No Oppo Supporters The Melt Thread

[Banker]

I profoundly disagree - any athlete can fix mental problems with time and training.

Perhaps the exception is one with talent.

But generally no they can't, you don't think Sports club spend $$$ looking at everything to fix mental problems.

You can't change biology its the fight vs flight response that happens come game time.

 

[meima]

im no footy pro watcher. Im just asking. do our kids actually suck? im not really sure they are any good. grey has that tough but crap skills feel. weller has that good skills but slightly cant get enough of it feel. tabs has that spud feel. pearce looks elite. crozier has a spud feel. tucker cant tell. blakely seems av for peel. hughes meh. hannath spud. zarke spud. theres prolly heaps ive missed (im a bit drunk). im just not really sold on lots of our much hyped youth. we need low picks right now.

Common , how many game they play together like I said playing with spud like suban will improve your skill as kid.

 

[clivenator26]

I love seeing a good melt but some of this stuff is ridiculous. Josh Deluca? Tanner Smith? Mora? Playing every kid for the sake of it is not going to be good, we will get plenty of games into Blakely, Langdon, Collins, Grey, Tucker & Weller before the season is done.

In the latter part of the season we should see Harley - maybe both, Yarran, The Ape & Mora.

 

[meima]

I love seeing a good melt but some of this stuff is ridiculous. Josh Deluca? Tanner Smith? Mora? Playing every kid for the sake of it is not going to be good, we will get plenty of games into Blakely, Langdon, Collins, Grey, Tucker & Weller before the season is done.

In the latter part of the season we should see Harley - maybe both, Yarran, The Ape & Mora.

But I don't know what this kids can gain from suban and co either.

 

[clivenator26]

But I don't know what this kids can gain from suban and co either.

A perfect example on field of what not to do!

 

[imperial_oz]

Hindsight is a wonderful thing. We were positioned for one last tilt last year, the fact that we got as high as we got is testament to that, and to be fair, that was what Ross was hired for. We fell painfully short, and we've re-signed him with a view to the future. I think that it's uncharted territory for him now, so we are in very interesting times.

Clearly, one of Ross's double edged attributes as a coach is his loyalty to his playing group. I agree that we should have brought in Weller or Langdon in last year, maybe stuck with Taberner more, particularly in the back half of the year when we were struggling; but again, it's hard to justify dropping a foot soldier when you've run your ship by emphasising the value of effort bringing results. It would have been player revolt, no question, he would have lost the playing group.

This year, the incumbents were given an opportunity to cement their spots, with no obvious joy. He's dropped the previously undroppable and now there's a clear message that change is in the air, regardless of results.

I'm all for giving the kids game, but I also don't agree we should play Peel in the ones for the heck of it. We can't destroy the mentality of our future by tossing them into the deep end without senior support.

Yes and no to that.

Tabs, for all his flaws, gave us a structural improvement by taking a defender off Pav. We should have given him more time and backed him in. What we have done is wound h=back his confidence and that needs to be rebuilt.

Im also aware we were shooting for one last shot at a flag last year but the second half of the year when our game fell away and that includes our skills should have been the trigger to look at some of the youngsters more that we did....and yes I agree things look more obvious with 20/20 hindsight.

Im not sure that Lyon is loyal to his playing as he is some parts of his playing group but we can argue the finer points all day.

I still repeat my point about skills. Lyon has to wear that. The poor skills were obvious well before this season and that just has not been addressed to point there is any improvement. Thats the role of the senior coach.

I still think this season is shot (der). The only long term benefit from this season will be getting games into younger legs and that will likely mean 2, 3 or 4 additional losses but those will be worth over the next 2 years

 

[meima]

A perfect example on field of what not to do!

Yup agree .

 

[estibador]

Watching most games of footy this season I would say we are the worst at:
- Moving the ball out of the backline.
- Maintaining some form of structure.
- Linking effective disposals together.
- Kicking inside 50.
- Scoring
- Defending
- Marking the ball
- Kicking the ball
- Handballing the ball

So basically we're the worst at football.

The ladder does tend to support that theory at the moment unfortunately.

 

[couldhavebeen]

Hindsight is a wonderful thing. We were positioned for one last tilt last year, the fact that we got as high as we got is testament to that, and to be fair, that was what Ross was hired for. We fell painfully short, and we've re-signed him with a view to the future. I think that it's uncharted territory for him now, so we are in very interesting times.

Clearly, one of Ross's double edged attributes as a coach is his loyalty to his playing group. I agree that we should have brought in Weller or Langdon in last year, maybe stuck with Taberner more, particularly in the back half of the year when we were struggling; but again, it's hard to justify dropping a foot soldier when you've run your ship by emphasising the value of effort bringing results. It would have been player revolt, no question, he would have lost the playing group.

This year, the incumbents were given an opportunity to cement their spots, with no obvious joy. He's dropped the previously undroppable and now there's a clear message that change is in the air, regardless of results.

I'm all for giving the kids game, but I also don't agree we should play Peel in the ones for the heck of it. We can't destroy the mentality of our future by tossing them into the deep end without senior support.

Hindsight is a wonderful thing as you have posted .Yes we got close but the writing was on the wall and now we are paying for it .
The main thing here is that the basic nucleus of the team is still strong but the underbelly is soft and untried .This is the result of as so many said last year we didn't play the young kids enough and injuries have exposed us . Once Fyfe was injured last year RTB and the selectors got to see that we didn't have the depth that they thought we had .
The pain we are experiencing this season has been caused by firstly injuries to key older players and the normal go too players aren't as good as they were 2 years ago .
Ross knew at the end of last season that he had to change the game plan . The Club new that they had a very good coach but not the players to take the next step .
Fremantle management knew they were close to winning a flag which is why they kept the older tried and true players in the hope of winning a flag that we all crave for ,the prize was so close they could taste it and so they took the gamble and lost .
I don't believe there would have been a player revolt and he would never have lost the players he is too good a coach for that .
This year has to now be a year of transition from older players to finding out what we really have in the younger players on our list .
What Ross has to do is do a Damion Drum and take the sword to the team of good hearted plodders and look hard to replace them through trading and the draft .
The people in the gun sights now are the recruiting team which is lead by LLoyd and Bond .
They are the people that built the squad and now they have to start again or we need to find some people better

 

[Gekko71]

Perhaps the exception is one with talent.

But generally no they can't, you don't think Sports club spend $$$ looking at everything to fix mental problems.

You can't change biology its the fight vs flight response that happens come game time.

Once again I respectfully disagree - there's far more to the mental side of athletic performance than the limitations of your limbic system.

If you wish to change your circumstances, or your performance, first you have to change your thinking. Nothing changes substantially until you change your mindset.

I honestly don;t know what's happening with the team right now, but I'm willing to speculate that a fair proportion of the change in performance can be put down to some sort of unidentified or unanticipated changes in the team's collective mindset.

 

[FUS_RO_DAH]

Controversial opinion time...

We're all kinda thinking it or have thought about it, Stephen Hill isn't anywhere near the player we thought he was going to be when he was drafted.

He's been tagged since his first year, and tagged and tagged and shut out of games and the frustration of just wanting to see him get off the leash and run the open spaces of Subi oval and dominate was so frustrating.

Well he's not getting tagged anymore. And he's not dominating. He's been a bit average to be honest.

At his age he should be at his absolute peak, and he misses shots on goal running into the F50 and misses targets and has no right boot. I'm hardly condemning the bloke because he's been a bloody handy player for us... Just not the player we wanted him to be.

Come at me.

 

[estibador]

At his age he should be at his absolute peak, and he misses shots on goal running into the F50 and misses targets and has no right boot. I'm hardly condemning the bloke because he's been a bloody handy player for us... Just not the player we wanted him to be.

Disagree with the bolded. He's one of the better right foot kicks for a left footer I've seen.

Even just last week he hit a man lace out with a 40m right foot kick out on the far wing.

 

[Unique Name]

So basically we're the worst at football.

The ladder does tend to support that theory at the moment unfortunately.

Yep, that's what I was going for.

 

[Unique Name]

We looked bad because we always turn it into a scrap. A ground as big as subi and our players never have anywhere to run because we always seem to congest.

Hold some structure and stop commiting half the team to every contest.

We lose the contest, the opposition break free and has plenty of options free because we're all in the contest. We win the contest and can't move the ball down field because everyone's at the ****ing contest.[/QUOTE]

 

[electricfeel]

Controversial opinion time...

We're all kinda thinking it or have thought about it, Stephen Hill isn't anywhere near the player we thought he was going to be when he was drafted.

He's been tagged since his first year, and tagged and tagged and shut out of games and the frustration of just wanting to see him get off the leash and run the open spaces of Subi oval and dominate was so frustrating.

Well he's not getting tagged anymore. And he's not dominating. He's been a bit average to be honest.

At his age he should be at his absolute peak, and he misses shots on goal running into the F50 and misses targets and has no right boot. I'm hardly condemning the bloke because he's been a bloody handy player for us... Just not the player we wanted him to be.

Come at me.

I kind of agree with you to an extent. He is one of our better midfielders and we'd probably be even worse without him. What he lacks though is killer instinct and a bit of arrogance. Those two missed shots on goal on the run were disappointing. Those should be his bread and butter. He wasn't the only one to miss but he is so damn skilled he should be nailing those shots and doing it consistently every game.

That being said, Hill has still provided me with my most memorable and favourite Freo moment with his running goal against Geelong in the QF.

I think he had a down game today just like everyone else.

 

[Alfonz]

The problem with turning into a complete rabble goes beyond just being shit this year.

Old players like Sandi, Mundy and Johnson will accelerate their thoughts of retirement. Someone like Neale will think harder about leaving. So will young kids like Weller with ties to the east. And guys like Hooker and Hogan will have zero interest in coming here.

Having the side completely fall off the cliff might give us the #1 pick that people seem to desire, but I don't think that's the answer. It's just one pick.

If we don't find a solution soon, we risk going down the path of being shit for a very long time like St Kilda, Brisbane, Carlton, Melbourne, etc.

 

[AAACockburn]

Come at me

I am excessively drunk.






Dis da bes I got.

 

[Lach72]

With injuries to Fyfe, Ballantyne and Johnson, there's no solution coming.

Mundy, Blakely and Ibbotson have to come into the side.

We can't lose that amount of experience and replace it with all kids.
Would love Hughes too, but think he's going to have to wait

 

[Grape Bear]

The problem with turning into a complete rabble goes beyond just being shit this year.

Old players like Sandi, Mundy and Johnson will accelerate their thoughts of retirement. Someone like Neale will think harder about leaving. So will young kids like Weller with ties to the east. And guys like Hooker and Hogan will have zero interest in coming here.

Having the side completely fall off the cliff might give us the #1 pick that people seem to desire, but I don't think that's the answer. It's just one pick.

If we don't find a solution soon, we risk going down the path of being shit for a very long time like St Kilda, Brisbane, Carlton, Melbourne, etc.

This. It's a hard one. I think with the season being dead, we're better off finishing low enough to get a player we can use ASAP, but I worry about turning into a feeder club as we will end up being at the bottom for so much longer.

 

[Mudd]

The problem with turning into a complete rabble goes beyond just being shit this year.

Old players like Sandi, Mundy and Johnson will accelerate their thoughts of retirement. Someone like Neale will think harder about leaving. So will young kids like Weller with ties to the east. And guys like Hooker and Hogan will have zero interest in coming here.

Having the side completely fall off the cliff might give us the #1 pick that people seem to desire, but I don't think that's the answer. It's just one pick.

If we don't find a solution soon, we risk going down the path of being shit for a very long time like St Kilda, Brisbane, Carlton, Melbourne, etc.

I hate to break it to you but we have been shit for 20 years, at least brisbane and carlton have won flags in recent history.

 

[electricfeel]

This might come across as an epic melt but I'm truly worried we will become Melbourne from the last few years. As the poster above noted, having a totally shit year this year will be a snowball effect in the following years. We find it hard enough at the top of our game recruiting players to come to WA and play for us let alone when we are a rabble. I'm worried players like Hooker and Hogan will now re-think about (if it ever crossed their minds anyway) moving here if we are spooners. Players like Weller and Langdon might want to go home any minute now and play with their brothers.

I don't know how we can fix this. This truly is a deep, deep hole we are in now. I don't think I could tolerate being a basket case again. Now that I'm old enough and more emotionally invested in footy I don't think it'll be good for my well being! I'm going to have to find another hobby I can only hope we can turn this around in a short period of time.

 

[couldhavebeen]

Controversial opinion time...

We're all kinda thinking it or have thought about it, Stephen Hill isn't anywhere near the player we thought he was going to be when he was drafted.

He's been tagged since his first year, and tagged and tagged and shut out of games and the frustration of just wanting to see him get off the leash and run the open spaces of Subi oval and dominate was so frustrating.

Well he's not getting tagged anymore. And he's not dominating. He's been a bit average to be honest.

At his age he should be at his absolute peak, and he misses shots on goal running into the F50 and misses targets and has no right boot. I'm hardly condemning the bloke because he's been a bloody handy player for us... Just not the player we wanted him to be.

Come at me.

You have absolutely no idea of how good Steven is and need to think before you post .
Hill is playing in the midfield because he is one of our better performers . Before this season he was playing off the HBF and was at his most dangerous with ball in hand breaking lines . His ability to gain metres with his run and carry is what we are missing .He is doing a power of work in the middle .
Our Rolls Royce midfield from the last 3 seasons is in tatters. Mundy had no preseason and Calf injury , Neale has been terrible with the ball in hand ,Barlow is trying but the speed of the game has left him behind ,Fyfe's back injury and now reported second break in his leg ,D Pearce same old problem of his kicking under pressure Suban hasn't improved from being a junk yard dog , DeBoer has reached his ceiling Mzungu and Clancee are foot soldiers .They understand the game plan but don't have the smarts to carry it out .Sandi's injury ,Clarke no preseason ,Bennell's calf and Hannath we have seen and can't understand why he is still on our list .

 

[Grape Bear]

Please tell me you are speculating about Nathan's leg.

 

[couldhavebeen]

The only way Bond and LLoyd can remain in their recruiting positions is if they land McCarthy and Hooker If they fail to land either then send them packing .

 

[Lach72]

With injuries to Fyfe, Ballantyne and Johnson, there's no solution coming.

Mundy, Blakely and Ibbotson have to come into the side.

We can't lose that amount of experience and replace it with all kids.
Would love Hughes too, but think he's going to have to wait

Although I managed to get Langdon and Hughes in and boot Mayne and Danyle Pearce [emoji23]