Chris Bond - when to make the call?

[Belnakor]

If you think Barlow and Mundy are the players they were you're ****ed in the head.

so what? Your acting like we couldn't possibly consider winning a game because Mundy/Barlow are a bit underdone?

Mundy isn't struggling because of his ankle, he is struggling because at some point in the last year he lost the hunger for the ball.

 

[Clay Davis]

I don't disagree with that. It's the depth of it that's a concern.

Starting from where we were, we need a lot to go right.

It's time to wield the axe and change the mix to compensate I think.

And I think the axe should be wielded right at the top. For instance, on which planet did it look like we needed another Ibbotson type? Even their statements at the draft were that we were in a comfortable position list wise and could take some players with longer term pay off. A combination of a lack of foresight and awareness of why we collapsed in the latter half of 2010.

You noted the possession differential from the weekend in another post. That's not unusual. In fact, that was apparent in many of the closing games of 2010.

vs Western Bulldogs
vs North Melbourne
vs Sydney
vs Richmond

Barlow went down, and we couldn't get our hands on the football. We were routinely beaten in possession and contested possession. So why did we focus on more outside types with little ball winning ability? I even said so at the time.

It was apparent we were building a decent nucleus, but still had holes that could keep us from contending. Did we fill those holes? Not at all. We've gone backwards in a huge way.

 

[Lach72]

Lower and Neale will help with that.

I'm looking at Moloney really seriously...A guy with reasonable pace, good ball winner, can work with a ruckman. He'll be 29 next year, but he'd fill a gap

 

[Clay Davis]

Yeah, I'm not confident. In my view we've basically burned the past two drafts going for mostly outside types when it's never been something we've lacked. I didn't look at the end of 2010 and think 'yeah, bring on the flankers and receivers - we need loads more of those'. I worry about a recruitment staff that thinks we did.

 

[ausbacker]

Lower and Neale will help with that.

I'm looking at Moloney really seriously...A guy with reasonable pace, good ball winner, can work with a ruckman. He'll be 29 next year, but he'd fill a gap

If Lyon is looking for midfielders who can defend in his structure (as remarked in his press conference) Moloney would be the antithesis to that comment. He's strictly a one way runner.

The only sides with real depth are generally the premiership contenders (normally 4 solid options per season). Everyone else is trying to build that depth to cover injuries through the season. Getting Fyfe and Morabito back at one point will help tremendously. Fyfe genuinely excites me. His ability to create something from nothing isn't a trait you can teach a player.

I can't help but wonder what affect Mitch Clark would have had on Fremantle's forward structure. That alone would have made it somewhat easier to move Pav on ball more often.

 

[free at last]

Yeah, I'm not confident. In my view we've basically burned the past two drafts going for mostly outside types when it's never been something we've lacked. I didn't look at the end of 2010 and think 'yeah, bring on the flankers and receivers - we need loads more of those'. I worry about a recruitment staff that thinks we did.

Injuries have had the biggest impact clay.
Fyfe- long term injury
Mora- ditto
Barlow- ditto
Michie-ditto
Mello-ditto

We know there is some great talent there and potential talent.

How would Richmond be going if they had suffered a similar fate?

Cotchin out injured like fyfe.
Martin coming back from ACL
Deledio coming back from a snapped leg.
Conca foot stress fractures
Look at foley, he's taken two years to get back to his 2009 kind of form.

I'm confident with Lyon at the helm our recruiting criteria will go from skinny outside flanker to win your own ball mid.

 

[Belnakor]

Yeah, I'm not confident. In my view we've basically burned the past two drafts going for mostly outside types when it's never been something we've lacked. I didn't look at the end of 2010 and think 'yeah, bring on the flankers and receivers - we need loads more of those'. I worry about a recruitment staff that thinks we did.

it links into this obsession we have had for years about recruiting tall midfielders. If you look at our list, our midfield is significantly taller than other clubs.

 

[JimmyDE]

We have no trouble getting the ball to half back but we are missing that player who can take a grab on the wing and run and present, also do you guys think we are having problems with spread? Foot skills are also a massive problem I suppose it's hard when most of your players are in the defensive 50

 

[prattsta]

it links into this obsession we have had for years about recruiting tall midfielders. If you look at our list, our midfield is significantly taller than other clubs.

No different to when the club reached for Hinkley, because he was fast. The club has a history of making decisions based on perception, rather than reality.

 

[blue shark]

With the changes made before the Derby, who honestly thought we were a
chance?
Lyon has to modify his game plan to suit Freo, and inject some youth, X factor into the team.
Lower, Deboer, Suban, one of them has to play as an inside mid, Walters its now or never.
If we cover the holes in this years draft, I would give Bond till 2013, but like the team on the field, soft efforts should be punished.

 

[Sman-21]

I think we have focused too highly on skilled players which results in getting too many skinny flanker types.

Also have massive problems with our player development/strength and conditioning.

Why is it we are still 1 of the physically weakest teams in the comp.
Zero upperbody strength etc.

19 year old rookies from GWS and 2nd year players from GC look to have better upperbody development than most of our entire team.

 

[imperial_oz]

With the changes made before the Derby, who honestly thought we were a
chance?
Lyon has to modify his game plan to suit Freo, and inject some youth, X factor into the team.
Lower, Deboer, Suban, one of them has to play as an inside mid, Walters its now or never.
If we cover the holes in this years draft, I would give Bond till 2013, but like the team on the field, soft efforts should be punished.

I actually though it was a step in the right direction. It meant we could have a stay at home tall in the forward line. It should have worked much better but we kept going over Clarke's head which suited Glass who was always behind.

Had the delivery been lower and forward of the player, I reckon at least 5 more shots on goal before half time. Then instead of tweaking that structure, Lyon dumped it.

Oh well, maybe next time

 

[imperial_oz]

I think we have focused too highly on skilled players which results in getting too many skinny flanker types.

Also have massive problems with our player development/strength and conditioning.

Why is it we are still 1 of the physically weakest teams in the comp.
Zero upperbody strength etc.

19 year old rookies from GWS and 2nd year players from GC look to have better upperbody development than most of our entire team.

This!

I've been unhappy with our conditioning department for a few years. If they weren't causing injuries through over training then we have players who don't seem to be up to speed. I'm not sure an elite rugby fitness dude is really a suitable choice for AFL with its extra running. Other teams seem to do it better for some reason.

And our Medicos. Why do we take twice as long as everyone else to rehab players?

Where was the off season review?

 

[MadMac]

it links into this obsession we have had for years about recruiting tall midfielders. If you look at our list, our midfield is significantly taller than other clubs.

Not sure what period you mean with that "for years" as up until Morabito and Barlow we didn't really recruit tall mids almost at all. In fact our midfield for a long time was filled with short people like Bell, Josh Carr, Hase etc. Palmer isn't really tall either. Mundy was recruited as a HB flanker and Fyfe as a forward flanker so they shouldn't really be counted. FFS, Pav was first introduced into the midfield years ago because we needed bigger bodies in there.

 

[apuchar]

I actually though it was a step in the right direction. It meant we could have a stay at home tall in the forward line. It should have worked much better but we kept going over Clarke's head which suited Glass who was always behind.

Had the delivery been lower and forward of the player, I reckon at least 5 more shots on goal before half time. Then instead of tweaking that structure, Lyon dumped it.

Oh well, maybe next time

Thought one crumber at his feet wouldn't hurt either. Our midfield don't run hard enough to have them run to the fall of the ball in the forward line, so I think we need a stay at home small forward as well.

 

[apuchar]

Not sure what period you mean with that "for years" as up until Morabito and Barlow we didn't really recruit tall mids almost at all. In fact our midfield for a long time was filled with short people like Bell, Josh Carr, Hase etc. Palmer isn't really tall either. Mundy was recruited as a HB flanker and Fyfe as a forward flanker so they shouldn't really be counted. FFS, Pav was first introduced into the midfield years ago because we needed bigger bodies in there.

Yes I agree. I remember for years Dennis Cometti saying that our midfield was too small and couldn't compete with the bigger bodied midfield's.

There was one team in the AFL, I never worked out who it was, that did not even consider midfielders under 180cm, no matter how good they were.