So… how do we kick 12/14+goals each week?

[azabob]

So after 3 games we're averaging 88 points (equivalent to 14 goals).

17.11.113 against Norf 14.13.97
10.10.70 against pies 10.16.76
12.11.83 against Blues 11.9.75

Darcy has 7 goals, VDM 5, Naughton and Mcneil 4, Sanders 3 and a bunch of mids/hf/HB on 2 goals.

How do you think the coaches are feeling about the offence component of our games? Are we making the most of our opportunities? Better or worse than previous years?

Definitely room for improvement but we would be happy with our output so far.

Naughton last two matches have been average. Clearly he is carrying an injury and did not train until after Xmas.

Without looking into it, I don’t think we are getting as many inside 50’s compared to previous years and two extremely talented forwards in Weightman and Marra missing we are going ok.

[Go_Dogs]

Quality bump on a high quality thread.

By the averages we’re going ok but that’s the problem with averages…. I think we’d like an extra goal kicker or two who can consistently impact the scoreboard. It self resolves when we get a few more back from injury, so I’m not worried per se. We’ll just have to continue to rely on our defensive capabilities

[GVGjr]

Quality bump on a high quality thread.

By the averages we’re going ok but that’s the problem with averages…. I think we’d like an extra goal kicker or two who can consistently impact the scoreboard. It self resolves when we get a few more back from injury, so I’m not worried per se. We’ll just have to continue to rely on our defensive capabilities

Losing notable goal kickers in Ugle-Hagan and Weightman for a long period from our forward line and then goal kicking from Bontempelli and Treloar from our midfield is going to test us.
Darcy in the ruck and Naughton's form are other challenges.

The next could of weeks might test our goal scoring power

[jazzadogs]

Losing notable goal kickers in Ugle-Hagan and Weightman for a long period from our forward line and then goal kicking from Bontempelli and Treloar from our midfield is going to test us.
Darcy in the ruck and Naughton's form are other challenges.

The next could of weeks might test our goal scoring power

I wonder if we are comfortable kicking around 10-12 goals (while Bont and co are out), but focussing more on our defence to keep other teams to 8-10 goals?

[Bornadog]

Doing ok - currently sitting second on goals for. Didn't kick enough in our losses, but have kicked 17 twice and 18 once.

[hujsh]

Doing ok - currently sitting second on goals for. Didn't kick enough in our losses, but have kicked 17 twice and 18 once.

True, it will be even more difficult now with Darcy out for most if not all of the year and Weightman possibly not providing reinforcements.

Really relying on cameos to keep the scoreboard pressure up

[Bulldog Joe]

True, it will be even more difficult now with Darcy out for most if not all of the year and Weightman possibly not providing reinforcements.

Really relying on cameos to keep the scoreboard pressure up

I think we are more relying on system.

We are creating opportunities with our style of play.

[jazzadogs]

True, it will be even more difficult now with Darcy out for most if not all of the year and Weightman possibly not providing reinforcements.

Really relying on cameos to keep the scoreboard pressure up

Cameos from players playing in the forward line, though.

We had to replace the forwards with someone...and those someone's have kicked
12 Naughton
10 West
7 Kennedy, McNeil, Sanders, Harmes
5 VDM, Freijah

JOD kicked 3 in his games as a forward, Buku has kicked one when he's forward, Lobb has kicked a couple.

If we can get VDM/Harmes/McNeil all back in the same side, add in Treloar who loves a goal, more output from Bont, get some stability with the Buku/Naughton partnership...we will keep creating the opportunities, and these guys are capable of capitalising on them.

[Bornadog]

I think we are more relying on system.

We are creating opportunities with our style of play.

Yes agree, we are top three for inside 50s

[hujsh]

I think we are more relying on system.

We are creating opportunities with our style of play.

I agree with this. I do still wonder if we may struggle without more defined 'goal kickers' at certain points when we things aren't quite going our way.

[Mantis]

I agree with this. I do still wonder if we may struggle without more defined 'goal kickers' at certain points when we things aren't quite going our way.

Our midfield is as good, if not better than every other team in the competition, and it has incredible depth now, and even more so when Treloar returns… if they get their hands dirty we will simply overwhelm teams and get the ball going our way more often than not.

[hujsh]

Our midfield is as good, if not better than every other team in the competition, and it has incredible depth now, and even more so when Treloar returns… if they get their hands dirty we will simply overwhelm teams and get the ball going our way more often than not.

I was going to call back to the Hawks final (and a few recent Hawks games tbh) as examples where our much vaunted midfield did not manage to overwhelm our opposition, but in those games we had all of JUH, Weightman and Darcy in the side so it discounts my initial point too.

[Mantis]

I was going to call back to the Hawks final (and a few recent Hawks games tbh) as examples where our much vaunted midfield did not manage to overwhelm our opposition, but in those games we had all of JUH, Weightman and Darcy in the side so it discounts my initial point too.

In that Haw game we didn't have Kennedy, we used Bont poorly, had a hobbled Treloar, Libba was struggling to get across the ground, had Freijah in defence and had a less combative version of English to what we are seeing now.

Still a long way to go, but the signs are looking promising to what we can achieve this year.

[mighty_west]

In that Haw game we didn't have Kennedy, we used Bont poorly, had a hobbled Treloar, Libba was struggling to get across the ground, had Freijah in defence and had a less combative version of English to what we are seeing now.

Still a long way to go, but the signs are looking promising to what we can achieve this year.

Kennedy has been an absolute revelation to our mix, not only in the middle but kicks goals too and actually playing like a better version of Dunkley, Libba looked on his last legs last season to now in career best form in a complete turnaround, English had been building slowly from the start of the season to the past few games where he is starting to be an influence, he's starting to beat rucks that owned him in the past and his biggest strength "marking" is probably the one piece of his game that can improve even though he tops or was on top of the marks taken by ruckmen ladder, i wish we could play that final again with the midfield we have now, plus i think the overall energy of the group in that final must have been shot given what was happening at the time with Jamarra.

[Bulldog Joe]

I was going to call back to the Hawks final (and a few recent Hawks games tbh) as examples where our much vaunted midfield did not manage to overwhelm our opposition, but in those games we had all of JUH, Weightman and Darcy in the side so it discounts my initial point too.

The much vaunted midfield is far superior this year to 2024

For the loss of Macrae we have Kennedy and I see that as a massive plus for the way we play.

We also have the significant improvement from Sanders and Freijah. I am also confident that Harmes is now an additional plus.

We also have much better wing coverage