No Oppo Supporters The Positivity Thread

[Allikat]

Here for the Ape love. How great was it to see him back out on the ground after so much time off injured. And being able to watch our kids learn from the game, and it really showed by the end with us moving the ball better and scoring a bit in the last quarter.

And of course... my buddy Langdon. Who needs Fyfe? Ed's been ****ing great all season. Brownlow here he comes

 

[Cobbler]

Here for the Ape love. How great was it to see him back out on the ground after so much time off injured. And being able to watch our kids learn from the game, and it really showed by the end with us moving the ball better and scoring a bit in the last quarter.

And of course... my buddy Langdon. Who needs Fyfe? Ed's been ******* great all season. Brownlow here he comes

Apeness is only 23 but in terms of AFL is really an absolute novice. Just hasn't had a run at it at all. Was very pleased he contributed, stood up and played a part. Gives me confidence he can partner Darcy in the ruck going forwards.

If Apeness and Alex Pearce can get a solid 20-30 games uninterrupted we may have a couple of decent talls at each end. Taberner as the endurance tall leading up the wings.

Can really allow Cox to play 3rd tall and ideally McCarthy to play as a 4th tall.

Obviously the jury is out on all of that.

 

[Nodgey]

Will be ideal if Apeness can play the ruck/forward role allowing Tabs to be full time forward and McCarthy the third tall. Am losing patience though...

 

[Arcassius]

Apeness had good endurance coming into AFL right? The potential is there - just needs time and a good run at it (pun intended). Not sure if he's ever going to improve his turning circle though

 

[ImperialPurple]

Now I can have a good rant at the tele like the best of them - there are F-words a-plenty for dumb decisions, missed handballs, kicks over teammates heads - all the stuff that frustrates the living shit out of you as a footy lover. I've also been known to drop a c-bomb on occasions for particularly horrific umpiring decisions (or non-decisions). Feels good too. But I'm still seeing some positives, and I would like to list them here.

1. Today we had the following players from our best 22 not playing:
Brad Hill (25 - almost)
Stephen Hill (28)
Sandi (35)
Taberner (25 - almost)
Logue (20)
Matera (26)
Darcy (20 - almost)
When they're back, we're immediately a better side, and, realistically, all except Sandi should be on the list in 2021, with only possibly Stephen Hill to go after that before 2023. Looking at who played today, the only other player from our best 22 who will be gone by 2021 is Mundy.

2. We have Fyfe back to his very best.

3. Walters is a genuine, bonafide A-grader and can play midfielder or go forward.

4. Langdon has hit A- level this year, and he's still only 22. He'll be an A grader within the next year or two, and he's declared he wants to be a one-club player, even joking that he'd rather get his brother to Freo than head back home to Melbourne at this point.

5. Brayshaw and Cerra are top-shelf talent - and both are still 18. EIGHTEEN - won't be 19 until Nov and Oct respectively! Yet, there they are, out there mixing it with mature, hardened bodies, and they are holding their own. They'll get sore, and tired, and they'll be a bit inconsistent, but even Fyfe didn't start really smashing it till his third season. I have to be honest, I don't have a good feeling about us holding onto Cerra, but I do think that if he does decide to go, we'll get a decent trade for him - not a Lachie-Weller-steal, mind you, but we will get value. Fingers crossed he stays.

6. Apeness made it back onto the park, and for someone who has been out of the game for 2 years, and only has 8 games against his name - he was terrific today! Very happy for him, and for us!

7. Cox is getting better each game. Still only 19. NINETEEN!

8. And Giro - some debut! 16.7kms run for the game, 10 possessions, 4 tackles and a goal. Not bad for a 19yo, skinny, short bloke.

9. Alex Pearce is a friggen star! The way he picks the ball off the ground, the way he dances through traffic - but wait, he's a 200cm, key defender who doesn't get beaten. And he hasn't even turned 23 yet (although next week... Happy B'day Alex).

I could go on, but I think we get the picture. Sure we want to win every week, and we hate losing, but we're building something. We have some deadset awesome young talent coming through to complement some of the older players. We have to keep backing them in and being excited watching their development. We'll go to the draft this year with possibly pick 5, we'll get that Academy kid (name escapes me), and I reckon Lloydy will pull some magic beans out of his bag and get us back into the second and/or third round of the draft as well.

So IMHO, it's okay to be bummed at losing, but it's certainly not all doom and gloom.

 

[BigKep]

Really liked the open footy we played in the last quarter. I feel we play our best footy when our half back flankers distribute the ball through the corridor. Our JLT games were quite good and if you watch most of our wins we tend to transition fast through the middle deep into the forward 50. Seemed like today we defaulted to the dour old brand we played in 2012-2015 which really isn't compatible with our current squad.

So happy to see Ape play well. Could you imagine how good he'd be if he got a complete preseason in him. Liked the quick hands and composure of Giro too.

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[Arcassius]

Would need to rewatch the game to confirm. But I'm sure Collingwood tightened up their defending to not give us easy targets transitioning the ball forward. So we reverted to trying to shift the zone left to right but that didn't work. We then kept kicking to contests and bombing to clear. Combined with the above tightening of their defense and we struggled.

If someone does rewatch it - take notes on how the defense changed on us, and how we played and set up early, vs later.

 

[poshman]

Now I can have a good rant at the tele like the best of them - there are F-words a-plenty for dumb decisions, missed handballs, kicks over teammates heads - all the stuff that frustrates the living shit out of you as a footy lover. I've also been known to drop a c-bomb on occasions for particularly horrific umpiring decisions (or non-decisions). Feels good too. But I'm still seeing some positives, and I would like to list them here.

1. Today we had the following players from our best 22 not playing:
Brad Hill (25 - almost)
Stephen Hill (28)
Sandi (35)
Taberner (25 - almost)
Logue (20)
Matera (26)
Darcy (20 - almost)
When they're back, we're immediately a better side, and, realistically, all except Sandi should be on the list in 2021, with only possibly Stephen Hill to go after that before 2023. Looking at who played today, the only other player from our best 22 who will be gone by 2021 is Mundy.

2. We have Fyfe back to his very best.

3. Walters is a genuine, bonafide A-grader and can play midfielder or go forward.

4. Langdon has hit A- level this year, and he's still only 22. He'll be an A grader within the next year or two, and he's declared he wants to be a one-club player, even joking that he'd rather get his brother to Freo than head back home to Melbourne at this point.

5. Brayshaw and Cerra are top-shelf talent - and both are still 18. EIGHTEEN - won't be 19 until Nov and Oct respectively! Yet, there they are, out there mixing it with mature, hardened bodies, and they are holding their own. They'll get sore, and tired, and they'll be a bit inconsistent, but even Fyfe didn't start really smashing it till his third season. I have to be honest, I don't have a good feeling about us holding onto Cerra, but I do think that if he does decide to go, we'll get a decent trade for him - not a Lachie-Weller-steal, mind you, but we will get value. Fingers crossed he stays.

6. Apeness made it back onto the park, and for someone who has been out of the game for 2 years, and only has 8 games against his name - he was terrific today! Very happy for him, and for us!

7. Cox is getting better each game. Still only 19. NINETEEN!

8. And Giro - some debut! 16.7kms run for the game, 10 possessions, 4 tackles and a goal. Not bad for a 19yo, skinny, short bloke.

9. Alex Pearce is a friggen star! The way he picks the ball off the ground, the way he dances through traffic - but wait, he's a 200cm, key defender who doesn't get beaten. And he hasn't even turned 23 yet (although next week... Happy B'day Alex).

I could go on, but I think we get the picture. Sure we want to win every week, and we hate losing, but we're building something. We have some deadset awesome young talent coming through to complement some of the older players. We have to keep backing them in and being excited watching their development. We'll go to the draft this year with possibly pick 5, we'll get that Academy kid (name escapes me), and I reckon Lloydy will pull some magic beans out of his bag and get us back into the second and/or third round of the draft as well.

So IMHO, it's okay to be bummed at losing, but it's certainly not all doom and gloom.

When you consider that Hamling hasn't played 50 games yet - Mccarthy similar, there is a lot to be positive about. I saw logue last week and he is quite a bit bigger than last year. If he can add some arrognce to his game as he grows he will be another beast.

Tucker will continue to improve and hopefully long term we can see connor play in shifts through hbf and mid. The Ape played above my expectations and if he can get a run of games we should extend him and continue to be patient. Tabs / Ape and McCarthy is a big improvement. Add Matera and Walters at their feet and we look a lot better up front. Cam would kick 40 per season in that set up. As you say - Cox is 19 - Fyfe keeps mentioning him as exciting, though his kicking for goal is very poor.

I agree on Brayshaw and Cerra, I have more confidence that Cerra will be a top liner. If Brayshaw starts winning clearances then we have a Lenny Hayes type on our hands = gun.

Another year of Mundy and Sandi teaching the younger players and we have Hills - Fyfe - Neale - Wilson - Ryan - Pearce - Tabs - McCarthy - Matera - Hamling - Langdon - (Hopefully Tucker and Blakely) which give us a good spread positionally and talent wise to build around.

That is a pretty good position to be in from my pov. It takes longer to build something significant than most people realise, I think that next year will be better for us and that 2020 we are in the top 8.

 

[jedi mind tricks]

Would need to rewatch the game to confirm. But I'm sure Collingwood tightened up their defending to not give us easy targets transitioning the ball forward. So we reverted to trying to shift the zone left to right but that didn't work. We then kept kicking to contests and bombing to clear. Combined with the above tightening of their defense and we struggled.

If someone does rewatch it - take notes on how the defense changed on us, and how we played and set up early, vs later.

That's how I recount it too.

The younger guys would have struggled to keep that up all game. The forward targets or lack thereof made it very tiresome for the mids and backs. To add APearce coming off the ground compounded the problem.

 

[jedi mind tricks]

Brayshaw Imo has shown more than Cerra all season.

True but he definitely had a higher fitness base coming into pre season.

 

[awaremind]

Adelaide are not looking too swish either we might beat them ... crosses fingers

 

[Paracleet]

We have done well against the less able defensive sides. Teams that run hard two ways, keep their shape and attack the ball carrier we have struggled against but the less well organised ones we have been able to pick apart with our run and carry and good skills. The crows are certainly beatable at Optus with all their outs. Very beatable.

I stand by my call elsewhere that we have assembled an exciting list and are only a couple more forwards that can split a one on one and two more preseasons into the kids from something pretty handy indeed.

 

[Wizard]

Adelaide are not looking too swish either we might beat them ... crosses fingers

Lol!

We just played Collingwood a lesser team with about 10 of their best 22 in the stands and got smacked, a 10 goal loss was a good result in the end.
If Fyfe and Sandi don't play this will be ugly.

 

[Joao]

Lol!

We just played Collingwood a lesser team with about 10 of their best 22 in the stands and got smacked, a 10 goal loss was a good result in the end.
If Fyfe and Sandi don't play this will be ugly.

Pies belted Crows by 40odd at AO. They are definitely playing better at the moment.

Also, this is at Optus where we are 4-2 as opposed to anywhere else where we are 0-5.

That said, I am tipping the Crows.

 

[Son of a Wizard]

We will smash the crows!!!


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[Okinakashi]

We will smash the crows!!!


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I like your optimism SoaW

 

[ydraw]

Will be ideal if Apeness can play the ruck/forward role allowing Tabs to be full time forward and McCarthy the third tall. Am losing patience though...

Seems like the obvious setup, although I think it's fair to say that Cox has shown more this year than McCarthy has. I wouldn't be opposed to Taberner/Apeness/Cox as a forward line either. Cox is pretty mobile for a tall.

 

[Granny Val]

I thought my buddy Jones played really well as a first gamer. What did everyone else think?

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[Tobiko]

^^ For the Love of Ape!! Scott Jones was alright. The boy needs to run faster and be angrier. Time to make a name for himself as Jones The Wreaking Ball...then we will truly be cooking with gas. Go Jones!! Go Hard mate..your gran loves you.

 

[Freoforever86]

Dixon a test this week. Have a feeling we will see him in purple later this season

 

[Patty_Moz]

- Our highest score away from home this year with our youngest side.
- Apeness was competitive and probably crossed himself off a long list of potential delistees at year end.
- It didn’t seem that dropping the older brigade was all that detrimental to our form.

 

[Wizard]

- Our highest score away from home this year with our youngest side.
- Apeness was competitive and probably crossed himself off a long list of potential delistees at year end.
- It didn’t seem that dropping the older brigade was all that detrimental to our form.

One more injury puts him back on that list.

I'm rooting for him though.

 

[free at last]

- Our highest score away from home this year with our youngest side.
- Apeness was competitive and probably crossed himself off a long list of potential delistees at year end.
- It didn’t seem that dropping the older brigade was all that detrimental to our form.

I agree,can't see Apeness get delisted if he can manage to string a few games together.Being a second ruck to Darcy will be pretty handy next year.

 

[Paracleet]

I agree,can't see Apeness get delisted if he can manage to string a few games together.Being a second ruck to Darcy will be pretty handy next year.

I watched him on telly for Peel a few weeks ago and I thought he looked cooked. Was surprised how dynamic he was on the weekend. Competed okay in the ruck (well beaten obviously, but Grundy is behind only NN and Sandi atm as the best in the comp so no disgrace). He really looked like an AFL ruckman* until he got tired.

*In the sort of Mumford way: Not tall enough to win a purity of taps (but strong enough to blunt the other ruckmans ability to hit to advantage), but really able to put pressure on and influence the contest once the tap is won or lost.

 

[Okinakashi]

+'ve - Fyfe has looked tired in the last couple of weeks. Carrying 15-20 other players will do that to you.

He'll be better for the rest. Let's be honest, unless he lost a leg, he was always going to tell the medico's he was right to play.