Three things I've learned - Round 4

[westdog54]

Being that I haven't seen a minute of the game I'll hold off for now.

Everyone else, have at it.

[Twodogs]

I already knew the three things I learned today.

[LostDoggy]

Very lucky that Morris is back

Stringer and Marcrae will do well

Some very basic wet weather concepts weren't adhered to today

[G-Mo77]

We can't play in wet or dry conditions.

We're not very smart footballers.

Brisbane would be embarrassed to have their name as a win for us.

[Dog54]

Macrae is Murphy like with his agility

Gia is finished (reward form and give vez a chance)

Williams injured in vfl ( could you believe it) retire him

[lemmon]

Dahlhaus needs to play more midfield

Tying Jones to the goal square is killing his career

We are a mentally fragile group, very little will to push on

[bornadog]

* Gia should retire and let another youngster play

* Lower should be on a HBF and Picken our tagger or he goes forward.

* We don't seem to have progressed from last year as much as I thought we had.

[Eastdog]

- We are very poor up forward

- Our disposal efficiency is way down

- Stringer and McRae will have a good future

[always right]

Macrae is Murphy like with his agility

Gia is finished (reward form and give vez a chance)

Williams injured in vfl ( could you believe it) retire him

FFS....what was the injury?

[AndrewP6]

Stringer and Macrae will be good for (I hope) our club.
That's it, other things weren't news.

[F'scary]

1. We are increasingly falling for all the basic sucker punches. An example of that today was that over and over again, Adelaide players leading up the ground towards the long kick opted to turn our players to let the ball run on deeper. We kept falling for it positioning-wise all day. Another one was Adelaide players repeatedly feigning that they were going to go up as 2nd, 3rd or even 4th flyers into a marking contest but then hanging out the back or the side for the easy ball that inevitably comes because no-one can mark it in the wet while their opponents dutifully went through the motions of being flying baggage in contested marking contests.

2. We are going to have to turn over another 10 players or so at the end of this season.

3. We are a Tool Concert. So come along next week and listen to the music.

[Throughandthrough]

We are inept.

Our guys don't listen to the coach who told them to kick long

I want my money back

[Mofra]

Only saw the last quarter:

Macrae will be a star. Moves so well.

Stringer is unfit, unready, but gets to the right spots. He will be a monster in 2014+

Libba is so close to elite already it isn't funny. 20 year old freak

[Remi Moses]

1. Macrae, shock horror I saw a moment of composure under pressure from one of our players
2. Stringer 30 seconds of forward pressure was more than Gia showed all first half
1. Ball Movement , structure, outside run and breaking lines. non existent!

[The Doctor]

Our coach can't coach

We desperately need a real pro to head our footy dept

Our CEO should be under scrutiny

[Nuggety Back Pocket]

1. Cordy is not a key forward. It is time to elevate Roberts as a potential key forward working with Jones and Stringer as your three big forwards.
2. Try JJ as a crumbing forward to be replaced by Pearce in defence. Teams like Geelong Pies and Blues show what quality small forwards can do. Tutt was clearly all at sea up forward.
3. Play Talia as our second tall defender allowing Morris to show his class against the best of the opposition's small/ medium forward. We need to be bold and look to the future by continuing to play Macrae Stringer and Macrae. At the same time the MC should now retire Gia gracefully.

[Ghost Dog]

Why didn't Jones move down the ground? Hall used to do it. Grant used to do it. Walker did it.
Why not kick long, instead of folk dancing in front of the goals and getting caught with our pants down?
How many times did I see someone go to ground instead of keeping their feet, only to be two paces behind the Crows players dust?
So many junior footy type issues it starts to make me wonder what's going on.

[KT31]

1. Cordy is not a key forward. It is time to elevate Roberts as a potential key forward working with Jones and Stringer as your three big forwards.
2. Try JJ as a crumbing forward to be replaced by Pearce in defence. Teams like Geelong Pies and Blues show what quality small forwards can do. Tutt was clearly all at sea up forward.
3. Play Talia as our second tall defender allowing Morris to show his class against the best of the opposition's small/ medium forward. We need to be bold and look to the future by continuing to play Macrae Stringer and Macrae. At the same time the MC should now retire Gia gracefully.

How good having two of him be ?

[F'scary]

Why didn't Jones move down the ground? Hall used to do it. Grant used to do it. Walker did it.
Why not kick long, instead of folk dancing in front of the goals and getting caught with our pants down?


:):):)

My junior robot was watching the pre-match telecast and yelling out reports while I did some chores. When C7 went to the before the game locker room shots, he said he heard BMac in the background say "lads, today we have come here to fight" and the camera then panned to the players fighting each other. He reckoned that he then could make out BMac saying, "no, no, we are here to fight the other team." C7 then went to the Adelaide rooms where the players were engaged in a slick warm-up routine that centered around quick handballing and short passing. C7 then went up to the ground where our players had run out and my junior robot said that the camera was showing our players doing silly dancing routines. I dashed back in time to see Big Will doing something that looked like an audition for an amateur production of a Chorus Line. C7 then panned to the other end of the ground where Adelaide were again engaged is a slick session of quick ball handling and sprinting manouvres.

I placated junior and explained that they weren't really fighting each other or dancing and that what he saw was just our way of warming-up for the game. "Just you wait until the ball is bounced," I told junior. And then the game started.

[Nuggety Back Pocket]

How good having two of him be ?

Should have read Talia. My apologies.

[Sedat]

Williams injured in vfl ( could you believe it) retire him
Nice parting gift from Fantasia to give Williams a 3 year contract when he struggles to put together 3 games.

[The Bulldogs Bite]

1. The Cordy experiment needs to end. We need to develop a pure, natural key forward in his position and look for second ruck duties elsewhere. Personally, I would turn our focus to Roberts. If Cordy plays very well in the VFL, switch them back, but at the moment leaving Cordy at FF and saying "he's young, he'll learn" is lost on logic. He's uncompetitive in the air and is very, very slow.

2. Our spread from the contest is so poor. It has been for a while, and whilst I realise we don't have the cattle, the disappointing thing for mine was our positioning. I lost count the number of times Adelaide players were standing on their own 3-5m away from the contest. It was easy, and had nothing to do with our lack of leg speed, and much more to do with our set-ups.

3. Tutt can't play forward. If he's in the side it should be as a wingman or HBFer.

[Ghost Dog]

TBB Cordy should not have played today. Why blame a player who was put into an environment totally unsuited to them. I don't think he's in our best 22, but certainly, it was an odd move not to replace him, given the weather reports were for rain for some days before the game.
Did this not seem odd to anyone else?

1. Things I learned - Nick Lower is a welcome addition to our team. We badly need players like him.
2. Adam Cooney may just make this season palatable.
3. Macrae shows more poise than many a senior player.

[Dry Rot]

1. The Cordy experiment needs to end. We need to develop a pure, natural key forward in his position and look for second ruck duties elsewhere. Personally, I would turn our focus to Roberts. If Cordy plays very well in the VFL, switch them back, but at the moment leaving Cordy at FF and saying "he's young, he'll learn" is lost on logic. He's uncompetitive in the air and is very, very slow.

2. Our spread from the contest is so poor. It has been for a while, and whilst I realise we don't have the cattle, the disappointing thing for mine was our positioning. I lost count the number of times Adelaide players were standing on their own 3-5m away from the contest. It was easy, and had nothing to do with our lack of leg speed, and much more to do with our set-ups.



Agree with #1.

Would add to #2 that I reckon our positioning has been a problem for some years now.

[The Bulldogs Bite]

TBB Cordy should not have played today. Why blame a player who was put into an environment totally unsuited to them. I don't think he's in our best 22, but certainly, it was an odd move not to replace him, given the weather reports were for rain for some days before the game.
Did this not seem odd to anyone else?.

I agree, but I guess the coaching tactics deserve their own thread now.

FWIW I think Cordy needs to set a target to become the #1 ruck. He shows more when he's made to be on the move around the ground, he does handle the ball well for a big guy and I thought his ruck work today was solid when he gave Minson a spell in the second quarter.

It's his work as a FF which is absolutely terrible, and I think it's time the coaching staff realise that it's their mistake and not his. He's just not suited to that position.

[lemmon]

I agree, but I guess the coaching tactics deserve their own thread now.

FWIW I think Cordy needs to set a target to become the #1 ruck. He shows more when he's made to be on the move around the ground, he does handle the ball well for a big guy and I thought his ruck work today was solid when he gave Minson a spell in the second quarter.

It's his work as a FF which is absolutely terrible, and I think it's time the coaching staff realise that it's their mistake and not his. He's just not suited to that position.

Tend to agree but I cant see it happening. Minson is rightful top dog, if Ayce goes back to Willi he plays behind Wood, when we stand alone Campbell deserves to be the number one ruck. He's so far back in the pecking order as a first ruck and is already 23, the time to display his wares is running dangerously thin. I get the feeling he has to make this niche as key forward/second ruck work or there isn't a spot for him on the list.

[Topdog]

1. The Adelaide coach is a knob. Completely disrespecting us with the comments about holding us to the lowest score in 50 years.
2. Macrae and Stringer will make it.
3. Playing with no forward line irritates me more each week.

[Mantis]

1. Things I learned - Nick Lower is a welcome addition to our team. We badly need players like him.


Going on his most recent performance what do you see in Lower that I (and others) are misisng?

[LostDoggy]

1. The Adelaide coach is a knob. Completely disrespecting us with the comments about holding us to the lowest score in 50 years.
2. Macrae and Stringer will make it.
3. Playing with no forward line irritates me more each week.

I actually prefer that to the fake humility, “All credit to them, they're a great team, but we were able to hang in there today and get the four points, blah blah bloody blah”. We were shit. He called it as he saw it. He wasn't wrong.

My 3 things:

1. Don't let yourself get carried away with a Round 1 win.
2. Don't get on Facebook immediately after a loss.
3. We are slow to adapt. Whether that's an issue with the players, or the coaching group, as a whole we waited until the weather cleared before playing wet footy, whilst Adelaide ran all over us. Yes, it was still slippery, but that didn't seem to bother Mr. Dangerfield.

[LostDoggy]

Going on his most recent performance what do you see in Lower that I (and others) are misisng?

If I may answer: A bit of mongrel.

[always right]

TBB Cordy should not have played today. Why blame a player who was put into an environment totally unsuited to them. I don't think he's in our best 22, but certainly, it was an odd move not to replace him, given the weather reports were for rain for some days before the game.


The funny thing is, in the first half when conditions were at their worst, Cordy handled the ball as cleanly as anyone else in our team. His ground work was okay...his aerial work was poor.

[always right]

If I may answer: A bit of mongrel.

At the moment that's about all he has going for him. He is diabolically slow. That first goal when Dangerfield ran into an open goal, I could have sworn that Lower was running on a treadmill.

[Ozza]

At the moment that's about all he has going for him. He is diabolically slow. That first goal when Dangerfield ran into an open goal, I could have sworn that Lower was running on a treadmill.

In fairness to Lower - did you see how easily Dangerfield accounted for everyone in the Grand Final sprint last year? The bloke is a race car and Chris Yarran wouldn't have ran him down in that situation.

The issue with Lower in that instance was that he needed to make sure he was goal side of Danger. In any case Adelaide recognised how they could exploit Lower and did so. Picken would have been the right match up from the start.

[whythelongface]

At the moment that's about all he has going for him. He is diabolically slow. That first goal when Dangerfield ran into an open goal, I could have sworn that Lower was running on a treadmill.

IIRC it was a pass from Lower into the centre square that did not reach its target that lead to the turnover for the first goal.

Whilst I think he brings some hardness to the team he is definitely very very slow.

[craigsahibee]

At the moment that's about all he has going for him. He is diabolically slow. That first goal when Dangerfield ran into an open goal, I could have sworn that Lower was running on a treadmill.

The goal that Crouch kicked in the third was another example of Lower's lack of pace and thought process.

Crouch took a bounce on the wet ground and the ball didn't bounce back to him so he was forced to give it off by hand. Lower bumped him and went to ground while Crouch continued on, received the handall back and kicked the goal. It really was Schoolboy stuff from Lower and I'm beginning to see why 2 other clubs had decided to move him on.

[Mantis]

If I may answer: A bit of mongrel.

He does, but in a football sense I'm not sure what he offers that we haven't already got ie. slowish/ hard midfielders with average/ below average skills.

If he is to tag his targets have to be better suited to the skill set he has.

[Topdog]

He does, but in a football sense I'm not sure what he offers that we haven't already got ie. slowish/ hard midfielders with average/ below average skills.

If he is to tag his targets have to be better suited to the skill set he has.

Agreed but that is a coaching issue not a player issue.

[Ozza]

Personally, I would have had Lower across half back yesterday (albeit not when Danger went forward).
Adelaide didn't have any pacy forwards yesterday in their standard line up, and Lower would have been suited to be playing down there for the day.

This week - playing against Selwood would not be unsuitable for him. Although another train of thought is that Wallis has another 'education' game playing on one of the best inside mids.

[G-Mo77]

1. The Adelaide coach is a knob. Completely disrespecting us with the comments about holding us to the lowest score in 50 years.

I didn't hear it but it seems like it's more of a pat on the back for their defensive effort rather than our inability to produce on the scoreboard. Was there more to his comments?

[Cyberdoggie]

He does, but in a football sense I'm not sure what he offers that we haven't already got ie. slowish/ hard midfielders with average/ below average skills.

If he is to tag his targets have to be better suited to the skill set he has.

That's exactly right, Lower seems a capable tagger but he's not quick, and lining him up on Deledio and Dangerfield has shown that he will struggle with these opponents.

Joel Selwood might be a better suited match for him this week.

[Ozza]

That's exactly right, Lower seems a capable tagger but he's not quick, and lining him up on Deledio and Dangerfield has shown that he will struggle with these opponents.

Joel Selwood might be a better suited match for him this week.

I think you mean Cotchin and not Deledio. But agree Dangerfield was an ordinary match up for him, whereas Selwood is a match up he is more physically suited to. Whether anyone can quell the influence of Selwood is another story altogether!

[always right]

I think that we get fixed on Lower as our number one tagger and naturally send him to the opposition's best player. He simply won't be the right match-up for any opposition midfielder with pace. We really need to see Lower and Picken as our tag team and give them the most appropriate matchup.

This week Picken should go to Selwood and Lower to someone like Bartel or perhaps even Johnson who tends to play more midfield than forward these days. Johnson may simply be too clever for Lower but neither he or Bartel are blessed with a lot of pace.

The other option is make Wallis go head to head with Selwood and send Picken to someone like Motlop who is getting under the guard of opposition every week. Sorry...I've gone off track in this thread.

[DOG GOD]

We have a non existent fwd line

Our skills are one of the worst in the league

I'm losing faith in our coaches

[F'scary]

Nice parting gift from Fantasia to give Williams a 3 year contract when he struggles to put together 3 games.

Come on, that's an average of only 1 per year for the next 3 years. Last year he played 3 games.