The Big Texan

[Drugs Are Bad Mackay?]

How's he going?

All captains want to drive the culture within their club as Luke Hodge did at Hawthorn. Players willing to stay for less, want to be part of what the club is building, driven towards premiership success.

Seeing players walk out - Dangerfield, Cameron, Lever - is basically them telling Tex that I don't believe in what you are selling. By extension, I don't believe in you. There are other elements to them leaving of course - money, family etc but there is no doubt Tex would in part take these players leaving personally.

His vision of the club and the group he wants to lead is being chipped away at. It undermines him if he's preaching club, loyalty, the jumper, culture, the tight knit playing group, what we are building... and not everyone is buying in.

Will he be able to accept the reality that playing lists are increasingly fluid and some players will leave? I wonder if he's getting a bit jaded by the experience, wondering Do the players believe in me? and tending to bunker down with the ones he trusts and to a degree ostracise/alienate those he doesn't.

The story of Blight, Ablett and the bridge resonates. All leaders want to be the Blight - who ultimately convinced his player to get back on board, buy in and play great footy. It will take some character from Tex to continue to believe in himself if, in the same situation, some of his team mates have said seeya. Sloane leaving would break him IMO.

The other issue he faces is how to captain on match day as a forward. 'Consistent forward' is almost an oxymoron. However good a forward is, they are reliant to a degree on supply, fast ball movement, some space to work in - things that are often out of their control.

The forwards who are consistent usually do it by having a constant defensive presence. Their offensive output may go up and down like all forwards but they can still impact the game. The ball might not fall your way but you can always chase, harass, tackle, pressure, lock the ball in etc. This is not really Walker's game. If he's not taking marks and kicking goals he's usually not doing anything.

When David Neitz was captain at Melbourne there were times when he'd have to switch to CHB just to get into the play. Even captains Matthew Pavlich and Jonathon Brown would push themselves into the centre square when it just wasn't happening up forward and needed to impose themselves on the game.

Walker doesn't really have these other avenues to get himself involved in the match if it's not happening for him up forward.

There are times in a game when the captain just has to do something. When Tex has had quiet games he looks defeated, almost retreats into himself and gets down on himself. Seems worried about how his game will be viewed rather than having mechanisms to turn it around.

van Berlo was a good player initially and had some high possession games early but IMO once he was captain he didn't spend enough time on continuing to improve and develop his own game or sharpen his skills. Being captain and managing the group became a greater priority than his personal output as a footballer.

Tex needs some me time IMO - priority for the preseason on his game, his output, his skills. The best thing he can do as captain is kick and create goals on match day. Not speeches, not directing, not organising, not being the face of the club in the media, not hiding behind 'playing my role' and being part of the forward line group.

 

[dogs105]

Gun

 

[Banshee23]

I think he could definitely spend time down field around the half-back line, using his elite field kicking to great effect.

 

[Donkey Magoo]

Tex has a big heart and he bleeds our colours. That's a beautiful and important aspect of our club, he doesn't just want to lead the playing group, but everyone who pulls on a jumper, whether it's Sloane, a first year recruit of feenix67 on the hill.
He has some great leadership capacity, can be ferocious and has the drive and vision. I think that he lacks a bit of polish and poise.
It can be good having a raw leader at first but it needs to develop, when the tide is turning in the game, it's our on field leaders that need to arrest it. Watching and listening to Luke Hodge in the Hawthorn game at AO this year was something special, constantly working the game constantly talking and appraising and when you hear him speak publically its usually confident and strong.
At times Tex comes across as the head of the boys rather than the general of the club. His comments on Lever (although wildly overblown by the media) do show a level of immaturity and bitterness and looking back rather than forward, which is fine to feel, and internally communicate but should of been galvanising and forward looking "Of course we're disappointed about losing Jake, he's brilliant player and was a part of our family, but we still have a job to get done and there are 3 blokes who want that spot and are willing to do what it takes to get us one step further".

I agree with Drugs on his on field performance, he needs to find a way, maybe get high on the wing or crunch a couple bodies in the square but he also needs to compartmentalise his performance and his leadership performance. Mark Taylor didn't make a run for about 2 years (from memory) But we won everything.
I think that he will lift the cup for us. But he has a little work to do.

 

[Deaneus!]

I like this.

Whack him as a roving CHB-type for five minutes in the JLT, or on a wing like Richo did late in his career to good effect

Get him in the play, because when he's involved we do well

 

[Scorpus]

Walker has excellent field disposal, so playing him as a wingman or midfielder for a short period if he's struggling to impact would do him good

 

[crows dude]

Do people actually know that Texy was No 1. Thats right No 1 for last touch inside 50 for a goal. Apparantly Watts was No 2..

 

[Deaneus!]

Do people actually know that Texy was No 1. Thats right No 1 for last touch inside 50 for a goal. Apparantly Watts was No 2..

Yes, when i think of Watts, i think of #2

 

[Mismatched]

I personally have absolutely no issues with how Tex has conducted himself in the aftermath of the GF. He’s shown he’s embarrassed, hurt and angry with the result, which we as fans are too, and he’s clearly itching to do something about it. This is what I want to see in our captain, passion for the football club, none of this politically correct, scripted BS that is trotted out these days. Too often it just seems like players, as much as they give their all on the ground, are happy just to take their pay check home the second the siren goes.

I also must say, Tex must be doing something right given the number of feathers that are ruffled over in Victoria. Victorians aren’t happy unless we’re happily content with our lot in life, never creating a fuss, accepting our role as second rate citizens existing purely to prop up the coffers of VFL house, and subsequently prop up the woefully run Victorian clubs that annually drain the AFL’s finances.

As they say in marketing, there’s no such thing as bad publicity. We’re putting our brand front and centre in the media, we’re the ones getting talked about, which means Channel 7 and AFL are going to want us in more prime time slots, which makes our sponsors happy.

The one thing I want to see Tex regain is his strut, over the second part of last season he seemed to increasingly becoming hesitant when going at the footy, worried about bodying his opponent as opposed to the footy, injury played a part, but it wasn’t everything. I want Tex leading hard up at the footy, making his presence felt and taking shots for goal from rediculous angles/distances.

I think he could definitely spend time down field around the half-back line, using his elite field kicking to great effect.

Our main issue in our losses this year, is when the set up wasn’t working, it was woeful and we looked powerless to change things around. I think we need to develop 2 different set ups over the preseason for when things aren’t going our way, one where Tex shifts himself into defence and the other where we isolate Tex deep forward and essentially have him leading up at the ball carrier. The first I’d look to use as a “stem the flow” when the opposition kick a few goals in a row against us and we need to arrest the momentum, the second as more of a break the stalemate type or we need a comeback set up.

For a while, it’s almost seemed like Tex has been a bit of a decoy and perhaps as such has lost some of his natural strut and confidence as a result, lets make him a little more central and give him that bit more responsibility.

 

[Mismatched]

Walker has excellent field disposal, so playing him as a wingman or midfielder for a short period if he's struggling to impact would do him good

Agreed, we need to work out ways of getting Tex involved in the game when things aren’t going his way, he’s such a good user of the footy by hand and foot that you just need the ball in his hand and goals will come. Probably needs to shed a couple of kegs too, improve his endurance running power, as he doesn’t have that burst speed to create separation on his opponent when needed. Needs to run his opponent into the ground Tom Lynch style.

 

[GameofSloanes]

Do people actually know that Texy was No 1. Thats right No 1 for last touch inside 50 for a goal. Apparantly Watts was No 2..

But... but....but.... the age of the lumbering forward like Tex is dead, and mobile forwards like Watts are the future, I was told it was true!

 

[feenix67]

I actually think he spends too much time being "captain" and not enough time being a forward on game day. Directing players, physical presence etc. Sometimes I just wish he'd concentrate on his game.

 

[Redleg Crow]

Tex and what he was selling had nothing to do with Dangerfield leaving.

 

[DD#23]

lot of good off-field points raised, but to just concentrate on the on-field side of things I feel like we have to be prepared to not play him if his foot is giving him grief.

 

[BunjiMac]

Tex permanent CHF
Gov permanent FF

That change will have a massive impact I reckon.

 

[OzSparrow]

Tex permanent CHF
Gov permanent FF

That change will have a massive impact I reckon.

And JJ goes where? Decoy or 3rd forward/swap with Sauce?

 

[Smoooothy]

I reckon someones been paying too much attention to the vic media - theres nothing wrong with his captaincy style

carey also had the same issue.

I personally have absolutely no issues with how Tex has conducted himself in the aftermath of the GF. He’s shown he’s embarrassed, hurt and angry with the result, which we as fans are too, and he’s clearly itching to do something about it. This is what I want to see in our captain, passion for the football club, none of this politically correct, scripted BS that is trotted out these days. Too often it just seems like players, as much as they give their all on the ground, are happy just to take their pay check home the second the siren goes.

I also must say, Tex must be doing something right given the number of feathers that are ruffled over in Victoria. Victorians aren’t happy unless we’re happily content with our lot in life, never creating a fuss, accepting our role as second rate citizens existing purely to prop up the coffers of VFL house, and subsequently prop up the woefully run Victorian clubs that annually drain the AFL’s finances.

As they say in marketing, there’s no such thing as bad publicity. We’re putting our brand front and centre in the media, we’re the ones getting talked about, which means Channel 7 and AFL are going to want us in more prime time slots, which makes our sponsors happy.

The one thing I want to see Tex regain is his strut, over the second part of last season he seemed to increasingly becoming hesitant when going at the footy, worried about bodying his opponent as opposed to the footy, injury played a part, but it wasn’t everything. I want Tex leading hard up at the footy, making his presence felt and taking shots for goal from rediculous angles/distances.



Our main issue in our losses this year, is when the set up wasn’t working, it was woeful and we looked powerless to change things around. I think we need to develop 2 different set ups over the preseason for when things aren’t going our way, one where Tex shifts himself into defence and the other where we isolate Tex deep forward and essentially have him leading up at the ball carrier. The first I’d look to use as a “stem the flow” when the opposition kick a few goals in a row against us and we need to arrest the momentum, the second as more of a break the stalemate type or we need a comeback set up.

For a while, it’s almost seemed like Tex has been a bit of a decoy and perhaps as such has lost some of his natural strut and confidence as a result, lets make him a little more central and give him that bit more responsibility.

just on this, the amount of jimmies ruffled over 10 mins of radio interviews over here is nothing short of pathetic. theres far too much innuendo being reported as absolute fact - particularly from the ginger ninja sam ****head mcclure

 

[DD#23]

And JJ goes where? Decoy or 3rd forward/swap with Sauce?

Richmond/Unley/etc Oval

 

[OzSparrow]

Richmond/Unley/etc Oval

Bloody expensive SANFL recruit

 

[DD#23]

Bloody expensive SANFL recruit

yep, and Menzel an expensive delistee with a year to run too.

 

[Drugs Are Bad Mackay?]

Tex and what he was selling had nothing to do with Dangerfield leaving.

Yeah but lots of people have things luring them elsewhere. Some leave, some don't.

Rightly or wrongly, part of Tex would consider Dangerfield leaving a slap in the face for him personally.

 

[Drugs Are Bad Mackay?]

lot of good off-field points raised, but to just concentrate on the on-field side of things I feel like we have to be prepared to not play him if his foot is giving him grief.

This is absolutely spot on.

If he was just a player we'd rest him but the captain HAS to be out there. It's ridiculous. There's courage/playing with pain on one side and stupidity on the other.

Tex (and the club) needs to consider that what is best for him personally might also be the best for the club.

 

[Rabman]

Love him as skipper, couldn't give a **** what the choir boys in Victoria think, just because hes honest and doesn't bullshit his way around things doesn't make him dumber and lesser of a captain. Want to see him be more selfish, if hes within 50 he kicks it.

 

[Jarman3]

Love him as skipper, couldn't give a **** what the choir boys in Victoria think, just because hes honest and doesn't bullshit his way around things doesn't make him dumber and lesser of a captain. Want to see him be more selfish, if hes within 50 he kicks it.

Within 70, you mean

Although I'd rather see him give work on how he kicks them when he gets into that 20-40 range - he's got this weird thing where he kind of pokes at it instead of kicking through it with his natural kicking style and tends to miss from there more often than he misses from 50+

 

[Redleg Crow]

Yeah but lots of people have things luring them elsewhere. Some leave, some don't.

Rightly or wrongly, part of Tex would consider Dangerfield leaving a slap in the face for him personally.

Yes but he left after Tex’s first year as captain, you could just as easily argue Dangerfield left because he cracked the sooks he wasn’t named captain.

Arguing he left in any way because of Tex requires projecting things to fit an narrative. Applying it to Lever, fine, CC maybe (but would you say CC leaving is a fault of Eddie given his mentor role? I wouldn’t but the same principle applies)