Game Day Round 1, 2024 : West Coast v Port Adelaide - 1.00pm Sun 17/3 @ Adelaide Oval (A new era begins)

[timeforanother22]

Did I mention game style?

As I said innumerable times last season it’s about players and roles and seeing the ones we do have with a different set of eyes. But yes I’m aware of the glacial attempts to move our game style from the Hawthorn one he brought to the club for a more modern one.

I’m entirely unsurprised that you are happy with said glacial pace

TBH I don’t think I have ever seen you happy about anything West Coast. Ever.

 

[Free Agent]

Given how bad Gaff and Darling were last year (or more) they really needed to show something to show they're not done and they just didn't. Why are they getting games? Like surely they weren't just tearing up the preseason only to serve up this s**t on game day right?

Jack Williams kicked three in the WAFL.

Straight swap for Darling
Chesser takes Gaff spot

JJ takes Witho or Coles Spot

 

[15yearmember]

Everyone before the game - "As long as we don't lose by 60+ I'm happy"

Lose by 50 - "10 year rebuild incoming, Reid to want out at the mid-season trade period, fold the club!!!!"

Get a ******* grip.

Exaggeration to make a point but your never ending pleas for patience and trust in the coach and direction of the club have been wrong for 2 years.

Some nice steps today in an overall mediocre performance but 2 years slower than ideal and with some wrong horses backed in by a coach that doesn’t deserve to be there.

This isn’t good enough, it is too slow and it’s because of acceptance of mediocrity for years.

 

[Byron_Clanger]

Given how bad Gaff and Darling were last year (or more) they really needed to show something to show they're not done and they just didn't. Why are they getting games? Like surely they weren't just tearing up the preseason only to serve up this s**t on game day right?

Because we have no depth. We drafted poorly or the picks we could've used went in the Tim Kelly trade. This is our medicine for a couple more years until we get more young talent in.

 

[Rivoroo17]

Reid has got to have had some kind of effect on chesser, see them all the time together on instagram look like really good mates. This is the kind of effect bringing in a player like Reid can have amongst the youth.

 

[15yearmember]

Because we have no depth. We drafted poorly or the picks we could've used went in the Tim Kelly trade. This is our medicine for a couple more years until we get more young talent in.

And we’ve developed players poorly.

The drafting and development flaws in part because we haven’t been realistic in assessing where we were at and we’ve stuck with an outdated game plan for too long (and played players who fit that outdated plan).

Much of this rests with the head coach. To entrust him to fix this is just an odd decision that delays the inevitable

 

[CountryLad]

Jack Williams kicked three in the WAFL.

Straight swap for Darling
Chesser takes Gaff spot

JJ takes Witho or Coles Spot

Apart from the 3 goals he kicked he didn’t do a lot. Maric for me had a better game, he may have only kicked 2 but brings defensive pressure and helped set up a few other goals.

JJ looked okay but really didn’t do enough to warrant a recall.

Hall, Trew and Burgiel all looked like they could play some AFL soon. Obviously very young so it will come down to how many inexperienced players the match committee wants to play at once.

 

[Free Agent]

Dam it we lost our alphabetically ladder position we had at the start of the round.

 

[oak79]

I'm not too devasteed by a 50 point loss - Reid delivered and was some other positives.

But as much as we need some experience in the side, Gaff & Darling were liabilities today. Neither of them should be playing every game this year. I suspect Gaff may be out next week, Darling will probably get another game.

 

[bzparkes]

Did I mention game style?

As I said innumerable times last season it’s about players and roles and seeing the ones we do have with a different set of eyes. But yes I’m aware of the glacial attempts to move our game style from the Hawthorn one he brought to the club for a more modern one.

I’m entirely unsurprised that you are happy with said glacial pace

We don't have the cattle.

With half the list under 22 years of age and most not even playing 20 games yet, are you expecting a quick return to finals?

I'm afraid you're going to be sorely disappointed if so.

 

[Dylan82]

Overall, the team played far better than I was expecting.

Only got blown away during the second and last quarters when fatigue became a bigger factor.


The first and third quarters were genuinely competitive.


Senior KPPs in Allen, Darling and Barrass having absolute mares made it harder for the rest of the group.

Still carrying far too many players in the side that lack any real pace or ability to generate forward momentum.

Difference this year is that there now appears to be greater competition coming through to replace those redundant players.



Last year, the club was (barely) a one quarter team against the better sides in the competition.

Now it can maintain that for two.

Next year, it will make that three.

And the year after that, it will no longer be seen to be rebuilding anymore.


This is how rebuilds go.

 

[Yeahnahmate]

It’s a rebuild and right after a list turnover so I’m looking for positives, thought there was some things to take from the effort. This should be peak learning stage for the side as they start to grow. Result was about exactly what I thought it’d be, would have loved a little closer considering the first quarter. I liked the pressure overall. Port are class and will be top 4ish.

• Liked Gov, happy to see him fit and flexing when he could
• BBBW was real strong, poor bloke needs a crack as a marking fwd. Will get that when Flynn returns
• Jamieson obviously had to back up ruck out of necessity but I like the glimpses of his closing speed and spoiling when he’s in defense. A future there I think
• Hough decent, looks strong over it and balanced in a defense under serious pressure
• Reid is a stud. Feed him a few of those one twos next week
• Yeo built in to it ok I thought
• Chesser looked a great link up and gave some running power one subbed. Best I’ve seen him. Still has tendency to fall to knees at times, needs to keep up and strong through it
• Petreccelle did plenty right
• Allen, Barrass, Darling, Witho and Gaff all pretty poor today. On Gaff, I think Chess earns his start next week for sure. Witho it’s hard to make a case for remaining in the side also based off this opening effort

 

[bzparkes]

Exaggeration to make a point but your never ending pleas for patience and trust in the coach and direction of the club have been wrong for 2 years.

We had WAFL plodders playing full seasons for 2 years due to garbage player availability. 2 years ago, we had top up players from the WAFL playing.

If we have good availability this year and there's zero improvement then yes, Simson should be put out to pasture.

It's round one though and I saw a few things I liked in this game.

Some nice steps today in an overall mediocre performance but 2 years slower than ideal and with some wrong horses backed in by a coach that doesn’t deserve to be there.

Contrary to popular belief, the coach doesn't make every football decision at the club. There's a general manager of football, CEO and board he answers to.

Some clubs don't function like this obviously but WCE very much appears to be a collective that makes decisions on the direction of the club.

This isn’t good enough, it is too slow and it’s because of acceptance of mediocrity for years.

Hopefully with Nisbett gone we'll see the club more prepared to drop senior players.

Subbing out Gaff in round one is a good sign, even if he shouldn't have been playing to begin with.

 

[Balls In]

This is a scorched earth rebuild that can only be done through years of high end picks in the draft. On top of the midfield (and all the role players) we also need to find an entire new spine to add to Allen. This is arguably a more difficult task than the midfield. At least 5 years more of this unwatchable s**t, minimum.

 

[HoneyBadger35]

Years from now, when Harley Reid has won his 15th Brownlow and led us to 30 flags, this will all be a happy memory.

Until then, head into the autopsy thread.