I'm saddened by the fact our skills haven't kept up with the pace of the game, particularly because a lot of our errors are concentration related. We don't respect the football like a good team should, by foot or by hand, and it seems we have very little respect for the team mate receiving the ball. For me it's a mindset, our players can get the ball but they don't care enough about what they do with it.
Unfortunately Hudson and Cross are cooked. If you're slow or a poor kick, you need to be an exceptional marking and feeding player and indecisiveness and skill errors can't be aspects of your game. Cross tries his arse off, I'll never accuse him of doing otherwise. However, his innability to hurt the opposition by foot and quickly kick the ball to advantage is becoming too hurtful to our already stagnant forward movement. If he doesn't have a clear handball target as soon as he takes possession we slow down to much.
Gilbee needs to be played last line of defense. He isn't getting a lot of clean ball further up the ground currently, and part of the problem is the ball coming from defense is sloppy. We need him picking the targets around the half back line and the wing. I'd prefer him to kick out as well.
Murphy whilst providing a lot of run is required on a half forward flank. Nobody in our team can present on a lead like he can. We've played our best football over the years with him there, and I don't buy that being a leading half forward is overly strenuous on the body.
We really need Higgins and Hall to get back into the side. The younger guys in Grant and Jones aren't up to it yet.