CC and Dockers Lack Cohesion

[Dr Ralph Dagg]

I was inspired to look up Parker's stats, and apparently he has kicked 9 career goals, including 2 in a monster game against Sydney in 1996. His last goal was in 2001, which is further back than most bloke's careers stretch, so we'll all be justified in going off our nuts to celebrate his reaching double figures.

Yes, Action Man ran down the ground and kicked a pearler in Round 22, 2001 against Adelaide. I can still picture it in my mind's eye as he weaved his way down the ground, desperate to pass it off to someone, anyone, and he was left with the only one option -- go for goal. We held our breaths and it never looked like missing.

It was our second win of the season, we caned Adelaide who needed to win to get a home final and even Daniel Schell kicked 3 (as I recall). But Park's goal was the highlight.

Those were the days when no one questioned our intensity. It was all we had.

 

[coasting]

The young kids are holding you back!

 

[Dwayo]

A lot of total useless negativity. CC has been taken out of context again.

We are only a game out of the 8 and a win this weekend will kick start the club towards finals footy again.

Still believe CC the coach to take us to a GF. This will happen shortly and we just need to keep following the club and the coach in a positive manner.

 

[dasler]

A lot of total useless negativity. CC has been taken out of context again.

We are only a game out of the 8 and a win this weekend will kick start the club towards finals footy again.

Still believe CC the coach to take us to a GF. This will happen shortly and we just need to keep following the club and the coach in a positive manner.

I would like to see Fremantle succeed at AFL level. It doesn't look likely with CC at the helm.

 

[Scham]

I had a quick through the article this morning and I would have thought that Pav and Cook would have been the first names off his tongue. The 4 listed have worked their butts of, but if Cookie has not been as consistent or better than Bell this season I need to find some more rose coloured paint.

.

The trueth is that if we were a decent side, Cook wouldn't be getting a game.
Most AFL clubs wouldn't even find a spot for him on their list.

I love the guy for his hard at it approach, but he can't run, can't kick, and doesn't man up. Yes, he's a good tackler, but thats it.

At Freo we have an ingrained culture of accepting mediocrity, and supporting guys that aren't up to AFL level all because they throw themselves into the packs. We will never succeed if guys like Cook and Macca can get a game.

I know its hard, but its true. IMO.

 

[voodoo_86]

The trueth is that if we were a decent side, Cook wouldn't be getting a game.
Most AFL clubs wouldn't even find a spot for him on their list.

I love the guy for his hard at it approach, but he can't run, can't kick, and doesn't man up. Yes, he's a good tackler, but thats it.

At Freo we have an ingrained culture of accepting mediocrity, and supporting guys that aren't up to AFL level all because they throw themselves into the packs. We will never succeed if guys like Cook and Macca can get a game.

I know its hard, but its true. IMO.

The truth is that Connolly places far too much importance on soft skills and not enough on aggression. We all thought we'd be some all powerful free-wheeling machine which is the only reason why some predicted Cookie wouldn't get a game. Carr is such a hard nut we said, he'll replace Cookie. Unfortunately Connolly just sees some silky smooth skills and turns him into another seagull.

a) he cant run. False. He's not quick, but he's not alone in that regard. Something he does have over the other slow midfielders is he is more evasive, allowing him to run after he's broken the inital tackles.

b) he cant kick. No comment necessary.

c) he doesn't man up. False. If he's given a job, he's proven he can shut the man down. It's the way Connolly chooses to use him that's the issue - he needs to be on a man every week (which would minimalise the negatives of his kicking skills). Scott Burns anyone?

d) he's a good tackler. The best we've got - how ******** weak would we be without him (considering how ******** weak we are with him)

At freo we have a culture of supporting those that actually look like they'll give a damn and put their body over the ball when it matters. Its soft frontrunners like you and CC that think we'll ever go anywhere without some hardness in the team. If a bloke cant kick, get him to handball instead and get on with it.

The Ports/Brisbanes/Essendons circa 2000 all had one thing in common. A ********load of hardness to backup the skill.

That's the truth, imo.

 

[Scham]

I never said I didn't want hardness, Voodoo, of course I do, but I was talking about Cook not the skillful players. You can stiil have hardness and skill.
Cook only offers hardness- thats it.

He may be evasive, but that doesn't help when you're chasing tail. He gets left in an opponents wake all too often.

You don't think manning up is an issue Voodoo? How many times did his opponent have the pill last Sunday? And his job was to shut him down!

I want the team to succeed, and we do need more hardness all over the ground by all players, but we need quality and Cook doesn't give us that.

You are typical in accepting mediocrocy Voodoo. We can't accept it any more if we want to succeed.

 

[voodoo_86]

And the majority of the other players offer skill (and I use the word sparingly) and that's it.

Hardness has to be thought of as a skill in itself. Some blokes will just never learn how to kick it well (Cook) while others will just never get the balls to play consistently hard week in week out (Headland).

So you want Skill AND Hardness do you. Well ********, stop supporting Freo and go follow a team that has both. We don't - that's become increasingly apparent. What we need to do is use what we DO have, and that is a blend of both the hard and skillful.

I'm glad you're in the inner sanctum and know exactly what role and instructions each player receives. Use this power for good and get something done.

Give me one example where I have accepted Mediocrity. Good luck finding it. Supporting a guy that sets the level the rest of our blokes should be playing at (effort wise) does not sound like that to me. Jumping on the Sandilands forward bandwagon after multiple failures and a few marks in 1 game sounds like endorsing mediocrity to me.

You're living in a dream world, thinking all our players should have the hardness of a Cook and a skill of a Pavlich. To rubbish the effort of Cook this season (who has been within our top 5 players) saying that Connolly's snub was warranted because he's not as skilled as other players (he was talking about EFFORT, not skill - its a snub) is uncalled for, and epitomises the soft fairweather frontrunning style of play too many think is the be all and end all in footy.

Sam Mitchell doesn't have the greatest skills going around. But I'd take him into the center of the park before I'd take Crawford. Just like I'd rather have Cook beside me than some other soft midfielder that's going to want me to do the hard word so he can run past and deliver a pass lace out. Footy clubs need both types, and its a fool who thinks its possible to have a team full of perfect players running around each week.

 

[ImperialPurple]

Three cheers for voodoo. Bloody well said.

 

[Scham]

We'll agree to disagree Voodoo.
I would have more luck getting blood out of a stone!

I don't think hardness is a skill. It comes with endeavour. I agree some players will have more of that than others ie Headland, but every player on our list can execute hardness to a level needed to be a part of a successful team, but Cookie can't and never will execute the ball delivering skills required.
Its hard enough to win in this comp without one of your players continually giving it to the opposition, or missing easy goals, or not manning up.

As I said, none of the better teams in the comp would even have him on their list.

Comparing him to Mitchell, is like apples and oranges. Mitchells skills are much better than Cooks and besides Mitchell consistantly gets the ball 20 - 30 times a game. Cook doesn't!

You ARE supporting mediocrity by supporting Cook as a valuable member of a successful AFL team. But thats your right and good for you, but if we don't start thriving for a better side we will forever be a middle of the road side. You may want that (and obviously IP) - I don't!

 

[voodoo_86]

You ARE supporting mediocrity by supporting Cook as a valuable member of a successful AFL team.

We must be supporting different sides, because the side I support is far from successful. You're right that Cookie is a valuable member of that side though.

I'm going to let this argument slide, you're right, Once I get in one good luck trying to get me to agree, but that's just my stubborn nature. We'll be here all day if I keep it going, I'd rather watch 1 v 2 on the tellie.

 

[jarman]

Boys - hardness at the ball is a skill. Some have it and others do not.

The only mediocrity we have at Freo is CC. He has not got a clue about football and what it takes to compete in the AFL. We are where we are, because we have him.

Its as simple as that and just look at what Whoosha has done up the road. He is a leader and a football coach that knows what it takes to compete in the AFL.

 

[Exeter]

Rather unnnecessary comment I would have thought. But whatever gets you through the night too I guess.

Are you Eagles lot so high and mighty that you would allow us no fun on our own board. Our team is down, so therefore we must all talk in hushed voices and eyes averted? Can we not have a bit of a laugh at imagining the most low-key bloke in the AFL kicking a goal and not going ballistic about it?

Thought you were above that Ex.

It was meant in jest IP. Actually the idea of Parker doing an Akermanis type celebration would be something to behold.

There's a fine line between sardonic humour and patronising bastardry.

Believe it or not I actually have some sympathy for what Dockers fans are experiencing. If it was my team that was being managed and coached like that I'd be walking into the club administration with a pump action shotgun to negotiate a recovery strategy.

I'm sure there's a fair few footy fans who look at the Dockers and shake their heads in disbelief and, it has to be said, amusement at the way the club works on and off the field.

The same people, paticularly Eagles fans, probably get down on bended knee at night and thank the Almighty that they haven't had to endure that sort of bollockery from their own club. How you people continually put up with that level of chaos is beyond me.

I applaud the rusted on supporters, but your club owes you vastly more than the smoke and mirrors bull********** they continually serve up to you.

 

[ImperialPurple]

It was meant in jest IP. Actually the idea of Parker doing an Akermanis type celebration would be something to behold.

There's a fine line between sardonic humour and patronising bastardry.

Fair enough - maybe we are all just a bit on the touchy side at the moment... sorry.

Of course the reasons for this were well spelled out in the last few sentences of your post so I know you understand why the touchiness...