Some light at the end of the tunnel

[heartbeatstrue 57]

First thread i have started so see how it goes,

Timely thread, thanks DF26!

Big Max Gawn is a positive. My biggest worry (and I believe our big liability) is the quality of the coaching. If you were a player with your whole career (or what's left of it) before you, once you lose confidence in the coach and his style and game plan (such as it is), then you'd be stupid not to bail out. We simply can't afford any more of that.

As a club we need to nurture our positives, and ditch the liabilities.

[The Chazz 4,077]

Read somewhere (may have been the MFC website) that our score on the weekend was the 4th largest we have kicked under Neeld, and our largest against a non-franchise team (under Neeld).

Not sure where this can be brought up, but seeing a bit of Sylvia love above, thought I'd put it in here...

Did anyone notice the golden opportunity that Col had to bury Moloney on the weekend, only to see him lay a late, "nice" tackle, giving Moloney enough time to get an effective handball away? Brisbane were going to the left of screen (may have been 3rd quarter?). I only saw it once, haven't seen a replay since, but firs tlook seemed a perfect opportunity for Col to make a statement to not only Moloney, but the MFC. He didn't.

[stuie 7,374]

He is has a great kick.

Also the ball tends not to reach our inside 50 much so he shouldnt be so tired

Manger or Couch, preferably Magner (would like Couch to develop a bit more) will take a lot of weight off Jones: his work rate isnt sustainable and heaven forbid if something happens to him we will not have a midfeild.

Clearly was just a spelling mistake stuie, considering I spelt it right beforein the same post and previous ones, but great to see youve still got a sense of humor! With all those negative nancy posts and I thought you might have turned into WYL.

I'm not setting Magner or Couch up to be saviours. Will they improve the mid. Yes. Does it help to take the work load off nugget. Yes. Is it a chance for Magner to get some more AFL experience. Yes

They are better than nothing and only would be in because of Clark.

I'm just hoping that with our recruiting/drafting this offseason that Magner and Couch won't be best 22 players. VERY handy depth players though, and I'd be wrapped if Magner got some games this year as he's desperately needed in there.

[CHAMP 347]

First thread i have started so see how it goes,

One thing i have been really impressed with in the last two rounds in particular is we are kicking good scores,

for a team that is getting belted out of the middle basically every game, and the last two clark has kicked one goal and dawes has not played, to score 94 and 144 points in these games shows we have good options up forward and we can score that much without winning the ball out of the middle, against poor sides sure but we also scored 83 against west coast.

To me this says we are on the way to being a good team, if we recruit a couple of mids, start getting first hands on the ball, get the confidence up, the pressure comes off the defence which i think is quite solid, and we should in theory be quite a good team.

winning clearances with clark, dawes and hogan up forward next season and we might well be able to do something similar to what port power are doing this year.

if Mark Neeld is coach or not i think we may find we are nowhere near as far off as our on field performances are suggesting.

Thoughts?

Are these the "Blue Skies" Neeld was talking about last year (or was the term a Baileyism).

[The Red Fox 216]

Cant wait to see how Coauch and Manger fair in the AFL next year.

Mate you had all of last year to watch Magner in the AFL... (irrespective of the fact that he was played out of position) he doesn't have the skills or the smarts.

[rjay 24,917]

Don't care what rules are in play, to score around the 100 mark without your main forwards having any sort of impact and getting smashed out of the middle is a huge positive

Against a side that has been getting crunched and the doggies beat by over 60 points and GWS who have what defence. It's well and good to be positive but come on lets be real about it.

Same might be said of Tynan & Taggart - the invisibles

Well now if I'm looking for positives Taggert is one for me, he has played all games at Casey, finally not injured and is playing some good footy. Check some of his work in the highlights this week. Will play this year if he doesn't get injured.

The light at the end of the tunnel for me is tomorrow when Jackson starts work with the club.

[Craig Drinker 179]

First thread i have started so see how it goes,

One thing i have been really impressed with in the last two rounds in particular is we are kicking good scores,

for a team that is getting belted out of the middle basically every game, and the last two clark has kicked one goal and dawes has not played, to score 94 and 144 points in these games shows we have good options up forward and we can score that much without winning the ball out of the middle, against poor sides sure but we also scored 83 against west coast.

To me this says we are on the way to being a good team, if we recruit a couple of mids, start getting first hands on the ball, get the confidence up, the pressure comes off the defence which i think is quite solid, and we should in theory be quite a good team.

winning clearances with clark, dawes and hogan up forward next season and we might well be able to do something similar to what port power are doing this year.

if Mark Neeld is coach or not i think we may find we are nowhere near as far off as our on field performances are suggesting.

Thoughts?

I also think our list is not that bad.

Where we are failing I believe is that far too much emphasis is being placed on tackle counts and not enough on being FIRST in for the ball. On numerous occasions I have seen one of our guys in the prime position to go in and grab the ball only to wait for the opposition player to pick it up so our guy can then lay a tackle.If you are in first for the ball you may break clear with it or receive a free kick from the umpire. A far more important statistic to give weight to is the 'Hard Ball Get' imo !

The other thing standing out to me is that our defensive zone is clearly far too easy to penetrate. It is not working!! I am wondering whether Neeld will persist with this ad nauseaum.

If we can improve in the abovementioned areas, I really think that our list is not that far off it. Thoughts??

[Ted Lasso 19,507]

We know our issue is our midfield, Magner and couch are mature bodies who if nothing else will provide support to Jones and co which is a good thing,

the biggest thing to work on this year is stopping teams running through the middle so easily, and getting rid of this zone, Neeld wants our young defence to learn how to play, lets go one on one and teach them, wins and losses aren't as important as setting in place the right habbits and structures,

Odds are Neeld won't be our coach next year, the bonus being that these positive things will remain, fix up the zone and stop the ball moving forward as easy and the wheel starts turning, add to our midfield and get our forwards on the park and it keeps turning and then build the confidence in our guys like grimes, trengove, toumpas, viney and see them become elite level players

all this can happen in 2/3 years

[T-34 409]

Mate you had all of last year to watch Magner in the AFL... (irrespective of the fact that he was played out of position) he doesn't have the skills or the smarts.

Against a side that has been getting crunched and the doggies beat by over 60 points and GWS who have what defence. It's well and good to be positive but come on lets be real about it.

Well now if I'm looking for positives Taggert is one for me, he has played all games at Casey, finally not injured and is playing some good footy. Check some of his work in the highlights this week. Will play this year if he doesn't get injured.

The light at the end of the tunnel for me is tomorrow when Jackson starts work with the club.

Doesn't take long for the thread to get hijacked does it.

There are plenty of opportunities to [censored] and moan on 95% of the other threads.

I'm looking forward to seeing Dean Kent get a game, looks a likely type and has had to work hard to make it.

Have also enjoyed seeing Max play as his enthusiasm seems infectious.

There is reason to stay positive.

[PJ_12345 1,098]

Mate you had all of last year to watch Magner in the AFL... (irrespective of the fact that he was played out of position) he doesn't have the skills or the smarts.

I can say that about every new drafted player in their first year.

He was in the draft for 7 years. All he has played is VFL.

He needs time like every other draftee to get the extra skills and be developed; of which only and AFL team can provide - he already has the body.

You're writing off a player after 1 year in which he only played 17 games.

You're one tough customer Red Fox!

Ps, might I add he was #15 last year for disposals, #5 for tackles, #7 for contested disposals, #4 for clearances - not bad for a guy who doesnt have the skills or the smarts and in his first year

Edited April 30, 2013 by PJ_12345

[rjay 24,917]

Doesn't take long for the thread to get hijacked does it.

There are plenty of opportunities to [censored] and moan on 95% of the other threads.

I'm looking forward to seeing Dean Kent get a game, looks a likely type and has had to work hard to make it.

Have also enjoyed seeing Max play as his enthusiasm seems infectious.

There is reason to stay positive.

What a stupid comment, because someone thinks the premiss of the thread is based on false logic and says so it doesn't mean the thread is being hijacked.

[Ted Lasso 19,507]

What a stupid comment, because someone thinks the premiss of the thread is based on false logic and says so it doesn't mean the thread is being hijacked.

I admire the amount of logic behind going to one of the only positive threads and posting negative comments, i don't see how scoring around 100 points in games without our big forwards kicking goals is anything but a positive regardless of the opposition,

I understand being a demons supporter can be tough, but things like this only make it tougher.

[rjay 24,917]

I admire the amount of logic behind going to one of the only positive threads and posting negative comments, i don't see how scoring around 100 points in games without our big forwards kicking goals is anything but a positive regardless of the opposition,

I understand being a demons supporter can be tough, but things like this only make it tougher.

It's head in the sand BS mate.

[bing181 9,218]

... the biggest thing to work on this year is stopping teams running through the middle so easily, and getting rid of this zone, Neeld wants our young defence to learn how to play

We don't play a zone. Neeld and Craig have both said so in the past, and Neeld repeated it in the Press Conference (that everyone was so keen to dissect word by word) on the weekend.

Yet another anti-Neeld misconception based on a fallacy.

[Ted Lasso 19,507]

It's head in the sand BS mate.

Perhaps, but i'd rather be positive about things.

[T-34 409]

It's head in the sand BS mate.

Maybe you can start a "head in the sand " thread instead of pissing on this one.

[bing181 9,218]

It's head in the sand BS mate.

People have either short or selective memories, because by any measure, kicking 14 goals on the road (without Clark etc.) is clearly an improvement on last year.

We could only muster 8 goals against Brisbane in 2012. Though even that was better than the 5 we managed against both Freeo and Sydney - and about equal to what we managed against WCE ... and Port. All losses, and most, huge losses. Our crowning achievement on the road last year was 11 goals against GWS in Canberra.

[Mr Steve 3,820]

I can see light and by end of year some real improvement. Just hope we don't lose any required players at years end.

[Ted Lasso 19,507]

People have either short or selective memories, because by any measure, kicking 14 goals on the road (without Clark etc.) is clearly an improvement on last year.

We could only muster 8 goals against Brisbane in 2012. Though even that was better than the 5 we managed against both Freeo and Sydney - and about equal to what we managed against WCE ... and Port. All losses, and most, huge losses. Our crowning achievement on the road last year was 11 goals against GWS in Canberra.

Improvement is there, and winning the ball out of the middle will add to that, i don't think we are out of the woods by a long shot, but with so much doom and gloom around it's nice to look at one thing and say that could definitely take us somewhere.

[stuie 7,374]

We don't play a zone. Neeld and Craig have both said so in the past, and Neeld repeated it in the Press Conference (that everyone was so keen to dissect word by word) on the weekend.

Yet another anti-Neeld misconception based on a fallacy.

Haha... Have you watched any games? Either we ARE playing a zone and Neeld isn't telling, or we AREN'T meant to be playing a zone and Neeld is failing, because we sure as hell ARE trying to play a zone.

[stuie 7,374]

People have either short or selective memories, because by any measure, kicking 14 goals on the road (without Clark etc.) is clearly an improvement on last year.

We could only muster 8 goals against Brisbane in 2012. Though even that was better than the 5 we managed against both Freeo and Sydney - and about equal to what we managed against WCE ... and Port. All losses, and most, huge losses. Our crowning achievement on the road last year was 11 goals against GWS in Canberra.

I thought all the "alternative scoreboards" left with Bailey....

[PJ_12345 1,098]

I'm just hoping that with our recruiting/drafting this offseason that Magner and Couch won't be best 22 players. VERY handy depth players though, and I'd be wrapped if Magner got some games this year as he's desperately needed in there.

A pretty negative way at looking at nurtring and developing players - you don't draft players hoping they wont develop and that our standards lift so they dont be in our 22.

Why do you want him to fail stuie?

FFS last year was his first year and he played better footy than most of our 22.

As I said to The Red Fox he: was #15 last year for disposals, #5 for tackles, #7 for contested disposals, #4 for clearances.

Please enlighten me as to why you dont want a player who is better than most of our 22, trains harder than most of our 22, as you said who is now obviously needed in our 22, to develop and be in our 22 in the future?

Its weird that we consider our list short of talent but you dont want our talent to grow...

[Bitter but optimistic 22,237]

Another "Pollyanna" thread. They come up every year. Sorry guys but I will not see positives until we string some wins together and gain some respect. Wins! Wins are the only way to taken seriously - that i9s the only stat that is worth shite.

[stuie 7,374]

Improvement is there

No, it's not.

2012

Ranked last in disposals

Ave losing margin 50

Percentage 67.49

2013 (So far)

Ranked last in disposals

Aver losing margin 87.25

Percentage 57.16%

[stuie 7,374]

A pretty negative way at looking at nurtring and developing players - you don't draft players hoping they wont develop and that our standards lift so they dont be in our 22.

Why do you want him to fail stuie?

FFS last year was his first year and he played better footy than most of our 22.

As I said to The Red Fox he: was #15 last year for disposals, #5 for tackles, #7 for contested disposals, #4 for clearances.

Please enlighten me as to why you dont want a player who is better than most of our 22, trains harder than most of our 22, as you said who is now obviously needed in our 22, to develop and be in our 22 in the future?

Its weird that we consider our list short of talent but you dont want our talent to grow...

I don't want him to fail, I like Magner, I'm just hoping our team/list will improve enough that he won't be good enough to be regular 22.

Hope you get where I'm coming from?