What has happened since the GF. Why? And what is Simo going to do about it?

[Obeanie1]

If we need to address contested game why would you look to your outside runner to do that? Its like saying we are too tall back lets bring in more small forwards.
Forward 50s again you need to address imside mids and forward pressure. We get the ball in bit if we dont mark the likes of Ryan and cripps have been invisible so the ball comes out very easily and we get no repeat entries.
But yeah all our woes will be gone once masten is dropped.

Gaff replaces Masten on a wing. Gaff's best position.

Sheed then gets to play inside mid. His best position.

MAllen or Redden takes Mastens place in the 22 and adds more inside grunt.

All of a sudden we have three players playing in their best positions. Not out of position and out of the team just to keep a one dimentional low production winger in the side.

Venners then makes way for MAllen or Redden we now have four players playing their natural roles.

Its called team balance and structure.

 

[Avalor]

Wouldn't be too quick to think we will win the next few games and get it back on track. Teams have a blue print that is actually very effective and quite easy to copy. Look how Freo played us but play a totaly different plan against other sides.

Simmo has proven to be stubborn and backing the players and game plan in. Has failed to address the issues for thenlast 11 qtrs of footy.

18th in the comp for inside 50s, tackles and ground ball gets.

Those stats are horrendous. Not going to win much this year if the coaches don't do something about it.

 

[Eagleboy68]

You didnt watch the game then? He was solid , probably in our top 5 or 6.
I called him as an out last week but not this week.

I watched it.
You obviously didn't read my post. I didn't say he wasn't solid, my point is 15 possessions is not acceptable for someone of his experience.
I don't think you would disagree with that and the fact he was in our top 5 or 6 shows how poor the rest of the team was.

 

[flamingEMBERS]

Bit Harsh on JK, the deepest forward is always going to struggle when the mids are bombing it in and being pure folded shit, your CHF is playing like a fairy, theres a gazillion other tall forwards and the small forwards are not working up and back enough to create space.

Yeah he may have lost some pace and strength, it's natural, but we are not even giving the big guy at the end of the chain any chance whatsoever to play to his strengths.

 

[Doashuey]

I watched it.
You obviously didn't read my post. I didn't say he wasn't solid, my point is 15 possessions is not acceptable for someone of his experience.
I don't think you would disagree with that and the fact he was in our top 5 or 6 shows how poor the rest of the team was.

I was referring to his quality of posessions. It wasnt just dinky handballs he was good by foot, kicked it 8 times took 6 marks and laid 3 tackles. He is definitely borderline b22 but if we are looking to address problems from that game, indeed the last 3 games then I think there are other fish to fry first.

 

[Doashuey]

Gaff replaces Masten on a wing. Gaff's best position.

Sheed then gets to play inside mid. His best position.

MAllen or Redden takes Mastens place in the 22 and adds more inside grunt.

All of a sudden we have three players playing in their best positions. Not out of position and out of the team just to keep a one dimentional low production winger in the side.

Venners then makes way for MAllen or Redden we now have four players playing their natural roles.

Its called team balance and structure.

I dont think anyone would not agree that Gaff needs to go out to the wing and yes in the mid term Masten is likely to.make way once Rioli and Reddog are fit. But not this week.
Last year Masten played defensive wing and Gaff attacking wing ( until he took attacking too far). I think.this is an important set up which has been discussed ad nausium.
So Gaff goes out to the other wing, sheed to the guts, hutch is likely to miss this week if Redden comea back (doubtful) Sheed yeo shuey start mid with gaff masto outside. MAllen to come in for Venners or maybe Brander.
I think that is a more realistic change than Masten out.
No one is taking me up on the Masten out bet yet I see.

 

[Bleedblueandgold]

Simmo just doesn't seem to be willing to make the tough calls, so unfortunately we may not be going anywhere.

 

[Balls In]

There just isnt that same intensity around the footy and it flows into everything. Not getting numbers to the contests, our ball movement is slow and we give teams time enough to avoid our intercept marking players. Our structures are poor, we aren't winning the footy and we look meek.

 

[Obeanie1]

Simmo just doesn't seem to be willing to make the tough calls, so unfortunately we may not be going anywhere.

It would be interesting to go back and see if and when a big name player out of form was dropped?

Pyke at the Crows doesn't have an issue pulling the trigger and they seem to have bounced back.

 

[Obeanie1]

totally agree with this, especially Gaff's situation. why the hell is he in the guts? For an AFL footy player he is built slight, he is a totally outside player and should be receiving the third possession from a contest and allowed to run. the amount of times he did the hook-around-the-corner blind bomb had me thinking Priddis was back in the team!
looks like M. Allen had a good game for the seconds, and (i cant believe i am saying this) perhaps we need Nelson to come back in even if it just gives the team a bit of fire!

Both MAllen and Nelson got good reviews from last weeks game.

MAllen especially has been in decent form for several weeks. Time to unleash the beast!!!

 

[Tugga27]

Simmo just doesn't seem to be willing to make the tough calls, so unfortunately we may not be going anywhere.

I don't think he's the type of coach to drop a "name" player just to make a statement.
His way is to back his players in.

Seemed to work OK for us last year.

 

[The wily weagle]

In regards to Simpson, it's clear as day that he needs a right hand man with some real mongrel to offset his perpetual "niceness"

Don Pyke was that man, so was Sam Mitchell.

When they were on board we were flying, when they depart we start to struggle a bit.

This isn't an accident.

Its nothing new, but Simpson is so hell bent on being buddy buddy with the players, he is completely unwilling (or unable) to give those boys a well needed rocket when required.

In fact, with all the media and interviews conducted during his tenure, I have neither seen, witnessed, nor read about the players stating that he had ever delivered them a spray. Not once.

Now when the players DID get a spray, guess who delivered it? Surprise, surprise, it was Pyke, and then Mitchell.

Again, that isn't an accident.

With Mitchell's departure, we have Matty Rosa, and Nathan Van Berlo filling the void.

Great blokes, well liked.........but nice guys.

Simpson either needs to step up and be capable of being a head kicker himself when necessary, or get himself an assistant who can. And fast.

Because if you look back on all the premiership coaches of the last 20 years, he is probably the only one without a drop of mongrel in him. The only guy incapable of giving a team a serve. Hell, even Paul Roos who was a pretty relaxed guy was able to deliver a bake when necessary.

For the sake of the team, Simpson needs to learn how to be a bit more savage, or outsource to someone who can, immediately.

 

[RookiePick]

I always thought Van Berlo was a bit of a campaigner when he was playing.

 

[DickDunn]

Some of the stats this season are genuinely alarming. Dead last for contested possessions and inside-50s which has been well-documented but somehow also last for intercepts? We're not only struggling with our traditional weaknesses but also some of our greatest strengths.

Obviously it all comes back to the contest as Simmo pointed out but it's a worrying sign that we're also getting beaten behind the ball since 6-6-6 was brought in.

 

[EagleEgo]

Hope that it is only a one off issue of the Easter holiday and the 9 days break.
However, the weakness of the current Eagles are well known:
1. Not willing to have body contacts in a contact sport.
2. Too slow.
3. Hence opposition can put more people on the ball and dance easily out of the pack.
4. When opposition denied our kicking by putting high pressure, WCE have no individual skill to break the line. (With very few exception).
5. The worst part is the WCE often showed less than $100% effort in the first quarter.

 

[campaigner___]

Can someone tell me why Gaff was playing in the middle and not on a wing? Was it to try win more contested possessions?

Having Redden in the guts and Gaff on the wing would have been very very very helpful on the weekend.

 

[Luuuc]

Some damning numbers from Footy Classified last night

 

[RookiePick]

Some damning numbers from Footy Classified last night

View attachment 664806

It's hard to football with a bellyful of bathwater

 

[Astro7]

It seems to be a combination of things that have led us to this point.
Losing Rioli, Barrass and Redden has compounded our problems and upset our structures.
The Gaff/Sheed positioning argument seems valid to me.
I understand the thousands of arguments 'for and against' the man called M -
So why then can't we have a taller, stronger running player doing his role, who can fend off, tackle,
mark strongly and kick precisely?...do we have such a player?
Waiting for Dylan to give his perspective on this current fiasco...?
(also if we can keep in touch with the 8 - will the return of Redden, NN, Rioli, and Barrass make a big difference in 2nd half of season, to a gameplan that appears to be worked out and superceded?)

 

[RookiePick]

What is Simmo gonna do about it??

 

[Avalor]

Some damning numbers from Footy Classified last night

View attachment 664806

That is alarming. Maybe we are scheming for a top 10 pick for someone.
You would certainly think so with the way we are playing.

 

[Priddis Is Done]

Hope that it is only a one off issue of the Easter holiday and the 9 days break.

Not a one off

Its 4 times this year

Brisbane
Freo
Port
Geelong

 

[Balls In]

More people are killed going down everest than up. Likewise we are struggling mentally after reaching the peak. That thread over there >> highlighting the next 5 winnable games as an opportunity to get the season back on track does ring true, but equally if dont get our heads out of our arses any premiership defence could easily be over at the end of it. Those stats are deplorable - absolutely shithouse footy.

 

[eagles rule]

Usually a 3 win 3 loss record doesn’t sound that bad but the percentage and average losing margins is a tad worrisome..


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[eagles rule]

Some damning numbers from Footy Classified last night

View attachment 664806

Ffs
“ Ground control to Major Tom “
or is it
“Houston we have a problem..”


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