and finished right around the mark that a few of us predicted going into the season, but with a lot more injuries than anticipated. As a first year coach, he would be very happy with the improvement.

Player to have a breakout in 2015: Adam Tomlinson. A lot have incredibly high hopes for Tommo, with comparisons to Nick Reiwoldt, and we see flashes constantly - but he has never put it together with consistency. The athleticism/running power is unparalleled - and is a great mark, I really hope he can turn it on in 2015.

Pass Mark For 2015: Most important is attendance at Spotless, we need to improve our crowd average and start getting a strong supporter base before we become the Flag contenders that we know we eventually will be. In terms of on-field goals, I think it should be continued growth and development - and starting to play our way up the ladder, moving into the 10th-12th range rather than down in 16th.

 

[Raymann]

Another year gone and what a year!
1st back to back wins, 1st wins at the MCG, GABBA & Etihad .
1st win the derby.

Best Performance: Round1and

Worst Performance:

Best Player:

Most Improved Player:

Player Gone Backwards:

Where We Have Improved:

Where We Have Gone Backwards/Stagnant:

Leons Report card:

Player to have a breakout in 2015:

Pass Mark For 2015:

Round1 and really enjoyed the Brisbane win
West Coast
Mumford is the most important player
WHE without doubt
Giles
Bigger bodies and mature trades (Mumford & Shaw)
Don't like extras down back
Undecided, we don't know if he can coach
Kelly
8wins

 

[Determinant]

Best Performance:
Beating Sydney round 1, sure we struggled to reach that height again, but it forced the media and the rest of the AFL fans and fraternity to take us seriously for the first time.

Worst Performance:
Richmond at Spotless, the only game we walked out of before it was over.

Best Player:
Callan Ward, if he doesn't win our B&F I will be stunned.

Most Improved Player:
WHE, basically a fringe player last year, now core 22.

Player Gone Backwards:
Giles, and not through his own fault.

Where We Have Improved:
The last 5 minutes of each quarter, and the last quarter of almost each game.

Where We Have Gone Backwards/Stagnant:
Forward structure, hopefully with some fully fit players next year this can be resolved quickly.

Leon's Report card:
A- Obviously took well developed strategies into most games, at times appeared to struggle with the unexpected matchups or outcomes, but I felt the last 6 or 8 weeks his stamp was becoming evident. He also coaches them to win, rather than avoid losing, I am a big fan of this.

Player to have a breakout in 2015:
Probably 10 of them at least, the one I'd really like to see impact would be Adam Tomlinson

Pass Mark For 2015:
Continued evident improvement

 

[captainMyCaptain]

Nice write up by Malcolm Conn on our season

THE GWS Giants’ stirring last round victory against the Western Bulldogs gave the AFL’s youngest club a better finish to the season than fellow expansion team Gold Coast.
While the Suns appeared finals bound in their fourth AFL season with nine wins from 16 games, they won just one match after the mercurial Gary Ablett went down with a serious shoulder injury against Collingwood in round 16.
By contrast the Giants won two of their last three matches with nine of their best players missing to finish with six victories for the year, doubling the total number of wins from the club’s first two seasons.
Just as significantly, GWS were competitive in most matches this season, losing four games by eight points or less, including against finalists Hawthorn and Geelong.

http://www.foxsports.com.au/afl/afl.../story-e6frf3e3-1227044192930?from=public_rss

 

[Bogan Juniors]

Best Performance: RD 1 vs swans our first big scalp....RD21 v dees was gutsy and Rd18 v cats where we finished all over them

Worst Performance: RD 10 v Tigers Thank goodness for the post match entertainment that night

Best Player: Ward is the best but Mummy is the most important

Most Improved Player: Cannot split WHE & Kennedy ,both easily best 22

Player Gone Backwards: Injuries contributed but Jezza

Where We Have Improved: Running out games

Where We Have Gone Backwards/Stagnant: Forward entries and structure

Leons Report card: 8/10 Like what he has done

Player to have a breakout in 2015: Matt Buntine

Pass Mark For 2015:10 wins with a few big scalps threaten the 8 like GC this year would be nice

 

[Ellie Aquitaine]

Best Performance: While R1 was special, our game against Hawthorn showed we could turn things around against a "real" team

Worst Performance: I want to say Richmond, but I see it as more of a forfeit.

Best Player: Ward, but most essential was Mumford

Most Improved Player: WHE and Kennedy

Player Gone Backwards: To some extent, Cameron, but injury-effected and I think the other teams have found him out. Giles - I'll be surprised if he's still with us next year.

Where We Have Improved: running out games, not relying on one target.

Where We Have Gone Backwards/Stagnant: turnovers from dumb plays.

Leons Report card: can we sign him up for another few years too? Work ethic and culture building are as important as talent. He wants his teams do we no surrender; we're starting to see it show in the team.

Player to have a breakout in 2015: Boyd

Pass Mark For 2015: more wins, improved ladder position, better percentage and fewer >100 point losses.

Make or break - Scully needs to make the jump from serviceable to top quality; Hampton needs to show he's talented, not mercurial; one of Phillips, Downie and Lobb need to show they are AFL standard, crowds need to be bigger, Debbie Spillane (ABC Sports reporter) needs to remember who we are and where we're playing.

 

[_GT_]

Debbie Spillane (ABC Sports reporter) needs to remember who we are and where we're playing.

DS can take a flying leap...

 

[Andre the Giant]

Best Performance:

Win against Bulldogs, so many outs and every excuse to lose but a gutsy character building win!

Worst Performance:

Loss to Richmond by plenty was hard to take

Best Player:

Adam Treloar - if this bloke steers clear of injury he will win a Brownlow and captain our side to a flag.

Most Improved Player:

Nick Haynes, easy to forget but his early season form was sensational. After a shaky debut he came of age as a genuine star. Honourable mention to my favourite player in Will Hoskin-Elliott who I only didn't nominate because his form doesn't surprise me, he just needed continuity from injury. Genuine star of the comp.

Player Gone Backwards:

Liam Sumner, after showing early promise he just hasn't made the necessary improvement to hold a place in the first team and I would not be surprised if he is traded.

Where We Have Improved:

Playing for 4 quarters, 2 way running, consistency of effort, genuine depth and competition for spots.

Where We Have Gone Backwards/Stagnant:

Possibly stagnant in defence although I think in Davis and Haynes we have two potential stars. Need one more gorilla.

Leons Report card:

Great year for Leon, a smart bloke who is tactically sound and can be tough (Greene suspension) when necessary and give cuddles (Greene return) when needed.

When you listen to him analyse a game and our players he just gets it and is the perfect man to lead us to the promised land.

Player to have a breakout in 2015:

Lachie Whitfield - this bloke has already been impressive but with a proper pre-season to strengthen up can be a Group 1 weapon next year. Expect big improvement from Boyd, McCarthy and Stewart next year as well.

Pass Mark For 2015

10 wins is a pass for me but I expect there will be even more.

Our future is paved in gold!!

 

[Determinant]

DS can take a flying leap...

Unless you are into NRL and I haven't been really since 96 (for obvious reasons) she is a know nothing annoyance, she does know her league though.

 

[Bogan Juniors]

Make or break - Scully needs to make the jump from serviceable to top quality; Hampton needs to show he's talented, not mercurial; one of Phillips, Downie and Lobb need to show they are AFL standard, crowds need to be bigger, Debbie Spillane (ABC Sports reporter) needs to remember who we are and where we're playing.

I reckon Scully will be HUGE when the player around him improve and they will. His entire career there has been this pressure to be THE star....I think he will shine when he is not expected to carry the team as has been the case both here and at the Dees. He is not a G Ablett type more a Kieren Jack or a Lenny Hayes

 

[Ichabod Noodle]

Best Performance: Finally winning a close one last week at the end of a long season, with lots of injuries, after not being able to hold on at home when we had less excuses last week (honourable mentions to beating the swans and racking up a big win over the Ds with so many out injured - back to back over Bris away and Carlton at home was pretty special too)

Worst Performance: Richmond and Wet Toast - horrible horrible horrible.

Best Player: Ward the best (just pipping Treloar) but Mummy the most important.

Most Improved Player: WHE he has hit a rare streak of form and class (honourable mentions to Treloar and Smith who's individual numbers are way up and Kennedy who has just grown into it so comfortably and unobtrusively)

Player Gone Backwards: Giles

Where We Have Improved: can run out games better. Far more competitive this year.

Where We Have Gone Backwards/Stagnant: kicking to 1 on 3 or to opposition players all on their own. Dumb, dumb and stupid football.

Leons Report card: high credit, but a little off a distinction

Player to have a breakout in 2015: Boyd or Tomlinson

Pass Mark For 2015: improvement.

 

[Gigantor]

Doubled our total wins from first two seasons, can't argue with that.

More significantly, for the final third of the season, we had so many major outs, and still chalked up a couple of good wins, and from memory, there were no blow outs.

We can rightly aim for 8 to 10 wins next season.

 

[Drezdyn]

Best Performance: Has to be Round 1 against the Swannies.

Worst Performance: First meetup with Richmond. Left the ground that day thinking I was back in 2012

Best Player: I'm going to go out on a limb here and pick an non-obvious player in Heath Shaw. Sure there are the obvious ones in Ward and Treloar, and we are incredibly reliant on Mummy - however I think Shaw's organisation, effort, skill and ability to sort out our tattered backline is the big difference from last year.

Most Improved Player: Nick Haynes. Honorable mentions for Rhys Palmer, WHE, Devon Smith and Jonny Patton

Player Gone Backwards: Giles and Sumner. Am tempted to say Cameron, but I believe this is injury related.

Where We Have Improved: Able to run out 4 quarters.

Where We Have Gone Backwards/Stagnant: Turnovers are still a big issue.

Leon's Report card: A

Player to have a breakout in 2015: He is already a great player, but I'm hoping that Coniglio gets to another level. Also hope Scully is in the same boat.

Pass Mark For 2015: Couple of things here. I would aim for 10 wins. I'd also have a couple of other side KPI's in that we re-sign the bulk of our stars, and we are able to get Lobb, Phillips or Downie to the level of an AFL standard Ruckman. We really struggle when Mummy is out.

 

[Cmarsh]

Best Performance:Rd1 Vs Swans
Worst Performance: The Richmond game
Best Player: C. Ward
Most Improved Player: Toby Greene, Will Hoskin-Elliot
Player Gone Backwards: Jeremy Cameron
Where We Have Improved: Marking in the forward line
Where We Have Gone Backwards/Stagnant: coming out of the backline
Leons Report card: C
Player to have a breakout in 2015: James Stewart, Cam McCarthy, Lachie Whitfield
Pass Mark For 2015: Finish 12th or higher (not quite finals)