Autopsy Roos lose to the Dogs - Round 5, 2020

[Roosurgence]

I don't think we're that far away. Certainly not a long rebuild, years of pain type of thing. If we can find a couple of users off HB and a lively small forward we'd see almost immediate results. I think our list is pretty good outside of our weaknesses and it's where our weaknesses are that compound the rest of our problems. We still have Goldy. Our spine is very good and Simpkin's developed into one of the best centre square mids around.

I also thought Mahoney showed some good signs tonight.

He’s not quick in speed, but he is very quick with his footy IQ.

You can see every time he gets the footy he is looking for that better option and trying to create.

He may not be the small zippy forward we are craving, but there is something about this kid that will shock a few we he gets a few more games under his belt.

 

[scottywiper]

I don't think we're that far away. Certainly not a long rebuild, years of pain type of thing. If we can find a couple of users off HB and a lively small forward we'd see almost immediate results. I think our list is pretty good outside of our weaknesses and it's where our weaknesses are that compound the rest of our problems. We still have Goldy, our spine is very good and Simpkin's developed into one of the best centre square mids around.

We've made no attempt to find a lively small forward. It's bizarre.
I said on here last night that someone like Butler, whether it be him or another similar player, has been a huge need for some time. Butler was available, did we look into him?
We don't seem keen on addressing it.

 

[showusyacunningt]

We've made no attempt to find a lively small forward. It's bizarre.
I said on here last night that someone like Butler, whether it be him or another similar player, has been a huge need for some time. Butler was available, did we look into him?
We don't seem keen on addressing it.

Can't remember what happened to our first last draft but Kysaiah Pickett would have been nice.

 

[Roosurgence]

Can't remember what happened to our first last draft but Kysaiah Pickett would have been nice.

We obviously didn’t rate him we gave up our first which was easily enough to get him.

I recall Melbourne ontraded our first and went back in the draft order and got Pickett.

We won’t be able to judge last years draft for a few years.

Comben will take a while, Perez is coming off an injury and Mahoney is doing ok and we don’t know what our first rounder from Melbourne will bring?

Our draft the year before is starting to look great. Thomas, Taylor, Scott are a good result.

 

[Psicosis]

when are we going to stop trying to shortcut a rebuild?

 

[nicko74]

The young talent we have is good enough to make the pain worthwhile ala Brisbane coming good quick because of their talent.

We'll be sh*t for a while, but not for long considering we have some really good young players waiting to come in or are developing.

Hayden, Scott, LDU, Taylor, Zurhaar, Simpkin, Mahoney, Comben, Perez, TT, Xerri, Larkey.

That's not a bad base to build off of.

2 of those guys haven't played a game so can't really include them

 

[Billy Not Really]

2 of those guys haven't played a game so can't really include them

Sure the jury's out but based on what we've seen the pre-season + juniors footage was good signs.

Perez is the fastest HB we have at the moment, which is already an upgrade considering we don't have speed at all.

 

[HongKongRoo]

Everytime they start handpassing it backwards you just know the opposition is going to score a goal. We don't have the basic skills to hit a target by hand or foot. Courageous and "tough" is no match for skill and composure. Hayden gets the ball at half back and he kicks the ball to a dangerous position, forty meters in front of him. He is always looking to break the game open and hits his targets more often than not. Atley and co. keep looking backwards instead of for the 45. It's fine for Jed to be hitting bodies when he is clearing a path for Cunners but when Cunners is not there then he needs to clear a space for someone else or step up and hit some targets. I suppose Shaw has said to X he is going to give him an extended run no matter how he goes. The season is lost now so no harm persisting with the kids. Some of the other selections were baffling.

JMac in. Why? Because he is a senior player? That's a terrible reason.
Cunners in. Dumbest decision since playing Corey Jones injured.

BBB might have credits in the bank but having him and Xerri not taking marks, not kicking goals, not halving contests and not being able to chase and tackle is killing us. How long can you have a goalless key forward?

What I would like to see.

A game plan which our players are capable of carrying out with a focus on moving the ball quickly. A little more creative flair and a little less robotic obedience in the face of certain disaster. The kick-down-the-line to an outnumbered lumbering tall might have looked good on paper but christ it is hard to watch. Let's bring Blighty back and aim to kick 15 goals a week, not how do we stop 12 goals.

Give Hosie a run as a half forward, which is what he was recruited for.
Give Bonar a run as a mid, which is what he was recruited for, not as a make-shift half forward.
Murphy at half back, he is a good defensive player and uses the ball beautifully.

Daw and WW back in the team. Daw is quick enough to cover any of the speedsters the opposition might have and WW might give the forwards a chance to mark it.


Things that are working
Taz is a gun
Goldy is a gun
Simpkin is leading the way
Taylor is building nicely
Hayden is building nicely
LMac as a tagger is the only real creative thing that has worked all year.

Lastly on the look of the game. I am a traditionalist but I think we need to look at the last touch out rule. Knowing that we will kick down the line to a contest at every possibility because our players are too slow to make things happen has made the last three games so terrible to watch. Keep the ball in play, and penalise whoever belts it out.

 

[Scallop Industry Thug]

when are we going to stop trying to shortcut a rebuild?

This. Trying to become a top 4 home and away season team is trying to thread the eye of a needle. Even if you do it, it won't sustain. We've been topping up for 2 decades. Let's do it properly.

Even last year when we were 2-9 or whatever and clawed to 10 wins. We're a mile off. This is a prime year to pump games into kids.

 

[Roosurgence]

when are we going to stop trying to shortcut a rebuild?

I don’t think we have over the last few years.

I just said in another thread the 2018 draft has yielded Thomas, Taylor and Scott. On current evidence you would give that a tick so far.

Last year is going to be unknown for a while, Comben will take time but was turning heads in the preseason, Mahoney is going ok and Perez is coming off injury, throw in what we get with the Melbourne pick and that might also be a solid draft.

You also have players like Simpkin, Larkey, Zurhaar and now Hayden who are coming on and we haven’t seen LDU and Walker get a good run at it yet either.

It’s not all doom and gloom, we just need to wash off the s**t from the Scott era.

Scott set this club back for a few years with his lack of will to play young players in front of his favourites. That’s why we have shittrucks like Atley and MacMillan clocking up over 150 games.

 

[Billy Not Really]

You best start believing in rebuilds North fans.

Because you're already in one.

Brady Rawlings hasn't even touched the list yet, I've said it before, we were very different 1-2 years ago, we're gonna be much different next year and the next.

 

[Psicosis]

I don’t think we have over the last few years.

I just said in another thread the 2018 draft has yielded Thomas, Taylor and Scott. On current evidence you would give that a tick so far.

Last year is going to be unknown for a while, Comben will take time but was turning heads in the preseason, Mahoney is going ok and Perez is coming off injury, throw in what we get with the Melbourne pick and that might also be a solid draft.

You also have players like Simpkin, Larkey, Zurhaar and now Hayden who are coming on and we haven’t seen LDU and Walker get a good run at it yet either.

It’s not all doom and gloom, we just need to wash off the sh*t from the Scott era.

Scott set this club back for a few years with his lack of will to play young players in front of his favourites. That’s why we have shittrucks like Atley and MacMillan clocking up over 150 games.

I agree that we have acquired some decent kids through clever drafting, NGA and father son...

My point is that this is not enough + Our lack of top end picks, combined with the continued selection of players that haven’t improved in 5 years.

If we keep “making the best of what we can”, let’s strap in for another decade of mediocrity

 

[Scallop Industry Thug]

You best start believing in rebuilds North fans.

Because you're already in one.

Brady Rawlings hasn't even touched the list yet, I've said it before, we were very different 1-2 years ago, we're gonna be much different next year and the next.

Not one of the pretty talented 22 and under is a surefire gun. Not one of them. We need as many as we can in the next 3 years, and the best place to find them is in the top 5 picks. Otherwise we'll be here in 2030 saying the same s**t.

 

[Roosurgence]

I agree that we have acquired some decent kids through clever drafting, NGA and father son...

My point is that this is not enough + Our lack of top end picks, combined with the continued selection of players that haven’t improved in 5 years.

If we keep “making the best of what we can”, let’s strap in for another decade of mediocrity

100% agree.

In the whole it’s improved under Shaw, we have seen him prepared to play kids and not rotate them in and out.

This week was probably his worst showing as far as selection goes.

We had the Cunnington debacle, going back to the same s**t in MacMillan when we had other options.

Let’s see what calls he makes for the rest of the year?

 

[Virgin Dog]

I've never really rated Luke McDonald as anything more than average, but his influence was huge tonight. Bont went basically unsighted all night. I'd have him with a couple coaches votes surely.

I really wanted Curtis Taylor in his draft year. Thought he'd go first round and couldn't believe he slid that far, you guys got an incredible bargain on him.

Hall was astoundingly bad though, like holy s**t. How is he getting games while guys like Scott and LDU aren't? Is it just that you don't have suitable replacements in his position?

 

[Billy Not Really]

Not one of the pretty talented 22 and under is a surefire gun. Not one of them. We need as many as we can in the next 3 years, and the best place to find them is in the top 5 picks. Otherwise we'll be here in 2030 saying the same sh*t.

Very very rarely does a player instantly become a gun in the elite category while they're 22 and under. Look at Simpkin now compared to last year, its night and day. These things take time to click, all drafts are an absolute gamble even if they're highly touted.

Sam Walsh was the talk of the town last year, now look at him.
So was Port Adelaide's 'Young Guns' where are they now?
What about Cam Rayner?

We can't be assured with even our most prospective young players, but that's footy.

It's not the youngster's problem, the aged experienced players are the problem, all over the age of 25 and haven't taken us to the next level, that is unacceptable and Rawlings doesn't cop that s**t. He builds a list properly we know this.

 

[Waussie]

I would bet my dick that 90% of Anderson’s turnovers came from having to attempt a 15% kick because our forward line was littered with Dogs defenders.

We were outworked at both ends and our clearances (apart from the first two in the final quarter) gave us nothing to work with.

Once they break our lines at half back (which was too easy for them as we sat off them at the stoppages) they can draw a defender a handball / chip over the top and end up with a no pressure inside 50 kick.

If Anderson gets that sort of space, and our forwards have that sort of space to work into, he’ll hit targets.

His role in and around the stoppages is what he should be looking at.

But I’d be far more worried about the concentration /work ethic of Polec, Hall and whoever else is playing a ‘second line’ role at stoppages.

Hall went missing, Polec's disposal was appalling. Jed's disposal was better than Polec's

 

[Tas]

I've never really rated Luke McDonald as anything more than average, but his influence was huge tonight. Bont went basically unsighted all night. I'd have him with a couple coaches votes surely.

I really wanted Curtis Taylor in his draft year. Thought he go first round and couldn't believe he slid that far, you guys got an incredible bargain on him.

Hall was astoundingly bad though, like holy sh*t. How is he getting games while guys like Scott and LDU aren't? Is it just that you don't have suitable replacements in his position?

McDonald has ticker, I think pushing him hard through AFL training while he was still a kid overhyped/overvalued his ability given his peers had access to poor development. Brad Scott killed any flair he may have had at AFL so I think defensive half back is going to be as good as it gets for him. He has been pretty good this year to date.

LDU has OP, not sure when he will be available and Scott I think should be playing. Probably the biggest disappointment is so many of our young kids have had major LTIs, it has slowed the pace of possible development if they can't even train.

 

[Virgin Dog]

McDonald has ticker, I think pushing him hard through AFL training while he was still a kid overhyped/overvalued his ability given his peers had access to poor development. Brad Scott killed any flair he may have had at AFL so I think defensive half back is going to be as good as it gets for him. He has been pretty good this year to date.

LDU has OP, not sure when he will be available and Scott I think should be playing. Probably the biggest disappointment is so many of our young kids have had major LTIs, it has slowed the pace of possible development if they can't even train.

Sucks to hear about LDU, he was my favourite of that top 5 in his draft year, looked to have the highest ceiling. OP can kill careers :/

 

[Tas]

I don't have much to say, we started s**t, again, and I fell asleep at half time waiting for the shitshow to continue. I'll have to watch the reply of how tragic we were in the second half.

 

[Waussie]

Nah he was taking marks around the ground all night. Goldy played well but credit to English, he played a great game too.

Talking of English, does anyone else reckon he looks like a Ken doll, you know like from Barbie dolls.

 

[Mordecai]

5 goals in a game.
5.
There is something seriously wrong with what we’re training during the week and putting out on the weekend.

Feel like we knew this coming in with Shaw. Defense first.
Was always worried if we'd get goals on the board. Scott was almost the opposite.

 

[Tas]

Sucks to hear about LDU, he was my favourite of that top 5 in his draft year, looked to have the highest ceiling. OP can kill careers :/

He isn't exactly a speed demon so I don't think it should negatively impact him long term, he has a lot of class when he has the ball in hand, that is a bit of a weakness we have in the middle atm. I think going forward LDU, Thomas, Simpkin, Scott, Ahern (possibly), Walker and Taylor is a pretty good starting point in terms of developing a new midfield from scratch. Not sure about Bonar.

The problem is a stiff breeze atm will blow over half that midfield so even if we would want to play them all, they would basically just get beat up like GC did when they just shoved all kids in the side. Thomas is 74kg, Taylor 78, Walker 78, Scott 73, Simpkin 75. Simpkin gets by on really good evasion but if he was tackled hard stoppage after stoppage he wouldn't be able to take the punishment.

In a few years Higgins, Hall, Ziebell, Cunnington and Polec will probably be gone and I am not sure about Dumont long term Perhaps only Anderson will survive long term from the older midfielders and I think he would have to morph into a tagger. I think seeing Cunnington break down physically now at the age of 29 reminds people how large a role he played in our midfield and how little time is probably left for the mature group. That transition is probably going to happen sooner than people had hoped, but I still think you need a good core of senior players to rebuild well.

 

[Cyber_punk]

I don't have much to say, we started sh*t, again, and I fell asleep at half time waiting for the shitshow to continue. I'll have to watch the reply of how tragic we were in the second half.

You a sadist?

 

[Tas]

You a sadist?

At least knowing the end result I can watch it without the frustration. I am curious to see who flew the flag.