rant thread

[Sman-21]

Been saying it all year.
Even when we were winning early in season our gameplan has gone backwards.

Last year we were the team that was applying massive pressure on opponents.
Remember seeing some highlights where we had 4 guys closing down 1 player from all angles he then handballs over to a teamate an 3 more come at him from all angles.
Causes turnover an we attack quickly, an on most occasions tried to bring it through the corridor.
We were awesome last year with pressure all around the ground/gameplan.
It was never the players it was the PROCESS.
We would get injuries(not as many as this year) but they would step in an do a good job covering for them.

This year we dropped the massive defensive pressure all around ground.
We dropped the plan of attacking through corridor an adopted collingwoods plan of going along the boundary yet still kept the idea of of having no key forwards an hoping to score fast break style.
There lies the main problems

Then throw in no pressure for spots due to injuries, unable to drop players an playing players out of position for no reason other than having to play them there to fit in with stupid gameplan an we got problems.


For the 1st time in 3 years i left the game early.
With weather like that an crap dished up like what we saw tonight it was either leave or take the soccer hooligan action an take out my anger an frustration out on anything in sight.

 

[Alfonz]

I haven't seen the Hawthorn game, but in general, I think the drop in pressure comes down to the pre-season and lack of general fitness. It was blatantly obvious before the proper start of the year that we were completely off the pace.

We had a poor pre-season across the board, and the medical/fitness/conditioning staff must have huge question marks when you look at our injuries and player mismanagement. I feel like they tried to implement a program which wouldn't have us burning out early in the year, but in doing so they have dropped the ball and the players' fitness levels were not up to scratch to start the year, and have never been able to catch up. Didn't help that so many players had interrupted pre-seasons as well.

 

[brewman]

IMO these are the "good players" we have all the rest need to be highly scrutinised.

Ballentyne
barlow
Bradley
Broughton
zach clarke (has potential)
Fyfe
Griffin
Grover
Hill
Lower
Mcpharlin
suban
Morabito
Mundy
Palmer
Pavlich
Sandilands
Silvagni
Mzungu

I do not get the love for guys like de boer? What has he ever done? His skills are shocking! Kepler not being able to get a game is a disgrace. Roberton needs to be delisted asap. Need to throw the kitchen sink at jaegar. Johnson duffield and our first rounder!

 

[Leslie_Chow]

IMO these are the "good players" we have all the rest need to be highly scrutinised.

Ballentyne
barlow
Bradley
Broughton
zach clarke (has potential)
Fyfe
Griffin
Grover
Hill
Lower
Mcpharlin
suban
Morabito
Mundy
Palmer
Pavlich
Sandilands
Silvagni
Mzungu

I do not get the love for guys like de boer? What has he ever done? His skills are shocking! Kepler not being able to get a game is a disgrace. Roberton needs to be delisted asap. Need to throw the kitchen sink at jaegar. Johnson duffield and our first rounder!

Mzungu? Please he just really isnt that good and hopefully with a few more players back he will be a depth player. Sure he gets the ball, but he has absolutely terrible disposal. Just isn't as good as people wish he could be.

De boers skills are fine, he knows his limitations and plays by them. Its pretty obvious we need some players willing to put their body on the line, and he is one of the few. Unfortunately like many other players Harvey has screwed him around, playing him in the midfield one game then send him up forward the next etc etc.

 

[malpaso]

Well, that seems to be more signs Harvey has little belief that the players can get the job done.

Basically, we have a game plan, we have a best 22. That's it. Any deviation from that and we're up shit creek.

I don't believe that what went on last night was the game plan at all. Our players were blindly kicking the ball, there is no way in hell that that was the game plan.

Mind you some of the squib kicks and smothered handballs from the Hawks seemed to magically leap into waiting Hawks players time and time again.

Our players refused to go down the middle of the ground with any run and carry even when they had nothing in front of them and no opposition within 5 metres of them.

On another note, Pavlich spent 65% of the first 3 quarters up forward. Lot of good that did us as well.

 

[malpaso]

Mzungu? Please he just really isnt that good and hopefully with a few more players back he will be a depth player. Sure he gets the ball, but he has absolutely terrible disposal. Just isn't as good as people wish he could be.

De boers skills are fine, he knows his limitations and plays by them. Its pretty obvious we need some players willing to put their body on the line, and he is one of the few. Unfortunately like many other players Harvey has screwed him around, playing him in the midfield one game then send him up forward the next etc etc.

Mzungu can find the ball and he can shut out an opponent (see Embley). A lot of his kicks (along with others) were around the body kicks to clear traffic that landed in the lap of the opposition, he wasn't the only one.

DeBoer is a utility player, he'll go where needed. His skill set dictates that, he'll never have a fixed position.

Hawks seemed to play a perfect positional game last night on top of the fact that our players collapsed on the ball and spoiled each other all night. That fact alone shits me to no end. How many times were Clarke, Fyfe, Mayne, Johnson all smashing into each other? Its wet you morons, your not going to take heaps of contested marks, Hawks sat on the deck and ran away with the pill.

 

[Clay Davis]

Since when has run and carry been an effective strategy in those conditions? Ever?

The strategy that works is to move the ball forward at all costs by foot. However, the way we set up is that our players forward of the ball expect the ball to break clear ahead of play, and therefore stand behind their opponents.

Our quick kicks went to the opposition because our forward line is basically built around expecting the fast break. As Sman said in another thread:

Its all about creating space in forward line hoping to catch opponents out on the fast break.

In games like that, where the ball falls short, and there's congestion everywhere, playing a game that relies on space will fail every time.

 

[Alfonz]

"Good players"? A few too many in that list above. For mine:

Ballantyne
Barlow
Broughton
Fyfe
Hill
McPharlin
Morabito
Mundy
Pavlich
Sandilands
Silvagni


That stacks up against most sides best 10-12. Everybody else is pretty much replaceable/expendable. Unless we have basically all of the above players fit and firing, then we are going to struggle to compete at a top level.

 

[Kickett Punches Read]

What about Morabito and Hayden??? I know they are forgotten, but nonetheless they are still important to our team and best 18 when fit. To just flippantly exclude them because they haven't been around this year is just plain wrong. If they were playing this season, then we wouldn't be in the strife we are in. I would include Griffin in that list but that would be more of a Sandilands based inclusion so i'll let it slide......this time

They always say it's the botom 6 players that cost you games, well if these 6 players return, means that 6 spuds leave. You do the math.

hayden will more than likely not be at the club next year, so we better get used to not having him. and morabito, while talented wasnt THAT good last year, certainly i think nick lower's output this year has been greater than what morabitos was, so i dont think we need to include him here. Mundy is one of our best mids, sandi our best ruck, suban is important down back and in the future to our midfield and mcpharlin our best backman.

i dont even want to look at hawthorns injury list, it will only depress me even more

 

[believe_it]

IMO these are the "good players" we have all the rest need to be highly scrutinised.

Ballentyne
barlow
Bradley
Broughton
zach clarke (has potential)
Fyfe
Griffin
Grover
Hill
Lower
Mcpharlin
suban
Morabito
Mundy
Palmer
Pavlich
Sandilands
Silvagni
Mzungu

I do not get the love for guys like de boer? What has he ever done? His skills are shocking! Kepler not being able to get a game is a disgrace. Roberton needs to be delisted asap. Need to throw the kitchen sink at jaegar. Johnson duffield and our first rounder!

Think the list is pretty accurate and agree with Freo4lifes assessment pretty much
Crowley - has always been a mystery as to why ppl think he is any good.PPl said he did a good job on Priddis last week just because he didn't get high poss. Crowley 15 poss 5 contested 1 tackle 1 easy miss.Priddis 14 poss 10 contested 10 tackles 1 goal on run from boundary. Priddis got votes from several wc supporters. You do a good job when you beat your opponent not because you are relatively less shit than usual. Crowley rant over- waste of time anyway cause he wont be dumped ,but it makes me feel better.

Duffman - don't know wtf has happened to him this year. Seems to have a different role - perhaps its Harveys fault- I don't know

Ibbo- Just when you think he's is becoming the player you hoped he does something that takes that hope and turns it into a dump. MJ and Ibbo bare some striking similarities.

Mcphee - stopgap measure - usefulness coming to and end. I would keep Roger before him .

deBoer- I don't want him gone but sort out that kicking at goal! I have heard of ppl getting the yips before but not for ****ing two years. Clearly a technical problem. Does Freo have a kicking coach? If they do he is totally useless at getting the job done.

 

[malpaso]

Since when has run and carry been an effective strategy in those conditions? Ever?

Did you see the Hawks run and carry? How was that goal by Michael Osborne? I understand the kick it all costs forward but uh that's what we did and that didn't work, it helps if the players pick up their head when doing so.

Even then, the Hawks outnumbered us up forward. If our players were anywhere near their opponents it would have been a contest instead of uncontested marks by the Hawks.

In games like that, where the ball falls short, and there's congestion everywhere, playing a game that relies on space will fail every time.

Agree. However do you honestly think that experienced former AFL players that are coaches actually don't know that? Your assuming that's what we were trying to do. I think we were just collapsing on the ball, leaving their opponents wide open. Our forwards got in a mode of trying to get up the ground and help.

 

[Kickett Punches Read]

"Good players"? A few too many in that list above. For mine:

Ballantyne
Barlow
Broughton
Fyfe
Hill
McPharlin
Morabito
Mundy
Pavlich
Sandilands
Silvagni


That stacks up against most sides best 10-12. Everybody else is pretty much replaceable/expendable. Unless we have basically all of the above players fit and firing, then we are going to struggle to compete at a top level.

morabito has played 20 game in those games he probably only had 4 stand out's. he may never come back from his knee, just like palmer hasnt. take him out and add suban.

we just dont have the cattle we thought we did i believe, we need to go hard at midfielders again this draft. mcpharlin, pavlich, silvagni will hold up for a while yet. we need mids who can win the contested ball and dispose of it well. on top of that a big key forward, what i would give to have drafted geelongs nathan vardy

 

[sansian]

If anyone doubted Palmers passion for the club look at his reaction to the injury. He does not want to leave and just wants to prove himself, despite being coached into obscurity.

Or he has just realised GWS wont give me his big paycheck now because he is injured

 

[CamTinley]

IMO these are the "good players" we have all the rest need to be highly scrutinised.

Ballentyne
barlow
Bradley
Broughton
zach clarke (has potential)
Fyfe
Griffin
Grover
Hill
Lower
Mcpharlin
suban
Morabito
Mundy
Palmer
Pavlich
Sandilands
Silvagni
Mzungu

I do not get the love for guys like de boer? What has he ever done? His skills are shocking! Kepler not being able to get a game is a disgrace. Roberton needs to be delisted asap. Need to throw the kitchen sink at jaegar. Johnson duffield and our first rounder!

Last season he appeared to be the unanimous choice on this board for being our next captain.

 

[The Night Shift]

Won't somebody think of the supporters...

 

[Rob]

Did you see the Hawks run and carry? How was that goal by Michael Osborne? I understand the kick it all costs forward but uh that's what we did and that didn't work,

What game were you watching? We did everything but that. Hawthorn played the 'kick it forward at all costs' and killed us because we continued to **** around with the ball in the clinches. That's why we won the contested possession, won the clearances yet got absolutely smashed.

I still can't fathom how we can win the most important stats in a wet weather game and still get killed.

 

[salim malik]

Any serious footy follower would take the opinions of the most vocal ranters on here with a pinch of salt.
Going by the times that they post on the game thread they havent got the fortitude to turn up at the game and watch the whole game unfold and not just the close ups that is the television coverage
Its impossible to judge game plans and players form from watching the game on TV or listening to the sometime biased commentary
If these soft **** armchair critics want to be taken seriously get along to the game

 

[Lach72]

Now that's a load of crap

 

[Kickett Punches Read]

Any serious footy follower would take the opinions of the most vocal ranters on here with a pinch of salt.
Going by the times that they post on the game thread they havent got the fortitude to turn up at the game and watch the whole game unfold and not just the close ups that is the television coverage
Its impossible to judge game plans and players form from watching the game on TV or listening to the sometime biased commentary
If these soft **** armchair critics want to be taken seriously get along to the game

bit hard when your sent to work in port headland for the weekend

wasnt hard to see what went on yesterday, be it at the game or on the tv. you can see that mayne tackles and chases but doesnt kick goals, you can see the hawks were dominating through the middle while our boys were struggling to get the ball and when they did they gave it straight back to the hawks, you could see in the second quarter we only had 4 inside fifties, you could see that the only player who won his position for the day was silvagni. If i was home i would have been at the game, dont bring this holier than thou garbage when you dont know anyones situation other than your own

 

[sansian]

Quote from Harvey....

"We appear to have struck a patch in the draw where it's delivering all these top sides. So you have to ask the AFL about that."

Maybe his head was a little water logged after the game......that is some weird stuff to say

 

[Ysaye]

bit hard when your sent to work in port headland for the weekend

wasnt hard to see what went on yesterday, be it at the game or on the tv. you can see that mayne tackles and chases but doesnt kick goals, you can see the hawks were dominating through the middle while our boys were struggling to get the ball and when they did they gave it straight back to the hawks, you could see in the second quarter we only had 4 inside fifties, you could see that the only player who won his position for the day was silvagni. If i was home i would have been at the game, dont bring this holier than thou garbage when you dont know anyones situation other than your own

Totally agree - I don't think just because you watched it on TV your opinion counts any less. For what it's worth I stayed out in the rain, got soaked and kept shouting support all night to the end but I know many of the points raised by KPR are very valid, whether he was at the game or not. People shouldn't be holier than thou towards those that weren't there or even those that left the game early.

I agree that the game plan just was the wrong one for the conditions and the opposition team, and that to all intents and purposes that came down to mainly one person, that being the coach.

I think the game highlighted the need for a mobile tall target or two up forward who can take a mark or at least bring the ball to ground. And even more so, for them to play up forward. It also needed some crumbing players - Walters would have been useful, and Ballantyne was too far up the ground, but I think the small forward is an area we really need to look into offseason. Actually one might say that we had a nonexistent forward line.

Sam Mitchell absolutely killed us in the middle, and I think that was partly due to us having an inexperienced ruck as well as having a weak centre - I think only Barlow would be a first or second choice in there, and he is coming back from an injury.

 

[Leslie_Chow]

morabito has played 20 game in those games he probably only had 4 stand out's. he may never come back from his knee, just like palmer hasnt. take him out and add suban.

we just dont have the cattle we thought we did i believe, we need to go hard at midfielders again this draft. mcpharlin, pavlich, silvagni will hold up for a while yet. we need mids who can win the contested ball and dispose of it well. on top of that a big key forward, what i would give to have drafted geelongs nathan vardy

Or Jack Darling.

What I would give to have the luxury that the Eagles have in regards to key position players. They don't need to worry about it for the next 5-10 years.

 

[Purplrrr]

Quote from Harvey....

"We appear to have struck a patch in the draw where it's delivering all these top sides. So you have to ask the AFL about that."

Maybe his head was a little water logged after the game......that is some weird stuff to say

wow. cop out. all year he has been complaining about injuries (i have too, but i'm a supporter!) and now we have to face good teams. dear god, no! not in a professional comp!

that kind of message bothers me. we should not be making excuses.

i'm trying to be more positive about harvey, but after a year like this, i dunno.

 

[melbournedocker]

As disappointed as I am about last night, it was only two weeks ago that we beat a fellow finals contender away from home in terrible conditions. One week ago, we were a metre or two away from beating a top 4 contender without playing that well.

Injuries are rarely, if ever used as an excuse in AFL football but any team would feel the pinch with the level of injures we have had. I would like to think that the injuries we have had will hopefully create a little more depth in upcoming years although time will tell there.

Bring on Friday night, a great opportunity to show everyone that we are fair dinkum and hopefully an away win over the Saints.

 

[electricfeel]

All Harvey does is complain, complain, complain.....

Getting tiring now.