Analysis Positives - Season 2021 and looking ahead

[WCE_Phill]

The concerning part is where did this arrogance come from? Two 5th place finishes on the ladder and finals exits in a row?

Are you joking? Its been the problem since the flag.

2019 and 2020 was masked by pure talent and covid

 

[Carbine Chaos]

Are you joking? Its been the problem since the flag.

2019 and 2020 was masked by pure talent and covid

How am I joking? I'm pretty sure we're agreeing with each other. We've been extremely poor since the flag, relative to how we should have performed.

 

[Carbine Chaos]

I'd say finishing 9th should have it burning in their guts over the offseason to come in next year really fired up.

But if the failures of the past two years haven't had that effect, then why should we expect next season to be any different?

 

[swingdog]

Cripps was better this year than I thought he'd be.

 

[swingdog]

I'd say finishing 9th should have it burning in their guts over the offseason to come in next year really fired up.

But if the failures of the past two years haven't had that effect, then why should we expect next season to be any different?

There's a difference between making the 8 but kidding yourself that you're not far off it because you won a flag recently and missing the 8 because you imploded in the back half of the season.

 

[ziad]

Its out of the tankers (cheating pays in the AFL) and the cats. All others are just making up the numbers, as we would have been if we scraped in.
We need more weapons not more incremental improvement of plodders. Missing the 8 is a first step.

 

[Crimson King]

I truly hope any new gameplan we implement is based around winning ground ball contests as a priority/non-negotiable along with effective tackling.

In the patches where we started winning ground ball contests/stuck our tackles in certain games this season, we looked like a team that could rip through the opposition at will. Need more consistency in these aspects as we have a freakish ruckman whose final form is scary good waiting for us to capitalise on it.

 

[Divebomb]

It may be a blessing in disguise for west coast to be out of the finals because it is guaranteed that they will get pumped and a 1st round exit.

So the squad should spend time recovering, and setting up a brand new game plan for 2022. And i would be cleaning out the list full of dead wood like Tom Cole

28

Tom Cole

Age

28

Ht

188cm

Wt

83kg

Pos.

Def

Career

Season

Last 5

D

11.9

3star

K

7.0

3star

HB

5.0

4star

M

3.7

4star

T

2.7

4star

MG

110.3

2star

D

10.5

3star

K

6.3

3star

HB

4.3

3star

M

3.0

3star

T

2.5

3star

MG

110.3

2star

D

9.8

3star

K

5.6

3star

HB

4.2

4star

M

2.4

3star

T

1.8

4star

, and Jackson Nelson

30

Jackson Nelson

Age

30

Ht

187cm

Wt

85kg

Pos.

D/M

Career

Season

Last 5

D

11.8

3star

K

7.8

3star

HB

4.0

3star

M

3.2

3star

T

2.0

4star

MG

184.8

3star

D

14.8

4star

K

10.0

4star

HB

4.8

3star

M

4.3

4star

T

2.3

3star

MG

171.8

3star

D

8.6

3star

K

5.4

2star

HB

3.2

3star

M

2.4

3star

T

1.8

4star

MG

127.0

3star

, Ainsworth and Dom sheed.

 

[juddy_Like]

Positives:

• Starting Pre-season same day as the true hack teams.
• Putting those that need surgery early.
• Not giving contracts to the truly dead-wood who in hindsight went a year too long.
• Reality checks (times 10) to really change shit up.
• Getting games into Foley, both Edwards, Rotham and even Allen & Waterman and not wasting too many of them on the Hutchings, Vardys etc.
• Nic Nat

 

[KERRPOW]

I'd say finishing 9th should have it burning in their guts over the offseason to come in next year really fired up.

But if the failures of the past two years haven't had that effect, then why should we expect next season to be any different?

Finishing in the 8 is a mental pass mark, even though the reality is 2019 and 2020 were failures.

 

[KERRPOW]

Positives: should get an easier draw next year (i thought this years was pretty easy tbh)

 

[ConcreteWaters]

+Nic nat- I hope he has a couple of years left
+Edwards x 2, Foley
+Kennedy and Hurn when on the park were solid
+We've looked better with the younguns in, which is good for the future

A day on and it's hard to be too disappointed. We've had a pretty good run with this group- 2 grand finals, a flag, 6 finals series, during the runs of two dynasty teams, doing it from Perth. Compared to rivals who have been up and about during this time like Collingwood, GWS, Adelaide and Geelong, at least we got a flag (that may change for Geelong).

Definitely need a serious pre-season and a look into the number of soft tissue injuries. So many hammies

 

[CoastersFlag No.5]

Positives:
Rotham as other posters looks very composed.
Foley showed a bit.
Can see West getting a few games next year.
Jones I think showed more than Petch and Langdon.
We will see if we get 2018 Rioli back or if he will be a disappointment.
Still vainly hoping that NicNat, Gaff, Kelly, Shuey and Yeo can play together for 12 weeks in a row. This year the tally was 5 in total and no more than 2 in a row. Pretty hard to develop any synergy when that happens.

 

[Kwality]

After yesterday we have Nic, Yoe, Shuey, JD, Cripps and Gaff all we need is a committed team around them.
Many unknowns, such as will Allen really be a great FF, but we must get a good mid or two with class and pace, and a KPP player. The draft will not be enough.
Plenty of dead wood dressed up as likable depth with 50 games or so.

Overall we are not fit. Belly fat on many players is a measure to the S&C staff but also on the attitude of players.
I get the impression life is far to happy and contented going through the motions in the Perth bubble for many.
The AFL umpiring has been terrible but we seem to have driven over a black cat.

Forget the umps, I agree with the rest of it.
The extenuating circumstances of fitness is the time out with injury & bringing players back too early, e.g Yeo, Duggan & McGovern were 'short of a trot'.
If both Darling & Kennedy go on, we do need to examine how we use Oscar, he is too good to be plugging holes.
The current game has moved past a free running, back yourself defender that brought AA selection for McGovern, even more so when not fit.

 

[Kwality]

The positive for me is the reality check of missing finals. We've known for ages that we need to make changes to gameplan, selection and conditioning but the club kept backing in the old way. I would've thought losing an elimination final last year would have done it, but it seems pretty clear that there's nowhere to hide now they've missed the 8. The shame of finishing 9th must burn too.

We started to see some changes to gameplan over the last two weeks, so clearly they've got the message. I'm excited to see what comes out next year.

If I look back over the season, there's only two games I might watch. 1. Our demolition of Port (the only top 8 team we beat all year) and 2. The Richmond comeback which was so much fun to attend live

The game plan problem is how good we look when we win.
We leak goals so easily, see Brisbanes comeback as an example.

 

[Monocle]

I truly hope any new gameplan we implement is based around winning ground ball contests as a priority/non-negotiable along with effective tackling.

Well if it's not, then it's not going to be successful and Simpson will be out the door.

 

[The_Gambler]

Strictly positives
- that port win showed we have the tram to be top 4
- winning at the SCG, with a young team
- naitanui consistently a monster, carried the team
- Ryan when fit showed he is a star. Here’s hoping for a good preseason and to remain injury free. Same probably can be said of Kelly. His best was superb but that first knee injury was really it
- after 12 months off yeo isn’t finished. Started to find his straps, hopefully better next season with a preseason
- some youth showed there potential: HEdwards, foley, Rotham in particular, perhaps Ledwards.
- petreculle showed some consistency. But needs to avoid any more hamstring injuries over the preseason and find a position with rioli returning, he’s not a defensive forward, better up the ground.
- Kennedy and Darling wearing the brunt of bad entries, double teaming. Reliable. They need help, unfortunately Oscar showed glimpses but was beat up and needed a rest long ago
- witherden looks the most likely to replace Hurn at kick ins
- rioli didn’t get life

 

[Eagles_712]

Are you joking? Its been the problem since the flag.

2019 and 2020 was masked by pure talent and covid

Agreed.

With inside 50s, 5th last in 2019, 4th last in inside 50 in 2020 and 6th last in 2021.

We cant always rely on our accruate kicking and our contested marking to win.

West coast was the only side to finish in the bottom 8 of inside 50s and to win a premiership in the last 10 years. It show us how great our forwards and backline were to hold us for so long

 

[Smotie2]

He is very promising but his quota of three brain fades each game has cost us a couple of close games. Cole steps up in Bne to take his place so he is moving forward.

As opposed to the brain fades by sheed, barrass and pretty much everyone else every game that they get away with.

He's a young player...they make mistakes

 

[Eagles_712]

As opposed to the brain fades by sheed, barrass and pretty much everyone else every game that they get away with.

He's a young player...they make mistakes

hell be 24 by the time we start the new season this isnt young.

 

[BigVic]

The win vs Richmond in round 13. Watching the replay of that game now and for a few times in the off-season. The JK match winner

 

[eaglespremiers]

Just one for me. Head and shoulders our best player this year. Pretty unbelievable all things considered.

 

[southcoast]

For me, and in no particular order.
1. Nic Nats season. Two good ones in a row.
2. Redden’s season.
3. Yeo is getting back to his best after long lay off.
4. Foley, Edwards x 2, West & Witherden all look to have potential.
5. Finishing outside 8 should mean a real review is done.
6. Cripps best is VG - just need to see it more consistently.
7. Allen pre-contract signing was good.
8. I didn’t get to see the Swans and Norfs games.

That’s it for me.

 

[Smotie2]

hell be 24 by the time we start the new season this isnt young.

How many games has he played?

 

[InTheWings]

Well...

+ Nic Nat getting through unscathed. Played awesome and should be AA again
+ Yeo regaining some form
+ Willie is back
+ Getting games into some young guys

- On and off the field we've under-performed (think Castore and our Sekem jumpers...). Even Edwards' jumper mix up yesterday signals that there is something fundamentally missing this year.

What I'm looking ahead to?
1. We have a top 10 draft pick for the first time in years. Whether it stays that way is unlikely but for now, it's tp 10.
2. We played so badly after the bye that we couldn't paper over the cracks. The club has to make some changes in the off season. So I am looking forward to the response.