More important - list development or finals this year

[paul8241]

What do you think is more important going forward for our club. This year I'd rather see Harvey play the kids at the risk of losing games than be hesitant of taking risks.

Prefer only Freo supporters to vote in the poll. Lets send a clear message as to where our loyalties rest.

 

[Latro]

You didnt add a pole. Anyway the question is irrelevant as we have no chance of playing finals with the current list.

 

[surfsup]

Playing the kids and finishing in the bottom four doesn't sound like a good year but it should be regarded as money in the bank. BUT, as far as Fremantle are concerned, with the non-performance of our established/second tier players (ie; Johnson, Murphy, Browne, Thornton, etc, etc....) it will mean finishing last. And along with coming last comes all the baggage, abuse from slime supporters (hey, I'm used it and give better than I get generally) and the stigma of carrying a wooden spoon - most times we forget who finished 2nd and 3rd last.

Play the kids. Sure we'll cop abuse but we're used to it, we're Fremantle.

 

[paul8241]

Anyway the question is irrelevant as we have no chance of playing finals with the current list.

I realise that, but elements in the media don't realise that yet, and are starting to bay for blood. I'd rather see the job done right then be in another cycle of poor decisions by the club.

Regardless of Harveys results, if he is given a suitable period of time, alternative coaches out there will see Freo as a club that will give them sufficient time to develop a winning culture. Otherwise we're looking at another bunch of inexperienced applicants for his replacement.

 

[Lach72]

You didnt add a pole. Anyway the question is irrelevant as we have no chance of playing finals with the current list.

Don't mention the war

 

[ImperialPurple]

In an ideal world - option C.

Realistically of course - option B.

It gets back to what we were talking about before - get rid of the dumb-arses and let the kids play.

 

[Dr Ralph Dagg]

It gets back to what we were talking about before - get rid of the dumb-arses and let the kids play.

Apart form this being a great philosophy for life, who do you see as the dumb-arses that we should contemplate terminating?

 

[Lach72]

Apart form this being a great philosophy for life, who do you see as the dumb-arses that we should contemplate terminating?

http://www.bigfooty.com/forum/showpost.php?p=14167395&postcount=1

 

[The Matt]

Am I wrong to suggest that maybe the Dumb-arses are still playing because the kids haven't earned their spots. I'd hate to see these kids gifted their spots and then find that they take it for granted like we have seen happen for this whole century so far. If we are going to rebuild our team then we need to rebuild our work ethic as well.

 

[dockers_bengals]

On the couch Hird said that playing all the kids and getting flogged does no-one anywhere any benifit at all and that they have to persist with playing some mid tier players(Not exact quote).
I'd rather do what we are doing at the moment and not blooding too many young'uns at once,still 19 weeks to go and most can't play all of them.

 

[Cica]

Finals??? Did you watch us play this year? Do we look like we have any chance of playing finals?

Harvey is giving the excuse that the team is young, no skills and all the rest. I have been thinking about this and surely we could not have lost all the skills in one single pre-season and we are not THAT young. I believe Adelaide was younger than us on the weekend. I think the main problem is that Harvey has killed players' confidence by all these positional changes and it is going to take a while to get it back now. We all know that we can play better than what we showed this year thus far. Harvey needs to go back to basics otherwise our young players will not get the most benefit by playing in an unbalanced side. Their development will stall and their confidence will be shot.

Young player development is the only option and it needs to be executed properly otherwise it is going to be a wasted season. I guess we are used to it .

 

[believe_it]

It has to be both . Making the finals has to be a goal every year no matter how bad the team .
We need to develop the young players quickly only because we have to . There is not point persisting with numptys that arent going to get any better.

 

[bigpav]

judging by the 3 games played so far we will not win 12 games this year. So no finals. So play the kids gradually this year, pick the kids that are playing the best in the seconds and surround them with the best fringe players we have. Start with this weekend. We need a forward pocket crumber, there is no forward line pressure and a new kid could provide some spark. Give Walters a go at this. We need a second ruckman, Kepler is out of form and not a ruckman so lets try Clarke out. Team this week? fill in the spots...

FB: Hayden - Tarrant - Grover
HB: --------- McPharl - Broughton
C: Ibottsman - Palmer - Suban
HF: ---------Pavlich---------
FF: Walters - Murphy --------

R: Sandi - Crowly - Haze

Int: Clarke - Hill -

 

[bigpav]

judging by the 3 games played so far we will not win 12 games this year. So no finals. So play the kids gradually this year, pick the kids that are playing the best in the seconds and surround them with the best fringe players we have. Start with this weekend. We need a forward pocket crumber, there is no forward line pressure and a new kid could provide some spark. Give Walters a go at this. We need a second ruckman, Kepler is out of form and not a ruckman so lets try Clarke out. Team this week? fill in the spots...

FB: Hayden - Tarrant - Grover
HB: --------- McPharl - Broughton
C: Ibottsman - Palmer - Suban
HF: ---------Pavlich---------
FF: Walters - Murphy --------

R: Sandi - Crowly - Haze

Int: Clarke - Hill - De Boer -

I know someone will say we need more experienced harder bodies against the saints this week - so what! - we don't have much chance of winning anyway but I bet we won't get done by more than 97 points, even if we debut some more kids. So add Deboer to that team.

I'm so sick of seeing Gimore, Head, Dodd, Kepler, Thornton, etc no good players getting a game and letting us down!

 

[PapaJ]

Let the kids play obviously, but realise that:

• If they don't earn their spots by genuinely knocking other players out of selection it is going to slow down their development.
• Getting trounced all year is going to slow down development.
• Not having a good number of mature bodies around them to help in the trenches is going to slow down development.
• Not being exposed to finals footy (including loosing a few if they need to) is going to slow down development

The middle option said 'fast-track' ... the method Freo are using/being forced to use is no fast track, its going to take years not months without the above taken care of to develop these players.

 

[Frigate]

If there is a chance of making the finals then you have to try. You can not give up after losing the first 3 matches. There has to be point you realise that there is no chance of making the 8. I am stuck between B and C until round 6 completion.

I deserve all the sh*t I get for this but here goes :
There is still some remote chance of climbing the ladder. We may well be sitting 2 wins from 6 and by then we will have
Headland, Mayne, Hayden, Campbell and Ballantyne playing which will improve our side considerably. With 2 from 6 rounds we would have to win as many as we lose until round 18, and win 3 from our last 4. This would put us just in the 8 and it is possible. While this chance exists you have to keep that goal alive within the playing group.

If we are not sitting 2 from 6 then there is no chance and we should simply go for the priority pick by playing all the kids for the rest of the year and be ruthless with anyone not performing who has played more than 50 games.

 

[Angus McFuttock]

Even if the AFL allowed our players to take all the performance enhancing drugs (and Cuzzy gear) possible, we would not make the 8.
I can see us having a few more debut players like Balla, De Boer, Clarke, Hall and Walters at different times in the season.

 

[PapaJ]

...

If we are not sitting 2 from 6 then there is no chance and we should simply go for the priority pick by playing all the kids for the rest of the year and be ruthless with anyone not performing who has played more than 50 games.

For the sake of a lot of peoples sanity around here, you may have to have a "Josh Head clause" in that criteria.

 

[Frigate]

For the sake of a lot of peoples sanity around here, you may have to have a "Josh Head clause" in that criteria.

Amended