The Wallace Years……

[Leysy Days]

I reckon that's crap. Surely they'd rest him if that was the case.
Definitely looks overweight. So does Franklin.

Not crap actually.

Didnt have a pre-season at all including any matches after shoulder surgery last year & is now going to miss the next couple with his abductor issue he'e been carrying.

Not many play at there best without any fitness base.

 

[Tigers of Old]

ah well we disagree again. last yr teams came up with all sorts of ploys to take hodge out of the game. hes struggling because he has op.

at least you recognise him a good player thats something i suppose. as for monfries beating him lets see if if they both play finals if knights is game to try it twice. chalk and cheese ones shown himself to be a good core player the other is elite.

I have no idea why you are basing 'OP' around his poor form though. Like I said re Franklin, looks overweight.
I found it very interesting that Mitchell said this week that injuries are no excuse and they have been very disappointed with their start to the season. Reckon there were a couple of thinly veiled barbs there at a couple of the Hawks guns.
The hangover is there.

Not crap actually.

Didnt have a pre-season at all including any matches after shoulder surgery last year & is now going to miss the next couple with his abductor issue he'e been carrying.

Not many play at there best without any fitness base.

The excuses keep coming. OP? Shoulder? Why play him?
FACT is he's been ordinary and is not as good as some think anyway.

 

[IanG]

The excuses keep coming. OP? Shoulder? Why play him?
FACT is he's been ordinary and is not as good as some think anyway.

Yup, plenty criticised Kane Johnson for exactly this problem 2 years ago with his broken hand, yet because its Hodge its suddenly OK to make excuses.

 

[IanG]

The key ingredient in football nowadays isn’t speed or defensive pressure, its keeping possession and realising on your opportunities in a game. And to that end, Wallace, Miller and Jackson have all failed (and continue to fail) to focus on the execution element. That’s the number one issue with our list.

We have, and continue to have, so many blokes with poor foot and hand skills and whose ultimate class level is way beyond what’s required, that it’s a fait accomplie that we finish at the bottom of the ladder year in year out. No list in the AFL has as many poor to average disposers of the football and ridiculous decision makers than we have. Its actually quite staggering the number of them.

I take that as a given, and I think even Wallace would agree that his game plan requires good disposal. Where he's failed in this regard is in not focusing recruiting on these aspects as much as he should have.

I'd argue that the key ingredients of the modern game are now a combination of good disposal and tough defensive pressure not just good disposal. The Bullies and Port Adelaide are good disposers of the ball yet they fall down to those teams with better defensive pressure. The successful teams of the past 3 years (and maybe even 4-5 years) have had a combination of both. Tackling counts are way up in general on what they were 5 years ago.