Preview R9: Changes vs. Richmond

[SadCromFan]

Not that our midfield is elite... but I would really like to see Dawson come back in and split his time at halfback. At least until Hinge is back, perhaps. Milera (and our team more broadly) needs help moving the ball.

 

[CrowBloke]

You just posted the opposite on Edwards .....that he was a likely chance to make way for Bailey

Nope.
One thing I really dislike in here is when another poster puts words in my mouth, then has a go at me for something I did not actually say.
You just did that. Please, don't .

I did not say that Edwards is "... a likely chance to make way for Bailey".

You asked why are we chasing Bailey and what I did say is:
" ... we're chasing Bailey because he'd be a best-23 player and probably replace one of Berry/Edwards/Pedlar/Taylor except in case of injury.
Those 4 players then have all of this year to stamp their mark on the team and make themselves undroppable".
Whichever one of those 4 turns out to be the weakest will probably be replaced by Bailey, if we get him which is not a fait accompli.
If Edwards is given chances and steps up, he might become best-23, in which case Bailey will replace one of the others.

Besides all of that, it's just speculation, not me saying what will or should happen.
eg Rankine might shoot his mouth off imprudently and cop 8 weeks, or
one of Dawson/Soligo/Rankine/Peatling might do an ACL, or ... or ... or.
Neither you nor I know what's going to happen if we get Bailey and whom he might replace.

There are finer aspects of player's games that go beyond stats .... Berry is essentially a one position player, a player that critically fumbles in pressure moments ....like Finals.

Berry is playing better now than in those 2 Finals. Let it go, can't ya?
I said previously that Berry has the attributes to make a decent HB, or a back pocket.
He's competitive, knows how to run-and-carry, tackles like a beast and is nuggety-strong.

You think Berry is one-dimensional, not me.

You've essentially sat on the fence, not saying he's a lock as a Mid .....oscillating based on each games performance ....that's simply barracking.

He? Who, he? Berry?
OK, he's not a lock as a mid unless he stays at his current level at least or even gets better.
I don't fence-sit. I've learned that a healthy dose of skepticism is useful, I try to keep an open mind and I am wary of certainty.
I'd like to see Berry become best-23, but I've never said he will, or won't.
Berry's fate is in his own, and Nicks', hands. Not mine.
My speculations don't matter and I have news for you --- neither do yours.
I'm just an old fart with plenty of time on my hands (especially from midnight to around dawn --- thanks, insomnia ) who enjoys discussing the ups and downs of the team I've followed since their inception.

It's not life or death; in fact, it's a distraction from those things, an amusement, a hobby/pastime.

People, and you included were ready to give up on Cook .....

Yes, I was, and I was wrong and have apologised in here unreservedly, but I'm not gonna keep apologising just because you rub my nose in it.
I've been wrong about others, too, especially Milera. I wanted Toby Murray dropped but he sure proved me wrong about that on Friday night. We have a player, there, just he's very raw and lacks confidence.
I have doubts about Pedlar, Taylor, even Fogarty who's not progressing. Way back, I thought Jones was gonna be shit-hot and thought Soligo was too small to be a decent mid. Wrong and wrong again.
When I'm wrong, I admit it and bloody quickly.

People, and you included just dig in, or deflect/deny, or make excuses, just love to say I-told-you-so and even just ignore that they've been wrong and forge blindly ahead on a wave of their own certainty.
Nicks does that, too.

So does that lunatic megalomaniac, Trump, but I digress..

the art of player development is projection ....

Projection? What? <=== not a trap question.
I know what projection means under different contexts but I don't see how it applies to player (or Coach) development.
I thought Cook had plenty of chances and wrote him off, but that was my impatience. Some players take longer for things to CLICK. He's come good and will be a gun.
I gave Nicks a Mulligan for 2020 (Covid, shit culture, fractured team spirit, Assistants not of his choosing etc), 2021, 2022. I even praised him for his patience back then, saw some good signs in 2023, but since early 2024 I'm done with him.

not an exact science, but there are mental & physical aspects, that supporters rarely look for

Berry admitted on Friday night that it was only recently he thought he was good enough to play AFL.
I see that doubt in Nankervis, Borlase, Taylor, TMurray, but in Pedlar's case I think it's over-confidence.

I've always said since both were drafted .... that Berry was a poor man's Pedlar ...I'm happy with that comparison

Good onya. You sure told us so .

People, and you included enjoy being right and love to let us know when you have been,
except,
on Friday night,
Berry was vastly better than Pedlar and now looks like leaving Pedlar (whom I liked, whom I wanted to succeed) in his wake.

 

[CrowBloke]

I don't understand why people are surprised at this

I'm not surprised our wins are absolute grinds (as Drugs Are Bad Mackay? suggested).
Our losses are too, except for the Brisbane blow-out.

If AFL Coaching was coffee-making, Coaches like McRae, Scott, Fagan are:


while our Nicks is a
, pun on "grinder" intended.

 

[119others]

OK ...I get the positive emotion towards players from a win

But this is the same midfield most of this board has been declaring is the worst in the AFL .....can you please make up your mind

So who needs to be replaced in the midfield: Dawson, Rachele, Rankine, Soligo, Curtin ....please tell me if you believe Berry is a better option than any of these blokes .....and if he is, why are we chasing Zac Bailey

Also ...why was Berry on a games trigger to get a contract for 2027

My POV ...which we all have, is I'd prefer the weapons Edwards brings to the table .....height, speed, elite kick, and composure under pressure

I'd be trading Berry this year .....what do they say, "Buy Low, Sell Hi"
These are the sort of moves that make a difference to Clubs ... I think we can all agree, Bailey is an upgrade on Berry ....and Edwards needs a spot in that midfield rotation

edit - answered next post. ww was correct re trigger

 

[119others]

Taylor probably doesnt have the leg speed back there but we do need something else.

agree, his best skills are footy iq and reading the play. put him on a pacy half forward, esp one who roams far and wide, and he will be smashed. its either current posn or possibly try midfield at some point but theres at least 8 in front of him in that regard. a likely casualty when draper and ah chee both return shortly imo

 

[conVINCEd]

hi ww

i have never seen anything about this which seems a little strange as pies were chasing him 2 years ago

are you sure about this? any source?

Also ...why was Berry on a games trigger to get a contract for 2027

 

[119others]

thanks man, i had missed that

 

[119others]

So does that lunatic megalomaniac, Trump, but I digress..

man, pls dont encourage wayne to start extolling his expressed virtues of the orange turd. the intl politics thread is very hard going already haha

ps i dont know why some posters arent just happy to say, as you happily do, i was wrong re this player etc. for some posters to dig in on issues when the facts are so obviously contradicting their stance just seems so.......well its hard to respect

 

[Cromulant]

Im fine with the happy clappers celebrating, it was a good win. Enjoyable game, hard to not be happy.

Where I draw the line is people acting like this was a win of wins. Port are a dog shit team and lacked class all over the field and we over ran them. People have lost their minds with some of what i have seen. Good win but it was a good win against a shit team and my word we played like ass for most of the match. We turn up like that against Hawthorn or Sydney they will be 10 goals in front at half time.

As much as they are average, you dont belt Geelong a week after you should've beaten Hawthorn if there isnt something there.

Reality is if Georgeadis could kick straight they're every chance of winning all 3.

Losing to West Coast has made them look worse than they are.

 

[FR0GGY]

As much as they are average, you dont belt Geelong a week after you should've beaten Hawthorn if there isnt something there.

Reality is if Georgeadis could kick straight they're every chance of winning all 3.

Losing to West Coast has made them look worse than they are.

Their best is decent, their bad is pretty bad.

 

[rocket18]

That footage shows that Rankine was Wines' opponent and paid him no mind doesn't it?

Taylor was a half forward pushing up to be an extra at the stoppage

Ok, he could have taken Rankine's man but he's not to know Rankine is going on the prowl to get free

If we had a proper coach the players would know what their team mates are going to do.

 

[CrowBloke]

It's possible to be bad at selection and still win a game.

Very sensible post, kudos .
I'd love to see Nicks persevere with Edwards, pick him this week and back him in until the Bye, drop the underperforming Cumming too, but Nicks doesn't give a Blighty-rat's-tossbag what I think and why should he anyway, when I get stuff wrong so often? See below ...
+

There were a shit load of melts last Thursday.

Yes and I was one of them.
"Toby Murray!", I said .
"Deer-in-the-headlights", I said. "Cannot footy", I said .
Ha! LOL@me, what do I know?

Turns out I'm a shit judge, because the kid can lead, can mark (9 of'em), can footy, and his 2 goals were instrumental
--- in turning the momentum for us and
--- absolutely helped us to win the game.
With Thilthorpe not at his best and with Tex and Fogarty out, Nicks needed, we needed, for Toby to step up and he did!
You ****ing ripper.
He's raw and still looks scared (but I can imagine how nervous he might have been the week before and in his first Showdown; AFL is tough on rookies), but I'm happy that my impressions were wrong. I loved his two marks-and-goals.
I am unhappy with Nicks, still want him sacked, but credit where it's due: he's done well to persevere with TMurray, Cook and Milera.

My point is that this is a discussion forum and not a medium to play
--- "You're wrong. I'm right. I told you so!" etc, and
--- I-can-top-that, ha HAAAA! <<gloat>>

Our widely varying opinions cause unnecessary friction, sometimes abuse, between people who are actually bonded together as Crows supporters.
If anyone doubts that bond, watch the last 5 minutes of the Showdown and by "watch" I mean look at the crowd and the roller-coaster of their reactions topped off by their joy @ the Cook goal and euphoria after the Final siren.
People high-5-ing, strangers hugging strangers and differences of opinion be damned.
We could use more of that camaraderie in here, because:

You can enjoy the win and still think we could be better! It's free, and legal to do so.

We all want the Crows to be better, win games, win Finals, get another Flag and we're always gonna disagree along the way,
but
we live in the non-footy world, so let's remember our humanity and, dare I say it, play nice in here?
The quality/benefits of civility cannot be overestimated.

P.S. to anybody who wants to mock the above with a laugh-emoji, don't waste your time.
I dgaf about your unexplained, empty ridicule.

 

[Stephen2]

mock the above with a laugh-emoji, don't waste your time

I did a laugh emoji just to be annoying! Am bored. I like everyone here and agree with you.

 

[CrowBloke]

I did a laugh emoji just to be annoying! Am bored. I like everyone here and agree with you.

Yeah, I kinda figured. You strike me as very fair and reasonable. Well played .

 

[DJ75]

Not that our midfield is elite... but I would really like to see Dawson come back in and split his time at halfback. At least until Hinge is back, perhaps. Milera (and our team more broadly) needs help moving the ball.

I've been banging on about this for a while.
I'm not so sure now - and only because of the game plan. Adding Dawson across half back would add some run and carry. This is the opposite of what Nicks game plan calls for. He wants the Laird type that stops and chips the ball around.

Ideally, in a game plan that actually suits our team and the modern game, then yes Dawson at half back would be a great addition. With Nicks and his stupidity, not so much.

 

[Mutineer]

man, pls dont encourage wayne to start extolling his expressed virtues of the orange turd. the intl politics thread is very hard going already haha

ps i dont know why some posters arent just happy to say, as you happily do, i was wrong re this player etc. for some posters to dig in on issues when the facts are so obviously contradicting their stance just seems so.......well its hard to respect

How about you both take the Trump crap to the appropriate Politics thread.

 

[Bovo]

I did a laugh emoji just to be annoying! Am bored. I like everyone here and agree with you.

That sounds very nice of you. I’m not sure you belong here

 

[CrowBloke]

WaynesWorld19 , I said:

Berry is playing better now than in those 2 Finals. Let it go, can't ya?

... ...
In a spirit of fairness, I should probably heed my own advice re: Nicks and his many mistakes and "those 2 Finals" and let it go myself, yeah?
Apologies to you, and him (even if I still want him gone).

 

[CromradeCromulent]

What a talentless bum. We should drop him.

 

[Coopers]

Dawson can help with a lot of those issues, and while we lose his midfield presence we do have other options we could give more midfield time, especially when Ah Chee comes back in. And I don't see us dropping any of the current mids right now anyway.

Sort of leaves us with Berry needing to keep stepping up and forcing the ball back into our hands.

Which, when you tackle like you're 3 separate players, he can do well. Can he be at that level all the time though? Would be a huge turnaround if he does.

 

[Pugsley]

That sounds very nice of you. I’m not sure you belong here

Well...........I best depart

 

[Coopers]

You compared him to Brett Voss, check out your posts.

Brett Voss was an ok player.

I think Turray being a solid B grade "ok player" would be quite an achievement. If he's better than that, then wowee, we can all hi-5 each other.

 

[Bovo]

Well...........I best depart

 

[Pugsley]

View attachment 2602358

 

[Golumless]

agree, his best skills are footy iq and reading the play. put him on a pacy half forward, esp one who roams far and wide, and he will be smashed. its either current posn or possibly try midfield at some point but theres at least 8 in front of him in that regard. a likely casualty when draper and ah chee both return shortly imo

Must have missed all those pacy half forwards smashing Zorko, Whitfield, Ash etc. In part why it doesn't happen that often (nor teams really care when it does) is players who are pacy and capable of damaging teams are either usually needed elsewhere or are going to attract a shutdown defender.

Football IQ and being able to read the play is far more important at half back then being able to defend a pacy forward, seeing it is the position that drives outside play (and really, a team who lacks three-four guys who you can trust to do damage on the way out of defense become limited in what they can feasibly do). After all, defense is more system based after you put in one or two shutdown players to knock out the top guys.