Anyone bothered by the last two weeks??

[brentoncowell]

I am a little concerned, not by the fact that we lost inj the last two weeks, but by the way we look. We look very average with lack of enthusiasm, lack of drive, lack of confidence and we look really really flat. No1 is stepping uip and posting a big game or showing promising signs. We really havnt gathered anything from the last two weeks. I know we are a little behind in training but the efoorts of the pies at the moment arnt acceptable.

Good things Vs Sydney.
Bucks-came good in the second half and racked some possies.
Didak had some good patches.
Cam Cloke looked good, really buffed.
Very impressed by Davidson and the efforts of Nixon. Davidson went in hard and is a genuine tough nut.
Met Brayden Shaw

Bad Things Vs Sydney.
The clear cut evidence that we have no depth.
McKee-enough said.
Jason Cloke was beaten everytime his opponent went near the ball.

Heath Shaw Report: Saw him have maybe 3 kicks, one was a cheap one that didnt hit a target, another was a surge from the wing and inside 50 that wasnt maked and he did a beautiful interception (very similar to some of his brothers in 2003) from the back flank.Overall anaysis-Not as duddish as first thought but had no impact what so ever.

Conclusion- I think Cam Cloke will be given the round one spot that Pebbles leaves behind. Guy Richards quiet.

 

[Nic]

Not worried in the slightest. I think we'll be thereabouts this year, possibly not Grand Finalist material, but the future ain't that bad and can't be indicated by a couple of praccy matches.

 

[Lockyer24]

Yesterday and this pre-season as a whole has always been about improving the fringes of our team and testing our kids...the core of our team..the spine, the midfield etc..is set in stone for the season ahead.

Have we discovered any talents? Not really.

Cam Cloke although a bit of a battler has shown he has the presence to fill in Round 1 for Pebbles. Richards has shown he may be capable of seniors. Thats about it.

King, Shackleton are virtually write offs.

We will still be thereabouts this season, unfortunately there may not be as much change to our first team personnel as we envisaged.

Hope we give Davidson a game next week against the chokers.

 

[guess_who]

Only good think to come out of this week. Cam Clokes aggresion towards other players and the ball, and Guy Richards

 

[Nic]

Forget to mention, the best thing that can come out of the preseason matches IMO is little or no injuries.

 

[Jabso]

The only way we can measure the value of Guy Richards is when the likes of Buckley, Burns, Woewodin, Licuria, Lockyer and O'Bree are all on the park. They are all great at clearences and if Guy can direct the ball better than Fraser did last year then we will clearly be advantaged in the clearances because they won't have to shark the oponents taps so often.

I think Cam Cloke should get a go early on.

All hope is not lost with our new players, remember we haven't tried out anyone (apart from Heath) from last years draft. I think if 2 of Mullins, Shack, Nixon, Swan, King make good servicable players, we will be alright. I think Nixon will definately be there, Swan is good but doesn't offer much other players don't appart from versatility, King is a bit slow but I think will be alright, Mullins and Shack are worries though. If Shack comes good, one of him and McGough will have to go.

 

[grinspoon]

well when your missing Chris Tarrant, Anthony Rocca, Shane Woewodin, Paul Licuria, Tarkyn Lockyer, Simon Prestigiacomo, Shane Wakelin, Ben Johnson, Andrew Williams, Richard Cole and Rhyce Shaw. proberly more, thats 11 players, so we dont need depth of 33. just some young good guys to develop in time or to step in when only one or two guys are missing. i can tell you the swans werent missing to many good players. wait for the real stuff, we have a very good list. cant expect williamstown reserves to beat them can you.

 

[grinspoon]

Originally posted by Lockyer24
Yesterday and this pre-season as a whole has always been about improving the fringes of our team and testing our kids...the core of our team..the spine, the midfield etc..is set in stone for the season ahead.

Have we discovered any talents? Not really.

Cam Cloke although a bit of a battler has shown he has the presence to fill in Round 1 for Pebbles. Richards has shown he may be capable of seniors. Thats about it.

King, Shackleton are virtually write offs.

We will still be thereabouts this season, unfortunately there may not be as much change to our first team personnel as we envisaged.

Hope we give Davidson a game next week against the chokers.

ill bookmark this, as i know once the season starts and these young guys play you will change your mind.

 

[MarkT]

Originally posted by grinspoon
ill bookmark this, as i know once the season starts and these young guys play you will change your mind.

I hope you are right but I think you are wrong. The 2002 draftees are ordinary except for Cam. They've had a few opportunities and never shown much. King is dissapointing but i'll give him more time. Nixon may be servicable but lacks something IMO as far as ever being a gun. The rest can go home now. The 2003 draftees are much more promising on paper but only time will tell.

 

[GlovemanGayfer]

I'm not worried yet, but if it was round 2 of the real thing I would be. Strange thing is though I would rather our were playing like this and us be a little concerned than playing like stars and have fans coming out of the wood work like 3 or 4 other sides. When will people learn that this stuff does not guarentee success in the real comp?

 

[FIGJAM]

How'd BK go breton??

 

[The Clokes]

Ben Kinnear is a joke!
how the hell we kept him on the list has got me flummoxed!

should be gone by the end of the season thou

 

[FIGJAM]

Originally posted by The Clokes
should be gone by the end of the season thou

We'd have to bite the bullet and buy out the final year on his contract.

Waste of money, but we just gotta get him off our list!

 

[MarkT]

Originally posted by FIGJAM
We'd have to bite the bullet and buy out the final year on his contract.

Waste of money, but we just gotta get him off our list!

We would need salary cap room for the payout and I don't know if we have it. Can't understand why he got a 2 year contract. Would be the dumbest decision I can remember in Ed's time.

 

[Howie]

We should have the space.

Eddie hinted that, should we want to, we would have room for both Stevens and Brown given how well Collingwood had looked after its salary cap. If such was the case, Kinnear's contract prob has him paying us $100,000 per season at least.

More likely, he is prob on that figure. If we could have afforded Stevens, then surely we have enough room to through 200k at BK and wave goodbye.

 

[MarkT]

In saying we could afford Stevens and Brown I suspect Ed was exagerating and even then countiong on subtracting the salaries of the players we would have had to have traded. As we didn't trade them we are still paying them.

I have a plan though. If we tell Ben he either walks without a payout or we release a DVD of his career highlights and give it to every member. Surely he'd want to avoid that!

 

[Cyclops]

Not bothered that much. We are well off the pace and won't be up to speed until after the season starts just like last year. still it'd be nice to fluke a few wins like last year (I still can't belive we actually made the PS GF in 2002). A wuiin is a win, even in a Mickey mouse comp.

Positives: Big men. Cam Cloke has some footy nous, and his kicking is miles better than Dad or Jason. Jason Cloke isn't that bad- he flogged Hall (as did Walker) and threw himself around manfully.

Guy Richards is actually very tall (with long arms) and is sorting himself out physically-he may be ready to go this year. Fraser is still Fraser, only with a little more meat. We're resting Rocca and Tarrant, and Davidson is waiting in the wings. (BTW who was wearing #16 on Saturday? Some little fella). We have depth in the height dept.

Negatives. The little blokes don't look to be improving at the same rate. Hopefully Davis, the Shaws, Swan, Nixon etc will show a buit more dash and consistency. I feel Davis is getting back on an even keel, but he's so light. Not enough talent is coming up through the ranks, although B Shaw may supply a class injection. Here's hoping.

No change: The backline looks settled, no real challengers to Wakelin/Presti/Clemo/Cole/other flanker combo.

 

[guess_who]

BK had about 3 or four touches!!!

 

[jerry springer]

not worried in the slightest.id rather be rusty at the start and come on good at the buisness end of the season.not like west coast and adelaide who always seem to peak mid-year

 

[Murray]

Gee 3 or 4 touches for BK is a big day out.
Bet he was slumped in a corner of the rooms totally exhausted after the game.

 

[The Scarecrow]

I'm more disappointed then concerned, I thought our younger players would of shown something, sounds like some have against Sydney in a practice match. Hopefully all of this will change once the real stuff begins.

 

[GlovemanGayfer]

3 or 4 touches would mean BK holding onto the bal for about 20minutes all up. Thats allowing for him to make a disposal decision in 5 minutes of thought. There is no one slower at getting rid of the ball and allowing the opposition to flood back than our Benny!

 

[FIGJAM]

Originally posted by GlovemanGayfer
There is no one slower at getting rid of the ball and allowing the opposition to flood back than our Benny!

Not now that Freeborn's gone!

 

[dunno4]

Originally posted by Cyclops

(BTW who was wearing #16 on Saturday? Some little fella). We have depth in the height dept.

[/B]

Zane Leonard

 

[MarkT]

I saw this no 16 and looked at the programe and said "f@rk this Tom Davidson is worlds shortest tall forward". Thank Christ is wasn't him. Zane looked to have some ability and application but he aint no marking forward/back option.