Opinion Changes Vs Gold Coast (Away) - Round 11

[Biggie]

Yep those emergencies offer nothing in the way of diversity. Surely with JK out you'd have McInnes as an emerg to cover us both fwd and in the ruck.

That's what makes me think he is good to go.

 

[Keys]

Yep those emergencies offer nothing in the way of diversity. Surely with JK out you'd have McInnes as an emerg to cover us both fwd and in the ruck.

Mcinnes is back on the rookie list and unavailable for selection now that Lycett is off the LTI list

 

[whatis]

I remember Masten being decent against Port. Have noticed fewer standout moments of weakness or laziness from him overall this year too, certainly less than Priddis.

When I really think about it though, at this point a good Masten game is still just a Masten game in the end (ie. not that damaging). Plus his disposal has been noticeably shit these last two weeks so actually falling down in the one area where he's supposed to be reliable.

Possible that we have been waiting to see some form from Jetta before finally dropping him. About time anyway because I think we will better off with him as depth.

Reckon I would have dropped Duggan before Karpany. Unsure what is going on with the Mackenzie selection. Excited about the game and the short turnaround works for me at least after consecutive losses.

 

[RookiePick]

Just to reaffirm what people are saying about our old player bias, there's an article on ESPN about various clubs which talks about our old codgers. I'll paste our bit but check out the whole thing.

WEST COAST - WINDOW'S CLOSING SOON
Western Australia has lots of ancient wonders, like the rock art at the Burrup Peninsula, the underwater wonder of the Ningaloo Reef, and the playing list of the West Coast Eagles.

At 26.9, the Eagles have the oldest group of active players in 2017, weighted by games played. Out of their 220 player-games so far (22 players per game over 10 rounds), only 44 slots have been filled by players aged under 24. West Coast's age profile skews heavily towards older players.

Relying on guys in their mid-to-late twenties and above is not necessarily a bad thing, in the short-term. Players tend to peak in their mid-to-late twenties, and most premiership-winning teams have had a median age of between 25 and 27. But there's an obvious trade-off between the present and the future, and the Eagles have gone all-in on the present. Never before have West Coast given such a small share of their games to young players.

The premiership window is unlikely to close for the Eagles this year, and the - presumed - healthy return of Nic Naitanui in 2018 could lift the club back up to its former heights. But the window is likely to close for West Coast quite soon, and the fall could be dramatic unless the club starts getting more games into younger players.

Why is this a surprise? We stuffed 3 drafts in a row.

 

[Feeling Groovy]

Reckon I would have dropped Duggan before Karpany.

As much as I want to see more of Karpany and as much as Duggan hasn't been setting the world on fire, we need Duggan to come good and he has talent. I would be persevering with Duggan for the rest of the year if possible. I think we will be better for it long term and I am not sure he will grow in the WAFL.

 

[Goldfish]

As much as I want to see more of Karpany and as much as Duggan hasn't been setting the world on fire, we need Duggan to come good and he has talent. I would be persevering with Duggan for the rest of the year if possible. I think we will be better for it long term and I am not sure he will grow in the WAFL.

Drop Hill, leave both in?

 

[BOND 007]

Just wondering BOND 007 if you could shed any light on the views of the MC about playing both Priddis and Mitchell?

The JLT game against Freo made me think it would work but there is a growing feeling on the board that it is one or the other. Watching Priddis getting run off his feet each week is starting to hurt and I have lost count of the number of handpasses and pushes out of the pack that Priddis has given to the opposition. Matty has been a wonderful servant of the club and often it is hard to say farewell to club favourites and Brownlow Medalists but alas, the time is near.

ATG - the plan from the start of the year was to have Priddis and Mitchell together. The club knows Priddis's limitations with ball in hand and believed by adding Mitchell it would allow Shuey, Gaff and Jetta to be more freer and more damaging. Couple of things at play

1) Vardy is not Naitanui or Lycett. He's not as consistent (winning or losing) or as proactive when balls in the air so Priddis is having to be more static.
2) Simpson realizes youth is required so Priddis now spends greater time outside the inside mid position
3) age and a different game plan is having an effect.
4) small injury concern that has lingered

 

[Biggie]

Simpson realizes youth is required so Priddis now spends greater time outside the inside mid position

To the teams detriment, it has to be said?

small injury concern that has lingered

Back related?

 

[sey666]

Drop Hill, leave both in?

Leave all three (Kapany, Duggan and Hill) in, not bring Mackenzie (not a forward, not a ruckman) and go small in the forward line?

 

[AsterixTheGaul]

ATG - the plan from the start of the year was to have Priddis and Mitchell together. The club knows Priddis's limitations with ball in hand and believed by adding Mitchell it would allow Shuey, Gaff and Jetta to be more freer and more damaging. Couple of things at play

1) Vardy is not Naitanui or Lycett. He's not as consistent (winning or losing) or as proactive when balls in the air so Priddis is having to be more static.
2) Simpson realizes youth is required so Priddis now spends greater time outside the inside mid position
3) age and a different game plan is having an effect.
4) small injury concern that has lingered

Appreciate your insights and points. Problem I have is his production has been so down on prior years. If it is a slight niggle, rest the poor sole. He has been the best at reading the NicNat tap and we will not have a dominant ruckman for at least another 5 to 6 weeks (assuming Lycett comes back soon but he will take at least a month to ramp up and be AFL ready and then AFL strong). Priddis' mindset has never been an issue - it has been his finer skills. Playing injured in the fast pace of today's game is not helping this and hence the gulf between a leader and a laggard.

I have this awful feeling in my gut that Simmo will continue to pick his old favourite warriors regardless. I hope not for the sake of a great club legend being seen as playing that 1 year too many as well as blocking game time from the next generation.

Good luck in whoever has to deliver that message. I hope there is enough externalisation in the coaching box so as to reward the delivery of bad news.

Shaken not Stirred!

 

[Feeling Groovy]

Drop Hill, leave both in?

That may have been an option before Kennedy went down but with Kennedy down, I think Hill offers more goal potential. Hence previous comments I made about bringing LeCras straight back at Karps' expense. With Kennedy down, we have gone safer options with known goal kickers. I get the reasoning and have no issue with it but would have liked to see more of Karps.

 

[Chris_6678]

In the next few weeks if we can bring in and replace the players below we will be looking to the future without compromising this year. Later in the year we have Rioli to maybe replace Lecra and Nic Nat to replace Vardy. With players like Petrie and Mitchell in the team on paper looks a lot older on average.

Butler - Cole
Petrie - Lycett
Hill - Karpany
Hutchings - Partington/Mutimer
Mckenzie - Barrass

 

[RookiePick]

mosquito fleet is the new black

 

[BOND 007]

Appreciate your insights and points. Problem I have is his production has been so down on prior years. If it is a slight niggle, rest the poor sole. He has been the best at reading the NicNat tap and we will not have a dominant ruckman for at least another 5 to 6 weeks (assuming Lycett comes back soon but he will take at least a month to ramp up and be AFL ready and then AFL strong). Priddis' mindset has never been an issue - it has been his finer skills. Playing injured in the fast pace of today's game is not helping this and hence the gulf between a leader and a laggard.

I have this awful feeling in my gut that Simmo will continue to pick his old favourite warriors regardless. I hope not for the sake of a great club legend being seen as playing that 1 year too many as well as blocking game time from the next generation.

Good luck in whoever has to deliver that message. I hope there is enough externalisation in the coaching box so as to reward the delivery of bad news.

Shaken not Stirred!

Whether readers agree or not - Priddis is still seen as the best pure inside mid at the club & held in really high esteem by other clubs.

 

[BOND 007]

To the teams detriment, it has to be said?


Back related?

Yep

 

[Xsess]

Simpson sounded genuinely happy for the younger players and talked of the changed dynamic amongst the group. Its not all of his doing. Since day dot with the 3 ruck rotation to be polite to Cox I think its been fairly evident he has a fight on his hands with this MC to get what he wants.

I dunno how the club organises itself in terms of match day selections but we are getting blokes like Masten knocking on the door of 200 games despite being consistently one of the weakest links in our consistently bottom four midfield this past decade. Surely at some point prior to this some genius in the MC and coaching staff would identify that is no way to take the squad forward?

 

[Keys]

I dunno how the club organises itself in terms of match day selections but we are getting blokes like Masten knocking on the door of 200 games despite being consistently one of the weakest links in our consistently bottom four midfield this past decade. Surely at some point prior to this some genius in the MC and coaching staff would identify that is no way to take the squad forward?

Total Wins : 2015-17 (Home and Away - 54 games)

38.5 - West Coast
37 - Adelaide (From 1 less game due to cancelled game v Geelong)
37 - Hawthorn (From 1 more game as they've played 11 this year after last night)
36 - Sydney
35.5 - Geelong (From 1 less game due to cancelled game v Adelaide)
35 - Bulldogs, Giants

29 - North Melbourne, Richmond
28 - Port Adelaide
27 - Fremantle
23.5 - St Kilda
23 - Collingwood
22 - Melbourne

14 - Essendon, Carlton
13.5 - Gold Coast (From 1 less game as they've only played 9 games this year)
8 - Brisbane

Assuming Hawthorn, Sydney and North all miss the 8 (which seems likely), only Adelaide, Bulldogs and West Coast will have reached the finals in the last 3 years should they finish in the top 8 in 2017

Now I'm not saying the club is perfect, or that there haven't been some puzzling decisions along the way, or that we've haven't been disappointing in some big games or that with an ageing list we don't need to be introducing some younger players more regularly - but in recent years the side has performed pretty well so they are getting some things right. More than most

PS : If you include Simpsons first year as coach (2014) - we have the fourth most H&A wins (49.5) behind Hawthorn (54), Sydney (53) and Geelong (52.5) so he has a pretty decent W/L record after taking over a side that finished 13th in 2013 with 9 wins and looked to be sliding down the ladder

 

[Galileo9]

Yep

What does club think of lamb and venables based on what they have seen so far?

 

[wce4premiership]

As for Karpany staying in the team, if there were midfield minutes on offer wouldn't Mutimer be the next in line to get them?

 

[amazingjoshy]

ATG - the plan from the start of the year was to have Priddis and Mitchell together. The club knows Priddis's limitations with ball in hand and believed by adding Mitchell it would allow Shuey, Gaff and Jetta to be more freer and more damaging. Couple of things at play

1) Vardy is not Naitanui or Lycett. He's not as consistent (winning or losing) or as proactive when balls in the air so Priddis is having to be more static.
2) Simpson realizes youth is required so Priddis now spends greater time outside the inside mid position
3) age and a different game plan is having an effect.
4) small injury concern that has lingered

Isn't this week then surely the perfect opportunity to give him a "rest"?

 

[avishka5]

Whether readers agree or not - Priddis is still seen as the best pure inside mid at the club & held in really high esteem by other clubs.

Its probably because he is one of three pure inside mids we have. Redden and Hutching being the other two and both forced to play a defensive role or on an outside role.

 

[Biggie]

Whether readers agree or not - Priddis is still seen as the best pure inside mid at the club & held in really high esteem by other clubs.

That is why he keeps on keeping on. The decline though Bondy is there, and regardless of high esteem or not, Sheed must have more time (which I believe he is) in there, perhaps even Duggan (although I'm not as bullish on Liam as others) and we develop our kids ie Partington, DV and Karps.

Thanks as always for the insight, we can be a fickle bunch.

PS - Recruitment team must be disappointed with Jack Redden? Bust that one, you would say, considering the cost?

 

[ziad]

T

PS - Recruitment team must be disappointed with Jack Redden? Bust that one, you would say, considering the cost?

agreed pick 25 or so, for pick three you get a down hill, poisless, will not tackle and can't break a tackle softy like masten

 

[Biggie]

What were the other options when Masten went 3 as a matter of interest?

Might have a look at that

 

[Biggie]

What were the other options when Masten went 3 as a matter of interest?

Might have a look at that

Gee what a ordinary draft

Danger the real standout