Neil Craig

[forcey33]

Make him assistant coach, or co-coach. He makes stupid moves. I love the guy and what he has done (except for the finals).

But he will not take us to a premiership. I pray to god he proves me wrong

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I hear you. He's a great fitness and sports science guru, good at setting up leadership structures etc, but not a good game day coach. He knows the game, but has no creativity in the box. Maybe we're just spoiled after Blighty (Ellen in 97, Ormond-Allen in the ruck etc), but to stick with K-Mass for the whole game was just ridiculous and would have shattered K-Mass. You could see he wanted to be moved off him. He was aware of how overmatched he was.

I can't believe how many people were blinded about how he went on him last time. We dominated the game, hurt the supply and the ball rarely came down to Buddy. Kris didn't have to do much! We could have tried Bock, McGregor, Stevens, double teaming him........

Someone also needs to address his treatment of Mattner and Jericho. It's obvious he doesn't like Marty's discipline, yet brings him in and out of the team when obviously much hasn't changed. He loves Jericho's athleticism, but hates his defensive work. Make a call. He needs to decide what to do with a few other irregulars too, most notably Doughty and Perrie.

 

[bighawk1961]

I LOVE September

 

[Crow Envy]

I LOVE September

Why? Your team has only played finals twice this decade.

Oh thats right, you exist to give crap to the Crows. I cant see any of your posts on the Hawks board, why not?

 

[Kane McGoodwin]

Why? Your team has only played finals twice this decade.

Oh thats right, you exist to give crap to the Crows. I cant see any of your posts on the Hawks board, why not?

But which team does he follow?

 

[King Elvis]

No love for my post involving Jim Collins?

I thought it was a fantastic contribution.

 

[Kane McGoodwin]

The problem I have with this logic is that there isn't actually a script that the players follow.

How do we know Buddy would've booted those last three goals if a change was made?

Who knows, Bock or Stevens might've absolutely wrapped him up. There are no guarantees in footy, but this was far from an undersized Bassett on Alistair Lynch situation where there was literally no other option.

There were two topline key defenders and another very good one who could've, should've been moved. To leave an undersized, slow flanker on Buddy when it was clear Massie was getting outgunned was tantamount to suicide, however.

Good post.

What did we have to lose by changing the Franklin matchup that was obvious to nearly all outside the AFC coaching box wasn't working? Absolutley nothing - we couldn't be any worse off!

Sometimes matchups don't work. No drama there. But to not do anything about it is plain stupid. It's not like we didn't have options.

Hmm, fustrating watching Massie get burnt.

 

[King Elvis]

Under our player empowerment ethos I would've loved to have seen one of the players make the move, if the coaches wouldn't.

 

[Crow Envy]

Good post.

What did we have to lose by changing the Franklin matchup that was obvious to nearly all outside the AFC coaching box wasn't working? Absolutley nothing - we couldn't be any worse off!

Sometimes matchups don't work. No drama there. But to not do anything about it is plain stupid. It's not like we didn't have options.

Hmm, fustrating watching Massie get burnt.

Exactly, it would have been closer to 10 goals if Buddy didnt suffer from nerves and drop a couple early on.

There is absolutely no way to defend his decision. What if the Stevens move didnt work and Buddy kicked 8? Well we would have lost anyway. What if it worked and Buddy kicked 6? Well we would be playing a demoralised Kangaroos this week.

There has to be some form of consequence to this decision. He or someone from the club has to come out and acknowledge it was a stupid mistake. Ayres got sacked for being stubborn, whats Craigs punishment? Bring in Blight as the match day coach!

 

[macca23]

I LOVE September

You mean you love it when we lose in September, Rooch.

Don't be too arrogant, Michelangelo. Your pain will be even greater when Port get so close but don't quite make it.

 

[Crow-mo]

For Craig, it is only the latter.

We know he is unlikely to make many positional changes on match days. He has chosen to go down this path. He has demonstrated time and again that he prefers to maintain his faith and our structure rather than to throw things around. This makes it doubly important that he gets the match-ups right in the first place. Our win/loss percentage over the last three season would indicate that NC gets it right more often than most coaches but on Saturday he got it very, very wrong.

If you want a more flexible coach, someone who is quicker to react and is renowned as a skilled match-day tactician that's fine, but essentially it means you are asking for a different coach and a completely different philosophy.

It seems that people want "Neil Craig As He Is + Some Moves" which just does not add up. The way he coaches on match day is consistent with, and the end-product of, his football philosophy and planning.

but what you're advocating is more akin to a video game or computer simulation that professional sports in a real, life environment.

what you're saying is we pre-program the settings and parameters, and then run the simulation finding out how we go. I'd like to think in reality, we can expect a response during the game.

 

[Crow-mo]

No love for my post involving Jim Collins?

I thought it was a fantastic contribution.

if you'd read Jim Collins properly you'd refer to his leadership style

 

[rufus_afc]

I LOVE September

Mr Rucci you are just a hater of the Team for all south australians, now go away and watch your niche club choke in their home prelim.

 

[Markthirtytwo]

I bet there is not one other coach in the AFL that would have left Massie on Franklin. But Craig is still trying to justify his decision. Best way to describe that is STUPID, STUBBORN and ARROGANT.

He did justify it because apparently Massie hadn't leant anything after having 6 kicked on him so he had to leave him there.

 

[Markthirtytwo]

But which team does he follow?

The Porkers.

 

[Markthirtytwo]

Neil should follow his own philosophy, by doing things different you learn something.

 

[noddy]

He did justify it because apparently Massie hadn't leant anything after having 6 kicked on him so he had to leave him there.

I would have thought our spare man in defence would have been blocking Franklins run into space.

No fault of Massies as he just couldn't go with him & he did do well when the ball hit the ground.

I just could not pick one of our players who i thought could negate Franklin especially when he is on song, the guy is surely the next superstar of the AFL.

As much as both Franklin & Crawford hurt us it was those few real hard ball gets by Hodges in the last quarter which said it all for me, inspiring stuff by another great hawk star of the future.

 

[Cap]

I would have thought our spare man in defence would have been blocking Franklins run into space.

No fault of Massies as he just couldn't go with him & he did do well when the ball hit the ground.

I just could not pick one of our players who i thought could negate Franklin especially when he is on song, the guy is surely the next superstar of the AFL.

As much as both Franklin & Crawford hurt us it was those few real hard ball gets by Hodges in the last quarter which said it all for me, inspiring stuff by another great hawk star of the future.

yeah what was with that, how do you get so much room for a lead with 35 seconds on the board.

 

[Stiffy_18]

As much as both Franklin & Crawford hurt us it was those few real hard ball gets by Hodges in the last quarter which said it all for me, inspiring stuff by another great hawk star of the future.

Isn't he a bloody champ?!

I made a comment somewhere on this board that for me he was the BOG. Came off with a bad knee, strapped it up, could hardly bend the leg yet put in one of the most inspirational performances I have seen since Roo's game against Carlton a while back. If he is not the next Hawks captain then they know absolutely nothing about football. What a superstar.

 

[NikkiNoo]

Somebody, somewhere on this thread (or another)... made the comment that Buddy Franklin won the majority of his possessions for goal on the lead and that it probably wouldn't have made a difference who was on him. We didn't seem to try that spare man in defence (like we did with J Brown) to cut the ball off before it got to him. Or did we and it didn't work? Would Mattner have made a difference in defence yesterday? So many what if's and could have beens... Craigy did a magnificent job even getting us to the finals this year despite some incredibly bad luck and shocking injuries. He definitely has a weakness come match day... and I know he is a real soul searcher, so you can bet he will do plenty of self-analysis over the break.

Stevens came over and so did Rutten but the delivery from the midfield into the Hawthorn forwards was superb. Johncock and McLeod were not able to come across and help like they normally do as well as they were being very well held (literally!) by the Hawthorn forwards. Bateman's tactics were disgusting but even more disgusting was that the umps were looking at it and doing nothing about it... The less said about Vanderberg and his off the ball incidents the better

Stevens was on Franklin at one stage in the last quarter and was well beaten.

 

[King Elvis]

if you'd read Jim Collins properly you'd refer to his leadership style

How so?

Craigy is more than likely a Level 5 leader, but his leadership isn't a problem.

I've read G2G and B2L numerous times, and implemented most of the theories in them - I've read them properly, but I didn't bring things up which I didn't think were relevant.

How would you evaluate Craig's leadership style then, as a point of interest?

 

[jackster83]

If Bassett had been fit to play then we wouldn't be having this depressing conversation. IMHO him getting injured was the killer blow to our season as he is the linchpin in our defence. He would have filled the hole in defence and blocked Franklin's leads.

It didn't help that Mcleod had one of his quietest ever games for the club (12 disposals = not good).

 

[relapse]

If Bassett had been fit to play then we wouldn't be having this depressing conversation. IMHO him getting injured was the killer blow to our season as he is the linchpin in our defence. He would have filled the hole in defence and blocked Franklin's leads.

It didn't help that Mcleod had one of his quietest ever games for the club (12 disposals = not good).

Macca is now getting tagged at half back and has been for the last few weeks now.

 

[Crow-mo]

Isn't he a bloody champ?!

I made a comment somewhere on this board that for me he was the BOG. Came off with a bad knee, strapped it up, could hardly bend the leg yet put in one of the most inspirational performances I have seen since Roo's game against Carlton a while back. If he is not the next Hawks captain then they know absolutely nothing about football. What a superstar.

he'll be the best player in the comp in 2 or 3 seasons. if not less.

part buckley, part roo - this blokes has guts, skill, and longevity.

 

[Crow-mo]

How so?

Craigy is more than likely a Level 5 leader, but his leadership isn't a problem.

I've read G2G and B2L numerous times, and implemented most of the theories in them - I've read them properly, but I didn't bring things up which I didn't think were relevant.

How would you evaluate Craig's leadership style then, as a point of interest?

1. he's nothing like level 5
2. no you haven't
3. he empowers the players, but everyone else in the coaches box is a mute?
Jonas is a matchday tactician for example, but no moves are made? that's because he's still holding the reins, whilst others watch on.

he obviously does not delegate and empower to those between him and the players. Level 5 leaders, amongst other things, delegate at EVERY level of the organisation, not just those levels that suit. craigy patently picks and chooses.

 

[jenny61_99]

1. he's nothing like level 5
2. no you haven't
3. he empowers the players, but everyone else in the coaches box is a mute?
Jonas is a matchday tactician for example, but no moves are made? that's because he's still holding the reins, whilst others watch on.

he obviously does not delegate and empower to those between him and the players. Level 5 leaders, amongst other things, delegate at EVERY level of the organisation, not just those levels that suit. craigy patently picks and chooses.

How do you know what he does in the box??