Preview Practice Match: Crows vs Port, Saturday Feb 27/2/21 @ 11am

[BunjiMac]

I thought our midfield stank and was very stale and one paced. This has a knock on effect with everything else. We need to get this right as a priority.

The positive is, we actually have options that MUST be introduced.

 

[BACCS]

Is the extended period 2 games?

You were talking dominant Sanfl form, he did that while playing for Port and didn’t get a chance last year. He’s clearly a level above the sanfl, it’s time to see if he can sustain this pre season form in the real stuff, it may have just clicked for him this off season.

 

[Mr_Moogle]

Giving Milera a 5 year contract has turned out to be a terrible decision. Can't get on the park.

 

[Jcpdragonx]

Laird is not the answer for the midfield.

He's good for rotations but he's not a natural starting mid.

Off one practice game? He was our best player when he went in there last year.

 

[BACCS]

I thought our midfield stank and was very stale and one paced. This has a knock on effect with everything else. We need to get this right as a priority.

The positive is, we actually have options that MUST be introduced.

I thought our midfield performed a lot better in the 2nd half when we went with a bit more youth through there

 

[hey shorty]

Off one practice game? He was our best player when he went in there last year.

I still don't think he's a long term solution. Kid who played in the first game might be though..

 

[Scorpus]

I thought our midfield stank and was very stale and one paced. This has a knock on effect with everything else. We need to get this right as a priority.

The positive is, we actually have options that MUST be introduced.

The lack of trying something new and instead reverting back to Laird/Keays/Sloane for most of this pre-season has been very disappointing.

 

[Geoffa32]

I actually think Tex is the one senior player who has adapted best to the new game style, which is good to see as we need him with such a young forward line still.

Agree.

Lynch however.....

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[hey shorty]

Reckon Neddy might have sealed a spot based on his 2 games so far.

 

[Eagleboy2011]

Loosing Milera for the year is a massive blow. Was expecting massive improvement from him this year after injury hit year last year.

 

[BACCS]

Agree.

Lynch however.....

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Hard to judge Lynch today as he seemed to spend a fair bit off time on the bench

 

[RePete]

Won't Milera go onto the long term injury list and open up a new spot for us in the mid season draft?

 

[Pugsley]

Hockings next rule is to take away the player on the mark.

It isn't far off.

 

[MRB37]

Twice as many scoring shots as us. That should have been a 119 job by Port.

 

[mcbrd]

Pretty obvious that we were outmatched by port. Effort was ok, but they just have too much quality.

Positives
- ROB, Keays, Framptom our best by a mile. If Keays can consistently start hitting the scoreboard he could be terrific value.
- Hamill, Rowe, Schoenberg, McHenry all showed flashes. I hope all four get a chance round 1.
- McPherson continuing on from last year, just looks unflappable
- I thought Nick Murray looked better than McAsey and Butts as a KPD

Negatives
- Milera is the player I was most looking forward to seeing this year. What a shame for the lad.
- Lever --> Milera --> Gallucci --> Fogarty --> Jones --> McAsey is looking like a pretty cursed run of first round pics... Hopefully the last 3 can start turning it around.
- Midfield soundly beaten again. I like Seedsman, but I'm not sure why he played over a few others.

 

[hey shorty]

The lack of trying something new and instead reverting back to Laird/Keays/Sloane for most of this pre-season has been very disappointing.

I wonder if this was the point of playing guys like Pedlar and Berry in the 2s today. Give them a really good run through the guts rather than rotations through.

Give them a run in the seniors next week, Jones goes back to the 2s

 

[Geoffa32]

Well can you explain to us why he doesn't seem to play well then and what needs to change for him to play well?

He needs the other players (us and opposition)to slow down, don't zip the ball around so quickly so he can get involved....


Or play a role where he does not need to find the ball. Up Forward.



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[feenix67]

The lack of trying something new and instead reverting back to Laird/Keays/Sloane for most of this pre-season has been very disappointing.

The one that has to get out of there is Sloane. We'd get more value from him on a wing or HB. I've been disappointed to see him get so much preseason midfield time.

 

[Powerade 08]

Would have thought you almost need Thilthorpe in the team, might be a long year for O'Brien without proper ruck support. Ladhams destroyed him after Lycett wore him down.

 

[BunjiMac]

I thought our midfield performed a lot better in the 2nd half when we went with a bit more youth through there

Yeah thats probably true. We need to learn from that.

Laird and Sloane should not be paired as the starting midfielders.

They need to be used sparingly and matched with the right type of players if we intend to use them there.

Pedler and Berry are a must.

We need power explosiveness and acceleration.

I don't know what to make of Jones. He has the tools that we need right now but I'm not confident.

 

[hey shorty]

Twice as many scoring shots as us. That should have been a 119 job by Port.

Yes and no,

Port are well-known to be a poor conversion team this isn't new. We also held our own for decent portions of the game.

 

[BACCS]

Would have thought you almost need Thilthorpe in the team, might be a long year for O'Brien without proper ruck support. Ladhams destroyed him after Lycett wore him down.

I reckon RT was just getting managed a bit today by playing the 2nds game, will almost certainly play next week and very likely round one.

 

[Scorpus]

Sloane is going to be a real problem for us.

He just doesn't look like a starting midfielder any more, and he's on the wrong side of 30

Given he's the captain and we basically have to play him, we'll have to hide him somewhere because our midfield just does not look good with him and similar types around him

 

[hey shorty]

The one that has to get out of there is Sloane. We'd get more value from him on a wing or HB. I've been disappointed to see him get so much preseason midfield time.

I'd play him forward/wing

 

[pjcrows]

Hate to say it, but there is something ingrained in our older players that is incredibly difficult to beat out of them. I don't know if we'll ever be able to change them actually.

Especially when the chips are down.

The quicker we can get the newer younger guys in the better.

We've had a culture at the club going back to the Craig days that the older players are by default the ones who lead and the ones who "know the drill". We've had a string of players since the mid 2000s who appear to get bogged down and, let's face it, become lazy because they largely get away with it by getting selected regardless of form. Putting faith in older, underperforming players is often a coach-saving exercise. An old boys mentality.

Blight, and prior to him Cornes, were always willing to play youngsters and inject youth. Under Blight, Walker, Sloane and probably Lynch would not be on the list. Now we can argue the merits/pitfalls of such decisions, and footy has changed since then, but thems are the realities.

Hence why we continually have established players who aren't very adaptable and don't seem to respond to pressure from underneath. I do think Nicks is different though, and more willing to go the kids.

Last year's draft crop look excellent, as they should - we finished bottom.