Taylor Walker Dropped...

[ruscy002]

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.

In isolation??? But we're not looking at is in isolation are we Jen? We look his dropping compared to the other duds we have running around, and any way you look at it it's a disgraceful decision.

Timely wake up call??? Where's Tippett's wake up call? He's our absolute worst player at the moment and we don't really need him as a back-up ruckman - could use Griffin or McKernan, especially this week because the doggies are playing a debutant as second ruck.

Doughty? Senior player and second worst player at the moment.

PORPLYZIA!!!??? This bloke needs a rocket, not another hitout.

And Burton...can't kick for shit and gets the ball because he's the only player we kick it to. Put Walker in his shoes and he's up to 15 goals for the season, guarantee it.

Sorry, but you're waaaaaaay off the mark.

 

[dylan123]

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

You can say that again, wish I knew about it. According to SEN someone put 40k on it so it looks like they had a lucky day.

 

[Danger Dog]

Neil Craig IF you ever get on these forums I hope you come across this comment because you are a f***en joke. I don't care if the rest of you disagree but Taylor Walker did not deserve to be dropped. I just wanted to come on here to vent my frustration about this decision. F**K YOU NEIL CRAIG!

That is all!

 

[jenny61_99]

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.

I put forward some statistics in the other thread last week that backed up my stance here and I notice you failed to comment on it. Could it be you couldn't argue the point?

You cannot POSSIBLY deny that our team has been UNSTABLE not only in the season proper (of 4 and now 5 weeks) but also in it's pre-season. You can't surely be THAT blind?

 

[Davis16]

Wouldn't it be ironic if Hendo plays from the goal square considering Craig wont play Walker from there.

 

[jenny61_99]

In isolation??? But we're not looking at is in isolation are we Jen? We look his dropping compared to the other duds we have running around, and any way you look at it it's a disgraceful decision.

Do the other "duds" have ready replacements?

Timely wake up call??? Where's Tippett's wake up call? He's our absolute worst player at the moment and we don't really need him as a back-up ruckman - could use Griffin or McKernan, especially this week because the doggies are playing a debutant as second ruck.

Seen Griffin play lately? We DO need a second ruckman, Maric cannot do it all by himself. He doesn't even do it that well either, but he's better than the alternative. Tippett provides an alternative and can play up forward when resting. He's not playing well - in fact he's been awful and I would have dropped him TOO, but I can see why he's maintained his spot due to the lack of alternates.

Doughty? Senior player and second worst player at the moment.

Alternative?

PORPLYZIA!!!??? This bloke needs a rocket, not another hitout.

And Burton...can't kick for shit and gets the ball because he's the only player we kick it to. Put Walker in his shoes and he's up to 15 goals for the season, guarantee it.

Sorry, but you're waaaaaaay off the mark.

Burton CAN kick for shit, but hasn't been. At least he's been getting the damned ball! Walker has been sent further up the ground to chase a touch and still can't achieve it.

IF I had my way - half the team would be in the magoos this week. Unfortunately, due to injury, we don't have that luxury.

 

[Deaneus!]

I think Tex needs to start eating chocolate bars in the vain hope of finding one of these.

 

[King Elvis]

BT was shocked that Walker was dropped.

Johnno Brown has just said he can't understand why we've dropped one of the few guys we have who can actually kick a goal.

 

[Crow-mo]

I put forward some statistics in the other thread last week that backed up my stance here and I notice you failed to comment on it. Could it be you couldn't argue the point?

lol. yeah, you're right I ran away from the brilliance of the dazzling insight that you're so famous for. that must be it and no way to do with not having seen it

though the thing is I have no doubt you put forward *some statistics*.

here's one stat that actually matters and even you should be able to follow. that's 20 guys there.

tell me how many weren't expected to be first 22, or damned close to it in 2010?

Vince 4
Tippett	4
Goodwin	4
Thompson 4
Edwards	4
Mackay	4
McLeod	4
Reilly	4
Doughty	4
Cook	4
Douglas	4
Dangerfield 4
Rutten	4
Walker	4
Petrenko 4
Bock	3
Burton	3
Hentschel 3
Maric	3
Porplyzia 3

You cannot POSSIBLY deny that our team has been UNSTABLE not only in the season proper (of 4 and now 5 weeks) but also in it's pre-season. You can't surely be THAT blind?

20 players have played at least 3 of the first 4 games. fact.

maybe if you opened your other eye... you'd be able to learn what unstable means...

 

[Crow-mo]

But it is true.

Kingscrow you and Jenny make a good pair. you should swap numbers.

 

[ManInTheArena]

I really can't believe it.. I've been defending Craig since the day he was appointed as AFC coach. My old school footy hard nut old man and his mate banging on about him since day one; "he was a cocky little bastard, I should of dropped a bag of wheat on him when I had the chance 50 year ago", "his old man was a d***head as well" "blah blah blah all about all his football tactics, game plan and player management", "we will never win a premiership with that idiot". I have fervently defended him for 6 years..

Then today on the phone I said to dad.. "I can't believe it, i'm not going to defend Neil Craig today, we have a whole side that's out of form and he's dropped Taylor Walker".

I'm trying to tell myself to snap out of it and stay rational and positive about the decision.. but I can't.. it's a ridiculous decision.

Now i'm wondering was my silly old man and his silly old mate mate right all along. I need to watch the game tomorrow and process all the information but for the first time as an AFC member i'm extremely disappointed in Neil Craig with this decision.

 

[ruscy002]

I put forward some statistics in the other thread last week that backed up my stance here and I notice you failed to comment on it. Could it be you couldn't argue the point?

You cannot POSSIBLY deny that our team has been UNSTABLE not only in the season proper (of 4 and now 5 weeks) but also in it's pre-season. You can't surely be THAT blind?

There's no doubt that we've been unstable, but there's a nucleus of players that haven't changed and generally they're our better players.

15 players have played 4 all four games:

• Cook
• Danger
• Doughty
• Douglas
• Edwards
• Goodwin
• Mackay
• McLeod
• Petrenko
• Reilly
• Rutten
• Thompson
• Tippett
• Vince
• Walker

Most of these guys are best 22 with Cook and Petrenko on the fringe but that's it.

Then there's the 3 match brigade:

• Bock
• Burton
• Hentschel
• Maric
• Porpy

All best 22...add six games between Knights, VB, Stiffy, Sellar and Stevens and we've averaged out to having 18 of our best 22 at any given time, and if we can't deal with that then we were stuffed before we ever began.

 

[macca23]

Sorry I just can't agree with yours or any of the ......I was going to say arguments, buts lets just say hysteria

Walker came to us as a CHF not a FF ......the days of a one position player is over as it restricts a teams flexibility

I am sure that if Davis ends up the CHF that the club would want to rotate Davis, Tippett, and Walker through the KPP posts

To say he's a one position player at 20 .......he has to learn other roles, he has to get quicker as he's too slow AP , and he has to start sticking some tackles.

And I'll say again he started out as a roaming CHF .....so it's not that new to him

The older players have brownie points and we need to experience and leadership more now what with all the kids we are playing

Did you ever play against Walker, WW??

Read the post below from a Full Back that played on Walker who was playing Full Forward.

Taylor stands roughly 6" 3" about the same height as me because he stood eye to eye with me after he booted 7 goals on me in the local semi-final in Broken Hill. Although I had a spell in the ruck I spent most of the game attempting to man him up. The kid is something special, in seven years playing at fullback the worst I had kicked on me was 4 goals and we didn't win a game that year. It was ridiculous, I tried and push him wide to the boundary with his leads but then he'd just kick from 55 meters and hit the post halfway up. I think he kicked something like 7 goals, 5 points (3 that hit the post) set up 6 and I spoiled roughly 5-6 so the kid really attracts the ball needles to say. His father was a local hard nut who earned the named 'Wacky' Walker hence he has a bit of mongrel from the old man. He's got great speed for a kid of his size and by the fourth of fifth lead I was gone, so he's got plenty of endurance as well. I really cant sing his praises enough I played on Brent Staker whilst he was still here seen and played with Dean Solomon and this kid is better by absolute miles. He takes a great pack mark, has a great work ethic and all the traits of a superstar. He's played against his own age group the best in the country and taken on full grown men who he has humbled by the way. To top it all off he a really nice kid. Good luck to all the crow supporter cause the power is strong in this one. You Crow boys couldn't let him go to hawthorn could you?

 

[CaptainDangerfield]

Ironic that we have been crying out for a quality tallish forward for more than a decade and when we finally do get a talented, natural young tall we expect him to play as foward/midfielder and when he can't pull it off we drop him.

Heart breaking. I reckon Taylor might like the Sydney lifestyle.

 

[ruscy002]

Do the other "duds" have ready replacements?



Seen Griffin play lately? We DO need a second ruckman, Maric cannot do it all by himself. He doesn't even do it that well either, but he's better than the alternative. Tippett provides an alternative and can play up forward when resting. He's not playing well - in fact he's been awful and I would have dropped him TOO, but I can see why he's maintained his spot due to the lack of alternates.



Alternative?





Burton CAN kick for shit, but hasn't been. At least he's been getting the damned ball! Walker has been sent further up the ground to chase a touch and still can't achieve it.

IF I had my way - half the team would be in the magoos this week. Unfortunately, due to injury, we don't have that luxury.

In terms of tomorrow's game, McKernan is certainly an alternative to Tippett, as is Griffin. He's an emergency isn't he?

Doughty's alternative is Hendo or Jaensch...they goe forward, Petrenko goes back to where he should be playing in Dogga's spot.

Porplyzia/Burton...again, Hendo or Jaensch come into calculations here.

So yeah, all of the duds have replacements Not saying I'd have made all of those changes at once, just one of them instead of Walker makes perfect sense.

 

[Mego Red]

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.

Just saying the opposite to common sense doesn't make you more profound.

32 players in the first five weeks is a fact.

"we have a had a lot of players playing most weeks" only just qualifies as an intelligible sentence.

Say what you like about the collapse of our gameplan, or the reasons for our injuries - but you can't just say the injuries haven't been a critical issue.

 

[Crow-mo]

we've averaged out to having 18 of our best 22 at any given time, and if we can't deal with that then we were stuffed before we ever began.

frickin hooray.

 

[PCORF]

That game he had against Hawthorn last year. 5 goals in the first half. I was there at AAMI to whitness that. The noise of the crowd was just unreal. Felt like the early 1990's again.

 

[Crow-mo]

Just saying the opposite to common sense doesn't make you more profound.

32 players in the first five weeks is a fact.

"we have a had a lot of players playing most weeks" only just qualifies as an intelligible sentence.

Say what you like about the collapse of our gameplan, or the reasons for our injuries - but you can't just say the injuries haven't been a critical issue.

at least you're just lazy, that makes it a bit easier to understand why you believe the things you do.

seeing as your attention span barely gets above uncritical some days, I have done your work for you

http://www.bigfooty.com/forum/showpost.php?p=17512248&postcount=288

 

[King Elvis]

macca23, that makes me feel worse, not better.

 

[Mego Red]

Vince 4
Tippett	4
Goodwin	4
Thompson 4
Edwards	4
Mackay	4
McLeod	4
Reilly	4
Doughty	4
Cook	4
Douglas	4
Dangerfield 4
Rutten	4
Walker	4
Petrenko 4
Bock	3
Burton	3
Hentschel 3
Maric	3
Porplyzia 3

20 players have played at least 3 of the first 4 games. fact.

maybe if you opened your other eye... you'd be able to learn what unstable means...

That is terrible analysis. By my count, at least of ten of those players have had injuries this year. Talk about backing up Jenny's point.

Just saying someone has gotten on the ground doesn't mean much. We could have played Stephen Hawking by your reckoning, and that'd be the same as sending out a fully fit front liner.

 

[Gets!]

Even Jonathon Brown is mystified...just commented on it on TFS.

 

[Schulzenfest]

We'll give you Salter for him.

 

[Mego Red]

we've averaged out to having 18 of our best 22 at any given time, and if we can't deal with that then we were stuffed before we ever began.

Again - just listing players who have managed to stumble on to the ground half fit without in any way acknowledging that is a pretty simplistic analysis.

 

[Mego Red]

at least you're just lazy, that makes it a bit easier to understand why you believe the things you do.

C'mon - nothing is lazier than just being generally disagreeable. Sometimes the obvious things are actually that way because they're true.