No Oppo Supporters The Melt Thread

[meima]

I'm hoping...... with blind purple faith that this year will have shaken Ross and co into the reality of where our list is at. By the end of last year we all kept calling out our soldiers as not good enough but they kept on getting games and it took quite some time before they were dropped this season.

Imagine if this year we finished 6th or 7th and got bundled out the finals. A few excuses here and there and I reckon our soldiers would have still been playing the following years and our decline would have dragged on.

We've hit rockbottom this season in record time. It has ******* sucked big time, but at least we haven't wasted 2-3 seasons in slow decline.

I hope we rid ourselves of sentiment and make the difficult decisions. No way should Ballas be getting a contract to when he is 32yrs old.

Well done , love it.

 

[malpaso]

Even last year our record against other good teams was very poor.

Many of us pointed this out, and that we weren't traveling nearly as well as the ladder suggested, and were ridiculed.

The people who ridiculed us then are wrong, and if you still think our coaches and match committee can do no wrong then I don't really know what to say.

I never said they can do no wrong. I agree our record was poor against other good teams, we died in the middle of the season last year. A lot of players hit the wall so to speak.
I love how so-called fans revel in being right about us being poor.

 

[malpaso]

I'm hoping...... with blind purple faith that this year will have shaken Ross and co into the reality of where our list is at. By the end of last year we all kept calling out our soldiers as not good enough but they kept on getting games and it took quite some time before they were dropped this season.

Imagine if this year we finished 6th or 7th and got bundled out the finals. A few excuses here and there and I reckon our soldiers would have still been playing the following years and our decline would have dragged on.

We've hit rockbottom this season in record time. It has ******* sucked big time, but at least we haven't wasted 2-3 seasons in slow decline.

I hope we rid ourselves of sentiment and make the difficult decisions. No way should Ballas be getting a contract to when he is 32yrs old.

I don't think you have to hope anymore. The fact that we are playing so many youngsters is the reality, there is no further check to be had. Totally agree on the fast slide, best way to do it and it's a pity others on this board can't appreciate that fact.

 

[Unique Name]

I don't think you have to hope anymore. The fact that we are playing so many youngsters is the reality, there is no further check to be had. Totally agree on the fast slide, best way to do it and it's a pity others on this board can't appreciate that fact.

I have this fear that Suban will be lining up for us in Round 1 next year. I can't shake the feeling.......... like Suban can't shake a tackle.

 

[Superkoops]

Mentioned this briefly in the game day thread, but seriously... surely the continuous long bombs are not part of the game plan (they better not be), but players under pressure not wanting to muck up are just kicking away, infuriatingly always. Metres gained means f all if it gets mopped up so easily.

At some point Ross needs to say 'That's it... no more long bombs.. lower the eyes and take a damn shot, albeit a risky one, into the corridor, I'm not gunna punish you for giving it a damm crack'.

The benefit of the experience in doing this should far outweigh the possible turnover points...

Crozier gets it.. he does it, lets himself just react. He'll be B22 next year because of it.

We're 16th on the ladder... the best time to get this valuable experience in.

I've seen Crozier bomb it as well. But in his defence it is more a case of hot potatoe hot potato and he is the only one sensible enough to get the damn thing on the boot. I think that is half the problem, ie. moving the ball slowly and piss farting around so much that it turns into the Wiggles "Hot Potatoe Hot Potatoe" and bombs away. An apt choice of words given some of the spuds we have disposing the ball at the moment.

I do agree that Crozier and Johnson (been a long time) are two that at least try to lower the eyes. Sutcliffe has tried as well but he has muffed so many and caused turnover aplenty that he feels safer handballing to someone in a worse position (plan A) or otherwise bombs away (plan B). I do worry that we are creating some bad habits for younger players.

 

[_007_]

I'm hoping...... with blind purple faith that this year will have shaken Ross and co into the reality of where our list is at. By the end of last year we all kept calling out our soldiers as not good enough but they kept on getting games and it took quite some time before they were dropped this season.

Imagine if this year we finished 6th or 7th and got bundled out the finals. A few excuses here and there and I reckon our soldiers would have still been playing the following years and our decline would have dragged on.

We've hit rockbottom this season in record time. It has ******* sucked big time, but at least we haven't wasted 2-3 seasons in slow decline.

I hope we rid ourselves of sentiment and make the difficult decisions. No way should Ballas be getting a contract to when he is 32yrs old.

I think they know where we're at. Rosich was quoted as saying they're rebuild strategy is based on the next 4 drafts, Lyon's contract was extended until 2020, old players are disgruntled about being moved on and assistant coaches in the same boat. They're not doing it by halves.

What we should be planning right now is how to position ourselves to avoid future rebuilds on the back of this current rebuild. There are sides that seem to avoid bottoming out at all... For me that would mean acknowledging and learning from our mistakes regarding list management (free agency failures, average at best drafting, mediocre trading and critically, extremely low turnover of the list compared to sides such as Hawthorn, Sydney, West Coast and Geelong who it seems are perennial contenders). I'll be interested to see who ends up out of work at the end of the off-season that's for sure.

 

[sportsmaniac89]

I'll have a melt.

Those ****ing fluro twits from OPSM give me the shits. Sponsored by an eyewear company and still can't get ****ing decisions correct.

This week has overall been an A-Grade cluster**** and to whoever the campaigner is that leaked the story about Ballantyne, if it turns out to be Ballantyne's manager, well he's a parasite that just needs to GAGF. If it's Sumich, well that Eagle loving campaigner can **** off for all I care...once an assistant, always an assistant but substitute a few letters and ass sums him up nicely.

As for those leeches in the media, get a ****ing clue and life and that goes for those opposition supporters taking joy out of our decline.

Campaigners one and all.

As for the game, same shit and expecting a different outcome....give me a ****ing spell. No-one thought to maybe man up to prevent those many goals within 15m.....seriously, if they were under instruction to play in front of their opponent, the coaching staff need a kick up the rear.

Yes I'm ****ing melting and even more so, since when is there a filter than bans us from calling umpires m aggots...gooses is just a shambles if you ask me.

 

[Carnthedockers]

I'm hoping...... with blind purple faith that this year will have shaken Ross and co into the reality of where our list is at. By the end of last year we all kept calling out our soldiers as not good enough but they kept on getting games and it took quite some time before they were dropped this season.

Imagine if this year we finished 6th or 7th and got bundled out the finals. A few excuses here and there and I reckon our soldiers would have still been playing the following years and our decline would have dragged on.

We've hit rockbottom this season in record time. It has ******* sucked big time, but at least we haven't wasted 2-3 seasons in slow decline.

I hope we rid ourselves of sentiment and make the difficult decisions. No way should Ballas be getting a contract to when he is 32yrs old.

I can 100% tell you, your wishes will come true. It's almost impossible to shed the dead wood in a single offseason though.

 

[Fred Ziffel]

I don't think you have to hope anymore. The fact that we are playing so many youngsters is the reality, there is no further check to be had. Totally agree on the fast slide, best way to do it and it's a pity others on this board can't appreciate that fact.

Eight players under 22 lined up today. A few of those have under 10 games .

 

[Mudd]

I never said they can do no wrong. I agree our record was poor against other good teams, we died in the middle of the season last year. A lot of players hit the wall so to speak.
I love how so-called fans revel in being right about us being poor.

I revel in that it shut a couple of the zealots on here up and it forced them to take off their purple tinted glasses.

 

[Fred Ziffel]

I revel in that it shut a couple of the zealots on here up and it forced them to take off their purple tinted glasses.

Nah, you're mistaken. It was an outstanding season in which we were cruelled with injury at precisely the wrong time of the season.

 

[AAACockburn]

Those ******* fluro twits from OPSM give me the shits. Sponsored by an eyewear company and still can't get ******* decisions correct.

That is the Joke.

 

[sportsmaniac89]

That is the Joke.

It was once funny, now it's going to give me a heart attack before the age of 30....seriously, these umpires are going to be the death of me

 

[PurpleWizard]

I think most on here are being too nice. We haven't played crazy amounts of youth(don't have that much) and still a chance for the spoon. Harley and Fyfe aren't going to save us. Get ready for a few bottom of ladder finishes over the coming years.

 

[Reginald Perrin]

Nah, you're mistaken. It was an outstanding season in which we were cruelled with injury at precisely the wrong time of the season.

The last time that happened we sacked the coach.

 

[Fred Ziffel]

I think most on here are being too nice. We haven't played crazy amounts of youth(don't have that much) and still a chance for the spoon. Harley and Fyfe aren't going to save us. Get ready for a few bottom of ladder finishes over the coming years.

We played eight who are under 22 today. A few of them with less than 10 games.
We will only go up from here.
Fyfe, Bennell and McCarthy will make a huge impact next year. Let's also add Yarran for a full season and we are talking real significant team strengthening.
Even though Alex Pearce is young he is definitely a talent that we have missed this year.
I am confident we have bottomed.

 

[ydraw]

I never said they can do no wrong. I agree our record was poor against other good teams, we died in the middle of the season last year. A lot of players hit the wall so to speak.
I love how so-called fans revel in being right about us being poor.

It's not about reveling in being poor. It's about identifying the issues that are holding us back and trying to fix them.

Like our outdated and terrible game plan last year that just couldn't beat high-scoring sides. A game plan that we still haven't really changed.

 

[Proud SJW]

Even last year our record against other good teams was very poor.
Many of us pointed this out, and that we weren't traveling nearly as well as the ladder suggested, and were ridiculed.
The people who ridiculed us then are wrong, and if you still think our coaches and match committee can do no wrong then I don't really know what to say.

There are people saying Hawthorn aren't travelling as well as the ladder suggests this season too, and they're probably right as well. But Hawthorn have a crack at another premiership in 2016, so they're not changing things up much, even though they have a few premierships in the bag already. Even though there are a lot of people saying they're not as good this year and a couple of other teams are better in spite of the ladder position.

Hawthorn's record against other contenders this year?
They've lost to GWS, Geelong and Sydney. And Melbourne. Squeaked in over Sydney by 5 points in the return match. Narrowly beat Bulldogs and Adelaide by less than a goal. Beat the Kangaroos by only 9 points.
Not travelling too well against the top sides, are they?

Are Hawthorn blooding heaps of new players this year, to address those deficiencies?
Nope. Bet your arse they aren't.

Know how many players the Hawks have debuted this season?
Four. Know how many games they've played? 17. 10 of those 17 have been played by Kayden Brand. 3 to Kade Stewart, 2 each to Marc Pittonet and Kieren Lovell.

Know why the hawks aren't turning over their list, in spite of having a few flags in the bag already, and in spite of not being the clear favourites they have been in previous years?
Because they're sitting on top of the table. Whatever they're doing is working, no matter what the doubters think or how well they're really travelling. ****'s sake, it's as clear as a pimple on Jess Alba's nose in a closeup photoshoot.

Comparison with Fremantle's debutants in 2015:
Total debut players, 7. Games total, 24.
Alex Pearce 15 games, Lachie Weller 3 games, Ed Langdon 2 games, and Connor Blakely , Brady Grey, Ethan Hughes, Jacob Ballard 1 game each.
Take away the four who debuted in round 23 against Port, and it still adds up to 20 games.

So we debuted more players in the season we finished #1, and put more games into them, than the super team which can do no wrong which is sitting on top of the ladder this year, yet aren't premiership favourites and opinion is divided as to whether they can go all the way against the other contenders they've already lost to this season.


We finished top of the ladder last season. We were 9-0 at the start of the season.
So why the **** would you stuff around with a working combination in a season in which you had a decent shot at a premiership? No one does that. No one. Not even the club with three very recent premierships already behind them.

It absolutely beggars belief that some people still think we should have thrown away that chance in 2015 to blood more new players who may or may not have worked out in their first seasons.

You know what accepting mediocrity really is?
Giving up top of the ladder to play young players for a mid-table finish in the hopes of maybe winning one "next year". Or the year after that. Or the year after that.
That is accepting mediocrity, you goddamned 20-20 in hindsight campaigner. **** next year. If you're sitting on top of the table, you take every chance you get. So, in 2015, we did exactly that.

The plan wasn't flawed, other teams (including the GOAT) do exactly the same thing, it just didn't work for us.

And I doubt there is a single person here who thinks the coaches and match committee can "do no wrong".
Sort of thing ****ing Hackdorn would say.

 

[Proud SJW]

I think most on here are being too nice. We haven't played crazy amounts of youth(don't have that much) and still a chance for the spoon. Harley and Fyfe aren't going to save us. Get ready for a few bottom of ladder finishes over the coming years.

Don't forget a few of those we might have played this season we haven't been able to - Balich, Morabito, A Pearce, Grey, Uebergang, and Bennell have all been sidelined for a season or long periods.
Lyon had a couple of good things to say about Balich in his latest press conference, it's evident he was planned to debut this season at least.

The result seems to have been that we've persisted with a lot of our youth anyway at the expense of journeymen players (De Boer, Mzubgu, C Pearce etc) even though as the season has progressed they've looked more and more tired, as you'd expect from first year players who normally wouldn't be playing just about every game.

It's really not as bad as it looks, we have plenty of options and plenty of talent, we just haven't been able to hold a side together with a healthy combination of talented youth and experienced players. We'd probably have dropped down the ladder anyway, but when your star players are injured at the start of the season and the obvious replacements are all injured too, then sticking with the youth we could play is actually a bit of a credit to the club policy and selectors in some respects. Fremantle could have played it safe and been content with a mid table finish playing all the same old names with a perfectly valid excuse this time, but they didn't.

Also, we had new coaching staff and a lot of talk around how we used them. Again, a whole new plan killed off because we lost those players who were in the best place to test it.
There are a lot of things that went wrong this year, not just one thing.

A bit more luck/planning with the injury toll next season, another year of experience into those we did play, and we're not a bottom of the table team by any stretch of the imagination.

 

[meima]

We played eight who are under 22 today. A few of them with less than 10 games.
We will only go up from here.
Fyfe, Bennell and McCarthy will make a huge impact next year. Let's also add Yarran for a full season and we are talking real significant team strengthening.
Even tough Alex Pearce is young he is definitely a talent that we have missed this year.
I am confident we have bottomed.

Not going for mccarthy until he change colin young to Tim.

 

[Wizard]

Probably a little harsh & out of line here, but Ethan Hughes has no place in the AFL until he learns how to kick.

 

[ydraw]

It absolutely beggars belief that some people still think we should have thrown away that chance in 2015 to blood more new players who may or may not have worked out in their first seasons.
.

Anyone we blooded would have been better than guys like Suban or DeBoer. They are list cloggers and both played about 100 more AFL games than they deserved.

Let's not forget we threw away a GF in 2013 by playing De Boer over Lachie Neale because our coach prefers people who can tackle over actual good footballers.

 

[malpaso]

Probably a little harsh & out of line here, but Ethan Hughes has no place in the AFL until he learns how to kick.

He looked like an Ibbo clone at times out there, too long and slow to make a decision that was in the end smothered..

 

[malpaso]

Anyone we blooded would have been better than guys like Suban or DeBoer. They are list cloggers and both played about 100 more AFL games than they deserved.

Let's not forget we threw away a GF in 2013 by playing De Boer over Lachie Neale because our coach prefers people who can tackle over actual good footballers.

Not to mention missing shots on goal... But sure blame the sub pick..

 

[salim malik]

Anyone we blooded would have been better than guys like Suban or DeBoer. They are list cloggers and both played about 100 more AFL games than they deserved.

Let's not forget we threw away a GF in 2013 by playing De Boer over Lachie Neale because our coach prefers people who can tackle over actual good footballers.

Thats rubbish, missed shots at goals by experienced players Fyfe, Ballas etc was the problem. Not being used to the tricky conditions didn't help . Also GF nerves. To try to blame the loss on not playing a young player is laughable. Also one of the much maligned foot soldiers showed how to kick the first goal.
Amazing how some where screaming for the youngsters to play last year even though we where top dog. Well they have got their wish this season with the youngsters and look where we are now.