2014 Non-Crows AFL Discussion

[Geoffa32]

We should aim to win every game of football we play but we should also be smart and very strategic about looking towards the future.

I still don't see any point in playing the J-Pod this year. We should be giving those games to SMACK or Johnston and having ether of those 2 develop a partnership with Tex and JJ.

After going 0-3, I think it's safe to say we are not a legitimate premiership team. Yes we might make the finals and tomorrow's game will tell us much more. However, we still need to look towards the next 3 to 5 years.

Back to LJ or SMACK, they need to be given 20 games to understand what it takes. If they haven't performed up to the standard required, delist them. If they don't play again this year, we need to delist both.

No guts, no glory. The bigger the risk, the bigger the reward and that result may take a while but we need to find out if they can or can not play at that level. We piss around with this all the time. From Gary Aryes to Neil Craig to now Brenton Sanderson - the sane issues about player development are arising.

Unless we win a premiership this year, playing the J-Pod will be a monumental mistake because what is the point of playing him as he will either retire at seasons end and we are back to square one with Tex and JJ not developing any forward line relationship with either player.

We have beaten St Kilda and GWS - those were good wins but neither were won based on what the J-Pod has brought to the game. 2014 will go down as another baseless season that will see us finish somewhere between 6th and 14th. If we were brave, we could implement a development system that we could see who can and who can not play at that level.

The choices we make today will impact on the chances we have to win a premiership tomorrow (in the future) as we still don't know if Martin, Johnston, snack, Lyons, Thompson, Jeansch, Petrenko, Shaw and even Jenkins but as long as we have a yo-yo selection system, we will only ever be mediocre.

We will only make the standard 4 to 6 list changes again this off season and next year will continue to be the same. We need to be brave and implement a system that will promote kids that give us every chance at winning at demote players who just don't have it. Either ant more or not at all. If that means we only win 5 games, at least we know we will get a few good players who can then advance us quickly up the table.

Interesting to note that the last week our team was been about the fourth youngest side in the AFL. Behind GWS,GC and Brisbane. The average age for our team has been dropping each week, and yet our team is playing better.

With BCrouch and Tex yet to come in I reckon our future, maybe not this year, is not too bad.

 

[Sanders]

This years draft is very even and runs deep so with that in mind I'll rather finish between 6 and 8 and give our young team finals experience then finish between 9 and 12

that's always been our approach in the past.

 

[Vader]

We're not going to make finals after a 0-3 start. But if we do the experience of getting eliminated immediately will be invaluable I'm sure. This was the year for a top 5 pick and get Triggy sacked, maybe even an external review. But lets finish 10th and go round again instead

This is exactly the attitude that resulted in me calling 1970crow a defeatist loser last night.

The season is just 5 games old, with 17 more to follow. We're currently 2-3 and just 1 game outside the 8. Our percentage is respectable.

Our losses at the start of the season were bad, but even then there were plenty of positives to take away. We lost by big margins, but all of those results were final quarter blowouts - we were in the lead, or within a goal of it, close to 3/4 time in all of those games. That says that our team is capable of mixing it with the big boys and I expect better results to follow, now that we're no longer seeing those final quarter failures.

We started the season with 1/3 of our best team on the sidelines. With the exception of VB & Hendo, who are long term problems, we should be close to fielding our best team against Collingwood, after the bye.

There are only 2 standout teams in the competition this year, in Hawthorn & Geelong. Every other team is clearly beatable on any given day, given the topsy-turvy results we've seen so far.

There are plenty of reasons for optimism and belief that we could actually make the finals this year. Anyone who wants to throw in the towel at this stage of the season deserves the tag of Defeatist Loser.

 

[Sanders]

This is exactly the attitude that resulted in me calling 1970crow a defeatist loser last night.

Oh noes!! Quick someone call a therapist, before its too late.

He may never be the same again

What a weird boast

There are plenty of reasons for optimism and belief that we could actually make the finals this year. Anyone who wants to throw in the towel at this stage of the season deserves the tag of Defeatist Loser.

I think anyone pleased with just making up the numbers at the lower end of the finals is a vision less loser

#amidoingitrite?

 

[Vader]

Interesting to note that the last week our team was been about the fourth youngest side in the AFL. Behind GWS,GC and Brisbane. The average age for our team has been dropping each week, and yet our team is playing better.

With BCrouch and Tex yet to come in I reckon our future, maybe not this year, is not too bad.

Not sure how alex can compare Sando's youth development with Ayres' (or even Craig's). We've had 7 rising star nominations since Sando took over - that's evidence that we're playing the kids and their development has been pretty damn good. Compare that with Ayres, who pretty much refused to select (or draft) anyone short of their 25th birthday. Craig's record is considerably better than Ayres', but not as good as Sando's.

Right now our task is to develop the players we have on our list. Most of them have only played in one finals series (2012). Exposing them to the pressure of finals footy and giving them that experience will be invaluable for future years when we are closer to contending for a premiership.

There's a world of difference between not-contending for a premiership (which we're not) and sucking so badly that you go into "player development mode" from R1.

 

[Elite Crow]

Not sure how alex can compare Sando's youth development with Ayres' (or even Craig's). We've had 7 rising star nominations since Sando took over - that's evidence that we're playing the kids and their development has been pretty damn good. Compare that with Ayres, who pretty much refused to select (or draft) anyone short of their 25th birthday. Craig's record is considerably better than Ayres', but not as good as Sando's.

Right now our task is to develop the players we have on our list. Most of them have only played in one finals series (2012). Exposing them to the pressure of finals footy and giving them that experience will be invaluable for future years when we are closer to contending for a premiership.

There's a world of difference between not-contending for a premiership (which we're not) and sucking so badly that you go into "player development mode" from R1.

And yet if there is a choice between selecting a young player or a senior player you go for the senior player every time. Hell last week you made up some fantasy story that Laird was on the nose.

 

[alex_is_on_fire]

Proof will be in the pudding.

He needs to win a final this year and then take another step forward next year by winning a couple of finals. If this happens, his strategy with player selection will be worth it. If we don't - it's just another stupid chapter in the crows history book if failed finals attempts.

If he doesn't - it won't matter how different his strategy is to Ayres or Craig - the end result will be the same.

 

[Kane McGoodwin]

Go back to 2001 if you want to see us make finals after a 0-3 start. The difference then was some ridiculously good cattle. Even so we just scraped into the 8 and were eliminated immediately in the first EF.

There are only 2 standout teams.

We are in the mix after than with more than half of the comp.

Imo we wI'll make the finals then anything can happen as we have seen in the past.

We can make the finals with a young team which would be more important for their development than the stupid suggestion we tank for the rest of the season when we are still in the mix. That is old Dees culture which is poisonous!

 

[Sanders]

Imo we wI'll make the finals then anything can happen as we have seen in the past.

Its been a very long time, under an entirely different system, since anything could happen

 

[Kane McGoodwin]

Its been a very long time, under an entirely different system, since anything could happen

2012 was not too long ago

 

[Sanders]

2012 was not too long ago

And what exactly happened?

Won one final, miles off a flag...

That's not anything could happen for mine

 

[Kane McGoodwin]

And what exactly happened?

Won one final, miles off a flag...

That's not anything could happen for mine

1 kick from beating hawks & making grand final is not miles off worthy of tanking 17 games!

 

[The Sloane Ranger]

1 kick from beating hawks & making grand final is not miles off worthy of tanking 17 games!

Let's not also forget Melb and Carlton are examples of tanking cultures

 

[Sanders]

1 kick from beating hawks & making grand final is not miles off worthy of tanking 17 games!

Yeah it is miles off. 2007 revisited.

And stop putting words in people's mouths, it is a nasty habit you're developing.

Who said anything about tanking? You.

This wrongheaded idea though that make the finals and anything can happen has plagued us as a club for the best part of 2 decades.

 

[Sanders]

Let's not also forget Melb and Carlton are examples of tanking cultures

As are the great Brisbane teams

 

[Kane McGoodwin]

Yeah it is miles off. 2007 revisited.

And stop putting words in people's mouths, it is a nasty habit you're developing.

Who said anything about tanking? You.

This wrongheaded idea though that make the finals and anything can happen has plagued us as a club for the best part of 2 decades.

You came into a conversation about tanking!

So what are you actually suggesting afc do this year?

 

[Kane McGoodwin]

As are the great Brisbane teams

Lions strength came from the merge.

 

[Crows_United_FC]

LOL CARLTON!
LOL WCE!
We're miles better than both of these teams. Port's win last week doesn't look so good after all!

 

[Allefgib]

Is it unreasonable of me to be pissed that Ward played today after gws indicated he wouldn't leading to dougie getting 4 games. ..

 

[hey shorty]

West Coast are trash.......

 

[Crow-eater]

West Coast's kicking is abysmal. 1.8 in the last quarter, wowee.

Worse than us? About the same?

 

[TubbsFarquhar]

Just realised with all of the media savaging Carlton and praising Essendon three weeks ago, the two teams are now equal on points.

 

[Glenno23]

LOL CARLTON!
LOL WCE!
We're miles better than both of these teams. Port's win last week doesn't look so good after all!

I've been saying for ages that WC were overrated as they had played some very average teams to start the year. All my Eagles fans in WA were all chest puffed out when they sat top..... you only had to look at who they had played

Is it unreasonable of me to be pissed that Ward played today after gws indicated he wouldn't leading to dougie getting 4 games. ..

Not at all. I'm very happy that he played well though. I brought him into my Fantasy team 2 weeks ago for scores of 60 and 44 (i could have gone for Ebert who had 150 and 120)

But he did well today and my team says thanks

 

[hey shorty]

Dont rate them as highly as some journalists but they have just performed one of the great vascular constrictions of recent memory.

 

[Elite Crow]

I picked the blues I am a happy man. Unreal comeback.

And please can we stop bringing Port into every bloody thread. We are sounding just as pathetic as they were when we were on top. **** them.