Are the Eagles still the biggest flat track bullies?

[Forward Press]

Particularly given how old some key pieces are. Mitchell, Priddis, Frenchman, JJK, Butler. Even Wellingham's not a spring chicken anymore.

Mitchell is a gun, only played four games. Premature to write him off.
Priddis - probably the last year, his skills have dropped off even more and of course he's slow.
LeCras - advocated for him to be dropped last year, had a good four games leading up to this one. Might also be out to pasture end of this year.
Kennedy - still has at least two more seasons in him.
Butler - he'll be moved on.
Wellingham - way too inconsistent but he's worth retaining.

Premiership window should've been open this year, unfortunately if NN doesn't return this year I am writing us off. I could stomach a close fought loss to the Hawks at the MCG but this was pathetic.

 

[demondavey]

Beau Waters was our last truly intimidating player. Always hard but fair.

Naitanui, Shuey and Nelson are probably the only three players on our list that always go when it's their time to go and never shirk a contest. That says it all, I think.

I think you're at risk of ending up a team of champions, not a champion team. You lack urgency. You'd want to see JK or Darling seriously throwing their weight around when the chips are down, but they don't.

You can't be losing to Hawthorn and be serious. Unless this loss starts a chain reaction of success aka Geelong 07.

 

[funk44]

Forward Press do you think if Mitchell was out there it would have resulted in a different approach today?

 

[Forward Press]

Forward Press do you think if Mitchell was out there it would have resulted in a different approach today?

Yes. We would've lost by 31 instead of 51.

Was a huge blow but in the end he is just one player.

 

[Kram]

Sorry, but he doesn't have the mongrel. Unless you're being sarcastic.

We need more mongrel. Or if you can never have the mongrel, like Jetta, at least be prepared to be accountable and not s**t.

Troubling times ahead.

You need a Brady Grey type or 2

Even before he played AFL I watched him at Peel a couple of times and thought this guy is a nutter the way he throws himself around, plays every game like it's his last.

 

[Greasyrhys]

I bet they'll beat us at Adelaide Oval in 2 weeks given said ground is a similar size to Subi (but shorter of course)

 

[Johnny_Dogg4]

and at the end of the day, the Victorian clubs get to have the Grand Final on their home ground, or at the very least a ground they have played at a lot more than a non-Victorian club.

interstate teams play the same number of games that the dogs play at the MCG

 

[FHTours]

You need a Brady Grey type or 2

Even before he played AFL I watched him at Peel a couple of times and thought this guy is a nutter the way he throws himself around, plays every game like it's his last.

or Ziebell or Ward or Sloane, or a few more.
A hard as nails inside / outside mid is gold.
Priddis strong (probably the best at getting off a disposal when tackled), but his attack is solely at the ball.
The others have the balance between hunting the ball & hunting the man with the ball.

 

[Forward Press]

or Ziebell or Ward or Sloane, or a few more.
A hard as nails inside / outside mid is gold.
Priddis strong (probably the best at getting off a disposal when tackled), but his attack is solely at the ball.
The others have the balance between hunting the ball & hunting the man with the ball.

We have one, his name is Luke Shuey. Can play inside and outside and never ducks (joke intended) the contest. Always the most likely of our players to end up with blood and grass all over him at the bottom of a pack.

But he's only one player. We'd be stuffed if he missed games while NN is still out.

 

[kaiserchief13]

I bet they'll beat us at Adelaide Oval in 2 weeks given said ground is a similar size to Subi (but shorter of course)

Probably correct. That's why I blame the coaches the most.

They need to implement a game plan that will work at MCG when they play there

 

[benfica]

You need a Brady Grey type or 2

Even before he played AFL I watched him at Peel a couple of times and thought this guy is a nutter the way he throws himself around, plays every game like it's his last.

they need a conner blakley type ohhh wait they had their chance and they stuffed it

 

[JayJ20]

This argument is nothing more than a myth, because it only examines one half of the situation. If interstate teams have genuine home advantage, they also have genuine away disadvantage. Vic teams may have genuine home advantage less often than interstate teams, but that's 100% balanced out by not having genuine away disadvantage when playing other victorian sides.

west coast have 10 genuine home games, 10 genuine away games, and 1 "home" and 1 "away" game against fremantle.
essendon have 6 genuine home games, 6 genuine away games, and 5 "home" and 5 "away" games against other vic teams.

Yeah but here is another problem.

Currently, Brisbane have played more games on our home ground than what we have. By the time we play Brisbane at Etihad, we've played there 4 times and Brisbane has played there 3 times.

When Essendon play West Coast at Etihad, that will be West Coast's second game there. It is also Essendon's second game there.

West Coast play at Etihad far more than what Essendon play at Subiaco for example. So Essendon playing in Perth is much more of an advantage for West Coast than West Coast playing at Etihad against Essendon.

Of course part of that comes with being a big club and not playing Collingwood, Carlton, Richmond, Geelong or Hawthorn at the MCG.

Then comes some MCG tenants having to play at Etihad against an interstate side, which essentially makes it neutral.

 

[kaiserchief13]

Yeah but here is another problem.

Currently, Brisbane have played more games on our home ground than what we have. By the time we play Brisbane at Etihad, we've played there 4 times and Brisbane has played there 3 times.

When Essendon play West Coast at Etihad, that will be West Coast's second game there. It is also Essendon's second game there.

West Coast play at Etihad far more than what Essendon play at Subiaco for example. So Essendon playing in Perth is much more of an advantage for West Coast than West Coast playing at Etihad against Essendon.

Of course part of that comes with being a big club and not playing Collingwood, Carlton, Richmond, Geelong or Hawthorn at the MCG.

Then comes some MCG tenants having to play at Etihad against an interstate side, which essentially makes it neutral.

Ye and Hawks have played at MCG already 3 times this year vs Eagles 1.

 

[ManOfClay]

They are a very mentally weak group.

 

[kaiserchief13]

They are a very mentally weak group.

Doubt it's the players. More the coaches. Stupid corralling instead of actually tackling. The amount of times Eagles kicked, marked, kicked marked today compared to running with handball was about 10:1 ratio and when they ran with handball is when they actually scored.

 

[FHTours]

We have one, his name is Luke Shuey. Can play inside and outside and never ducks (joke intended) the contest. Always the most likely of our players to end up with blood and grass all over him at the bottom of a pack.

But he's only one player. We'd be stuffed if he missed games while NN is still out.

I disagree
Yes, he is an excellent, inside / outside player & yes he doesn't "shrug" the contest, but he isn't the "cement head", "nut job" type that throws his body around like the 3 I quoted. Look at Mitch Robinson. Nowhere near the player that Shuey is, but he IS that hard beast that makes his team mates walk taller.

 

[Gavin Excell]

Doubt it's the players. More the coaches. Stupid corralling instead of actually tackling. The amount of times Eagles kicked, marked, kicked marked today compared to running with handball was about 10:1 ratio and when they ran with handball is when they actually scored.

Bs

Eagles players go into shell away from home

Game plan is the same

 

[peppy la pew]

Sorry, but he doesn't have the mongrel. Unless you're being sarcastic.

We need more mongrel. Or if you can never have the mongrel, like Jetta, at least be prepared to be accountable and not s**t.

Troubling times ahead.

No sarcasm intended I reckon he is as hard a player as you have. If he became a mongrel he would be rubbed out every second week

As hard and fair as anyone, Jetta, Hill and Darling on the other hand

 

[Obeanie1]

Doubt it's the players. More the coaches. Stupid corralling instead of actually tackling. The amount of times Eagles kicked, marked, kicked marked today compared to running with handball was about 10:1 ratio and when they ran with handball is when they actually scored.

100% spot on.

In the preseason we went handball happy, overlap run out of defense.

Today we just kicked and stopped. No run, no play on, no creative football.

Hawks and the Cluster were too good and we just made bad decision after bad decision.

The Eagles zone and corralling defense may win you free kick counts and work against crap teams but good teams see and play straight through that with good skills, poise and decisions. Until the coaches work that out the Eagles are a cooked chook.

 

[JayJ20]

This argument is nothing more than a myth, because it only examines one half of the situation. If interstate teams have genuine home advantage, they also have genuine away disadvantage. Vic teams may have genuine home advantage less often than interstate teams, but that's 100% balanced out by not having genuine away disadvantage when playing other victorian sides.

west coast have 10 genuine home games, 10 genuine away games, and 1 "home" and 1 "away" game against fremantle.
essendon have 6 genuine home games, 6 genuine away games, and 5 "home" and 5 "away" games against other vic teams.

Ye and Hawks have played at MCG already 3 times this year vs Eagles 1.

That's because Hawthorn are one of two Victorian teams with significant home ground advantage with the Tasmanian deal while maintaining a good presence at the MCG. The other being Geelong.

To Essendon, travelling to Perth is similar to West Coast travelling to Skilled Stadium when talking about home ground advantage as we can only play a maximum of 2 games there against a team that plays at Subiaco 12 times a year. Similar to West Coast playing a maximum of 1 game at Skilled against a team that plays there 7 (or maybe even 8) times.

West Coast play at Etihad 5 times this year, which is more than half of Essendon's 9 games at Etihad this year (3 of which are games against Etihad tenants St Kilda, North and Bulldogs). Next week we will play there against Melbourne for the first time while it will be Melbourne's 3rd game there.

This is why interstate sides have more of a true home ground advantage than Victorian sides except Geelong and probably Hawthorn.

 

[Forward Press]

I disagree
Yes, he is an excellent, inside / outside player & yes he doesn't "shrug" the contest, but he isn't the "cement head", "nut job" type that throws his body around like the 3 I quoted. Look at Mitch Robinson. Nowhere near the player that Shuey is, but he IS that hard beast that makes his team mates walk taller.

Yeah agreed, a Mitch Robinson type would do nicely. Not many players on our list willing to get their hands dirty for the sake of the team. Still searching for that hard beast since Daniel Kerr tbh.

 

[Gavin Excell]

100% spot on.

In the preseason we went handball happy, overlap run out of defense.

Today we just kicked and stopped. No run, no play on, no creative football.

Hawks and the Cluster were too good and we just made bad decision after bad decision.

The Eagles zone and corralling defense may win you free kick counts and work against crap teams but good teams see and play straight through that with good skills, poise and decisions. Until the coaches work that out the Eagles are a cooked chook.

Yet the following week (at home.. ahem) you run at ease creating goal kicking options. Is the game plan different away?

 

[Freomaniac]

We've got decent away records. Went to Adelaide twice last year, won both. Won at GWS. Won at Etihad.

The MCG is the obstacle.

I don't think the Eagles have lost to the suns at Gold Coast. You had the draw there in 2015.

 

[Forward Press]

I don't think the Eagles have lost to the suns at Gold Coast. You had the draw there in 2015.

Which is sort of why I don't think we're flat track bullies.

More like MCG/SCG/Kardinia-allergic bullies.

 

[kaiserchief13]

Bs

Eagles players go into shell away from home

Game plan is the same

Doesn't work at MCG though as wings are wider and more space to fill. Players mark and don't have a handball option because players are spaced too far apart.