Taylor Walker Dropped...

[WALL-e]

I'm more confident this week than last, don't know why, just am.

 

[CaptainDangerfield]

We'd have been happy with the improvement.

 

[Crow-mo]

you owe the loan shark $1000.
you have 10 minutes left before he breaks your legs.
you have $20 left in your hand.

you put it all down on a 25-1 shot.

that's how this week feels to me. we're all in on miscalculated odds.

 

[Drugs Are Bad Mackay?]

I really don't like Neil Craig just at the moment... but you've got to admit he's got some pills! The entire city of Adelaide has been baying for his blood all week and he placates us by dropping our absolute favourite young talent! Talk about rubbing our noses in it.

Is there anything he could have done to make us angrier? Out: Maric, In: Griffin? I don't think even that would create as much vitriole. Maybe beat up a flamingo? Kill one of the pandas? Shoot Bambi's mother? Don't think any of those would cut it.

He's really outdone himself this time.

The closest thing I can remember was round 1 last year when Cook, Petrenko and Walker were named to make their debuts and Shirley was omitted and played SANFL. I thought at that stage that maybe things were going to change.

Clearly we've learned from that heavy Round 1 loss and have made sure never to make the same mistake again

I think this is how Craig raises his middle finger to the supporters.

Spot on. The dropping of Walker is proof that Neil Craig reads BigFooty.

Neil, I'm sorry for all the things I said about you. I take them all back. And you do look good in shorts. Now, can we end this nonsense and reinstate Walker please?

 

[CaptainDangerfield]

Am I the only one feeling conflicted as a supporter about tomorrow night's game? Post an upset win and the hierarchy will consider itself vindicated. Do we want that?

Hope you win lads but gee...it won't be quite so satisfying as it could've been.

Yeah I thought the same. No win situation.

 

[dylan123]

you owe the loan shark $1000.
you have 10 minutes left before he breaks your legs.
you have $20 left in your hand.

You kick yourself for not putting it on the storm at 250/1 for the spoon

 

[Racing To Win]

You kick yourself for not putting it on the storm at 250/1 for the spoon

Hahaha. Are they disqualified from betting or anything?

 

[dylan123]

Hahaha. Are they disqualified from betting or anything?

They are now but this morning there were still bets been placed.

 

[Drugs Are Bad Mackay?]

What is really shitting me at the moment is that NC has been very reliant on our old guard during his coaching tenure. Ricciuto, Hart, Goodwin, McLeod, Edwards, Burton... and they've all been bloody good footballers for him. They've repaid him well for his faith, done everything that could be asked of them, delivered multiple finals series and a 60% winning record.

What NC hasn't recognised is how these champions were treated by their initial coaches (Cornes, Shaw and Blight) in their first few seasons. Admittedly these guys played some SANFL footy but not much. Our coaches at the time recognised their talent, accepted that their performances would perhaps be a little inconsistent but played them week after week, even in their first or second year on our list. I'll throw in Vardy and Johnson to the list above too.

Those three coaches played a huge part in developing some of the champions of our club. Neil has been a BIG BIG beneficiary of the work of Cornes, Shaw and Blight but he hasn't recognised the sacrifices those coaches made to build the foundation he has cashed in on.

Some players repaid the faith extremely quickly (eg Hart) while others took longer to produce the results (eg McLeod) but the consistent element between all of them is that they played f___ all SANFL footy.

Some of those players were rated as absolute guns as kids and you could argue (if you can be bothered) that NC hasn't had the star power young talent to bring in. Firstly I'd dispute that, and secondly Goodwin, Edwards and Burton in particular weren't out-and-out star juniors with CHAMPION stamped all over them. They were made footballers. Developed into champions by their coaches and the environment at the club.

Picking purely on week-to-week performance rather than potential/talent means that we miss out on using the intense AFL environment to help shape the careers of our young talent. 'Pressure creates diamonds' is a favourite phrase of Graham Cornes and whilst I think he's a dimwit a lot of the time on radio, I like that particular line.

 

[rudiger]

over 800% more discussion over a dropping of a player than a promotion of a player and their debut

such is the negative behaviour of this board

This is the Taylor walker dropped thread. Great Hendo is debuting and the thread discussing that is elsewhere

 

[Crow-mo]

Firstly I'd dispute that, and secondly Goodwin, Edwards and Burton in particular weren't out-and-out star juniors with CHAMPION stamped all over them. They were made footballers. Developed into champions by their coaches and the environment at the club.

interesting post Carl.

what I liked was this, and you are spot on.

Both Edwards & Goodwin came from the pre-season draft. that's how highly they were rated (including by us) and we wanted Brady Rawlings in 1998 and settled for Burton.

 

[Crow-mo]

You kick yourself for not putting it on the storm at 250/1 for the spoon

ha ha. at least that doesn't have a probability of 0 to save your legs!

 

[rudiger]

Spewing Walker is dropped. Play him in Burton's spot and see if his conversion rate is as appalling as the 'birdman's'. Absolutely ridiculous.

 

[Racing To Win]

They are now but this morning there were still bets been placed.

Where was my inside information???? 250/1 would have been very handy!!!

 

[ruscy002]

Am I the only one feeling conflicted as a supporter about tomorrow night's game? Post an upset win and the hierarchy will consider itself vindicated. Do we want that?

Hope you win lads but gee...it won't be quite so satisfying as it could've been.

I get what you're saying, but at the same time if we do win it won't be luck, it'll be a genuine turnaround. Then if results go as they should, we're only one game out of 8th spot at the end of the round with a couple of winnable games (compared to this week's match) coming up. Win them then we're 3-4 (effectively same as last year) and, while not in striking distance of the top 4, we can certainly look at last year's efforts and say that this year's top 4 aspirations aren't totally dead.

Hopefully nobody is stupid enough to believe that if we did win, it was purely because we dropped Walker. It would come from a huge lift right across the board and from the coaches box letting go of the stupid tactics they've employed so far this season.

Also let's not forget that we do play well at Docklands and we'll benefit from dry conditions under the roof as much as any team. We spent the whole pre-season sooking about the wet conditions we copped and how that affected our ability to implement the game plan, we might see that there's something in that tomorrow night.

 

[dogs105]

you know that's a lie right?

Actually, it's a fact. If you check back through the records you will see that.

Rutten played a few games under Ayres, but was not playing every week until Craig came along. He brought Bock in regularly, in 2005. Reilly was very fring under Ayres, and started playing regularly under Craig.

 

[Crow-mo]

I get what you're saying, but at the same time if we do win it won't be luck, it'll be a genuine turnaround.

that's a bit premature.

it'll take more than one performance to evidence the turnaround, especially against a team coming off a loss with shaky form and missing a couple of top players.

 

[dogs105]

that's a bit premature.

it'll take more than one performance to evidence the turnaround, especially against a team coming off a loss with shaky form and missing a couple of top players.

True. We need a start though.

I'd feel a lot better if we won 3 or 4 and really got moving.

 

[ruscy002]

that's a bit premature.

it'll take more than one performance to evidence the turnaround, especially against a team coming off a loss with shaky form and missing a couple of top players.

I don't mean turnaround as in, head of steam, charging to top four, nothing can stop us turnaround. It's more that just to even be a remote chance of winning we'd have to turn the last five weeks of dismal performance on its head, both on the field and in the coaches box.

 

[Racing To Win]

True. We need a start though.

I'd feel a lot better if we won 3 or 4 and really got moving.

I'd feel a lot better if we could keep a fit side for a few weeks and gain some players without losing anyone.

 

[dogs105]

I'd feel a lot better if we could keep a fit side for a few weeks and gain some players without losing anyone.

Very true.

 

[jenny61_99]

Taken in isolation, the dropping of Walker is no real surprise. Whether he's been played in or out of position is neither here nor there... the kid is down on confidence, can't get the ball, and hasn't been fighting defensively for ages (this is not a new issue with Taylor either). The timing is perhaps the biggest surprise and the fact that half the rest of the team hasn't been dropped along with him due to their lack of form.

Perhaps it boils down to common sense - can't do without Tippett as he is our only alternate ruckman at the moment (hell even Stevens can't get back on the park!). Burton has been the only forward to get the ball significantly, forgetting the fact he stuffs it up when he does. Porps is two games in and will "be better for the run". Walker has had a full pre-season and just isn't performing to the level expected of him. Enter Henderson. A timely wake-up call for Tex perhaps?

Bottom line is, this weekend we now play our 32nd player in only 5 matches. Very hard to play "team" footy when stability is non-existant.

 

[Crow-mo]

Bottom line is, this weekend we now play our 32nd player in only 5 matches. Very hard to play "team" footy when stability is non-existant.

keep saying it, it still isn't true.

we have a had a lot of players playing most weeks.

ignoring that fact, doesn't make it go away.

 

[subaru]

Spewing Walker is dropped. Play him in Burton's spot and see if his conversion rate is as appalling as the 'birdman's'. Absolutely ridiculous.

Actually ....I'm ****ing furious!

I don't analyse all this , but has Walker been played on his own in the goalsquare this year ...I remember him outmarking Tarrant one on one with a pretty "smart turning inside out" manouvre.

I'm not going to go to town on this but it reeks of the Modra thing - my way or the highway.

 

[BunjiMac]

Taken in isolation, the dropping of Walker is no real surprise. Whether he's been played in or out of position is neither here nor there... the kid is down on confidence, can't get the ball, and hasn't been fighting defensively for ages (this is not a new issue with Taylor either). The timing is perhaps the biggest surprise and the fact that half the rest of the team hasn't been dropped along with him due to their lack of form.

Perhaps it boils down to common sense - can't do without Tippett as he is our only alternate ruckman at the moment (hell even Stevens can't get back on the park!). Burton has been the only forward to get the ball significantly, forgetting the fact he stuffs it up when he does. Porps is two games in and will "be better for the run". Walker has had a full pre-season and just isn't performing to the level expected of him. Enter Henderson. A timely wake-up call for Tex perhaps?

Bottom line is, this weekend we now play our 32nd player in only 5 matches. Very hard to play "team" footy when stability is non-existant.

That's only because he is playing in Walkers position. Porps has been one of the worst in my opinion, I can't recall much defensive pressure he's put on either. Fact is, NC doesn't apply the same hard standards to all players.