Sydney debacle

[superstar]

Any comments?

Brown, Bateman, Crawford and Everitt had a dip all day.

The SCG didn't suit the game plan Clarkson has been applying all pre-season which requires alot more space for the likes of Hodge, Smith, Croad and Lonie to work into. No excuse though, and those four players offered little.

Changes for next week?

OUT: Sewell, Brennan, Campbell (injured?)
IN: Mitchell, Beaumont, Taylor (by default)

Thurgood and Miller would be lucky to get another game, but it wouldn't be good for their confidence to drop them straight away. Richmond have the worst backline in the game, but sadly we've got the worst forward line. Need to actually give Williams some game time next week and find some marking targets up forward.

We can win next week. I might not say that again for awhile.

 

[Nightwolf]

Sorry mate but this is what it should be:

In: Clarke, Beaumont, Barker, Mitchell
Out: Miller, Thurgood, Brennan, Campbell (injury)

Spida might have to ruck all game....

Overall woeful performance

Positives:

Crawf is back, was good but considering he hasnt played for a while, he was excellant..

Hodge tried hard, wasnt his best, but still got the ball, even his skills were terrible today tho..

Brown was great IMO, his best game for ages. Best Tackler in the team.

Everitt had hitouts galore and played forward alot, god hes good...

Bateman was our best easily. I noticed last year he tended to be the attraction for brownlow votes, maybe its worth getting on him this year..

Ladson: Did some good things...

Holland: took some good grabs, kicking is terrible, but still Dutchy, BACK YOURSELF!!!

Terrible ( No comment needed):
Jacobs
Smith
Ossy
Vanders

Others were below average or just average....

 

[superstar]

I wouldn't drop the first-gamers. No point playing them against Sydney and then dropping them for Richmond.

Franklin, in particular, could cause problems for the pitiful tiger defence.

 

[Nightwolf]

I wouldn't drop the first-gamers. No point playing them against Sydney and then dropping them for Richmond.

Franklin, in particular, could cause problems for the pitiful tiger defence.

Na i never said Franklin, Thurgood maybe gets another chance...But we have to make room for Barker, Clarke and Mitchell IMO. I want Beaumont to play, whether he does is another thing...Lewis anyone?

Williams better not be dropped, Richmond are his bitch!

 

[HIG]

I wouldn't drop the first-gamers. No point playing them against Sydney and then dropping them for Richmond.

Franklin, in particular, could cause problems for the pitiful tiger defence.

Agreed.

Assuming Campbell is injured;
Ins: Mitchell, Barker, Taylor
Outs: Sewell, Brennan, Campbell

Franklin operating as a third-tall behind Dutchy and Barker would be ideal, with Dixon and Williams taking the scraps and Miller/Ladson as crumbers.

If Clarkson wants Beaumont in the side, one of Jacobs or Thurgood will have to make way. Personally i'd stick with what we have.

 

[Grendel]

Hodge tried hard, wasnt his best, but still got the ball, even his skills were terrible today tho..

He was abysmal. No run, delivery atrocious and stupid frees against.

He's better than that and by God we need him to be better than that.

Brown was great IMO, his best game for ages. Best Tackler in the team.

Might make a good rugby player but his man killed us. For a link man he gave nothing the 'other way' and his man (Davis after Thurgood was removed) killed us. (though to be fair, Davis killed Thurgood too).

Everitt had hitouts galore and played forward alot, god hes good...

Love to know the fasicnation with hit-outs if they are not to effect. Best on ground was Jolley who presented, took contested marks, ran hard and beat both Campbell and Everitt.

Everitt wasn't our worst but it was just a game and like Hodge, he can play better than that.

 

[Nightwolf]

He was abysmal. No run, delivery atrocious and stupid frees against.

He's better than that and by God we need him to be better than that.



Might make a good rugby player but his man killed us. For a link man he gave nothing the 'other way' and his man (Davis after Thurgood was removed) killed us. (though to be fair, Davis killed Thurgood too).



Love to know the fasicnation with hit-outs if they are not to effect. Best on ground was Jolley who presented, took contested marks, ran hard and beat both Campbell and Everitt.

Everitt wasn't our worst but it was just a game and like Hodge, he can play better than that.

Agreed yes, but Everitt had long spells in the goal Square, you just dont like him. I would put money on that if Mitchell was there 70% of his hitouts would have been to advantage. He had no one to tap it to....

So you wouldnt say Brown was good today? Or thats not what your saying..?

 

[tige19]

Nightwolf how are we gonna get better by throwing Clarke back into the side the guy is way way below in standard for what we need. Brad Sewell has got to go, he is way to slow with his football thinking and gets caught out in situations 99% of footballers would be able to deal with.

To me the signs arent looking any better, Hodge is still just OK and Everitt and Crawford are still the ones carrying everyone else. Its gonna be a very very bleak season and one that i hope passes quickly.

cheers

 

[Nightwolf]

Nightwolf how are we gonna get better by throwing Clarke back into the side the guy is way way below in standard for what we need. Brad Sewell has got to go, he is way to slow with his football thinking and gets caught out in situations 99% of footballers would be able to deal with.

To me the signs arent looking any better, Hodge is still just OK and Everitt and Crawford are still the ones carrying everyone else. Its gonna be a very very bleak season and one that i hope passes quickly.

cheers

Clarke was by reports possibly B.O.G for Box Hill, reward him. Sewell was ok today, he was given so many hospital handballs it wasnt funny!

 

[Grendel]

Mitchell gets his own clearances (always has done) at any level, regardless of the ruckman. Hit-outs = most overrated stat going.

Saying that, I don't like Everitt (well.. duh..) that's known. I also give credit when it's due. Today he was servicable (which means he was probably the third/fourth best player we had) but that's it. "God he's good"... suggest that you are trying to imply that he had influence on the game today. Not from my pov, he didn't.

As for Brown, great tackler, they like that in rugby don't they? For those that bemoan Clarke, Beaumont etc and lack of skill, Brown is their equal. He tried but he was loose, he had goals kicked on him and he gave no drive (albeit he wasn't alone). If you think it was a good game fine, I'd have him out the side next week and see if Lewis has got the skill (already has the body) to offer something in his stead.

 

[Adelaide Hawk]

Disappointed. That's all I can say. 2005 could be an even longer one than 2004.

 

[macca_2111]

I know everyone here has confidence in luke hodge but i for one am starting to lose my patience. Injuries arent an excuse anymore this year is just about his last chance to step up and show what he's got. Put in a stinker today. If he doesnt show something soon i wouldnt be too surprised if his name came up at trade week.
Also we are now seeing just how great a captain Vandenberg is. I think every game he has been captain has put in nothing short of an absolute pethetick effort.
Hate to be this negative but it is becoming a reality
2005's gonna be a long year

 

[lasher]

unlike a few people on here i can honestly say i was unable to find any positives out of todays 1st Rnd loss to sydney..

last years VFL premiers would have beaten us..( quite easily )
we were well below AFL standards and looked weak in every aspect of the game including our want for the ball..

even though the tiges lost badly aswell i thought they still looked better than we did..
we were embarrasingly pathetic...

next week should see the inclusion of mitchell , barker , beaumont , clarke and ries...
take your pick on who to leave out because they were all terrible..

i said before i dont care if we lose , i can handle that , but to lose in such a pathetic way is heart shattering..
clarkson needs to issue balls ( the testicle type ) to every player..
our shepparding was atrocious , our talk was non existant , our follow ups disgraceful...our over all skill level was below TAC level , in fact it boarded on reserves country level...
anyone who thinks it didnt hasnt a clue about football....

i can only prey that we improve....

 

[Binxy]

Man, it was tough sitting through that.
I thought we dispensed with that whole "chip it sideways seven times in our defensive 50" tactic when we delisted Mark Graham, but apparently not. I thought Schwabby had snuck into the box!

You guys have pretty much summed it up.

Hodge was terrible.Vandenburg is just not captain material. Jacobs (still) looks like he doesn't care. Crawford/Smith were patchy at best.

I thought Harry and Buddy weren't sure where they were for most of the game - though a bit of team confidence will help that. I felt for Holland. He tried and tried, playing a lone hand up forward only to have Goodes lick his lips and run off him.

Sewell and Campbell (Robbie and Brownie) try hard but I just don't think they're up to it.

I was feeling extremely disappointed, but then I read Grenny's thread "Welcome to 2005" - an excellent post Steve. I get too caught up in the emotion sometimes and it was sobering to read. Oh, just one thing......... how about Spider's one handed pick up and snap 'round the corner for a goal?
Mate, that guy is a superstar

 

[Slick]

Gotta give the young guys a break, let them play a few games and adjust to the tempo, and positioning in the AFL. Franklin and Miller looked a little lost. Sewell didn't have the time he usually would in a VFL game but I thought he was at least servicable. People have written him off saying he's too slow but he hasn't played many games and was thrust straight into the middle against a team who knows that ground better then they know themselves.

I think that the young guys should be played again next week. Campbell looks like he wont come up. Mitchell will be back, Barker should be back as should Tim Clarke for the bigger MCG and Taylor will come in for Campbell. So 3 have to make way.. who will these be?

IN: Mitchell, Clarke, Taylor, Barker
OUT: Campbell,

 

[Adelaide Hawk]

we were well below AFL standards and looked weak in every aspect of the game including our want for the ball..

i dont care if we lose , i can handle that , but to lose in such a pathetic way is heart shattering..

our over all skill level was below TAC level , in fact it boarded on reserves country level...
anyone who thinks it didnt hasnt a clue about football....

i can only prey that we improve....

I've highlighted some of your comment, but I agreed pretty much with the whole thing. How many times did Barry Hall win the ball easily, then nobody had the courage or committment to go and meet him? I hope I'm wrong, but it really looked as though some of our players were scared of him.

Out tackling is pathetic, not only in the lack of ferocity, but also in the technique. We don't apply tackles properly, and too many players are able to slip the tackle.

I can just imagine how Clarkson must be feeling right now. Personally, I just cannot see where our improvement is going to come from. And I reluctantly agree with peoples' thoughts on Luke Hodge. I have been a huge supporter of him up to now, but I am starting to feel my confidence in him is unwarranted. I am starting to think he will never live up to our expectations as a player.

Like you Lasher .... I hope I'm wrong.

 

[macca_2111]

Gotta give the young guys a break, let them play a few games and adjust to the tempo, and positioning in the AFL. Franklin and Miller looked a little lost. Sewell didn't have the time he usually would in a VFL game but I thought he was at least servicable. People have written him off saying he's too slow but he hasn't played many games and was thrust straight into the middle against a team who knows that ground better then they know themselves.

I think that the young guys should be played again next week. Campbell looks like he wont come up. Mitchell will be back, Barker should be back as should Tim Clarke for the bigger MCG and Taylor will come in for Campbell. So 3 have to make way.. who will these be?

IN: Mitchell, Clarke, Taylor, Barker
OUT: Campbell,

Not too worried about the younger players but when u see guys like Vandenberg and Hodge who are meant to be our leaders putting in pathetick efforts its unacceptable

 

[andrew coombs]

Leaving my belief that Sydney will be a top 4 side in 2005 aside, I was demoralised by this afternoon's performance. As ordinary as our list is ( and it is bloody awful ) we surely were entitled to a better effort than that. If Al Clarkson was in any doubt as to the magnitude of his task it will painfully obvious now. Look for a huge clearout in october 2005.

Vandenberg as Captain is an insult to our supporters and the few quality players we have. If we aspire to be a good team he would not get a game.

Feel sorry for the membership department. How do you ask people to shell out their hard earned to pay the wages of Robert Campbell?

 

[Nightwolf]

Ease up on Campbell, he put in 100% (Unlike some), and actually did alright in the ruck, itll hurt Spida next week if he doesnt play....

 

[andrew coombs]

Campbell is an example of a bloke who is playing AFL footy ( albeit with the worst side ) based completely on his size. He has little ability and a pain threshhold that makes Mark Phillipousis look like Dessie Tuddenham. I couldnt give a flying rats tossbag ( a Blight special ) how hard he tries.

 

[missionpossible]

I think you guys are in for a long season but most of you knew that.
What I think is that it is important for you to keep playing the young guys and develop their games. Being young they will be inconsistant but as long as they keep improving their work rate you will benefit in the long run. This is where players like thurgood, miller and franklin need to come into the team know they will play the next four games. If they struggle put them back to the twos to get some confidence up again before giving them another four games. If you can get a eight to ten games into the kids this year you can look forward to a lot better 2006.
I did think that the hawks at least had a dip today.

 

[Choota]

We're crap.

But we're still better than Richmond.

We got belted interstate. They got belted on their own dung heap. We'll dust them off at the 'G next week.

 

[Adelaide Hawk]

We have Richmond and Essendon in the next 2 weeks. If we can't win at least 1 of those matches, I honestly cannot see where we will score a win.

For people to say Richmond were worse than us .... geez, they must have been horrible.

 

[lasher]

i watched both games and i can say that richmond still looked better..
interstate or not , our skill level was the poorest i've seen from any team in many many years..i'd be hard pressed to even think of one...

 

[lasher]

Ease up on Campbell, he put in 100% (Unlike some), and actually did alright in the ruck, itll hurt Spida next week if he doesnt play....

you have got to be kidding..
this bloke is a lumbering hack who has done FU@# all over the last 2 years to even suggest he'll be an assett to the club...
we have the worst back-up ruck in the league...
your being way to lenient , cambell will be traded at the end of this year..
time to start blooding taylor , see what he's made of...
i will be very interested to see how fanning does for the pies today..
young bloke , first game , will still do more than cambell ever has..