Review Positive and Negatives vs Western Bulldogs

[ThePuma #9]

Injuries have crippled us at times this year and they certainly contribute to the year as a whole but as a three year block this team has been going backwards despite adding some good players to the mix.

Our gameplan has had practically no evolution even though the game itself has had some massive tweaks and we have failed to address some serious flaws for years now in all levels of our organisation.

Credit where it is due, we won a magnificent flag and it was well deserved but we rested on our laurels and wasted three years to mediocrity.

Sadly we all know there will be no massive changes to come next year. The status quo will stay the same, the board have already extended Simmos contract, our assistants have become paper thin, we have essentially amalgamated our list manager role and recruiting manager. I know the soft cap was reduced but other bloody clubs with less money have more to fricking work with than we do.

My point is this, where is our accountability?

As an organisation are we genuinely happy with the past three years? When do we stand up as a collective and say it’s not ******* good enough.

 

[WestCoast05]

Injuries have crippled us at times this year and they certainly contribute to the year as a whole but as a three year block this team has been going backwards despite adding some good players to the mix.

Our gameplan has had practically no evolution even though the game itself has had some massive tweaks and we have failed to address some serious flaws for years now in all levels of our organisation.

Credit where it is due, we won a magnificent flag and it was well deserved but we rested on our laurels and wasted three years to mediocrity.

Sadly we all know there will be no massive changes to come next year. The status quo will stay the same, the board have already extended Simmos contract, our assistants have become paper thin, we have essentially amalgamated our list manager role and recruiting manager. I know the soft cap was reduced but other bloody clubs with less money have more to fricking work with than we do.

My point is this, where is our accountability?

As an organisation are we genuinely happy with the past three years? When do we stand up as a collective and say it’s not ******* good enough.

Whoever signed off on the new club song (and whoever agreed) has got to go.
Not joking btw
Gotta start somewhere...

 

[ThePuma #9]

Whoever signed off on the new club song (and whoever agreed) has got to go.
Not joking btw
Gotta start somewhere...

Oh I hate the bloody song too but I would be looking at the line coaches first.

We haven’t had a decent midfield coach since Sam Mitchell left, is it any bloody wonder we suck so much in there?

All we’ve had is Van Berlos, Rosas and Hickmotts for crying out loud.

Yep that’s right. We have a former half back flanker/forward trying to teach our midfield this year.

That’s the Eagles for you, not only do we draft backmen/forwards to try and turn them into midfielders but we recruit them to try to turn them into midfield coaches.

 

[Cuzz09]

no the song change has clearly killed the club

On SM-G925I using BigFooty.com mobile app

 

[StateOE]

Why won't adopt a game plan that works for all conditions? It's a winter sport and we expect perfect weather every game with our champagne footy where perfect skill execution is required.

 

[Scotland]

Positives:

- someone in Mindarie. #lolNorf
- Kelly, Shuey, Gov, Yeo, Sheppard etc are back in

Negatives:

- result, margin, the fact that everything that was said after every other ordinary loss this year could just be copied and pasted again
- Kelly, Shuey, Yeo, Gov etc did * all
- Jamaine Jones relegated from injury sub to WAFL side

 

[squashface]

Positives:

- someone in Mindarie. #lolNorf

I will take this opportunity to say The Boat is one of the best pubs in Perth

 

[Scotland]

I will take this opportunity to say The Boat is one of the best pubs in Perth

It's not in Perth, though.

 

[Jed Clampet]

Positive
Nic
Final siren

Negative
Everything
No Heart
Playing dry weather footy in the rain
Looking for the backward option first
No accountability

 

[squashface]

It's not in Perth, though.

sOutH gErO

And everyone laughed

 

[Libbaaaa]

Totally agree: our momentum to steal the game or get close was killed by umps, straight up.
We absolutely didn't deserve to win, but I'd have loved to have seen them go down from a BS win by us. Any chance to see Vics cry.

Turn it up, Dogs should have won by 80. Liam Ryan just will get weeks yet no free against him for smacking JJ. Take your licks and enjoy Nic Nat only being able to play

 

[The Magenius]

Somebody found a positive in that?

 

[sey666]

Positive: Unlike 2016, season is not over yet. 8 more games to do something.

 

[mad_eagle]

+ Stuck with Bont as my SC captain, topped 2500 & inside top 1000 for the first time.

- everything else, burn it to the ground & start again. Serious questions need to start coming Simmo’s way, our game plan has been picked to pieces and no one is scared of us anymore.

 

[ioppolo]

Seriously your going to roll that out as an excuse? Really.


Sent from my iPad using BigFooty.com

If I found out there's potential for lockdown an hour before a game started I'd be off a bit as well. Not saying it made a 55 point difference but it would've worried some of the boys.

 

[plays tall 1]

For the first week in ages, several guys got dropped when they’d played well the previous week. And the Beagles were good again.

Liam Ryan opted out of several contests embarrassingly and gave a couple of half chases. He should have a run in the WAFL. To be replaced by Jones, Ah Chee or Langdon. Obviously he’s the better player, but he’s coasting (I’m assuming he’s not injured since he’s selected).

In the short time I watched Gaff was back to his worst - zero intensity, utterly passive and missing easy targets. His lack of intensity can no longer be tolerated. It’s a liability in a contested game. Give him a run in the WAFL and suggest he work on sticking his tackles and metres gained. He was a good player, he needs to understand he’s not a guaranteed starter now.

No doubt I missed a few because I didn’t see the full game. A tame surrender like that at home can’t be tolerated.

 

[dajesmac]

Positive: Unlike 2016, season is not over yet. 8 more games to do something.

Weve already lost as many games as we did in 2016 which is wild.

 

[Dark Sharks]

Has our midfield ever fired at full strength? With Shuey, Kelly, Yeo, Sheed, Gaff, Redden ?

I've been wondering about this for a while, as i think our 'Star studded' midfield is a load of wank and we lose just as many games with them all playing.

Turns out that's pretty much the case.



Won 4, Lost 4 = 50% Winning Percentage with a full strength midfield.

Average losing margin of 44 points.

Average winning margin of 38 points.



Round 1 2020 vs Melbourne at Optus : Win 78-51

Round 2 2020 vs Fold Coast at Metricon - Loss 46-90

Round 3 2020 vs Brisbane at Gabba - Loss 44-74

Round 4 2020 vs Port at Metricon - Loss 41-89

Round 5 2020 vs Sydney at Metricon - Won 77-43

Round 8 2020 vs Magpies at Optus: Win 111-45

Round 11 2020 vs Carlton at Optus: Win 75-50

Round 15 2021 vs Bulldogs at Optus : Loss 43-98

 

[Strongside]

The Eagles are not flag fit mentally, physically, or tactically and have not been (sans '18) for a bit now. If the standard is "better than most" then mission accomplished. Your results are what you are. This is not a '21 anomaly or even a trend, it's reality.

For me the biggest indictment of this club is it folding like most of my poker hands when a drop of water falls from the sky. That is weaker than baby piss. Wet, dry, hot, cold, home, away, injuries, Covid...these are realities of the competition and if you choose not to make adjustments as a player or a club to those realities and compete to win regardless, how can you look yourself or your members in the eye and call yourself a pro? Forget flags and wins/losses...how about AFL level skills and EFFORT the remaining games of the season?

That match was like ten miles of bad road so no real positives except NN. Nic may not be as fit as possible, but he usually brings a level of play you can hang your hat on.

 

[Coasters7]

Injuries have crippled us at times this year and they certainly contribute to the year as a whole but as a three year block this team has been going backwards despite adding some good players to the mix.

Our gameplan has had practically no evolution even though the game itself has had some massive tweaks and we have failed to address some serious flaws for years now in all levels of our organisation.

Credit where it is due, we won a magnificent flag and it was well deserved but we rested on our laurels and wasted three years to mediocrity.

Sadly we all know there will be no massive changes to come next year. The status quo will stay the same, the board have already extended Simmos contract, our assistants have become paper thin, we have essentially amalgamated our list manager role and recruiting manager. I know the soft cap was reduced but other bloody clubs with less money have more to fricking work with than we do.

My point is this, where is our accountability?

As an organisation are we genuinely happy with the past three years? When do we stand up as a collective and say it’s not ******* good enough.

The soft cap reduction would affect us and Freo the most Id imagine. It’s nearly impossible to lure any sort of coaching talent over here unless we’re paying up, hence why the cap is bullshit.

No one is going to want to move their family over to Perth unless it’s for a decent pay packet, if they’re being offered similar wages in Melbourne, Sydney or Adelaide where do we think they’ll end up? So it limits us to Simmos mates and former WC players, regardless of how good they are at coaching.

That’s why S.Mitchell was a bit of a masterstroke deal, got him in as a player and he added something different as a coach, from a successful system. It’d be nice to be able to have some variety and accountability in the coaching department but there aren’t many options, despite us ironically being absolutely loaded.

The competition is a joke and we’ve done extremely well to win 4 flags in our time. But as one of the most financially powerful clubs in the comp we aren’t even allowed to try and attempt to square the ledger of disadvantages we have due to location.

 

[Avalor]

If umpires 'cost' us that game, consider me Miles Davis.

Didn't cost us the game, but what shits me is the game-changing inconsistency - example, Maynard gets done for front on contact whereas there was none, and Gaff gets his face caved in by front on contact, and no free - play on. The umpiring is diabolical. There should be a mechanism for immediate correction on such incidents - a buzzer alert to the onfield umpire from a 3rd VAR type overseerer.
It's beyond the joke now.

 

[Avalor]

For the first week in ages, several guys got dropped when they’d played well the previous week. And the Beagles were good again.

Liam Ryan opted out of several contests embarrassingly and gave a couple of half chases. He should have a run in the WAFL. To be replaced by Jones, Ah Chee or Langdon. Obviously he’s the better player, but he’s coasting (I’m assuming he’s not injured since he’s selected).

In the short time I watched Gaff was back to his worst - zero intensity, utterly passive and missing easy targets. His lack of intensity can no longer be tolerated. It’s a liability in a contested game. Give him a run in the WAFL and suggest he work on sticking his tackles and metres gained. He was a good player, he needs to understand he’s not a guaranteed starter now.

No doubt I missed a few because I didn’t see the full game. A tame surrender like that at home can’t be tolerated.

100% spot on with this. There are a number of players coasting, Ryan being the biggest offender. Gaff too, his impact has zeroed right off, is not hard enough at the contest - compare him with Bailey Smith of the dogs.
We need another dozen Nik Nats - contested ball beasts.

 

[ziad]

100% spot on with this. There are a number of players coasting, Ryan being the biggest offender. Gaff too, his impact has zeroed right off, is not hard enough at the contest - compare him with Bailey Smith of the dogs.
We need another dozen Nik Nats - contested ball beasts.

Ryan was embarrassing. Gaff worked hard and did more than most. People expect him to be a player he isnt. Sheed dropping an uncontested chest mark, Waterman the same then being outmarked from behind by a dwarf (no chase, no work) these are the passengers that killed us.
It was noticable players started to ignore Ryans better leads- they knew. They lost trust in team mates - that the team mates problem

 

[FKASC]

I will take this opportunity to say The Boat is one of the best pubs in Perth

Wowee I haven’t been there for at least 18 years. I remember it being very large

 

[ThePuma #9]

The soft cap reduction would affect us and Freo the most Id imagine. It’s nearly impossible to lure any sort of coaching talent over here unless we’re paying up, hence why the cap is bullshit.

No one is going to want to move their family over to Perth unless it’s for a decent pay packet, if they’re being offered similar wages in Melbourne, Sydney or Adelaide where do we think they’ll end up? So it limits us to Simmos mates and former WC players, regardless of how good they are at coaching.

That’s why S.Mitchell was a bit of a masterstroke deal, got him in as a player and he added something different as a coach, from a successful system. It’d be nice to be able to have some variety and accountability in the coaching department but there aren’t many options, despite us ironically being absolutely loaded.

The competition is a joke and we’ve done extremely well to win 4 flags in our time. But as one of the most financially powerful clubs in the comp we aren’t even allowed to try and attempt to square the ledger of disadvantages we have due to location.

I know but it’s a soft cap and it can be exceeded if a club is prepared to pay the cost.

You make several points about how “absolutely loaded” & “financially powerful” we are and how we can’t even the ledger but we could have, we just didn’t want to cough up the money, plain and simple.

The club made a conscious decision not to exceed the cap and pay the extra and keep its money by hiring scrubs and promoting from within or the WAFL instead of investing in someone who would have made a difference and significantly improved our coaching ranks. Make no mistake, that a was decision, we had a choice and because we chose not to we pissed away a premiership window.

Someone like a Sam Mitchell would have made a real difference, just like he did in 2018.