No Oppo Supporters The Melt Thread

[Lach72]

I want to know what changed about the method of ball movement from the Collingwood game to the Carlton and Geelong games.

In the Collingwod game, we saw hard running, daring, quick ball movement and an acceptance of risk.
Not everything came off, but on many occasions it was the last piece of the play that broke down. A fumble, a dropped mark, a handball behind or at the feet, which then saw us cough the ball up or squander the scoring opportunity...the mechanics of what we were trying to do was vastly improved from the Eagles game, but then that changed against the last two opponents.

 

[Tazmania]

I want to know what changed about the method of ball movement from the Collingwood game to the Carlton and Geelong games.

In the Collingwod game, we saw hard running, daring, quick ball movement and an acceptance of risk.
Not everything came off, but on many occasions it was the last piece of the play that broke down. A fumble, a dropped mark, a handball behind or at the feet, which then saw us cough the ball up or squander the scoring opportunity...the mechanics of what we were trying to do was vastly improved from the Eagles game, but then that changed against the last two opponents.

To be fair though...aren't Collingwood know to have a glaring weakness in their forward pressure, hence the signing of Mayne. This would mean that there are more opportunities, time and space to create options against Collingwood.

Conversely we saw none of that against geelong who did a fairly good job.

 

[E Shed]

I've been pretty steadfast in my defense of Lyon over years. When he came on board it was clear that he backed in his tactics and obsessive work ethic to get the job done. More so he didn't give a **** what others thought.

It seemed like a good match and it was. However I reckon that obsessive quality has been lowering over time in order for RTB to get a better work-life balance. This is perfectly fine for most of us or even some coaches but not for Ross. His obsession gave him the edge. The one thing we could always count on with RTB was that we were going to hold our shape and the boys would know their roles inside and out.

Last year with him designating significant coaching elements to others and this year with us not having any shape its pretty clear that something is way, way off with RTB.

I'm not saying we cannot pull something together this year but there are some pretty worrying signs. I think what worries me most is I actually rate this squad's future.

Completely agree with this asessment. I hope they start blooding more kids and getting them used to playing together. There is no way we are mixing it with the big boys in September this year and we need high draft picks.

 

[igon value]

I counted four new players for Freo all under 24 . That looks like the start of a rebuild to me.

Under 24?

The average age of the Bulldogs premiership side was 24.

That's not a rebuild. Not in the common parlance.

 

[Lach72]

Completely agree with this asessment. I hope they start blooding more kids and getting them used to playing together. There is no way we are mixing it with the big boys in September this year and we need high draft picks.

Yeah, players like Logue should be in now.

Johnson was so putrid I think he's done.

Balic, Tucker, Langdon etc need to be kept in at all costs, unless for another younger player who is knocking down the door.

Suban and Danyle need to be given the Matt DeBoer treatment

 

[DaveLister]

Yeah, players like Logue should be in now.

Johnson was so putrid I think he's done.

Balic, Tucker, Langdon etc need to be kept in at all costs, unless for another younger player who is knocking down the door.

Suban and Danyle need to be given the Matt DeBoer treatment

Bit early for Logue, he really isn't ready
Johnson was putrid, I could see hughes coming in for him right now but it's still a bit reactionary
I agree with the rest

That said, it's the first game of the season, we lost to a strong team, we have a lot of new and returning players who need time to gel.
For me it's too early to be throwing the baby out with the bathwater, finals are still within our grasp and to be making wholesale changes
would only garner speculation of tanking. Last year we switched stances after round 5 and that had additional factors of injury to key players.
I'm happy to wait out the first 5 rounds again while the comp is still wide open.

 

[Nickos66]

People that post Owen memes deserve a punch in the throat.

 

[MadDocker]

For me it's too early to be throwing the baby out with the bathwater

To hell with that...

Lets give the kids a year to play together and get used to the pace and requirements of AFL footy, show Fyfe we are moving forward and there's a chance he'll be part of a team that could give it a shake during his time and give the fans something to get excited about.

 

[sportsmaniac89]

People that post Owen memes deserve a punch in the throat.

Couldn't agree more.

Especially ****ing s**tstain Saints supporters who are still bitter about Ross Lyon leaving them.

 

[Big Animal]

What's frustrating me is there's so much murkiness about what 'strategy's going on. Say we're Carlton - we play lots of kids because we have almost no decent oldies so there is no other option and we let them build experience together and add top youngsters each year from finishing near the bottom and rinse/repeat until we eventually move up the ladder. It's pretty obvious to everyone and expectations are suitably matched.

Freo on the other hand have a disastrous year and win 5 games + injuries to basically most of our best players and our star new recruit doesn't get on the park. We start trying the youngsters. This seems to be the play. Fair enough. We have a decent preseason recruiting 4 somewhat experienced players (i.e. not first gamers) from other clubs, all under 23yo. Tick. We get injured players bar APearce back on the park. We take the best steps possible to get Bennell right. It's not our fault Yarren stuffed up - we took an ex-crim and tried to make him better by giving him a good opportunity (as opposed to taking a kid and making him a drug crim now in jail). OK so far. We all hear talk about a 4 year rebuild headed by RTB. Cool. We sit here on BF putting together our best 22s for our future team - i.e. our U26s plus a Sandi and Mundy or so. Our fitness from the training watchers seems to be much improved over last year where we struggled to run out games. Cool. We have two JLT wins that look promising.

Then the season starts. Now it's a given that Geelong were a top 2 team last year so have their sh2t together (even missing a couple of their 2016 starters) and hit the ground running like we did 2013-2015. But, and here is where a good portion of the melting is coming from even after just one week:

• If we're in this so-called rebuild, why did we play basically our oldest team possible on Sunday (and Ballas would have been there too if fit). Third oldest team on the park over the weekend minus Ballas. How the F does that fit into the rebuild?

Was it to do a slow rebuild so that we don't throw the kids to the wolves and they lose confidence as has been thrown around? Maybe this was the intention but the result was that we had the lowest score of the round, an old backline that struggled to function, fumble-fingers galore and poor skill execution as well as the old bomb it and hope which has worked wondrously in the past. So would it have been worse if Collins, Crozier, Tabs, others, played instead? Maybe, but difficult to see how it could have looked worse.

Was it Ross giving all the old boys a final crack at the 'start' of a rebuild saying well here you go, if you want to be any part of this, show me your best or you'll be replaced and moved on at the end of the year. That would be my hope but probably wishful thinking.

Was it Ross, wanting to rebuild but fearful of losing R1, any chance of early momentum, and to get the media off his back so going to his tried and tested seniors regardless of their current form, downward slide, or skill level and speed or lack thereof?

Is Ross scared to damage his win/loss stats further by another crap season? Is he scared Fyfe will walk if we don't have at least a decent year? Maybe. But if Fyfe thinks we're wasting time with the oldies when we could be building experience with the team that he want's to lead in the future, then he's probably more likely to walk.

Why do Pearced, Susan, and others have to show almost nothing and get picked first up, while others have to seemingly put in high level performances for Peel for weeks on end with the trotted out line, "you play your way into the side and play you way out". I call BS on that 'cause it is obvious there are different rules for different players. Also, why did we get rid of Barlow and keep these other two - "his contract finished first"? That's about as valid as Hawthorn fans trying to save face over sending Mitchell to a team they will probably have to compete with to make finals and making them better - it doesn't make sense.

Why do our experienced senior players in the backline appear to have little or no plan on how to get the ball out of the backline? Are they just crap, trying to follow a plan they are struggling with, or are they actually executing the plan they have been given to the best of their ability and it is just a crap plan?

Will we continue to play the oldies until they drop dead from old age or hit 67 and be forced to retire. Personally I don't mind coming last if we play the kids. At least they get experience and we're not actually talking about throwing in the 18yos. Crozier, Tabs, Collins are all early 20s.

This is the murkiness I am talking about and noone (other than Ross and he's not going to tell us) really has any idea what the answers to any of these questions are. Just our opinions.

I personally just want to see the U26s + Sandi, Mundy and Spurr together consistently (plus injury fill ins where needed i.e. Dawson for Apearce) so they can learn to play together and gel as a group for the next few years and build synergy, adding in Bennell, Apearce, Logue and Darcy and others gradually as they are ready. Is that too much to ask for a team that's meant to be in rebuild?

 

[Lach72]

Bit early for Logue, he really isn't ready
Johnson was putrid, I could see hughes coming in for him right now but it's still a bit reactionary
I agree with the rest

.

Why not? Was Oliver Florent completely ready? Was Brandon Parfitt?
Was Sam Powell-Pepper?
SPS and Harrison McCreadie?

The Lions are playing Eric Hipwood, who even though he is a second year, weighs as much as my left thigh..

Because I tell you what, what I saw on the weekend was half a team that weren't ready...barely ready for WAFL

 

[meima]

Worse of all they don't enjoy their football.

 

[nurries]

Why not? Was Oliver Florent completely ready? Was Brandon Parfitt?
Was Sam Powell-Pepper?
SPS and Harrison McCreadie?

The Lions are playing Eric Hipwood, who even though he is a second year, weighs as much as my left thigh..

Because I tell you what, what I saw on the weekend was half a team that weren't ready...barely ready for WAFL

This post says it all, can't agree more

 

[Caldera]

What's frustrating me is there's so much murkiness about what 'strategy's going on. Say we're Carlton - we play lots of kids because we have almost no decent oldies so there is no other option and we let them build experience together and add top youngsters each year from finishing near the bottom and rinse/repeat until we eventually move up the ladder. It's pretty obvious to everyone and expectations are suitably matched.

Freo on the other hand have a disastrous year and win 5 games + injuries to basically most of our best players and our star new recruit doesn't get on the park. We start trying the youngsters. This seems to be the play. Fair enough. We have a decent preseason recruiting 4 somewhat experienced players (i.e. not first gamers) from other clubs, all under 23yo. Tick. We get injured players bar APearce back on the park. We take the best steps possible to get Bennell right. It's not our fault Yarren stuffed up - we took an ex-crim and tried to make him better by giving him a good opportunity (as opposed to taking a kid and making him a drug crim now in jail). OK so far. We all hear talk about a 4 year rebuild headed by RTB. Cool. We sit here on BF putting together our best 22s for our future team - i.e. our U26s plus a Sandi and Mundy or so. Our fitness from the training watchers seems to be much improved over last year where we struggled to run out games. Cool. We have two JLT wins that look promising.

Then the season starts. Now it's a given that Geelong were a top 2 team last year so have their sh2t together (even missing a couple of their 2016 starters) and hit the ground running like we did 2013-2015. But, and here is where a good portion of the melting is coming from even after just one week:

• If we're in this so-called rebuild, why did we play basically our oldest team possible on Sunday (and Ballas would have been there too if fit). Third oldest team on the park over the weekend minus Ballas. How the F does that fit into the rebuild?

Was it to do a slow rebuild so that we don't throw the kids to the wolves and they lose confidence as has been thrown around? Maybe this was the intention but the result was that we had the lowest score of the round, an old backline that struggled to function, fumble-fingers galore and poor skill execution as well as the old bomb it and hope which has worked wondrously in the past. So would it have been worse if Collins, Crozier, Tabs, others, played instead? Maybe, but difficult to see how it could have looked worse.

Was it Ross giving all the old boys a final crack at the 'start' of a rebuild saying well here you go, if you want to be any part of this, show me your best or you'll be replaced and moved on at the end of the year. That would be my hope but probably wishful thinking.

Was it Ross, wanting to rebuild but fearful of losing R1, any chance of early momentum, and to get the media off his back so going to his tried and tested seniors regardless of their current form, downward slide, or skill level and speed or lack thereof?

Is Ross scared to damage his win/loss stats further by another crap season? Is he scared Fyfe will walk if we don't have at least a decent year? Maybe. But if Fyfe thinks we're wasting time with the oldies when we could be building experience with the team that he want's to lead in the future, then he's probably more likely to walk.

Why do Pearced, Susan, and others have to show almost nothing and get picked first up, while others have to seemingly put in high level performances for Peel for weeks on end with the trotted out line, "you play your way into the side and play you way out". I call BS on that 'cause it is obvious there are different rules for different players. Also, why did we get rid of Barlow and keep these other two - "his contract finished first"? That's about as valid as Hawthorn fans trying to save face over sending Mitchell to a team they will probably have to compete with to make finals and making them better - it doesn't make sense.

Why do our experienced senior players in the backline appear to have little or no plan on how to get the ball out of the backline? Are they just crap, trying to follow a plan they are struggling with, or are they actually executing the plan they have been given to the best of their ability and it is just a crap plan?

Will we continue to play the oldies until they drop dead from old age or hit 67 and be forced to retire. Personally I don't mind coming last if we play the kids. At least they get experience and we're not actually talking about throwing in the 18yos. Crozier, Tabs, Collins are all early 20s.

This is the murkiness I am talking about and noone (other than Ross and he's not going to tell us) really has any idea what the answers to any of these questions are. Just our opinions.

I personally just want to see the U26s + Sandi, Mundy and Spurr together consistently (plus injury fill ins where needed i.e. Dawson for Apearce) so they can learn to play together and gel as a group for the next few years and build synergy, adding in Bennell, Apearce, Logue and Darcy and others gradually as they are ready. Is that too much to ask for a team that's meant to be in rebuild?

Great post. Sums up all the mixed messages for me. We appear to be having a bet each way, and if that's the case we risk missing both short term competitiveness and longer term rebuild.

 

[DaveLister]

Why not? Was Oliver Florent completely ready? Was Brandon Parfitt?
Was Sam Powell-Pepper?
SPS and Harrison McCreadie?

The Lions are playing Eric Hipwood, who even though he is a second year, weighs as much as my left thigh..

Because I tell you what, what I saw on the weekend was half a team that weren't ready...barely ready for WAFL

Yeah that's a good point.
I'd argue that a number of those are more ready than Logue, not necessarily physically so but mentally in terms of knowing team structure and reading play.
It's also worthwhile noting where those clubs, brisbane and carlton specifically, stand in terms of rebuild and expectation to perform. They're just about the only clubs everyone can agree are no chance of making finals.
Also lastly, I think it's important to debut players in a team with some semblance of stability. We had 4 new players; B Hill, McCarthy, Hamling and Kersten along with a number of players returning from extended time off; Fyfe, Sandi, McCarthy again and Johnson. These players had earnt their place in the side and clearly need some time to gel with the team and in some cases readjust to the speed and intensity of AFL.

Johnson's game was inexcusably bad, possibly the worst game in his career, but he was a proven performer, a senior at the club and had his longest uninterrupted preseason in years. He was rusty in the JLT, which now was a clear indication of him maybe not being ready, but I don't think anyone foresaw him being as bad as he was. Maybe Logue would have been better in that role, maybe he might be better in that role this coming weekend but I don't think we can afford to be making reactionary changes with players who have, in the past, proven to be incredibly valuable to us.

 

[Nickos66]

Why not? Was Oliver Florent completely ready? Was Brandon Parfitt?
Was Sam Powell-Pepper?
SPS and Harrison McCreadie?

The Lions are playing Eric Hipwood, who even though he is a second year, weighs as much as my left thigh..

Because I tell you what, what I saw on the weekend was half a team that weren't ready...barely ready for WAFL

This post says it all, can't agree more

Good point.

Hell, Look at Stephen Hill's 1st game. The kid wasn't even 70kg's and how many games did he play in his 1st season?

 

[salim malik]

Under 24?

The average age of the Bulldogs premiership side was 24.

That's not a rebuild. Not in the common parlance.

Fremantle have the most of 21 to 24 year olds of any club . The four who debuted for Freo where a 21 ,23 and two 24 year olds. Langdon, Connor, Weller, Tucker are youngsters. I'm not saying Freo shouldn't be playing more youngsters, personally I think Dawson, Griff, Pearce should be teaching the kids at Peel but 4 young newbies and 4 2nd and third year players playing Sunday plus moving on the group of foot soldiers from last years list tells me it is a rebuild. Rome wasn't built in a day and throwing lambs to the slaughter is not a great idea. Before we throw Lyon out with the bath water maybe we should wait for at least a couple of games to see if the new blood gells.

 

[meima]

Fremantle have the most of 21 to 24 year olds of any club . The four who debuted for Freo where a 21 ,23 and two 24 year olds. Langdon, Connor, Weller, Tucker are youngsters. I'm not saying Freo shouldn't be playing more youngsters, personally I think Dawson, Griff, Pearce should be teaching the kids at Peel but 4 young newbies and 4 2nd and third year players playing Sunday plus moving on the group of foot soldiers from last years list tells me it is a rebuild. Rome wasn't built in a day and throwing lambs to the slaughter is not a great idea. Before we throw Lyon out with the bath water maybe we should wait for at least a couple of games to see if the new blood gells.

OK wait until mid season no choice . I calculated not enough player to replace . Yarran gone one less in the list , plus injuries
1) uber
2) duman
3)nyhuis
4) Clarke
5) a.pearce
6) deluca
7)apeness
8) benell
9) ballas

 

[salim malik]

OK wait until mid season no choice . I calculated not enough player to replace . Yarran gone one less in the list , plus injuries
1) uber
2) duman
3)nyhuis
4) Clarke
5) a.pearce
6) deluca
7)apeness
8) benell
9) ballas

Having approx 25% of the squad injured incl walk up start 22's doesn't help . Apart from Grey, Collins ,Crosier and Sheridan who aren't young newbies and have all had chances .The rest of the available are very young and inexperienced. You might play Logue and Ballic but the rest Cox,Stratocaster ,Darcy just are not ready. I think we all agree there are a group Griff, Suban, Pearce, Dawson who need to go and hopefully they will be weeded out in the next few weeks and replaced by the Logues etc when they get up to scratch with their fitness.

 

[TheMcManusNose]

What's frustrating me is there's so much murkiness about what 'strategy's going on. Say we're Carlton - we play lots of kids because we have almost no decent oldies so there is no other option and we let them build experience together and add top youngsters each year from finishing near the bottom and rinse/repeat until we eventually move up the ladder. It's pretty obvious to everyone and expectations are suitably matched.

Freo on the other hand have a disastrous year and win 5 games + injuries to basically most of our best players and our star new recruit doesn't get on the park. We start trying the youngsters. This seems to be the play. Fair enough. We have a decent preseason recruiting 4 somewhat experienced players (i.e. not first gamers) from other clubs, all under 23yo. Tick. We get injured players bar APearce back on the park. We take the best steps possible to get Bennell right. It's not our fault Yarren stuffed up - we took an ex-crim and tried to make him better by giving him a good opportunity (as opposed to taking a kid and making him a drug crim now in jail). OK so far. We all hear talk about a 4 year rebuild headed by RTB. Cool. We sit here on BF putting together our best 22s for our future team - i.e. our U26s plus a Sandi and Mundy or so. Our fitness from the training watchers seems to be much improved over last year where we struggled to run out games. Cool. We have two JLT wins that look promising.

Then the season starts. Now it's a given that Geelong were a top 2 team last year so have their sh2t together (even missing a couple of their 2016 starters) and hit the ground running like we did 2013-2015. But, and here is where a good portion of the melting is coming from even after just one week:

• If we're in this so-called rebuild, why did we play basically our oldest team possible on Sunday (and Ballas would have been there too if fit). Third oldest team on the park over the weekend minus Ballas. How the F does that fit into the rebuild?

Was it to do a slow rebuild so that we don't throw the kids to the wolves and they lose confidence as has been thrown around? Maybe this was the intention but the result was that we had the lowest score of the round, an old backline that struggled to function, fumble-fingers galore and poor skill execution as well as the old bomb it and hope which has worked wondrously in the past. So would it have been worse if Collins, Crozier, Tabs, others, played instead? Maybe, but difficult to see how it could have looked worse.

Was it Ross giving all the old boys a final crack at the 'start' of a rebuild saying well here you go, if you want to be any part of this, show me your best or you'll be replaced and moved on at the end of the year. That would be my hope but probably wishful thinking.

Was it Ross, wanting to rebuild but fearful of losing R1, any chance of early momentum, and to get the media off his back so going to his tried and tested seniors regardless of their current form, downward slide, or skill level and speed or lack thereof?

Is Ross scared to damage his win/loss stats further by another crap season? Is he scared Fyfe will walk if we don't have at least a decent year? Maybe. But if Fyfe thinks we're wasting time with the oldies when we could be building experience with the team that he want's to lead in the future, then he's probably more likely to walk.

Why do Pearced, Susan, and others have to show almost nothing and get picked first up, while others have to seemingly put in high level performances for Peel for weeks on end with the trotted out line, "you play your way into the side and play you way out". I call BS on that 'cause it is obvious there are different rules for different players. Also, why did we get rid of Barlow and keep these other two - "his contract finished first"? That's about as valid as Hawthorn fans trying to save face over sending Mitchell to a team they will probably have to compete with to make finals and making them better - it doesn't make sense.

Why do our experienced senior players in the backline appear to have little or no plan on how to get the ball out of the backline? Are they just crap, trying to follow a plan they are struggling with, or are they actually executing the plan they have been given to the best of their ability and it is just a crap plan?

Will we continue to play the oldies until they drop dead from old age or hit 67 and be forced to retire. Personally I don't mind coming last if we play the kids. At least they get experience and we're not actually talking about throwing in the 18yos. Crozier, Tabs, Collins are all early 20s.

This is the murkiness I am talking about and noone (other than Ross and he's not going to tell us) really has any idea what the answers to any of these questions are. Just our opinions.

I personally just want to see the U26s + Sandi, Mundy and Spurr together consistently (plus injury fill ins where needed i.e. Dawson for Apearce) so they can learn to play together and gel as a group for the next few years and build synergy, adding in Bennell, Apearce, Logue and Darcy and others gradually as they are ready. Is that too much to ask for a team that's meant to be in rebuild?

Basically summarises my thoughts.

The direction from the executive and the recruiting team is pretty clear. Explicitly using the term 4 year rebuild.

Ross from last year was very good playing the kids but as you say was partially forced to by circumstance. It'll be telling to see what happens over the next couple of months.

Having approx 25% of the squad injured incl walk up start 22's doesn't help . Apart from Grey, Collins ,Crosier and Sheridan who aren't young newbies and have all had chances .The rest of the available are very young and inexperienced. You might play Logue and Ballic but the rest Cox,Stratocaster ,Darcy just are not ready. I think we all agree there are a group Griff, Suban, Pearce, Dawson who need to go and hopefully they will be weeded out in the next few weeks and replaced by the Logues etc when they get up to scratch with their fitness.

Salim makes a good point in this respect. A good month from Balic, Logue and maybe Ryan and I expect them to be getting a game or two. Crozier/Collins are the more confusing ones for me. Apeness and Alex Pearce would be playing 1st round 100% if they were healthy.

I'll give Ross the benefit of the doubt for the first half, but if we're not using this year to get ~10 games into the aforementioned Balic/Logue/Ryan and a couple into each of the 1st years, then we're in real danger of wasting the year trying to have a bet each way.

 

[igon value]

Fremantle have the most of 21 to 24 year olds of any club . The four who debuted for Freo where a 21 ,23 and two 24 year olds. Langdon, Connor, Weller, Tucker are youngsters. I'm not saying Freo shouldn't be playing more youngsters, personally I think Dawson, Griff, Pearce should be teaching the kids at Peel but 4 young newbies and 4 2nd and third year players playing Sunday plus moving on the group of foot soldiers from last years list tells me it is a rebuild. Rome wasn't built in a day and throwing lambs to the slaughter is not a great idea. Before we throw Lyon out with the bath water maybe we should wait for at least a couple of games to see if the new blood gells.

I agree with you on Dawson et al, and it's great we have a big core in a young age group, but the side that took the field on Sunday was good enough and more importantly experienced enough to win. Or at the very least finish within three goals.

Our last rebuild under Harvey we fielded sides that rarely had hopes of winning, but in doing so we unearthed some gems, and some handy players that played in our first GF appearance.

What was enjoyable in those uncertain days of the Harvey rebuild was seeing talented young blokes like Hill, Walters and Fyfe debut in their first year on the list and look like future stars.

I like our young blokes now, but they're not front and centre in the side the way our current stars were in the last rebuild, and we're still getting our arse handed to us.

I'd like him to throw some challenges at young players, even those he thinks might not be up to it. Tell them to sink or swim, because really, we're sinking as it is.

 

[Allikat]

Stupid birds keep pooping on my new car. Like... birds poop on cars sure, but they never pooped on my old car this much. And I'm still parking in the same spot -and away from trees. It's like I'm driving the poopmobile.


Oh and booo we lost.

 

[Halfbaked]

Stupid birds keep pooping on my new car. Like... birds poop on cars sure, but they never pooped on my old car this much. And I'm still parking in the same spot -and away from trees. It's like I'm driving the poopmobile.


Oh and booo we lost.

Bloody eagles.

 

[Steinfreo]

Stupid birds keep pooping on my new car. Like... birds poop on cars sure, but they never pooped on my old car this much. And I'm still parking in the same spot -and away from trees. It's like I'm driving the poopmobile.


Oh and booo we lost.

Poopmobile?!?! Im livid.

 

[Steinfreo]

I agree with you on Dawson et al, and it's great we have a big core in a young age group, but the side that took the field on Sunday was good enough and more importantly experienced enough to win. Or at the very least finish within three goals.

Our last rebuild under Harvey we fielded sides that rarely had hopes of winning, but in doing so we unearthed some gems, and some handy players that played in our first GF appearance.

What was enjoyable in those uncertain days of the Harvey rebuild was seeing talented young blokes like Hill, Walters and Fyfe debut in their first year on the list and look like future stars.

I like our young blokes now, but they're not front and centre in the side the way our current stars were in the last rebuild, and we're still getting our arse handed to us.

I'd like him to throw some challenges at young players, even those he thinks might not be up to it. Tell them to sink or swim, because really, we're sinking as it is.

Ahhh a young Hill running like a gazelle up the interchange wing, before teams realised if you pummel Hill Freo lose. good times.