One take midfield

[bigman]

If one thing came out of the day is that we
Need to completely recast the midfield
In the next year we need to get first round picks who have a clean take. Atkins Brad crouch Seedsman Jones are all plYers who never take the ball first time. There was always a slight bubble whe they take the aggat. I don’t know what’s happened
to Brad but his ball handling is now very poor under any type of pressure. We also need to get a good young Ruck and an experienced Ruck for next year to
Play whilst the youngster develops. Tithorpe or smith both SA boys.
I would be putting in shoenberg to play as
much footie as he can as he is a one grab player. He would not do worse than some of his more experienced mares
Today

 

[bigman]

If one thing came out of the day is that we
Need to completely recast the midfield
In the next year we need to get first round picks who have a clean take. Atkins Brad crouch Seedsman Jones are all plYers who never take the ball first time. There was always a slight bubble whe they take the aggat. I don’t know what’s happened
to Brad but his ball handling is now very poor under any type of pressure. We also need to get a good young Ruck and an experienced Ruck for next year to
Play whilst the youngster develops. Tithorpe or smith both SA boys.
I would be putting in shoenberg to play as
much footie as he can as he is a one grab player. He would not do worse than some of his more experienced mares
Today

Need to try and get some X factor too. Ben Holland’s would be a good get. So would young Durdin. Holland’s despite acl is the type of player we need Energy giver

 

[weneverland]

I think a lot of our players looked rusty. I expect a better showing next time.

 

[Southerntakeover]

I think a lot of our players looked rusty. I expect a better showing next time.

Entering our third year of rust, will clear very soon am sure.

 

[MelbourneCrow]

Couldn't agree more. Every time the ball hit the deck from a bounce or ball up Sydney won it. ROB and Sloane were pretty good but the rest of the midfield were shocking. Hard to blame the back line for this loss when the ball is coming down there so often. Same with the forwards trying to make what they can from shocking service.

 

[Kane McGoodwin]

I think a lot of our players looked rusty. I expect a better showing next time.

Hopefully next preseason we might work on our kicking skills & pressure acts...

 

[Sack Chapman]

Entering our third year of rust, will clear very soon am sure.

3rd decade

 

[StonesThrow]

Agree on Brad Crouch. I remember him being really clean when he first got here.

Laird is one that used to be really clean as well.

 

[Redline]

Agree on Brad Crouch. I remember him being really clean when he first got here.

Laird is one that used to be really clean as well.

Someone will produce a stat to prove me wrong but Laird feels like a bit of a nothing player at the moment. He is not terrible but he should be so much more damaging.

 

[cleanhands]

Someone will produce a stat to prove me wrong but Laird feels like a bit of a nothing player at the moment. He is not terrible but he should be so much more damaging.

Trust what you see

 

[triggyscrewedus]

I think a lot of our players looked rusty. I expect a better showing next time.

Yeah mate they've been rusting onto the locker room bench since half time of the 2017 gf

 

[douglyzia]

I don't see a future in our midfield at the moment, unfortunately.

The Crouch brothers just lack polish. Sloane is going to play a lone hand for a couple of years, maybe with some help from Smith every now and then. After that, we're screwed.

 

[Drugs Are Bad Mackay?]

Someone will produce a stat to prove me wrong but Laird feels like a bit of a nothing player at the moment. He is not terrible but he should be so much more damaging.

He kicks the ball upwards

The bail out high kick that other teams only use when everything has gone wrong, there is no viable option to hand off to, no time to use any discretion, forced into it only by the opposition's frenetic pressure - the emergency, last resort, only-use-when-you-absolutely-have-to option...

Is his one wood

 

[Brett Cummings]

need a coach who can make some tough calls. both crouch bros in the middle is not working. change it. pick the crouch in better form. whichever one is dropped will be annoyed but who gives a sh!t. its either change or get flogged in the middle every week.

the worse thing that can happen with this scenario? both crouch bros end up leaving. would that even be a bad thing? imo, no. neither are elite.

 

[Golumless]

Yeah, it's going to be a while until that midfield is fixed. Really are waiting on Jones clicking, Shoenberg getting into the lineup and Milera/Smith both finding their feet as midfielders before we really start to improve.

That said lets not discount fitness does play a role in execution, and I am damn certain we screwed the pooch here in the past couple.

 

[SellarStardom]

Put the Crouch brothers on the wing and move Sloane, Smith and others in there

 

[lunacy]

Put the Crouch brothers on the wing and move Sloane, Smith and others in there

They have been doing that.

 

[StonesThrow]

I wouldn't put Matt crouch in this group. He's clean and reliable by foot. Just slow

 

[WeeBlake]

Matt Crouch was the last midfielder we drafted who has turned out good. That was six drafts ago.

 

[Concussion test]

He kicks the ball upwards

The bail out high kick that other teams only use when everything has gone wrong, there is no viable option to hand off to, no time to use any discretion, forced into it only by the opposition's frenetic pressure - the emergency, last resort, only-use-when-you-absolutely-have-to option...

Is his one wood

Yes Laird still finds the ball OK, but his disposal by hand and foot has really dropped off the last few years. It looks like it's got him psyched out now, so he panics and rushes everything. If it could be fixed he'd return to the the elite player we all remember.

One of the short passes he attempted to centre into our forward line in last quarter was diabolical. He tried to kick it while stationary and we saw the return of the "drop kick", albeit off the side of his boot. He wasn't kicking over anyone and should have stepped towards his target as he kicked, but just rushed it.

 

[Coopers]

If one thing came out of the day is that we
Need to completely recast the midfield
In the next year we need to get first round picks who have a clean take. Atkins Brad crouch Seedsman Jones are all plYers who never take the ball first time. There was always a slight bubble whe they take the aggat. I don’t know what’s happened
to Brad but his ball handling is now very poor under any type of pressure. We also need to get a good young Ruck and an experienced Ruck for next year to
Play whilst the youngster develops. Tithorpe or smith both SA boys.
I would be putting in shoenberg to play as
much footie as he can as he is a one grab player. He would not do worse than some of his more experienced mares
Today

While it obviously would help, I just want to see us break even in the center clearances, and clearances in general.
How the hell brouch, mrouch, smith, sloane and the others that rotated through there could lose the clearance, time and time and time again is beyond me.

Just shitful.

Second to it every time, except for the 10% we're first to it, and give it up. Then there's a free swans player 5m in the clear just a short handball away. What the hell are we even trying to do?

 

[Mutineer]

While it obviously would help, I just want to see us break even in the center clearances, and clearances in general.
How the hell brouch, mrouch, smith, sloane and the others that rotated through there could lose the clearance, time and time and time again is beyond me.

Just shitful.

Second to it every time, except for the 10% we're first to it, and give it up. Then there's a free swans player 5m in the clear just a short handball away. What the hell are we even trying to do?

Might have helped somewhat if ROB stopped putting it down the throat of the Sydney Swans midfielders.....Go watch the replay, our mids were poor in compensating for ROB's poor tap work but it really was absolutely diabolical. Not much different to his pre-season form actually....and to get pantsed by a B grader like Naismith doesn't augur well for us going forward unless ROB can recapture something like his 2019 form and pronto.

 

[StonesThrow]

Might have helped somewhat if ROB stopped putting it down the throat of the Sydney Swans midfielders.....Go watch the replay, our mids were poor in compensating for ROB's poor tap work but it really was absolutely diabolical. Not much different to his pre-season form actually....and to get pantsed by a B grader like Naismith doesn't augur well for us going forward unless ROB can recapture something like his 2019 form and pronto.

Most ruck duels just end up in a 50/50 ball after it comes down (I've always thought this) . Unless we're talking Grundy or Nic Nat. I'll have to watch the replay again but I don't remember too many effective taps from either ruckman. Around the ground is where rucks can influence and ROB was decent imo

 

[Mr_Moogle]

I noticed both ROB and Frampton hit it straight to Sydney players. Couldn't say how often it happened.

 

[Thetrader15]

I noticed both ROB and Frampton hit it straight to Sydney players. Couldn't say how often it happened.

Very