This quote sums this club up perfectly

Ohhh Errol

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#26
There wasn't enough 'good football' even in the wins this year to convince me North belong anywhere near top 4.

Skills on average, across the board, are too costly. It just makes every other aspect of the game harder for everyone.

We got burnt by compromised drafts and mid table finishes.
We needed an (extra) leg up last year with the FS.

Worst part is that you could pluck several of our players and put them in a good side with good coaching and they'd look like absolute guns. But without enough polish around them, they just don't get to that level at this club.
 

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kelman

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#27
Well said mate - saw it in the game day thread. This is my first and last thread for a while, some might say thank christ but it's spot on.

So many players that have shit for brains, can't perform under pressure, lack of awareness, lack of 1%ers. Have a look at the performances of similar tier players at the higher level clubs, you don't just need speed and a good kick on you in this game anymore, you need smart thinkers and players than can make quick and effective decisions.
I think you are contradicting the quote you are pumping up. By i agree - it is mental. We lose composure when it doesn't go our way. Funnily enough, Boomer also did that early in his career.
 

Tas

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#28
Lets keep the tears to a minimum.

I warned after wins that we have a lot of issues and winning can wallpaper over the cracks, we just have too many players down on form and it is left to too few to fire to get the rest to play adequate football.

We just had too many passengers and when we do we look ordinary. Our midfield was just dysfunctional from the first bounce, afraid to take the game on as was our back line, forwards couldn't get any separation, mids got caught in no-mans land, wasn't a whole lot of brave football. By brave I don't mean going in for the hard ball, I mean taking the game on, hitting the corridor, being pro-active. It was timid footy and we got off light in the end.
 

Ohhh Errol

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#31
Its not even required to single players out, it's there for everyone to see. At a minimum the bottom 4 players need to be seriously upgraded.

Same mistakes, same deficiencies. Something has to change fast to go up a level. Because for every year we put into development we lose a year at the top end.
 

Gasometer

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#32
I still think if we can have a win-loss buffer ratio by the end of the year that sees us make the Finals we can do some damage because we will have Swallow, Tarrant and Wells back in and in some form.

Hopefully the likes of Basti, JZ and Adams can play themselves into form between now and then.
 
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#35
So are the likes of Wells, McMillian, Garner, McKenzie, Daw, Wood, Delaney, Harper and Dumont going to improve us any in the short and or long term?

I think so, but putting that to one side I don't think we've played particularly well this season. I take that as a positive. I won't list the names of those who I believe are yet to hit their straps as we all know who they are.

A long way to go and losing Interstate isn't the end of the world.
 

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#37
Chances are Ziebell is being instructed to "hack the ball forward", there's an obvious advantage to it. Only problem is the forwards can't get it to ground, even creating a stoppage would be a huge win and would make the "hack" an effective clearance.
This x a million.

Jesus there are some sooks and frontrunners on this board. Adelaide in Adelaide has NEVER been easy.
 

ozzyoslo

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#38
STOP MAKING EXCUSES FOR HIM!

It has nothing to do with his attack on the footy.

This is his game now: See ball, grab ball, throw ball on boot without ******* looking. And only get the ball 4 times in a half of footy. ******* unacceptable.

He is a very poor man's Matty Boyd at the moment. When he should be our Dangerfield.
Mate I call it as I see it......he's been a victim of missing weeks, the Reiwoldt hit he deserved, the next 2 he didn't........the hit on the Carlton player would be sent straight to the tribunal these days and get thrown out.....but at the time he got 4 weeks for it plus carryover points that affected his next indiscretion. Then went through the embarrassing situation where he hears his coach states he has to change his way of playing. Plus the fact I think he shouldn't play in the guts all that often. Play off the HFF or at HBF. We've discussed this before that he should play less time in the centre but tonight he had a negating role on Dangerfield where Danger wasn't his damaging self ........was that Jacks influence or was it the fact that Danger was under an injury cloud.

While Im hot......who still thinks that Mullet is a defender? His defensive skills worrying in my book. Jmac, Atley and Luke the driving force out of defence. Mullet plays else where.
 

ozzyoslo

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#39
Ziebell sees ball gets ball and butchers ball with a quick hack and slash kick in close. He has always done this. He's just winning less of the ball hence he not having the opportunity to hack and slash as often, but that's all he'd do.
Im aware of this, but gee he aint pat malone there EM.....Spitta isn't exactly laces out himself. Adam Simpson wasn't exactly that as well, I do remember.
 
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#42
Too many players like the idea of being a footballer, rather then actually being one..

Being one means you go back to back with the high effort, intensity and desire to win, week in and week out.

Besides 4. None of them have done that. They are failing at their craft.
 

kangatime

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#43
Nobody's happy when we lose. Not you, not me, not anyone! You saying crap like this b

Who do you think our 22 should be, Kangatime?
weve got our best 22 in BUT our best 22 isnt good enough. We were lucky getting SYD out of form, lucky with Freo being so bad with ball inside 50. These gave us a false sense of achievement. We've had qtrs/halves where we've been smashed by *, Pies, GC, Richmond, Freo, Cats and Crows.

our guys wouldn't run to create space and offer options when coming out of defense, we would just kick long to a contest where we were out numbered. Crows had their spare man set up a kick behind play, we had ours as the last defender.

This all poor coaching, but hey Kudos To Brad while the Bye Bye thread is locked. There's a real false sense of hope on this board.
 

Caracas

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#44
weve got our best 22 in BUT our best 22 isnt good enough. We were lucky getting SYD out of form, lucky with Freo being so bad with ball inside 50. These gave us a false sense of achievement. We've had qtrs/halves where we've been smashed by *, Pies, GC, Richmond, Freo, Cats and Crows.

our guys wouldn't run to create space and offer options when coming out of defense, we would just kick long to a contest where we were out numbered. Crows had their spare man set up a kick behind play, we had ours as the last defender.

This all poor coaching, but hey Kudos To Brad while the Bye Bye thread is locked. There's a real false sense of hope on this board.
You could well be right - I hope you're not, though. I know we can look really flat when we're off the pace. At those times, I agree 100% with what you say. However, when we're on our game, we can really make other teams look poor. I don't know if you can really just ignore the games against Sydney and Freo so easily. In the past we would have dropped those without doubt.
 

koshari

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#45
last nights game was all familiar to essendon,suns,collingwod and geelong games when we lacked intensity/effort all night and could hardly win a 1/4, let alone the game.

the games we lose this year we are being torn a new one, rather than going down fihgting laike last year.

only difference this year with regards to standing are a couple of upset wins (which you could say we have sqandered with this and the the essendon loss) and a soft draw.

puts us back on the ladder pretty much where i feel we are at draw factored in.
 

Benno_900

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#46
Mate I call it as I see it......he's been a victim of missing weeks, the Reiwoldt hit he deserved, the next 2 he didn't........the hit on the Carlton player would be sent straight to the tribunal these days and get thrown out.....but at the time he got 4 weeks for it plus carryover points that affected his next indiscretion. Then went through the embarrassing situation where he hears his coach states he has to change his way of playing. Plus the fact I think he shouldn't play in the guts all that often. Play off the HFF or at HBF. We've discussed this before that he should play less time in the centre but tonight he had a negating role on Dangerfield where Danger wasn't his damaging self ........was that Jacks influence or was it the fact that Danger was under an injury cloud.
Again. Excuses.

All that should not influence what he does when he has ball in hand.
 

NO_CSG

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#48
Yeah that's where he is struggling. He gets the ball on the boot too quickly, just hacking it away. He has to take a leaf out of Ben10's book and dare to be creative. If he gets caught with the ball, we will have to wear that. But to see a 30 metre hack kick go straight to the opposition and then sail straight back over his head with interest is killing us.
It's not in his game.

He is an outside player in an inside players body.

Needs to play as the high half forward in Adams role. He can still come up to contests and bullock, but when we have it he can work forward and maybe get into some space, or even expose a favourable matchup in the air as his marking is strong.

Play him as a mini CHF (Just as the great man Teffy pointed out 2-3 years ago).
 

shintemaster

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#49
Mate I call it as I see it......he's been a victim of missing weeks, the Reiwoldt hit he deserved, the next 2 he didn't........the hit on the Carlton player would be sent straight to the tribunal these days and get thrown out.....but at the time he got 4 weeks for it plus carryover points that affected his next indiscretion. Then went through the embarrassing situation where he hears his coach states he has to change his way of playing. Plus the fact I think he shouldn't play in the guts all that often. Play off the HFF or at HBF. We've discussed this before that he should play less time in the centre but tonight he had a negating role on Dangerfield where Danger wasn't his damaging self ........was that Jacks influence or was it the fact that Danger was under an injury cloud.
Cracker post Ozzy. I agree wholeheartedly. I'm disappointed as Ziebell looked ready to fire this year but that shoulder injury didn't help. Regardless there are several players who have no injuries to hide behind that should go before we look at Jack.

While Im hot......who still thinks that Mullet is a defender? His defensive skills worrying in my book. Jmac, Atley and Luke the driving force out of defence. Mullet plays else where.
Yeah. In the VFL based on this year. He is not doing enough, well aware he's been interrupted this year but it shouldn't matter. He is not fulfilling a key structural role and therefore shouldn't be carried.
 
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