Ten Things I Hate About You

[jefffff34]

He's right.

Hird gets lucky,

 

[hotpie]

I rip Hird's skills as a majority of floaters that look smart.

But no one listens.

Hird can do other things like run, kick, (its usually good despite the odd floater) mark, lead a team, win a game single handedly, play forward, play defence, play midfield, and win premierships.

The occassional floater and unsportsmanlike Grand Final speech can be forgiven in context of what he's achieved over his career.

 

[Johnson#26]

1 - Losing. That Collingwood habit of losing the unloseable.
2 - Nathan Buckley not being 25!
3 - Rocca's injuries
4 - Didak and Davis not yet classed as midfielders
5 - Richards' injuries - he needs to become the star ruckman we are after
6 - O'Bree having not kicked on since 2001
7 - Our Grand Final losses
8 - Chris Tarrant's kicking for goal
9 - Losing Betheras and Scotland
10 - Injuries!

 

[MarkT]

You can toss names and characteristics around and come delisting time the match committee will have to do exactly that but overall the list is too slow, too soft, too poorly skilled and too football dumb. Age and injury you can’t really control but the other characteristics are drafting issues. Guys like O’Bree, Morrison, Lonie, Davis, Walker, Lockyer, J. Cloke, Tarrant, R. Shaw and others may have some redeeming features but their weaknesses expose us and they can’t all remain for us to win a premiership. Tarrant obviously isn’t going anywhere and I like Shaw’s heart so I’d earmark the rest for the axe unless they prove otherwise over the next few months. The under 20’s are a bit of an unknown quantity so they shouldn’t really be judged yet. If Guy Richards can’t play 15 games this year it’s time to cull him. Apart from Davidson he’s the only one that’s had real injury concerns apart from Rocca and Buckley who obviously are keys for us. Sadly our best players are oldish. Buckley, Burns, Wakelin, Rocca and Clement are extremely important to us and won’t be easily replaced.

My list in order FWIW:
1. Buckley’s age
2. Richards’ injuries.
3. Rocca’s injuries
4. Tarrant’s kicking improvement
5. Didak’s development
6. O’Bree’s pace, skill and consitency
7. Davis’ smarts and ability to involve himself
8. Morrison’s pace
9. Walker ability to play the game
10. Lonie’s lack of hardness and ground skills


The real villain is the football department though. Nearly all players actually try hard. If they have deficiencies it’s generally genetics that they can’t control. People get paid a lit of money not to select flawed players though and that’s where excellence has to start. If you don’t demand excellence you invite and accept mediocrity.