GAME DAY - ROUND 1, 2013

[Rollo2 64]

Just got home after leaving at three quarter time. Have to say for me it's not as disappointing as round 1 last year – purely because last year I had higher expectations.

I think what today showed is that trying to fill holes with recycled players is really only something that can work for top teams. The recycled players need to fit into slots around on-field leadership structures. We expect them to come in and BE the leadership structures. But what I think we saw today is that Pederson, Gillies, Byrnes, Rodan, M Jones etc are not going to be any better than S Martin, Petterd, Moloney, Bennell, Morton & Gysberts were, and that this is probably going to mean the end of Mark Neeld. In other words, it wasn't, as Neeld would have probably liked to believe, a handful of rotten apples spoiling the club's systems or 'culture' - it was and still is a team lacking any top-tier talent, unwilling and unable to take the game on and create the opportunities to win games.

Port were all over us today. Every single time we had the ball they wanted it back and fiercely fought for it back, because they knew they were the better, stronger, fitter team. The third quarter was as bad an effort as i've seen. How the players could come out after half time flat-footed in round one and not offer a shot against an opponent as beatable as Port, and at our home ground, is beyond me. It's actually pretty remarkable how bad we were today.

[Whispering_Jack 30,652]

Game's over and if anyone has anything to say about the game then the post game discussion is here.

[Good Times Grimes 2,396]

Just got home after leaving at three quarter time. Have to say for me it's not as disappointing as round 1 last year – purely because last year I had higher expectations.

I think what today showed is that trying to fill holes with recycled players is really only something that can work for top teams. The recycled players need to fit into slots around on-field leadership structures. We expect them to come in and BE the leadership structures. But what I think we saw today is that Pederson, Gillies, Byrnes, Rodan, M Jones etc are not going to be any better than S Martin, Petterd, Moloney, Bennell, Morton & Gysberts were, and that this is probably going to mean the end of Mark Neeld. In other words, it wasn't, as Neeld would have probably liked to believe, a handful of rotten apples spoiling the club's systems or 'culture' - it was and still is a team lacking any top-tier talent, unwilling and unable to take the game on and create the opportunities to win games.

Port were all over us today. Every single time we had the ball they wanted it back and fiercely fought for it back, because they knew they were the better, stronger, fitter team. The third quarter was as bad an effort as i've seen. How the players could come out after half time flat-footed in round one and not offer a shot against an opponent as beatable as Port, and at our home ground, is beyond me. It's actually pretty remarkable how bad we were today.

That's not fair, he was easily one of our best. At least he looked like he was trying.