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Messages - DamonBlue

31
The Sports Desk / Re: Australian Cricket - Crisis, What Crisis ??
And Hanscomb? .... There are some things I like about him, but no way. Selecting someone for an England tour who can't get onto his front foot, or even out his crease, should be an indictable offence. The only exception I can think of is Damien Martyn and Pete's well short of that quality.
32
The Sports Desk / Re: Australian Cricket - Crisis, What Crisis ??
Quote from: ElwoodBlues1 on
Have this horrible feeling they will take Siddle...... :) :D, reckon Burns will tour also and open with Warner to have the right/left opening partnership, he is also a decent field unlike Khawaja..
Not sure on Wade either...doesnt seem in the selectors minds to me...might spring a surprise and take another younger keeper or a batsman who can keep like Handscomb.
Agree on Patterson...would bat him at No 3......
England were terrible vs the Windies and we should start favorites unless we stuff up at the selection table and Langar picks his favs....

I like Laj's side, but I tend to agree with EB about Burns and Warner opening. Feel a bit for Harris - he's done pretty well and will be unlucky to miss out.

I frankly don't know what to do with Khawaja - such a frustrating player. He reminds me to an extent of Junior Waugh - plenty of talent and nice to watch but loses his wicket to stupid shots, too often. Interestingly, they have almost exactly the same average - 41ish. I'd keep him in for now, but give Purcovski a crack at some point, although he has some mental health issues again. Poor kid.

I've got absolutely no confidence in Wade. I realise it's not entirely rational, but I just don't believe in him. So, no for me. I'm not all convinced about Stoinis either and have Head just ahead of him.

I think we need to take Hazelwood, otherwise we have a pretty inexperienced pace attack that could crumble under pressure. Starc  out over there - no problem with that, other than that we might miss his batting! I'd take Richardson over Pattinson at this stage.

So, my side atm is:

Warner
Burns
Patterson
Smith
Khawaja
Head
Paine
Cummins
Lyon
Richardson
Hazelwood

Can't agree that we'll be favourites. Anderson puts their bowling well ahead of ours over there and there should be question marks about Warner's and Smith's ability to just step back into their past form.
34
Robert Heatley Stand / Re: Casboult to CHB
Quote from: Thryleon on
We used to use him for a half down back and then shift him on the ball in the second half.

It was a game changing tactic and left him fresh to use his athleticism to greater advantage at a time when he was athletically superior to the average midfielder and rotations were not used as a tactic to keep guys fresh.

We would choke the opposition for a half using tough nuggety Darren Hulme types, and then switch to Kouta mode to influence matches and take better advantage of Ratten underneath packs.

I remember it well, Thry. Wasn't it nice when we were ahead of the game?
35
The Sports Desk / Re: Australian Cricket - Crisis, What Crisis ??
Quote from: laj on
Those days as a keeper, right now the focus is on batting. Makes a difference. His first stint in the Test Team he went well with two centuries and a numbers of 50's. average in the mid-30s. He lost the job because he was $hit with the gloves. Second  stint he did bat badly and sunk the average. Right now he's the in-form batsman in Shield cricket averaging over 50 last year and 63 this year. To me that is straight in the side, especially given some of the $hit we have selected before him.

We gone from aggressive, in your face type players to being too nice. We need the mongrel back. Warner, Wade and probably Pattinson will help that along. We are at our best when we are hard and very aggressive. Rather be arseholes and winning than nice guys losing all the time. As long as they leave the sandpaper in the dressing room as we don't want to be cheating either.

Got no problems with getting some mongrel and aggression back in, Laj - I'm just not convinced he's up to it at test level.
36
The Sports Desk / Re: Australian Cricket - Crisis, What Crisis ??
On Matthew Wade, I'm glad he hasn't been selected.

Let's remember, he's had a fair run at Test level (22 matches) and has an average of 28.6 from 38 innings (with the benefit of 7 not-outs, batting down the order). By way of comparison, Hanscomb averages 39 and he's not up to it either at the moment.

At Test level, Wade is a mile off being a batsman. Even if Paine were injured, I wouldn't pick him, as his keeping is ordinary. His recent Shield form, I reckon, just shows that playing some Test cricket can make you much better at a lower level.
39
Robert Heatley Stand / Re: Rd 7 : Pre Game Thread - Blues v Pies
Quote from: crashlander on
I agree. We do not want to ruin him.
I wouldn't play Jamo either. His form does not warrant a recall and he spent 3/4 of the last weekend's game off with concussion.

Agree entirely. On Weitering: at some point, and not too far into the season, the kid will simply need a rest. Having had a shoulder pop out presents a perfect (and prudent) opportunity to take. The reasons for dropping Jamo don't seem to have abated, notwithstanding whether Weiters is out. He has been a great servant, but I think he should be used only on an 'as needs' basis and when he's actually playing well in the 2s. Our defence has held up very well all year (we are 6th for scores against and look generally more composed than we have for years) and that hasn't had much to do with Jamo, sad to say.
40
Robert Heatley Stand / Re: Rd 6: Post Game Passion: Carlton vs. Essendon
Must say, isn't a pleasure to hear and read generally positive stuff about the Blues, 6 games into a season! All the more pleasurable, when you think of the contrast with Filthmond. We are doing everything we realistically hoped to - they are doing everything they delusionally thought they wouldn't. Great stuff!
44
Robert Heatley Stand / Re: Robbo: Carlton tanking?
Quote from: crashlander on

As for that fool's tanking theory, perhaps he should look in the stands at our games and see how many of our front line players are sitting up there with him. If we were losing games with all these guys on the field, then you could reasonably claim we were tanking. Take a dozen front liners out of any other team and see how they play!

CL, I'm wondering who the dozen actually are. I don't subscribe to the tanking theory at all, but I'd be surprised if we had anywhere near that many missing from our best 22.
45
Robert Heatley Stand / Re: Round 16 Pre Game Thread - Blues V Dockers
Quote from: Baggers on
Well yes, culture can and does change simple things like kicking. A culture of excellence, accountability, team first values and so on, pressure any individual whose disposal is not up to scratch to work especially hard to achieve and reach excellence. A culture of excellence increases work rate, endeavour and discipline on the field. Off the field culture ensures that training etc addresses, effectively, any weakness in any individuals game along with a host of other team values.

The right culture will be intolerant of poor kicking (and any other skill that lets down the team) and will deal with the issue with some vigour and commitment. Culture aint no furphy.

Baggers, I suppose I agree with that to some extent (though not about any weaknesses in any individual's game being addressed that way) but frankly, I'd be stunned if there were really that much of a difference in our 'culture', as you've described it, and that of many other clubs. In any case, and to be clearer, I don't think culture will make much difference all to the fundamental lack of disposal skills of the existing group. If 'culture' includes changing the group over to get players in with genuine skill, I'm all for it, but I think that goes beyond what most people think of culture. Semantics, perhaps.