Really dumb of Walls and others on this forum suggesting we'd fall off.
Most of the breakout 2015 team core is still here. More matured, primed. Free agency pieces like Yeo, Jetta, Redden took time to find their feet.
2016 we never hit our top gear, sleepwalked through the season, still finished 16-6... Let the eventual premiers run us off our own park.
2017 we finished 12-10 but we blew so many games my god. We were firmly set in the top 4 9 or so rounds in. Choked a ridiculous amount of games. Just like 2016 we turned it on the last round or so, managed to beat Adelaide (like 2016), pipped the finals spot from Melbourne, stole an OT elimination game, got boomed by GWS.
The talent was always there we just lacked a few elements that made us vulnerable, particularly on the rebound attacks. Lacked speed in the middle and upfront, not enough small forward defensive pressure. Allowed teams to create and burn us off the half-back counters.
Adam Simpson made some bold moves in the offseason, to trust the youth, drafting Liam Ryan and committing to an out of shape Willie Rioli. Letting Priddis retire, Mitchell out, allowing others like Redden, Sheed to take a bigger role.
My general feel is this gave us more speed across all three lines, more ball pressure defensively... Subtle, just enough to get the ball moving from A to B fast enough so our talented contested marking talls can take advantage of open paddocks and one outs instead of flooded midfields and backlines.
Rioli and Ryan brought FWD pressure that LeCras and Cripps don't. It's a good 4 man small FWD tandem to be honest. You need high energy like Rioli and Ryan, and you need crafty goal sneak opportunists like LeCras and Cripps. All about balance.
We have the most balanced team across all 3 areas on the field. At full strength in 2019 I like our chances of making back to the grand final.
Most of the breakout 2015 team core is still here. More matured, primed. Free agency pieces like Yeo, Jetta, Redden took time to find their feet.
2016 we never hit our top gear, sleepwalked through the season, still finished 16-6... Let the eventual premiers run us off our own park.
2017 we finished 12-10 but we blew so many games my god. We were firmly set in the top 4 9 or so rounds in. Choked a ridiculous amount of games. Just like 2016 we turned it on the last round or so, managed to beat Adelaide (like 2016), pipped the finals spot from Melbourne, stole an OT elimination game, got boomed by GWS.
The talent was always there we just lacked a few elements that made us vulnerable, particularly on the rebound attacks. Lacked speed in the middle and upfront, not enough small forward defensive pressure. Allowed teams to create and burn us off the half-back counters.
Adam Simpson made some bold moves in the offseason, to trust the youth, drafting Liam Ryan and committing to an out of shape Willie Rioli. Letting Priddis retire, Mitchell out, allowing others like Redden, Sheed to take a bigger role.
My general feel is this gave us more speed across all three lines, more ball pressure defensively... Subtle, just enough to get the ball moving from A to B fast enough so our talented contested marking talls can take advantage of open paddocks and one outs instead of flooded midfields and backlines.
Rioli and Ryan brought FWD pressure that LeCras and Cripps don't. It's a good 4 man small FWD tandem to be honest. You need high energy like Rioli and Ryan, and you need crafty goal sneak opportunists like LeCras and Cripps. All about balance.
We have the most balanced team across all 3 areas on the field. At full strength in 2019 I like our chances of making back to the grand final.
