No Preseason at all

[Bort Cummings]

I think our chickens have come home to roost because of a combination of tactical inflexibility, lack of accountability from senior players/weak selection committee and our terrible fitness and injury management. That all of these are self-inflicted makes this season even more infuriating, compared to 2001 or 2010, when we just didn’t have many good players - there’s still a lot of talent on this list.

Watching Melbourne last night, I thought that for all the wraps Kosi Pickett gets, imagine what Willie or Ryan could do in their set up, after a preseason with their S&C team? They’re both elite field kicks; Ryan can sit on ruckmen’s heads and dance around flankers, and Willie’s one-touch ability and goal sense is up there with the best in the league. Unfortunately, they’re not fit enough to apply sustained pressure or stay involved for a whole game.

Likewise, imagine if Nic was fit enough to play even 80% game time? Put him in that Melbourne side feeding Petracca, Oliver and Viney, and it’d be like the Grand Final center clearance goalfest, every single week. His body type means he’ll never run marathons, but there’s no reason even at his age that he couldn’t shed a few kilos and bump up his TOG - Beau Waters

Beau Waters

Age

38

Ht

188cm

Wt

88kg

Pos.

Def

Career

Season

Last 5

D

19.0

5star

K

11.3

4star

HB

7.6

5star

M

6.1

5star

T

2.7

4star

No current season stats available

D

9.6

3star

K

6.0

3star

HB

3.6

3star

M

2.6

3star

T

1.6

4star

started doing triathlons in his thirties if If I recall correctly. I accept injuries happen, and some are just bad luck, but it’s infuriating the amount of games we’ve missed from Shuey, Yeo, and now Allen.

All told, if we fixed these things, I think we’re a solid bottom half of the 8 team. The way the league works, we’re likely better off long term being garbage for a year. However, my fear is if we don’t start to make some hard calls to change things (game plan, strength and conditioning, back office stuff like not emailing NGAs and the Castore clusterf**k), we’ll embed a losing culture and end up as pre-Voss Carlton instead of pre-Woosha WCE.

 

[the harry]

I think our chickens have come home to roost because of a combination of tactical inflexibility, lack of accountability from senior players/weak selection committee and our terrible fitness and injury management. That all of these are self-inflicted make this season even more infuriating, compared to 2001 or 2010, when we just didn’t have many good players - there’s still a lot of talent on this list.

Watching Melbourne last night, I thought that for all the wraps Kosi Pickett gets, imagine what Willie or Ryan could do in their set up, after a preseason with their S&C team? They’re both elite field kicks; Ryan can sit on ruckmen’s heads and dance around flankers, and Willie’s one-touch ability and goal sense is up there with the best in the league. Unfortunately, they’re not fit enough to apply sustained pressure or stay involved for a whole game.

Likewise, imagine if Nic was fit enough to play even 80% game time? Put him in that Melbourne side feeding Petracca, Oliver and Viney, and it’d be like the Grand Final center clearance goalfest, every single week. His body type means he’ll never run marathons, but there’s no reason even at his age that he couldn’t shed a few kilos and bump up his TOG - Beau Waters started doing triathlons in his thirties if If I recall correctly. I accept injuries happen, and some are just bad luck, but it’s infuriating the amount of games we’ve missed from Shuey, Yeo, and now Allen.

All told, if we fixed these things, I think we’re a solid bottom half of the 8 team. The way the league works, we’re likely better off long term being garbage for a year. However, my fear is if we don’t start to make some hard calls to change things (game plan, strength and conditioning, back office stuff like not emailing NGAs and the Castore clusterf**k), we’ll embed a losing culture and end up as pre-Voss Carlton instead of pre-Woosha WCE.

I get your point, but Waters shouldn't be the example of longevity.

 

[KERRPOW]

The thread title reminds me of this simpsons scene.

 

[Coasters7]

So if our off field is so underfunded then why are other clubs doing ok?

Easier to pick up the cream of the crop staff when 85% of the teams in the comp are all within throwing distance of each other. We need to pay a premium just to get people to move across to Perth. Yet another oversight from the AFL. The soft cap levels the competition out in terms of rich v poor, but it completely disregards any other unbalanced or unequal components of the game. Hence why our staff is full of Simmos mates and former players, they’re cheaper and easier to convince. Knights and Schofield was the first time we were actually able to add something a bit different, although Schofield would have been easier to get hold of being a West Aussie

 

[southcoast]

The only people who would be willing to accept the pay our current S & C and medical staff are would be first years out of university. That is how badly they are being underpaid and overworked. The ones left are literally there out of love for the club.

The other thing it seems to have shown is that when you combine travel with any other major squad issue it = complete uncompetitiveness.

Does this comment link with ECU sponsorship?

 

[RookiePick]