Review Halfway Report

[Gaz_Brownlow]

A+

Ok, well you could just leave it there, and technically speaking we are over the halfway mark (although i assume our season will be extended somewhat!), but it is a good chance to assess our possession.

Forwards:

Podsiadly is as they say on the footy show, Mr Contested. Has given us a new edge and we are not looking back. Ideally complemented by our plethora of options - which I am now happy to say includes Mr James Bartel - who is every bit of a realistic forward marking target when played deep, our forward line has never looked better, and this includes the heights of Ablett Snr! (OK, maybe not that good!)

Stokes and Byrnes are playing good solid football, and Trav Varcoe is giving us that flair and pace. We have Talls, Smalls, Freaks, Hard Nuts and Pace - just about the perfect setup.

Our biggest strength is in our ability to be dynamic and change structure; against Essendon last night we didn't go with Ablett deep very often preffering Bartel in a pocket and a more open forward line. The big lingering question for mine is do we try and play three forwards with Hawkins in the mix?


Midfield:

Simply the best. Bartel, Kelly, Ablett all in career best form. Selwood has been slightly quiet although solid. Not much else to say - the juggernaut just keeps on rolling.

Hogan has been slightly dissapointing, Taylor Hunt exciting (and a real natural winger) and Mitch Duncan promising when rotated through.

Oh, and there is a little bald nut named Paul Chapman who is noticeably as fit as he has ever been and tearing up the midfield again!

Defense:

Hardly noticed Scarlett missing this year! Lonergan and Taylor are forming a potent combination and keep going from strength to strength. Is great to see Hunt back and in great form. Enright, Milburn and Mackie as solid as ever.

Will be interesting to see how we bring Scarlett back and how we play him. I imagine we will stick with Lonners and Taylor playing key posts and get Scarlett running off and creating a bit more.

Rucks:

Blake has improved and will continue to improve on a very linear scale; his durability has been a great asset to our side. With Ottens to come back soon and Hawkins showing promise in his reprised role the big question is how we structure ourselves? My preference is for Ottens and Hawkins, but durability should be noted and we do win more clearances with Blake in the side. Tough Calls ahead!

Development:

How could you argue with the addition of Duncan, Podsiadly and Taylor Hunt? Very exciting prospects. Hogan as i said needs a greater output and has been below par, Dawson Simpson and West have aquitted themselves well.

Keep your eye on some of these VFL boys too...Mitch Brown, Gillies, Christensen and Menzel all look likely.

The older generation Gamble, Laidler, Djukerra may really struggle for chances, but reports on Gambles transition into defense are encouraging...we should learn from Tommy Lonergan to not give up on players early. Trent West is looming as a reliable backup.

Injuries:

If you said to me 3 years ago that Ottens, Corey, Rooke, Scarlett, Hawkins and Mooney would be missing from the side I would have said we would struggle to be competitive. HOwever, this is far from the case at the moment....all players are definite inclusions, but i think Rooke may struggle to get his form up to crack the side? I sincerely hope he prooves me wrong as Rooke to our team (at full fitness) completes a near flawless structure!



Can't believe that we are already a 20% better team this year, with some big names coming back soon i am exicted by our depth and form and believe we can get even better. The big challenge will be selecting the best 22 and getting our structures right, there will be some unlucky exclusions from the side, but that is a great headache to have. When we are on, there is no better team in the competition - and I would almost argue in the history of the game!

 

[Brasil2007]

Thanks for taking the time to do this, I think there are some very good observations here.

Blake has been rarely beaten at stoppages this year - he's 4th in hitouts this year in the competition - and his around the ground work is getting better. He also seems to be getting a bit smarter in the way he plays: he positions himself in dangerous spots and as a consequence he's being used more, and when he uses it he's doing a better job of it. I think it would be a big risk to go into a final series with just Otto and Tomahawk in the ruck, given both are more than a tad injury prone.

I'd probably disagree that we've hardly missed Scarls - I thought we missed him immensely earlier in the season.

One thing I might add is that the coaching is I think better than ever. Bomber I think used to be a little inflexible at times but I see more of a willingness now to adapt to changes in circumstances without throwing out the whole game plan. I've always been a fan but there's no doubt my respect has improved.

 

[InnocentBystandr]

Nice writeup.

Interesting that this time last year the Cats hadn't dropped a game, this year we've dropped 2, yet I feel we are more potent this year than last.

Maybe the Carlton game was the shocker for the year (like Collingwood in '08) (but lets not repeat the '08 finish!)

Still a long way to go, but there is no doubting the hunger of the team and their desire to win another flag.

 

[Gaz_Brownlow]

Nice Observation; It seems we are being coached phenomenally well. There is a real intent and purpose with the way Bomber is going about things and it should not be underestimated the value of giving expereince at the right times to the younger generation. What I especially like is that Bomber has continued to back his chargers....last year it was Byrnes, this year it is Lonergan....maybe next year we will see more out of West or Gamble?

Player managment is also moving along well. Expect to see Pods rested again and Max nursed through the VFL to regain a bit of touch. Would expect to see our strongest team on the park by Round 18...as usual training load increases after the break for 4 weeks....The rest of senior players in pre-season could well be a master stroke!

Our run home:

St Kilda, North, Hawks, Adelaide, Brisbane, Sydney, Pies, Dogs, Carlton and W.Coast.... 2 top 4 teams, 5 top 8 teams. A reasonable run with two away games and a tough 4 game period which includes Sydney away through to Carlton.

Realistically, we need probably another 5 wins to secure top 4, and 6-7 wins for a top two. I would be happy to see us finish anywhere within the top 4 just as long as we ensure we finish above any interstate sides (i.e. Freo!). As was also pointed out, losing a few is not the worst thing in the world for us either; we tend to respond quite well to review after poor performances, the Carlton game is a reminder of this.

I am just hoping we can get Hawkins and Rooke on the park in some capacity by about round 16. I would imagine that only special circumstances would dictate us taking any underprepared players into the finals series

 

[Brasil2007]

Nice Observation; It seems we are being coached phenomenally well. There is a real intent and purpose with the way Bomber is going about things and it should not be underestimated the value of giving expereince at the right times to the younger generation. What I especially like is that Bomber has continued to back his chargers....last year it was Byrnes, this year it is Lonergan....maybe next year we will see more out of West or Gamble?

We seem to give blokes every opportunity to show what they can do. I can think of several instances where I've thought "Gee that bloke will be out the door" and not only have they stayed, but they've prospered and played better football than I thought they were capable (most recently I thought Lonners was probably a goner and he's turned out to be a very very solid defender). Bomber is willing to give guys a run in different positions or with different roles regardless of their level of obvious talent: as long as they play the team game they'll be given opportunity after opportunity. No wonder the players love him. Even the players that have gone are generally pretty well looked after and seem to leave on good terms for the most part.

I think there's a real lesson in the way Bomber goes about it.