Review AFL Round 4, North Melbourne defeats Geelong by 16 points

[Teriyakicat]

It was really frustrating to sit thru the last 15 minutes, where it seemed we could win if we just switched on again. The umpiring compounded the frustration...!

It could be, however, that stealing the win may have lulled the club into thinking that maybe - at 2 and 2 (just like Hawthorn) - we were still a chance to win a flag this year. I think that would be delusional, and just further delay the inevitable. We need to go lower still, IMO, before we find a platform that we can truly rebuild on.

One positive I would note, is the bond that has very quickly formed between Hawkins and Clarke. You can clearly see the two players look for each other when celebrating on the field. Particularly after Tommy's goal today, when Mitch hugged him more than once and was talking closely to him, giving a lot of support and encouragement. The whole moment brought a tear to the eye.

My theory is that Mitch is somehow paying Tom back for the support offered to him on his arrival, when, I have heard, that I understand that Tom was very welcoming of Mitch and went out of his way to integrate him into the club. Now that Mitch sees that Tom is the one needing the support, he is supplying it in abundance. It truly is heart-warming and shows the quality of the characters involved.

Yeah- I noticed that, too, Moggy. The cameras were on Hawkins for quite some time and he had his head stuck on Clark's shoulder as if he didn't want to show his face until he composed himself. Very touching scenes and so wonderful of all the boys to get around him when he really needed their support. It's things like this that make me so proud of our boys.

 

[Teriyakicat]

Was bews a f&s?

Yep- son of Andrew

 

[Pivo]

I agree..midfield continues to get slaughtered. Is it the players in there or coaching issues...?? I heard stokes on k rock say they are working really hard on getting the midfield right but it's just not working. They know it's a problem but it not as if it hasn't been a problem for a long time. We just continue to get smashed in clearances and contested ball. There is way too much left to Selwood in the midfield.

This is the most frustrating thing, everyone who watches us (opposition coaches, us supporters, opposition supporters, the media) knows it has been an issue for a few years.

However, winning papered over the cracks.

The cynic in me wonders if only lip service was paid to it while the ledger was in our favour.

The handover from proven midfielders spending decent chunks of time in there to those still finding their way doesn't help but, as you say, it isn't like this has just happened.

 

[Teriyakicat]

and here i was thinking cheques didn't clear on a sunday…..
Go Catters

They must've sent it through earlier in the week Or done an online transfer.

 

[Chappycats]

Also while I'm on poor defensive habits another thing I've noticed, and it's happened for many years, and to me it's a left over from our successful years and playing style but we are no longer that team, is when we handball to a teammate, we NEVER block or shepherd to give the guy some extra time. Instead we let the chaser run past because we run to receive the ball back. This used to work when we were in our peak but now it just puts the receiver under pressure, whom then usually does a looping or at the feet handball back to the original Geelong player, who by now is under pressure himself because opposition teams know what we are going to do, resulting in overuse of the ball and more often than not a turnover. On the unlikely event we retain possession the opposition has had time to push back and flood our F50, most options are then covered and our KPF are out of position because they lead when the original handball was dished off!
Now if we actually blocked after we gave the handball it allows the receiver a couple of extra seconds to pick best option, move the ball faster, doesn't put our leading forwards out of position also giving them more 1v1 contests, makes us more predictable for our crumbers(do we have any) and doesn't allow opposition to flood back as quickly. We are then also not burnt on the turnover.
Sometimes simplicity in itself is the best gameplan.

 

[Teriyakicat]

Umpiring - can someone help explain -

obviously you can't hold, but can you block a (say) forward from leading at the ball? I presume not, but If legally able to do this then presume you can block a third man up or another going for a mark.

Significantly Lopsided free counts are one thing, but baffling inconsistency is massively frustrating, results in questioning your understanding of the rules.

Apparently you can - well, perhaps I should say "obviously you can". It's been happening to Tom for years. Seems worse the past couple of years though. And Clark just got so pissed off that it was happening and tossed his opponent aside because he knew the umpire wasn't going to do anything. That was so frigging obvious, too- his opponent had his arms outstretched, keeping Clark off the ball quite some distance away. Funny how the ump saw him toss his opponent away, though

I remember one occasion a year or so ago when a Cats player was standing behind his opponent who was over the ball and the Cats player had his arms around his opponent, keeping him from reaching the ball. He gave away the free- and I was surprised because I thought that almost anything goes when the ball is within touching distance.
So if that's not allowed, how can blocking a forward's run at the mark- from 50-30-20 whatever meters away - be allowed? How can blocking a player from running onto a ground ball from 10m away be allowed?

Does this happen in all games? Are all forwards blocked? I don't notice our defenders being as obvious as that but then I'm usually watching a step behind as the ball goes into the opposition backline.

 

[Grimoz]

We are still only one game out of the 8, seriously people need to calm down, I thought we were actually pretty good and should have won the match but our forward entries were woeful and the umps didn't help but that's not an excuse, yes its not ideal to be 1-3 but I think its harsh to judge a team for a 16 point loss to a team many expected to be up around the top 4.

Something has been up with Harry Taylor for the past 2 seasons, he doesn't look like himself, most of the time looks disinterested and a few times yesterday even panicked when he should have taken an easy mark which used to be his specialty, i remember a few years back he was taking 10+ marks a game, we need that Harry back. Cocky needs to play VFL, he is adding nothing at this stage and could do with an extended run racking up possessions and Murdoch is just filling a space, plenty of better options available so hopefully MC realizes that soon, hopefully Mackie is not to far away and we can also get Lonners and Stokes back as I think that adds a bit more balance to the team. Im not going to bash Scott for making Johnson the sub, I think he needs to give players some home truths and if its going to make Johnson a more accountable and less selfish player then im all for it. Motlop should take note!!!

I think we can definitely push the tigers next if we can stop there midfield run and shutdown Cotchin and Miles, would be nice to play in some decent weather where our big forwards can actually have an impact as I dont rate the Tigers backline other than Rance.

 

[mac_cat]

After four games this season, I think it's fair to start doing an assessment of where players are at compared to last season, and in my book the comparisons aren't looking good.

1. Young players that have improved from last season:
Bews - impressive improvement, starting to look like he's a lock in our defence
Lang - still a long way to go but the seniors experience is doing him good
Blicavs - still not sure where his best position is, but always trying
Thurlow - based on limited games, but looks composed and skilled
Walker - best when Hawkins was out, so need to find out how he'll work with both Hawkins and Clark in the forward line

2. Young players that should have improved from last season but haven't:
Motlop - after a stand-out year in 2013, he was limited by injuries last year. But he is playing terribly this year, poor decision-making, going for flashy low percentage moves, no defensive work. Is not the game-changing player he should be.
Duncan - was looking like a promising outside midfielder last year, has gone backwards
Caddy - has gone backwards, not the engine room of our inside mids that we all hoped he would be
Guthrie - is he a lock-down or attacking midfielder? Either way, he's not doing enough of either. I have liked him more when he's played back, but we need to have him in the midfield
Horlin-Smith - seems even slower this year, just not getting it as much as he should, perhaps not up to AFL level
Murdoch - has played enough games that he should be starting to look comfortable and impose himself more on the game, but has gone backwards
Simpson - mobility and fitness is still and issue. Is this still related to his back and knee issues from last year, or just a general reflection that he's a huge dinosaur who will never improve in those aspects?
Kersten - seemed to get worse the longer he played last year, perhaps related to his knee injury. Imposes himself in the VFL but often looks over-awed in the seniors
Smedts - wasn't quite sure where to put Billie, as we haven't really seen enough of him to judge, but he still gets pushed out of the contest easily and hasn't improved his decision-making. Probably not helped by him playing in defence, where he's not naturally suited to

3. Seasoned players who are still playing well:
Selwood - enough said
Rivers - even though he may not always play because of match-ups, has got the job done when necessary
Lonergan - still plays his lock-down role effectively
Bartel - looked to have slimmed down and improved his fitness for more midfield time this year, before his concussion and then knee injury
Hawkins - hasn't kicked a bag of goals, but doing enough

4. Seasoned players who have gone backwards:
Kelly - has not been terrible this year, and had already gone backwards last year, so perhaps not a huge further decline this year, but hard to say that he's playing well
Enright - his disposal has been uncharacteristically, but consistently worse this year, looks flustered sometimes, not able to maintain his previously consistently high standards
Johnson - also showed signs towards the end of last season that things weren't quite right, after starting off the year with a bang. Is it his back, or again just a general decline? Hard to say, but we miss his consistently high grunt work and clearances, as well as the magic.
Mackie - last season wasn't great, and appears not to have fixed his issues, but harder to judge since he's had quad issues.
Taylor - again, not playing up to his lofty heights of two years ago, had an inconsistent season last year, and seems to be doing the same again this year - some good work, but other uncharacteristic bad play
Stokes - down on possessions, not providing the run and link that he has the last couple of years
McIntosh - playing VFL, say no more

5. New players who have shown a bit:
Clark - a good pick-up if he can stay fit and healthy
Stanley - some promising signs, nice to see a big man who is mobile and can kick the ball, even if he's not big enough to compete with the huge first rucks
Gregson - like a little terrier, never gives up, always after the ball, love his debut
Cockatoo - a few flashes that show why we picked him at number 10. May need to go back to VFL to consolidate his fitness and learn our game plan, but am comfortable with him

6. Players who haven't been called up to AFL yet:
Gore - by all reports has played well in the VFL
Blease - speedy, and good possessions in the VFL, still some question marks on his disposal
Koladjashnij - also playing well in VFL, just needs to force himself into the seniors by consistent play
Cowan - coming back from long-term injury, not sure where he's at
Jansen - hasn't imposed himself in the VFL as many hoped he would, needs to do more
Cunico - first-year player, needs to develop
Read - raw, but may develop
Luxford - B-list rookie, who knows if he'll develop
Lucey - as for Luxford

7. Players still injured or injured again:
Menzel, Vardy, McCarthy, Toohey, Bates, Delaney, (Hartman - left the club)

It seems to me we have way too many players in category 2 and 4, and not enough in category 3. Of particular concern are the players who've been on the list a few years now and should really be developing, but haven't (Motlop, Caddy, Duncan, Guthrie, Horlin-Smith). I think the lack of development in the latter is the main reason why we've gone backwards so quickly this year.

 

[fpm84]

No other team acts as a charity the way we do. While other clubs are ruthless (pies, hawks etc), we are giving away players for free and trading Pick 21 for Stanley?? a second ruck when we already have that position covered? I wouldvnt have put Bundy before the team either.

So you would have put a gun to his head and forced him to sign?

He was out of contract and we had no bargaining power whatsoever. Pick 21 was a much better result than losing him for nothing. And Christensen's multiple back injuries and concussions don't have me confident in his ability to have a long career. He certainly hasn't set the world on fire in Brisbane.

 

[bulletproof]

I think we will win handsomely out of the Stanley v Christensen deal (I know it was not a direct swap but all the same).

Stanley is going to be a very very good player for us.

 

[Whit3y]

So you would have put a gun to his head and forced him to sign?

He was out of contract and we had no bargaining power whatsoever. Pick 21 was a much better result than losing him for nothing. And Christensen's multiple back injuries and concussions don't have me confident in his ability to have a long career. He certainly hasn't set the world on fire in Brisbane.

you sure have done a 180 on allen

 

[bulletproof]

I think Stanely is exceeding expectations given his limited pre-season.

 

[catempire]

Call me an optimist, legally blind or just pig headed, but as awful as he was, I thought Murdoch showed something at half back.

All of the above? He was putrid mate. Give me Smedts any day.

 

[strauchnyy]

So you would have put a gun to his head and forced him to sign?

He was out of contract and we had no bargaining power whatsoever. Pick 21 was a much better result than losing him for nothing. And Christensen's multiple back injuries and concussions don't have me confident in his ability to have a long career. He certainly hasn't set the world on fire in Brisbane.

No, not to force him to sign. It's clear he wanted out. It's hard to say what we specifics we should have done, given we dont know the whole story - but what i do know, is that the GFC said they chose not to be tougher and in the process, put bundy before the club. So given that, I would have preferred if instead of rolling over, advised bundy to pick a few clubs (as all other good trading clubs do) and we will trade with the club that best compensates the GFC. As no individual is bigger than the team. I believe this allows 1. Bundy moving out of Geelong - his initial request, and 2. compensates GFC more fairly. This is what the hawks, pies, ess etc would have done. It's what a club should do in a ruthless competition where it is extremely tight and competitive.

I think bundy was our best young mid and its clear as day that what we got was well below his worth. I feel that most other clubs would have been better compensated given differing management approaches.

Did you disagree with any other parts of my post out of interest?

 

[fpm84]

I think we will win handsomely out of the Stanley v Christensen deal (I know it was not a direct swap but all the same).

Stanley is going to be a very very good player for us.

I posted this during the matchday thread yesterday.

Some people on here have their anti-Scott, anti-Cats blinkers on.

It sucks that we lost a young ball winning midfielder yet to reach his prime, when we need all the midfield help we can get.

But Stanley as you said will be an excellent recruit for us for a very long time.

 

[catempire]

I should add, I have absolutely no doubt the MC will have thought he "showed something" though.

 

[mcwilrob]

After four games this season, I think it's fair to start doing an assessment of where players are at compared to last season, and in my book the comparisons aren't looking good.

1. Young players that have improved from last season:
Bews - impressive improvement, starting to look like he's a lock in our defence
Lang - still a long way to go but the seniors experience is doing him good
Blicavs - still not sure where his best position is, but always trying
Thurlow - based on limited games, but looks composed and skilled
Walker - best when Hawkins was out, so need to find out how he'll work with both Hawkins and Clark in the forward line

2. Young players that should have improved from last season but haven't:
Motlop - after a stand-out year in 2013, he was limited by injuries last year. But he is playing terribly this year, poor decision-making, going for flashy low percentage moves, no defensive work. Is not the game-changing player he should be.
Duncan - was looking like a promising outside midfielder last year, has gone backwards
Caddy - has gone backwards, not the engine room of our inside mids that we all hoped he would be
Guthrie - is he a lock-down or attacking midfielder? Either way, he's not doing enough of either. I have liked him more when he's played back, but we need to have him in the midfield
Horlin-Smith - seems even slower this year, just not getting it as much as he should, perhaps not up to AFL level
Murdoch - has played enough games that he should be starting to look comfortable and impose himself more on the game, but has gone backwards
Simpson - mobility and fitness is still and issue. Is this still related to his back and knee issues from last year, or just a general reflection that he's a huge dinosaur who will never improve in those aspects?
Kersten - seemed to get worse the longer he played last year, perhaps related to his knee injury. Imposes himself in the VFL but often looks over-awed in the seniors
Smedts - wasn't quite sure where to put Billie, as we haven't really seen enough of him to judge, but he still gets pushed out of the contest easily and hasn't improved his decision-making. Probably not helped by him playing in defence, where he's not naturally suited to

3. Seasoned players who are still playing well:
Selwood - enough said
Rivers - even though he may not always play because of match-ups, has got the job done when necessary
Lonergan - still plays his lock-down role effectively
Bartel - looked to have slimmed down and improved his fitness for more midfield time this year, before his concussion and then knee injury
Hawkins - hasn't kicked a bag of goals, but doing enough

4. Seasoned players who have gone backwards:
Kelly - has not been terrible this year, and had already gone backwards last year, so perhaps not a huge further decline this year, but hard to say that he's playing well
Enright - his disposal has been uncharacteristically, but consistently worse this year, looks flustered sometimes, not able to maintain his previously consistently high standards
Johnson - also showed signs towards the end of last season that things weren't quite right, after starting off the year with a bang. Is it his back, or again just a general decline? Hard to say, but we miss his consistently high grunt work and clearances, as well as the magic.
Mackie - last season wasn't great, and appears not to have fixed his issues, but harder to judge since he's had quad issues.
Taylor - again, not playing up to his lofty heights of two years ago, had an inconsistent season last year, and seems to be doing the same again this year - some good work, but other uncharacteristic bad play
Stokes - down on possessions, not providing the run and link that he has the last couple of years
McIntosh - playing VFL, say no more

5. New players who have shown a bit:
Clark - a good pick-up if he can stay fit and healthy
Stanley - some promising signs, nice to see a big man who is mobile and can kick the ball, even if he's not big enough to compete with the huge first rucks
Gregson - like a little terrier, never gives up, always after the ball, love his debut
Cockatoo - a few flashes that show why we picked him at number 10. May need to go back to VFL to consolidate his fitness and learn our game plan, but am comfortable with him

6. Players who haven't been called up to AFL yet:
Gore - by all reports has played well in the VFL
Blease - speedy, and good possessions in the VFL, still some question marks on his disposal
Koladjashnij - also playing well in VFL, just needs to force himself into the seniors by consistent play
Cowan - coming back from long-term injury, not sure where he's at
Jansen - hasn't imposed himself in the VFL as many hoped he would, needs to do more
Cunico - first-year player, needs to develop
Read - raw, but may develop
Luxford - B-list rookie, who knows if he'll develop
Lucey - as for Luxford

7. Players still injured or injured again:
Menzel, Vardy, McCarthy, Toohey, Bates, Delaney, (Hartman - left the club)

It seems to me we have way too many players in category 2 and 4, and not enough in category 3. Of particular concern are the players who've been on the list a few years now and should really be developing, but haven't (Motlop, Caddy, Duncan, Guthrie, Horlin-Smith). I think the lack of development in the latter is the main reason why we've gone backwards so quickly this year.

Excellent analysis - well done I reckon you've really nailed the reasons we have been below expected standard so far. Question now is, how does the team try and move onward and upward from here? Is the current coaching up to snuff, etc....

 

[Teriyakicat]

you sure have done a 180 on allen

He wasn't contracted.
Nothing more needs to be said.

 

[Seeds]

Our problems can be categorized into the following 2:

1. lack of high draft picks/poor recruitment and list management

Lack of high draft picks has left us dry for top end talent, which has only resulted from our success. So this is the problem I am the least losing sleep over. I.e. it's not our fault. Injuries to Menzel and Vardy have been significant. However the following list management blunders have cost us big time:

- Recruitment of McIntosh. injury prone ruck on high salary that played 8 games in 2 years was hardly a good decision. This recruitment also caused our blunder of not drafting Grundy. Before I get attacked, I recognise Thurlow is showing promise, but Grundy is going to be a premier ruckman and is starting to show it and it is a lot easier to find a hbf. As promising as Thurlow is, no rational follower of AFL would choose him over Grundy right now, especially given our insipid ruck.

- Not signing Chappy to another year was a mistake. Burbury (replacement) lasted 1 year anyway. We signed Enright, we shouldve signed Chappy.

- Failure to go out and trade for a number 1 ruck when it is as clear as day that it is causing us massive problems on field. Stanley was/is never going to be a no.1 ruck.

- Failure to go out and hunt for a contested winning midfielder.

- Our soft trading approach (Taylor Hunt, Chappy, Pod, Christensen, West all for NOTHING is absolutly putrid.) No other team acts as a charity the way we do. While other clubs are ruthless (pies, hawks etc), we are giving away players for free and trading Pick 21 for Stanley?? a second ruck when we already have that position covered? I wouldvnt have put Bundy before the team either.

How to improve this: No more soft trading, its time to be ruthless, go out and address on field weaknesses, chase out of contract players that can fill holes on our list YEARS in advance so we are in their ear like the hawks do. Trade out the dead would on our list like Murdoch and HS.

2. Poor coaching

This issue is more terminal for mine. Firstly, I don't care that Scott won a flag in his first year, he should be judged on a longer time scale and frankly, his coaching moves have been deplorable to say the least. Chappy as sub Vs freo in 13 (dafuq?), Failure to implement a game plan suitable to the players, failure to fix our weaknesses - its the same problems week in week out that cause us to lose games, failure to have structured and practiced plan Bs on match day and various positional fails week in week out - SJ sub for example.

The poor coaching also comes from the assistant coaches. Where is the development of duncan, Caddy, Guthrie, Motlop? It's non existent. HS and Murdoch? their best was in their first seasons and have fallen off a cliff. Why are out of form youngsters who are not deserving of games getting named each week and ultimately getting their confidence destroyed (kersten, Murdoch and now Cockatoo?).

Scott and these assistant coaches are feeding off the success of Bomber, Hinkley, McCartney and have hardly any runs on the board.

Our continious failure to address and improve on field weaknesses, our failure to implement a sustainable game plan, our stagnant development in young players and the fact that our players are not playing for each other as a team are a direct result of our horrible coaching staff.

How to improve this: Do what the best teams do and go out and poach the best teachers of the game from rival clubs. Galvanise the younger playing group so they can begin playing for each other. Maybe that leadership program we did in 2006. I would get the best coaches to support Scott and give him a chance. If the same problems exist in 2016, it's thank you and goodbye scotty.

nailed it.

 

[maxy87]

percentage of rookies who become stars is exactly that . . . . a gamble. They are rookies for a reason. I'm talking the National draft. Best of the best.

Bobby Tom Read played representative footy for SA and it was a serious illness that prevented him from going through the same channels as other draftees. He may develop into a good ruckman

 

[Teriyakicat]

Bobby Tom Read played representative footy for SA and it was a serious illness that prevented him from going through the same channels as other draftees. He may develop into a good ruckman

From recent performances, it sounds like he's on the mend. Plays well in the forward line, too
Do you know much about his illness, maxy? eg what are the chances of him having a relapse?

 

[fpm84]

No, not to force him to sign. It's clear he wanted out. It's hard to say what we specifics we should have done, given we dont know the whole story - but what i do know, is that the GFC said they chose not to be tougher and in the process, put bundy before the club. So given that, I would have preferred if instead of rolling over, advised bundy to pick a few clubs (as all other good trading clubs do) and we will trade with the club that best compensates the GFC. As no individual is bigger than the team. I believe this allows 1. Bundy moving out of Geelong - his initial request, and 2. compensates GFC more fairly. This is what the hawks, pies, ess etc would have done. It's what a club should do in a ruthless competition where it is extremely tight and competitive.

I think bundy was our best young mid and its clear as day that what we got was well below his worth. I feel that most other clubs would have been better compensated given differing management approaches.

Did you disagree with any other parts of my post out of interest?

Christensen wanted to go to QLD only and by all accounts Gold Coast weren't interested, or at least weren't willing to give a top 20 pick.

As I said, I wish he hadn't wanted out and he was one of my favourite players on our list. But the AFL trade environment is such that when a player doesn't want to be at your club, you're best off letting them go. Ryan Griffen, Tom Boyd and Dayne Beams were all UNDER CONTRACT and their clubs begrudgingly traded them. Christensen doesn't have as much trade value as any of those players and he wasn't contracted. So our hands were unfortunately tied. If there should be any anger directed towards the club, it should be towards the fact that we let him get to the end of the season uncontracted. Ultimately the decision was Christensen's to not sign.

Remember also that a player has to agree to a trade. If, for example, West Coast offered us a pick higher than 21 for him, Christensen would have to agree to go there. And clearly he was determined to get to Queensland. If it wasn't pick 21, he would have found his way there through the draft or pre-season draft. Did you really want to end up like St Kilda getting nothing for Luke Ball even though he got to his club of choice, or Adelaide with Kurt Tippett?

As for the rest of your post, I agree we need another mature ball winning midfielder. Apart from Dangerfield and the up for grabs young GWS midfielders, I can't see anybody else standing out. Our ruck situation is dire and while I am a big Rhys Stanley fan I'm not sure he's our number one long-term ruckman. We definitely need to look at poaching an out of favour ruck from another club a la Sam Jacobs, Ivan Maric or Jonathan Ceglar.

I have some issues with Scott's game day coaching. I've stated several times I think that coaching, selection and management of players cost us a potential flag in 2013. At the very least it cost us the qualifying final (Chapman as sub, Hawkins playing through injury and then being too injured to play the final, playing Vardy as number one ruck v Sandilands).

But I also question exactly who would do a better job with what we have. Our list is terribly unbalanced and we are playing loads of kids at the moment. Exactly what would bringing in a new coach achieve? Would a new coach instantly make our young midfield (until SJ was subbed on, Selwood at age 26 was our oldest midfielder) able to compete with older, physically bigger and more experienced players from other clubs? I doubt it.

 

[fpm84]

you sure have done a 180 on allen

Nah. He was one of my favourite players. But I posted on here last year that if we had to lose one of Duncan, Motlop, Caddy or Christensen I would have chosen Christensen. I think his ceiling is lower than those other players and injuries have played a role in that.

Don't get me wrong, I wish things never happened the way they did and that we still had him. But let's not rewrite history and pretend we've lost Ablett or Selwood. We lost a good promising young player who has never been anywhere near a best and fairest or All Australian. Pick 21 was reasonable compensation.

 

[Partridge]

All of the above? He was putrid mate. Give me Smedts any day.

Same here. I would love to hear the reasons why Smedts should not have come straight back into the team. There are at least half a dozen players I would immediately drop for him right now. He's an extreme rarity for us this season in my opinion - a young player who is giving 100% and looks like he's improved (Bews is another).

 

[Willo_]

After four games this season, I think it's fair to start doing an assessment of where players are at compared to last season, and in my book the comparisons aren't looking good.

1. Young players that have improved from last season:
Bews - impressive improvement, starting to look like he's a lock in our defence
Lang - still a long way to go but the seniors experience is doing him good
Blicavs - still not sure where his best position is, but always trying
Thurlow - based on limited games, but looks composed and skilled
Walker - best when Hawkins was out, so need to find out how he'll work with both Hawkins and Clark in the forward line

2. Young players that should have improved from last season but haven't:
Motlop - after a stand-out year in 2013, he was limited by injuries last year. But he is playing terribly this year, poor decision-making, going for flashy low percentage moves, no defensive work. Is not the game-changing player he should be.
Duncan - was looking like a promising outside midfielder last year, has gone backwards
Caddy - has gone backwards, not the engine room of our inside mids that we all hoped he would be
Guthrie - is he a lock-down or attacking midfielder? Either way, he's not doing enough of either. I have liked him more when he's played back, but we need to have him in the midfield
Horlin-Smith - seems even slower this year, just not getting it as much as he should, perhaps not up to AFL level
Murdoch - has played enough games that he should be starting to look comfortable and impose himself more on the game, but has gone backwards
Simpson - mobility and fitness is still and issue. Is this still related to his back and knee issues from last year, or just a general reflection that he's a huge dinosaur who will never improve in those aspects?
Kersten - seemed to get worse the longer he played last year, perhaps related to his knee injury. Imposes himself in the VFL but often looks over-awed in the seniors
Smedts - wasn't quite sure where to put Billie, as we haven't really seen enough of him to judge, but he still gets pushed out of the contest easily and hasn't improved his decision-making. Probably not helped by him playing in defence, where he's not naturally suited to

3. Seasoned players who are still playing well:
Selwood - enough said
Rivers - even though he may not always play because of match-ups, has got the job done when necessary
Lonergan - still plays his lock-down role effectively
Bartel - looked to have slimmed down and improved his fitness for more midfield time this year, before his concussion and then knee injury
Hawkins - hasn't kicked a bag of goals, but doing enough

4. Seasoned players who have gone backwards:
Kelly - has not been terrible this year, and had already gone backwards last year, so perhaps not a huge further decline this year, but hard to say that he's playing well
Enright - his disposal has been uncharacteristically, but consistently worse this year, looks flustered sometimes, not able to maintain his previously consistently high standards
Johnson - also showed signs towards the end of last season that things weren't quite right, after starting off the year with a bang. Is it his back, or again just a general decline? Hard to say, but we miss his consistently high grunt work and clearances, as well as the magic.
Mackie - last season wasn't great, and appears not to have fixed his issues, but harder to judge since he's had quad issues.
Taylor - again, not playing up to his lofty heights of two years ago, had an inconsistent season last year, and seems to be doing the same again this year - some good work, but other uncharacteristic bad play
Stokes - down on possessions, not providing the run and link that he has the last couple of years
McIntosh - playing VFL, say no more

5. New players who have shown a bit:
Clark - a good pick-up if he can stay fit and healthy
Stanley - some promising signs, nice to see a big man who is mobile and can kick the ball, even if he's not big enough to compete with the huge first rucks
Gregson - like a little terrier, never gives up, always after the ball, love his debut
Cockatoo - a few flashes that show why we picked him at number 10. May need to go back to VFL to consolidate his fitness and learn our game plan, but am comfortable with him

6. Players who haven't been called up to AFL yet:
Gore - by all reports has played well in the VFL
Blease - speedy, and good possessions in the VFL, still some question marks on his disposal
Koladjashnij - also playing well in VFL, just needs to force himself into the seniors by consistent play
Cowan - coming back from long-term injury, not sure where he's at
Jansen - hasn't imposed himself in the VFL as many hoped he would, needs to do more
Cunico - first-year player, needs to develop
Read - raw, but may develop
Luxford - B-list rookie, who knows if he'll develop
Lucey - as for Luxford

7. Players still injured or injured again:
Menzel, Vardy, McCarthy, Toohey, Bates, Delaney, (Hartman - left the club)

It seems to me we have way too many players in category 2 and 4, and not enough in category 3. Of particular concern are the players who've been on the list a few years now and should really be developing, but haven't (Motlop, Caddy, Duncan, Guthrie, Horlin-Smith). I think the lack of development in the latter is the main reason why we've gone backwards so quickly this year.

I wish I could like this more than once. Fantastic breakdown