jjsmitty8
Norm Smith Medallist
Well folks, the sun is slowly setting on 2016. We waited patiently through the summer months for football to return and with Round 19 approaching, we prepare to slog it out again and hope that the magpie is more prosperous in 2017.
After a surprising win against GWS on their home deck, a glimmer of finals appeared, a competitive defeat at the hands of Adelaide and poor effort for the most part against North has well and truly shut the door. So lets reflect on the year that was. What were your positives and negatives for 2016?
With games to come at the MCG against West Coast and Richmond, then two at Etihad against the Bulldogs and Suns, and then back to the G to wrap it all up against Hawthorn, what are you expecting to see and what do you hope we try to achieve heading into the break and pre-season?
I'll kick it off.
POSITIVES -
Treloar, Howe, Aish. Our three recruits. Treloar is worth his weight in gold and has shown exactly why we agreed to GWS' asking price. Howe took a little while to get going, but has had a solid block of consistent football. Aish also took a while to get going, but has slowly and surely built himself up and is starting to contribute more and more. I would give all 3 a tick for the season, now we'll see how they take the next step next year.
Brodie Grundy. I've always been on his wagon rather than Witts. He hasn't been excellent all year, but like Aish, has built on his performances from the week before and his getting reward for effort. He's played on some of the premier ruckman in the comp in the last month and has definitely earned his stripes. His aerobic capacity is elite, he can accumulate possessions (which isn't necessarily a plus given the general efficiency of ruckman, but he's been a fair link up player this year), and more importantly, hes growing in confidence and taking a leap at the ball and starting to win hitouts. Again, like the 3 above, let's see how he goes about taking the next step and hitting a consistent level of performance.
Much maligned, unfairly in my opinion, Brayden Maynard. He has a go, and yes he makes some terribly frustrating errors, but I'm genuinely excited by what this kid offers. I think as he starts to get more games under his belt, he'll continue to grow in his role and find his feet which will then result in a more calculated and calm Brayden Maynard. Not that he'll be aiming for this, but I hope he gets a rising star nomination. I feel he's a worthy candidate, but it's not the end of the world if he doesn't. I think it'd just be deserved recognition and a great confidence booster.
Ben Reid. Such an important player in our side. What Ben has provided this year is no different to what we'd expect. The positive here is that he's been able to stay on the park. Touch wood, he can play out his career without missing many more games.
NEGATIVES -
The whole Travis Cloke debacle. I love Trav, I'm in his corner, but there's still no denying that 2016 has been a major bust. It's been quite a fall from grace, and its actually been building up for a few years but unfortunately for Trav, the breaking point came this year and he had to earn his spot again. A great game against GWS was soured by a ridiculous non-story about a glove, but since that game has again struggled to make an impact. We'll see what the off-season and 2017 holds for Trav.
I've said it plenty of times on this board, slow starts. At least 7-8 games this season, we've been jumped at the start and been fighting a losing battle for the rest of the game. I don't know the reasons why, but I hope we rectify that next season.
The forward line. Out of all the zones, I feel that we struggle the most here. It just hasn't worked for me. All of our zones have struggled at times this year. Can back line can leak goals and be unaccountable? Yes. Does midfield gets outworked and gets smashed in clearances from time to time? Yes. I hope we add to our squad in the off-season with a bit of forward firepower, a small forward or dangerous half forward type. I know we'll get Elliott and maybe Swan back next year which will go a long way too. I know they don't grown on trees, and we probably don't have the currency, but I'd like to see us target a key forward. I can't see Cloke or White being a part of our next premiership side. I don't mind White as a third tall/ second ruck though.
WHAT WOULD I LIKE TO SEE FOR THE REMAINDER OF THE YEAR -
Win at least 3 out of 5. I still give us a sniff this week. I'd hope we're capable of beating Richmond and GC, but nothing's a certainty.
No serious injuries. Get through the last game unscathed, head into pre-season with majority of the list ready to attack 2017 like a bull at a gate.
In regards to two of my negatives, I hope Trav has a strong finish to the year, and I hope we can avoid being blown out of the water at the start of games. I just want to see us be competitive and at least show some promising signs that we're heading in the right direction next year.
I'm sure there's plenty of negatives and positives that you'll all find. All in all, 2016 has been a disappointing season for the most part. I know we're all passionate, we all have different opinions on what's right and wrong with the club, but we all share the frustration and disappointment of another year with no finals. Let's try and save the facetious comments for another day and assess the season that was.
FLOREAT PICA - GO PIES.
After a surprising win against GWS on their home deck, a glimmer of finals appeared, a competitive defeat at the hands of Adelaide and poor effort for the most part against North has well and truly shut the door. So lets reflect on the year that was. What were your positives and negatives for 2016?
With games to come at the MCG against West Coast and Richmond, then two at Etihad against the Bulldogs and Suns, and then back to the G to wrap it all up against Hawthorn, what are you expecting to see and what do you hope we try to achieve heading into the break and pre-season?
I'll kick it off.
POSITIVES -
Treloar, Howe, Aish. Our three recruits. Treloar is worth his weight in gold and has shown exactly why we agreed to GWS' asking price. Howe took a little while to get going, but has had a solid block of consistent football. Aish also took a while to get going, but has slowly and surely built himself up and is starting to contribute more and more. I would give all 3 a tick for the season, now we'll see how they take the next step next year.
Brodie Grundy. I've always been on his wagon rather than Witts. He hasn't been excellent all year, but like Aish, has built on his performances from the week before and his getting reward for effort. He's played on some of the premier ruckman in the comp in the last month and has definitely earned his stripes. His aerobic capacity is elite, he can accumulate possessions (which isn't necessarily a plus given the general efficiency of ruckman, but he's been a fair link up player this year), and more importantly, hes growing in confidence and taking a leap at the ball and starting to win hitouts. Again, like the 3 above, let's see how he goes about taking the next step and hitting a consistent level of performance.
Much maligned, unfairly in my opinion, Brayden Maynard. He has a go, and yes he makes some terribly frustrating errors, but I'm genuinely excited by what this kid offers. I think as he starts to get more games under his belt, he'll continue to grow in his role and find his feet which will then result in a more calculated and calm Brayden Maynard. Not that he'll be aiming for this, but I hope he gets a rising star nomination. I feel he's a worthy candidate, but it's not the end of the world if he doesn't. I think it'd just be deserved recognition and a great confidence booster.
Ben Reid. Such an important player in our side. What Ben has provided this year is no different to what we'd expect. The positive here is that he's been able to stay on the park. Touch wood, he can play out his career without missing many more games.
NEGATIVES -
The whole Travis Cloke debacle. I love Trav, I'm in his corner, but there's still no denying that 2016 has been a major bust. It's been quite a fall from grace, and its actually been building up for a few years but unfortunately for Trav, the breaking point came this year and he had to earn his spot again. A great game against GWS was soured by a ridiculous non-story about a glove, but since that game has again struggled to make an impact. We'll see what the off-season and 2017 holds for Trav.
I've said it plenty of times on this board, slow starts. At least 7-8 games this season, we've been jumped at the start and been fighting a losing battle for the rest of the game. I don't know the reasons why, but I hope we rectify that next season.
The forward line. Out of all the zones, I feel that we struggle the most here. It just hasn't worked for me. All of our zones have struggled at times this year. Can back line can leak goals and be unaccountable? Yes. Does midfield gets outworked and gets smashed in clearances from time to time? Yes. I hope we add to our squad in the off-season with a bit of forward firepower, a small forward or dangerous half forward type. I know we'll get Elliott and maybe Swan back next year which will go a long way too. I know they don't grown on trees, and we probably don't have the currency, but I'd like to see us target a key forward. I can't see Cloke or White being a part of our next premiership side. I don't mind White as a third tall/ second ruck though.
WHAT WOULD I LIKE TO SEE FOR THE REMAINDER OF THE YEAR -
Win at least 3 out of 5. I still give us a sniff this week. I'd hope we're capable of beating Richmond and GC, but nothing's a certainty.
No serious injuries. Get through the last game unscathed, head into pre-season with majority of the list ready to attack 2017 like a bull at a gate.
In regards to two of my negatives, I hope Trav has a strong finish to the year, and I hope we can avoid being blown out of the water at the start of games. I just want to see us be competitive and at least show some promising signs that we're heading in the right direction next year.
I'm sure there's plenty of negatives and positives that you'll all find. All in all, 2016 has been a disappointing season for the most part. I know we're all passionate, we all have different opinions on what's right and wrong with the club, but we all share the frustration and disappointment of another year with no finals. Let's try and save the facetious comments for another day and assess the season that was.
FLOREAT PICA - GO PIES.
also I would love IF we created a Boil Over and Beat the Hawks to end the Season
