Review The good, the bad, the shat - vs Fremantle R3 2024

[1970crow]

No one could actually accuse Nicks of not playing kids in the last few years, in fact there is an argument that we are paying for too many senior players gone. The problem is not being prepared to play our youth in the most important positions. Laird, ROB and Crouch are simply not good or fast enough to bring out the talents of our kids.

Outside of 2020, Nicks has not once selected a kid whilst sending a senior to the SANFL. And even in 2020, it was only a debacle against the Roos that ruled a line through Gibbs, Rat and Knight.

 

[Crows I Am]

I don’t think this is the case, players are horribly out of form

the club did say over preseason that we needed to tighten up on our ability to defend but do that without removing our strengths

I think our problems start with the midfield, for 18months we have had NFI on what our best midfield mix is, Crouch was on the outer, now he is our best mid, Dawson was a defender, now a midfielder, Berry couldn’t get a game last year, then he starts round 1.

Not only do we have NFI on the right midfield mix. we don’t trust ourselves to give more minutes to Pedlar, Izak and Rachele or introduce players like Dowling. Now the pressure is on to win we convert back to Crouch, Laird and Dawson

Fix the midfield and it’s a big back of the solution to get back the attacking style of play and the connection with the forwards


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I agree our midfield mix is all wrong atm. As well as Crouch has been playing, his inclusion has thrown the balance out. We just can't keep going on with Laird, Dawson and Crouch as our 3 main mids. Dawson was our best player last year and most damaging mid, he is struggling big time and i feel as though this is partly due to the midfield set up.

We need to make the call now to move Laird out and bring Soligo in as the 3rd main mid. Increase Rankine, Rachele and Pedlars minutes in the middle and let Laird play as a defender or half forward.

 

[Head Selector]

The Good - You reap what you sow .

 

[Scorpus]

I think we're terrified to pull Rankine and Rachele from the forward line because without them our forward line would be even more trash

That's because of an inability to find low cost decent small forwards which most of the rest of the competition has been able to do. Compounded by trading out McAdam and crucifying Stengle

I mean look at what our forward line would be without Rankine, Rachele and Pedlar

It would be Keays, Murphy, McHenry and the talls. Putrid stuff

If we'd drafted say McCreery instead of Rowe and found another small somewhere in the rookie draft like a Brad Close type we'd be in a lot better shape to send our talents up the ground

 

[Greenfinger]

I don't buy Nicks excuse that we have a ton of players out of form

Maybe if there were 3 or 4 guys, sure. We have 20 players supposedly out of form

The real reason IMO is our trash game plan that our players are so confused about they aren't able to execute

Nicks hasn’t and will never admit when he makes an error, just continues to blame players. If everyone is out of form is a massive coincidence ?? Of course not !

 

[Southerntakeover]

I think we're terrified to pull Rankine and Rachele from the forward line because without them our forward line would be even more trash

That's because of an inability to find low cost decent small forwards which most of the rest of the competition has been able to do. Compounded by trading out McAdam and crucifying Stengle

I mean look at what our forward line would be without Rankine, Rachele and Pedlar

It would be Keays, Murphy, McHenry and the talls. Putrid stuff

If we'd drafted say McCreery instead of Rowe and found another small somewhere in the rookie draft like a Brad Close type we'd be in a lot better shape to send our talents up the ground

When you have like 28 inside forward 50s to 3 quarter time, it's not really meaningful having talent up there

 

[Scorpus]

When you have like 28 inside forward 50s to 3 quarter time, it's not really meaningful having talent up there

It isn't. But unfortunately Nicks has admitted team cohesion is bad so his solution is waiting for individual brilliance from our "talented" forward line which may or may not happen

 

[Hodgy]

Outside of 2020, Nicks has not once selected a kid whilst sending a senior to the SANFL. And even in 2020, it was only a debacle against the Roos that ruled a line through Gibbs, Rat and Knight.

Well that’s simply not true. He dropped Crouch, McAdam, Milera, Jones and McHenry on numerous occasions, probably others. There honestly is only 4 or 5 really senior players left, Laird, Tex, Smith, Crouch and Sloane. Smith, Laird and Tex played at a very level last year and no one would have been dropping them. Sloane I grant you and it’s still unfathomable that he wasn’t edged out over the summer.

Even the sides that have brought in heaps of kids have some senior players, however look at a team like Port who plays Rozee, Butters, JHF and Drew in the middle, while Boak and Wines are used elsewhere.

Quite simply our current midfield is not the one who is getting us to our next flag, so why are we playing them.

 

[1970crow]

Well that’s simply not true. He dropped Crouch, McAdam, Milera, Jones and McHenry on numerous occasions, probably others. There honestly is only 4 or 5 really senior players left, Laird, Tex, Smith, Crouch and Sloane. Smith, Laird and Tex played at a very level last year and no one would have been dropping them. Sloane I grant you and it’s still unfathomable that he wasn’t edged out over the summer.

Even the sides that have brought in heaps of kids have some senior players, however look at a team like Port who plays Rozee, Butters, JHF and Drew in the middle, while Boak and Wines are used elsewhere.

Quite simply our current midfield is not the one who is getting us to our next flag, so why are we playing them.

Jones and McHenry were senior players? Crouch was injury related and Milera returned from 2 years off and was gifted games regardless of output. And which kid was McAdam dropped for? McHenry, Murphy?

 

[CrowBloke]

Rachele 0 CBAs is criminal. I’d sack Nicks on that single stat alone.

I smell payback , for talking to the media about wanting more midfield time.

 

[FR0GGY]

Nicks hasn’t and will never admit when he makes an error, just continues to blame players. If everyone is out of form is a massive coincidence ?? Of course not !

He did once, when he subbed soligo off after being best on for the rest of the game.

 

[Mr_Moogle]

I think there's a lot more.

There are plenty like that, especially if you talk to people outside Bigfooty.

 

[feenix67]

Good:
Above Average: Keane, O'Brien, Crouch
Average: Scholl, Burgess, Dawson
Below Average: Borlase, McHenry, Michalaney, Keays, Milera, Hinge, Worrell, Soligo, Smith
Bad: Laird, Rachele, Fogarty, Jones, Rankine, Walker, Murphy, Pedlar

This has to be the worst take Ive read on here for a long time:

 

[arrowman]

I did notice (on Wednesday I reckon) that some mob had us @ $26 for the Flag after 2 losses. Unders, I would have thought. Would have to be $50+ now...?

Sportsbet: $41 flag, $21 to make GF, $3 to make the 8.

All ridiculously short.

 

[Cap]

Did we get any news on the injuries?

 

[CrowBloke]

This is an excellent post:

- We lost 6 games by less than a goal last year. Rather than keeping with the attack and trying to kick one more goal a game, or focus on two minute drills, we completely overhauled it and went defensive, too quickly. Players have no confidence. That is 100% on the coaches.

This, a gazillion times.
Short-term, all we had to do was reinforce the defence and tweak I50 delivery, the forwards' movement and finishing.
As you said --- "one more goal a game". NO big changes needed, well, except drafting mids.

Forwards, keep doing what you did (but Burns has stuffed them up ).
Mids, lower your eyes more often, hit a teammate on a lead.
Everybody, focus on the game at hand, then next game, ONLY. Winning makes Ladder position take care of itself.

The wheels were starting to move smoothly in 2023. No need to re-invent them.

 

[CrowBloke]

Where are all the usual Nicks supporters on this board?

Gone very very quiet....

Slunk off to Facebook or other sites where Nicks is revered ....

 

[spexau]

Did we get any news on the injuries?

 

[Trigger13]

The fact there are very little comments about Milera’s expected ACL just shows we really aren’t concerned too much about losing him. Career almost over. A career that never really got going.

 

[Redleg Crow]

Feel like Nicks has no idea what this means

 

[MsTopG]

Nicks hasn’t and will never admit when he makes an error, just continues to blame players. If everyone is out of form is a massive coincidence ?? Of course not !

I think Nicks has been out of form since he wss appointed.

 

[Cap]

Cheers, thats tough for him.

 

[MsTopG]

Time to pay wayne out his contract and move him on. That pick has been a dud since we took him. Trade wanganeen milera from the saints who can play.

 

[ams4crows]

I think we're terrified to pull Rankine and Rachele from the forward line because without them our forward line would be even more trash

That's because of an inability to find low cost decent small forwards which most of the rest of the competition has been able to do. Compounded by trading out McAdam and crucifying Stengle

I mean look at what our forward line would be without Rankine, Rachele and Pedlar

It would be Keays, Murphy, McHenry and the talls. Putrid stuff

If we'd drafted say McCreery instead of Rowe and found another small somewhere in the rookie draft like a Brad Close type we'd be in a lot better shape to send our talents up the ground

We never gave Newchurch a chance, we were too busy trying to turn him into a wing or a player that gets up and down the ground instead of giving him a chance in the pocket.

 

[BrissyCrow]

34 points in a game. 40 tackles. Pathetic. Weak weak weak

34 points to some extent covers up how bad we were. But 4 goals highlights just how pathetic we were