Rumour Bluemour Discussion XXXVII

[Michael Jezz]

The frustrating thing is that we've had days where pretty much everyone looked fantastic by foot.

It seems to me that it's a collective malaise that permeates the group once things start to fall apart. A couple of missed corridor kicks or shanks, the odd dropped chest mark, and all of a sudden every player is so worried about being the next one to **** up they just start bombing it long to a contest or handballing to a teammate under immediate pressure. It's selfish, scared football - but it's not all the time or every week.

We've had games where we've been able to ride the confidence and everyone benefits. We've had games where we've been shit from minute one and you can see the group just give in to it. But we've also had games where we've started well, only for the wobbles to hit 5 mins before or after half time, and then everyone is straight back into their shells.

I think what we need is those two or three prime movers who don't succumb to that rot. Players who we can look for when things start to get shaky, and trust that they'll steady the ship.

Our current prime movers don't do it. Cripps turns into Temu Superman. Walsh either forgets he can run and tries to hit the roof or gets into his head he can run....through 5 tacklers. Doc starts dropping sitters and missing open teammates by foot. Weiters stops taking the game on, reverts to spoils instead of marks, and hides as deep as he can. Charlie and Harry go AWOL. Saad starts calling for the handball receive even if he has nowhere to run and nobody to kick to, only to spin his tires before dumping a kick down the line.

Hewett and Cerra are the only ones that I think tend to show a modicum of calmness, but Hewett's an OK kick at best and Cerra doesn't demand enough of the pill in the right places.

One more level-headed half back who can find and use the pill. One more midfielder with evasion, vision and the ability to nail a pass. One more wing who can hold width for the lateral pass and then hit an inboard target 8 times out of 10. Find those and I think we could become a side who can wrestle back control and momentum. As it stands, we allow the opposition to dictate what kind of contest it's going to be.

We have had a few days where we looked good by foot but our kicking efficiency over 6 seasons is amongst lowest in the league.

 

[HaydossJ]

Weitering Cowan Motlop McGovern Docherty Charlie Cerra Walsh Boyd Cincoatta Cottrell have all been very good kicks of the football that have gone backwards

Wilson Charleson O'Farrell Carroll are good kicks as well

Issue is that if you don't keep improving you go backwards. Like a good golf swing, no matter how good, if you don't practice as much and with good coaching it falls apart especially under pressure

This is not true.

None of those players were drafted as elite distributors.

I’ll give you Cerra and Boyd as maybes - and neither have regressed. Charlie has become an increasingly good distributor by foot with age.

Walsh always had questions about his kicking. Doch hasn’t been good in about 5 years.

 

[Soapy V]

This is not true.

None of those players were drafted as elite distributors.

I’ll give you Cerra and Boyd as maybes - and neither have regressed. Charlie has become an increasingly good distributor by foot with age.

Walsh always had questions about his kicking. Doch hasn’t been good in about 5 years.

I never said elite

 

[Blue_Fusion]

I think what we need is those two or three prime movers who don't succumb to that rot. Players who we can look for when things start to get shaky, and trust that they'll steady the ship.

I think Newman is one... that's part of the reason I was very worried about his absence...

 

[HaydossJ]

I think Newman is one... that's part of the reason I was very worried about his absence...

100%

Our leaders don’t have composure at the moment. There has been composure at times across games and seasons, but not it has not been consistent.

Newman
Cerra*
Lord
Williams
Elijah*
Fantasia

I can’t name any others, which is scary.

 

[sweethoney]

Quite possibly - but whatever the cause it is what we desperately need

I think they may have brought it up a couple of weeks in a row. Then they actually used him the Geelong game when he was running past. Can’t find how many handball receives he had that game

 

[Accidental genius]

you can't start an air assault with tanks

They’re professional athletes.

They can run, kick, handball, tackle.

Our issues aren’t missing targets by miles. It’s taking wrong options - that’s what’s killing us mostly.

A good system is critical in the modern game. The players are faster and the rule changes favour/encourage faster game.

We are still stuck in 80s football game style.

Devise a good system, train it over and over, execute, review, tweak, execute rinse and repeat.

 

[mochacinolatte]

I can see Geelong making a play for Walsh if they can't get Rowell over.

 

[Chemical]

Just watched it on Youtube. Summary of Bartels comments

Medicority is rife
Personnel or System? Bit of both
Play a slow contested style that simply doesn't stack up
Need to win 9 of 12 to make finals
We are 6-14 from last 20 games and only Top 8 side we have beaten is Geelong (2 x WCE, 2 x Nth, 2 x Cats)
We won contested ball by 38 on weekend and lost by 28 points
Ball use inside fwd 50 a major issue (WOW, I have been going on about this for 2 years)
Who is ever looking at forward structure and skill development needs to have a good look at themselves
Development is an indictment (Hird)
We play "big headed, selfish football" (Hird)
Long way off having a finals "system"
Teams have worked us out since 2023 finals run and we still play the same

Bottom line is we are a poorly drilled and coached side


I could not agree more with these comments

Legend. I still believe Voss is the best person going forward. We just need to support him with personnel and back him. Oh and get rid of Lloyd already.

 

[Blue_Fusion]

They’re professional athletes.

They can run, kick, handball, tackle.

Our issues aren’t missing targets by miles. It’s taking wrong options - that’s what’s killing us mostly.

A good system is critical in the modern game. The players are faster and the rule changes favour/encourage faster game.

We are still stuck in 80s football game style.

Devise a good system, train it over and over, execute, review, tweak, execute rinse and repeat.

What options?

Motlop v 4 on the wing? and yes, this actually happened.. thanks for that memory Doc!

The midfield is the problem... they don't spread and run into space to provide options! They are stagnant and I'll put it down to either lazy or they're tired af thanks to our brutal contest after contest game style...

 

[GoBlues!]

Weitering Cowan Motlop McGovern Docherty Charlie Cerra Walsh Boyd Cincoatta Cottrell have all been very good kicks of the football that have gone backwards

Wilson Charleson O'Farrell Carroll are good kicks as well

Issue is that if you don't keep improving you go backwards. Like a good golf swing, no matter how good, if you don't practice as much and with good coaching it falls apart especially under pressure

Okay soap, apart from Weitering, Cowan, Motlop, McGovern, Docherty, Charlie, Cerra, Walsh, Boyd, Cincoatta and Cottrell who else has gone backwards, nobody.

Also Cripps kicking for goal has improved following in the footsteps of Levi Casaboult - it can be done….

 

[gbatman]

Excited in a perverse kind of way about what Wright is putting together behind the scenes. Have a feeling when he pulls the trigger he will go bang.

How many changes Wright makes will depend on who he can get. I know if it was me, the changes would be massive. Total coaching and recruiting clean out. The only thing that would stop this would be because those available to us would not be who we need.

I think the latter is the issue. I think we have trouble getting highly rated people. I think if higer rater clubs want them, we don't get them.

Buckly was a better coach than Voss and he wasn't good enough for Collingwood.

I think the only reason any of the coaches, football director or recruiting team will be there next year is because we could not find anyone of the caibre we want to replace them.

The team we have got at the moment fell down at the final hurdle of the rebuild and now it is looking like a failed rebuild.

Not valuing leg speed and kicking skills and our inability to identift forward talent and not recruiting to this and developing a game around these qualities are why we are failing so badly and this comes back to the coaching and recruiting department.

 

[Accidental genius]

What options?

Motlop v 4 on the wing? and yes, this actually happened.. thanks for that memory Doc!

The midfield is the problem... they don't spread and run into space to provide options! They are stagnant and I'll put it down to either lazy or they're tired af thanks to our brutal contest after contest game style...

No player or team is perfect. And not all aspects of how a team plays is perfect.

Motlop missed a chest mark and another slightly overhead.

There were miskicks as well.

Every team has these issues as well.

but our MAIN issue is how we play as a team.

Fix that and not only we’ll play better but we will most likely see less skill errors.

The errors often sneak in when players are in two minds or unsure what to do next.

Practice practice practice is key

 

[Bamboo Harvester]

100%

Our leaders don’t have composure at the moment. There has been composure at times across games and seasons, but not it has not been consistent.

Newman
Cerra*
Lord
Williams
Elijah*
Fantasia

I can’t name any others, which is scary.

And what do all of those players have in common (with the possible exception of Lord)?

hint: they all came from other clubs. It's a bit damning when you look at it on face value.

 

[blue healer]

Okay soap, apart from Weitering, Cowan, Motlop, McGovern, Docherty, Charlie, Cerra, Walsh, Boyd, Cincoatta and Cottrell who else has gone backwards, nobody.

Also Cripps kicking for goal has improved following in the footsteps of Levi Casaboult - it can be done….

A better question is who has gone forwards in any aspect of their skills?

 

[Opium]

Weitering Cowan Motlop McGovern Docherty Charlie Cerra Walsh Boyd Cincoatta Cottrell have all been very good kicks of the football that have gone backwards

Wilson Charleson O'Farrell Carroll are good kicks as well

Issue is that if you don't keep improving you go backwards. Like a good golf swing, no matter how good, if you don't practice as much and with good coaching it falls apart especially under pressure

I couldn't believe during the early part of the season a reporter asked Voss about our skills and if we work on them at training. Voss's response was along the lines we don't have time during the pre season to work on it.
no wonder we're ranked 18th for kicking efficiency. Unbelievable.

 

[katmanblue]

We aren’t getting SDK so this talk needs to stop he just re-signed.

Ryan O'Keefe about to request a trade...

 

[Benaly28]

I can see Geelong making a play for Walsh if they can't get Rowell over.

 

[GenYBlue]

Ryan O'Keefe about to request a trade...

I've got good mail that Pav is finally heading to Princes Park this year

 

[Soapy V]

I couldn't believe during the early part of the season a reporter asked Voss about our skills and if we work on them at training. Voss's response was along the lines we don't have time during the pre season to work on it. Unbelievable.

My biggest frustration is it’s the same things week in week out and have been for 3 years.

Poor ball use, no system and bombing inside 50. Basics that can be improved but aren’t and I don’t understand why

We make the game so hard and it’s hard to watch. It’s ugly and inefficient. It must be so hard to be a player in this side

 

[Benaly28]

I love it when posters throw grenades and we all lose out shit.

 

[SkyhorseTamer]

Name the Elite kicks in our side
Name elite runners, wingmen, half back flankers, back pockets, lead up fwds do we have
Name quality small fwds in the side

The Pies looked a million dollars playing the angles and running hard under Buckley, they also have generational onballers Pendles and Sidebottom and were gifted 3 elite father and Sons

Cerra was supposedly an elite kick. Jsos is too. Boyd was the highest rated kick in the comp. Charlie was for a while when kicking i50.

I do enjoy that we have these great ball users but because the short term memory is the only form of thought we just forget. Most of this list has shown they are capable.

The big hole I see is the small forwards but I'm not sure after watching games live that that isn't part of a bigger issue to do with the way they're used and the way they're developed.

Half backs and flankers must be ok. Were literally first in the comp or maybe top 3 after the giants game for transitioning from d50 to F50....

Elite runners? We have a higher density than most of the top 8 clubs for elite runners.... Maybe not speed but elite running? That's not a real criticism of this list.

Lead up forward ? What the shit**** is that. Harry will lead up if it's an option. As will Charlie. In fact again watch live. They lead up when they can. We just dump long so fast we don't set up space for lead ups.

The prick lewis made the point on the weekend 'why do they always take the first option, there's no patience' with regards to an attempt to hit a McKay lead into the pocket. It left a big hole behind McKay where the nextlead could've gone but the man with the ball telegraphed he was kicking to McKay's lead. No patience. No confidence. No system.

The team rates veryhighly in some modern football metrics

It's dead last in scores per i50. By a long way. And got worse against gws. 40% was last. We had 38% against them. Charlie and Harry are highly talented. Gov has been part of the freakishly high scoring Adelaide forward line before he came to us.

There's enough there towork with and be a lot better than what is being shown. Whether there's enough there to be top 4 or win ? Who ****ing knows at this stage. But that's not really the point. You need to actually get to the point where you can judge that and the team forward of.centre is performing so badly you can't really.properly gauge that stuff

 

[TheBlueCampaigner]

I love it when posters throw grenades and we all lose out shit.

That poster has a very good track record.

 

[Chemical]

Where is our president btw? Useless

 

[TheBlueCampaigner]

Anyone heard anything publicly from either our President, CEO or Football Manager in the last 3 weeks or so? Feels like they’re all asleep at the wheel.