Game Day Round 14 West Coast v Melbourne : Unsociable campaigners or Meek & Mild

[15yearmember]

Well, realistically, we cannot expect to win every game. Yeah?

Obviously we should be pushing for a flag with our list profile. We are probably not going to, not this year anyway. So there are genuine concerns there. But the other poster was saying we should be winning every game in 2017 with our list.

I was responding to your taking someone to task about not being able to find positives.

The reality is that we are a middling side with a poorish midfield. And instead of investing in fixing that as a priority we have coasted a bit by being kind of good, by being quite competitive. We should be all about flags and the realisation that we are middling should see real urgency at the club. Do you see that?

Or do you see them announcing the extending of Priddis for another year?

I agree with you that even in our best years we'd lose games. But the coach himself said 2 weeks ago this month will show where we are at. We are 1-1 and we now head off to Melbourne. I'm worried that we are exactly what we've been under Simmo. Handy, competitive but a bit directionless. A bit comfortable. I see more downside in the future than upside. That pisses be off. And makes losses like this harder.

 

[Seadog]

Good game that could have gone either way but we came up short.

Pissed off that we lost but I cant fault the effort.

I do however get the angst that is being vented at Priddis, because he is such a liability with his inability to contribute to the game unless its in close at a stoppage.
We get over run on a counter attack week after week after ******* week because he cant run so the opposition immediately have a numerical advantage going away from the contest.

Lessons to be learnt by our Football Department from what Melbourne have done.

They have traded heavily for and invested multiple early draft picks into establishing a super midfield.
Its where the game is won and lost.
We need to take a leaf out of their book and bolster our midfield options.

Sad thing is that the alarm bells should have been ringing and the warning lights flashing the last five years but alas they were not.
We have built a enviable spine but failed to get a midfield thats of a similar quality.

So whilst our midfield remains mediocre we sadly will have nights like tonight..... almost a great time....... but not quite.

So what you are saying is we should sink to the bottom of the ladder for 4 or 5 yrs because that's how Melb built their midfield.

 

[Ghossein]

 

[Angus Young]

* me west coast... what are u doing

 

[Eagleboy68]

what hurts most is you just know simmo will roll out the cliches, and will probably drop hill for masten or some
sort of piss poor attempt to make 'changes'

Said he was happy with the way we played...go figure

 

[swannies]

So what you are saying is we should sink to the bottom of the ladder for 4 or 5 yrs because that's how Melb built their midfield.

Plus a Father Son that is more than useful.

 

[ChampRevesby]

Said he was happy with the way we played...go figure

We did play pretty well just gave up the ghost when it mattered.

 

[Biggie]

Plus a Father Son that is more than useful.

Bloody gun that kid, love the way he goes about it.

 

[Monocle]

So what you are saying is we should sink to the bottom of the ladder for 4 or 5 yrs because that's how Melb built their midfield.

Nope not at all.

Make sure we do a more astute job of the identification of midfield talent and then nail those picks.

We have tried but the trading of two first round picks for Wellingham and Redden is looking pretty incompetent .

Whereas the Elliot Yeo for a second rounder has been a real win talent wise but it still hasn't helped our midfield.

If we are honest with ourselves we need to admit that our recruiting / trading team are very good with KPP identification but we are poor when it comes to mids.

Just as "The Violet Crumbles" do well with mids but are hopeless drafting KPP.
It happens Clubs have recruiting blindspots.

Its one of the real disappointments for me that after numerous "Football Departments Reviews" we have not been able to remedy this organisational weakness.

In the commercial world if you have staff that don't deliver in vital areas you get rid of them or add staff to the team that excel in those vital areas, its pretty simple identify the weaknesses , address it and then fix it.

I don't believe that we need to stoop to the lowly level that Melbourne did to improve but we do need the "Management" at the club to address shortfalls in our off field personal and then go about acquiring the staff that have the ability to fix the problem.

As a Club we do a lot well, but this ongoing midfield cluster F*** has been our achilles heal for over five years now and we haven't come up with the solution.

Of coarse that right corrective action needs a CEO that can orchestrate such moves.

Argh that might just be part of the problem.

 

[swannies]

Bloody gun that kid, love the way he goes about it.

I told my son a number of weeks ago that he would lead them out of the wilderness and he responded with, do you think he is that good.

Ken Oath was my response.

 

[The Stid]

Clayton Oliver

Angry Ginger kid with no soul

 

[Eagleboy68]

We did play pretty well just gave up the ghost when it mattered.

You can't be serious.
First and second quarter were poor. Nothing like our endeavour against Geelong.
Allowed them too much room in the midfield.

We are playing with a poor players which Simpson does jack s**t to change.
Priddis, darling, Cripps, Lecras are liabilities that get protected.
I'd rather play youth and lose than lose with those wastes of spaces.

It's time to move on. But Simpson either doesn't have the balls or the club won't let him move on these players.

Either way it's ****ed.

 

[Monocle]

Clayton Oliver View attachment 385301

Angry Ginger kid with no soul
View attachment 385302

Oliver is a very silly lad to go to war with Ragnar Lothbrok... AKA Will Schofield.

 

[langdon19]

So many ******* soft ass supporters on here "oh the boys tried hard, they get an A for effort, here have a participation award you cute little fairies"

**** off. Win or get stuffed.

This board is like the current team

 

[langdon19]

Nope not at all.

As a Club we do a lot well, but this ongoing midfield cluster F*** has been our achilles heal for over five years now and we haven't come up with the solution.

Argh that might just be part of the problem.

Feels like more than five years.

you said "over" my bad i agree, little bit dissapointed in our soft team atm.
Our hard past players that put their head over the ball and backed each other up must be so dissapointed with this current team.
Either something is wrong inside WC or this team should hang their head in shame.

 

[Monocle]

Feels like more than five years.

you said "over" my bad i agree, little bit dissapointed in our soft team atm.
Our hard past players that put their head over the ball and backed each other up must be so dissapointed with this current team.
Either something is wrong inside WC or this team should hang their head in shame.

For me I am convinced that it comes down to some serious flaws within the Internals at the Club.

I don't blame the players, as much, as they don't deliberately go out and lose a game , anyone who has played knows that the competitive juices kick in once you cross over the white line....you want to win at all costs. I don't blame players for wanting to play on past their use by date.

For Example :
I cant blame Priddis for wanting to keep playing on..... hell its what he both enjoys and what he does for a living.
But I can blame the Management at the Club that offer him another 1 year contract.
Its not easy to tap a favourite son on the shoulder and tell him that times up.
But if the call is on strategy and is in alignment with what you are wanting to achieve as a Club going forward then its a much easier thing to do.

There comes a time when you have to be pragmatic and think that no matter how much you want to support what the Club is doing, the stark realisation hits home that the Powers to be are no longer "up to it".
I would suggest that the repeat "miscues" that we have witnessed over several years are symptomatic of such.

Think about this :
If its happened for the last two coaches and its happened with several lists over the last few years, then its a more serious problem that just getting a new coach and drafting more kids.

It should be a wake up call to the Board that things are not well within the upper echelons at the Club and that an Independent review is needed.

Trouble is, in order for the review to be effective you need the review to be impartial and have complete autonomy from the day to day management of the Club, review findings, by there very nature , will tread on some toes , challenge some existing thought processes .
Reviews should acknowledge whats working well, highlight what's not and make some recommendations as to how best to move forward and improve.

Now more often that not recommendations from reviews require change and as we all know change management is one of the most difficult management assignment to have to go through.

There are generally three groups you need to consider when you implement change management.

Those people that are genuinely open to change, so you consider keeping them.
Those people who don't want the change and don't want to change so you get rid of them.
Those people who are incapable of change so you need to get rid of them also.

The first solution to fixing a problem is admitting that you have one.
I am not sure that our Club is at that point YET.

As you rightfully point out our hard past players must be disappointed with this current team.

Like wise our current Members , regardless of how long we have supported the Club, must be disappointed with the current Board and Administration.

Ultimately both the on and off field success of the Club is the responsibility of The Board.
If they were Custodians of the same level of Excellence "on the field success " as they are with our Balance Sheet, we would all be much happier campers.

 

[frenchconnection]

Feels like more than five years.

you said "over" my bad i agree, little bit dissapointed in our soft team atm.
Our hard past players that put their head over the ball and backed each other up must be so dissapointed with this current team.
Either something is wrong inside WC or this team should hang their head in shame.

I just have this feeling we are a bit rudderless at the moment! Not sure how to rectify it but something has to change.

 

[jedi mind tricks]

Priddis has to go. Absolute liability.

Maxy Gawn sticking the knife in about the club song. Our club is plastic af

Can I quote that it's absolute gold

 

[flylikeaneagle]

Melbourne is a solid team, certainly no shame in losing to the Roger Federer of AFL2017.

Chins up, better luck next time boys!

 

[Natho]

Melbourne is a solid team, certainly no shame in losing to the Roger Federer of AFL2017.

Chins up, better luck next time boys!

as much as we'd all like to win every game and win the grand final by 10 goals. we shouldn't lose to Melbourne at home.

 

[Jandamarra]

Great game boys, thanks for the contest

I hate this insincere bullshit. * off

 

[squashface]

I'm still so flat after that

 

[Quinz]

I hate this insincere bullshit. **** off

Calm down. Winners are grinners as they say.

Take it sincerely and you'll feel better. Add a drop of lavender to your bath and soon, you will soak yourself calm.

 

[Galileo9]

Monocle, I think u r overreacting a little. We lost a game in a last minute to a very solid team, a game we probably should have won with few mins to go.

You complain we don't play young players and yet second last goal from memory, was due to Barrass being pushed off easily off ball on wing and somehow all blame is laid at one other player. Really? No doubt barrass is learning I accept that but you want whole board more or less replaced. Priddis also staying for a year isn't guarantee of playing time.

This is the nature of AFL and draft, you can't miraculously make grand finals every year. Happens rarely. I also think things are a bit more complicated than just dispensing of "favourite suns" when some fans see fit. One he may well still be doing a good job according to coach (but somehow you make it sound like there is some sort of conspiracy where it's not coaches decision) and two you always hear coaches talk about exiting players the right way. Who knows, maybe there was a salary squeeze and they promised priddis an extra year down the line.

Adelaide fans also think their club is in chaos and call for a clear out of playing list. Does anyone else think that? No. People dream of super teams that destroy everyone and Geelong and hawks were lucky draft concessions couldn't give rise to other teams as quickly. It's a factor.

However you wish to perpetuate this theme that our club is disfunctional and in chaos by over representing what you know. I would have thought your reaction is a bit over the top.

 

[Obeanie1]

All well and good to drop Cripps but who comes in as a direct replacement.

Maybe Lamb and see what he can do over the last 9 games but the cupboard is pretty bare in terms of smaller forwards to replace him with after LeCras's injury

Lamb is a Darling replacement not a Cripps replacement.