Preview Changes/Preview for Gold Coast

Jan 14, 2008
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Finals in 2021 is far fetched let’s be honest. That means you’re expecting Serong, Young to fast track their development all the while out KPP stocks still bare. Remember we’re a Pearce or Hamling injury away from it all collapsing. That’s how’s precarious it is.
The teams that make finals have their depth sorted as well as experience. We have neither.

When do you think finals are possible?
Its not about Serong and Young it's about Brayshaw, Tucker, Cerra, Logue, Darcy and the rest of the draftees from the last 5 years. When will they be ready?
 
A new style was always going to take a while to adjust to, and it's already been close to securing two wins.

This is what you bought when you jumped track to a new coach. Rebuilds that failed seem to all have multiple coaches trying to remodel the fired clay of the previously half made mug.
 

arsesmart

Premiership Player
Sep 25, 2018
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When do you think finals are possible?
Its not about Serong and Young it's about Brayshaw, Tucker, Cerra, Logue, Darcy and the rest of the draftees from the last 5 years. When will they be ready?
Finals should well and truly be the aspiration for next year. Heck, this year still. If Hogan and Pearce can hit their straps for extended periods it'll make the world of difference. I mean half way through last year we were one game off the top 4, before injury decimation hit and the hole swallowed us.
 
Sep 22, 2011
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When do you think finals are possible?
Its not about Serong and Young it's about Brayshaw, Tucker, Cerra, Logue, Darcy and the rest of the draftees from the last 5 years. When will they be ready?
Firstly it’s about consistency on the field. The defence and forward lines particularly. Tabs/ Hogan and Lobb haven’t played even 5 games together. That needs to be consistent if Freo are going to kick winning scores. Hamling and Pearce haven’t played enough together. Plus Logue/Cox/Pearce and Hamling haven’t even been tried on the field yet.

Look at Richmond, Collingwood, Brisbane, West Coast. Their forward and back line have been mainstays for 20+ games a season for the last 3-5 years. West Coast have had Hurn, Barrass, McGovern, Sheppard, Jetta all together 2017, 18, 19. Richmond with Vlastuin, Rance, Astbury, and Grimes.

Secondly, data has proven that teams with a larger 50-100 game profile get into the finals. This squad is hugely inexperienced. Logue and Cox haven’t even reached that stage yet. Tucker just passed it last season, Cerra and Brayshaw in games to come. It’s a very unbalanced squad, let’s face it. Fyfe is captain and experienced and only 28. Mundy is certainly retiring this season, that means Conca who is just 26 is the next leader. The squad is very young, and is the second, third youngest if you take out Mundy and Fyfe.
Ross tried to top it up with mature agers, fast tracking his hope of finals. But now these pick ups bar perhaps Bewley might not cut it.
Hence why JLo is going for drafted players and hope they develop this season and next.
 

Peel67skin

Norm Smith Medallist
May 21, 2017
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Meima, good luck to your boys too.
Looks like you jumped ship at the right time
To be honest, I don't mind either team win . My 30 years EPL wait is over , time to celebrate after getting close with different coaches . No changes no reward .
 
Jan 14, 2008
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Firstly it’s about consistency on the field. The defence and forward lines particularly. Tabs/ Hogan and Lobb haven’t played even 5 games together. That needs to be consistent if Freo are going to kick winning scores. Hamling and Pearce haven’t played enough together. Plus Logue/Cox/Pearce and Hamling haven’t even been tried on the field yet.

Look at Richmond, Collingwood, Brisbane, West Coast. Their forward and back line have been mainstays for 20+ games a season for the last 3-5 years. West Coast have had Hurn, Barrass, McGovern, Sheppard, Jetta all together 2017, 18, 19. Richmond with Vlastuin, Rance, Astbury, and Grimes.

Secondly, data has proven that teams with a larger 50-100 game profile get into the finals. This squad is hugely inexperienced. Logue and Cox haven’t even reached that stage yet. Tucker just passed it last season, Cerra and Brayshaw in games to come. It’s a very unbalanced squad, let’s face it. Fyfe is captain and experienced and only 28. Mundy is certainly retiring this season, that means Conca who is just 26 is the next leader. The squad is very young, and is the second, third youngest if you take out Mundy and Fyfe.
Ross tried to top it up with mature agers, fast tracking his hope of finals. But now these pick ups bar perhaps Bewley might not cut it.
Hence why JLo is going for drafted players and hope they develop this season and next.

We all loathe WC but since our inception in 1995 they have been under the same conditions as Fremantle with cap, drafts, travel .
Why have they had forward and backline mainstays.why have they consistently had balanced squads. Our only balanced squad was the 2012/14 squad and even that squad lacked tall forwards apart from Pav.
You mention Pearce and Hamling being injured. Isn't it a blight on the club we have nil replacements coming through.
Have a look at the young talls at WC all from the draft and being developed.
Our problem has been ill conceived draft selections.
Loading up on mids and flankers and neglecting decent talls.
Mids win Brownlow but good talls win premierships
 

Alfonz

Norm Smith Medallist
Aug 23, 2005
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We all loathe WC but since our inception in 1995 they have been under the same conditions as Fremantle with cap, drafts, travel .
Why have they had forward and backline mainstays.why have they consistently had balanced squads. Our only balanced squad was the 2012/14 squad and even that squad lacked tall forwards apart from Pav.
You mention Pearce and Hamling being injured. Isn't it a blight on the club we have nil replacements coming through.
Have a look at the young talls at WC all from the draft and being developed.
Our problem has been ill conceived draft selections.
Loading up on mids and flankers and neglecting decent talls.
Mids win Brownlow but good talls win premierships

I think we could do with an extra ruck on the list, but our KPF/KPD stocks aren't that different to WC.

Put McGovern, Barrass and Schofield on the sidelines and they'd be down to Brander (playing as mid/utility) and Rotham (same sort of player as Duman).

Richmond has been the best team for years. Take out Astbury, Grimes and let's include Rance. What do they have? A couple of 192cm types in Garthwaite and making Broad play as KPD.

Collingwood have Roughead, Moore, Reid and then they are down to 190cm Howe and rookie listed players.

I'll tell you what wins premierships above all else ... a small injury list.
 
Last edited:

apuchar

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Sep 21, 2010
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1995 was early days. ;)
We have been in the finals since 1995. With 3 different coaches.
There are a lot of clubs all trying to achieve the same thing, some with advantages we don't have. It isn't easy but we have gotten there a few times. Longmuir hasn't been here since 1995 so the past is not his responsibility. He started this year. He is responsible from now on. and we are getting a taste of his changes especially in game plan and the introduction of two young players in 4 weeks. Most of these players have spent many years under one coach so it will take time to change their ingrained habits. I'm happy to give Justin some time to make his mark.
 
I think we could do with an extra ruck on the list, but our KPF/KPD stocks aren't that different to WC.

Put McGovern, Barrass and Schofield on the sidelines and they'd be down to Brander (playing as mid/utility) and Rotham (same sort of player as Duman).

Richmond has been the best team for years. Take out Astbury, Grimes and let's include Rance. What do they have? A couple of 192cm types in Garthwaite and making Broad play as KPD.

I'll tell you what wins premierships above all else ... a small injury list.

Funnily enough I tend to think it's the injury list plus a good-elite midfield that gets you to finals and the talls get you over the line from there really.​
Ultimately if the ball isn't getting to your forwards or getting in a slow and rushed manner your tall forwards are going to look s**t. If the ball is constantly getting bombarded down back with repeat precision entries your tall backs are going to look s**t. When drafting Brayshaw and Cerra we had cycled out Barlow, De Boer, Mzungu and lost Weller. We needed mids then and losing Neale, Hill and Langdon in the following couple of years greatly exacerbated that. We're still trying to blood the core group of our next premiership tilt.​
Personally if we're going to have a year in which:​
* Both our best key defenders go down injured for potentially the season​
* The next group of depth KPD have to get blooded at the deep end​
* The core midfield group get smacked around learning accountability and standing up and thriving at this level​
* The core tall forward group use some time to form a new cohesive unit​
* The ENTIRE playing group has to learn and practice a completely new game plan​
I am very, very, VERY thankful we get to do that in a heavily compromised season that has far less consequences and meaning attached to it. It's basically a rebuilders free hit. Let's not be myopic and try to appreciate the bigger picture.​
 
Sep 22, 2011
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We all loathe WC but since our inception in 1995 they have been under the same conditions as Fremantle with cap, drafts, travel .
Why have they had forward and backline mainstays.why have they consistently had balanced squads. Our only balanced squad was the 2012/14 squad and even that squad lacked tall forwards apart from Pav.
You mention Pearce and Hamling being injured. Isn't it a blight on the club we have nil replacements coming through.
Have a look at the young talls at WC all from the draft and being developed.
Our problem has been ill conceived draft selections.
Loading up on mids and flankers and neglecting decent talls.
Mids win Brownlow but good talls win premierships
Hence why some should never rate skinny boys dominating midfield as top 10 picks. Never understood the obsession. Plus Freo’s drafting of half backers continues. I’m sure skills matter so much, but what’s the point when you have lack of depth up toward. Tabs was a rookie pick ffs. And we shared an injury prone, home sick Hogan. Other then that we’re stuffed in that position and have been for years.
Talls are the cream on top of the cake. You can have an elite midfield, which we had with Fyfe, Mundy, Barlow, Hill in 2013 but just like that season, no depth nor top 20 pick in the forward line other then Pavlich. Clarke was iffy.
 
Apr 16, 2014
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We're a fair bit older and more experienced then Gold Coast. Mainly in that 50 to 100 games bracket.

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wahooo

Club Legend
Oct 9, 2019
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Ahh the melts. The roasts of Jlo are beyond ridiculous, he can't miraculously make make the backline grow a few inches overnight.
 

MadMundy

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Mar 29, 2019
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Longmuir needs to take time to re-shape and move around the list to suit his gameplay. If that means playing Colyer, Schultz and Bewley then I guess we gotta trust him. In my opinion, with a new coach, you start fresh. No looking at your performances under the last coach, prove yourself and earn your spot.
 

Inveigh Slang

Club Legend
Dec 14, 2015
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Colyer has never played a good game for Freo. So why keep playing him?

I'd rather Freo play inexperience with potential than Colyer. His minimal output kills our attacking game. His disposal efficiency is shocking too.

Shultz and Matera have zero impact.

If you replace these with three decent players then Freo would be 3 wins.
 

blue shark

Norm Smith Medallist
Aug 15, 2009
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Funnily enough I tend to think it's the injury list plus a good-elite midfield that gets you to finals and the talls get you over the line from there really.​

Ultimately if the ball isn't getting to your forwards or getting in a slow and rushed manner your tall forwards are going to look sh*t. If the ball is constantly getting bombarded down back with repeat precision entries your tall backs are going to look sh*t. When drafting Brayshaw and Cerra we had cycled out Barlow, De Boer, Mzungu and lost Weller. We needed mids then and losing Neale, Hill and Langdon in the following couple of years greatly exacerbated that. We're still trying to blood the core group of our next premiership tilt.​

Personally if we're going to have a year in which:​

* Both our best key defenders go down injured for potentially the season​
* The next group of depth KPD have to get blooded at the deep end​
* The core midfield group get smacked around learning accountability and standing up and thriving at this level​
* The core tall forward group use some time to form a new cohesive unit​
* The ENTIRE playing group has to learn and practice a completely new game plan​

I am very, very, VERY thankful we get to do that in a heavily compromised season that has far less consequences and meaning attached to it. It's basically a rebuilders free hit. Let's not be myopic and try to appreciate the bigger picture.​
We have lost first round picks with hindsight that were total busts. Players that should be reaching their peak.
Traded, others moved on, that were not given time too develop, or rated.
This goes back too 2013, as it was all or nothing.
It will take a decade to recover from, so 2023 is when we should expect to be feared again.
That is if we are well managed off the field, see improvement.
When Simpson took over from Woosha it took several years for him to put in place his team, with
many WC supporters wanting Don Pyke to take over.
Let's hope we use this year to find out about our list, Coaches, etc, to move forward.
 
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