Autopsy Preseason Matchup vs Melbourne - Friday 20 February

[GeordieRoo]

Standards have never been higher etc.

 

[Moti]

I can't think of one positive. Maybe Zane?

 

[shintemaster]

I think it's become their comfort zone sadly.

Like how prisoners become institutionalized.

It doesn't mater how professional they are, 6 years of beltings has broken them irreparably.

It's all this group has known and now they have no interest in changing it.

Without going into this particular game because I haven't even watched it and still not convinced they mean a hell of a lot outside of injuries and run in legs I did suggest something along these lines a while ago. That maybe we would be better placed moving a few extra "stalwarts" of the last 10 years on as a cultural break as much as anything. Not saying you give away good assets like LDU but there have probably been options on the table that we could have been more ruthless with. It might have made us (even) worse in the short run which would be a tough pill but I just can't shake the feeling that another 3-4 "key" players need to make way. It's tough because who the f is going to want to come here to replace them..

Anyway Hardeman the real negative and along with Goad these are killers. These are the players we can least afford to be losing at the moment - these are who we need to be established 23 players this year - or taking over from them when injury provides opportunity. Not sitting on the sidelines.

We desperately cannot afford another injury to Goater or even Brayden George - simply must replace some members of our backline and mid / wing rotations with more speed, skill and dynamic types. We are just too predictable off the backline and not fast enough in the middle unless we expect to brain clearances all year - which won't happen in the real world.

You have to start to wonder if it's going to turn, or if we need to cut losses, again and go new coach, new players. We just look the same as we have for the last 8 (!) years we've been shit. I actually don't get it at this point. Why are we like this?

We have plenty of new players, but there is a strong argument that some of the core players that have been along for the entire ride might, just might not be solutions to the problem. We have players out there that have been around for most of the last 5 years of nothing and have huge question marks on them, yes, even some that are "young & improving".

Anyway, time will tell, we are obviously... sensitive to say the least when our form has been so bad for so long so hard to "trust the system". I am worried that even though we look almost a different team from a competitiveness POV when Wardlaw is out there we don't seem to have recognised and doubled down on that skillset. I'm not talking about his freak stuff either, obviously he is an athletic / power dynamo but realistically it's not the one out of the box stuff that makes him straighten us up. It's just pace, aggressiveness and agility with and without the ball. He has more polish than many with those skills, but it's not why he sticks out like dogs bollocks. We probably need a minimum of one other like him. I'd be keen to see whether Urquhart even with his disposal issues has the run, smarts and physicality to play a defensive style role in the middle. We just leak out of there too easily too often. Reality is that LDU is the player in there (fit) that has the best attributes to play defensively well - pity we also need him to play attacking from there.

 

[scottywiper]

Forget getting the players to watch Rabbit Proof Fence to teach them resilience, build a supporter proof fence to keep them from leaving games.

 

[CharlieMortdecai]

Do you know newtons laws? Perhaps we give too much one way and expect a different reaction from an action?

Woh, didn't pick you for the hippy mumbo jumbo shit!

 

[DuckYeah]

Woh, didn't pick you for the hippy mumbo jumbo shit!

Yeh, you probably wouldn’t… pleb

 

[backtothedraft]

Hopefully they roll Clarko out for the post match interview. Will be interested to hear his thoughts.

 

[Sphynx]

I can't think of one positive. Maybe Zane?

Thought FOS was decent.

I don’t get the LDU love. He’s on $1.3m per season

The guy should be tearing these games to shreds. See Kosi Pickett.

There’s a mounting feeling this is going to be a serious serious problem in 6 months given the output we have had as soon as he signed…

 

[Clarke is King]

Forget getting the players to watch Rabbit Proof Fence to teach them resilience, build a supporter proof fence to keep them from leaving games.

Ain't a chance of me attending a game until I see signs of improvement. Pay my dues as a member but wasting my weekends with the same shit we've been copping for the last decade is a step too far.

 

[JUST NORTH]

Watched a bit here and there - defensive transition a worry, ball got walked out of our F50.

Mildly panicked - hope we can tweak a few things and turn it around next week.

nothing has changed,with appointment of Littlejohn there was talk of playing a more front half game,looking at that forward line today,5 out of the 6 are one paced at best,so walking it out of our 50 is normal,Clarko picks the team and by looks of it today is taking no notice of the guy who was appointeed head of strategy,if you listen to a bit of what Littlejohn's philosophy ,he likes pace in forward and defensive halves which would make a front half game work,normally we have a good midfield to underpin this but even that failed today.

 

[SammyRoo]

Hopefully they roll Clarko out for the post match interview. Will be interested to hear his thoughts.

Be the same crap.

Will just talk about how good the other team was blah blah blah

 

[DuckYeah]

The guy should be tearing these games to shreds.

He doesn’t need too, what the campaigner needs to do is kick straight, not loop the ball 45 metres off the side of the boot. He is absolutely one of the best inside out mids.. he just cant finish. Probably finishes as strong as Chad does… LDU is a 2 pump chump

 

[Cyber_punk]

This was a team we beat by 10 goals a year ago with a much more experienced list still playing for them.

We're going to make Port look like flag favourites in round 1.

 

[DuckYeah]

We're going to make Port look like flag favourites in round 1.

We’ll be 0-4 … bank on it! This club has done nothing but blow smoke up the players arses. Its embarrassing. “It’ll happen”

This “make it happen” is a slogan, cliche rubbish. Insulting to Winston… I would kneel for Winston, these campaigners take everything for granted.. just make sure you get their pro nouns rights

 

[Sphynx]

He doesn’t need too, what the campaigner needs to do is kick straight, not loop the ball 45 metres off the side of the boot. He is absolutely one of the best inside out mids.. he just cant finish. Probably finishes as strong as Chad does… LDU is a 2 pump chump

He’s a horrible user.

But given his size, speed and power he should be ****ing everywhere. Especially considering he is up against a pack of 20 year olds at times.

Completely embarrassing that one of the highest paid midfielders in the league is more than likely going to “coast” another season imo.

 

[Makeshift Park]

This is our Schimma moment, move the coach on and start again.

Schimma took responsibility tho, didn't he? Seems to have made the transition to Pagan a little easier.

 

[ansonholt]

Can't believe I'm hurting so much from just a practice match.... 1st time I've said this but Clarko has to go. This reminds me so much of 1993. Stacks of talent but the coach can't get the best out of them.

I came on here to post exactly this.

We had Wayne Schimmelbusch as our coach and lost to Adelaide by 131 pts I believe. In the preseason. A young but talented list and the coach was the obvious problem. It feels the same here.

 

[shintemaster]

nothing has changed,with appointment of Littlejohn there was talk of playing a more front half game,looking at that forward line today,5 out of the 6 are one paced at best,so walking it out of our 50 is normal,Clarko picks the team and by looks of it today is taking no notice of the guy who was appointeed head of strategy,if you listen to a bit of what Littlejohn's philosophy ,he likes pace in forward and defensive halves which would make a front half game work,normally we have a good midfield to underpin this but even that failed today.

Agree.

We have said I don't know how many times that we need fast paced run / defensive attack from the forward line and yet we arguably recruit Dovaston and then push Banch down the order + get creative with Konstanty due to backline personnel issues. I kind of stand by the belief that we need to be willing to play "types" for structure over potentially more talented players at times. We absolutely need more agile defense in the midfield and the forward line. (Well aware Curtis / Trembath help somewhat). Our midfield outside LDU has zero pace and agility with McKercher & Wardlaw not in there and even then there is the risk of too much see ball, get ball. Can't continue to bleed so easily out of there to play "good" players like Parker, Simpkin, Powell etc. Make some hard calls and put a structure around the ball winners that lets them do that.

 

[Ruckle]

i would rather clap than continuously bitch moan and complain and sook it up Everyone to their own though i suppose.

I was wondering how the "everything is fine" and "we are on our way" crowds would go this evening.

 

[jaxsyn]

I'll admit, I was quietly optimistic going into this season.
That optimism last half a quarter of a pre season game.
Absolute rabble.

 

[Only Forwards]

It’s been a decade, bad as it was it can’t be the reason anymore.

It’s the cause.

We have no idea how to fix it.

Been a decade, given heaps of people a go at fixing it and here we are.

No heart, no fire.

No hard fought hatred of losing.

Just apathy and acceptance of how things are.

I wonder what Ron Casey would make of this side.

 

[CharlieMortdecai]

Yeh, you probably wouldn’t… pleb

Not sure what that means, but anyway... The LAHA stuff, that's interesting, how much is it?

 

[DuckYeah]

He’s a horrible user.

But given his size, speed and power he should be ****ing everywhere. Especially considering he is up against a pack of 20 year olds at times.

Completely embarrassing that one of the highest paid midfielders in the league is more than likely going to “coast” another season imo.

He’s not that high paid compared to others… but Coasting? I have never thought he coasted… I always thought he was limited because of his own brain farts.. LDU isn’t the issue.. would you like to know the issue? How do you think this crop of boys would react to a Kingsley spray? THATS THE ISSUE

 

[koshari]

You have to start to wonder if it's going to turn, or if we need to cut losses, again and go new coach, new players. We just look the same as we have for the last 8 (!) years we've been shit. I actually don't get it at this point. Why are we like this?

We are about 6 players short of a competative list however people on here continue to fool themselves we have the cattle.

 

[Cyber_punk]

We’ll be 0-4 … bank on it! This club has done nothing but blow smoke up the players arses. Its embarrassing. “It’ll happen”

This “make it happen” is a slogan, cliche rubbish. Insulting to Winston… I would kneel for Winston, these campaigners take everything for granted.. just make sure you get their pro nouns rights

Not just Winnie...We've had Pagan, Carey, Makepeace, Corey, King, all say the same thing when they see us play, that the impression they get is the players just think 'it will happen' automatically. Like a mystical force will take over for them or some shit. And if it doesn't, 'oh well, shit happens, least we got paid still'...