Strategy The season is lost, what should we do with the remaining 19 games?

[1970crow]

I agree with this...

Its time to be daring..

Those with draft value are

Laird, Keays, Fogarty, Murphy (barely), Jones

I would use these and package up some draft picks to try and get some higher up the draft or get some better mids somehow

Focus on the next 3 years of drafts to get some gun midfielders in

From a footy department perspecytive...

Agree.. Nicks, Ogilvy and Reid need to go. Reid been in the job 10 years and we have missed finals for the last 7.

He is the list manager... get him out now... he doesnt deserve the job.. only in there because of his old man... we need to stop this jobs for the boys bullshit.

Roo is footy director and sits on the footy dept operational committees, he’s the first that needs to walk the plank. Next is Adam Kelly, he’s a 100 IQ bantamweight fighting in heavyweight class. Silvers on thin ice. Unless the first 2 are jettisoned, any replacements of those on your list will be poisoned.

 

[cleanhands]

Roo is footy director and sits on the footy dept operational committees, he’s the first that needs to walk the plank. Next is Adam Kelly, he’s a 100 IQ bantamweight fighting in heavyweight class. Silvers on thin ice. Unless the first 2 are jettisoned, any replacements of those on your list will be poisoned.

Do you think they may have sounded out Balme again as he has said he’s not sure what the future is, if it’s in football or not?

 

[CharlieCrow]

I realise this conversation is about the long term view, but last night was systematic of the whole year and a clear pointer of what is wrong with us!

I was there last night and the difference between the two sides was staggering. It seemed that Melbourne fiddled about a bit then scored at will. Fitch just needed about ten minutes of football to kill the whole thing off! Despite the score line, they were a ten goal better side than us. Their goals came from system, skill and class; ours came from chaos and luck. And its been this way for a number of years. This is despite being a high scoring side last year.

Our structures have just been woeful. Imagine thinking that we might kick it long and high - and from a slow build up - into a forward line marshalled by the best defence double act in the game. The signs were there early in the first quarter. We would have been better kicking grubbers into a forward line packed with lively smalls who might make something out of nothing. This is absolutely on the coaches who did not do their homework, who do not have a range of playbook options and who will not make changes. Perhaps they just have no idea!

I thought our defence battled manfully. Kean was terrific and Worrell was OK also. Max had a bad one as did Hinge, whose kicking has been off all year. Why Parnell was selected is mystifying, but it was good to see Nankervis get a go. Smith played his best in weeks and Butts was OK on return. I think we will look better when Murray returns but he won't be the answer. Perhaps Petty might add a bit of class, if he comes, and we stick him back there. We need to manage our kick ins better, stop watching the footy to the detriment of structure, learn to hunt in packs and to dispose accurately, quickly and strategically.

The midfield has already been discussed in depth and I agree with most of what has been said. The lack of class and system is matched only by the unwillingness of our coaches to make strategic, intelligent and adventurous changes is staggering. You can't challenge the endeavour, determination and courage of the midfield group but you can question why some of them are even there. The blind faith shown with O'Brien, Crouch and Laird over several years beggars belief. I wouldn't have any of them in the squad. They should have all been traded. I would rather have Solto and Sweet battling it out for a ruck position in our team.

The forward line might be straightened up by Thilthorpe, but that is probably just be a dream. I have always loved Tex and, after his 2023, he deserves the opportunity to be retained, but I think Fogerty and Gollant are busts, as is the mystifying choice of Burgess. Rachele might think he is leadership material, but he just seems lazy to me. So much skill, so little commitment. And I wish Cook could put a whole game together because he has plenty - but he has had his chance.

And by the way, Murphy and McHenry wouldn't even be in my SANFL team and Sloane is done.

I agree - write this season off and play for next year. We have 19 games to try everyone out. Let Soligo, Dawson and Rankine take the team forward and see what happens. If we just bang on hoping for a miracle change from a dud group then I'm out!

 

[Dangerousfield]

How did it come to this?

We were flattered by 2023, so much went right, two bonus wins by playing traffic cones North and WC twice (albeit we wuz robbed against Swans but lucky to be in it at the death), few injuries, but to me it was the form of a number of players who have failed to deliver this year.

How are the top four in the B&F last year going this year? Dawson, Laird, Walker, Hinge!

The saying goes 'when the tide goes out the jagged rocks are exposed' Well the tide has gone out on a number of players over the summer, injuries are hurting, it's exposed a list that just doesn't have the depth we need.

We have gone significantly backwards, almost every other club has made strides in the off season, particularly those clubs who were fringe finalists last year.

To make finals this year you'll need at least 13 wins and good %. If we go 0-5 after Carlton, we'll need to win 13 of 18 games.

Still to play, Port twice, Brisbane twice, Swans twice, Essendon Edge twice, Pies at the MCG, GWS at AO, Geelong at Kardinia, Dogs at AO, Saints at AO.

We can only drop 5 of that lot - good luck I say.

The selection policy must change, the midfield must change. But I know what baldy in the box will do, just double down on his selecting honest plodders, he probably can't wait to get Sloane back to add experience!

A really interesting watch from here Nicksy

Edit - I'm watching the Port midfield completely build from nothing in the past few years via some ambitious and very smart pick trading whilst we are still juggling yesterday's players, I'm fuming

 

[1970crow]

Nicksy coaching 101


See ball, get ball, put ball through the big posts.

You forgot - push forwards up to win ball at contest because footy is played in a vacuum, you can rob one area and it not impact another.

‘Connection isn’t goodly, need to work on it’. Well, the numbers ahead to connect to are diminished and unless you’re exiting the contest fast and on foot, there is no hope of it.

 

[1970crow]

Do you think they may have sounded out Balme again as he has said he’s not sure what the future is, if it’s in football or not?

This is ageist, but he does now look very old. Still, I’d engage him as a consultant for key meetings and reporting direct to the board. It’s not a great place for anyone in those meetings to find themselves, but reality is that unless they can get better, they’re toast anyway. So better to have any form of assistance.

But we already know that Adam Kelly believes that Balme would have offered nothing that he wasn’t already providing. I’d have sacked him on that view alone.

 

[PCORF]

Still to play, Port twice, Brisbane twice, Swans twice, Essendon Edge twice, Pies at the MCG, GWS at AO, Geelong at Kardinia, Dogs at AO, Saints at AO.

We can only drop 5 of that lot - good luck I say.

It is the toughest draw. Win 5 of those games and maybe you can call it success.

Brisbane away, GWS, Geelong, Pies at MCG seem like near impossible to win. Never dropped a game to the Dogs at AO but that is bound to change.

 

[Geoffa32]

Nicks won't be sacked this year


Thilthorpe and Murray being out will be the scapegoat.

On SM-A325F using BigFooty.com mobile app

 

[MsTopG]

Nicks won't be sacked this year


Thilthorpe and Murray being out will be the scapegoat.

On SM-A325F using BigFooty.com mobile app

He will if people stop turning up to games. The problem is that plenty of morons go along to watch us lose. A month of 15-20k crowds will get him out real quick. The payout isnt even that big. What they care about is being exposed to the footy world of how incompetent our football dept and board are. They would rather see us completely bottom out and lose our young talent interstate due to not sacking nicks than be exposed for the useless bunch of idiots they are. These people don't gaf about the club.

 

[adelaidecrows]

Nicks won't be sacked this year


Thilthorpe and Murray being out will be the scapegoat.

On SM-A325F using BigFooty.com mobile app

They extended him before the season because a key decision maker or the decision maker (lets just call him John O or J Olsen for privacy reasons) who as an ex politician was sold on the image of Nicks because of nearly finals last year, even though it was 99.9999% Nicks fault we ended up in a position that an umpiring blunder costing us finals when we should have been playing finals regardless.

So he signed Nicks under the misguided belief we were a finals certainty and that Nicks shouldn't be distracted.

Now, this mystery John person had no evidence to back up his extension, I doubt he even had half the board in his corner let alone Roo. I'm not getting any mail at all of Roo backing this decision and he has been strangely silent. I could be wrong. That speaks volumes to be honest if I am correct.

Again, this mystery John person (I truly wish I could reveal his identity) is a seasoned politician and he like all of them abuse that privilege and he will discard anyone that brings him bad press.

My money is on Nicks still being sacked by mid year. I just don't see the club pulling the trigger any earlier in case Nicks gets on a winning streak. If we hit the half way mark at 5-5 or even 6-4 his job would will be very safe. However, a 3-7, 2-8 or worse this mystery decision maker will throw him out.