Autopsy Blues down by 57 points after woeful first half

[The Flying Doormat]

I just watched the game. Given the score, I have to say, I was expecting a lot worse...

This was not the “shameful performance” that I’ve heard it is. The Gold Coast game was far worse.

No doubt, this wasn’t a great showing by our boys, and we have plenty of areas that need improvement. We have some players that justifiably have some questions marks on them. But this was hardly a disaster, given the season we’re having.

Freo are on a bit of a roll, we’ve had a disappointing season. This game is hardly “breaking point” or “rock bottom”.

The coaches, players, and supporters need to put this behind them and move forward. We know where we’re at. It’ll turn around much quicker than most think.

Yeah, nah. Games against the Kangas and Dees were worse.

 

[Gethelred]

Has this board changed?

I wasn’t expecting so many shit games, remember all the rebuild 3 years type stuff to be competitive

How many supporters don’t tell it like it is with soft excuses

"Tell it like it is."

I have just so much suspicion for people who try to 'tell it like it is'.

It's intended to be a code for an uncomfortable truth, yet entirely too often I see it used to tell a populist and obvious story. You want to tell it like it is? We're rubbish masquerading as rubbish right now; where's the lie in what the club/coaches have said, at all? We are poor. What do you want us to do to change it immediately?

'Tell it like it is'. Go on, really speak to me of hard truths. What is it you who speaks the hard truths thinks I don't already know? What obvious tree am I missing for the forest? Is it the rather obvious injury crisis we're experiencing? Is it the shitfullnes of the very result we're all lamenting?

What am I not seeing, Captain Cripps, that makes me unable to 'tell it like it is'?

 

[thylacine60]

I’m always around, ESKIE. Watching from the sidelines. I only post when I have something to say...

Hello. I'm Mr Ed.

 

[therubbernub]

We were always going to lose this game. I laughed reading people say Freo were no good. Half way through the season they sit only a game out of finals contention! We aren't that good. We might sneak a game from the saints but i still think they beat us.

We are on a journey. A long journey... next year probably will be similar to this year. Dow, O'Brien, SPS, Weitering, Fisher, Cuningham, McKay, Lang etc still require another preason and another 25+ games to get consistency. Even Charlie needs this!

Yep- and we arent the only clubs on a journey. We tend to forget/ignore that there are 17 other clubs out there with similar numbers of new players all coming on and adding to their future. Sure we are pumping the games into them earlier because we dont have the requisite senior players keeping them out. But that is not to say that most other clubs dont have their own Dows and Fishers. We are exposing them earlier and talking about them because of that.

At the end of the day our youngsters are just going to get us onto a level playing field with the the rest of the competition. They dont guarantee us success, but they will make us super competitive in a few years. Thats all we can ask.

 

[therubbernub]

Feel sorry for Simmo. He gets bugger all help down there . He has to be close to pulling the pin with these results week after week

I think you underestimate his intestinal fortitude

 

[therubbernub]

Bolton never played at the highest leveland came from a club that had the best coach of the last 15yr and one of the best leadership groups of all time. so was he really the right coach for us?

I think he said something about patience and a journey. You must not have got the memo

 

[Blue_Fusion]

How do you judge whether someone has applied himself the right way? I reckon our backline is the toughest place to play at this point, just barraged every week. Yet Weiters seems to be the main fall guy and not applying himself? He's a third year player in a bad team that is leaking possessions towards the backline. Not sure anyone would do particularly well in his stead.

I'm looking forward to a more balanced side in the years to come and allow him to grow with it, minus the baggage that comes with fielding the blame when times are tough. I'm as disappointed as the next member but we knew this was coming. It's hard to watch, and I couldn't yesterday but, it will get better.

How do I judge? I watch and based on what I see, I make a judgrment.

Like I've been saying only time will tell. no point going around in circles atm.

 

[Blue_Fusion]

Are you really equating poor on field performance in a sporting event to criminal behaviour? Think about that comparison for a moment...

How did you go?

Go and read the earlier posts. Compared the team losing to parenting, thought I'd do something similar to show how stupid herecomesjuddy's original point was.

Maybe go and understand the context next time.

 

[Blue_Fusion]

The only brigade I belong to is the CFC membership. I didn't realise there were variants on that.

That's great for you, well done. Now tell me what that has to do with posters on here sending pm's to each other?

 

[Show_Me_The_Money]

Left for money you say? I see, principals based on good culture

No longer required? As in we don't need your type?

Then cut from a club, while needing senior bodies and role models, then recruting 4 players that had already been around the block once before?

Speaks volumes about Palmer

Or Bolton. At least Palmer has achieved something in his football career. He has some sort of credibility. You can assume all you like but facts are he was a rising star. Callan Ward left for the money as did that Melbourne winger. Nothing wrong with them. As for Bolton, we're still waiting for him to achieve something. At this stage dud player that never played at the elite level. Also dud coach. Those are the facts, not assumption. Bolton's cred atm is actually less than zero, and going south at a rate of knots. He has the nerve to point out that our good culture saw us win the second half lol. What about the first half? You know the one that counted? Before the game was over. I note he failed to mention we were playing a team that had travelled all the way over from WA off a six day break. That's what I'm saying.....zero cred.

 

[Show_Me_The_Money]

I just watched the game. Given the score, I have to say, I was expecting a lot worse...

This was not the “shameful performance” that I’ve heard it is. The Gold Coast game was far worse.

No doubt, this wasn’t a great showing by our boys, and we have plenty of areas that need improvement. We have some players that justifiably have some questions marks on them. But this was hardly a disaster, given the season we’re having.

Freo are on a bit of a roll, we’ve had a disappointing season. This game is hardly “breaking point” or “rock bottom”.

The coaches, players, and supporters need to put this behind them and move forward. We know where we’re at. It’ll turn around much quicker than most think.

Is that you Bolts???

Your delusion is akin to that of a a scum supporter during the supplements scandal.

 

[Show_Me_The_Money]

I think it is unlikely as we dont seem to be in the front runners to get his signature.

I would imagine we would need to pay significant overs to get him and i suspect the club wont be willing to do this.

No we'd rather spend the money on Marc Murphy.....go figure.

 

[Arr0w]

Or Bolton. At least Palmer has achieved something in his football career. He has some sort of credibility. You can assume all you like but facts are he was a rising star. Callan Ward left for the money as did that Melbourne winger. Nothing wrong with them. As for Bolton, we're still waiting for him to achieve something. At this stage dud player that never played at the elite level. Also dud coach. Those are the facts, not assumption.

The facts are that Palmer was moved on from his 3rd club, with a year to run on his contract.

Ward has gone to captain an emerging side

Easy to take a pot shot at Bolton, go and have a word with Clarkson about his early years at the Hawks

Great players don't make great coaches

Voss
Hird
Leppa
Weideman
Farmer
Shaw

 

[HereComesJuddy]

Go and read the earlier posts. Compared the team losing to parenting, thought I'd do something similar to show how stupid herecomesjuddy's original point was.

Maybe go and understand the context next time.

I think you need to understand what the word "compare" means... your reply here is incorrect. Its time you stop going the man who doesn't agree with you. Ill let this one slide. Not so much the next time. Have a great day

 

[katmanblue]

I just watched the game. Given the score, I have to say, I was expecting a lot worse...

This was not the “shameful performance” that I’ve heard it is. The Gold Coast game was far worse.

No doubt, this wasn’t a great showing by our boys, and we have plenty of areas that need improvement. We have some players that justifiably have some questions marks on them. But this was hardly a disaster, given the season we’re having.

Freo are on a bit of a roll, we’ve had a disappointing season. This game is hardly “breaking point” or “rock bottom”.

The coaches, players, and supporters need to put this behind them and move forward. We know where we’re at. It’ll turn around much quicker than most think.

They kicked 11.11 off turnovers. If we clean that up a bit and it was say 6.6 its a hell of a lot closer. Too many turnovers killed us more than anything.

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[KnobHead]

Whilst I understand the frustration over Saturday's game some of the comments and short term thing on here is amazing. What do people really expect? 42 list changes in 3 years and our list still needs work. Major injury list that has never allowerd us to put close to our best 22 on the park all year. Continuity is vital.

Top level elite players make others look good. Some players are born to lead and others are meant to fill a role. We are missing Docherty, Murphy (& Gibbs). That is massive in leadership and top end talent. This the AFL, if you are deficient in too many areas you will get exposed.

Also, how do people criticse the coach on gameplan etc??? How do you know when you don't have the players to carry out any plan consistently? Amazes me. I believe Bolton is the right man for the job but none of us really know and won't for atleast another 12-18 months minimum. To change things now is simply stupid.

This year I thought would be our worst. Our kids are younger as we have more and our mature players are older, past it or just not good enough. Not having Murphy Doc & Gibbs on the park is massive to our performance.

At the end of this year we will bring in some better mature (25 year olds) plus another group of kids. This together with another 12 months of development, another pre season (our kids needs size and strength) a better injury list (fingers crossed) and we will see a much better side in 2019 then push for finals in 2020. NOTHING has changed. People need to chill and look at the big picture.


Go Blues!

Another well thought out Soapy V post.

A rebuild isn’t done in isolation - we’re starting from ground zero and coming from a lower base than 17 other clubs.

Yes, some other clubs are also rebuilding, but are doing it with a better body of mature players. We had to trade ours out to get high draft picks which we’ve used on young talent. We need youth to build up from.

Current results are very frustrating, but not unexpected - if people want Bolton Silvagni etc gone what is that measured against or what people were expecting? We’re a team with 42/43 changes over 3 years with a thin line of mature players, coming from a low base.

Think the club has tried to get in some good quality mature players, ie. rockcliff, Devon Smith, and probably a few others. But we aren’t attractive. Just means the young talent will take a few more beatings before improving.

And if the current strategy is changed, what is it and how will it be better? How will it ensure that every draft pick is a gun, and the gun mature players that we want will come to us, and we can do it within the salary cap?

Am waiting another 18 months to see where we’re at. Will be a long 18 months, but that’s where we’re at.


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[katmanblue]

Stage fright. . Experience . Young talent takes time. Young talent time .


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With Johnny Young

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[Stamos]

Yeah, nah. Games against the Kangas and Dees were worse.

No, Gold Coast and first half Saturday were our worst performances under Bolton

 

[ESKIE]

For me the Gold Coast was worse,

 

[Gethelred]

Port Adelaide last year?

Worst performance for mine. GC was pretty bad, but they actually set up behind the ball really well that match, and laid a looooot of tackles, something they've not done since.

 

[cfc4life]

This was second to the Suns game I'd say. Probably not just a coincidence that both were played at Etihad, Our lack of speed gets exposed so easily at that ground.

Just a quick note on the negativity thing that's been discussed ad nauseum in this thread.

Even the biggest optimist would be broken down by the year so far. I understand focusing on the journey and the future, but what has worried me in about five games this year (Suns, North, Melb, Freo, Pies) is the lack of effort or pressure. That stuff isn't reliant on experience or age profile or talent. You can't teach it. And we could have another five years of development and 'green shoots' but if the heart isn't there, we'll never be a contender. We shouldn't blindly drink the Kool Aid, it's natural to get angry and critical given our performances this year.

 

[ESKIE]

I have never seen lack of effort, are you suggesting players aren’t trying ?

 

[Soapy V]

Soapy, I love you man and that was a great post that makes me feel a tad better on a Sunday night but... the skills... the skills have been deplorable for three years. Even your boy LOB’s kicking has looked poor in the last couple of weeks (though I’ve loved his effort). He has an excuse being a first year player, but some of the older guys... it drives me up the wall. It’s as if they alway think they’re under pressure. And to me that speaks to something more than just it’s the third year of a rebuild.

I was embarrassed on Saturday. Not the lack of scoring but the inept skill level.


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Skills were poor but they will be in a poor side and when your youngsters aren't used to pressure. Our young group have terrific skills. It will come through but when you have no quality around you and are still not ready for the physicallity and pressure you will struggle. Unfortunately our mature players aren't great with the ball and it festers through like a disease. Once agin it's just time. IMO skills is the least of our worries with the young players.

 

[ESKIE]

Skills were poor but they will be in a poor side and when your youngsters aren't used to pressure. Our young group have terrific skills. It will come through but when you have no quality around you and are still not ready for the physicallity and pressure you will struggle. Unfortunately our mature players aren't great with the ball and it festers through like a disease. Once agin it's just time. IMO skills is the least of our worries with the young players.

What’s you opinion with the young players then

 

[Bostonian]

I have never seen lack of effort, are you suggesting players aren’t trying ?

They were witches hats in the first half of this game. If they were actually trying hard in that period that makes the performance even worse.