Looking at 2008

[Crowked]

Its been the common thing in this thread. Our forward line is still poop! If we dont get our hands on some decent forwards, we wont cut it again. We need a genuine AFL standard key forward and at least 1 fast and smart small forward. If we cant address these deficiencies, we are only going to be making up the numbers even if we can make the finals.

 

[Stiffy_18]

Its been the common thing in this thread. Our forward line is still poop! If we dont get our hands on some decent forwards, we wont cut it again. We need a genuine AFL standard key forward and at least 1 fast and smart small forward. If we cant address these deficiencies, we are only going to be making up the numbers even if we can make the finals.

Fair point

Hopefully we have the balls to do what it takes to get that key forward and we are instantly a MUCH MUCH better team.

 

[betterthanu]

Has Pavlich re-signed with Freo yet? I want to see us blood Sellar and Tippett next year in any event.

Tippett looks even further away from being an AFL forward than Sellar does. That might just be the crapness of West Adelaide though.

 

[Boundryump]

How good we are next year will be decided by 2 things

1) Injuries
2) How well Hentschel recovers from his injury.

#2 could be offset by recruiting gun forward to throw into that forward line mix. If we don't land Pav, as appears likely, I think our fortunes next year greatly depend on how well Hentschel recovers from his knee injury and other injuries we cop along the way.

If we had a decent run with injuries and a fit and firing Hentschel this year, we would now be top 4 EASILY!!!!

Hentschel played well in the past but he isn;t a star forward,why hype up the guy when he can consistantly win games off his own boot and play like Jonathon Brown then yes.
Eveyone keeps bringing him up as a solution to our forward line but is he?

 

[betterthanu]

Hentschel played well in the past but he isn;t a star forward,why hype up the guy when he can consistantly win games off his own boot and play like Jonathon Brown then yes.
Eveyone keeps bringing him up as a solution to our forward line but is he?

He was starting to kick bags before he got injured. I would suggest he was moving towards that star status. Our forward line will be much much better with Hentschel up and firing, no doubt about that

 

[Tas]

The biggest improvement in training next year I want to see is on goal kicking.

This has cost us big time in the past three seasons.
It virtually cost us the game against St. Kilda in 2005 and hence a home PF against a suspect West Coast (at that time) we went over and got ......well you all know the story.

It cost us against West Coast again in last years PF and hence a GF appearance. The week before against Freo wasn't much better either.

That is one area we desparately need to work on. Not much in getting everything else right if we can't finnish it off.

On SEN I heard an interview with Matthew Richardson about the goal kicking and he was saying that other than refining your kicking action the goal kicking practice is next to useless because all the goal kickers have a very good accuracy during training, they just can't emulate the match day elements of extreme fatigue and pressure at training.

You could probably push people hard then have them practice their kicking and do that over and over during a pre-season, but the match day pressure element wont be there. People tighten up in high pressure situations.

 

[CaptainDangerfield]

Actually springy my understanding is that we have not been doing our training this year like the last two. He has backed off on the intensity such as scrapping the tackling drills as well as decreasing the game style drills etc. I believe it is showing up on game day and we are all complaining about it i.e the tackles being broken. I want to see the training intensity picked up again next year.

Interesting. Sounds like from one extreme to another. Maybe he should meet somewhere in the middle.

 

[Kane McGoodwin]

Hentschel played well in the past but he isn;t a star forward,why hype up the guy when he can consistantly win games off his own boot and play like Jonathon Brown then yes.
Eveyone keeps bringing him up as a solution to our forward line but is he?

Do you follow the Crows

 

[crowsarethebest]

Hentschell won't be the solution. I doubt he will ever be back at his best. He had so much potential and was starting to rip it up. He won't do much in 2008. His knee injury was horrendous. He will lose a lot of mobility and strengthening his leg will be the focus for 2008. Our forward line is still weak. We haven't got that big name that lots of other teams have. While West Coast haven't got a gun forward really, they have by far the best midfield in the competition. On the other hand, Carlton have Fev but the rest of their side is crap bar a few players. We're missing a gun foward and maybe an excitement machine or two. We look dull and flat and we don't have much improvisation. We need someone like a Davey (playing HFF/wing) and a gun foward. I really hope we recruit well and build for the future. WIll be an interesting off-season. The delistings will be the one I will take most interest in.

 

[Kane McGoodwin]

Hentschell won't be the solution. I doubt he will ever be back at his best. He had so much potential and was starting to rip it up. He won't do much in 2008. His knee injury was horrendous. He will lose a lot of mobility and strengthening his leg will be the focus for 2008. Our forward line is still weak. We haven't got that big name that lots of other teams have. While West Coast haven't got a gun forward really, they have by far the best midfield in the competition. On the other hand, Carlton have Fev but the rest of their side is crap bar a few players. We're missing a gun foward and maybe an excitement machine or two. We look dull and flat and we don't have much improvisation. We need someone like a Davey (playing HFF/wing) and a gun foward. I really hope we recruit well and build for the future. WIll be an interesting off-season. The delistings will be the one I will take most interest in.

I think it is fair to assume we won't see the best of Hentschel in 2008, but I still have hope he will be a very handy player from 2009.

I agree we badly need to recruit a pacy forward/midfielder or 2.

 

[Port_GW]

If Cyril Rioli is available at the Crows first pick (he'd provide the excitement factor you're after as a medium sized forward), it will be interesting to see if they take him (given that Ebert and the other high profile names would have probably already gone), or alternatively your drafting people go for the best available key forward prospect.

 

[CaptainDangerfield]

If Cyril Rioli is available at the Crows first pick (he'd provide the excitement factor you're after as a medium sized forward), it will be interesting to see if they take him (given that Ebert and the other high profile names would have probably already gone), or alternatively your drafting people go for the best available key forward prospect.

After all our disasters with high draft picks, if we wasted our 1st rounder on a player who is neither a genuine KPP or midfielder the AFC football dept should be run out of town.

BTW If we finish 10th or lower I'll put money on Ebert being a Crow in 2008.

 

[Port_GW]

After all our disasters with high draft picks, if we wasted our 1st rounder on a player who is neither a genuine KPP or midfielder the AFC football dept should be run out of town.

BTW If we finish 10th or lower I'll put money on Ebert being a Crow in 2008.

Ebert is rated so highly i think you'd have to finish bottom 4 to be a chance to recruit him.

 

[bus24]

Ebert is rated so highly i think you'd have to finish bottom 4 to be a chance to recruit him.

With the performance of some of the WA boys at the Carnival, there is a good chance that he could've fallen out of top 4-5 calculations

 

[Mego Red]

Ebert is rated so highly i think you'd have to finish bottom 4 to be a chance to recruit him.

Not sure about that. Most analysis has him going five to ten. Didn't have a great carnival (SA was shocking) and there is some Vic talent that would be ahead of him.

 

[betterthanu]

Masten, Palmer, Kruezer, Cotchin (in no order) will all prob go before Ebert from what i saw from the U18 carnival (although i only saw 2 games).

Edit: Rioli is another guy we might be tempted to take due to a lack of that type of player on our list.

 

[bus24]

Masten, Palmer, Kruezer, Cotchin (in no order) will all prob go before Ebert from what i saw from the U18 carnival (although i only saw 2 games).

Edit: Rioli is another guy we might be tempted to take due to a lack of that type of player on our list.

Kruezer is a lock #1 pick, Cotchin is probably a lock #2.

After that it's a bit of a lottery.

 

[smoovy]

We need someone like a Davey (playing HFF/wing) and a gun foward. I really hope we recruit well and build for the future. WIll be an interesting off-season. The delistings will be the one I will take most interest in.

Been suggesting the crows have a look at Davey sense halfway thru last year, we are crying out for a dynamic, silky skilled forward. Does anyone know his contractural circumstances? Does he want to come home?

 

[Port_GW]

Not sure about that. Most analysis has him going five to ten. Didn't have a great carnival (SA was shocking) and there is some Vic talent that would be ahead of him.

"Didn't have a great carnival", yet made the All Australian side in a poorly performing side.

I think he'll definitely go top 5, the only thing that could scare the bottom finishing Victorian clubs is his percieved likelihood to return to SA to play for Port down the track.

Will be interesting to see, like all pre draft periods, its really all speculation.

 

[CaptainDangerfield]

Is Carlton eligible for priority picks?

 

[Port_GW]

Is Carlton eligible for priority picks?

If they dont win another game for the rest of the season they are.

 

[bus24]

Is Carlton eligible for priority picks?

- The Priority Round was shifted, so that it was held between the First and Second rounds of the draft.

- Teams would receive a Priority Selection only if they finished the season with fewer than 16.5 premiership points.

- If a team finished with fewer than 16.5 premiership points in two consecutive seasons, then their Priority Selection is taken before the First Round

Hope that sums it up. Well I think it does.

 

[Stiffy_18]

Other than Ebert, who is a midfielder, are the any quality KPP available early in the draft and around our pick?!

I could see us going for a tall. Preferably a key forward.

 

[betterthanu]

If they dont win another game for the rest of the season they are.

So in summary Carlton will have pick one yet again

 

[Drugs Are Bad Mackay?]

On SEN I heard an interview with Matthew Richardson about the goal kicking and he was saying that other than refining your kicking action the goal kicking practice is next to useless because all the goal kickers have a very good accuracy during training, they just can't emulate the match day elements of extreme fatigue and pressure at training.

The 'Richo' rule has always interested me - the one where he is not allowed to play on after taking a mark in the forward fifty. Now, I understand the reason why the rule was brought in. I'm sure everyone remembers those occassions where he has taken a mark at the top of the goal square, played on and embarrassingly got caught Peter Burgoyne-style. Holding the ball, huge cheers from the opposition crowd, groans from the Richmond fans, fury from the coaches box, match-changing moment... hence the rule came in.

Whilst the rule may have eliminated these occassional, memorable blunders I'd question whether the rule has actually improved his conversion rate. Has having him go back and take a set shot produced good results? I believe that if Richo was allowed to play on instinct and do what he felt was right - what he believed gave him the best chance of converting - rather than worry about what the coach was thinking, what the fans were thinking, what his team mates were thinking and what he should be doing, then his conversion rate would be better.

I would guess that Perrie and Gill have had more 'help' with their goal kicking than any other players at the club. More advice, more practice, more technique training... paralysis by analysis is the result. Sport is littered with well-meaning coaches who try to help a player with a skill but actually have the opposite effect.