The McCartney strategy ... what comes next?

[black pup]

Stefoid, great post I think that says it all.

 

[TempleKelvington]

You make a good point, but I think we need to do both - draft picks are definately not fools gold, but I agree they dont solve the problem in isolation.

But you sure do need those low picks now and again - geelong is the only team (and the most successful) to get premierships without an abundance of low picks, but they got a significant free kick from their 3rd round father sons, and a few of their key players are lowish picks selwood (7) bartel (8) mackie (7)

Injury has robbed us of our best player in cooney, and GWS and GCS have robbed us of two of our better players as well. Going back to the drafting well with back to back top 10 picks is exactly what we need to complement development mac is doing with the team.
We are best served by giving our kids as much experience as possible this year, which may see us just fall short of making the 8, but give us a very strong platform going forward. (i.e. towards the end of the seasonm get a few games into panos, hill, talia, howard, tutt, etc... rather than bringing in moles, gilbee, morris, etc...)

Yes I agree it's nice to have the lowest picks possible, but I think playing for that is the fool’s gold. Realistically we won't be making the 8. The kids we are playing are playing because they deserve their spots. To me it looks like we are playing our best possible team each week.
Even if we do get a few extra wins, we’ll still end up with 2 picks inside the top 10. We won’t drop badly enough to finish in the bottom 3 certainly and probably not bottom 5 either. Even if we tried! So it’s 2 picks somewhere between 5 and 10, just through natural the scheme of things.
So we may as well keep putting into practice the sort of footy Macca is teaching and not tinker with that for the sake of the draft pick order. Winning footy will be much more valuable to the young guys in this group than having pick 5 and 6 instead of 8 or 9. Drafts can be fluky good players are picked up outside the top 5 picks all the time.
As the year progresses I am sure some others will get their chance too. I’d like to see Hill, Panos and Talia in particular get a taste. Pearce is another who is close. I wouldn’t be rushing anyone back. Morris is fit or he isn’t. Same with all the others.
But if our improvement continues, and we sneak a few extra wins, I for one would want us to continue to play to win, select our best side and try and make finals. Our next step is to be putting it altogether for long enough in enough games to win and to build confidence. That will put us in great stead for 2013 and beyond and we should still pick up some great kids in the draft.

 

[Ant_]

Enjoyed this article

http://www.westernbulldogs.com.au/w...article/tabid/4112/newsid/136088/default.aspx

 

[stefoid]

Enjoyed this article

http://www.westernbulldogs.com.au/w...article/tabid/4112/newsid/136088/default.aspx

Me too.

 

[TempleKelvington]

Thanks for the link was a great insight.

I think he is trying to tell us as supporters we need to be looking more at the little things the guys do. We tend to focus on possessions and goals.

 

[Ant_]

Thanks for the link was a great insight.

I think he is trying to tell us as supporters we need to be looking more at the little things the guys do. We tend to focus on possessions and goals.

The stats he mentioned on Grant were telling.

So far this year Grant has also laid 22 tackles, more than half of the total tackles he laid in the entire 2011 season.

There was always talk of us being a team of individuals...maybe the naysayers were right.

 

[Mutt]

Thanks for the link was a great insight.

I think he is trying to tell us as supporters we need to be looking more at the little things the guys do. We tend to focus on possessions and goals.

I get the impression that the goalposts have been shifted for the players.

Macca seems to be intent on rating players against their repeat contests, 1%-ers, spacing around the contest, tackling and ability and willingness to win your own ball much more highly than we ever have as a club. Team over individual.

 

[Unnamed1]

I get the impression that the goalposts have been shifted for the players.

Macca seems to be intent on rating players against their repeat contests, 1%-ers, spacing around the contest, tackling and ability and willingness to win your own ball much more highly than we ever have as a club. Team over individual.

Couldn't be more different to Eades rants, glares and silent treatment even if he tried.

 

[Curly5]

The stats he mentioned on Grant were telling.

There was always talk of us being a team of individuals...maybe the naysayers were right.

I'm really chuffed that this article confirms my observation of Grant's improvement in recent games, especially his tackling and second efforts. He's just going to get better and better.

I also like Macca's support of Shaun Higgins. I just wish the "supporters" would get off his back.

 

[tonydean]

Just a fantastic bloke to develop our young blokes. The players seem to respond to him, just a very smart man. I think not only will our players become successful, but successful for a few years, rather than just one or two. Good interview mentioned previous.

I especially liked the shepherd that Grant made last week, to let Gia kick a running goal. It was one that will stick in my mind for awhile. Last year, and even the years before that, these 1% efforts were missing I felt, the team still isn't there yet, we still need to get blokes helping out, for e.g. you see a lot of our blokes being outnumbered 3 to 1 at some contests, we just have to play as a team more, but they are getting there and it takes time. Go dogs

 

[Interloper]

I get the impression that the goalposts have been shifted for the players.

Macca seems to be intent on rating players against their repeat contests, 1%-ers, spacing around the contest, tackling and ability and willingness to win your own ball much more highly than we ever have as a club. Team over individual.

Agree and Hallelujah. Might have had to drag some kicking and screaming but when everyone is doing this consistently there will be honour in victory and defeat and we’ll be a force to be reckoned with.

 

[Big Wilbur]

His comments about Grant just reinforce what I've seen with my own eyes this year. He's making progress even if that progress may not be apparent to supporters who like the obvious stats. Hopefully more supporters look a little closer at what the likes of Grant and Higgins contribute in a match.