Game Day NAB Cup R3 - WCE v PA - 9/3 @ TP

[Chris_6678]

Maybe we did not try as much as we did in 11/12 as we played pretty well in the NAB cup and by the end of the year we were pretty spent.

I am confident that by the Derby we could win round 1 , the Dockers seem to think they are in awesome form after beating a super young bulldogs.

I was at that match and yeah they did seem impressive but very hard to judge as they were versing a very under strength Bulldogs.

 

[Noctorniquet]

Maybe we did not try as much as we did in 11/12 as we played pretty well in the NAB cup and by the end of the year we were pretty spent.

I am confident that by the Derby we could win round 1 , the Dockers seem to think they are in awesome form after beating a super young bulldogs.

I was at that match and yeah they did seem impressive but very hard to judge as they were versing a very under strength Bulldogs.

bulldogs were closer to a vfl side than an AFL side, they played only one player with more than 50 afl games experience ffs, i hope freo are over confident as it will hurt them in 2 weeks

 

[ziad]

bulldogs were closer to a vfl side than an AFL side, they played only one player with more than 50 afl games experience ffs, i hope freo are over confident as it will hurt them in 2 weeks

that's their form line

 

[erbenz]

http://au.news.yahoo.com/thewest/sport/a/-/afl/16338800/woosha-stays-calm-despite-loss-to-port/

These quotes are telling.

"We're still very rusty. There's no doubt about that," Worsfold said.
"But that rounds out our pre-season and we're still pretty happy with the workload we've got into the players.
"We think we're in good shape going into the season. We're not too fussed about some of the things that we saw because we think there's reasons for some of that.
"We've been pushing them very, very hard. That's still no excuse for fumbling the footy as much as we did and missing kicks as much as we did. But we don't think that takes much to rectify."

 

[Big Tones]

Maybe we did not try as much as we did in 11/12 as we played pretty well in the NAB cup and by the end of the year we were pretty spent.

I am confident that by the Derby we could win round 1 , the Dockers seem to think they are in awesome form after beating a super young bulldogs.

I was at that match and yeah they did seem impressive but very hard to judge as they were versing a very under strength Bulldogs.

I think you're probably right - they can all play better that what they've shown. However when i look back at this thread there is a clear consistent message during the 1st half - that the midfield was crap. Hopefully Shuey and Scooter realised (or were TOLD) that Pridda can't do the grunt work on his own (too easy to shut down one man) and they would have to dig in and help.
Better 2nd half (but could still only beat Port by 7 points). Just hope the intensity from mids goes up several notches. Interesting to read earlier threads that over the nab, Lecca, JK and King have had bursts of intensity and therefor can raise to higher level when the season starts. I agree but then I didn't expect any issues in that area. We have not not heard the same message re the mids. If we don't have Kerry (IMO the missing link in all 3 games) the other mids really have to put it on the line -especially in the first 2 games - and we haven't seen that yet. If we lose the first 2 games because the mids don't bust a gut (or are not match hardened in time) the whole season looks shaky - IMO. However I want to be optimistic and say that the mids have been avoiding injury so that they can star in the season proper (apart from Welli, McG, Carter, Hutchi, any more injured?). Masto will be ok for Round 1.

 

[Lyyynnnchy]

Its funny how wound up people get when it's their own team.

Collingwood just got soundly beaten by Brissie, but does that make them seem any less a chance this year? They are still the side to beat as far as I'm concerned.

Then there's the two Grand Finalists. Have people written them off due to their NAB cup performances? No.

There is a slight difference in that the Hawthorn, Collingwood and Sydney teams have been noticeably weaker than their best 22. We had pretty much our full strength team out on Saturday

 

[Tiff]

There is a slight difference in that the Hawthorn, Collingwood and Sydney teams have been noticeably weaker than their best 22. We had pretty much our full strength team out on Saturday

True but you don't know what the coaches are doing with game plans and training loads. Also, as has been mentioned, other teams playing weaker sides means there's more blokes going all out to try and prove themselves, as opposed to your best players going at 80%. Surely in the back of the players minds is injury during these games. Especially with our run last year.

 

[West Coast 06]

There is a slight difference in that the Hawthorn, Collingwood and Sydney teams have been noticeably weaker than their best 22. We had pretty much our full strength team out on Saturday

Minus Kerr, Masten, Naitanui and Wellingham. So you might as well say minus our starting mid rotation.

 

[Lyyynnnchy]

Minus Kerr, Masten, Naitanui and Wellingham. So you might as well say minus our starting mid rotation.

It's likely only Masten will be available round 1

 

[SpaceClef]

that's their form line

Even Port's side was more experienced than the Bullies.

 

[East coast eagle]

Is that when he clashed heads with, I think, Scott Selwood?

What's the go with this? It's happened a couple of times just about every nab cup game this year? It's a years worth in 3 games? Not just scooter and gaff but heavy collisions from friendly fire? We lucky we haven't sustained a serious injury? Look after yourselves boys..! Last year we did it a lot too..

 

[East coast eagle]

There is a slight difference in that the Hawthorn, Collingwood and Sydney teams have been noticeably weaker than their best 22. We had pretty much our full strength team out on Saturday

All those teams you mentioned start the "season proper" a week later than ours, our start to the season is slightly different like the bombers, freo an crows who all fielded pretty much full strength teams..

 

[ziad]

We play a game in two weeks then have a week of, I recall.

In effect we are almost 4 weeks short of the 'full season'. makes sense to be working very hard on the track now and not bothering to be sharp.

 

[the harry]

We play a game in two weeks then have a week of, I recall.

In effect we are almost 4 weeks short of the 'full season'. makes sense to be working very hard on the track now and not bothering to be sharp.

How are we 4 weeks short? Tigers v Blues is about 5 days after our game isn't it?

 

[Ochre]

How are we 4 weeks short? Tigers v Blues is about 5 days after our game isn't it?

Yeh, but we don't play that week.

There's NAB Cup GF
Derby
Rest of round 1
Round 2 v Hawks.

So there's 4 weeks until we're playing week in week out.

 

[the harry]

Yeh, but we don't play that week.

There's NAB Cup GF
Derby
Rest of round 1
Round 2 v Hawks.

So there's 4 weeks until we're playing week in week out.

Oh right, sorry I thought he meant relative to other teams lol thanks.

 

[West Coast 06]

It's likely only Masten will be available round 1

True, but you said we were full strength which we weren't.

We will just have to wait a couple of weeks to see how much our training load has played a part in our performances.

 

[Spoken4]

bulldogs were closer to a vfl side than an AFL side, they played only one player with more than 50 afl games experience ffs, i hope freo are over confident as it will hurt them in 2 weeks

Perhaps listen to the Ross Lyon interview post game? Very clear that Bulldogs was a weak side and was not taking anything from the game than could or should not be reasonably taken.

 

[Chris_6678]

Perhaps listen to the Ross Lyon interview post game? Very clear that Bulldogs was a weak side and was not taking anything from the game than could or should not be reasonably taken.

Loved it how Lyon said he could have even got a kick out there.

 

[Jack_the_Ninja]

We play a game in two weeks then have a week of, I recall.

In effect we are almost 4 weeks short of the 'full season'. makes sense to be working very hard on the track now and not bothering to be sharp.

ziad hit the nail on the head with this one all Nay Sayers take heed of these wise words.

 

[tesseract]

Tesseract is getting himself all muddled up but I can't help but agree with him.

Some individuals consistently and arrogantly flaunt their bullshit and it rubs people the wrong.

Not muddled, just a different perspective that's perhaps misunderstood by others. I'm sure there's more than one way that my posts can come across as, hence it perhaps being seen as muddled by some.

 

[Big Tones]

ziad hit the nail on the head with this one all Nay Sayers take heed of these wise words.

4 weeks!?@!?
We play Freo in 12 days. It almost sounds as though a few guys are saying "let that one go and let's be ready for the Hawks". What a croc. We need hardened bodies to play Freo (always have) and hopefully take the 4 points. Apart from Pridda, there's been little sign of any of the other mids getting down and dirty - not in the nab and not at the 2 training sessions I've been to.
My concern is that Woosha has identified this and allows Kerry to play underdone. IMO they should have had Hutchy or Carter playing against Pies and Port to get them hardened up for Freo.

 

[Chris_6678]

4 weeks!?@!?
We play Freo in 12 days. It almost sounds as though a few guys are saying "let that one go and let's be ready for the Hawks". What a croc. We need hardened bodies to play Freo (always have) and hopefully take the 4 points. Apart from Pridda, there's been little sign of any of the other mids getting down and dirty - not in the nab and not at the 2 training sessions I've been to.
My concern is that Woosha has identified this and allows Kerry to play underdone. IMO they should have had Hutchy or Carter playing against Pies and Port to get them hardened up for Freo.

Maybe he has told his mids to make sure they don't get injured in the NAB cup and is confident they will do the hard stuff when the season starts.

 

[The Falcon Strike]

I'm not one to subscribe to the "we'll get it right in rd 1" caper.

Good, talented teams win by default - even when not trying. Losing to Port with our best available side is a worry for me.

The NAB cup isn't the definitive guide to the season-proper, but people ignoring that it is an indicator are in dream land. Sure Carlton won the NAB cup and also the spoon - that appears to be an outlier as opposed to the norm. Holding onto that argument is like saying running behind all your opponents hoping they fall over is a sure way to win Olympic gold.

I was happy with week one, comfortable with week two, but disappointed strongly in the weekend gone. We should be getting fine tuned, not making sloppy mistakes nor losing to a team like port late in the pre-season.

 

[LeCrassic]

Hi