Bankers & Anchors: Rnd 22, 2021 vs Hawthorn

[Yankee Hotel Foxtrot]

This is the round 22, 2021 edition of the weekly Bankers and Anchors thread. Once the game against Hawthorn is concluded post your nominations for:

The Bankers = 3 guys/aspects of the game that we banked on to do the right thing during the game
The Anchors = 3 guys/aspects of the game that weighed us down by their errors or poor play

Please limit it to no more than three of each player or aspect of the game, but feel free to make honourable/dishonourable mentions. As usual try to make it constructive criticism.

Try and restrict it to individual players rather than aspects of the overall match - I will allow more freedom now as the thread seems to be going down more of the aspects of the game path so you can have 3 for each made up of aspects of the game and individual players.

The thread is named in honour of a popular WOOF Contributor, The Banker, who passed away on 22/04/2012 after a six month battle with cancer.

[bulldogtragic]

B

Cody. At least he tried.


A

Pretty much most. JJ selfish. Hannan fumbles. Mids don’t defend. Smith isn’t off limits to trade. Hunter butchering everything in the first half. Wood not taking a tackle over the line and coughing one up. Etc. etc.
2021 - what a ducking waste of time and effort

[merantau]

Bankers

I didn't see the whole game. Libba and Bont tried their guts out. Cody chased and chased. Cordy saved one certain goal.
Bailey Dale tried to create.

Anchors

JJ is horribly out of form
Hannan is not giving anything at the moment.
Tim English is a pinch hit ruck

[bornadog]

Bankers

* Cody Weightman's two goals
* Young's big mark over Ceglar
* Naughton's marking when he looks like he won't get there.

Anchors

* Centre clearances - got killed
* Disposal Efficiency, just didn't adapt to conditions
* Disappointing to lose when we had top 4 in the bag

[Ozza]

Bankers:

Dale across half back. At least tried to make things happen.
Libba - Most tackles, plenty of footy.
Macrae - Second most tackles, most footy - turns up every week.

Anchors:

Tim English - shameful performance in the ruck. I don't understand how he is so brave in the air (marking) and lacks that completely in the ruck. If the coaches didn't challenge his character strongly during and after the game, then I don't know what we're doing with him. Was his worst effort since he cost us a final last year.

Lewis Young - I have no interest in him as a player. If you can't provide a consistently strong contest, then you don't have a place.

JJ - I've been a defender of his because of the attributes he brings that we are not in over supply of. But the missed tackles and at times underwhelming efforts in contested situations deflates us.


Banker/Anchors:

Weightman & VDM ; I love the endeavour - but you've got to be smart about it, and they gave up sloppy free kicks that were really costly. When you work that hard to score and give away free kicks inside 50 - its a real downer.

[Mantis]

Bankers:

Dale across half back. At least tried to make things happen.
Libba - Most tackles, plenty of footy.
Macrae - Second most tackles, most footy - turns up every week.

Anchors:

Tim English - shameful performance in the ruck. I don't understand how he is so brave in the air (marking) and lacks that completely in the ruck. If the coaches didn't challenge his character strongly during and after the game, then I don't know what we're doing with him. Was his worst effort since he cost us a final last year.

Lewis Young - I have no interest in him as a player. If you can't provide a consistently strong contest, then you don't have a place.

JJ - I've been a defender of his because of the attributes he brings that we are not in over supply of. But the missed tackles and at times underwhelming efforts in contested situations deflates us.


Banker/Anchors:

Weightman & VDM ; I love the endeavour - but you've got to be smart about it, and they gave up sloppy free kicks that were really costly. When you work that hard to score and give away free kicks inside 50 - its a real downer.

Could you actually pick an easier target?

[comrade]

Massive anchor to our constant fumbling. I’ve never seen it as bad as the weekend and it just killed any ability to break from a contest and find space. JJ, Baz and Hannan stood out but it was rife across the group outside of a few. On the flip side, Hawthorn were clean and composed.

[Ozza]

Could you actually pick an easier target?

Have I ever "targeted" him before?

He's in his 5th year at the footy club. You can pretend he's something he isn't all you want - but what I'm seeing is why he's only played 21 games in that time. You obviously see something different in his game, and I hope you're right.

My original view was that Sweet should have played, not Young. I'm not a huge Sweet fan, but at least you know what you're going to get in the ruck contests. But like everyone else, Young's flexibility seduced in me the idea that it may work well having him come in.

[bornadog]

Have I ever "targeted" him before?

He's in his 5th year at the footy club. You can pretend he's something he isn't all you want - but what I'm seeing is why he's only played 21 games in that time. You obviously see something different in his game, and I hope you're right.

My original view was that Sweet should have played, not Young. I'm not a huge Sweet fan, but at least you know what you're going to get in the ruck contests. But like everyone else, Young's flexibility seduced in me the idea that it may work well having him come in.

I tend to agree with you, however, do you think Young is playing out of position and he should be tried in one role instead of ruck, forward, back?

[Ozza]

I tend to agree with you, however, do you think Young is playing out of position and he should be tried in one role instead of ruck, forward, back?

What is his role?
For me, if he's not in our first 2 choices for tall defender, then he doesn't have a role. He can't play forward, and he can't ruck. We either decide he is a tall defender, or we let him go.

[Mantis]

Have I ever "targeted" him before?

He's in his 5th year at the footy club. You can pretend he's something he isn't all you want - but what I'm seeing is why he's only played 21 games in that time. You obviously see something different in his game, and I hope you're right.

My original view was that Sweet should have played, not Young. I'm not a huge Sweet fan, but at least you know what you're going to get in the ruck contests. But like everyone else, Young's flexibility seduced in me the idea that it may work well having him come in.

I understand where he fit's into our plans given the MC don't pick him and when they do he isn't given the same luxuries as others given he's you-yo'ed relentlessly, but he was the least of our troubles.

The lack of intent by our midfielders to defend was/is disgusting... all of them. Their complete inability to read the situation and batten down the hatches is *!*!*!*!ing embarrassing. It's all see ball, get ball and until the penny drops that they need to limit the opposition when we aren't playing well we are pushing shit up hill.

[Mantis]

What is his role?
For me, if he's not in our first 2 choices for tall defender, then he doesn't have a role. He can't play forward, and he can't ruck. We either decide he is a tall defender, or we let him go.

We have shown our cards by playing Cordy in front of him all year so he needs to be let go... but we see the same flaws in Cordy's game every week and we continue to back him in. I guess why he is still crunching players after he's out-pointed he is showing the competitive hardness we need.. absolutely laughable.

[Danjul]

Have I ever "targeted" him before?

He's in his 5th year at the footy club. You can pretend he's something he isn't all you want - but what I'm seeing is why he's only played 21 games in that time. You obviously see something different in his game, and I hope you're right.

My original view was that Sweet should have played, not Young. I'm not a huge Sweet fan, but at least you know what you're going to get in the ruck contests. But like everyone else, Young's flexibility seduced in me the idea that it may work well having him come in.
Young had 15 possessions (4 marks).

Keath had 6 possessions (2 marks). I was amazed by how often and easily Keath was brushed aside and outmarked.
Naughton had 8 possessions (in a forward line that scored 1 behind in the last 50 minutes of the game).
Dunkley and English combined kicked the ball 10 times. No wonder the ball didnÂ’t go into our 50 often enough.

And you noticed Young as a reason we lost? If they gave him a position and put 20 games into him he would be one of our best.

And I agree with you that Sweet should have played, but he should have played in the previous game too.

[bornadog]

What is his role?
For me, if he's not in our first 2 choices for tall defender, then he doesn't have a role. He can't play forward, and he can't ruck. We either decide he is a tall defender, or we let him go.

That is what I am saying.

[Ozza]

Young had 15 possessions (4 marks).

Keath had 6 possessions (2 marks). I was amazed by how often and easily Keath was brushed aside and outmarked.
Naughton had 8 possessions (in a forward line that scored 1 behind in the last 50 minutes of the game).
Dunkley and English combined kicked the ball 10 times. No wonder the ball didnÂ’t go into our 50 often enough.

And you noticed Young as a reason we lost? If they gave him a position and put 20 games into him he would be one of our best.

And I agree with you that Sweet should have played, but he should have played in the previous game too.

The thread asks for 3 anchors. I could give you 22 players that are the reason we lost. I've given English, Young and JJ as the 3. Doesn't mean i'm not frustrated with others.
I'm frustrated that Dunkley and Treloar haven't been good since being back from long term injuries - and that our midfield hasn't got the attack/defence balance right since coming back. But undoubtedly - both are going to have a big say in whether we win a final or finals.
The comments on Keath blow me away. He's been outstanding this year, and would be top 3 in our B&F.

Comparing Young's stats to our full forward or full back is absolute nonsense to me. When has it ever mattered how many disposals a full back gets? Naughton played full forward in a side that got 35 inside 50s....at least he took 3 contested grabs on a shocking day to be a tall forward competing against multiple others in the air.

In my view - our poor efforts in the ruck was a standout area where we lost the game, and as such our two 'ruckman' on the day were in my anchors. The absence of effort and competitiveness in the ruck was the biggest weakness in last years final, and its shaping up as our biggest hurdle this year also.

Its not the ONLY reason we lost, its not the ONLY area we need to fix. For me, its the biggest. Look at the disposal counts as much as you want - its not going to tell you what is happening in the game.

[Jeanette54]

By far the biggest anchor for me was our inability to win centre bounces, and (more than that) the lack of someone willing to address the problem ? Why did not the players adapt without instruction, or why did not the coach/coaches organise a counter strategy ? What do all those people on lap tops during the match contribute ? Are they just playing the latest computer game ?

[Mofra]

By far the biggest anchor for me was our inability to win centre bounces, and (more than that) the lack of someone willing to address the problem ? Why did not the players adapt without instruction, or why did not the coach/coaches organise a counter strategy ? What do all those people on lap tops during the match contribute ? Are they just playing the latest computer game ?
When we can compete in the ruck the ball drops closer to the contest and Libba is the best phone box player in the competition.
When we get dominated in the ruck the opposition ruckman can clear the ball a little which takes away Libba's advantage. Teams have worked out they can't let our mids shark the ball.