4 hours ago, Clint Bizkit said:

Pathetic, anyone who thinks there were positives out of this game needs their head checked.

I have serious concerns about our coaching going forward. Our structure and inability to carry out the most simple of football decisions afrer almost three years is frightening.

I'll give you two very positives 

1 Sam Frost ( will become a sensational rebounding defender in the next year or two.

2 Billy Stretch, I thought his first half very impressive !

1 minute ago, picket fence said:

I'll give you two very positives 

1 Sam Frost ( will become a sensational rebounding defender in the next year or two.

2 Billy Stretch, I thought his first half very impressive !

Watts too.

32 minutes ago, Red and Bluebeard said:

Hogan didn't have a great game, but did seem to persist. There was one time in the first quarter I think when we had the ball from a mark outside the 50, and Watts ran past him to lead, and ended up with the mark and a shot at goal. I thought at the time that if Jesse would make a habit of leading like Watts did that that surely makes him less predictable, and hence even harder to defend.

From the season's perspective, he is travelling pretty well, and if anything the team owes him one from the first St Kilda game when he kicked seven straight (which may have been paid back today).

Speaking of Watts, there is no question that he was our best today, but I still wonder whether we are robbing Peter to pay Paul by putting him in the ruck. He seem exhausted late in the game, especially when taking "that" kick.

I think the effectiveness of Watts down back is why we should be throwing everything at Hurley, and leave Jack forward.

Thr positive is no one will remember this game by next year. It will just say 4 pts

Glad we can win ugly 

Just now, Colin B. Flaubert said:

I remember the list you wrote in 2013 about the things we needed to improve on/were borderline insipid on. It's quite an improvement to go from the 20 you quite rightly pointed out back then to move to 3 (though to be fair, the list you put up there wasn't all inclusive).
We have improved again this year. The haters can whinge all they like. It's a fact. 

We were shocking back then and it wasn't difficult to find our faults ... jotting them all down was oddly therapeutic.  You've got a good memory Col.  Fast forward to the point we're at now and it's like chalk & cheese - we're not far away but we could still fall away - that's the nature of sport. 

Even if the Hawks win it all again this season they will as a consequence be hell-bent on improving their list and looking at ways of getting better - if our FD are thinking like that and can make good decisions, we'll improve and become a finals team.  But nothing can be assumed.

2 minutes ago, america de cali said:

A many decades old problem for us. Pizz weak losing culture and player hubris  getting above themselves thinking they can mix it with the elites and shun the plebs.  We are the effing plebs.  So if we want  to rise we better learn to win the winnable games first before we tackle  the tough opponents. 

We have won 8 games but possibly could have won 1, 2 or 3 more ... but that's about it.  We're just not that good yet.  And we've tackled the better teams consistently well this season - in previous years we were getting towelled up on a constant basis by the better teams.  

We were never going to be a real contender this season and most/many of our supporters had no real vision of the team playing finals this season - the consensus was 9-10 wins and that's almost certainly going to be the end result.  So ... if that's what the expected result was going to be shouldn't we be reasonably happy (putting aside those who dreamed of higher accolades)

I'm satisfied with our year up until this point - but we still need to finish off the season well and we've got a lot of work ahead of us if we're going to be a contender.  However, I believe we've come a long way and our list is in good shape going forward ... by the way, I felt no such optimism after the 2010 season (for different reasons)

Does anyone remember those years where we rocketed up the ladder one year only to fall to the bottom again the following year? What's happened to the sudden rise and fall?

28 minutes ago, Clint Bizkit said:

Watts too.

A couple of seasons ago Watts was moved around a lot and was confused like a headless chook. His accomplished versatility shows how much he has matured this season and he will be the true champion he has always promised if he continues like this next season. No post re-signing slacking off either which is very encouraging.

Edited July 31, 20169 yr by america de cali

27 minutes ago, picket fence said:

I'll give you two very positives 

1 Sam Frost ( will become a sensational rebounding defender in the next year or two.

2 Billy Stretch, I thought his first half very impressive !

3. We won.  The ladder doesn't say how we won just the fact we get 4 points

57 minutes ago, Red and Bluebeard said:

Hogan didn't have a great game, but did seem to persist. There was one time in the first quarter I think when we had the ball from a mark outside the 50, and Watts ran past him to lead, and ended up with the mark and a shot at goal. I thought at the time that if Jesse would make a habit of leading like Watts did that that surely makes him less predictable, and hence even harder to defend.

From the season's perspective, he is travelling pretty well, and if anything the team owes him one from the first St Kilda game when he kicked seven straight (which may have been paid back today).

Speaking of Watts, there is no question that he was our best today, but I still wonder whether we are robbing Peter to pay Paul by putting him in the ruck. He seem exhausted late in the game, especially when taking "that" kick.

Ideally you'd want a good #2 Fwd who may pinch hit . Watts has found his purpose. If said #2 is better as just a fwd then maybe Jack has another semi purpose.  Our front end is far from sorted. ( Not the only part of the ground either )

4 hours ago, chook fowler said:

Dawes the most useless player in the comp. Garlett the laziest. Bernie Vince needs a huge kick in the arse for his recent form.

It is a win but feels like a loss.

It feels like a loss?  You sad creature.

4 hours ago, Petraccattack said:

Can someone tell me if we have improved?  That was abysmal

Of course we have improved.  You idiot.

4 hours ago, Clint Bizkit said:

Pathetic, anyone who thinks there were positives out of this game needs their head checked.

I have serious concerns about our coaching going forward. Our structure and inability to carry out the most simple of football decisions afrer almost three years is frightening.

One positive is that we won.  You clown.

4 hours ago, bing181 said:

I always look for positives after a loss, but am struggling to find too many after this win.

what about the win?

35 minutes ago, PaulRB said:

I think the effectiveness of Watts down back is why we should be throwing everything at Hurley, and leave Jack forward.

Getting Hurley would be good, but I think we would still need a 3rd tall forward who can pinch hit in the ruck. Maybe Hulett or Weideman will be that in time ...

9 minutes ago, beelzebub said:

Ideally you'd want a good #2 Fwd who may pinch hit . Watts has found his purpose. If said #2 is better as just a fwd then maybe Jack has another semi purpose.  Our front end is far from sorted. ( Not the only part of the ground either )

True, but I think Watts would better as #2 or #3 forward and occasional 7th defender, rather than both of those roles and relief ruckman.

4 hours ago, Deemented Are Go! said:

Jeez, from what I'm reading not sure if I should watch the recording...

 no. disagree. watch it.  we won.  ive just jumped on here and am gobsmacked by the level of negativity on dland. im up to page 2 and so many 'experts' posting absolute $#it.  

Just now, beelzebub said:

Ideally you'd want a good #2 Fwd who may pinch hit . Watts has found his purpose. If said #2 is better as just a fwd then maybe Jack has another semi purpose.  Our front end is far from sorted. ( Not the only part of the ground either )

And that's why we drafted Weideman & Hulett ... unfortunately both players might take a bit of time but I'm not sure whether the FD will trade in a KPF.  Apart from not necessarily having the bargaining chips,  we might instead draft another KPF and play the waiting game (and the numbers game)

Decent KPF's don't come cheap and most clubs try to get decent KPF's tied up on long term deals.  In 4 years of free agency not many KPF's have been available (Buddy aside) 

It's the same story down back although Frost & Oscar are getting better - how much better is anyone's guess.  As always, it's a waiting game and we again have to be patient.  However, I am in favour of not putting all our eggs in one basket and competition for KP spots is a desired goal (within the team) 

4 hours ago, Wiseblood said:

The players were happy they won, but they certainly didn't go overboard about it.  I think someone mentioned earlier in the thread that they overheard Petracca say "4 points is 4 points, boys", so it's clear they know that they were well below their best.

Im sure they know a hell of a lot more than many of the clowns complaining on here

I will take the 4 points. Always better than 0

But by God we need to import some leadership next year or Goodwin will be torn apart

A new Captain for Christmas please Santa. 

Thanks. 

1 hour ago, Sylvia Saint said:

Bontempelli was considered a reach at pick 4 and was never going at pick 2. It's very possible we wouldn't have taken Kelly either, with names like Aish, Scharenberg and Billings being in the mix. Heaven forbid if we had held onto the pick and taken one of those battlers. The same people complaining now would be having a hissy fit. Tyson is a steady midfielder good for 25ppg and Salem is all class when fit (which to be fair isn't often enough).

Roos said we wouldn't have taken Kelly and with his love for big bodied mids he would've gone Bont. Oliver was also a stretch and look what's happened there. My money is we would've gone Bont

3 minutes ago, pinkshark said:

Im sure they know a hell of a lot more than many of the clowns complaining on here

Name calling appears to be your favourite hobby pinkshark. 

37 minutes ago, pinkshark said:

It feels like a loss?  You sad creature.

Of course I am - have been following since 1965. What else would you expect.

It was one of the most uninspiring, boring, dull, hideous games of football I've ever seen. Was hard to even muster up the energy to cheer, we were so woefully bad. 

But I'm trying to think of some positives, and here they are:

1. We won. For a team that has struggled to win, especially in close games, especially when they are off the boil, and especially when the opposition get in front with minutes to go, we managed to find a way to win and stay in front (just)

2. Watts. See above point. We only managed to do that because Watts stood up, all over the ground, while running himself into the ground. He has been brilliant this year, and today was probably his best game ever. Not on stats, but on heart. He saved our arses, both with his ball use and his hardness and willingness to run. Thank god for Watts!

3. I thought some of our kids had their best games yet, namely Stretch (used it really well, and ran hard), Oscar (much maligned and has the intensity of a baby giraffe, but was good overhead and at ground level) and Frost.

4. We won without practically all of our better players. Bernie was pathetic, Viney quiet, Hogan injured, Jones and Tyson average. Gawn dominated in the ruck, but wasn't quite as good around the ground 

I think we will play a lot better next week. 

2 hours ago, Clint Bizkit said:

I liked it when Vince handpassed it to Harmes who was running away and facing away from him.

I liked it most when he turned it over with 10 seconds to go and gave Lynch a shot at goal. 

He had an absolute stinker. Owes us big time next week!

2 minutes ago, Sir Why You Little said:

I will take the 4 points. Always better than 0

But by God we need to import some leadership next year or Goodwin will be torn apart

A new Captain for Christmas please Santa. 

Thanks. 

Trenners should play next week.