A Dose of Reality

[Punxsutawney Phil]

I think yesterday's showing against North brought us back to reality following the victory over Carlton. Yesterday showed that we are still a long way away from matching it with the better sides in the competition. The old problems were there again for all to see:

* Kicking to Richo when he has 3-4 on him;
* A lack of defensive pressure by the midfielders & forwards;
* A lack of a crumbing forward;
* Opposition clearing from kick-ins far too easily;
* Midfielders rarely getting first hands on the ball at stoppages;
* Hitting that invisible wall around 60 metres from goal which results in short chipping from side to side waiting for a decent option to present itself;
* A lack of discipline which saw stupid free kicks given away in critical areas at critical times; and
* Defenders who are good at running off their men, but are average when dragged into one-on-one contests.

North with their pressure and effort expose the weaknesses. Heaven help us if we play like this against Hawthorn, St.kilda or Geelong this year.
Yesterday was very, very disappointing- we weren't switched on from the start, and early in the 3rd quarter when we were still in the game we got blown away. I was expecting (hoping) for a much better showing than that. There is a hell of a long way to go.

 

[Big Cat Lover]

Agree with everything you say, we appear to be no different to last year. Decision making when moving the ball forward has always been a problem, it seems to be getting worse. And, we are going to be exposed in the middle when teams play a hard tag on Foley. Unfortunatley we did miss Johnson in the middle.

 

[Rosy]

Welcome to PRE Big Cat Lover

 

[Big Cat Lover]

Thanks. Have been looking at the site for the last 2 weeks and reckon 95% of the comments and analysis is spot on.

 

[RemoteTiger]

I too was disappointed - but there were also signs of our running game coming together - our kids just over did it at times and lost the plot. I hope they keep at it for the running game is where premierships reside.

Our physical strength still needs improving - we are still kids against men in a lot of aspects. Wallace maybe right about 2011 as all our good kids will be classified as men then!

Wallace was out coached on the day - Laidley started his best players at the 1st bounce so as to steal a march gain a flying start knowing full well our kids would drop in confidence - at qtr time you could see the body language of our kids.

Captain Johnsons pee was very costly - not only for him but for the team - with his generalship and direction missing our mid-field looked all at sea - but then again there are those who believe he is being carried by the the team - yesterday should prove that he is the on-field general who gets the guys into the right frame of mind and commitment.

In the end you are right we do have a long way to go - and I feel yesterday was a good lesson to our guys that they need to do and learn more before they can consider themselves regular AFL footballers - right now they are playing for their spots each week and as each week passes they will learn more and more and grow in stature.

Right now you would have to believe we are not a finals team - but then a football season is a long 22 weeks and who knows what form our young guys may run into?.....

 

[Mr Pumblechook]

* Hitting that invisible wall around 60 metres from goal which results in short chipping from side to side waiting for a decent option to present itself;

I'd rather this than kicking to a "Richo vs 2-or-more" contest, which we seem to do far too often.

 

[Harry]

I too was disappointed - but there were also signs of our running game coming together - our kids just over did it at times and lost the plot.

What kids ?

We only had one player from the past 3 drafts - Cleve. And you wouldn't call him a kid.

 

[Ruthless Tigers ?]

Amazing......the more things change the more they stay the same.

And then the rhetoric from Wallace about pride in the jumper......Terry you have said this for years and there has been no change in attitude, no change in skill level, no change in result. Perhaps you are the one who needs a change!

 

[RemoteTiger]

What kids ?

We only had one player from the past 3 drafts - Cleve. And you wouldn't call him a kid.

Lids and Tambling are still shittin yellow - around 20yos from memory - they are still kids in a mans world..........

 

[hopper]

I'd rather this than kicking to a "Richo vs 2-or-more" contest, which we seem to do far too often.

Agree. Smart, well-drilled teams work their way through the problem of flooding. Our approach seems to be to revert to the old "Just kick it to Richo" gameplan.

 

[Harry]

Lids and Tambling are still shittin yellow - around 20yos from memory - they are still kids in a mans world..........

Yep, let's just keep sheltering in our little world called excuses. If you believe it then it must be true.

Look around the AFL and see what other "kids" (some much younger than our little Lids and Tambling) are doing.

 

[Mr Pumblechook]

Amazing......the more things change the more they stay the same.

And then the rhetoric from Wallace about pride in the jumper......Terry you have said this for years and there has been no change in attitude, no change in skill level, no change in result. Perhaps you are the one who needs a change!

This is the first time I can recall Wallace so plainly stating that under performing players will be replaced [due, presumably, to selection pressure resulting from a fit list and in-form players at Coburg.]

The anti-Wallace rhetoric - now that hasn't changed.

 

[RemoteTiger]

Yep, let's just keep sheltering in our little world called excuses. If you believe it then it must be true.

Look around the AFL and see what other "kids" (some much younger than our little Lids and Tambling) are doing.

Is that the kids fault or is that our club development processes fault? Which comes back to the head coach - because the buck always stops at the top.

 

[Ruthless Tigers ?]

We make excuses for our kids.....perhaps its time for someone to tell them waht the Yellow and Black means. Our kids are playing like scared school kids rather than young overpaid men. They are paid to play a man's game so they should stand up and play like men. The time for excuses is over. Look at othe rclubs and see how well their kids are playing. Nobody bags the Selwood from Geelong and says he is just a kids, or Hawkins, or Russell, or ROughhead and Franklin. The otehr clubs are loaded with kids WHO can play week after week rather than ours who play weak after weak!

I think the buck stops with those with bums on seats too.....not with the kids!

 

[Punxsutawney Phil]

I just hope Wallace sticks to his word. i would hate to see the old revolving door policy continue with every few weeks seeing the same blokes dropped and then reintroduced.