A MUST Win!!

[nicko74]

We really need to beat Brisbane this week to gain some respect and gather some momentum. Typical of our season so far to have J Brown return against us but i really think Brisbane are an ordinary unit and these are the sort of games we need to win in order to try and crawl our way up the ladder. Hopefully we take our "A" game up there. It is a definite danger game.

GO ROOS

 

[benbanjo]

i dont see how beating a side that is yet to win a game will earn us any respect... we need to win in order not to lose respect..... brisbane has always been an issue for us with their power forwards.... backline needs to hold up the rest will click on its own

 

[stoja]

i agree with that whole post except for the fact that we will NOT gain any respect if beat brisbane.. respect will not come until we beat a 'top 4' side.. look at our wins last season.

 

[stoja]

who will take clarke when he pushes forward?

 

[Twinkletoes]

Quite simply, if we're to regain touch with the top 8, it's an absolute MUST win. Drop another game to a struggler and our season's totally shot.

 

[tazaa]

youd think its make or break wouldnt you..
i have two scenarios that may happen..
we get done Brad Scott takes away AFL footy from players who have been given one too many chances and we play Sydney come out and win and get on a winning spree..

OR

we win- build momentum and come back to Melbourne and beat a Sydney side decimated by injury and go on a spree..

so basically attention North players- if you wanna play AFL losing is not an option this week..

and having experienced a mediocre loss to Richmond already losing this week surely is out of the question..

 

[Only Forwards]

The only respect on the line this week is self respect.

The footy world is not going to give us anything. Even if we rolled a top 4 side we would fluke it or they'd be injured or we would shinboner spirit it.

Respect for this team will come on the back of finals wins. Make 8th and then a prelim and we will get respect. Make the 8 and lose and we start all over next year.

It's not a danger game. From here on they are all danger games. They need to play every week like there is a finals shot on the line. They need to bring that sort of intensity.

 

[Royal Flush]

The footy world is not going to give us anything. Even if we rolled a top 4 side we would fluke it or they'd be injured or we would shinboner spirit it.

They gives us nothing because we haven't given anything to disprove that we are a mediocre to struggling team.

 

[Only Forwards]

Precisely.

The only way to not be a mediocre team is to win finals.

Not beat big four in home and away, to make and win finals.

 

[Tas]

We don't deserve to play finals with the teams we have been naming all year to date, we have still yet to pick our best side of the players available. Guys getting games based on name and reputation instead of what they contribute while others who play well in the VFL continually overlooked.

Half the battle in winning games is picking your best side on the Thursday and we have conceded a massive advantage in a number of games already before the ball has been bounced.

 

[Event Horizon]

The only respect on the line this week is self respect.

The footy world is not going to give us anything. Even if we rolled a top 4 side we would fluke it or they'd be injured or we would shinboner spirit it.

Respect for this team will come on the back of finals wins. Make 8th and then a prelim and we will get respect. Make the 8 and lose and we start all over next year.

It's not a danger game. From here on they are all danger games. They need to play every week like there is a finals shot on the line. They need to bring that sort of intensity.

Spot on - great post.

For the time being we absolutely have to beat Brisbane, Adelaide and Gold Coast, with the Sydney game being the only one that we can perhaps afford to drop, although after losing to Richmond, we do need to win one of the "hard" games to make up for it. And that's just to be on the pace we set last year.

But in reality, we all know that finals will be very hard from here. To expect a young side to win so many games on end is tough, even if the games all seem winnable. If we can do it, after the sort of start to the year that we've had, that will put us in a great position to challenge the top teams finally.

 

[Event Horizon]

We don't deserve to play finals with the teams we have been naming all year to date, we have still yet to pick our best side of the players available. Guys getting games based on name and reputation instead of what they contribute while others who play well in the VFL continually overlooked.

Half the battle in winning games is picking your best side on the Thursday and we have conceded a massive advantage in a number of games already before the ball has been bounced.

It's only round 9 of 24 Tas. We just worry about staying in touch at this stage.

 

[Z_K]

We don't deserve to play finals with the teams we have been naming all year to date, we have still yet to pick our best side of the players available. Guys getting games based on name and reputation instead of what they contribute while others who play well in the VFL continually overlooked.

Half the battle in winning games is picking your best side on the Thursday and we have conceded a massive advantage in a number of games already before the ball has been bounced.

Horse shit.

 

[Tas]

Horse shit.

Your opinion is irrelevent because the facts are out there in black and white. Most of our defensive six are lucky to be playing footy yet we drop Tarrant of all players. Pedersen has been a stand out defender and we pick him to play ruck (then drop him) and then as a CHF (then drop him again).

LT hasn't performed to an adequate standard, he too often doesn't dish to someone in a better position and misses a lot of regulation shots yet we drop guys like Edwards and Warren who also do the defensive efforts and have been performing at VFL level, we were embarrassed into playing Edwards.

Garlett has often been dropped, subbed or hasn't been given the opportunity, took ages for Speight and Macmillan to get games when we had Anthony, Ziebell and Cunnington not really getting the job done.

Are we playing the kids for the future or are we trying to win games? The Ziebell, Cunnington, Atley move seems to indicate one approach, the Rawlings, Pratt, Firrito move indicates a total opposite.

We are like half pregnant. Are we picking a side to make the finals or one that is designed to blood youth at all costs? We haven't done either, we haven't picked our best side from week to week and we haven't given priority to the future of the club in every position.

 

[Teffy]

Are we picking a side to make the finals or one that is designed to blood youth at all costs?

The answer to this isn't patently obvious to you?

The coach is picking the side he believes will get us in to the top 4 in the quickest manner.

It shits me also, but I'm prepared to give the bloke the time to see if he can deliver.

 

[GarnerSmash]

Exposing a whole bunch of kids to AFL at the same time leads to reamings, mind you I do want Taz in the side at the expense of one of the mid defenders. Other than that though, who do you bring in to play in the back line? It is our most experienced complete line and without many ready to compete replacements.

The real test of where the priorities lie will be when H, Levi and Basti come back.

 

[Z_K]

Your opinion is irrelevent because the facts are out there in black and white.

Oh, yeah. Those types of facts. Kidding yourself.

Most of our defensive six are lucky to be playing footy yet we drop Tarrant of all players.

Seemed purely a match-up thing. The week Tarrant was dropped there wasn't a genuine tall. Which talls since should he have been brought in to play on?

Pedersen has been a stand out defender and we pick him to play ruck (then drop him)

FFS, think before you type. He rucked because Goldstein was crook. Petrie and Goldy come back and he went out. It was expected.

and then as a CHF (then drop him again).

Replaced Hansen who didn't come up.

LT hasn't performed to an adequate standard, he too often doesn't dish to someone in a better position and misses a lot of regulation shots yet we drop guys like Edwards and Warren who also do the defensive efforts and have been performing at VFL level, we were embarrassed into playing Edwards.

Completely and utterly different types of footballers. You've confused yourself.

Garlett has often been dropped, subbed or hasn't been given the opportunity, took ages for Speight and Macmillan to get games when we had Anthony, Ziebell and Cunnington not really getting the job done.

I can't even be bothered with this.
Cruize is 5'2, struggles occasionally by foot and needs as much work on his engine as anyone at the football club.
And on what planet did it take "ages" for Speight and MacMillan to come in? We'd played 5 games of 22 and they were in the side.

Are we playing the kids for the future or are we trying to win games? The Ziebell, Cunnington, Atley move seems to indicate one approach, the Rawlings, Pratt, Firrito move indicates a total opposite.

Would indicate to me we're doing both. As we should.
Ends will justify the means with Ziebell. Atley has contributed every week and just happens to be a jet footballer we need games into. Cunnington is clearly on a specific program. Is in our best 22 anyway.

We are like half pregnant. Are we picking a side to make the finals or one that is designed to blood youth at all costs? We haven't done either, we haven't picked our best side from week to week and we haven't given priority to the future of the club in every position.

Have a cup of tea and relax. Bloke is charge looks all over it to me. Concern yourself with others things.

 

[Event Horizon]

Atley is probably playing in Bastinac's spot, and we are getting games into him at the same time. Harper is learning, while providing great pressure with his tackles and his delivery isn't bad either, when he does get it. Both of those players need games in them, but aren't keeping anyone out of the side anyway.

McMillan said himself in the interview after the Port game that he was out of the side for a reason, being asked to work on certain things, and got back into the side once he did that.

Speight took around 4 weeks to earn his spot - nothing wrong with that. Wright is trying to find some form - or he could find himself in the Anthony predicament.

 

[Tas]

The answer to this isn't patently obvious to you?

The coach is picking the side he believes will get us in to the top 4 in the quickest manner.

It shits me also, but I'm prepared to give the bloke the time to see if he can deliver.

It is obvious to me, not to DelusionalBhoy.

We are trying to be as competitive as possible while pushing as many kids as they believe they can realistically get away with.

But we haven't been picking the "best side" since the season started and probably wont which is why I said we don't deserve to play finals, we are going up against teams who do pick their best team and people are surprised we have only won 2 games.

As long as this course of action pans out it will be worth the pain and I am happy to be patient, but if I smell shit though I am not going to call it a rose just because I want or hope for a rose to sprout out of the seeds.

We haven't been picking our best side, have not since the pre-season games. That is me calling a spade a spade and not because I am impatient. The ammusing part is that the kids in general aren't the ones holding us back, we are just playing guys out of name/reputation rather than what they are contributing and if anything are holding some kids who are performing in the VFL back.

 

[Tas]

Oh, yeah. Those types of facts. Kidding yourself.

I just have one question, which planet do you come from? Because wherever it is things don't work like they do on planet Earth.

Seemed purely a match-up thing. The week Tarrant was dropped there wasn't a genuine tall. Which talls since should he have been brought in to play on?

Yeah, it is must have been a matchup thing to take out our biggest defender who had done a pretty good job up to this point, given how shizen the midfield has been at times, and left us with no defender over 193cm to pick up Westoff who is 199cm or Brogan who spent time up forward as well.

Come on, I am giving him credit for not being a moron, you are saying this was a premeditated tactical move. **** me, that is even worse. The only shining light was Port's inability to get the ball out of the middle, given they had 23 scoring shots from a mere 39 inside 50s the first choice defence was pretty ineffective.

But that was such a roaring success I am sure the brains trust thought, hey, we should make Plodder Podsiadly look like Tony Lockett by unleashing the midget brigade on him. This was a masterstroke of matching up.

But hey, if you fail and don't succeed, keep on failing? Lets make "Juice" Newton look like an AFL standard player by giving him some short people to out-mark. **** me dead, I was depressed because we weren't trying and you are telling me now we were actually trying. I feel worse now.

Obviously there was no possible matchup for him.

FFS, think before you type. He rucked because Goldstein was crook. Petrie and Goldy come back and he went out. It was expected.

Oh, the irony of this statement. No shit Sherlock, I know why he was picked for both games but by "best team" who in their right mind would select Pedersen as the only ruckman for the side, they knew Goldy was crook flying over, Pedersen was meant to be the chop out. We chose to fly out someone sick rather than elevate Daw and ask him to man it up for one game. I think Mabon was injured at the time.

The time Pedersen spent in the backline he played really well.

Replaced Hansen who didn't come up.

And exactly how often has Pedo stared in the VFL at CHF? We should have picked Ross for CHF, it would have been just as good a move.

Just for shits and giggles, how about gee I don't know, perhaps play someone there who has a ****ing clue how to play the position? How about, wait for it, maybe this kid who was a standout junior as a forward and defender, goes by the name of Tarrant.

But yeah, his exclusion was obviously due to matchup and team structure reasons. Do you believe all the shit dished out to you or just from the club?

I'm not championing Tarrant as the be-all, he is just a captain obvious guy to come in. If he had done something to offend Brad then fair enough, perhaps give Warren or perhaps Edwards or McKinley in the goal square and ask Petrie to play half forward. Did anyone really believe Pedo was going to star at CHF?

Completely and utterly different types of footballers. You've confused yourself.

They "should" be complete different players. How many times has LT actually roved off of the pack this year? I am not talking successfully because that would be a big ask, you would probably be lucky to count more than a handful of times he has even been front and square let alone actually roving when the ball slips through Petrie's fingers.

He is playing a lead-up role and that is obsolete if he isn't kicking goals because Edwards, Warren or McKinley can play that role.

Adams is a better crumbing forward, as is Ross. LT does not crumb, he leads into the same space the key forwards are hoping to find empty space there. He has kicked the very odd bag of goals having the forward line open and left for him to compete one-out, that is going to come off as often as Christmas comes around.

If he is there just for the handful of tackles we should put some failed olympic sprinters on our list and just say you don't even need to know what a footy looks like, we just want you to run down the odd player from behind.

Forwards are there to kick goals. Ultimately if you are mentally shot and can't sink one from 20m out dead in front what use are you to the side?

I can't even be bothered with this.

I can imagine the level of bullshit you are shovelling must be hard to maintain.

Cruize is 5'2, struggles occasionally by foot and needs as much work on his engine as anyone at the football club.
And on what planet did it take "ages" for Speight and MacMillan to come in? We'd played 5 games of 22 and they were in the side.

For all of Cruize's shortcommings, he is a far better proposition than most in our midfield. I love Ziebell and think Cunnington will be a gun but they have often struggled to have any real impact in games, Atley has also battled. Sometime VFL level is the better level to be at depending on where you are at, be it physically, psychologically or development-wise.

We pushed the "A team" all pre-season. I want you to highlight at what point did you believe from their performances that they were better options to go with into the H&A season.

I know why they have been getting games and it is not because they have been well ahead of others on the list. We have also crippled our forward line to carry so many dysfunctional mids. You know why Edwards and Warren aren't playing, the forward line is the elephant graveyard where spent midfielders who can only gut run half a game are left to graze.

That might hold us in good stead for the distant future but you are blowing smoke up someones clacker if you are trying to convince them that is the best structure to go with when playing opposition sides who aren't carrying 5-6 players from the first bounce.

Would indicate to me we're doing both. As we should.
Ends will justify the means with Ziebell. Atley has contributed every week and just happens to be a jet footballer we need games into. Cunnington is clearly on a specific program. Is in our best 22 anyway.

All the kids are giving 100%, I am not faulting them and I know they want to play. You took offence at me saying we aren't playing to win and are not selecting our best side.

You can't honestly look at the side we have run with each week and the opposition we have played against and said this is the best side we have to beat the opponent we are playing.

Have a cup of tea and relax. Bloke is charge looks all over it to me. Concern yourself with others things.

I am relaxed, I have accepted what the club is doing a long time ago when even Captain Obvious couldn't miss some of the selection clangers we were making week after week.

It is why I am not optimistic of us beating a winless side, they would be confident they can knock us off. I don't have to worry because winning isn't the major objective for us, if we happen to win while giving the opposition a significnat on-field advantage then it is just a bonus really.

 

[Z_K]

Do you get paid by the word?
I couldn't begin to tell you how little I can be bothered with that effort. It's your worst, and I don't for a second say that without thought and full contemplation of the gravity of the statement.

 

[Teffy]

Hit him with the excel spread sheet Tas.

That'll **** him.

 

[Event Horizon]

I think Tarrant got dropped at a good time - he was short on confidence, and seems to have come back to VFL with the right mindset.

As for this week, wonder if we have the guts to start him on Brown from the opening bounce? Personally, I would, and if that didn't work early, I'd rather send Petrie back than see Thompson or Firrito given the job.

 

[BlueandWhiteElf]

Atley is probably playing in Bastinac's spot, and we are getting games into him at the same time. Harper is learning, while providing great pressure with his tackles and his delivery isn't bad either, when he does get it. Both of those players need games in them, but aren't keeping anyone out of the side anyway.

I think Basti should come in for Garlett when he gets back. Atley has really impressed me and I would only drop him if he needs a rest, which, without knowing, I don't think he does need. If both were coming back into the side this week, I would say Basti in for Garlett and Greenwood in for Thomas, due to poor form. Harper to go forward all game and repace LT.

 

[Tas]

Do you get paid by the word?
I couldn't begin to tell you how little I can be bothered with that effort. It's your worst, and I don't for a second say that without thought and full contemplation of the gravity of the statement.

Is this more factual input?

Come on, at least humour me on the structural ommission of Tarrant, that was a good one.