General Bombers Talk Is the slide on.

[Old Campaigner]

How in the name of god can you justify omitting Hooker for Pears? Hooker would be on verge of top 5 in best and fairest and was one of the few winners we had yesterday. Pears has hardly broken even as a key defender/third tall all year since 2009.

I'm also not sure that I appreciate the distinction drawn between the attacking game plans and what is happening under Hird. When the sides are shit enough flooding the midfield with a static zone seems to keep the scoring low. When we play against good sides they have routinely carved us up.

It's a bit stiff, but assuming Hurley is better suited to take the #1 forward, and that Carlisle is better in the role Hooker is currently doing, then where would Hooker fit in? There is only so many tall players we can fit in the backline before we end up with a mismatch like Hooker trying to man up on a quick, small player.

 

[Eleven 38]

Probably going to cop it for this but I have to get it off my chest.

We aren't experiencing as dramatic a slide right now as people are thinking, we just quite arent "there" yet.

We lost all our games to the "yardstick" teams (SYD/HAW/GEE) and somehow even dropped a game to Brisbane.

I agree that the ASADA investigation is definitely taking it's toll, but you can only rely on "heart" for so long to get you over the line (CAR/WCE/FRE games) before structural inefficiencies are exposed.

Problems

• Genuine ball-winners, who are they? Watson can't be a one-man army every week
• Tackling... We have a serious problem with sticking tackles, I'm not sure whether it is our ferocity or our technique, but they arent sticking. If you are losing the possession game and losing the tackling game, what exactly are you doing?
• Forward line - Injuries happen, they're a part of the game and cannot be avoided, but out of all top 8 sides, we probably have the least synergistic forward-line. It has had no continuity and just doesnt operate like a winning forward-line should.

I'm hopeful that come finals time we can get a favorable match-up, maybe first game against Port, and snag a win and see where we go from there, as for next year - our list needs a good combing over. If we can pick up a goal-kicking midfielder that will go very far to putting us in a good position (I'd sell my unborn children to acquire someone like Wingard)

I noticed this, and from what i saw, pretty much all of our players were in positions to receive the ball and not defend against the opposition with the ball. We lost the harball and we werent positions to tackle which allowed the pies mids to have a field day once they got it.

There was a lot of downhill skiing going on yesterday, If we didnt have this ASADA investigation going on i would have hoped Jobe would come out and say what Pendlebury did after we beat the pies earlier in the year, but i dont think it would be a good idea to give the media a quote like "we were cheating" a little bit to easy for them to take that out of context this year...

 

[Eleven 38]

It's a bit stiff, but assuming Hurley is better suited to take the #1 forward, and that Carlisle is better in the role Hooker is currently doing, then where would Hooker fit in? There is only so many tall players we can fit in the backline before we end up with a mismatch like Hooker trying to man up on a quick, small player.

trade/list mamagement thread?

 

[fairlight_cmi]

The past has scarred me - I think the slide may have begun. I can see us beating WCE then losing the rest.

I hope I am very, very wrong.

 

[Chambo]

It's surely a product of the blind run-and-gun style of play. They'll dish it off to anyone running past, they never scythe through the opposition in the way that a really good side should and could. That's what I mean about tempo - they've been playing the "roll the dice" style from the opening bounce from about two months now. That's how you play when things aren't going your way, it's not how you dictate terms. And it's obvious that they do want to dictate terms when folks like Admiral PCness O'Brien is running rampant on his Pat Malone.

The dreamtime game this year is as tactically sound as I've seen is for a number of years, it was like TRB dissected the opposition so thoroughly and the execution was perfect...we need more of this, I'm sick of watching opposition teams "work" us out but a failure to "work" them out always occurring.

 

[Lord Nicholson]

The dreamtime game this year is as tactically sound as I've seen is for a number of years, it was like TRB dissected the opposition so thoroughly and the execution was perfect...we need more of this, I'm sick of watching opposition teams "work" us out but a failure to "work" them out always occurring.

Tactically dissecting Richmond is nothing to hang your hat on, but I do wish they would play that brand of football more often. It would serve them well against some sides, particularly yesterday, and the shitkickers like WB and GWS.

In regards to the Hawks, you can't beat them at their own game. Have to just pressure the bejesus out of the ball carrier, basically.

 

[Kettles]

I think what is patently obvious, but rarely offered up, is Essendon simply do not play well in the wet and cold. My take on it, we have become a very good side in sunny, dry conditions and in the sterile environment of Etihad, But if it's an ugly day, chances are - we'll have an equally ugly day on field.

 

[hurlygurdy]

The structures of game play that we do best don't hold up when there is a high turn over of players week to week. Everyone seems to get very individualistic and the team doesn't gel. I'm guessing the reason for this is that many of the players are either young or inexperienced, and our structures need more time to become second nature, especially for those players who are not typically in the best 22. I'm not 100% sure of this, but it seems to me that we run structures that operate very much on a full ground basis. For example the full ground defensive press. It only takes 1 player to fail in that situation to ruin the efforts of everyone. Furthermore, in the wet, team cohesion and confidence is paramount to retain structure and game plans when there is less time to think. As a result, although we have depth on paper, waves of injuries effect us badly.
I also think that many of our players require a steady slow build up to get into good form. I'm thinking of Crameri, Hurley, Hocking etc... These guys just don't bounce back from injuries well at all.
At full strength i think we are top four, but when things start to go wrong like they have recently i think we slip further than would be expected and end up at the level of those who wont quite make the eight. The solution could be that we need a second tier of tactics that are more effective with players out of the team. This is probably where i am well and truly out of my depth to comment further. We all know something needs to be done, but to try to nail it down from the outside looking in is delusional.

 

[lamaros]

Has Pears ever played forward?

He uses the footy pretty well. Would be interesting to see how he goes.

 

[fishardansin]

How in the name of god can you justify omitting Hooker for Pears? Hooker would be on verge of top 5 in best and fairest and was one of the few winners we had yesterday. Pears has hardly broken even as a key defender/third tall all year since 2009.

I'm also not sure that I appreciate the distinction drawn between the attacking game plans and what is happening under Hird. When the sides are shit enough flooding the midfield with a static zone seems to keep the scoring low. When we play against good sides they have routinely carved us up.

It is about the mix, and how the whole team structures up. Hooker is better at Pears at standing a gorilla, but Hurley is better than Hooker at that. Hooker is better at marking opposition kicks, but Carlisle will be better than Hooker at that, if given that role. Pears provides enough defensive ability to stand the third tall, or even the 2nd tall if Carlisle goes to a resting ruck, and Pears provides enough genuine attack that he will take some of the focus off Hibberd. Also Hurley's kicking will add to that too.

Hooker has been good but I like that mix of defenders. Hooker has been good enough to warrant good trade value by the way, like a line breaking mid or super dangerous goal sneak.

 

[fishardansin]

Tactically dissecting Richmond is nothing to hang your hat on, but I do wish they would play that brand of football more often. It would serve them well against some sides, particularly yesterday, and the shitkickers like WB and GWS.

In regards to the Hawks, you can't beat them at their own game. Have to just pressure the bejesus out of the ball carrier, basically.

Furthermore Richmond shot themselves in the foot that night by chipping around the half back line which allowed our zone to completely set up.

 

[Coldacre]

Interesting that two posters who didn't watch the game are passing specific comments on the game.

I don't think you can actively join a discussion, until you have watched the game.

nonsense. we were utterly smashed 2 weeks in a row. it hasn't happened all season.

our biggest problem is players like Hibberd, Dempsey, Carlisle, Stants & Zaka are playing at 50% of where they were 12 weeks ago. our clearance work and contested possessions have died in the arse. add some wet weather into that (are we the worst wet weather side in the top 12 teams?).

 

[yaco55]

How in the name of god can you justify omitting Hooker for Pears? Hooker would be on verge of top 5 in best and fairest and was one of the few winners we had yesterday. Pears has hardly broken even as a key defender/third tall all year since 2009.

I'm also not sure that I appreciate the distinction drawn between the attacking game plans and what is happening under Hird. When the sides are shit enough flooding the midfield with a static zone seems to keep the scoring low. When we play against good sides they have routinely carved us up.

This is the BF way.

One of the defenders is struggling so we rejig the side to leave Hooker out.

Rinse,repeat,rinse,repeat.

 

[yaco55]

nonsense. we were utterly smashed 2 weeks in a row. it hasn't happened all season.

our biggest problem is players like Hibberd, Dempsey, Carlisle, Stants & Zaka are playing at 50% of where they were 12 weeks ago. our clearance work and contested possessions have died in the arse. add some wet weather into that (are we the worst wet weather side in the top 12 teams?).

I am assuming that you watched the game before commenting in any threads.

 

[yaco55]

It's a bit stiff, but assuming Hurley is better suited to take the #1 forward, and that Carlisle is better in the role Hooker is currently doing, then where would Hooker fit in? There is only so many tall players we can fit in the backline before we end up with a mismatch like Hooker trying to man up on a quick, small player.

Madness - Absolute madness.

And by the way who will be our key tall forwards.

 

[fishardansin]

Madness - Absolute madness.

And by the way who will be our key tall forwards.

Gumby and Crameri plus a ruck.

 

[yaco55]

Gumby and Crameri plus a ruck.

You are stubborn.

Can't you see that Gumby and T-Bell doesn't work. And if I am an opposition coach ,Crameri will always get the number one defender.

 

[Stopher]

To be pragmatic, losing 2 games in succession is not a slide. This weekend is a good chance to get back to winning. Do that and there is no slide. Simples

 

[BrunoV]

we've not played well since dream time?

 

[ProfessorGaz]

WC game will give us categoric proof - Playing a team at home who have put the cue in the rack - We don't win by 5+ goals and we have fallen off the cliff.

Yep, if that happens I doubt we'll win another game for the rest of the calender year.

On the other hand, a massively decisive victory (like 60 points minimum) and the top 4 chase will be on yet again (if only because Sydney are a huge chance to lose 2 or maybe even 3 games).

 

[ProfessorGaz]

we've not played well since dream time?

100%.

Certainly the last time we played 4 quarters.

 

[ProfessorGaz]

People are yapping away about a form slump/slide in past 2 weeks...

Kents, the slide started weeks ago.

I would go as far as to say that post-Dreamtime, we've pretty much played worse and worse every week.

On the flip side, win the next four, Sydney lose two of theirs and we still make the T4.

 

[yodellinhank]

Has Pears ever played forward?

He uses the footy pretty well. Would be interesting to see how he goes.

Only time I can picture it was against the crows last year. Could have drawn contact and a free kick to win the match instead tried to chest mark and the ball was spoiled. Not for mine.

Pears should get a game IMO, Carlisle is out of sorts and Pears could help replace a little of the rebound missing with Dempsey out, as he seems to have some confidence back and will at least take on a tackler rather than dink a handpass to someone in no better position.

Probably not a popular call, and maybe West Coast aren't the side to do it against, but Carlisle isn't the easy selection he was at the start of the season for mine.

 

[yaco55]

I was happy with Carlisle's game against Cloke - Cloke got junk-time goals but they were equal on the day. Carlisle needs to play because the WC set up tall - And remember the last game when Pears struggled on Darling, which then necessitated a ring-around-a-rosie.

As I have stated in the past, Carlisle is a rare talent and can reach AA level in the future, but his performances were over-rated, particularly by the media.

 

[Engimal]

Yes