The argument I heard over summer was the list is much better and better placed and that the new game plan would make us better. Im not sure it's premature, a few of us predicted what would happen. There seem to be this idea that every other team would go backwards and that our brilliant new recruits would change our fortune. Hope you didn't put any money the on the outcome..
I'd call judgement after three rounds in... premature 'expectations'. Both for the team and individuals. We have a long way to go. We started last year 0-4 We're already ahead of that. There's a bit to play out on, and maybe off the field.
I was going to say the same thing as EB.
I think EBs point is that the judgement before a ball was kicked in anger was premature expectations.
After 3 games last year our % was 83.3% After 3 games this year our % is 72.9%......and we were luckily enough to hold on and win one of them.
Maybe Kruddler we just go with who's fit and in form....drop HoK and play Flynn, he can't do any worse. Might give us a bit more run and movement instead of relying on long dump kicks to ineffective marking targets.
If we drop all the players out of form, we don't have enough players in form to replace them.
Surely Ben C must be a chance for the seniors soon, our midfield mix is clearly wrong but we have a pig headed MC....
Do we need to drop one of Cripps or Hewett to play BenC as a midfielder?
Do we need to? Yes.
Will we? No
So how about this.... Out: HOK. In: Ben C.
Cripps to FF and changing in the ruck.
That way we have another option at FF....and one that can actually wrestle. We can play him as a ruck and have 4 mids in the middle. We give exposure to Ben C in the process.
How do we get the squad in the right headspace, somebody must see this mindset developing because it stands out like proverbials to the fans?
The best way to do it drop players who are sub-par.
I hand picked some names which included, but not limited too..... Kemp HOK Chesser
Problem, is, apart from the last name there, we haven't got anybody to replace them. Thats when we struggle to pull ourselves out of the hole we are in. We don't have the cattle to swap them out.
Look at who our better players are in the 2's Flynn Young.....we already promoted Byrne who plays the same role at the expense of Fogarty.
Are we going to have to go back to a team of 10 small forwards simply because they are the only ones 'in form' ??
Players leave, sure.....you can't throw up your hands and say there is no way we could've seen that coming.....and a have a year at the bottom as a result.
I've been stressing the importance for years, and been mocked repeatedly for it. Yet here we are.
There will always be a player that want out. There will always be a player who misses a year through injury. There will always be an older player who falls off a cliff performance wise.
These are NOT valid excuses to fail. You PLAN for these things in advance.....like i was suggesting.
We didn't. They are to blame.
Regardless of any relationships with the coach, recruiters have failed in this area.
I've said it many times. Individually, every decision the recruiters have made, you can find make a case for. (whether it works out or not is another story) However, you are not picking a group of individuals. You are picking a complete list, with allowances to cover for injuries etc. This is the area we have failed in.
Do we not think that Voss has had mutiple ongoing discussions with his list manager over the years with regards to the nature of the game style we play and the type of players required. Do they just cover their faces when they pass each other in the corridors and walk on. If we're that dysfunctional that there is not a collaborative approach then we probably deserve to be in the position we currently sit in.
This may be Austin's list but Voss would have had a big input.
Maybe Vossy does and he gets fed the same thing they feed us every year. "There was nobody available at our pick"
BTW, how many timely free kicks did the dees get......at least a couple of which resulted in goals when it mattered.
The Frankie Evans free kick against had me stuffed. The first contact on him when he had the ball was a swinging arm to his head, yet its holding the ball.......goal. WTF?
There was a couple more which i cannot recall with similar results, and i can't remember any going the other way to help us.
There is something pretty rank if you are known to capitulate in the third, to not do everything in your power to ensure it does not happen! If theres a system set up fitness wise to help you run out the fourth by taking your foot completely off in the third; then thst needs to change. I keep reading from the club that they know theres an issue there. I mean Doc said it out loud weeks ago (which imo was unhelpful by him)… but 3 weeks on this is still the problem. Seriously what is going on.
It is all well and good to say players have left or so and so is injured but ffs do something to change it happening time and again! It really cannot be that hard to change whatever youre doing that is contributing to that happening!
On the train ride on the way home with my 10yo he was saying that all we need to do is fix the dropoffs after half time. I said its more common than you think. I asked him to pick a number between 1 and 23 and showed him the score worm for the associated round last year.
I went through 6 random numbers before i found one that bucked the trend, and it was a game against either North or West Coast who i also pointed are the worst performed teams in years.
Every man and his dog sees what the problem is, yet not a damn thing has happened to fix it. It can't be that bl00dy hard....can it?
From next week, just tell players that we are 'holding the ball up' until half time. THEN with all the energy we've saved, have the 2nd half we need. Try something as drastic as that to buck the trend, because whatever is being said/done, isn't getting through.
The same club that took some of his elite players and watched them head out the door.
You can make a case for faults in our recruiting but Silvagni, Curnow and TDK all left becasue they wanted to go. That's not setting Voss up to fail. In fact there is some suggestion that some of those departing were less than enamoured with Voss's approach. DeKoning left for ridiculous money...we were bever going to match that.
Proper Preperation Prevents Poor Performance
Players leave, sure.....you can't throw up your hands and say there is no way we could've seen that coming.....and a have a year at the bottom as a result.
I've been stressing the importance for years, and been mocked repeatedly for it. Yet here we are.
There will always be a player that want out. There will always be a player who misses a year through injury. There will always be an older player who falls off a cliff performance wise.
These are NOT valid excuses to fail. You PLAN for these things in advance.....like i was suggesting.
We didn't. They are to blame.
Regardless of any relationships with the coach, recruiters have failed in this area.
I've said it many times. Individually, every decision the recruiters have made, you can find make a case for. (whether it works out or not is another story) However, you are not picking a group of individuals. You are picking a complete list, with allowances to cover for injuries etc. This is the area we have failed in.
Plenty of people had brain fades with terrible kicks, from both teams, so i'm not going to hang any individuals for that.
With that said... - Young played IMO, he's best game for a couple years at least. Took some strong marks and put his body on the line in contests where previously he may have shirked.
- Byrne provided more in his first game than Fogarty has shown in years. Hopefully thats the standard we can expect from him.
- Dean has his old mans heart and courage and that may be his undoing. I heard he got taken to hospital, but not sure what the issue is. If he wants a long career, he needs to maybe save that stuff for finals. Maybe try teaching some other blokes that stuff.
- McGovern played well in his 100th in Navy Blue....could've had a couple more goals, but was our best forward....which is good and worrying at the same time.
- Pittonet...had the toughest gig in football, trying to stop Gawn, solo, in his 250th. We could've lost the game off the back of that gamble, but i think he won the battle for a half and then didn't get embarrassed (like most) after half time. I think that shows that 1 ruck from here should be the go as they're wont be a tougher gig all year.
- Elijah....played by far his best game for the year. In fairness, if he didn't touch the ball today, probably still would've qualified as he's basically worked for the opposition the last 2 matches. Hopefully he's turned the corner and continue to deliver that same output from here.
Midfield as a whole were down on output. I made a comment about missing Lord and not really replacing him today....and it looked like we were extra tired in that area as a result. Perhaps someone like Ben Camporeale should've been given a gig? Not sure if he have any other reins to pull in that regard.
A couple worries for me.... - HOK.....everyones worst nightmare....he has not only NOT come on, but also seems to have gone backwards. He's still young and there is time....but its a worry especially when looking for options up forward
- Which leads me to Kemp.....as above, he hasn't come on and seems to have gone backwards. We needed someone to stand up and take some of the spotlight that Charlie had and
- While we are at it, Harry. Didn't play terrible, but doesn't fill you with confidence. Don't think he can really grab a game by the scruff of the nexk like maybe he could about 3-4 years ago. Yes he won a coleman, but it was a Covid one. I think he is only the 2nd banana at best. We need to find a charlie replacement next year.
Finally, its easier said than done, but we really need to find someone to play on Kosi types. Was only a matter of time until he got off the leash and when he did, he did whatever he wanted to do.....and easily.
By a club who just in the last 24 hours stated that they expect to finish top 10. The same club that took some of his elite players and watched them head out the door.
If the club had said its a building year. Fine. To demand results from a team that was already sub-par.....and lost talent....is laughable.
Its certainly not in Vossys nature, but i'd love it if he threw the keys back to the club and said, you deal with it and see how well you do.
Some might say they predicted this from us this year. Others would say that person was being negative.
Some might say that a few losses and people would immediately start calling the coaches head. Others said that we wouldnt be put in that position because we are half decent and play crap teams early.
Well... Some are not surprised that the pitchforks have already been sharpened...
Who plays all the midfield minutes that Lord was playing? Have to think Evans will play some....who else?
I would've brought someone like Acres in to allow our wingers to play more midfield.
Lord was basically our defensive or run with midfielder and I think that whoever has that role has to be set for it, rather than part timers sharing it. Of course, Melbourne's midfield isn't as strong as it was and we may not bother with a defensive mid other than Hewett doing his normal stuff.
Most of our general forwards are spending time in the midfield but I'd expect Lij and Williams to do the lion's share. Byrner could get a go too if he's coping with the pressure and tempo.
After i wrote that before i had the thought that Williams might get more minutes.....but as you highlighted it should be a defensive mid....which doesn't fill me with confidence, despite him training as a defender.
