Dear AFC

[Smoooothy]

Please kick the ball. Handballs are why we are nearly 0-5

please note that you don't win with a handball to kick ratio of 2.5:1

yours in tears
smoothie

 

[Pilchard_Adams]

Please kick the ball. Handballs are why we are nearly 0-5

please note that you don't win with a handball to kick ratio of 2.5:1

yours in tears
smoothie

I was coming on here to say exactly the same thing. Its pathetic. They look to handball before looking to kick even when 2-3m in the clear. It just puts someone else under pressure, and IF after 6 handballs in 10 seconds we still have the ball, the forward line is so congested its always kicking to a 50/50 pack.

Our movements are so so slow. Bulldogs flood, win ball, then attack fast and for some reason every single time our defenders are up the ground from the bulldogs defense. GET ON YOUR DAMN OPPONENT!!!

Forwards at half back, defenders at half forward. Wherever we have the ball there are TOO many players around it.

Didnt Craig mention something about having 18 forwards and 18 defenders on the ground in the pre season??

 

[Riggy1]

if they had a target to kick it to they would

the problem is more the fact that Tippett, Henderson, Knights, Porplyzia, Dangerfield and in previous weeks Walker not presenting

We've started kicking a bit more this quater once Tippett decided to lead up.

 

[Blue Red and Gold]

drop Doughty while you are at it too

 

[Allbetsroff]

0-5

0-5
0-5
0-5
0-5
0-5
0-5

 

[Cap]

I think the attacks on Craig can end

surely its now a personnel issue and its even execution issue rather than a skill level.

 

[Pilchard_Adams]

if they had a target to kick it to they would

the problem is more the fact that Tippett, Henderson, Knights, Porplyzia, Dangerfield and in previous weeks Walker not presenting

We've started kicking a bit more this quater once Tippett decided to lead up.

Do you think it is a matter of the forwards not leading, or Adelaides slow handball filled plays giving time for the opposition to get back and fill any holes forward leaving nowhere to lead, resulting in a pack mark attempt.

Just then Burton got the ball in defense, kicks to henderson on the wing, who kicks to no one as no forwards were in picture.

Its one extreme or the other with craig trying too hard to make midfielders / defenders out of the forwards, and forward / midfielders out of the defenders. Either flooded forward lines or no one to kick to

 

[Allbetsroff]

I think the attacks on Craig can end

surely its now a personnel issue and its even execution issue rather than a skill level.

What, no it isn't.

Its a decision making issue, its a game plan issue. All responsibilities of Craigy.

 

[Dandy_GO]

I just think we've got too many players who simply aren't good enough in traffic to execute the gameplan. It looks great when Mackay comes streaming through the middle, but for every one time we see that, we're seeing several more where we cough it up through lack of skill, athleticism and/or footy smarts. As a team, our decision making in traffic is simply balls. Geelong have a whole bunch of elite smalls capable of pulling off a handball happy gamplan. We don't and we look ****ing ridiculous for it.

Turning the ball over in the middle of the ground, with our whole team running forward is surely a worse result than a turnover 50 meters up the ground from a rushed kick.

Edit: Let me just say that I don't think our squad is much worse than Geelong's, it's just that we're not playing to our strengths under this gameplan, and we're forcing too many players to play roles that don't come naturally to them.

 

[Cap]

What, no it isn't.

Its a decision making issue, its a game plan issue. All responsibilities of Craigy.

missed handballs, shit kicking, missed tackles..

Sorry its players, don't get me wrong Craig doesn't get away scot free he really has 17 weeks to sort out how his coaching career has to go.
Clearly we aren't making the finals but also clearly being 0-22 at the end of the season is not only pointless this year but fans won't accept it.

Once we lose the Showdown a movement towards the younger guys has to occur whilst we try and remain semi competitive in the hope that a big pre-season and a few less injuries we will be back in '11

 

[Allbetsroff]

missed handballs, shit kicking, missed tackles..

Sorry its players, don't get me wrong Craig doesn't get away scot free he really has 17 weeks to sort out how his coaching career has to go.
Clearly we aren't making the finals but also clearly being 0-22 at the end of the season is not only pointless this year but fans won't accept it.

Once we lose the Showdown a movement towards the younger guys has to occur whilst we try and remain semi competitive in the hope that a big pre-season and a few less injuries we will be back in '11

1) They shouldn't be handballing so much, they are not Geelong.
2) The kicking isn't shit, kicking in the context of the Crows Gameplan is.
3) Missed tackles, well that is another product of Craigs soft gameplan of Zoning.

HA "Competitive, that has been our problem. Craigy is only concerned with being competitive and keeping the Attendence figures steady as he is directed by the Crows Board, as they are told by the SANFL Commission. The Adelaide Crows aren't a club, they are a franchise team controlled by a bunch of greedy old men for the sole purpose of generating revenue instead of winning games, why do you think Blight left, because he didn't like the culture of the club controlled with an iron fist by the SANFL installed Board.

Again, Adelaide isn't a club, its a team, Adelaide doesn't have members, it has season ticket holders. So long as that is the case, so long as old men with an aversion to taking risks are in charge, the Crows will never win anything.

 

[Jars458]

Its not necessarily handball that's the issue its the type of handball.

Too many players give backwards defensive handball or handballs to sationary playesrs.

Bet that Thompson will be given our best player tonight but he had no impact on the game whatsoever because he kept gving the ball backwards to no advantage.

Thought Johncock was terrific tonight and Danger and Davis showed something.

Far too much soft effort when it really mattered. We are really struggling, one win may turn it around but hard to see where its coming from at the moment.

Guys like Edwards and Porpllyzia are just shite at the minute

Douglas is behind Mitch Duncan after years in the system. He just can't have an impact no matter how hard he tries.

It hurts.

 

[ManInTheArena]

I think the attacks on Craig can end

surely its now a personnel issue and its even execution issue rather than a skill level.

I understand where you're coming from but there has to be issues with Craig's "perfect plan" where execution needs to be perfect. When it doesn't work we need a less polished "Plan B".

He is responsible for our rigidness aka "belief in our game plan". We need to be more flexible; not in terms of players that can play all areas in "the" game plan but playing players in one position and changing the way they play "plan B" if "the" game plan isn't working.

He thinks being flexible is shuffling players around on his "black and white" chess board, try being flexible by changing the damn board.

 

[Gets!]

I think the attacks on Craig can end

surely its now a personnel issue and its even execution issue rather than a skill level.

Are you joking?!

Footballers don't naturally look for the backwards handball straight away...it is obviously from NC's instruction.

Thompson...GC can have him

 

[relapse]

Our handball to kick ratio was high last year too, it's just that our current form is so terrible that it is now being highlighted.

 

[Cap]

Are you joking?!

Footballers don't naturally look for the backwards handball straight away...it is obviously from NC's instruction.

Thompson...GC can have him

the skills were so average what the hell can he do?

i'm not saying he is blameless but far out the players have to have a look at themselves.

 

[Blue Red and Gold]

Our handball to kick ratio was high last year too, it's just that our current form is so terrible that it is now being highlighted.

Isnt this when the coach needs to realise that it is not working and revert to plan B? He is just too stubborn

 

[Gets!]

the skills were so average what the hell can he do?

i'm not saying he is blameless but far out the players have to have a look at themselves.

Maybe change the instructions?

"Okay boys so the handballs aren't working so far, in this quarter let's kick long at every opportunity and try and hit up Burton/Tippett in the forward 50".

That wasn't hard.

 

[SugarShane]

We should introduce a training drill, where players handpass to a target and every time the handpass hits the target below the waist the passer gets an electric shock. Though i fear by gameday all of our players would be dead.

 

[cmndstab]

The handball is good when we are able to work into space, but too often one handball would be poor, placing a player under pressure. This in turn led to another rushed handball, placing another player under pressure, and so on it goes.


So what do you do? Instruct the players to stop handballing? What do you do next week, tell them not to bother then as well? Or do keep trying it until it doesn't work and then stop? You can't simply concede that as a team you are too unskilled to handball the ball.


The exceptionally high number of handballs was not by design either - if the first handballs were any good, the next few would be unnecessary. A couple of shockers from Maric were perfect examples of them, selling players into trouble by handballing to their legs, or behind them. Thompson and Doughty also dished up a couple of shockers. If a player has to break stride, it's a poor handball.

 

[anthc]

The handball is good when we are able to work into space, but too often one handball would be poor, placing a player under pressure. This in turn led to another rushed handball, placing another player under pressure, and so on it goes.


So what do you do? Instruct the players to stop handballing? What do you do next week, tell them not to bother then as well? Or do keep trying it until it doesn't work and then stop? You can't simply concede that as a team you are too unskilled to handball the ball.


The exceptionally high number of handballs was not by design either - if the first handballs were any good, the next few would be unnecessary. A couple of shockers from Maric were perfect examples of them, selling players into trouble by handballing to their legs, or behind them. Thompson and Doughty also dished up a couple of shockers. If a player has to break stride, it's a poor handball.

haha, there was many times a free crow could have kicked forward but instead chose to hanndball again! you cannot handpass a friggen goal

 

[Smoooothy]

haha, there was many times a free crow could have kicked forward but instead chose to hanndball again! you cannot handpass a friggen goal

this is what i screamed at my tv!!!!!!!!

 

[Crow_Magnon]

Whilst the handball to kick ratio is a telling stat...I see we again had more inside 50's (47 to 42) and yet lost again by 8 goals! Our defensive work is clearly horrible at this point...normally a team scores around 50% of the time with F50 entries....50% is actually not bad...but our opposition score 3 out of 4 times when they enter the F50!

 

[Cap]

Maybe change the instructions?

"Okay boys so the handballs aren't working so far, in this quarter let's kick long at every opportunity and try and hit up Burton/Tippett in the forward 50".

That wasn't hard.

I reckon in the end its got to get to that point doesn't it.

 

[cmndstab]

haha, there was many times a free crow could have kicked forward but instead chose to hanndball again! you cannot handpass a friggen goal

There were a few, yeah. They were different issues - mostly players again not backing themselves, which is what I was talking about last week. If they'd gone with their first instinct they would have had the ball going forward where Tippett might have plucked it, or Dangerfield might have roved it. Instead, they hesitated, and the moment was lost, and from there they were forced to handball under pressure again.

I agree, that's awful - but again, not the gameplan. There is nothing in the gameplan that says "hesitate and then make a poor decision because you missed the window to make the right one". That's simply a lack of confidence on behalf of the players.

Whether the lack of confidence is in their own skills, or in the ability of their teammates, is another question.