Our List has major gaps

[mac25]

I believe over the last 6 to 8 weeks has confirmed that we are significantly further away from challenging for top 4 than most of us
had expected.

We may have got under the guard of some teams early in the season with
the small forward set up but this was only ever likely to be a short term success with teams now completely shutting this down.

The major points that have been highlighted in this period are the following.
1. We have too many players in our team with below average skills both by hand and foot, e.g Armfield, Carrazzo,Joseph, Walker & others.

2. Our attack is second rate, anyone that thinks we can challenge with this attack is seriously dreaming, there is no one with any presence at all, O,Alphin has been a complete liability since very early in the season, Hampson is no forward at all, Henderson has a future but right now is a 3rd option, Waite is not the answer he should be back at CHB, were he clearly played his best footy by a long way.

3. The lack of intensity and real attuidue has been in decline in games also, tonight early the start was okay but our attack has been so ordinary, aside from Betts for a significant period, maybe Betts was due for a night off and it just showed the lack of viable options aside from him.

The season has reached the point that if we do make the eight we are merely making up the numbers rather than giving geninue hope of being competitive, our season has been in decline for a significant period prior to tonight.

l am personally not a huge wrap for Brad Fisher but surely right now he at least provides a lead up forward option, Hampson & O,Alphin offer us nothing as forward options.

What are people's thoughts, more so looking ahead as to how we can improve our list as clearly we are a significant way off the best 6 to 7 teams.

 

[HeziBarecket]

I believe over the last 6 to 8 weeks has confirmed that we are significantly further away from challenging for top 4 than most of us
had expected.

We may have got under the guard of some teams early in the season with
the small forward set up but this was only ever likely to be a short term success with teams now completely shutting this down.

The major points that have been highlighted in this period are the following.
1. We have too many players in our team with below average skills both by hand and foot, e.g Armfield, Carrazzo,Joseph, Walker & others.

2. Our attack is second rate, anyone that thinks we can challenge with this attack is seriously dreaming, there is no one with any presence at all, O,Alphin has been a complete liability since very early in the season, Hampson is no forward at all, Henderson has a future but right now is a 3rd option, Waite is not the answer he should be back at CHB, were he clearly played his best footy by a long way.

3. The lack of intensity and real attuidue has been in decline in games also, tonight early the start was okay but our attack has been so ordinary, aside from Betts for a significant period, maybe Betts was due for a night off and it just showed the lack of viable options aside from him.

The season has reached the point that if we do make the eight we are merely making up the numbers rather than giving geninue hope of being competitive, our season has been in decline for a significant period prior to tonight.

What are people's thoughts, more so looking ahead as to how we can improve our list as clearly we are a significant way off the best 6 to 7 teams.

Yeah you could say our list is as charming as Catherine Denevey's smile.

 

[Dramoth]

I believe over the last 6 to 8 weeks has confirmed that we are significantly further away from challenging for top 4 than most of us
has expected.

We may have got under the guard of some teams early in the season with
the small forward set up but this was only ever likely to be a short term success with teams now completely shutting this down.

The major points that have been highlighted in this period are the following.
1. We have too many players in our team with below average skills both by hand and foot, e.g Armfield, Carrazzo,Joseph, Walker & others.

2. Our attack is second rate, anyone that thinks we can challenge with this attack is seriously dreaming, there is one with any presence at all, O,Alphin has been a complete liability since very early in the season, Hampson is no forward at all, Henderson has a future but right now is a 3rd option, Waite is not the answer he should be back at CHB, were he clearly played his best footy by a long way.

3. The lack of intensity and real attuidue has been in decline in games also, tonight early the start was okay but our attack has been so ordinary, aside from Betts for a significant period, maybe Betts was due for a night off and it just showed the lack of viable options aside from him.

The season has reached the point that if we do make the eight we are merely making up the numbers rather than giving geninue hope of being competitive, our season has been in decline for a significant period prior to tonight.

What are people's thoughts, more so looking ahead as to how we can improve our list as clearly we are a significant way off the best 6 to 7 teams.

Some people take too much out of a loss tbh.

Army and Walker both have good delivery skills but they rush things too much and it makes their skills look ordinary. Carrots and the other few do have serious delivery issues. However it isnt through the fault of the current coach that they do.

Our attack is actually a temporary thing if you would like to remember. Setanta was supposed to be a CHF playing the foil to Fevola and was doing a good job until people started commenting on it and Fevola smashed him in the Freo match last year. This year, he has become our key focal point with the little helpers around him. Unfortunatly he has gone off the boil a bit and a spell in the Ants might help him turn that one around.

Our intensity is always an issue. We have a good win one week, then we seem to switch off the following week and we get hammered. I honestly dont know what we can do to get the boys firing each and every week... is it a coaching issue? is it a psych issue?

Our season isnt over until we get knocked out of the finals race completely. This could mean we get knocked out in the first week, or it could mean that we dont make the 8 at all. Considering that we have been performing well above our current level all season, a lot of us were of the opinion that making the top 8 was going to be a bonus but there were a few for who winning a grand final this year was a must or the year is a complete failure... well not winning a grand final as such but you get the idea.

We went into this season with a patched together forward line structure. In some matches it has worked great, in others it hasn't.

We lost a match today against a top 4 club and people are crying in their milk over it. We are still a distance away from being a top 4 club and being genuine contenders.

 

[gbatman]

We are lacking forward line structure and decent tall forwards. ALL our forwards were in the wrong places today, no one was making space, the talls where never in the right position and our outside players were sucked in to close to the play.

We lacked at least one quality tall forward and the smarts and expierence to position correctly. Perhaps poor forward line coaching.

Setanta O'hAilpin and Sean Hampson are dead set useless. Both can't catch or mark the ball in their hands and Hampson's kicking and decision making is shithouse when he gets those rare kicks. Lets stick with Waite and Henderson up forward and hope to god that Donaldson and/or Casboult turn out. If worse comes to worse then as much as I hate to say it I think we need to bring in Fisher.

 

[Stig O'Hara]

Nope, it 'aint the list.


...and i will bite my lip, kids.

 

[Bell Ringer]

Army and Walker both have good delivery skills but they rush things too much and it makes their skills look ordinary.

If their skills look ordinary it's because they are ordinary, no need to sugar-coat crap kicking.

It's the AFL - if you can't rush your disposal and still hit a target then tootle-loo.

 

[Big Red is back]

We are lacking forward line structure and decent tall forwards. ALL our forwards were in the wrong places today, no one was making space, the talls where never in the right position and our outside players were sucked in to close to the play.

We lacked at least one quality tall forward and the smarts and expierence to position correctly. Perhaps poor forward line coaching.

Setanta O'hAilpin and Sean Hampson are dead set useless. Both can't catch or mark the ball in their hands and Hampson's kicking and decision making is shithouse when he gets those rare kicks. Lets stick with Waite and Henderson up forward and hope to god that Donaldson and/or Casboult turn out. If worse comes to worse then as much as I hate to say it I think we need to bring in Fisher.

Give this man a prize

 

[Silvagnis]

We are lacking forward line structure and decent tall forwards. ALL our forwards were in the wrong places today, no one was making space, the talls where never in the right position and our outside players were sucked in to close to the play.

We lacked at least one quality tall forward and the smarts and expierence to position correctly. Perhaps poor forward line coaching.

Setanta O'hAilpin and Sean Hampson are dead set useless. Both can't catch or mark the ball in their hands and Hampson's kicking and decision making is shithouse when he gets those rare kicks. Lets stick with Waite and Henderson up forward and hope to god that Donaldson and/or Casboult turn out. If worse comes to worse then as much as I hate to say it I think we need to bring in Fisher.

You're wrong on Hampson.

Back the opinion of a good judge over your typical knee jerk rants.

 

[incog43]

Nope, it 'aint the list.


...and i will bite my lip, kids.

At 1/4 time the the cameras went to our huddle, I THINK it was Ratts addressing the player, his(?) back was to the camera's. I swear Hoops and robo looked at each other and started to laugh, all of a sudden, Hoops was doing up his laces and Robbo has his finger in his mouth...Im pretty sure it was 1/4....it tells me a lot.

 

[Robbo's my hero]

I think the list can be improved but what club wouldn't like a stronger playing list.

The team needs changes now to improve our inside game - Walker, Carrazzo into centre bounces and stoppages, another player willing to sacrifice his game to take an opposition player out of the game. Give Robinson a go at this task. Waite will improve the forward line. Setanta should not have played today or last week. We need a contested mark inside the fifty and Fisher deserves a chance. Hampson needs to be replaced by Warnock. Jacobs and Warnock can then sit out rest time on the bench. One of the small forwards needs to develop into a midfielder as three is too many when things go bad. I think Yarran should be given this opportunity. The backline has been good but Bower's injuries have ruined his year. Once he's up and firing Thornton should be replaced. Simon White has impressed me this year. Gibbs must play in defence and direct the traffic. Murphy must get ahead of the ball and kick more goals. Judd needs to operate in space to get the best results. We appear soft at the moment. We need to harden up and play with more passion. Scotland and Houlihan need to join Thornton. Lucas is a likely replacement and should be developed for the future. I think we'll fall into the finals this year. The changes made now need to be about next season.

One last ingredent will go a long way towards fixing our situation. When I looked at the draw I knew this period would be difficult. Six games at Docklands would kill most teams. Next week is the end of the sequence but the damage is done. We need to make the MCG our home venue.

 

[The Big Sticks]

One last ingredent will go a long way towards fixing our situation. When I looked at the draw I knew this period would be difficult. Six games at Docklands would kill most teams. Next week is the end of the sequence but the damage is done. We need to make the MCG our home venue.

Etihad Stadium is starting to worry me. What was the point of putting a massive strip of turf right down the middle of the ground? It has just made it worse and even harder for the players to keep their feet

 

[The Coach]

I had no idea the Doggies were that skillfull - their kicking to a team-mate was unbelievable. If we endeavoured to shut them down - it did not work and might require a bit more prac but I would rather spend the time on honing our kicking to match what they produced tonight

 

[blueblooded]

Fair call but when the coaches box is reactive the list is only part of the problem. Why the hell do you need to throw Lachie Henderson down back as a third man when he is the only player that presented well and looked like taking a mark?? That move only left Lake or Morris as their third man and that is a negative for us.

Setanta must be dropped absolute liability out there at the moment he's giving us nothing, not presenting hard, not sure of himself he needs a spell.

Henderson must be played in the forward line at all times, simple. Ratts has no idea how to counter sides shutting down our space around half forward. Since the Hawthorn game teams have worked out how to play us, crowd our half forward line between the centre and 40-50 metres from goal giving the small forwards little to no space to work there magic, work us over and move the ball with ease on the counter into the ample space "out the back" that sides are creating for themselves by zoning into the area i'm speaking about. Simple tactic but its working more often than not against because we're either moving the ball too slowly or bombing it to contests with the numbers totally against us. Plus Setanta is not giving us a yelp, he's not even getting to the contest to create a spillage. Henderson has been the only one giving us something but Ratts uses him as a loose man in defence when it goes bellyup!

Its as much a coaching thing as it is a personal thing. We're good enough to beat anybody on our day but performances like today are unacceptable, 5th v 6th all to play for and we were comprehensively outplayed and outsmarted. We had as many possessions in the first half and a bit of the third, ,more clearances, more inside 50s, more everything yet we were 7 goals down! Thats called having no idea what to do with all the hard work the players were putting in, we played straight into their hands across our half forward line and its the coaches fault for not being able to structure the side to counter that. In the second half the players lost all hope and it was embarrasing as a result.

 

[The Coach]

I was surprised that Hendo went back and not Carlos (especially as the MC gave him a game - thought they had to figure he was capable of playing more than one possie)

 

[Big Red is back]

You're wrong on Hampson.

Back the opinion of a good judge over your typical knee jerk rants.

Your wrong the world is flat .. just look at the horizon

 

[Dustyjackman]

I reckon Setanta O'hElpless should take up another sport....I dunno' maybe Hurling, or something.

 

[Abaddon]

Major gaps? No shit
Average fullback (Jamison is as bad as Thornton)
No CHB
No CHF (Jarrad Waite is a disgrace)
FF of Hampson and Ohailpin is like dumb & dumber. Jury still out on Henderson

 

[hugebluesfan]

Major gaps? No shit
Average fullback (Jamison is as bad as Thornton)
No CHB
No CHF (Jarrad Waite is a disgrace)
FF of Hampson and Ohailpin is like dumb & dumber. Jury still out on Henderson

Do not worry.....
Our fantastic recruiting over the last few years will save us....
Warnock and McLean will come back in soon and be our saviors....
We don't need a CHB and a CHF !!!!!!!

 

[Silvagnis]

Major gaps? No shit
Average fullback (Jamison is as bad as Thornton)
No CHB
No CHF (Jarrad Waite is a disgrace)
FF of Hampson and Ohailpin is like dumb & dumber. Jury still out on Henderson

**** off you troll.

You and the rest of your mates aren't here after a win.

Funny that...

Do not worry.....
Our fantastic recruiting over the last few years will save us....
Warnock and McLean will come back in soon and be our saviors....
We don't need a CHB and a CHF !!!!!!!

Idiots.

 

[Kramer1]

Trying to turn this into something constructive...

Our list is reasonable quality, but rolls pretty deep in some areas whilst being pitifully thin in others.

I think our number one priority should be a quality medium defender. In fantasy land I would love to see a trade for Shannon Hurn involving Betts or Yarran, giving us some much needed kicking efficiency out of the back line, and freeing up Gibbs to return to the middle.

Number two should be a KPF to work in tandem with Henderson. We have four AFL quality rucks, and that is too much trading currency to ignore. I don't know what KPF's are likely to be available but I would consider any and all trade scenarios for Hampson and Jacobs. Port, Hawthorn and Richmond would seem to be the most in need...don't know what could come back the other way.

 

[Jeremias]

If we so much as considered using Betts or Yarran in a trade to get Hurn to Carlton, I'd throw up.

Trading to improve one area of our list is one thing. Severely weakening another area of the list to facilitate such improvement is another.

 

[blue healer]

Trying to turn this into something constructive...

Our list is reasonable quality, but rolls pretty deep in some areas whilst being pitifully thin in others.

I think our number one priority should be a quality medium defender. In fantasy land I would love to see a trade for Shannon Hurn involving Betts or Yarran, giving us some much needed kicking efficiency out of the back line, and freeing up Gibbs to return to the middle.

Number two should be a KPF to work in tandem with Henderson. We have four AFL quality rucks, and that is too much trading currency to ignore. I don't know what KPF's are likely to be available but I would consider any and all trade scenarios for Hampson and Jacobs. Port, Hawthorn and Richmond would seem to be the most in need...don't know what could come back the other way.

Thought we had more than our share of medium defenders (sometimes I think it's all we do have). Need a quality tall defender more than anything and I do agree that we can sacrifice 1 ruck for a KPF or KPD

 

[Kramer1]

If we so much as considered using Betts or Yarran in a trade to get Hurn to Carlton, I'd throw up.

Trading to improve one area of our list is one thing. Severely weakening another area of the list to facilitate such improvement is another.

Severely weakening? We have three small forwards who seldom contribute as a collective. It has proven a significant advantage over Geelong this year, but in practically all other games at least two of the three have been passengers.

At the other end of the ground we have Armfield with well below average footskills, we have Walker with below average foot skills, we have Russel with average footskills (and still not composed with the ball) and Bower who is reasonably efficient by foot, but far from penetrating. Just who is providing the drive from the backline? Only need to look at what Hodge, Goddard, Gilbee, Hurn and this year Malceski do for their teams week in week out.

 

[john21]

Anyone that bags Jamo has no idea. Matty Scarlett wouldnt have been able to stop Barry with the type of delivery he was getting. Jamo is the least of our concerns.

 

[Kramer1]

Thought we had more than our share of medium defenders (sometimes I think it's all we do have). Need a quality tall defender more than anything and I do agree that we can sacrifice 1 ruck for a KPF or KPD

I suppose quality would be the key word in my original post.
Yep, a KPD would probably be next on the list of wants for mine...though I am not sure where we are up to with Austin.