Smells of it. Why were J and J pulled out of the team today?

Smells of it. Why were J and J pulled out of the team today?

Because they had calf injuries............so they say :S

Why would we need to tank when we're unlikely to finish below gc and gws and we're also 2 games and loads of percentage below port??

Plus we can't even qualify for the priority pick as u need 2 consecutive bad years (amazingly last year we won too many games to be classified as a bad year)

Wacko it's quite simple mate, we are just a very average football team. Look at the success 4 yrs of tanking has brought us! No need to go down that path again. We will finish bottom 3 even if we play at our very best for the rest of the year!

Why would we need to tank when we're unlikely to finish below gc and gws and we're also 2 games and loads of percentage below port??

Plus we can't even qualify for the priority pick as u need 2 consecutive bad years (amazingly last year we won too many games to be classified as a bad year)

No more Priority picks anymore: only at the discretion of the AFL.

No.... we just play that bad often

We dont have to try it just comes naturally.

When we play Bate, Dunn, Spencer, McDonald all in the one side, we will never really have to tank.

Apologies to any other spuds I missed.

I hope to Christ we are tanking, at least it would explain why so many areas were/are so poor, headlined by the coaching department.

tanking ?

try THINKING ...

you suppose we have a choice in the matter !!

I would be very angry if anyone from board level has been in Marks ear.

Im sure its just we suck.

No, just [censored].

Wacko it's quite simple mate, we are just a very average football team. Look at the success 4 yrs of tanking has brought us! No need to go down that path again. We will finish bottom 3 even if we play at our very best for the rest of the year!

4 years of tanking?

No.

4 years of being terrible with perhaps 1 - 2 games MAX that are "questionable" is more accurate

You even contradict yourself by saying we've tanked for 4 years yet even if we play to our absolute best we'll still be bottom 3 (implying we're not much chop)

Newsflash, we've been not much chop for 4 / 5 years now

Smells of it. Why were J and J pulled out of the team today?

Maybe because they had genuine calf strains? Why would we risk them? Neeld wouldn't tank.

What I find curious is that:

Bailey plays defenders in the forward line (i.e. warnock vs Tigers 2009) = tanking

Neeld play multiple defenders in the forward line = building versatility

No. We Tanked for 2 seasons, & even then we got shafted the Year we should have 'Tanked', we got shafted from within.

We should have had Cotchin. The Tiges would have had 1st pick & probably would have taken Kreuzer.

Now, we are just young & immature + inexperienced, X by changing learning gamestyle midstream.

Add to this players injured, & young players tired & sore...

What I find curious is that:

Bailey plays defenders in the forward line (i.e. warnock vs Tigers 2009) = tanking

Neeld play multiple defenders in the forward line = building versatility

Damn, I'm going to get smashed for this comment, but here goes; Neeld will either win us a flag in the next 5 years, or he will be responsible for us not playing finals this side of the next decade. The decisions he will have to make at the end of the year will determine where this Club will be come 2020+. I don't think there is anywhere in between flags (and plenty of them!) or dwelling in the cellar. The decisions will be genius-like, or they will sink us. I can't see us improving to the bottom part of the 8 and staying competitive for a few years and missing a chance, it WILL be flag or bust.

Will we see a statue of Mark out the front of the G at some stage in the future? I will continue to pull these splinters out of my arse while we find out.

What I find curious is that:

Bailey plays defenders in the forward line (i.e. warnock vs Tigers 2009) = tanking

Neeld play multiple defenders in the forward line = building versatility

Don't you understand we're trying to work out ways where we can find a spot for Davis to come in to get experience, so we try those who are holding him out up forward.

They helped us win a game just last week. If we were tanking surely we would have liked to lose to GWS to get them above us.

Clarkes injury isn't fictitious.

Davey is sore with a tight hammy & is hopeful of coming back.

Trenners is carrying niggles.

Watts has been one of our best in the back.

So player development is the key to our Future, but hurt us yesterday.

Not tanking. Just not good enough given the outs (Jurrah, Clark, Jamar, Jones, Bartram, Green, Davey), plus losing Tom Mac in the first.

I'd also throw in the slow development of Strauss and Gysberts due to injury, as another two players missing...

Our list is no way near good enough to withstand such outs. However, there were competitive in and around the ball, just lacked finish...

Edited July 2, 201213 yr by PaulRB

As far as I'm concerned we didn't tank for two years - we tanked for one match.

Yesterday was not tanking - it was a lack of fundamental skills leading to a sloppy performance that was duly punished by an interstate team on home soil.

As far as I'm concerned we didn't tank for two years - we tanked for one match.

Yesterday was not tanking - it was a lack of fundamental skills leading to a sloppy performance that was duly punished by an interstate team on home soil.

It's been happening all year HG. While you have to give the coach time to implement game plans, especially when he is coming from as far back as he is, you can't excuse poor skill execution to new coaching styles.

Can it be blamed on the coach? There's easily an arguement for both sides on that one, just depends on who you want to try and blame.

Personally I don't see it as an issue of blame.

Our team has terrible skills - it is what it is.

Whether it's the fault of the players for not working hard enough, for Bailey not making it an imperative or for Neeld focusing too much on other areas - whatever it is doesn't bother me, it's our shocking skills that bother me. It will certainly be a focus going forward but I do also think it is something that will improve as confidence grows in our structures, styles and as players become more experienced.

For that I look at Geelong - when they're up and about mentally they hit such a large percentage of targets. When they're off, they almost look like us - they just have the experience to be in the right places and choose good options when they get it. (Not sure if anyone watched yesterday's Cats game but it was appalling)

Personally I don't see it as an issue of blame.

Our team has terrible skills - it is what it is.

Whether it's the fault of the players for not working hard enough, for Bailey not making it an imperative or for Neeld focusing too much on other areas - whatever it is doesn't bother me, it's our shocking skills that bother me. It will certainly be a focus going forward but I do also think it is something that will improve as confidence grows in our structures, styles and as players become more experienced.

For that I look at Geelong - when they're up and about mentally they hit such a large percentage of targets. When they're off, they almost look like us - they just have the experience to be in the right places and choose good options when they get it. (Not sure if anyone watched yesterday's Cats game but it was appalling)

I shouldn't use the word "blame", perhaps I need to ask who is going to take responsibility. Is it up to the leadership group to get the team together and do extra skills work? Is it up to the coach to change training programs to make sure more effort is put in to skills? It may improve with confidence, but I can't understand why players have lost it.

I'm sure a lot of things are happening at training to improve this - every drill can only work with good ball use. Like you, it bothers me how shocking their skills are, and I just want to see my team hit targets.

I think as the game plan comes together and players gain experience it will certainly improve - I suppose you'd have to say it's an issue for the coaches as I'd assume they're the ones who map out the program.

As far as I understand the sports science side, I don't think it's a matter of just doing more sessions. Improving kicking and hand balling requires, IMO, conditions that mirror match-situations. Going forward it will be Neeld et. al.'s responsibility and players who don't improve won't have responsibility to improve, it'll be a requirement that if they don't achieve they'll be cut.

Don't you understand we're trying to work out ways where we can find a spot for Davis to come in to get experience, so we try those who are holding him out up forward.

They helped us win a game just last week. If we were tanking surely we would have liked to lose to GWS to get them above us.

Clarkes injury isn't fictitious.

Davey is sore with a tight hammy & is hopeful of coming back.

Trenners is carrying niggles.

Watts has been one of our best in the back.

So player development is the key to our Future, but hurt us yesterday.

I also don't believe we are tanking for a minute. My point was more around perceptions. We were perceived to be tanking in 2009 but this time around we are not despite a similar situation regarding high draft picks. Just shows how fickle perceptions can be.