It's the midfield.

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Jan 11, 2003
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Midfield is down , defence is down,attacks down

Wonder why

If only there was a responsible person overseeing it all

Wrong thread :p
 

Dubsforsam1

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Midfield is down , defence is down,attacks down

Wonder why

If only there was a responsible person overseeing it all


The players are older, injured and not playing as well......just like Hawthorn are struggling this season also
 

Dubsforsam1

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Jeez. That is really damning isn't it?

So it's not JUST winning it at the coalface but just in general...

Paul Roos set up our 2005 premiership side around the most simple principle... Win the ball. Contested or not. Just focus on winning possession of the ball.... which lead to high pressure, high tackle numbers & controlling the tempo. Simple, yes. Effective, certainly.

Somewhere we've lost this energy. This aggression. We need to focus on the reason why & fix it.

Amazing thing is that George Hewitt is the most successful player in the AFL at winning this post contest ball and yet we are by a mile the worst club in the competition
 

Opts

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Never quote wikipedia, then try and do a victory lap. Dew was NEVER our midfield coach, just spent time as a stoppage coach, but spent most of his time as coach of the defence before becoming senior assistant. I'm sure @SlientHunter will accept your apology :kissingheart:
That's not correct. Where does your source say that Francou was the only midfield coach during his time with us? It doesn't. Dew was our midfield and stoppage coach in the 2014 grand final for example.
 
Jul 20, 2001
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With due respect how the **** has his ACL turned into 2 season injury ???

He had a set back in late March (around 12 months after he did his acl) getting a knee arthroscopy. That alone I believe is a 6 week recovery (I think) so provided no other complications have been found it’s getting close to that 6 week mark.
 
IMO we need to stop using JPK and Parker in the centre circle so much. I don't get it, it's supposed to be a changing of the guard, but no guard is changing. Look at the starting mid stats given by afl.com this morning. It's Sinclair, JPK, Parker and then daylight before you get to Heeney, Hewett etc.

The season's kaput. Why continue using JPK and Parker in this way and not giving more license to the younger guys who will be taking over from them? What I see when I look at Heeney, Hewett (prior to the other night), Florent and Jones in the middle is a lack of confidence, and panic that stems from that lack of confidence. They don't seem to have any chemistry as a young midfield group, and why would they when they are still just rotating supporting cast-members of the JPK & Parker show?

When I think of our glory days when we were at our most dominant, I remember a back-line consisting of Reg & Teddy, Mal & Shaw, and Nick Smith, and it worked like ********* clock-work because they played so many games together so consistently they knew each other inside out. And I remember a midfield consisting of JPK, Hanners, Parker and Jack, all All Australians and Brownlow finishers, again they worked like clock-work and knew each other inside out.

If we ever want this midfield group of Heeney, Hewett, Florent, Jones and (presumably) Rowbottom and Dawson/Blakey to function like those great Swans units I mentioned above, they have to actually play a lot of footy together! It should be starting right here, right now, in a season where we have nothing to lose! What will happen if we reduce JPK and Parker's contributions? We'll hit rock bottom? Hello, check our ladder position!!
 

Crust

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Agree.
And it is not as if there is nowhere else to play JPK and Parker. They both take a good mark and are good set shots for goal.
So I'd like Heeney's forward time reduced, with more in the mids.
I'd still like to try JPK as a defender.

I also now realise that we really miss McVeigh's organisational skills in the mids. Maybe that's why Horse keeps playing JPK and Parker in the mids.
One of these - Heeney, Hewett, Florent, Jones and (presumably) Rowbottom and Dawson/Blakey has to step up and take charge of the midfield group.

Another option might be to give Rampe a run. He certainly has organisational skills, but the problems is that might be robbing Peter to pay Paul, and his age. But as a transitional moveoe experiment it might be worthwhile.

As you say caesar88 we have nothing to lose
 
Agree.
And it is not as if there is nowhere else to play JPK and Parker. They both take a good mark and are good set shots for goal.
So I'd like Heeney's forward time reduced, with more in the mids.
I'd still like to try JPK as a defender.

I also now realise that we really miss McVeigh's organisational skills in the mids. Maybe that's why Horse keeps playing JPK and Parker in the mids.
One of these - Heeney, Hewett, Florent, Jones and (presumably) Rowbottom and Dawson/Blakey has to step up and take charge of the midfield group.

Another option might be to give Rampe a run. He certainly has organisational skills, but the problems is that might be robbing Peter to pay Paul, and his age. But as a transitional moveoe experiment it might be worthwhile.

As you say caesar88 we have nothing to lose

I believe Parker has it in him to be a 40 goal a season forward if played there permanently. He’s done as a midfielder IMO.

JPK is still good enough, but he needs to be a supporting player to the young guys who we need to take charge of the midfield. Half the number of centre bounces he attends.
 
IMO we need to stop using JPK and Parker in the centre circle so much. I don't get it, it's supposed to be a changing of the guard, but no guard is changing. Look at the starting mid stats given by afl.com this morning. It's Sinclair, JPK, Parker and then daylight before you get to Heeney, Hewett etc.

The season's kaput. Why continue using JPK and Parker in this way and not giving more license to the younger guys who will be taking over from them? What I see when I look at Heeney, Hewett (prior to the other night), Florent and Jones in the middle is a lack of confidence, and panic that stems from that lack of confidence. They don't seem to have any chemistry as a young midfield group, and why would they when they are still just rotating supporting cast-members of the JPK & Parker show?

When I think of our glory days when we were at our most dominant, I remember a back-line consisting of Reg & Teddy, Mal & Shaw, and Nick Smith, and it worked like ********* clock-work because they played so many games together so consistently they knew each other inside out. And I remember a midfield consisting of JPK, Hanners, Parker and Jack, all All Australians and Brownlow finishers, again they worked like clock-work and knew each other inside out.

If we ever want this midfield group of Heeney, Hewett, Florent, Jones and (presumably) Rowbottom and Dawson/Blakey to function like those great Swans units I mentioned above, they have to actually play a lot of footy together! It should be starting right here, right now, in a season where we have nothing to lose! What will happen if we reduce JPK and Parker's contributions? We'll hit rock bottom? Hello, check our ladder position!!

Young players need experienced players to lighten the load otherwise they will just get flogged and won't learn or develop very well at all.

Expansion clubs did this. Gold Coast got Ablett, Daniel Harris and Rischitelli; GWS got James McDonald and Luke Power.

Also Parker is turning 27 this year, he is not an aging vet just yet.
 
Young players need experienced players to lighten the load otherwise they will just get flogged and won't learn or develop very well at all.

Expansion clubs did this. Gold Coast got Ablett, Daniel Harris and Rischitelli; GWS got James McDonald and Luke Power.

Also Parker is turning 27 this year, he is not an aging vet just yet.

I’m not saying oust them. Just reduce them to supporting members of the midfield and let the younger guys start taking the lead now, while they still have experienced guys around them in a season where they have nothing to lose.

And who said anything about Parker ageing? He’s not even 27. He is just no good as a midfielder. It happens, time for a position change. He always suited being a forward better anyway IMO.
 
The players are older, injured and not playing as well......just like Hawthorn are struggling this season also


Hawthorn won almost as many flags in 10 years recently as we have won all up

Don’t think we can compare
 
Happy with Parker spending most of his time up forward. However I don't want him flying for everything. He and Heeney need to learn to stay down and crumb at least some of the time.

Personally I don’t have an issue with it. At least they’re trying to provide a spark and give us something inside 50 where it’s badly needed.
 

J_Moore

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Say it all you like, his form in the middle since 2016 speaks for itself.

2016-2019 Rankings

Contested Possessions Per Game: 9th/14th/17th/28th
Centre Clearances Per Game: 15th/16th/37th/24th
Stoppage Clearances Per Game: 12th/9th/18th/17th
Tackles Per Game: 11th/34th/23rd/46th
Score Involvements: 25th/28th/>100/>100

Goals per game he's gone: 0.6/1.1/0.6/1.1

Screen Shot 2019-05-09 at 4.31.40 pm.png



Lol yeah this guy sucks at playing in the midfield.
 
Personally I don’t have an issue with it. At least they’re trying to provide a spark and give us something inside 50 where it’s badly needed.

I do. If we have three blokes contesting a mark, in all likelihood it will come to ground. Who is there to crumb the ball? We have not been great at holding the ball in forward line.
 
2016-2019 Rankings

Contested Possessions Per Game: 9th/14th/17th/28th
Centre Clearances Per Game: 15th/16th/37th/24th
Stoppage Clearances Per Game: 12th/9th/18th/17th
Tackles Per Game: 11th/34th/23rd/46th
Score Involvements: 25th/28th/>100/>100

Goals per game he's gone: 0.6/1.1/0.6/1.1

View attachment 670227


Lol yeah this guy sucks at playing in the midfield.

So 'no good' wasn't the right choice of words, but my point still stands. I don't see him as a midfielder. At all. Sure, he's playing there and statistically he's doing OK but it's not good to watch because he looks awkward in contested situations, despite looking and playing like a bull.

How many games now have we all sat on this very site and said 'gee we need a lift out of Parker in this half' or something along those lines. It happens almost on a weekly basis because he's been out there, attending plenty of centre bounces and statistically doing OK, but we can all see he's struggling to impact games. Then when that lift comes, it's almost always int he form of him wreaking havoc inside 50, be it a crunch tackle or kicking a clutch goal. He's turned so many average games into good ones through his work in the forward line.

Go back through gameday threads and it's a staple to see folks at the breaks calling for Parker to be moved to the forward line to get him into the game. He's been a superstar for us, yet he hasn't had a starring midfield performance in a long, long time. But he comes alive as a forward where he can put his three best traits (goal-sense, overhead marking and tackling pressure) to best use. He's had most of his team-lifting, clutch moments as a forward. So now when I'm calling for it to be a permanent role for Parker, instead of just a reactionary move whenever he's struggling to impact a game, I'm suddenly making some ridiculous, radical suggestion?
 
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