Review 2022 Mid season review

[76woodenspooners]

We’re now at the mid season point of 11 games and we’ve already matched our total wins of last season of 6 wins.

Current ladder with teams we won or lost against

Melbourne / Naarn
Brisbane (lost)
Freo (won)
St Kilda (won)
Carlton (won)
Geelong (lost)
Swans
Bulldogs (lost)
Richmond (lost)
Collingwood
Port
Suns (won)
Hawthorn
Giants
Crows (won)
Essendon (won)
North
West Coast (lost)

It’w a mixed bag, which is not unexpected for a developing team learning a new game plan.

Highlights for me of the year so far …

• Gameplan
• Our team is more competitive than I expected
• Nick Daicos is developing very well
• Ginnivan looks to be a keeper despite only playing around a dozen games. Entertaining player
• Henry has also had some good games. He’s been inconsistent, but that’s OK, he’s young.
• John Noble is surely a lock for top 10 in the Copeland on his form so far this year.
• Sidey’s 2022 is an improvement on last year
• Lipinski has been a solid get
• I’m probably going a bit early, but if Murphy plays more games like today (v Carlton) then he’ll be a keeper
• Good to see debutants Begg, N.Daicos, McInnis get games.
• Josh Daicos is having a very good year.
• Jack Crisp continues his playing streak.
• Pressure has been up this year.
• Scoring has been up this year. We‘re building some semblance of a functional forward line. Number of goal scorers has been up.
• Mihocek been as reliable as ever.

Unresolved questions that still need answering

• Finlay Macrae hasn’t been able to back up his good form from 2021 and get on the park
• McCreery hasn’t progressed very far beyond his good 2021 form
• Poulter hasn’t gotten many opportunities to build on his 2021 form
• Tyler Brown has sown glimpses at times, but hasn’t had a breakout.
• Our clearances are a work in progress. It’s been a weakness - although this week v Carlton seemed an improvement
• DeGoey has been reasonably solid, but without being outstanding.

Disappointments

• Long term injuries to Johnson, Krueger, Grundy, Elliott, Roughead, Wilson, Dean.
• Losing to current wooden spooners West Coast
• Callum Brown in no-man’s land. Has played sufficient games to be expected to show more
• Will Kelly hasn’t been able to get an opportunity.
• Darcy Moore’s form has been a bit down.
• Maynard’s 2 week suspension to start the year off seems harsh in hindsight

 

[Markfs]

i worry about not dropping down the ladder far enough to get the better players in the draft...but we probably had to establish a game style...so it's a balance...

 

[Nick Daicos Fan]

We’re now at the mid season point of 11 games and we’ve already matched our total wins of last season of 6 wins.

Current ladder with teams we won or lost against

Melbourne / Naarn
Brisbane (lost)
Freo (won)
St Kilda (won)
Carlton (won)
Geelong (lost)
Swans
Bulldogs (lost)
Richmond (lost)
Collingwood
Port
Suns (won)
Hawthorn
Giants
Crows (won)
Essendon (won)
North
West Coast (lost)

It’w a mixed bag, which is not unexpected for a developing team learning a new game plan.

Highlights for me of the year so far …

• Gameplan
• Our team is more competitive than I expected
• Nick Daicos is developing very well
• Ginnivan looks to be a keeper despite only playing around a dozen games. Entertaining player
• Henry has also had some good games. He’s been inconsistent, but that’s OK, he’s young.
• John Noble is surely a lock for top 10 in the Copeland on his form so far this year.
• Sidey’s 2022 is an improvement on last year
• Lipinski has been a solid get
• I’m probably going a bit early, but if Murphy plays more games like today (v Carlton) then he’ll be a keeper
• Good to see debutants Begg, N.Daicos, McInnis get games.
• Josh Daicos is having a very good year.
• Jack Crisp continues his playing streak.
• Pressure has been up this year.
• Scoring has been up this year. We‘re building some semblance of a functional forward line. Number of goal scorers has been up.
• Mihocek been as reliable as ever.

Unresolved questions that still need answering

• Finlay Macrae hasn’t been able to back up his good form from 2021 and get on the park
• McCreery hasn’t progressed very far beyond his good 2021 form
• Poulter hasn’t gotten many opportunities to build on his 2021 form
• Tyler Brown has sown glimpses at times, but hasn’t had a breakout.
• Our clearances are a work in progress. It’s been a weakness - although this week v Carlton seemed an improvement
• DeGoey has been reasonably solid, but without being outstanding.

Disappointments

• Long term injuries to Johnson, Krueger, Grundy, Elliott, Roughead, Wilson, Dean.
• Losing to current wooden spooners West Coast
• Callum Brown in no-man’s land. Has played sufficient games to be expected to show more
• Will Kelly hasn’t been able to get an opportunity.
• Darcy Moore’s form has been a bit down.
• Maynard’s 2 week suspension to start the year off seems harsh in hindsight

View attachment 1411976

We have beaten 3 of the top 5... Considering we were expected to be a bottom 3 side, definitely an A-/A for the 1st half of the season.

 

[JB1975]

My expectations were low. We've exceeded those. I've enjoyed watching us play and I just don't know what more I could ask for.

But of course, the loss to West Coast was painful and inexcusable and hurts more with the passing of each week...but besides that I'm cool.

 

[manicpie]

They have exceeded all my expectations so far, very well coached

 

[76woodenspooners]

My expectations were low. We've exceeded those. I've enjoyed watching us play and I just don't know what more I could ask for.
.

Our onfield results have far exceeded my expectations.

The reason I didn’t give higher than a B+ is because those solid results relied on players like Pendlebury, Sidebottom, Howe, Hoskin-Elliott and Elliott who will all likely retire in the next couple of years.

As a positive we’ve unearthed a couple of players who project to have a solid future for us (Ginnivan, N.Daicos and Henry), blooded a couple more (McInnis and Begg), …

… but it feels like we’ve generally gone a little backwards with our player development with Fin McRae and Ruscoe not featuring, Poulter only getting 1 game, and not much in the way of development in the games of McCreery and Bianco.

I’m not complaining too loudly (I’m giving a B+, not an F!) I just hope we start to see a few more of our young players pushing for selection.

 

[sr36]

We've been good.

We're not far off the pace. Had a couple of horrible games, but they coincided with us being heavily hit by the flu, so hopefully they were an aberration.

The only negative has been slow development from a few of the guys we were hoping would at least provide selection pressure.

 

[domus]

We have beaten 3 of the top 5... Considering we were expected to be a bottom 3 side, definitely an A-/A for the 1st half of the season.

And kicked nine goals in a quarter against another and lost by a goal to the other at full strength on their home ground.

 

[Kappa]

We're 10th which is higher than I had us, the question is, is that a good thing?

 

[BigVic]

Exceeded all my expectations. A loss to West Coast is the only lowlight plus blowing a lead against Geelong. Not a bad start to the Fly era.

 

[mwhop]

actually DeGo is a big plus for me
I much prefer this consistent workaday approach that gets the ball going our way from stoppage and runs hard for the link up than flash in the pan shiny stuff. I think the upside of this approach is he will end up being able to do both at once

 

[Horaceg]

We're 10th which is higher than I had us, the question is, is that a good thing?

Exceeding expectation, it’s a good thing

 

[Kappa]

Exceeding expectation, it’s a good thing

Long term, probably not if we end the year in 9th/10th and miss out on the premier draft selections.

 

[sr36]

Long term, probably not if we end the year in 9th/10th and miss out on the premier draft selections.

FFS. It's one pick moving from about 5 to 9.or whatever The margin is bloody small

 

[stormskye]

Long term, probably not if we end the year in 9th/10th and miss out on the premier draft selections.

That’s up for debate. There’s hits and misses. We were always unlikely to finish bottom 3. So anywhere between 5 and 10 the quality is prob not gonna differ, more so just what types are picked. Of bigger concern for me is our lack of a decent second. We need to move those thirds around and try and get a decent second rounder as this draft appears pretty decent for talls.

 

[Horaceg]

That’s up for debate. There’s hits and misses. We were always unlikely to finish bottom 3. So anywhere between 5 and 10 the quality is prob not gonna differ, more so just what types are picked. Of bigger concern for me is our lack of a decent second. We need to move those thirds around and try and get a decent second rounder as this draft appears pretty decent for talls.

Hopefully GW already working on it

 

[The Phantom]

Guys, there’s one substantial additional point: we’re developing a hardness as a team.
I might be going early on this, but the last two games have shown a willingness and attack on the ball and player that reminds me a little of the Lions team that our coach was a part of.

I hope that becomes a sustained part of our DNA.

Ive seen glimpses of it under Buckley and Malthouse, but not since Matthew’s has it been our brand.
If we make that our brand others will fear us and we’ll win flags.

 

[jonbe54]

Guys, there’s one substantial additional point: we’re developing a hardness as a team.
I might be going early on this, but the last two games have shown a willingness and attack on the ball and player that reminds me a little of the Lions team that our coach was a part of.

I hope that becomes a sustained part of our DNA.

Ive seen glimpses of it under Buckley and Malthouse, but not since Matthew’s has it been our brand.
If we make that our brand others will fear us and we’ll win flags.

Once you have the opposition looking over their shoulder as they are attempting to take possession you have them by the family jewels.

 

[whiskeytown]

I’m giving them an A

The only things I could ask for

1) less Browns… more McInness and Poulter.

But perhaps the browns are being given their final chance in the last year old their contract

2) playing kids like McInness, Bianco as forwards is not going to work

3) more readily rest/omit the older players like WHE, Sidebottom etc when they don’t perform and give a kid a go in those positions instead

My concern is with what’s coming through and where we will be in 3 years without Pendlebury, Sidebottom, Howe etc

 

[BuildEmUp]

I’m giving them an A

The only things I could ask for

1) less Browns… more McInness and Poulter.

But perhaps the browns are being given their final chance in the last year old their contract

2) playing kids like McInness, Bianco as forwards is not going to work

3) more readily rest/omit the older players like WHE, Sidebottom etc when they don’t perform and give a kid a go in those positions instead

My concern is with what’s coming through and where we will be in 3 years without Pendlebury, Sidebottom, Howe etc

what is coming thru is 2 more drafts in that time ( plus rookie and midseason, and kids being developed ... relax...

 

[sr36]

I’m giving them an A

The only things I could ask for

1) less Browns… more McInness and Poulter.

But perhaps the browns are being given their final chance in the last year old their contract

2) playing kids like McInness, Bianco as forwards is not going to work

3) more readily rest/omit the older players like WHE, Sidebottom etc when they don’t perform and give a kid a go in those positions instead

My concern is with what’s coming through and where we will be in 3 years without Pendlebury, Sidebottom, Howe etc

Um, you're talking about dropping Sidey, but are concerned about the team post Sidey?

 

[OniAu]

We're 10th which is higher than I had us, the question is, is that a good thing?

Depends what you value more.

A hit at a draft pick with potential to miss or get a 10 year player in a Key post

Or Wins throughout the season into Naicos, Ginni, Henry, Quaynor , Murphy, McCreery,McInneess among other youngins to make them feel like they belong. I mean look at Henry today compared to two games ago.

 

[KinderSmock]

Probably the question we have is do we trade De Goey? Do we trade him for a first rounder, which we can flip with our ladder-position selection into a higher pick. For example, we trade De Goey for Pick 8, land Pick 11 from the ladder and trade the pair for Pick 3?

Or do we keep it and continue our haul of first rounders.

 

[KinderSmock]

Depends what you value more.

A hit at a draft pick with potential to miss or get a 10 year player in a Key post

Or Wins throughout the season into Naicos, Ginni, Henry, Quaynor , Murphy, McCreery,McInneess among other youngins to make them feel like they belong. I mean look at Henry today compared to two games ago.

I don't believe in any of this learning how to win stuff. You win the games you can. Drafts are a lottery and Richmond have shown there is talent out there that you can recruit IF you have some shrewd selections.

We get Pick 6 this year if we tank? What if it's the next Schaz or Stepho? One was injured, the other had some form of mental impairment that undid any attempt to be a star and now is a regular omission/emergency for the 17th placed Roos. So you are absolutely risking it to tank. Not to mention how players know we have a tiny issue with paying big checks so they won't come for cash, meaning the only lure we have is for success or game time (in the case of Lipinski's move).

 

[jonbe54]

Probably the question we have is do we trade De Goey? Do we trade him for a first rounder, which we can flip with our ladder-position selection into a higher pick. For example, we trade De Goey for Pick 8, land Pick 11 from the ladder and trade the pair for Pick 3?

Or do we keep it and continue our haul of first rounders.

Much depends on on finishing position and where the draft picks fall, it's not an exact science and we still need an A class mid plus a couple of genuine talls.