Roast s**t midfield is s**t

[TheLeftFist8]

CEY should have played all season and Thommo should have retired. At least we would have known one way or the other if the kid was going to make it - 2 games what another waste of a season. Our selections were so poor all year.

Can't argue with that.

 

[rocket18]

Do you not recall Walsh saying (after a winning game) that some players are not pulling the weight and doing what they need to do so it looks like changes will have to be made. And if players don't want to do what he asks, he will go and find some players who will.

Unfortunately Walsh was our movement into a ruthless world of the AFC. We are gradually stepping back into the Craig/Trigg mindset era of ways.

Do you not recall that Walsh picked VB, Mackay and Wright for every game he could, he talked a good talk but it was not reflected in his selection policies.

Unfortunately we never got to see what he was trying to build.

 

[Rotayjay]

I'm sick of all this exasperating talk of 'backing in' I've heard over the last few days.

So you come up with a recipe for dinner, with ingredients you think will taste good together. It tastes awful. But then you say, 'I'm going to back in this recipe and try harder. Maybe make some subtle tweaks.' The next time around, it tastes slightly less awful, but still diabolical. You decide to back in the recipe ...

 

[GROTTO]

Great post, it is so bleeding obvious why can't the numpties in charge see it?

Is it because we base our opinions solely on game day performance whilst the coaches get influenced (far too much) by other factors - how they train, prepare, leadership qualities, good bloke factor etc.

So simple to beat us, opposition setup a couple spare behind the stoppage to mop up our around the corner clearance kicks or they win the clearance, spread and our mids can't keep up resulting in an unpressured kick into their f50.

CEY should have played all season and Thommo should have retired. At least we would have known one way or the other if the kid was going to make it - 2 games what another waste of a season. Our selections were so poor all year.

The selection panel need to be held accountable for this debacle. The fact that we didnt get games in CEY and at least give him a solid run despite Thommo's drop in form in the midfield speaks volumes of where the AFC is at.

All the bullshit about not changing a winning team is so bloody ignorant and not seeing the bigger picture which is improving the side overall and developing a strong squad for September to contest for a flag.

The AFC is predictable, we will win probably the first few games of 2017 and still have passengers and yet not make any changes because of the misguided philosophy of not changing a wining team.

 

[Vhaluus]

The selection panel need to be held accountable for this debacle. The fact that we didnt get games in CEY and at least give him a solid run despite Thommo's drop in form in the midfield speaks volumes of where the AFC is at.

All the bullshit about not changing a winning team is so bloody ignorant and not seeing the bigger picture which is improving the side overall and developing a strong squad for September to contest for a flag.

The AFC is predictable, we will win probably the first few games of 2017 and still have passengers and yet not make any changes because of the misguided philosophy of not changing a wining team.

DMac will be a 250 game player for us.

 

[fabs33]

I'm sick of all this exasperating talk of 'backing in' I've heard over the last few days.

So you come up with a recipe for dinner, with ingredients you think will taste good together. It tastes awful. But then you say, 'I'm going to back in this recipe and try harder. Maybe make some subtle tweaks.' The next time around, it tastes slightly less awful, but still diabolical. You decide to back in the recipe ...

Maybe our midfield just needs time to marinate.

 

[Slippery Pete]

I see we've given Thompson another contract.

I said this back in May.

Those of us who have been involved at any sort of decision-making level in an organization would know exactly what's going on here.

I've seen it happen many times. Someone is so well liked within an organization that it circumvents their raw performance. This bloke babysat your kids, he helped you move, he was there on weekends during the crisis. He is such a ripping bloke that getting rid of him would be tantamount to a Judas-like betrayal. It's just unthinkable.

Those on the outside wonder what the organization sees in this bloke? But they don't know him like you know him.

That's why they call them tough decisions. Ruthless organizations have to make calls on really good, decent people. Calls that could potentially screw those people's lives over.

I'm not for one moment pretending this is easy. You actually have to be borderline sociopathic to pull this off over a long period. You have to lack empathy, or be unaffected by it. This is why you'll often see resentment behind the scenes of some organizations that've had huge success. They got there by shafting each other. They give the facade of a happy family, but behind the scenes there's massive inequality.

Blight was the closest thing we had to a sociopath. Putting lines through blokes, standing on ladders, pushing Connell into the circle. He was, at times, a madman.

We've been a good, steady, solid, respectable club for a number of years, but we take the comfortable route hoping the happy family system will win out.

It even took us two years to get rid of a CEO who was found guilty of salary cap misdemeanours.

That's just who we are.

Can a club have success with this method? Sure. If they're that good.

Are we that good?

Nah.

Did anyone else the other night feel like Billy Beane in those opening few minutes of Moneyball when the As go out in yet another playoff series, he destroys his radio, and then starts thinking about the fact his club is a farm system for the rest of the competition.

This weekend we have Dangerfield, Tippett and Davis all lining up in preliminary finals for other clubs. One will be a premiership player in a fortnight. Jack Gunston is a three-time premiership player.

We're the Oakland As.

And we still can't make a tough call.

Remember the days when coaches put black marks against the names of players who didn't perform in finals? They were put on notice. If it became a pattern, they were eventually turfed.

We give those players four and five-year contracts.

 

[Rotayjay]

Do you not recall that Walsh picked VB, Mackay and Wright for every game he could, he talked a good talk but it was not reflected in his selection policies.

Unfortunately we never got to see what he was trying to build.

Walsh will always be a much-loved and deeply mourned question mark. Bless him.

 

[FAITH]

Seems like our mids like to play bruise free, friendly footy bit like campo and doc Clarke did for their entire careers.

 

[marty36]

Seems like our mids like to play bruise free, friendly footy bit like campo and doc Clarke did for their entire careers.

hahaha pretty sure Sloane puts it in and B Crouch isnt bad

 

[Bicks]

Seems like our mids like to play bruise free, friendly footy bit like campo and doc Clarke did for their entire careers.

What a load of horse s**t!

 

[FAITH]

hahaha pretty sure Sloane puts it in and B Crouch isnt bad

Sloane is a gun so is MRouch.

 

[SloaneysDanger]

I'm still unsure of Brouch's potential. In 2013 and 2014 he was brilliant when he was actually on the field. He had some good games this year but also some not so good games (last Saturday is one). I don't know, I guess I was expecting a bit more from him since Danger departed.

Hopefully he can have a full pre-season and a consistent 2017 injury free. If so, he might take the next step.

 

[FAITH]

Our mids as a group is probably bottom 4 quality. But our forwards top 2 quality and defense top 8 quality cover up their massive weaknesses.

 

[Freomaniac]

You want to put our 70+ Goal kicking excitement machine into the back pocket ?

if you do that, The AFL will clamp down on it and accuse you of tanking

 

[marty36]

Our mids as a group is probably bottom 4 quality. But our forwards top 2 quality and defense top 8 quality cover up their massive weaknesses.

I dont think anyone could argue we lack some midfield strenght if Thommo was 5 years younger we would be ok, but he isnt!

Im surprised the club didnt address thsi last year at the draft or trade table knowing full well we lost Danger

 

[Vhaluus]

Our mids as a group is probably bottom 4 quality. But our forwards top 2 quality and defense top 8 quality cover up their massive weaknesses.

I said mid season we were the worst midfield in the top 8 and got screamed at, so good luck with your call here lol.

 

[marty36]

I said mid season we were the worst midfield in the top 8 and got screamed at, so good luck with your call here lol.

Most predicted our midfield was our Achilles heal

 

[mistylake]

DMac will be a 250 game player for us.

Gagf

 

[Hank93]

Our mids as a group is probably bottom 4 quality. But our forwards top 2 quality and defense top 8 quality cover up their massive weaknesses.

I'm not disputing there's a clear lack of elite talent in the midfield in comparison to the top 4 sides.

But those forwards aren't kicking goals unless the midfield group can get it inside 50.

Adelaide in 2016 rankings

Inside 50s: 2nd
Disposals: 4th
Contested possessions: 2nd
Uncontested possessions: 5th
Clearances: 4th
Centre clearances: 1st

That's a fairly clear indication the Crows midfield group have held up pretty damn well for the cattle in there.

 

[Stiffy_18]

I'm not disputing there's a clear lack of elite talent in the midfield in comparison to the top 4 sides.

But those forwards aren't kicking goals unless the midfield group can get it inside 50.

Adelaide in 2016 rankings

Inside 50s: 2nd
Disposals: 4th
Contested possessions: 2nd
Uncontested possessions: 5th
Clearances: 4th
Centre clearances: 1st

That's a fairly clear indication the Crows midfield group have held up pretty damn well for the cattle in there.

The problem is that it can hold up during the season but facts are coming up against top midfields we have struggled and come finals time when there is a lot more heat around the contest, it gets tougher and harder to win it in the contest and just as hard to move it quickly.

Those rankings against Geelong, Bulldogs and Sydney in the finals would have been very different. Fact is other than two Sydney teams at home, we have struggled against top notch midfields this year. It is no surprise that 4 teams with the best midfields are still in finals and we are once again watching from the sidelines.

 

[Sanders]

I'm not disputing there's a clear lack of elite talent in the midfield in comparison to the top 4 sides.

But those forwards aren't kicking goals unless the midfield group can get it inside 50.

Adelaide in 2016 rankings

Inside 50s: 2nd
Disposals: 4th
Contested possessions: 2nd
Uncontested possessions: 5th
Clearances: 4th
Centre clearances: 1st

That's a fairly clear indication the Crows midfield group have held up pretty damn well for the cattle in there.

Except at the business end of the season

 

[King Elvis]

I'm sick of all this exasperating talk of 'backing in' I've heard over the last few days.

So you come up with a recipe for dinner, with ingredients you think will taste good together. It tastes awful. But then you say, 'I'm going to back in this recipe and try harder. Maybe make some subtle tweaks.' The next time around, it tastes slightly less awful, but still diabolical. You decide to back in the recipe ...

You've said in six lines what I tried to in six paragraphs - and that's the perfect analogy - simple, but accurate.

Keep doing the same thing, you'll keep getting the same result; good or bad.

 

[Red mist]

The problem is that it can hold up during the season but facts are coming up against top midfields we have struggled and come finals time when there is a lot more heat around the contest, it gets tougher and harder to win it in the contest and just as hard to move it quickly.

Those rankings against Geelong, Bulldogs and Sydney in the finals would have been very different. Fact is other than two Sydney teams at home, we have struggled against top notch midfields this year. It is no surprise that 4 teams with the best midfields are still in finals and we are once again watching from the sidelines.

We are too bruise free. It all very well getting there in the minor round with the fast rebounding style but as soon as the heat steps up and the game style changes for September we are left floundering and chasing tail. We need to adopt a game plan closer to WB or Sydney. If that means adding another mid rotation to our 22 at the behest of one of our forwards then so be it. Rather play finals style game during the year and win by 2 or 3 goals than load up the forward line and downhill ski all over the teams below us.

 

[CrowinNT]

Not sure this is correct. Without culture change, there will be a new breed of players being rewarded with gold passes. Regardless of form, can you see Sauce being dropped? The issue isn't the players, it's the coaches and I'm not yet convinced we have a desire or the necessary personnel to change.

We seem to have lost in Fages and Roo we trust mantra. Need another major change this year to the midfield coaching area. Bring some freshness in. Someone that has balls at selection.