What’s up with Cripps?

[sparkyblue]

Watch these highlights from late 2019. This is less than 2 years ago


Since then Andrew Russell thought it would be a good idea to shed 5 kilos off him and make him an outside runner which was an epic fail. So he immediately back tracks on that and has him stack on weight this past summer

I think Russell and the club have absolutely f’ed up his body and fitness.

Biggest difference in that package from then>now is the ability (or willingness) to bend over the ball. He's stiff as a board these days and his lateral movement is also shocking these days. He only runs in straight lines and opposition coaches have this worked out. Dunno if injury-related or just lack of flexibility as he gets older (I know the feeling).

 

[Mr_Plow]

I suspect it has more to do with him being injured physically, stressed emotionally and a ruckman who taps to the opposition more than he taps to his teammates.

 

[james Dean]

Biggest difference in that package from then>now is the ability (or willingness) to bend over the ball. He's stiff as a board these days and his lateral movement is also shocking these days. He only runs in straight lines and opposition coaches have this worked out. Dunno if injury-related or just lack of flexibility as he gets older (I know the feeling).

He is 26. It is not age related.

he is clearly hampered, and shouldn’t be playing.

I remember Nat Fyfe going through a series of injuries mid career but once he got himself fit again he was back to the best player in the comp.

I have no doubt Cripps will be back to his best, he just needs to get himself right.

 

[La Dispute]

Watch these highlights from late 2019. This is less than 2 years ago


Since then Andrew Russell thought it would be a good idea to shed 5 kilos off him and make him an outside runner which was an epic fail. So he immediately back tracks on that and has him stack on weight this past summer

I think Russell and the club have absolutely f’ed up his body and fitness.

Makes you a bit sick, bit also clear there has been a shift in his mentality around stoppages since then. So many of these handballs go barely 2 metres, but they go to a Carlton player who's then got a couple of seconds to assess what to do next. It's jarring for the opposition when you start with a preferred setup which gets thrown out by a subtle change in direction.

If he's nursing an injury, which we all suspect he has been, send him in for surgery and give him a prolonged pre-season to get his body right. We aren't going to be any worse without him in his current state, and it may actually make us less predictable and give some opportunity to some other players at the stoppages.

 

[mr_robot]

Watch these highlights from late 2019. This is less than 2 years ago


Since then Andrew Russell thought it would be a good idea to shed 5 kilos off him and make him an outside runner which was an epic fail. So he immediately back tracks on that and has him stack on weight this past summer

I think Russell and the club have absolutely f’ed up his body and fitness.

He looks a completely different athlete in these clips. Been a sad fall from grace for the champ. No idea how he gets out of the rut.

 

[agro]

He looks a completely different athlete in these clips. Been a sad fall from grace for the champ. No idea how he gets out of the rut.

Most of those possessions he’s playing to his strengths and almost always taking the first option, rather than trying to do too much.

 

[Michael Jezz]

Probably overthinking it, but MLG, Judd and now Cripps all leaving? Liddle on 3AW a month or so ago saying how confident he was that Cripps would re-sign? Saying there would be an announcement in the coming weeks? I just have a sense that something's off behind the scenes.

You are not over thinking it. You have described a total lack of leadership in the football department and board room. No one brings the players into line. Big Jack or a modern day leader would tell Cripps to be upfront about leaving or sign and send a message to the dressingroom. The same message that should have been sent when Gibbs was chaired off by a defeated Simpson & Murphy-Total lack of leadership throughout the club

 

[Chism]

Channel 7 reporting Eagles have $850k on the table a season and willing to off load Yeo to create room.

Jungle drums are beating folks.

 

[kane249]

Channel 7 reporting Eagles have $850k on the table a season and willing to off load Yeo to create room.

Jungle drums are beating folks.

Sorry for the intrusion, Tom Browne is spreading BS rumours again. From a local journo.

 

[Chism]

Sorry for the intrusion, Tom Browne is spreading BS rumours again. From a local journo.

Who knows what to think and a local journo is always going to water any rumor down that may put one of their players off side early in the season.

It just becomes a case of what journo you want to believe to suit ones own agenda and reasoning really.

 

[Altum Volantes]

Who knows what to think and a local journo is always going to water any rumor down that may put one of their players off side early in the season.

It just becomes a case of what journo you want to believe to suit ones own agenda and reasoning really.

Why would the Eagles do that deal tho?

Apart from the fact that it would be completely out of character for the club to trade a contracted, West Aussie, 2 time club champ but Yeo’s been out for a year basically and his value would be at an all time low. If we were ‘offloading’ him, I can imagine we’d also need to be paying some of his salary because it’s unlikely another club will want his contract if we are pushing him out the door (ie. he’s cooked)

Add in the fact that Cripps form is not strong, we’d be robbing Peter to pay Paul - players of similar quality at their best, both big bodied mids, both looking to recapture their best football - Yeo after injuries and I kinda assume Cripps is also not fit too.

It just doesn’t make any sense for the Eagles.

 

[La Dispute]

Why would the Eagles do that deal tho?

Apart from the fact that it would be completely out of character for the club to trade a contracted, West Aussie, 2 time club champ but Yeo’s been out for a year basically and his value would be at an all time low. If we were ‘offloading’ him, I can imagine we’d also need to be paying some of his salary because it’s unlikely another club will want his contract if we are pushing him out the door (ie. he’s cooked)

Add in the fact that Cripps form is not strong, we’d be robbing Peter to pay Paul - players of similar quality at their best, both big bodied mids, both looking to recapture their best football - Yeo after injuries and I kinda assume Cripps is also not fit too.

It just doesn’t make any sense for the Eagles.

Cripps is a better player than Yeo at their best. He’s also a couple of years younger and has more runs on the board as a contested player (not that Yeo’s a slouch, but Cripps has been a top tier player)

I could see plenty of clubs happily taking on Yeo’s salary.

 

[AceAndy]

Cripps is a better player than Yeo at their best. He’s also a couple of years younger and has more runs on the board as a contested player (not that Yeo’s a slouch, but Cripps has been a top tier player)

I could see plenty of clubs happily taking on Yeo’s salary.

I am sure what is wrong with Yeo but he hasnt played this season , looks a very risky investment for any club.

 

[Blue_Boy43]

I am sure what is wrong with Yeo but he hasnt played this season , looks a very risky investment for any club.

OP

 

[AceAndy]

OP

That can be a very difficult thing to get over.

 

[Blue_Boy43]

That can be a very difficult thing to get over.

I believe he is starting to get back into training soon.
I would honestly doubt Yeo would leave W.A & I still think Cripps will stay.

 

[thebluenewdeal]

Yesterday’s game was on strategy. It’s not Crippas fault that he’s not playing at stoppages other than CB’s. It was a directive from the coaching group to move him forward after CB’s. They’ve been playing that way all year and he’s only kicked 4 goals. Our midfield is s**t without him in there at stoppages and he’s not an elite forward option. Stop locking the bull in the cage!!!

 

[Coops93]

I'd like to see him told to take a month off and come back. It'd be good for him mentally and physically. He looks as mentally shot as he does physically right now.

It might have a flow of effect for Doc, too. Playing as sole captain for a while might clear up his role. Co-Captains, imo, are always a bad idea, you're always going to have crossing wires or worrying about "if I step over here does that step on Pattys toes?" and vice versa.

 

[Malifice]

I reckon its more mental than anything else. Contract stuff, Captaincy pressure etc. You can see him willing himself to perform, but it's just not happening because he's all up in his head. Worst thing last weekend was when his handballs were going straight to the oppo - that doesn't happen with Cripps.

It's obviously mostly mental IMO. He's also likely still carrying that niggle from earlier on.

I'd be tempted to drop him and rest him for a week, but then what? Our midfield is weak enough as it is, so we cant exactly afford to do it. We also have the bye coming up soon, so they'll back him in till then.

I cant help but wonder if the captaincy hasn't affected his own form. He's mentally carrying the team, and maybe just needs to go back and focus on his own game.

 

[Coops93]

I reckon its more mental than anything else. Contract stuff, Captaincy pressure etc. You can see him willing himself to perform, but it's just not happening because he's all up in his head. Worst thing last weekend was when his handballs were going straight to the oppo - that doesn't happen with Cripps.

It's obviously mostly mental IMO. He's also likely still carrying that niggle from earlier on.

I'd be tempted to drop him and rest him for a week, but then what? Our midfield is weak enough as it is, so we cant exactly afford to do it. We also have the bye coming up soon, so they'll back him in till then.

I cant help but wonder if the captaincy hasn't affected his own form. He's mentally carrying the team, and maybe just needs to go back and focus on his own game.

Is an obviously down Cripps getting 15 touches a game better than what a replacement would do? Setterfield inside mid for a game, Dow inside mid for a game. Even Stocker inside mid and bring Newman back to the defence.

A few options to consider that imo would be better than continuing to batter Cripps right now.

 

[Blue_Fusion]

I suspect it has more to do with him being injured physically, stressed emotionally and a ruckman who taps to the opposition more than he taps to his teammates.

Spot on. Too many things on his mind, too many things bothering him. This is why he hasn't signed yet imo.

His head just isn't in the game like it should be. He is literally plodding around and unable to keep up with opposition mids. He just has zero lateral movement and that stems from either being injured, not being right mentally or both.

This talk of us mismanaging his time on ground on the weekend is rubbish. When he was on the bench to start the 3rd, we actually looked quite good and stretched our lead over the Dogs.

 

[Blue4Life]

Yesterday’s game was on strategy. It’s not Crippas fault that he’s not playing at stoppages other than CB’s. It was a directive from the coaching group to move him forward after CB’s. They’ve been playing that way all year and he’s only kicked 4 goals. Our midfield is s**t without him in there at stoppages and he’s not an elite forward option. Stop locking the bull in the cage!!!

just my opinion but cripps is a massive liability at CB’s and the coaches know it. He isn’t getting the ball and his opponent is running free. Watch the collingwood game…the two times we came back were when cripps was out of the middle.

 

[Earls Smother]

Biggest difference in that package from then>now is the ability (or willingness) to bend over the ball. He's stiff as a board these days and his lateral movement is also shocking these days. He only runs in straight lines and opposition coaches have this worked out. Dunno if injury-related or just lack of flexibility as he gets older (I know the feeling).

Reeks of a sacroiliac issue. Can be caused by things like squats and dead lifts which would fit with building himself up in the preseason.

Googling that will show that being a ligamentous injury, it would generally take 4 to 6 weeks to heal (as stated early in the year) and won't be made "worse" as such (i.e. you don't risk permanent or greater damage).

The trouble is, when you are being hammered and dumped into the turf, I would imagine the healing period is resetting all the time.

I had problems with this playing cricket (hence some basic knowledge) whereby I could do certain things but not others. Batting was ok, running in a straight line was ok, but I couldn't bend over in the field or throw properly and bowling was particularly problematic - because of the torso twisting.

It's really about pain management, and the symptoms can vary a lot. It is easier to keep moving rather than stop and start - which could explain Cripp's longer stints on the ground, with longer rests.

He probably isn't training fully (rest is the best solution) which means his lack of touch and ball handling will further exacerbate his issues. IF this is the problem, the good thing is that when it is right, it will be fully right.

 

[Pklz]

Watch these highlights from late 2019. This is less than 2 years ago

The biggest difference imo is that two years ago we had a ruckman who could jump and tap the ball to the advantage of our players. Compare that with centre stoppages this week and it's glaringly obvious that our midfielders are given stuff all chance at centre stoppages.

We lost centre clearances 23-7 against the Dogs yet dominated hitouts 42-23. Pittonet is a honest battler and we obviously have no better option at the moment but he's one of our biggest liabilities at the moment.

 

[sparkyblue]

The biggest difference imo is that two years ago we had a ruckman who could jump and tap the ball to the advantage of our players. Compare that with centre stoppages this week and it's glaringly obvious that our midfielders are given stuff all chance at centre stoppages.

We lost centre clearances 23-7 against the Dogs yet dominated hitouts 42-23. Pittonet is a honest battler and we obviously have no better option at the moment but he's one of our biggest liabilities at the moment.

I thought we looked better when Levi was giving Pitto a chopout in the ruck. Haven't gone back and re-watched it though to confirm.