Wher we Need to improve!

[blighty]

Any of us who think that because we have gained Carey & Burns we are certainities to improve need to have another think!

Do we really think Brisbane can't improve?
The way they covered the loss of Headland suggests to me they will IMPROVE this year...........& with Mathews they have the best match day stategist coach going around.......

We could not get within 71 points of them in a final at the business end of the season, when we HAD to make a better impression than that, given it was a final[travel etc is a poor explanation for a 71 point shellacking!]

That game showed our real problems........
Our defence is still geared around 6 halfback flankers as it was while Blight was coaching............& he had the services of the best player to EVER play for the Crows in Rehn who was a master in filling in the hole across half back as did Pittman prior to his retirement, when both added to the lack of height in the back half.
Remember our defence was the worst performing of the top four sides last year & even Essendon's was better

McGregor is coming on & one hopes he can really step up this year, but the final against Collingwood proved conclusively that Bassett simply doesn't have it. He tries, but his lack of height, one sidedness, lack of pace & general footy nouse means he's usually the first defender beaten! Alistair Lynch took 12 marks in the final & kicked 7 goals, Josh Fraser kicked 3 on him [in the first quarter] against Collingwood & on both occasions he was the first player we were forced to move. It's hard to see him getting any better.......Personally I was dissapointed we didn't trade him, but I guess not too many clubs would have been interested in him!
One wish for season 2003 for me is that Biglands DECIDES he's going to be the BEST bigman in the AFL.............He's got so much ability that he could be a dangerous player going forward, & a real good back playing ruckman filling in that role that Rehn played so well....in this way we overcome the height disadvantage so obvious in our defence.

Torney could prove to be our recruit of the year if you believe the pundits from Victoria ...you don't play over 100 games in AFL if you are an average player & we lose nothing with his aggression!!
So where do we find a 71 point improvement?

Certainly the forward line has to contribute more.........about 20 points a game more. Last year we were outscored by both Brisbane & Port Adelaide & God forbid the Western Bulldogs!
So the answer has to be a combination of both ...Brisbane had the highest points FOR & the second lowest points AGAINST!

I was at the Sydney game when Marsh debuted & the way he led straight up the ground & demanded the ball made me think then WE had found a player.......50 games later.........I suppose knee injuries play havoc with your confidence & he may benefit from playing as the forward ruckman, leading straight up the ground or sitting in a forward pocket stretching the defence of most teams......if only![ I guess we are all allowed to dream !]
Perhaps another one for Burns to shark too!

As for the midfield. You would have to say this is where Brisbane & Port Adel have improved in personnel as a direct result of the draft, Caracella, & Power's improvement would naturally see him going in there more or less as a replacement for Headland while Pickett will play mainly through the midfield & [as stated by the coach] up forward where the intention is clearly to smash heads!
Kane Johnson's loss can be covered & I would like to see John**** given an opportunity there as his competitiveness is as good as Bode's.Along with Stenglein he is my obvious choice for the midfield vacancy........
But I think we desperately need a tearaway midfielder /wingman type[The Crows recruiters saw this in Faulkner prior to the draft I hear but missed him...] with blistering pace that given the ball can run through the lines as Macca does regularly.....I'm lead to believe Reilly is this type of goer, I'm not convinced about Gallagher yet , thought a couple of times last year he may have been that type but his small frame meant he was pushed aside too often for my liking....
Begley appeals to me, will be hard to match up on due to his height, can run well ,as is a long strider,& Blight himself saw something SPECIAL in him!........Kicks it a proverbial mile too...In this AFL comp you spend the first 50 games learning the craft..One can't imagine him wasting the experience & great opportunity he's been given.
Whether we can improve 71 points is a big question ,but that is the magnitude of the job ahead of us!No need to worry about showdowns then is there???????

 

[macca23]

Some things to agree with in your post Blighty and some to disagree with.

Can't agree with your opening statement - if the addition of Carey and Burns doesn't improve us then I will be very very surprised as will most people.

Also to say that Brisbane will improve is a bit far fetched - Caracella is a soft footballer who is a poor replacement for Headland who had a stellar season and went close to winning a brownlow last year.

As far as having to improve by 71 points to match Brisbane, the trick is to finish in a position in the finals to get home finals. One could argue that to beat us in Adelaide Brisbane have to improve by more than 7 points.

I agree with the Bassett comments - has real problems with the big bulky forwards and hopefully Rutten or Bock can develop in this direction (maybe even Aidan Parker if his SANFL form justifies promotion) The rest of the defence is pretty good and McGregor is really developing as a CHB and is in great touch early so far. John**** will improve with last year under his belt and Torney will add something as well.

The mid-field is right up there with the best and there will be huge competition for spots.

Forward conversion is the main area that we have to improve in and the addition of our recruits in Carey and Burns will give that - comfortably more than the 20 points per game you mentioned.

As for showdowns - yes we do have to worry about them as they virtually carry double points in our battle with Port for a top 2 spot. Win both of them last year and we would have finished 2nd at the end of the minor round and wouldn't have had to worry about Brisbane until the GF. Collingwood showed that they were certainly beatable at the MCG.

 

[blighty]

Where we need to improve

I hope you are not seriously suggesting the REAL difference between Brisbane & Adelaide is 7 points...............

You can't be serious............

By any comparison they are clearly the BEST side in the competition by a country mile!

Collingwood's B grade attempt to nulify them, to choke them even with the best of conditions, their home ground,home crowd,the best of some pretty dubious umpiring decisions, wasn't enough to win & they should really consider themselves lucky courtesy of the AFL to have even got to an AFL grand final.

But you can't decry Brisbane's dominance since midway through season 2001, & the experts are starting to compare them with the great Hawthorn sides of the 80's such is there superiority...

As for Adelaide we match them only in certain aspects.............

Our rucks are superior but there's are no slouches either as the Grand Final proved!

Our midfield was/is not as good, only marginal though depending on what rotation we use[Kane Johnson's absence & how we cover it will be crucial]

Forwards show a clear advantage to Brisbane although the future with Carey & Burns will alter the balance to near 50/50.

Defence as I mentioned earlier is where we fall away.They have structure, we dont; they have a fullback tall strong & athletic in Michael capable of wrestling with the gorilla's as Pagan calls them; we don't............ we have lightweight Bassett, a **** poor substitute ...They have power,height, strength & versatility across the back half which we clearly do not have............they can throw Pike to CHB, Leppitsch back to fullback or to CHF, the Scott's all over the place, White to CHB, Ashcroft anywhere & even Luke Power as in the Grand Final to a half back flank to mind a small dangerous forward! They have undreamt of options/ possibilties we don't begin to come anywhere near!!

My overall point is this ............We have to Match it with the BEST in the Competition [not at home with our crowd ,our ground, our comfort zone!] we have to be able to beat them at the Gabba by more than the perceived home ground advantage.........Then we will know we are a fooball team that has taken the next step and ARE READY TO WIN A PREMIERSHIP............

Finally your point about winning showdowns, I thought my point was fairly clear.............Brisbane thrashed Port Adelaide a week after belting us, to me that means we were no better than Port..
Surely if we aim to be infinitely better than Brisbane this year, the acknowledged best team in the comp over the past 2/3 years that puts us way ahead of pedestrian Port who only seem hung up year in year out of beating the crows. After all, showdowns only count for 4 premiership points, don't they; or have I missed something..............
Giving these games more emphasis than any other minor round game misses the point .I'm amazed you didn't mention the woeful losses to Melbourne, Kangaroo's & Collingwood...they were game s we were EXPECTED to win...win those and you can say we would have been runners up, then showdowns don't matter....nor should they as they are only worth 4 points...only pathetic port supporters who haven't got used to the fact that this an AFL comp now & not the suburban romp that they have been free to dominate in with the help of the SANFL for years..............find them useful to get ****ed at,yell abuse at opposition supporters......{removed - Danni} while all the time moaning about the cost of admission!
Give me break....

 

[Jerome]

Re: Where we need to improve

Originally posted by blighty

Give me break....

This will be the only one you get.

1. Settle down. There is need to be so aggressive.

2. Macca didnt say that Brisbane were not the best side in the comp. He just said that he didnt think they would improve too much next year.

That's a fair call. Dont post a question such as "Do you think Brisbane will improve?" and get aggro when someone disagrees with you.

3. Since our prelim final lost last year the members of this board have continually stated that we need to improve in key positions - full back, full forward and another ruckman. There are several posts/threads dedicated to this subject.

As Macca pointed out, Rutten may be the answer to our full back spot providing additional height & strength, with Bass being put on a flank/pocket. Several of us are hoping Rutten holds a KPP spot for us this year down back (and some of us think he will still be learning his craft at SANFL level and thats OK too).

4. Your comments about domestic violence and Port supporters are a disgrace.

Domestic violence is not a joke. Nor is it limited to one particular class in society.

I suggest you edit your post and pull your head in.

Jerome

 

[macca23]

Blighty, if you genuinely are a Crows supporter, and with the negative attitude that you have, there is reason to doubt it, then to use your words surely a lot of your post can't be serious.

Brisbane had an average winning margin of at least 9 goals or more at the Gabba in 2002. They lost to Adelaide, Port Adelaide and Collingwood (their 3 main rivals) away from home during the minor round, and yet you refer to having to win at the Gabba by more than the perceived home ground advantage "[not at home with our crowd ,our ground, our comfort zone!]" to prove that we are a good side. Absolute bollocks!! In spite of losing against it's 3 main rivals away from home in the minor round Brisbane still won the premiership.

Why? Apart from the fact that it was the most complete team in 2003, it set itself up for a GF in the major round with a top 2 finish. Given that they were playing with their crowd, their ground, their comfort zone, this virtually guaranteed it two home finals on its way to the GF (as every Port supporter will agree should have been the case with them if they had lived up to their season's form).

As for your comment about showdowns and the value of winning them, I will repeat what I wrote last post

"As for showdowns - yes we do have to worry about them as they virtually carry double points in our battle with Port for a top 2 spot. Win both of them last year and we would have finished 2nd at the end of the minor round and wouldn't have had to worry about Brisbane until the GF"

I think the above makes it very clear why I place special importance on the 2 showdown games. The same importance has to be placed on any other team which is a genuine top 2 chance.

I certainly didn't want Collingwood to win the GF - exactly the opposite. But to dismiss the fact that they turned the match into a thriller that they could have even won shows that the exalted throne that you have Brisbane perched upon is a perhaps just a little too lofty, and is denigratory to the effort put up by Collingwood.

Brisbane won and they deserved their back to back premierships. However, just cast your mind back to this time in 1999. Everybody from the Queen to the Pope were talking about Adelaide's 2 flags as being the start of a dynasty, and we know where that finished!!! Very reminiscent of the way you're carrying on about Brisbane now, totally ignoring the effect that injuries, loss of form, players' big heads etc can have on a team.

Blighty, you carry on with your negative attitude, and ignore the fact that we have added Carey and Burns to the forward line, Torney to the back lines, Begley for depth and have a very good crop of young players contesting for places as well.

As for me, I'll continue to believe that the improvement that we made last year will continue to be built on this year for the above reasons, barring major injuries, and will result in the Adelaide Football Club becoming a genuine premiership contender in 2003.

I don't intend to debate this any further with you because we come from totally different directions.

Instead, if I'm wrong and Brisbane win the 2003 flag, then come back and rub my nose in it, while you remind me that you told me so. Fair enough. But on the very very remote chance that you might have just over-estimated Brisbane and they don't win the flag then perhaps you might come back and acknowledge that your post proved to be nothing more than a heap of negative dribble.

 

[ok.crows]

Originally posted by macca23
Blighty, if you genuinely are a Crows supporter, and with the negative attitude that you have, there is reason to doubt it, then to use your words surely a lot of your post can't be serious.

I'm with you Macca23, I think there is a chance this Blighty may not be a Crows supporter at all. New member, 3rd post.

I have to say though, there is some doubt. If he is an imposter, then hats off to Blighty as he has done a better job of pretending to be a Crows fan than previous imposter trolls on this board.

Blighty, if you are not an imposter, then apologies ... but lift your game. Brisbane are not unbeatable, particularly away from the Gabba (and even at the Gabba the Crows have a reasonable record against them), and Brisbane might improve but there is by no means reason to think they can improve as much as seems likely for the Crows, given that the Crows recruiting promises to be able to greatly improve the one definite weak spot in the side. You can't say that for Brisbane.

I think it is likely you are a Lions fan. Go & barrack for your side on your own board, if that is the case.

 

[Kane McGoodwin]

Blighty, I don't suppose you are the supporter who sits a couple of rows behind me (behind the Southern goals) & berates Bassett every time he goes near the ball & including when he has good games??

Look, I gather you are a genuine Crows supporter & you are entitled to your view, but you need to behave better in a public forum where kids read posts. Also, it is healthy to have different opinions, BUT you need to respect other peoples thoughts even if you don't agree with them. You will gain no respect by abusing someone just because your opinion is different (even if what they said is disagreed by the majority).

OK, back to the crux of your posts, much of which has already been addressed by other posters.

Brisbane clearly are the benchmark & in most peoples eyes have the most talented squad. However, to suggest the gap between the Crows (or Port) was based on their last beating(s) at the Gabba is a little far fetched. With the AFL finals structure, the key is to finish above them at the end of the minor round to give us the best chance - although we did have a good record against them at the Gabba until that last game. Also, you need to consider that the Lions may struggle with motivation this year, as sides tend to lose a little desire after winning back-to-back flags.

Let's compare our side with Brisbane.

As you mention, we probably have the edge in rucks - just - although if Biglands can take that extra step we could have a bigger advantage.

Midfield - Voss, Black, Lappin & Akermanis are all guns & they have got some handy back-ups in the Scott twins, Hart, Power & Ashcroft. Whilst we probably only have 3 gun players now in Macca, Roo & Goody, our depth is better than ever (& probably deeper than Brisbane) with Edwards, Stenglein, Bickley, Bode, Ladhams, Doughty, Gallagher, Mattner, Reilly, etc. Competition for spots is going to be fierce this year & the younger players have got plenty room for improvement - we do need the likes of Stenglein, Bode, Ladhams, etc to step up to the next level ... but I would be confident of improvement from at least some of the players. BTW, Caracella is more a forward than a midfielder.

Forwards - As you mentioned, this is close to being 50/50. If Carey stands up then he will be a better forward than Lynch (who is still very handy though). Brown had a poor year in 2002, but you would expect him to return to his best & has probably has the edge on Stevo (even though I rate him higher). I reckon we at least match them with flankers - Welsh, Burton, Burns & resting midfielders v Bradshaw, Power, McRae, etc & resting midfielders.

Defence - As you have mentioned Brisbane have the edge because of their talls. I agree Bassett struggles on the really tall forwards, but I believe AFC have recognised this & will look at trying a Rutten as our 2nd tall defender. Bassett will still be a useful FB against smaller types of FF's & can slot into a flank when required. If a Rutten or another tall can hold down FB, then there will not be much between the defences. We have some great flankers - Hart (arguably the best in the AFL), Smart, the exciting Stiffy (bit early for him to play in the midfield IMO), Torney, Massie, etc - more than match it with Brissie.

We have some great young talent coming through, whereas the bulk of the Lions side are already established. For that reason, I believe we have more room for improvement. Perhaps wishful thinking, but I'm excited about our chances for 2003!

 

[Nige_Bix]

Good posts and well said Jerome, Macca, Ok-C and Kane. I was fuming after the Blighty ones but couldn't quite get the words right. You have saved me the trouble!!

No one is a perfect speller or typist - but you'd think he'd get the spelling of his post heading correct!

 

[Damp Squarie]

Good to see there is still a bit of petrol in the tank blighty. heheheh---whoever you are

Ive just driven back from a weeks hol in Mount Gambier where bigfooty.com wasnt available; its good to see our passion has not abated. the posters before me are spot on, sorry mate

Brisbane / Port and the Crows are neck and neck.

We do lack quality defenders at times but then again we can still win without them too. ('97 GF is one that springs to mind)

Stopping the delivery is the key. NO defender can get near the perfect pass to the perfect lead.

I think the Bears may slip a notch or two this year