The future is bright - Team balance...

[Crazyman]

For all our frustrations at the extremes to which our team seems to float between (e.g. beating the aint's but getting belted by freeload)...I think our club is in a very promising position for the future and heading in a very good direction towards future successes.

If you look at our list minus Lloyd & Fletch, we have a very promising bunch of youngsters that have all come on in leaps and bounds this year and all things being equal should be able to form a strong nucleus of players that will play together for the better part of 8 - 10 years...

If you look our list seriously, we have a dearth of young KPP's that have been absolute standouts this year in Hooker, Pears & Hurls (throw in Gumby, Daniher & Neagle), a bunch of exciting young kids with pace (and a game plan to match...) and a number of tougher more mature in and under types (e.g. watson & hh)...the one thing that is lacking is the number of players with 75-150 games that provide that bit of experience that can settle a side when it is needed, however, we will have plenty of those in a few years time

[Jazz_84]

i have 2 major problems at the moment... 1. we don't seem to have a settled forward line and don't have a plan kicking into the F50, seems like a very important part of any teams plan... why don't we? 2. where's our desire to win? why can't we get ourselves up for important games? if it were me nothing would stop me trying 110% week in week out! why can't the 22 players i just don't understand. surely someone in the club eg. Gary O'Donnell could inspire the boys before a game if that isn't Knighta's thing

and i guess this branches off from point 2. but why do we seems to play well against better teams but play crap against crap teams? really confuses me as to why this happens

[s'dreams]

i have 2 major problems at the moment... 1. we don't seem to have a settled forward line and don't have a plan kicking into the F50, seems like a very important part of any teams plan... why don't we? 2. where's our desire to win? why can't we get ourselves up for important games? if it were me nothing would stop me trying 110% week in week out! why can't the 22 players i just don't understand. surely someone in the club eg. Gary O'Donnell could inspire the boys before a game if that isn't Knighta's thing

and i guess this branches off from point 2. but why do we seems to play well against better teams but play crap against crap teams? really confuses me as to why this happens

I supect it has been said before - but I am frustrated on a weekly basis about the teams refusal to bang the ball in to a one on one marking contest ... instead chipping around looking for a clear player (would be good if there was better leading). I suspect that the apparent team rules are about building skills (I seem to rcall similar frustrations with the backline last year) but geez - wouldn't mind seeing more 50/50 contests and more use of a crumber at the spillage.

Cheers - STI

[billyduckworth]

In my frustration/boredom (it really was a crap game) I wrote down these five issues as I was watching us getting flogged by the worst side in the competition. I realise none of this is new and many others here have already posted similar things, but anyway here goes...

(1) Why can't we win interstate? Our record has been appalling for years now. We not only lose far more often than win, but get thrashed. This year one win against Sydney (good) but absolutely smashed in all the others (Brisbane, Port, West Coast and Freo). We will never get anywhere until we solve this problem. How can a side make the 8 (let's not even think of top 4) whilst winning only one game out of five interstate??

(2) Why can't we beat bottom teams? This year, we have lost to North, Richmond, West Coast and Freo. In other words, EVERY bottom team except Melbourne. Whilst every team has the occasional lapse (St K versus North this week, Bulldogs against West Coast a few weeks back etc), to do this FOUR TIMES in the one year is way over the top. Is it motivation? Is it lack of discipline? Is it something about our game plan that just doesn't work against scrappy flooding sides? (And please don't tell me it's because we're young. I am sick to death of hearing that excuse and no-one seems to be able to explain the logic why a young team has problems with motivation and consistency more so than an older team - we didn't have those problems in 1993 and anyway the problem mainly seems to be with players like Monfries & McPhee who actually have quite a lot of experience already, not Pears & Hurley!!)

(3) We were absolutely smashed in the centre clearances. Obviously, injuries to Hille & Ryder and (during the game) Watson hurt us here. But it seems like we didn't really think through a strategy against Sandilands.

(4) Our forward line was dysfunctional. We MUST MUST get a decent forward line coach (Scott Lucas?) or else we will continue to be a side that has a fancy cute looking zig zag running game through the middle but can't finish it off on the scoreboard.

(5) Prismall, whilst he accumulated a lot of touches, turned the ball over far too many times. Maybe it's lack of pre-season coming back from injury or whatever but we can't get away with SO many players in the side who have this same issue (Welsh, McVeigh, Davey and in this game Winderlich all looked underdone). Selecting a team with too many underdone players has cost us games at least three times this year. Select a side that is fit and ready to roar!

Okay. Rant over. See, I've got it off my chest now.

[Jazz_84]

(5) Prismall, whilst he accumulated a lot of touches, turned the ball over far too many times. Maybe it's lack of pre-season coming back from injury or whatever but we can't get away with SO many players in the side who have this same issue (Welsh, McVeigh, Davey and in this game Winderlich all looked underdone). Selecting a team with too many underdone players has cost us games at least three times this year. Select a side that is fit and ready to roar!

yep agree with this, Knights said he won play underdone players but our entire 2nd half of this year is all we've done! they even said Ryder and Lloyd will play even if underdone.......... why don't we learn?

[Crazyman]

Guys,

I think you are missing the point. I know we are all frustrated with the lack of consistency, however, Knights has a game plan that when effected properly has shown that we are the equal of any other side in the competition.

We are a young squad that is only going to get older, more mature and harder.

We have a good balance in our developing KPP's as well as a good balance of quick outside midfielders and hard in and under players.

On the whole, as has been stated elsewhere, as a young side, consistency will be an issue. We don't have a squad like the Aint's or the Dogs who have a wealth of players in the 75 - 150 games played bracket and we are also light on for experienced players with Fletch & Lloyd our remaining stalwarts in the 30+ bracket and soon to retire if not at the end of this season, then next season most likely...

Therefore, as my topic states, the future is bright and we do have a reasonably good team balance overall...damn it JP...where are you when I need a burst of positivity???

[hillchaser]

BillDuckworth - Totally agree with that assessment .. all the things I have been thinking about. Without McVeigh and Welsh doing much ... the other team simply needs to shut down Watson and flood our forward line. We need to have a plan B and a better run with injuries.

[j-mac31]

(5) Prismall, whilst he accumulated a lot of touches, turned the ball over far too many times. Maybe it's lack of pre-season coming back from injury or whatever but we can't get away with SO many players in the side who have this same issue (Welsh, McVeigh, Davey and in this game Winderlich all looked underdone). Selecting a team with too many underdone players has cost us games at least three times this year. Select a side that is fit and ready to roar!

yep agree with this, Knights said he won play underdone players but our entire 2nd half of this year is all we've done! they even said Ryder and Lloyd will play even if underdone.......... why don't we learn?

Indeed.