Long Road Ahead! Rebuild Time?

[ArdentEagle]

I predicted that we would lose and I was right. Martin went rampant. Rance shut down Kennedy. Fast paced footy killed us.

It is more evident that when Kennedy is not on song we lose. This is scary. Our mids dont kick enough goals and we are reliant on small fowards that are good in the air but sucks at crumbing ie: Cripps, Hill, Lecras (all 3 are not crumbing. Hill is the only forward that knows how to crumb allitle.)


But we are really at best 8th/7th on the ladder team. We are against the current meta/game style.

Every team has evolved to fast paced footy. We are still using the freaking web/flood. Fast paced footy uses fast paced movement + good kicks which destroys the web.

Note: First quarter is where fast paced footy is at its peak and notice how we tend to lose it.

We are stuck in a difficult spot. If we continue with simmo and the current crew we will always be mediocre 8th/7th/6th for the next 4 years. And Note: JK and Priddas and Mitchell will retire soon.

Honestly 2010 we won the spoon and the next few years we quickly bounced back.

My Prediction

1) Next 2017/2018/2019 years we will be mediocre
2) Then 2020/2021 we will will be bottom 4/8
3) 2022/2023/2024 we are ready

So for the next 5 years we wont be in contention. THATS IF ALL THINGS GO right. But would not be suprised if it takes us 8 years

Astbury was on Kennedy most of the day...Not Rance.
Although Rance was leaving his man often though to put JK on a spit roast with Astbury....Rances opponent not making themselves dangerous enough.

In regards to the game plan, we did look to lower our eyes and play through Darling a lot more, especially earlier in the game.
He can't take a mark to save his life and seems to have lost his pace. He's a dead set liability at this stage. #tradedarling - I've been wanting it for a few years now.

It's well known that the club lacks genuine crumbers and addressed it last draft with thick Willy. Unfortunately he pushed himself too hard and blew something out. We could have desperately done with him yesterday.

Smart coaching by Hardwick kept it a close game, I believe we would have won it if it stayed dry...Things looked like they were just starting to click a bit better before the rain.
It was our inability too adapt to wet weather football ultimately cost us.
Handball happy for far too long once the rain came.

It's not the game plan, with little alterations/adaptions from game to game it's bloody solid.
The issue for me is when players like Darling are required to step up, be the conduit into the forward line to play Kennedy a bit deeper, they fail most of the time but the faith is kept.

In hindsight perhaps McGovern could have played CHF and played and extra small for speed/pressure.

With all that said, it's glaringly obvious we need a few more mosquito fleet type players on our list.

 

[WCErevival]

We wont be rebuilding this year. This year is our final crack at it. Next year we will need to rebuild to some degree. Priddis and Mitchell will probably retire. A couple of others like Lecras, Hurn etc are getting close. Emac, Schofield ad Butler on the outer.

 

[DickDunn]

OP lost me at "Rance shut down Kennedy". Can't have been watching very closely

 

[swannies]

Don't know if serious

Sadly, I think they are deadly serious.....

 

[Biggie]

Sadly, I think they are deadly serious.....

This is why you shouldn't post at 2.47am

And the fact people are generally asleep at that time.....

 

[dajesmac]

No we don't need a 'rebuild'. We have a strong core that lacks depth and we have made recruiting choices that have probably exacerbated this problem rather than rectify it. We do have a number of ageing stars that we need to find replacements for (Mitchell, Priddis, Kennedy etc) and questionable drafting in recent years means we don't have anyone that immediately springs to mind - although we can probably be happy with how Venables is tracking so far.

We need to be draft focused this year, and we need to draft well (naturally). It's important that we start nailing our first rounders each year - for all this talk of conservative drafting, even the safe options seem unlikely to have what it takes to play regular AFL (Duggan, Partington - IMO, obviously).
The way I see it, I think we have picked up players who will become decent role players for us (Cole, Nelson, Rotham, Rioli) in the past five years but have struggled a bit beyond that (with the exception of Sheed and Barrass).

We need a KPF to replace Kennedy, a midfielder that can spread well from stoppages and use the ball well (without being completely redundant in all other capacities eg Jetta, Masten), and a dangerous small forward. For years we have been ineffectual at ground level, particularly when it is wet. Hopefully through Duggan, Cole, Venables and Rioli, two of these issues can be rectified.

 

[SpaceClef]

Kennedy wins us games. Our full forward wins us games.

Our forwardline overall around him needs plenty of work.

The ball is coming out way too easily these days. Yesterday was ridiculous. Ball comes in, ball goes out

 

[frenchconnection]

For the first highlighted statement we very much need the second statement to be addressed.
Given that we have been struggling with mastering the MCG for many years I cant se us being a serious contender..... best case close but no chocolates.

The thing is though why is it that previous Eagles sides have managed to win at the MCG and even win flags. I realise that in the two previous eras both lost a GF as well. But our current squad seem to have a mental issue with playing at the MCG and don't appear to know how to adapt to the different dimensions(albeit they beat Richmond there last year) Is it the players, or does the fault lie at the feet of the coaching staff - that is the question.

 

[Godfather32]

The thing is though why is it that previous Eagles sides have managed to win at the MCG and even win flags. I realise that in the two previous eras both lost a GF as well. But our current squad seem to have a mental issue with playing at the MCG and don't appear to know how to adapt to the different dimensions(albeit they beat Richmond there last year) Is it the players, or does the fault lie at the feet of the coaching staff - that is the question.

Both eras when we won flags we had much better midfielders

 

[frenchconnection]

The ball is coming out way too easily these days. Yesterday was ridiculous. Ball comes in, ball goes out

I ask the question what happened to the forward press that was previously used!

 

[ChampRevesby]

Both eras when we won flags we had much better midfielders

Arguably the best midfields in the league at the time. More than just coincidental.

 

[Nuke Fremantle]

I make this the 4th melt thread since yesterday, we're on world record pace!

I love school holidays.

 

[SpaceClef]

I ask the question what happened to the forward press that was previously used!

The forwards got lazy and entitled. Plus Kennedy is too old to be applying the same amount of pressure as he used to.

Willie will fix everything.

 

[Biggie]

Willie will fix everything.

Generally the cause of most problems in my time..

 

[EagleEgo]

Apart from Darling being a bit of a potato lately, the forward line is fine and multi dimensional.

Kennedy as we know is capable of the huge bag
LeCras is ever reliable
Cripps applies manic pressure and is still good for a goal or two a game
Hill is able to do some crazy stuff that sometimes ends up with a freakish goal

If we had a solid, strong centre half forward, we'd be laughing.

Not for this match!!
Scoring 8.17 and lost the game is not acceptable to me!

 

[ziad]

One loss and we rebuild, it will be a long road

 

[Eagleboy68]

We don't need a rebuild but we can't play these players in the same team.
Priddis
Mitchell
Hutchings
Masten
Gaff

Our midfield is slow. We got done by the saints and Richmond on the fast break rebound.

Drop masten and introduce some leg speed and if Jetta isn't going to use his pace get rid of him.

 

[Monocle]

The thing is though why is it that previous Eagles sides have managed to win at the MCG and even win flags. I realise that in the two previous eras both lost a GF as well. But our current squad seem to have a mental issue with playing at the MCG and don't appear to know how to adapt to the different dimensions(albeit they beat Richmond there last year) Is it the players, or does the fault lie at the feet of the coaching staff - that is the question.

Both our two previous successful eras had some tough no nonsense hard nuts in the side that were both mentally tough and ferocious at the attack on the ball and handed out some physicality on and off the ball.

92 & 94. Worsfold, Wilson, Langdon, Evans, Lamb, Heady, Brennan, Banfield, Lewis.

06. Steiglein, Chick, B Jones , Waters , Glass, Kerr, Cousins, Hunter, Braun, Banfield, Selwood and Embley

Sadly we don't have any similar desperadoes hard nuts in our current team.

We just don't recruit these types any more.
If you have a bit of mongrel in you or a bit of "James Hunt" about you then our recruiting team put the highlighter pen through your name.

You need a couple of these types in your team to sure them up , look no further than the three peat of The Hawks lead by Hodge and Lewis.

Geelong had even more with Scarlett, Selwood, Corey, Ling, Mooney, Chapman and Rooke.

Hard to win a flag with out some tough hombres in the team.

Name ours ???????

 

[frenchconnection]

Not for this match!!
Scoring 8.17 and lost the game is not acceptable to me!

Not the only reason we lost though. Their lack of endeavour, particularly in the 3rd, I think had a lot more to do with the loss. Of the 17 points, apparently 6 were forced so I'm led to believe.

 

[frenchconnection]

Both our two previous successful eras had some tough no nonsense hard nuts in the side that were both mentally tough and ferocious at the attack on the ball and handed out some physicality on and off the ball.

92 & 94. Worsfold, Wilson, Langdon, Evans, Lamb, Heady, Brennan, Banfield, Lewis.

06. Steiglein, Chick, B Jones , Waters , Glass, Kerr, Cousins, Hunter, Braun, Banfield, Selwood and Embley

Sadly we don't have any similar desperadoes hard nuts in our current team.

We just don't recruit these types any more.
If you have a bit of mongrel in you or a bit of "James Hunt" about you then our recruiting team put the highlighter pen through your name.

You need a couple of these types in your team to sure them up , look no further than the three peat of The Hawks lead by Hodge and Lewis.

Geelong had even more with Scarlett, Selwood, Corey, Ling, Mooney, Chapman and Rooke.

Hard to win a flag with out some tough hombres in the team.

Name ours ???????

Sadly I can't think of anybody. Yeo tries to get in the oppositions face, but does not have the build to give too much cheek. He has to rely on his own skill. The thing is that Hurn who does have the build should be showing some mongrel, but he rarely ever does!

 

[wraglesweb]

Still it's a long road ahead until Thursday......

 

[WCE1987]

We don't need a rebuild but we can't play these players in the same team.
Priddis
Mitchell
Hutchings
Masten
Gaff

Our midfield is slow. We got done by the saints and Richmond on the fast break rebound.

Drop masten and introduce some leg speed and if Jetta isn't going to use his pace get rid of him.

I'm the first to bag masten but i thought he has been good this year.

Good laugh all the melts though. There is no way we are doing a rebuild

Darling 24
Shuey 26
Gaff 24
Gov 24
Barrass 21
Sheed 21
Nic Nat 26
Shep 25

Just calm down everyone.

We've only played one game at Subi and we will carve up teams the rest of the year there. And I cant wait to see us destroy more at new stadium when we can add extra 20,000 supporters *Just imagine the free kick ride then*

 

[EagleEgo]

Not the only reason we lost though. Their lack of endeavour, particularly in the 3rd, I think had a lot more to do with the loss. Of the 17 points, apparently 6 were forced so I'm led to believe.

I am not too concern about the 17 points, i am more concern about the 8 goals and 8 goals only!

 

[Godfather32]

I'm the first to bag masten but i thought he has been good this year.

Good laugh all the melts though. There is no way we are doing a rebuild

Darling 24
Shuey 26
Gaff 24
Gov 24
Barrass 21
Sheed 21
Nic Nat 26
Shep 25

Just calm down everyone.

We've only played one game at Subi and we will carve up teams the rest of the year there. And I cant wait to see us destroy more at new stadium when we can add extra 20,000 supporters *Just imagine the free kick ride then*

Not that I'm advocating for a rebuild but naming 4 good players (one out with a serious injury) and a few averagish ones isn't really doing much to make your case. That doesn't strike me as a brilliant core to build around.

 

[dave123]

look we could have won Yesterday

stop all the doom n gloom ...bad kicking is bad footy