Skip to main content ↑ ↓
Topic: 'Cue In The Rack' or 'Soldier On'  (Read 45411 times) previous topic - next topic
0 Members and 1 Guest are viewing this topic.

'Cue In The Rack' or 'Soldier On'

After that disappointing loss to Collingwood on Friday night, we are still two games out of the 8 with only eight more games to be played. Thankfully, Port were not able to get over Essendon today otherwise we would be three games out of the 8 instead of two.

Games to come are :

Saints @ Etihad
Kangas @ Etihad
GoldCoast @ Metricon
Freo @ Etihad
Bulldogs @ Etihad
Tigers @ MCG
Essendon @ MCG
Port @ AAMI

Based on the way we are playing and have been for the major part of the season, there are no guaranteed wins in that lot apart from possibly the Bulldogs.

The question I'm putting to you all is quite simple, should Malthouse put the 'cue in the rack' now and play whoever he needs to from right across the list to have a good look at them or should he just 'soldier on' regardless ??

The benefit of packing up is that any player who needs surgery or whatever can get it whilst players like Mitchell, Duigan & Laidler can be given a thorough oppprtunity to stake their claim to be retained on the list.

The benefit of 'soldiering on' is that the players will be kept under the pump for the remainder of the season and we are driven to fight out all games with our best side in at all times.

There really is no right or wrong answer here, it's probably going to be based on whether you think we can make finals or not. One thing I'd really hate is to finish 9th and then see the Asadendon get their points pulled and we were to go into 8th position for the finals.
"The Other Teams Can Rot In Hell"

Re: 'Cue In The Rack' or 'Soldier On'

Reply #1 –
If it was Freo fro example it'd be taking 8th from 9th on false pretences. Seeing it's Essendon though taking a finals spot at their expense because they cheated, that would be an absolute pleasure.

Finals are on the cards. Port should lose to Hawthorn, hopefully putting us just one game, plus we play Port last match. Season would be in our own hands then.

Refresh the 22 and game style with Menzel, Graham, Buckley and get rid of nearly all the tagging and taggers. Kills our run and by extensions kills our forward line. Bring Watson in and see what he has, especially after a brilliant game today, and play Henderson forward. Run a 3 pronged forward line with Henderson, Waite, who may well come up, and Casboult. Waite as 3rd marking, and running, tall. Might save him a few injuries. Yarran back at half back and Walker right in the guts, same with Gibbs and Simpson

Re: 'Cue In The Rack' or 'Soldier On'

Reply #2 –
Quote from: laj – on
If it was Freo fro example it'd be taking 8th from 9th on false pretences. Seeing it's Essendon though taking a finals spot at their expense because they cheated, that would be an absolute pleasure.

Finals are on the cards. Port should lose to Hawthorn, hopefully putting us just one game, plus we play Port last match. Season would be in our own hands then.

Refresh the 22 and game style with Menzel, Graham, Buckley and get rid of nearly all the tagging and taggers. Kills our run and by extensions kills our forward line. Bring Watson in and see what he has, especially after a brilliant game today, and play Henderson forward. Run a 3 pronged forward line with Henderson, Waite, who may well come up, and Casboult. Waite as 3rd marking, and running, tall. Might save him a few injuries. Yarran back at half back and Walker right in the guts, same with Gibbs and Simpson

You just made me smile. Thank you. Made me think we still have the years destiny in our hands.

Maybe just maybe by the end of the year we will all look back at this period and laugh at all the negative posts and thoughts as we are thru to the second week of the finals.

Oh well I can dream!

Re: 'Cue In The Rack' or 'Soldier On'

Reply #3 –
None of the queue in the rack business.

I expect Malthouse to get the side playing competitive structured football where the expectation is to play to win, and players earn their opportunities to play in the roles as set out by "the game plan".

The results become what they become with the season being pretty much cooked it will actually give us something to work towards.

For too long if you were good enough you got a game, and its about time it became all about who wants it most. 
"everything you know is wrong"

Paul Hewson

Re: 'Cue In The Rack' or 'Soldier On'

Reply #4 –
The smart thing to do is to get games into Menzel, Buckley, Graham and Bell if he's available to set those players up for next season, we could do that and still be picking competitive teams.
We made the mistake with Yarran of not playing him enough in his first season then dropping him after one bad game in his second.
Talented players are hard to find and we should make the most of the ones we've got.
The only thing in this world worth more than a hill of beans is the Carlton Football Club.

Re: 'Cue In The Rack' or 'Soldier On'

Reply #5 –
Early call Sheik. Either way we are just on that balancing edge. I think we are better playing some of the younger guys, but still enough experience to try to beat the Saints. Once we drop that game our season is completely finished because of our draw. Its hard to say though. Mathematically we are a chance to get into the top 8, by reality shows we won't. Too little given by the players too late. Or should I say they have given nothing of late. >:(
This digital world is too much for us insects to understand.

Re: 'Cue In The Rack' or 'Soldier On'

Reply #6 –
Quote from: blue4life – on
The smart thing to do is to get games into Menzel, Buckley, Graham and Bell if he's available to set those players up for next season, we could do that and still be picking competitive teams.
We made the mistake with Yarran of not playing him enough in his first season then dropping him after one bad game in his second.
Talented players are hard to find and we should make the most of the ones we've got.

This

Even If the Scum lose points and we climb into the 8, we won't trouble Hawthorn, Geelong or Sydney. We'd be better served by preparing for next season and blooding the kids who will make it.
IN WADA WE TRUST

Re: 'Cue In The Rack' or 'Soldier On'

Reply #7 –
FWIW, we've gone down the tanking route before....not that that is what your alluding to but I'd be getting the boys to give everything they've got for the rest of the year. If you start giving games to guys who dont deserve it, it just sends the wrong message to the rest of the group I reckon.

Pick the best available team every fricken week and "learn" to win again. Learn the process, perfect the process. Teach everything that you want our players to do MM!!!!!.
Too little and Way too late. Pull your fingers out boys!!
 

Re: 'Cue In The Rack' or 'Soldier On'

Reply #8 –
Quote from: Juddkreuzer – on
Quote from: blue4life – on
The smart thing to do is to get games into Menzel, Buckley, Graham and Bell if he's available to set those players up for next season, we could do that and still be picking competitive teams.
We made the mistake with Yarran of not playing him enough in his first season then dropping him after one bad game in his second.
Talented players are hard to find and we should make the most of the ones we've got.

This

Even If the Scum lose points and we climb into the 8, we won't trouble Hawthorn, Geelong or Sydney. We'd be better served by preparing for next season and blooding the kids who will make it.

Agree completely with this. We will not trouble anyone of note in the finals and if we lose to the Saints we're cooked anyway.

Re: 'Cue In The Rack' or 'Soldier On'

Reply #9 –
Quote from: TheSheik – on
.

Games to come are :

Saints @ Etihad
Kangas @ Etihad
GoldCoast @ Metricon
Freo @ Etihad
Bulldogs @ Etihad
Tigers @ MCG
Essendon @ MCG
Port @ AAMI

We could potentially lose every one of those games.  That's a scary thought.
Time to play Buckley, Menzel, Laidler, Dugan, Ellard, Warnock, Mitchell and the like.

Re: 'Cue In The Rack' or 'Soldier On'

Reply #10 –
Quote from: Dirty Harry – on
Quote from: TheSheik – on
.

Games to come are :

Saints @ Etihad
Kangas @ Etihad
GoldCoast @ Metricon
Freo @ Etihad
Bulldogs @ Etihad
Tigers @ MCG
Essendon @ MCG
Port @ AAMI

We could potentially lose every one of those games.  That's a scary thought.
Time to play Buckley, Menzel, Laidler, Dugan, Ellard, Warnock, Mitchell and the like.

I agree we need to give these guys a run, but I think its important we dont gift players games. Mitchell and Warnock are consistently poor at Northern, and few others have consistently put good games together. MM clearly has no future plans for Duigan and Laidler, so wont play them. We are far to negative playing essentially 3 taggers. In our pursuit of a more defensive gameplan we have lost any offensive drive. Would love to see 2E play in the midfield, maybe Buckley on a wing
Eat more chooks

Re: 'Cue In The Rack' or 'Soldier On'

Reply #11 –
Quote from: chookaradley – on
Quote from: Dirty Harry – on
Quote from: TheSheik – on
.

Games to come are :

Saints @ Etihad
Kangas @ Etihad
GoldCoast @ Metricon
Freo @ Etihad
Bulldogs @ Etihad
Tigers @ MCG
Essendon @ MCG
Port @ AAMI

We could potentially lose every one of those games.  That's a scary thought.
Time to play Buckley, Menzel, Laidler, Dugan, Ellard, Warnock, Mitchell and the like.

I agree we need to give these guys a run, but I think its important we dont gift players games. Mitchell and Warnock are consistently poor at Northern, and few others have consistently put good games together. MM clearly has no future plans for Duigan and Laidler, so wont play them. We are far to negative playing essentially 3 taggers. In our pursuit of a more defensive gameplan we have lost any offensive drive. Would love to see 2E play in the midfield, maybe Buckley on a wing

I can see where you are coming from.

I am actually of another mind. Maybe it is not a matter of not giving players in the 2s a game if they have not earned it, but rather, it is a question of not dropping players in the 1s who do not meet high enough standards. Maybe they are living off their possible potentials and maybe the Coaches and MC have got this the wrong way around.

It has been mentioned many times before that players were not being dropped. Not only where they not dropped, but the people in the 2s had probably a less than expected chance to play for a spot - given that it was probably never going to appear bar injuries. As a professional sportsman, that has to hurt.

At this stage and moving forward, we give all the kids a run out and from next year drop anyone not meeting KPIs like any professional. I think that is the way to garner not just a competitive environment, but it encourages a collective will to win. If you loose the game, you could be watching from the stands the next weekend.
Keep the Faith

Re: 'Cue In The Rack' or 'Soldier On'

Reply #12 –
I'd drop Gibbs personally.
Finals, then 4 in a row!

Re: 'Cue In The Rack' or 'Soldier On'

Reply #13 –
There's no way I want to see us even consider giving up on this season, no matter how many games we lose or how unlikely it is that we'll play finals.

It simply sends the wrong message to the players and instills a losing mentality. Given we already have so many mental frailties to contend with, the last thing I want to see is us creating more of our own.

We need to be trying to win every game we can regardless of ladder position and we need to finish where we finish in order to get an accurate reflection of where the list is at. If we lose all of those games we'll probably finish about 15th but at least we'll know that we're a bottom four side and rebuild accordingly. If we somehow win all of them, we'll play finals and we'll know that we're not all that far away.

That's the only way we answer the question of whether we need wholesale changes to the list or just some more positional tweaking.

You can't answer that by artificially creating a false environment.
Just glad I'm old enough to have enjoyed the 1995 Grand Final

Re: 'Cue In The Rack' or 'Soldier On'

Reply #14 –
Culture building must be the priority and so we must field our best available and performing 22 for each remaining game. Play guys who show something in the VFL as and when they do e.g. Watson this week. or when injuries open up a spot.

I'm sure that MM has a pretty good idea of who will go/stay by now and doesn't need too much further "experimentation" with team selection.
Reality always wins in the end.