5 official games...

[BenDoolan]

*NEWS FLASH*

This is a farken footy club that plays a game of footy. It has 40+ senior players, a head coach, several assistant coaches and a number of support staff that prepares the group for battle. In the grand scheme of things, our listed players are significantly less experienced and physically underdeveloped than the top teams in the comp. Not shit, Sherlock.

Amongst our listed players are a cluster of midfield players, whilst not dynamic, perform admirably despite their shortcomings. We do not have a glitzy midfielder amongst them. You don't get a Cousins, Judd, Ablett or Kerr in every draft. But Sydney proved you could win a flag with a team of PLODDERS in the midfield.

The argument that "we don't have anyone in our midfield that would make the grade at a top 8 club" makes me laugh. Not that long ago when someone asked (in 2006) who in our team would get a game for Sydney (the reigning premier at the time). I jokingly said Ted Richards - who went on to play in that Grand Final and nearly won them the game.

Faarken funny eh!

[uptick]

"But he has lost the players and that’s death in Footy"

Quite a statement.

[hillchaser]

Bd... Sydney is the only exception in the last 10 years. One in ten are terrible odds. what's more they had a Strong (maybe slow) bodies, a home ground and a game plan that supported their negatve play. Yes you can win a Granny with a midfield of plodders but it isn't very likely in modern football. Newsflash champ ... !!!! Just ask Geelong, westcoast, hawthorn port and Brisbane.

[BenDoolan]

"But he has lost the players and that’s death in Footy"

Quite a statement.

Sorry, according to who?

[BenDoolan]

Bd... Sydney is the only exception in the last 10 years. One in ten are terrible odds. what's more they had a Strong (maybe slow) bodies, a home ground and a game plan that supported their negatve play. Yes you can win a Granny with a midfield of plodders but it isn't very likely in modern football. Newsflash champ ... !!!! Just ask Geelong, westcoast, hawthorn port and Brisbane.

Yes, I will ask Geelong how their golden cluster midfield of Ablett, Selwood, Bartel, Corey & Enright were beaten by a lesser class midfield in Hawthorn. I will then go on to ask West Coast how their super unit of Judd, Cousins, Kerr & Embley were beaten by triers in Kirk, Buchanan, Crouch & Whoever. Then I'll ask Brisbane how their Brownlow clustered gang in Voss, Black, Akermanis and Lappin lost to Josh Carr, Mahoney, Burgoyne and Whatever.

[Gimps]

Bd... Sydney is the only exception in the last 10 years. One in ten are terrible odds. what's more they had a Strong (maybe slow) bodies, a home ground and a game plan that supported their negatve play. Yes you can win a Granny with a midfield of plodders but it isn't very likely in modern football. Newsflash champ ... !!!! Just ask Geelong, westcoast, hawthorn port and Brisbane.

If we are talking about the last 10 years.. let's count our premiership team in 2000. Plenty of speed demons in that midfield

[uptick]

"But he has lost the players and that’s death in Footy"

Quite a statement.

Sorry, according to who?

According to Mr Filthy in an ealier post in this thread.

[Sismis]

There is nothing wrong with our chase and tackle, in fact with the exception of about 2 1/4s this year we have matched our opposition in this area.

Our forward line is where we are breaking down and unfortunately that is a growing pain we are going to have to go through.

[Sismis]

During those times our forwardline was not scoring goals, hence the unanswered part. Sure there have been times when we have been belted out of the middle a couple of times in a row. But in all of those unanswered goal streaks we have had excellent attacks fall down at our 50.

I am not saying we are not having skill issues as well. In the WC game we managed to fumble the ball the length of the ground without taking a clean posession! But IMO when our forward line starts taking more of their opportunities we will see an end to these unanswered goal streaks.

[stryper]

I will say this once more - It is our turnovers that are killing us.
Our disposal into the forward line has been attrocious...Our ball use full. I don't care if we had Brown or Pav or Lloydy for that matter.
Until we learn to hit targets continuously key word here - Under PRESSURE we will struggle...
This takes time and I am sure that we will turn it around soon...
It is great to have Melksham/Collyer in the midfield but what - Jobe doing it all by himself?
Need 1 or 2 more quality experienced players to back up Jobe... Melksham/collyer/Howlett for that matter will be good players in the future but are still learning the game...
Need Welsh to pull his finger out,Mcveigh to walk the talk and harden up,Prismall - come back in - support.
Perhaps even Slats in the midfield too...
we have been getting smashed with clearances and until that turns around we will always find ourselves under extreme pressure...- turnovers...
Patience my friends We will come good
Who knows maybe even starting this week...
I can only hope that we knock off Colliwobbles...

[little_ripper]

I reckon you could probably dig up forum posts about essendon from the last 7 years about the midfield(not hitting targets, lousy disposal in general, esp into the forward 50).

this thread is like de ja vu from 2005. how can it be 5 years on still the same old shit.

[stryper]

Ask ninthmond - they have become worse each year if that is possible
At least we have potential...
Poor buggers
Got to feel sorry for them...

[Sismis]

Have a look at the third quarter V West coast. We dominated the play and had nothing happening up forward.

Stats from (http://finalsiren.com/MatchDetails.asp? ... d09a13fc83)

Scoring Shots:
WC:26 Us:23

Disposals per goal
WC:23.8 Us:32.4

Per Scoring shot:
WC:13.7 Us:15.5

Have a look at the difference when Hooker went forward. He simply presented, ran back and presented again. It was then that we started to make an impact, although the game was well and truly gone.

When our forward structure improves we will look a completely different team.

[BenDoolan]

Agets got to be up there for them score Sis

We actually had one more F50 entry than West Coast. That says we are getting it up there, but are doing jack shit once it's there - either because of poor disposal into it, or by our forwards not winning the contests. We also won the clearances - surprisingly....considering we were absolutely SMASHED in the ruck.

[Windy_Hill]

Agets got to be up there for them score Sis

We actually had one more F50 entry than West Coast. That says we are getting it up there, but are doing jack shit once it's there - either because of poor disposal into it, or by our forwards not winning the contests. We also won the clearances - surprisingly....considering we were absolutely SMASHED in the ruck.

We have a forward line that comprises two guys who have played about 17 games between them (one having been out of the game for 2 years, the other having missed the first 3 weeks and is probably just finding his bearings). We are missing the goal scoring option of Monfries and Williams is probably also trying to work out where he fits in the structure? I watched the West Coast game and when you couple the above with appaling disposal into the F50, I am not surprised we are struggling.

I think our forward line is a work in progress. However, the disposal coming into the F50 has ot be addressed and I believe the frenetic ball carry, short hand ball style is only putting pressure on the guy who ends up being the one responsible for kicking to a leading forward. More often than not, he is kicking under pressure and not hitting the target

[Gimps]

Agets got to be up there for them score Sis

We actually had one more F50 entry than West Coast. That says we are getting it up there, but are doing jack shit once it's there - either because of poor disposal into it, or by our forwards not winning the contests. We also won the clearances - surprisingly....considering we were absolutely SMASHED in the ruck.

We have a forward line that comprises two guys who have played about 17 games between them (one having been out of the game for 2 years, the other having missed the first 3 weeks and is probably just finding his bearings). We are missing the goal scoring option of Monfries and Williams is probably also trying to work out where he fits in the structure? I watched the West Coast game and when you couple the above with appaling disposal into the F50, I am not surprised we are struggling.

I think our forward line is a work in progress. However, the disposal coming into the F50 has ot be addressed and I believe the frenetic ball carry, short hand ball style is only putting pressure on the guy who ends up being the one responsible for kicking to a leading forward. More often than not, he is kicking under pressure and not hitting the target

We have to have faith in the 'premiership' spine