our game plan s*ucks

[lacrow]

OK, just watched the replay of the St. Kilda game and here are my thoughts:

#1. We will NEVER win the flag with a gameplan that goes out wide to the wings and ends up in the pockets. IMHO, this is why we need a new coach. Gameplay is dictated by the coach and this plan is terrible. This game was like a training drill with St. Kilda showing the Crows the way you are supposed to move the ball down the corridor to the forwards IN FRONT of goals.

#2. Ben Rutten should be our new full forward, period. He's now kicked what, 5 goals from 6 touches? What more evidence do we need? I personally don't care if he's not that fast. In fact, I don't think he needs to be super fast really. The Crows should be training him to plant himself in the goal square and outmuscle his opponent to take a grab. At least that way we'd actually have somebody around the football when we kick towards goal, unlike the present situation.

#3. Hentschell, after looking like such a p*ssy last year actually looked really good. He had a couple of bad kicks, but hey, otherwise he did pretty well on Gehrig (at least my foggy memory tells me it was Gehrig).

#4. Gallagher also looked very good. Hopefully he's found a role this year.

#5. Skipworth had a good game also. His 2 goals were good stuff. I really hope he'll turn out to be a big surprise this year. Where was Schuback, BTW? Didn't see him all game.

#6. Can whoever is in charge of selecting commentators for the game PLEASE FIND SOMEBODY WHO ACTUALLY KNOWS WHO THE CROWS PLAYERS ARE!?! Lost track of the thousands of times a new Crow would grab the ball only to be announced as "Crows kick out to Carey..." or "Crows with the ball..." Yet when it was a St. Kilda player the guys seemed to know everybody's names. Also, note to Robert Walls: the man's name is SIMON Goodwin, not ANDY.

All in all, this was a pathetic showing. I'll be really relieved if I hear that the Crows are not taking this Wiz cup thing seriously due to the detrimental effect it had on them last year and thus Ayres used this game only for experimentation. Wait a minute, did I just mention Ayres and experimentation in the same sentence?

Thoughts?

 

[Damp Squarie]

#1
Did we get forced wide? I wasnt at the game but if Ive got the ball and there are no options in the middle or no one running to create an overlap Ill go wide if a Crow player is on.

Maybe the gameplan is there and aint being followed.

#2
Perrie needs to be a FF IMHO coz hes no good up the ground.
Cast your mind back to last year when he led at breakneck pace from the square with telling effect. Rutten will get his chance elsewhere.

# 3
I agree but he needs to play in front more as a defender.

# 4
Agreed, I thought he was our best player and one of too few that showed his desperation for HIS spot in the side in the weeks to come.

# 5
Schuback wasnt picked (strange) and yes Skippy done enough to suggest he will make it this year.

#6

Walls is a mute.
The sad thing about it la;(well I reckon); is that we were going all out to win. Dont let anybody tell you different- 'specially Stiffy.

 

[lacrow]

Topjars,

Maybe I just don't know enough about Aussie football, but it seems as though the players just aren't presenting at all in the middle of the ground.

I was watching specifically for this and it looked to my untrained eye that there was absolutely no one presenting in the center square (when coming from defence) and no one presenting themselves at the half-forward line (near the top of the 50-meter arc). St. Kilda, on the other hand, had most of their players in and around these 2 areas when moving the ball down the ground.

Am I wrong about all of this?

Also, I noticed that our crumbers always seemed out of place when the ball would come into a forward. St. Kilda's guys seemed to position themselves always at the front and back of the contest and thereby grab crumbs whereas our guys just don't look like the do as good a job at positioning themselves. Thoughts on this?

 

[DaveW]

Originally posted by lacrow
Am I wrong about all of this?

No. As usual, you've hit the nail on the head and there's really not a lot we can add other than our mutual annoyance.

 

[macca23]

Originally posted by lacrow

I was watching specifically for this and it looked to my untrained eye that there was absolutely no one presenting in the center square (when coming from defence) and no one presenting themselves at the half-forward line (near the top of the 50-meter arc). St. Kilda, on the other hand, had most of their players in and around these 2 areas when moving the ball down the ground.

Am I wrong about all of this?

You're right about this, of course.

Our problem is a very simple one of gross stupidity. We start in the center along the spine and lead out rather than start out and lead in.

St Kilda weren't already positioned in these spots. They all lead their man out making a large hole, which either they led back into or more often than not the on-ballers ran back unchecked into the space.

It's not rocket science.

Can someone please draw Ayres a diagram??

 

[Damp Squarie]

Perhaps we need a Pagans Paddock in the Middle

 

[crowsfan]

Originally posted by lacrow
OK, just watched the replay of the St. Kilda game and here are my thoughts:

#1. We will NEVER win the flag with a gameplan that goes out wide to the wings and ends up in the pockets. IMHO, this is why we need a new coach. Gameplay is dictated by the coach and this plan is terrible. This game was like a training drill with St. Kilda showing the Crows the way you are supposed to move the ball down the corridor to the forwards IN FRONT of goals.

I have to agree with you here mate. I don't know why we persist with going wide into the pockets all the freaking time, since its obvious it does not work enough times.

It's not like you have to be a super footy coach to know that if Plan A (i.e. going wide and into pockets) repeatedly fails a good majority of the time, then Plan A doesn't work and you should use plans unlike Plan A (i.e. don't go wide and don't into pockets).

It's frustrating as hell.

 

[Crow-mosone]

It's a trial game, let's not throw the baby out with the bath water just yet.

 

[conVINCEd]

I am growing very, very tiresome of Ayres and his inability to implement a successful game plan, and to make changes during games.

I'll never forget the final against Brisbane last year. I was at the game and we were in front nearing the end of the last quarter when Voss came on. No Crows player went near him as he stolled into the centre square. He had an immediate impact and no had no opponent, let alone tagger, for the whole time he was on the field. He undoubtably had a major contribution to Brisbane winning the game. In the press conference when asked about Voss, Aryes said, "He didn't hurt us"

As much as I hoped to be proved wrong, Ayres simply lacks the tactical "nous" to put in practice a simple game plan - kick it down the ******* middle, and have crumbers waiting at the FRONT of packs. Perrie needs to be CHF, with Welsh at FF and Carey the third option. As someone else said (sorry, can't remember who) Carey is supposed to be the icing on the cake - not the cake. If Welsh can stay fit we are in business.

Come on down Garry O'Donnell. We will need to begin a rebuilding phase next year. IMO we need a young, fresh coach similar to Paul Roos. IMO that man is O'Donnell.

 

[ok.crows]

lacrow:

our game plan s*ucks

Yep.

If that was our game plan that we saw last Sunday, it sucks.

Well & truly.

 

[Kane McGoodwin]

Originally posted by ok.crows
lacrow:

Yep.

If that was our game plan that we saw last Sunday, it sucks.

Well & truly.

Would have thought it was more to so with the fact the players were not switched on & played crap footy, rather than the game plan. Time will tell, but I'm not too concerned ... yet.

 

[Jars458]

Originally posted by Kane McGoodwin
Would have thought it was more to so with the fact the players were not switched on & played crap footy, rather than the game plan. Time will tell, but I'm not too concerned ... yet.

Agree.

As we saw last year playing brilliant football in the Wiz cup Final against Collingwood at the Dome did us no good when we playd them there in the real season for a very important game

For the same reason the Saints game whilst worrying can be put to one side for the moment

Round 1 is our only concern at the minute.

 

[tinman]

Originally posted by Jars458
Agree.

As we saw last year playing brilliant football in the Wiz cup Final against Collingwood at the Dome did us no good when we playd them there in the real season for a very important game

For the same reason the Saints game whilst worrying can be put to one side for the moment

Round 1 is our only concern at the minute.

The two losses to Collingwood really cost us in the final analysis. The game at the dome was backed up straight from WC at Subi, and statistically at least, was a tough ask.
I don't think anyone won off the back of a trip to Perth, and they weren't another road trip.
The game at AAMI was a disgrace and we were outcoached completely. That was the Mattner on Woewodin game that Collingwood stole.........