Preview R18: Changes v Collingwood @ AO

[rabidcrow]

Think Nicks is in self-preservation mode.

He honestly thought we would win against Hawthorn and so he bought Matt Crouch

5

Matt Crouch

Age

29

Ht

183cm

Wt

85kg

Pos.

Mid

Career

Season

Last 5

D

28.4

5star

K

12.0

4star

HB

16.4

5star

M

3.3

3star

T

3.9

5star

CL

4.8

5star

D

24.9

5star

K

9.7

4star

HB

15.1

5star

M

2.4

3star

T

2.4

3star

CL

4.4

5star

D

21.2

5star

K

10.4

4star

HB

10.8

5star

M

4.4

4star

T

3.4

5star

CL

2.0

4star

in. Put his chips all in and it didn’t work.

It didn’t help that Hawks lost two of the club stalwarts that week either and now this week we have Pendlebury playing his 350th. The only saving grace is the game is in Adelaide and not the MCG, can you imagine the margin if it was there?

The Hawks had also lost 5 on the trot and would have seen us their best opportunity for a while to get back in the winners circle. At home , 2 close people passing away. Understandably they came out primed to go


Sent from my iPhone using BigFooty.com

 

[Kane McGoodwin]

Rahilly just talked about Murphy having a "sacrificial role". Is that the new non-statistical role?

Does that require him to kick ponts to keep thr ball in our forward line?

 

[MrBarry]

Correct me if I’m wrong but I seem to recall we played Charlie Cameron before he was really ready/in consistent SANFL form because we liked his speed and x-factor?

I feel the same with Newchurch. Just give him a week and see what he does!

100%

Cameron wasn't tearing it up at SANFL level and took months to really get going at AFL level as well.

You need to let these guys do their thing ffs....

 

[conVINCEd]

*. Nicks is just making it up as he goes along!

It was Rahilly’s comment, not Nicks.

To be fair to Nicks, he singled out Hawthorn as being a bad performance but was pointing to the Melbourne and North games as examples of our midfield performing well.

Having both McHenry and Murphy at the expense of Cook is ridiculous, but I’m happy with Crouch out and getting Berry, Schoenberg & Soligo midfield time.

 

[conVINCEd]

Does that require him to kick ponts to keep thr ball in our forward line?

It’s a key forward half retention strategy.

 

[CrowBloke]

Does that require him to kick ponts to keep thr ball in our forward line?

+

It’s a key forward half retention strategy.

Kane --- no, because that would be scoring and amount to scoreboard pressure (of sorts) . Not what he's there for.

Vince --- he'd be more valuable if he rushed/mongrelled the ball oob deep in a pocket. After a point the oppo can clear out at least 60m. A throw-in is a better forward retention strategy.

 

[Bearded Clam]

The difference is Crouch is AFL standard he just isn't the right fit for our team.

nah.. crouch is just far too slow for the modern day game of AFL footy..

slow, high accumulating, plodders with average skills that do very litte damage to the opposition and gain fk all meters for their team are not much use these days.

dying breed..

 

[FR0GGY]

Rahilly just talked about Murphy having a "sacrificial role". Is that the new non-statistical role?

Sacrificing Newchurch to give Murphy a role.

 

[Crows I Am]

According to Nicks, Crouch was only a "late in" last week due to McAdam not being available.

The question is - why would Crouch be in for McAdam?

He then says we are reverting our midfield setup to what it was against Roos and Dees.

So we changed our entire midfield setup - which looked okay, and even somewhat dynamic, for 7 of 8 quarters against Roos and Dees - to accommodate Crouch, and we got spanked.

That was either an elite tanking performance at selection last week, or they've got no idea.

If only we had some othe options of similar players to McAdam that we could have brought in instead of Crouch... You know like Cook or Gollant...

 

[feenix67]

Yeah, you want your small forwards to be at least somewhat well-rounded. For the role Murphy plays, his defensive pressure is fine enough, but you'd want him to also have the ability to create his own scoring opportunities if needed. A goal a game or more would be about par, but he's nowhere near that

McHenry and Rowe have their deficiencies as forwards too, obviously. Need to eventually replace those three with a mixture of well-rounded smalls and medium-sized players (two of one, one of the other). At the end of it all, we need to have at least four, preferably five players in our side going at over a goal a game

People have to inderstand we dont play Murphy/McHenry/Rowe as small forwards. We play them high to crowd the midfield with extras around the ball. We havent had a small forward at a KPFs feet for most of the season.

 

[Anzacpaul]

According to Nicks, Crouch was only a "late in" last week due to McAdam not being available.

The question is - why would Crouch be in for McAdam?

Because Nicks is full of s**t.

 

[LeftyLuke]

People have to inderstand we dont play Murphy/McHenry/Rowe as small forwards. We play them high to crowd the midfield with extras around the ball. We havent had a small forward at a KPFs feet for most of the season.

It's no wonder we are averaging around 60 points against half decent teams. That's not a bad result when we are playing half a forward line. It's also why Nicks doesn't pick goal kicking smalls such as Newchurch as he knows he won't be in the forward line to kick goals.

 

[George Kramer]

People have to inderstand we dont play Murphy/McHenry/Rowe as small forwards. We play them high to crowd the midfield with extras around the ball. We havent had a small forward at a KPFs feet for most of the season.

Smart hey

 

[Gtowncrow]

The only explanation I can think of is that the people who hire key staff members look for a specific type of person, and when they need to be replaced they hire the same type

And even when those decision makers move on or need to be replaced, those around them hire the same type into the role

So despite most staff appearing to have been replaced, there's enough overlap between new and old staff and enough staggering of the changes that the core philosophies of the club can be passed through multiple generations of staff

Good post. Thought provoking.

If this is true there is only one place to look and that's the executive leadership. Board possibly but more likely CEO. These are exactly the strategic considerations a CEO is employed to oversee.

Did I read a recent article/rumour that our footy dept might be getting a shake up?

It feels like it might benefit from a rebuild...

 

[GreyCrow]

Interesting couple of answers from Theo in the twitter feed, cant half tell he's closely aligned to the club

Is Theo BACCS ?

 

[GreyCrow]

I am pretty certain that Mark Bickley does.

I posted on here about our dismal metres gained stats against Gold Coast and compared the numbers between both midfields then a couple of days later Bicks pretty much repeated them vertbatim in an interview with Nicks.

Will Goodings is another who I think is a lurker too, a few of us started analysing our CBA (centre bounce attendance) stats last year and a week or so after that Goodings started talking about them on radio.

I'm Pembo

FAITH

 

[rocket18]

Is Theo BACCS ?

Would explain a few things.

 

[CrowBloke]

Just watched the Nicks post-selection presser.

To be clear, I am not a fan of Nicks, nor of his confusing selection policy, nor of what he seems to have done re: Crouch and midfield rotations, Newchurch, Cook, Gollant, Dawson deep in defence, ROB/Strachan, Murphy/McHenry/Rowe and so on. I hate our Win-Loss record and apparently negative bomb-it-in game plan and have been an outspoken critic.
I went in to watching the presser with a negative frame of mind, looking for things I could criticise.

However, to my astonishment, he made sense. I understood what he said and the reasons he gave .
He was happy with the midfield mix vs NM (win) and Melbourne (whom we challenged until half-time), games in which Crouch was out. He was not happy with last week, so with Hinge and McAdam back in he dropped Mrouch to revert to the mids-mix he used vs NM and Melbourne in which Berry, Soligo and Schoenberg had more actove roles. It was an admission, in my mind, that Mrouch unbalances the mid mix, displaces other players into out-of-position roles and until he plays better he won't be in the side.
I get that. I liked it.
Nicks said a few times that his policy is to select a side to win the forthcoming game. Well, I kinda like that, too .
Do I think he could do better? Yeah, but I am glad I don't have the job with the cattle he's got.

I remember when Shaw (shudder ) and Sanderson were struggling and their embarrassing pressers/comments/reasons.

Nicks was exasperated by the questions about Crouch but made it clear that Mrouch has been told explicitly what is required and, given all that's happened, Nicks didn't strike me as someone who was confused, or dithering, or unsure of what he wanted and where he felt like he was taking the Crows.
I'm thinking actually that I need to be more patient about the rebuild, tbh. My impression was of someone doing their best and he made fair comparisons to Brisbane and other teams' rebuilds (Melbourne, Freo, Collingwood and earlier Bulldogs and Richmond come to mind) and he's right. They took 3-4 years, after which time they've become more experienced and contenders for a Flag.
I got the impression he actually did have a long-term plan, even if it's not clear to me. Yet.

Mind you, I have insomnia and got only 2 hours' sleep last night . It's currently 01.39.

It also made me love Blighty even more and what he did in those 2 years. From 11th in 1995, 12th in 1996 (both Shaw years), he stormed in and took them from that 1996 12th (and looking ordinary) to their first Flag in 1997 amd then the repeat. Wow! Phenomenal.

 

[Mr_Moogle]

Nicks looked tired in that presser.

 

[MrBarry]

Nicks was exasperated by the questions about Crouch but made it clear that Mrouch has been told explicitly what is required and, given all that's happened,

Then why bring it on himself by dropping him, bringing him back in and dropping him a week later?

Just draw a ******* line through it and move on ffs.....

Literally the same pattern has happened multiple times this year and any of us could have predicted it.

 

[CrowBloke]

Then why bring it on himself by dropping him, bringing him back in and dropping him a week later?

That's a fair question, which I asked myself every time it happened.
I'm as frustrated/annoyed as the next bloke.

My answer is: I don't know. My guess is that he's been unhappy with Crouch, who was dropped, then brought back. Dropped again for the NM and Melbourne games, reselected for Hawks game (with McAdam and Hinge out), not good enough last week, dropped again. I'd like to see other underperforming seniors dropped similarly, but I/we don't call the shots.

Getting Berry, Soligo and others through the midfield has taken a long time, longer than most of us would have liked, but it's happening.
You might have noticed that while I'm prepared to be more patient with Nicks (whom I still think is not gonna make it), I didn't say or even suggest than anybody else has to be, or should.

Nicks looked tired in that presser.

Yeah. I'm not surprised, given what's happening.
However, he didn't look confused or blame the players.
He said the players know what they should be doing but as yet lack the polish and skill set to enact that every game, every quarter, which is clear to all of us (even the best teams have bad games and bad quarters). What I liked was his strong belief that they would get better and I'm now prepared to wait a while longer on the back of that. Others can make their own choices, no worries.
Nicks is drinking from a poisoned chalice. I wouldn't want to be in his shoes.

 

[LeftyLuke]

Then why bring it on himself by dropping him, bringing him back in and dropping him a week later?

Just draw a ******* line through it and move on ffs.....

Literally the same pattern has happened multiple times this year and any of us could have predicted it.

Nicks doesn't handle the media that well does he. All he has to say is that we are going with more pace and a younger dynamic. Is that hard? No it's not but he continuee with the spin that crouch is important to us. Just pay him out as another failed contract and get him off our list as you did with Gibbs.

 

[Kane McGoodwin]

Nicks looked tired in that presser.

Agree.

Bereft of new ideas & desperate for a win, so we just recycle the same players through the ins/outs... rather than thinking about getting as many games into our best young talent & trying different things in a rebuild.

 

[Mr_Moogle]

Agree.

Bereft of new ideas & desperate for a win, so we just recycle the same players through the ins/outs... rather than thinking about getting as many games into our best young talent & trying different things in a rebuild.

I'm wondering what is going on behind closed doors. Is admin piling on the pressure? Looks like the media have started turning their attention to us instead of North.

 

[Kane McGoodwin]

I'm wondering what is going on behind closed doors. Is admin piling on the pressure? Looks like the media have started turning their attention to us instead of North.

Any media worth their salt should be asking questions of AFC because the selection merry-go-round has made no sense & our performances have been poor... & game plan also needs to be questioned.

I would be asking them what they think are the key considerations for a rebuild. Shouldn't it be prioritising your best young talent?

AFC seem to be about loss minimisation with regard to both selection & game plan, which is only going to delay the rebuild.

Think most would prefer to take a hit on performances by playing best young talent & teaching them a more attacking game style. There is fair chance our performances would be better... even if more inconsistent.

Imo, AFC have lost their way.