On 05/04/2014 at 10:16, P-man said:

Let the excuses begin as to why the Saints are able to produce efforts like this.

Experienced midfielders. They have Reiwoldt. Blah blah blah.

They want it more.

Our players should be ashamed watching this.

Spot on. I can't stand St Kilda but full credit to them. They never give up and want to prove the critics wrong at all costs. We don't have that drive for success.

Saints are killing the Eagles, embarrassing them.

If this wasn't at PS, it would be no where near competitive.

  On 05/04/2014 at 07:51, titan_uranus said:

Why was that indicative of anything? We've been denying everyone possession though. We had the ball for 53% of the game against West Coast.

Well yeah, I simplified it.

But I think it was too easy for us to cleanly deny Richmond possession, and we frustrated them.

I also simply just don't rate half their list.

17 clubs play with heart and love for their jumper

And then there is Melbourne

St Kilda's performance tonight must concern Roos and the players. It has to.

If a club that was, two weeks ago, favourites for the wooden spoon can force West Coast into this kind of scrap, what is wrong with us?

  On 05/04/2014 at 08:18, why you little said:

Hardwick will be in the gun sights now....

Never mind Hardwick, what about Brenton Sanderson? Adelaide not giving a yelp despite not having the injuries they had last year.

  On 05/04/2014 at 10:44, titan_uranus said:

Never mind Hardwick, what about Brenton Sanderson? Adelaide not giving a yelp despite not having the injuries they had last year.

Still without Tex who seems to be a bit of a talisman for them, but it doesn't help when Danger is playing like he has one eye on the exit.

  On 05/04/2014 at 10:44, titan_uranus said:

St Kilda's performance tonight must concern Roos and the players. It has to.

If a club that was, two weeks ago, favourites for the wooden spoon can force West Coast into this kind of scrap, what is wrong with us?

Never mind Hardwick, what about Brenton Sanderson? Adelaide not giving a yelp despite not having the injuries they had last year.

The Crows have lost a lot of players over the last 3 years. Some of it their fault.

Hardwick needs to get 9thmond well into the 8 this year otherwise Jungle drums...

Watching Essendon v Carlton is showing me two (and a half) things.

First, Essendon have to be a premiership threat this year. They were a kick away from beating Hawthorn last week, a team that 7 days later pantsed Fremantle. Their ball movement is fantastic, they don't have many holes in their list, and they have the genuine A-graders you need to get to the top. You don't have to like the team, the club, the drugs stuff, Dank, Hird, Thompson, whatever, but you have to give the players credit for sticking through it all and playing top-notch football throughout. Good on them I say.

Second, Carlton is awful. Some of their play resembles Melbourne. They go backwards and sideways because they have no idea how to progress the ball forward when under pressure, their skills are sub-par leading to unpressured turnovers, and they have a misfunctioning forward line. I don't think we are good enough to win next week, but I can see it being close.

The 'half' is that Malthouse, Neeld, Watters and Buckley all had similar ideas of how to build a team, and over the last few years that's seen Melbourne, St Kilda, Carlton and Collingwood either fall apart or stagnate worryingly despite copious talent. Buckley's changed his tactics this year, but otherwise, the common thread is hard to ignore I think.

  On 06/04/2014 at 10:58, titan_uranus said:

Watching Essendon v Carlton is showing me two (and a half) things.

First, Essendon have to be a premiership threat this year. They were a kick away from beating Hawthorn last week, a team that 7 days later pantsed Fremantle. Their ball movement is fantastic, they don't have many holes in their list, and they have the genuine A-graders you need to get to the top. You don't have to like the team, the club, the drugs stuff, Dank, Hird, Thompson, whatever, but you have to give the players credit for sticking through it all and playing top-notch football throughout. Good on them I say.

Second, Carlton is awful. Some of their play resembles Melbourne. They go backwards and sideways because they have no idea how to progress the ball forward when under pressure, their skills are sub-par leading to unpressured turnovers, and they have a misfunctioning forward line. I don't think we are good enough to win next week, but I can see it being close.

The 'half' is that Malthouse, Neeld, Watters and Buckley all had similar ideas of how to build a team, and over the last few years that's seen Melbourne, St Kilda, Carlton and Collingwood either fall apart or stagnate worryingly despite copious talent. Buckley's changed his tactics this year, but otherwise, the common thread is hard to ignore I think.

The curse of a tanking culture swallows up us and Carlton. Next week the battle of the tanked.

Essendon look slick, and it makes me sick.

I said last week on a training report thread that I hoped the players and Roos were training by watching replays of other teams.

Before they analyse their own game they could see how other teams are playing.

I saw alot of similarities in the poor things Carlton did yesterday with the way we played against the saints. Next week they will surely not be as bad but as they are playing the Malthouse method we should use this game to attack and tear them to shreds just like Essendon did

It may be time to say to the players OK we have seen this shyte for so long we need to see something different Run Case Tackle focus on the ball and focus on each other to get out of this mess. The alternative is that none of them will have a reputation (N Jones perhaps exempt) as they have shown only glimpses of potential but have been unable to sustain it.

Need to develop my thoughts further if only to show the players that I care.

Never thought I would say this but "Thank GOD for Carlton" they will cop all the press this week which may mean we face a fired up lot next week. But for now there is minimal press on us. Yesterday will be considered a slog in tough conditions where 1 team with a dominant ruckman broke away in the last quarter to win. Carlton on the other hand were diabolical and Mick will cop lots of heat this week. Alos consider that unlike last year when I doubt there were any games we thought that we were in a winnable position in we now have 2 out of the first 3 where we were in a winnable position and that has contributed to some of our negativity. The team has improved, just not enough yet to register a win.

  On 06/04/2014 at 12:18, P-man said:

Essendon look slick, and it makes me sick.

She'll be right mate, a few infraction notices will sort them right out.