What I found frustrating

[Kenny_01]

Why the hell was Cook playing at FF and becoming the main 'target' for periods during the game.

I mean if we needed someone to play at FF with McPharlin missing, surely we must be able to get someone more skillful and someone taller. Webster would have been a better option. He can tackle as well, but can play the role of a forward far better than Cook.

Why are Cooks and the M Carrs getting games ahead of the Duffields and Ibbos?

Surely the coaching staff can acknowledge that our midfield is nowhere near good enough and start developing a midfield for next season? Or we can expect another long and frustrating season.

 

[pinkus maximus]

i rememeber one passage of play where coookie and pav led in different directions and james walker decided to kick it to cook! pav just stood there in amazement

 

[estibador]

i rememeber one passage of play where coookie and pav led in different directions and james walker decided to kick it to cook! pav just stood there in amazement

Especially since Cook was surrounded by 3 Bulldogs. That passage of play epitomised our use of the ball going forward in the 2nd half. Bomb it in high no matter how outnumbered our forwrds are.

Belly and Roger seemed to be the only two in the last quarter that realised you have to kick it to your forwards advantage.

 

[Scotland]

I was also wondering why Cook was playing as a forward target. Don't get me wrong, I'm a massive fan of his work, but he is short, slow and has average disposal skills. Not generally the attributes you associate with a key forward. I would have him in the 22 if I selected the Freo side, but not playing FF.

 

[dominguez]

Connolly was convincingly beaten tonight and may have signed his own death warrant. Brad Johnson would have had 25 possessions and kicked 5 or 6 goals, he won them the game. Every time he marked inside 50 he marked on the lead so we should have gone with Hayden on him instead of persevering with Thornton, who was badly beaten.

 

[summerthebat]

So many things wrong with tonights game.

I.e. the persistance of Thornton on Johnson, the attention Cook was paid over other forwards, the mere inclusion of Walker.

I just get the impression Bell, Hayden and Cook are the only guys in that team that actually give a sh!t.

 

[JoondalupJ]

Connolly was convincingly beaten tonight and may have signed his own death warrant. Brad Johnson would have had 25 possessions and kicked 5 or 6 goals, he won them the game. Every time he marked inside 50 he marked on the lead so we should have gone with Hayden on him instead of persevering with Thornton, who was badly beaten.

Seriously what do you folks think goes through Connolly's head. Do you think he can coach is he no good or is there something else going on at Freo?
I if it was me would be stepping down because success seems to be a thing Chris can't get from his team constantly. He must see something wrong surely or doesn't he know or see anything. I have to qualify this comment by saying its a genuine question I'm baffled and I don't want to get booted off again .No offense folks.

 

[RickSanchez]

I reckon cook was good last night, he always tackles hard and gives it his all, at least he was having shots at goal, trying to be a farmer type role. A lot of the time we would have the ball in our fifty, then we just kept handballing it until we put ourselves in a bad position where we lost it or a difficult angle for goal where we missed. I just don't understand why we always bloody handball it, don't people like scoring goals anymore? People like Josh Carr and Heath Black I saw them handball it off to someone like Crowley (who can kick 50) or Peake (who is a pretty average kick) when it was easier to kick it on the left and as we know Black is a good kick, a long one at that. Walker has to go, I honestly don't know what he does anymore I'd rather Ibbo or someone like that, a young guy getting experience instead of a 150 gamer still not sure what to do. I don't really know what Peake is doing at the moment either he always seems lost, you watch him when he gets the ball he goes to run to play on then he just stops then he just handballs it off. They ALWAYS try to play quick, keep it moving which is good but they ALWAYS handball it to someone under far more pressure. Anyway that is just my opinion, I thought at times we played some great footy and at times it was the same old dockers, bad luck to the fellas who actually try to keep this club moving. Bring on Farmer and Schammer please. By the way, is it just me, or did that ground look kind of small for some reason, I just felt it got in the forward line so quickly at times...anyway..

 

[Major Colvin]

What are your thoughts on Des Headland?

The guy shits me to tears, not because he carved us up earlier in the season (and he had a great game) but he doesn't seem to be a team player, plays for free kicks, over-celebrates goals, goes missing often etc. I lost a lot of respect for him over the Selwood incident, calling Selwood a pedophile, completely uncalled for, if I were Selwood I would've sued.

The bloke just has rocks in his head

 

[Ysaye]

Connolly was convincingly beaten tonight and may have signed his own death warrant. Brad Johnson would have had 25 possessions and kicked 5 or 6 goals, he won them the game. Every time he marked inside 50 he marked on the lead so we should have gone with Hayden on him instead of persevering with Thornton, who was badly beaten.

Johnson was beating Thornton in the air, would Hayden have done better in that respect? McPharlin probably would have been a better option, but he wasn't in the team....

 

[Dr Ralph Dagg]

Connolly was convincingly beaten tonight and may have signed his own death warrant. Brad Johnson would have had 25 possessions and kicked 5 or 6 goals, he won them the game. Every time he marked inside 50 he marked on the lead so we should have gone with Hayden on him instead of persevering with Thornton, who was badly beaten.

Dom, I disagree with your assessment on many levels. In relation to Thornton he is playing on one of the top 10 players in the game. One of those goals was an absolute freebie. He was really unlucky with a spoil on another. And Johnson gets lace out delivery. And he kicks bloody straight.

In very specific terms we kicked 14 points (5 to Rushby Hinds.) Make that 10 points and 4 more goals we would win.

And its not down to Connolly on the night. At some point the players have to play the game. I think tactically he is as good as any.

I think Connolly's problems are off the field with the quality of the training and the list. There is not a consistent effort from these players -either over the course of a game or the course of a season.

I think Connolly should go because he is responsible for this team not being able to consistently win the ball and then dispose of it skillfully. Thats the bit i find frustrating. Watching us getting belted in the centre clearances in that last quarter last night is deja vu to an insane degree. I think that's partly a training issue, and partly a list issue. I think its about signing off on a midfield that cannot get the job done consistently. I can't see any players in our squad that can do much to turn this around. Schammer is slight and agile -- not quick. He gets knocked off a lot of contests.

I would like to see a new coach and a fair turnover of the list. I think we should be right in there chasing Nick dal Santo.

 

[estibador]

Dal Santo? Just what we need, another slow midfielder. Besides he'd cost too much to make it worthwhile.

 

[nezasaur]

And its not down to Connolly on the night. At some point the players have to play the game. I think tactically he is as good as any.

Are you serious? I was undecided about what Connoly's future should be before last night, but after that game it is as clear as ever. We were all over the bulldogs in the first 2 and a bit quarters. Then they realised that tripple teaming pavlich was a good idea because our gameplan didn't involve us using the other opportunities this would create.

Then at the other end of the ground, Johnson was all over Thornton. Why not go 2 up or at least try someone else on him? Thornton had NO impact in the last quarter, what could we lose?

 

[Belnakor]

They ALWAYS try to play quick, keep it moving which is good but they ALWAYS handball it to someone under far more pressure.

prime offender last night was one P.Bell.

Cook may have been hard at the footy, but he missed two shots that were absolute montys and got dragged down once trying to have a shot when someone was in the clear right next to him. Bad decision making, bad kicking, i hope Cookie has played his last game for Freo.

 

[Dr Ralph Dagg]

Dal Santo? Just what we need, another slow midfielder. Besides he'd cost too much to make it worthwhile.

We have short, slow midfielders with poor delivery. He's big and slow with an ability to hold his ground in a contest, find space and deliver accurately.

I know's he's not quick but he does get his hands on the footy in close.

 

[Scham]

We have short, slow midfielders with poor delivery. He's big and slow with an ability to hold his ground in a contest, find space and deliver accurately.

I know's he's not quick but he does get his hands on the footy in close.

He's actually quicker than most of our midfielders .I could beat Haselby in a foot race at the moment! and that's saying something!

 

[Lach72]

We have short, slow midfielders with poor delivery. He's big and slow with an ability to hold his ground in a contest, find space and deliver accurately.

I know's he's not quick but he does get his hands on the footy in close.

The question is cost...too much in my opinion.
Maybe our first round plus a Murphy

 

[sabre_ac]

Agree.
Reminded me very much of the Medhurst "farce" but in a far worse way.

Kicking to the smallest guy in our forward line time and time again....Why is cookie even in the corridor?

 

[Belnakor]

trading for players is ****ing nonsense. We need to realize this team is not in the "premiership window" where one extra pickup is going to push us up into the finals. We would be better off keeping our picks and using our massive recruiting budget to pick up some quality youngsters who are quick. Trading for Dal Santo would be the height of idoicy, but since he is a slow, "big bodied" midfielder i'm sure Broadbridge is creaming his dacks as we speak about the prospect of getting him in the team.

 

[Rob]

I don't see anything wrong with Cook in the forward line, with Farmer out we badly need a defensive forward and he plays that role well. But when Walker kicked to Cook + 3 defenders I nearly threw a chair out the window.

 

[ImperialPurple]

I don't see anything wrong with Cook in the forward line, with Farmer out we badly need a defensive forward and he plays that role well. But when Walker kicked to Cook + 3 defenders I nearly threw a chair out the window.

I reckon I heard a collective groan rise above the rooves of Perth, followed soon after by the sounds of smashing of glass and much swearing....

 

[dominguez]

Johnson was beating Thornton in the air, would Hayden have done better in that respect? McPharlin probably would have been a better option, but he wasn't in the team....

Johnson took all his marks out infront on the lead, he was able to get a metre on Thornton each time.

 

[dominguez]

The question is cost...too much in my opinion.
Maybe our first round plus a Murphy

They'd want more than that. Probably our first pick + Murphy + Schammer/Crowley.

 

[Lach72]

They'd want more than that. Probably our first pick + Murphy + Schammer/Crowley.

Not worth it