A thread of level headed reason

[Cool Kangas]

I’m actually so upset. Year on year the same bloody hope. Year on year the same bloody disappointment. Can I please get some reasonable, level-headed posters on here - please no pisstakes - just honest assessment and responses - with some kind of reassurance that we are in fact improving? (Or should I just forget about footy?) I can’t take the heartbreak anymore.

 

[Reginald0]

Not that important
A few blokes kicking a footy around
That being said we are sort of soft sort of dumb and still nowhere near as good as we should be
But playing Away v whoever and the Crowd is a lot tougher than it looks on paper

In the wash up we were ahead at Q1 by 4 goals and we lost by 3

Showed how much we need Wardlaw and also that Log matters down back
Chuck Hardeman in too and off we go again

 

[Cool Kangas]

Not that important
A few blokes kicking a footy around
That being said we are sort of soft sort of dumb and still nowhere near as good as we should be
But playing Away v whoever and the Crowd is a lot tougher than it looks on paper

In the wash up we were ahead at Q1 by 4 goals and we lost by 3

Showed how much we need Wardlaw and also that Log matters down back
Chuck Hardeman in too and off we go again

100% it’s definitely not that important in the scheme of things but it’s still an outlet for many and it’s a shame that it’s become so unenjoyable for us fans over a long period of time. Oh well. Thanks for the feedback.

 

[Moti]

Positive: I can put a team together for the first time in many years that has the right mix of players and genuine speed and skill across all lines.

Reality #1: 3-4 of them are injury prone

Reality #2: It requires more seasoned players to be removed that are seemingly protected from such action.

 

[Only Forwards]

I’m actually so upset. Year on year the same bloody hope. Year on year the same bloody disappointment. Can I please get some reasonable, level-headed posters on here - please no pisstakes - just honest assessment and responses - with some kind of reassurance that we are in fact improving? (Or should I just forget about footy?) I can’t take the heartbreak anymore.

I can’t.

I’m in the seat beside you wondering why the f*** I bother year in year to expect more.

I feel like a blend of apathy and disillusionment has gotten me.

I enjoyed the win last week. But I’m numb to yesterday. It didn’t hurt I wasn’t particularly angry. It just is. Losing is part of our make up now.

The losses are killing my passion and tbh if there isn’t some sort of consistent progression then I will become a member who doesn’t go to games.

 

[Cool Kangas]

I can’t.

I’m in the seat beside you wondering why the f*** I bother year in year to expect more.

I feel like a blend of apathy and disillusionment has gotten me.

I enjoyed the win last week. But I’m numb to yesterday. It didn’t hurt I wasn’t particularly angry. It just is. Losing is part of our make up now.

The losses are killing my passion and tbh if there isn’t some sort of consistent progression then I will become a member who doesn’t go to games.

I pretty much feel like this

 

[Ether]

I’m actually so upset. Year on year the same bloody hope. Year on year the same bloody disappointment. Can I please get some reasonable, level-headed posters on here - please no pisstakes - just honest assessment and responses - with some kind of reassurance that we are in fact improving? (Or should I just forget about footy?) I can’t take the heartbreak anymore.

Good luck with that.

If you want some dispassionate analysis, read Rick's blog.

If you want to deal with the emotional rollercoaster, consider taking every post that says "we have to be x-y after round 6" or "if we're a serious club we have to..." with a big grain of salt. Don't get sucked in to thinking we're "back" after one win or that we're doomed after one loss. We've got a winnable game against the biggest campaigners in the comp next w/e. If I had to pick one game to win out of that and the eggles, I know which one I'd take.

 

[Disco Dew]

with some kind of reassurance that we are in fact improving?

Based on the evidence so far this year we aren’t improving. Some will say otherwise, and that’s fine, but the results so far are no different to what we’ve seen in the past.

The port game has gone some way to proving it was the same as the Melbourne game last year. Big win followed up by pure dross. The coming weeks will be where we start to learn if we are actually improving.

How do we respond after an embarrassing display out west? Can we finally get over the 10 year drought against essendon or will they see an opportunity for a kill against a broken side? Was our second game against the blues last year a sign we’ve moved passed them or is the manner in which they came back towards the end of that game going to carry through to another Good Friday shellacking?

Alarm bells were going off for many in the Preseason and we were told “lol it’s preseason”. Well the season proper is threatening to continue in the same way as previous years and until we start stringing winning performances together we’ll still be in this vortex of garbage that we seem to have been stuck in for an eternity.

Apologies if im coming across as a doomer.

 

[Cool Kangas]

Good luck with that.

If you want some dispassionate analysis, read Rick's blog.

If you want to deal with the emotional rollercoaster, consider taking every post that says "we have to be x-y after round 6" or "if we're a serious club we have to..." with a big grain of salt. Don't get sucked in to thinking we're "back" after one win or that we're doomed after one loss. We've got a winnable game against the biggest campaigners in the comp next w/e. If I had to pick one game to win out of that and the eggles, I know which one I'd take.

We will lose as is typical.

 

[Its a Process]

With the high turnover of coaches, the loss of TT and JHF I think you can mount a reasonable case that the re-build started under Clarko, not 2017. Under Clarko we have turned over 65% of our list of which only M Wood and F Perez have found homes elsewhere, that's how poor we were.

In the first two games we have played 6 good quarters in which we have shown an ability to alter game style depending on what the opposition is giving us. Against Port we showed we could play tempo as well as scoring quickly, not sure i'd seen that yet.

We look dangerous up forward and the midfield balance looks better with Jy and Dyl on the wings and Harry, LDU, Fos and Wardlaw (I hope) running things inside. Defensively still looks shaky but we were good round 1. Not sure how we cover for Griff.

The data tells us to expect a spike this year - I am expecting a spike this year and I am hopeful we have taken a few sharp lessons out of yesterday about how mature teams can control momentum shifts without conceding 5 goals on the spin.

We need to enter Good Friday with momentum. We should win this week and we simply must win this week.

 

[Its a Process]

Based on the evidence so far this year we aren’t improving. Some will say otherwise, and that’s fine, but the results so far are no different to what we’ve seen in the past.

The port game has gone some way to proving it was the same as the Melbourne game last year. Big win followed up by pure dross. The coming weeks will be where we start to learn if we are actually improving.

How do we respond after an embarrassing display out west? Can we finally get over the 10 year drought against essendon or will they see an opportunity for a kill against a broken side? Was our second game against the blues last year a sign we’ve moved passed them or is the manner in which they came back towards the end of that game going to carry through to another Good Friday shellacking?

Alarm bells were going off for many in the Preseason and we were told “lol it’s preseason”. Well the season proper is threatening to continue in the same way as previous years and until we start stringing winning performances together we’ll still be in this vortex of garbage that we seem to have been stuck in for an eternity.

Apologies if im coming across as a doomer.

The Melbourne and Port win's were wildly different in how they were achieved.

 

[Disco Dew]

The Melbourne and Port win's were wildly different in how they were achieved.

Oh I agree and I said as much post the port game. We didn’t back it up though, so one game in isolation (against port, and against WC) doesn’t tell us everything yet. It’s what we do next as you’ve said. Finally beat the bombers and fly high into GF and do the same against the blues. If we roll over in those games as we’ve done in the past then nothing has changed.

 

[Liam Boy]

With the high turnover of coaches, the loss of TT and JHF I think you can mount a reasonable case that the re-build started under Clarko, not 2017. Under Clarko we have turned over 65% of our list of which only M Wood and F Perez have found homes elsewhere, that's how poor we were.

In the first two games we have played 6 good quarters in which we have shown an ability to alter game style depending on what the opposition is giving us. Against Port we showed we could play tempo as well as scoring quickly, not sure i'd seen that yet.

We look dangerous up forward and the midfield balance looks better with Jy and Dyl on the wings and Harry, LDU, Fos and Wardlaw (I hope) running things inside. Defensively still looks shaky but we were good round 1. Not sure how we cover for Griff.

The data tells us to expect a spike this year - I am expecting a spike this year and I am hopeful we have taken a few sharp lessons out of yesterday about how mature teams can control momentum shifts without conceding 5 goals on the spin.

We need to enter Good Friday with momentum. We should win this week and we simply must win this week.

Mason Wood had already been at St. Kilda for a couple of years when Clarkson took over.

 

[Makeshift Park]

Can I please get some reasonable, level-headed posters on here - please no pisstakes - just honest assessment and responses - with some kind of reassurance that we are in fact improving

Guess it depends on when you start the stopwatch?

Between 2024 and 2025 we had the fifth largest percentage increase of any team.


We're currently sitting at 116% after playing two of the crapper teams this year.

If we can finish the year with a percentage around 85% its clearly a step up.

The list is also in a much, much better state than it was in the Shaw / Noble / early Clarko eras.

 

[hilly]

Based on the evidence so far this year we aren’t improving. Some will say otherwise, and that’s fine, but the results so far are no different to what we’ve seen in the past.

The port game has gone some way to proving it was the same as the Melbourne game last year. Big win followed up by pure dross. The coming weeks will be where we start to learn if we are actually improving.

How do we respond after an embarrassing display out west? Can we finally get over the 10 year drought against essendon or will they see an opportunity for a kill against a broken side? Was our second game against the blues last year a sign we’ve moved passed them or is the manner in which they came back towards the end of that game going to carry through to another Good Friday shellacking?

Alarm bells were going off for many in the Preseason and we were told “lol it’s preseason”. Well the season proper is threatening to continue in the same way as previous years and until we start stringing winning performances together we’ll still be in this vortex of garbage that we seem to have been stuck in for an eternity.

Apologies if im coming across as a doomer.

Excellent post Stu. What is underpinning yesterday is that we p1ssed away one of our few winnable games.

 

[Outtatym]

Serious question, does the club employ sports psychologists?

 

[Only Forwards]

Excellent post Stu. What is underpinning yesterday is that we p1ssed away one of our few winnable games.

This is my biggest gripe.

Often we have fixture that in no way benefits us.

The start of this year laid out a pathway to change some of the story around us. To prove to everyone, including ourselves that we were capable of putting good performances out on the park consistently.

4 times they’ve pulled on the jumper this year.
Vs Melbourne - poor
Vs Collingwood seconds - average
Vs Port - very good
Vs WC - very good, Abysmal, average

Pissing opportunity up against a wall.

 

[Cool Kangas]

Serious question, does the club employ sports psychologists?

One would hope so because yesterday my kids were all saying it seemed very psychological.

 

[Souup]

I don't think West Coast are as bad as people are making them out to be - they looked good in the second half vs. Gold Coast last week and they'll surprise a few more teams in Perth this year.

I thought individually, the following guys hurt us with their ball use/ball handling/decision making:

• Simpkin
• Dovaston
• Zurhaar
• Sheezel
• Konstanty
• FOS

You can't have 1/4 of the team continually making poor decisions and/or turning it over and give yourself a good shot at winning. Zurhaar was poor on numerous occasions and let us down in big moments, Sheezel had it a lot but was unremarkable and at times flat out poor with his ball use, Dovaston was fumbly, Konstanty is still really poor with ball in hand and for someone who played 70%+ CBAs, FOS was largely unsighted. Everything Simpkin touched turned to rubbish.

It's easy to say they outworked us, and while I think that's true to a degree, I think they were just smarter and more discipled - they took away our uncontested mark possession game, and so we were continually going long from defensive 50m up onto a wing - from there they just out-pressured us and were smarter/more disciplined on the spread. We couldn't buy a contested mark to relieve the pressure and they kept intercepting and using their loose man to get a repeated entry. We also had too many guys getting sucked into the contests, and once they got it to the outside they were off.

So once they had the ball in the defensive half, they made us of their spare to outnumber and outwork us into getting repeated entries.

As a side, we're not a run and gun from defensive 50m into the forward half like a Freo or GWS. We like to methodically possess the ball until we're closer to our forward half and then try get a deeper entry that way - WCE just completely took that away by limiting our uncontested marks and we struggled to adjust after that.

While it was massively disappointing, I want to see how we respond in the coming weeks. Would love to start with us bringing in Wardlaw and Banch this week and getting a win by 40+ points.

 

[Moti]

I don't think West Coast are as bad as people are making them out to be - they looked good in the second half vs. Gold Coast last week and they'll surprise a few more teams in Perth this year.

I thought individually, the following guys hurt us with their ball use/ball handling/decision making:

• Simpkin
• Dovaston
• Zurhaar
• Sheezel
• Konstanty
• FOS

You can't have 1/4 of the team continually making poor decisions and/or turning it over and give yourself a good shot at winning. Zurhaar was poor on numerous occasions and let us down in big moments, Sheezel had it a lot but was unremarkable and at times flat out poor with his ball use, Dovaston was fumbly, Konstanty is still really poor with ball in hand and for someone who played 70%+ CBAs, FOS was largely unsighted. Everything Simpkin touched turned to rubbish.

It's easy to say they outworked us, and while I think that's true to a degree, I think they were just smarter and more discipled - they took away our uncontested mark possession game, and so we were continually going long from defensive 50m up onto a wing - from there they just out-pressured us and were smarter/more disciplined on the spread. We couldn't buy a contested mark to relieve the pressure and they kept intercepting and using their loose man to get a repeated entry. We also had too many guys getting sucked into the contests, and once they got it to the outside they were off.

So once they had the ball in the defensive half, they made us of their spare to outnumber and outwork us into getting repeated entries.

As a side, we're not a run and gun from defensive 50m into the forward half like a Freo or GWS. We like to methodically possess the ball until we're closer to our forward half and then try get a deeper entry that way - WCE just completely took that away by limiting our uncontested marks and we struggled to adjust after that.

While it was massively disappointing, I want to see how we respond in the coming weeks. Would love to start with us bringing in Wardlaw and Banch this week and getting a win by 40+ points.

Pretty good summary. We need some gears, that's for sure

 

[Ether]

While it was massively disappointing, I want to see how we respond in the coming weeks. Would love to start with us bringing in Wardlaw and Banch this week and getting a win by 40+ points.

by 1+ points.

 

[franjon]

I don't think West Coast are as bad as people are making them out to be - they looked good in the second half vs. Gold Coast last week and they'll surprise a few more teams in Perth this year.

I thought individually, the following guys hurt us with their ball use/ball handling/decision making:

• Simpkin
• Dovaston
• Zurhaar
• Sheezel
• Konstanty
• FOS

You can't have 1/4 of the team continually making poor decisions and/or turning it over and give yourself a good shot at winning. Zurhaar was poor on numerous occasions and let us down in big moments, Sheezel had it a lot but was unremarkable and at times flat out poor with his ball use, Dovaston was fumbly, Konstanty is still really poor with ball in hand and for someone who played 70%+ CBAs, FOS was largely unsighted. Everything Simpkin touched turned to rubbish.

It's easy to say they outworked us, and while I think that's true to a degree, I think they were just smarter and more discipled - they took away our uncontested mark possession game, and so we were continually going long from defensive 50m up onto a wing - from there they just out-pressured us and were smarter/more disciplined on the spread. We couldn't buy a contested mark to relieve the pressure and they kept intercepting and using their loose man to get a repeated entry. We also had too many guys getting sucked into the contests, and once they got it to the outside they were off.

So once they had the ball in the defensive half, they made us of their spare to outnumber and outwork us into getting repeated entries.

As a side, we're not a run and gun from defensive 50m into the forward half like a Freo or GWS. We like to methodically possess the ball until we're closer to our forward half and then try get a deeper entry that way - WCE just completely took that away by limiting our uncontested marks and we struggled to adjust after that.

While it was massively disappointing, I want to see how we respond in the coming weeks. Would love to start with us bringing in Wardlaw and Banch this week and getting a win by 40+ points.

I cant believe you forgot McDonald

 

[zoomba23]

The Melbourne and Port win's were wildly different in how they were achieved.

They weren't. I thought they were but nah. The only difference is the last quarter; Port put out a half hearted arm to try and wrangle us back in, while Melbourne didn't. But neither opponent looked that interested in winning, or being first to the ball. Anyone, and I repeat anyone, can turn a six goal deficit against us into a tight one, if they decide to put in

 

[JZTIME!]

With the high turnover of coaches, the loss of TT and JHF I think you can mount a reasonable case that the re-build started under Clarko, not 2017. Under Clarko we have turned over 65% of our list of which only M Wood and F Perez have found homes elsewhere, that's how poor we were.

In the first two games we have played 6 good quarters in which we have shown an ability to alter game style depending on what the opposition is giving us. Against Port we showed we could play tempo as well as scoring quickly, not sure i'd seen that yet.

We look dangerous up forward and the midfield balance looks better with Jy and Dyl on the wings and Harry, LDU, Fos and Wardlaw (I hope) running things inside. Defensively still looks shaky but we were good round 1. Not sure how we cover for Griff.

The data tells us to expect a spike this year - I am expecting a spike this year and I am hopeful we have taken a few sharp lessons out of yesterday about how mature teams can control momentum shifts without conceding 5 goals on the spin.

We need to enter Good Friday with momentum. We should win this week and we simply must win this week.

Yep just read this ^^^^^

Took us 8 rounds to have 6 good quarters last years. We were in with a shout in the last 5 mins with it all against us.
Moves were made and looked to able to adapt. Didn't end up in a W but when we see the Eagles beat other sides at home (they will need to have the availability they currently have) then it will look better overall.
This isn't the 1 win WC of last season.

 

[joybell27]

I think we are all finding it very hard to be reasonable and level headed after yesterday's performance. The win over Port Adelaide gave me hope that we were finally starting to find a way to turn our form around and get on a winning path. We won every quarter and were able to answer every challenge they mounted. The way we just capitulated when West Coast applied pressure in the second quarter made me feel like we were back to square one and facing another long and bleak season.

Footy can be a roller coaster but we have been awful for too long. I want to see maximum effort for every minute of every game from every player that represents our team. If we do that we will be on the right path.