Mega Thread The Media Thread

[Nothing]

Perhaps WC have their structures down after playing together for a few seasons - you'd hope the premiers have their structures sorted. We have 30+ new players across the past three seasons, most wont have played a structure with those players for more than a season (with our injuries it's probably a handful of games for most players).

 

[Joao]

Perhaps WC have their structures down after playing together for a few seasons - you'd hope the premiers have their structures sorted. We have 30+ new players across the past three seasons, most wont have played a structure with those players for more than a season (with our injuries it's probably a handful of games for most players).

So much this. You don't have to spend 80% of your time on structures if 3/4 of players have been together for years. You can focus on skills and other stuff.

Crows skills looked woeful circa 2014 - fast forward to 2017 and the same blokes couldn't miss a target (except GF day).

 

[Cesoir]

So much this. You don't have to spend 80% of your time on structures if 3/4 of players have been together for years. You can focus on skills and other stuff.

Crows skills looked woeful circa 2014 - fast forward to 2017 and the same blokes couldn't miss a target (except GF day).

I used to laugh at the bunch of unskilled clowns at the Eagles just a few years ago. From 2015 onward they started to come on in leaps and bounds, because they had been together for a number of years and could focus on their skills rather than guessing what their team mates were doing.

I have even seen Masten hit a target once or twice now, and I never thought that would happen!

 

[wild side]

Whatever, a skills session wouldn't be a bad idea !

 

[arsesmart]

I’d be a little cautious in putting too much faith in Mark Duffield’s theories. I think he wears his own goggles when he makes those observations. I remember catching him on 720 last year banging on about Freo’s problem with goal inaccuracy and his theory was they didn’t practice their skills. So I went and checked the stats, Freo was mid to upper mid with goal kicking accuracy for the season to that point and I think better than some of the teams he was citing as examples of being more skills focused.

 

[blue shark]

Perhaps WC have their structures down after playing together for a few seasons - you'd hope the premiers have their structures sorted. We have 30+ new players across the past three seasons, most wont have played a structure with those players for more than a season (with our injuries it's probably a handful of games for most players).

This makes some sense, but WC had the same number of debutantes as us last year, plus injuries to key players at times.
Which would suggest they play a more natural game to the players available, instead of forcing a square peg into a round
hole.

 

[gaskin]

 

[Monument Hills]

This makes some sense, but WC had the same number of debutantes as us last year, plus injuries to key players at times.
Which would suggest they play a more natural game to the players available, instead of forcing a square peg into a round
hole.

No where near the number of games by those debutants though as freo had

 

[arsesmart]

This makes some sense, but WC had the same number of debutantes as us last year, plus injuries to key players at times.
Which would suggest they play a more natural game to the players available, instead of forcing a square peg into a round
hole.

You might be on to something about the experience thing, but in reverse.

Freo and WC were chalk and cheese re the average age and experience of the teams they put out week to week last year. Freo one of the youngest, WC one of the oldest. When WC's age dropped their form dropped as did their winning.

 

[Scham]

If it’s taking longer than 12 months to learn our structures, then they’re way too complicated.

Players that have been in our system 12 months or more and played on Sunday:

Walters
Mundy
Brayshaw
Cerra
Giro
Matera
Cox
Jones
Darcy
Ballantyne
Hughes
Tucker
Langdon
Hill
Wilson
Banfield
Ryan
Hamling
Duman
Pearce

That’s 20 players.

Give me a break!

 

[Nothing]

If it’s taking longer than 12 months to learn our structures, then they’re way too complicated.

Players that have been in our system 12 months or more and played on Sunday:

Walters
Mundy
Brayshaw
Cerra
Giro
Matera
Cox
Jones
Darcy
Ballantyne
Hughes
Tucker
Langdon
Hill
Wilson
Banfield
Ryan
Hamling
Duman
Pearce

That’s 20 players.

Give me a break!

How many of them have played 50 games together?

By structures I don't mean game plan solely, I also mean knowing where to run because of what is about to happen. Until you know instinctively when a player is beaten and needs help or when they are able to get half a pace of separation you have to tread. That split second is the difference between looking like the Eagles splitting into space and Freo having the extra player run in only for the ball to be handballed over the top.

It saddens those who want immediate results but the reality of all team sports is you need game time together.

 

[yakka man]

Herein lies the coaching issue:

And there was one obvious difference between the reigning premiers and their cross-town rivals, according to The West Australian chief football writer Mark Duffield.

“West Coast were clean, crisp and clinical with the ball, and Fremantle were sloppy and fumbly,” Duffield said.
“I still keep coming back to this, I think that skill execution is a blind spot at Fremantle. I think they need to do more work on it.”

Duffield has pointed the finger at Fremantle’s training methods, which he believes are far different to the Eagles.
“I only watch two teams train, West Coast practice skill to within an inch of their lives and Fremantle practice structure,” he said.
“The more you practice it (skill execution), the better you get at it. It doesn’t mean they turn into Peter Daicos or Dean Kemp overnight, but it does mean they get better.”

I've said this the last few pre-seasons based on my own observations.

 

[Dockers v Channel7West]

I see our old mate went to twitter after the JLT scratch match to survey his scum WC followers as to Freo's chances of making the finals

I read this in a Fox sports JLT tram rating story where they rated us a D -
for the pre season which is harsh but not totally wrong

Anyway I have conducted my own research survey on Karl as an unbiased knowledgeable commentater on AFL matters and have rated him a:

F-wit

 

[yakka man]

Perhaps WC have their structures down after playing together for a few seasons - you'd hope the premiers have their structures sorted. We have 30+ new players across the past three seasons, most wont have played a structure with those players for more than a season (with our injuries it's probably a handful of games for most players).

So much this. You don't have to spend 80% of your time on structures if 3/4 of players have been together for years. You can focus on skills and other stuff.

Crows skills looked woeful circa 2014 - fast forward to 2017 and the same blokes couldn't miss a target (except GF day).

Just NO! When Adam Simpson took over the West Coast it was viewed as old, slow and terribly unskillful. He turned that around almost instantly, and he did it by prioritising skills. Besides, I'm sure the good coaches can do both at the same time.

 

[Nothing]

Just NO! When Adam Simpson took over the West Coast it was viewed as old, slow and terribly unskillful. He turned that around almost instantly, and he did it by prioritising skills. Besides, I'm sure the good coaches can do both at the same time.

With a mature list you can.

 

[nurries]

With a mature list you can.

If we didn’t keep spuds like Ballantyne and Sutcliffe for so long we could of recruited some replacements that would be about to hit their peak now. But Ross is short sighted

 

[Nothing]

Is that Ross or the List Manager?

 

[Cesoir]

Amazing how things change - this is from The Age in 2017. One year you're the rooster, the next a feather duster - just ask Damien Hardwick and Nathan Buckley.

 

[go_the_dockers]

If we didn’t keep spuds like Ballantyne and Sutcliffe for so long we could of recruited some replacements that would be about to hit their peak now. But Ross is short sighted

Ballas was a very good player.

He is just 2 seasons past it.

 

[nurries]

Ballas was a very good player.

He is just 2 seasons past it.

I reckon he has been cooked for 3. This will be 4

 

[nurries]

Amazing how things change - this is from The Age in 2017. One year you're the rooster, the next a feather duster - just ask Damien Hardwick and Nathan Buckley.

View attachment 634080

This guy was willing to change things up

 

[Sweetback]

This guy was willing to change things up

I think Sam Mitchell made a difference to them last year.

 

[Scham]

How many of them have played 50 games together?

By structures I don't mean game plan solely, I also mean knowing where to run because of what is about to happen. Until you know instinctively when a player is beaten and needs help or when they are able to get half a pace of separation you have to tread. That split second is the difference between looking like the Eagles splitting into space and Freo having the extra player run in only for the ball to be handballed over the top.

It saddens those who want immediate results but the reality of all team sports is you need game time together.

Nah, I’m not buying that. Yes it would get more in sync the more you play together but that’s a minute part of it. It certainly can’t be blamed for our state of play. These guys come to our club as highly talented footballers so the instinct that you talk about, they already have. That’s what separates them from the ones that don’t quite make it. They don’t need to be taught how to read the play (using your examples above) they just need to learn gameplan and set plays.

 

[Scham]

Just NO! When Adam Simpson took over the West Coast it was viewed as old, slow and terribly unskillful. He turned that around almost instantly, and he did it by prioritising skills. Besides, I'm sure the good coaches can do both at the same time.

Good coaches can. And do. But it requires them to take control over the time that is dedicated to S and C. Running endless amount of laps is dead time.
Oh, and it requires a simple game plan.

 

[Scham]

Is that Ross or the List Manager?

It’s a good question. How much influence does a head coach have on the make up of the list. I’d say a lot. Especially one who is signed on long term with a job of rebuilding the list.

Hopefully the final decision on which player is selected is left to the list management team after being guided by the head coach on what type of player he wants.