watchtheeyes

Skills are a function of a number of things.. Firstly ability and training, but also, crucially, confidence and fitness. When a player is confident they have a far greater ability to hit kicks they otherwise wouldn’t be able to, the game slows down, they get an extra 10%. When they’re not fit, they lose 10% control, they start reacting rather than being proactive. So looking at what’s happening now, for those out there not of VFL standard, we know they have ability because we saw it in 2018 (everyone remember we played in a prelim...). I have absolutely no doubt they are training. So that leaves confidence and fitness. Fitness is shot because of the preseason. Confidence is shot because of the what has transpired as a result. It all seems very simple and explainable to me, the wrist slashing is all a bit much.

I never buy the comment that players aren’t giving effort (with a few very rare exceptions). No one will ever convince me that players are running out to play a game of AFL half assed..

No doubt, it’s been a shocker! Huge disappointment. But having so many substandard players out there has an impact on the roles, performances and confidence of the other players around them. It might sound like I’m giving them out, and I don’t want to. The skills of a number of our ‘better’ players must improve, but their mistakes are amplified right now because there’s no cover coming from the other players. Plus there’s what we know about the preseason which also massively impacts form and confidence. Strangely I’m finding myself quite circumspect about this season, I’ll wait to grab my pitchfork until the second half of the season when we have players and conditioning back.

I really don’t see the point in getting carried away when we’re running half a VFL side out there.. The doomsdaying seems a bit blinkered!

Wow, wasn’t able to catch the game, came on here to get some colour before rewatching... so you’re saying a shouldn’t rewatch it?? It would have to be a real dumpster fire to justify the negativity on these boards!!! Yikes!

I really don’t know what everyone thinks we could’ve changed instead, look at the VFL team...

Salem maybe?

Love the 12 tackles from Sparrow! Has to be rewarded..

It’s easy to say the massively interrupted preseason the team had is an excuse, but could it actually be a key reason. Our players looked cooked in the 2Q and their skills completely fell away.. which is entirely consistent with fatigue. They are running hard one way, but are buggering themselves by having to turn around. The butchering of the ball going forward can explain a lot of what is happening statistically

Slaughtered the ball, pure and simple.

Would love to see some on analysis on the correlation between the pre-game pesimism of demonland against game day performance of the team.. Dees to win.

This feels like the kind of game that Garlett tears apart, and kicks three goals.. And then in four weeks he will drop off alarmingly before being out of the side again by mid-season. At that point I imagine it will his last AFL game. I'm ok with that if it helps us get a win tonight.

Hopefully the additions of Lockhart and Garlett will solve the ground balls inside 50. Stretch and ANB need to be given simple tasks, run up and down all day and tackle. Don’t need their involvement on the inside - sick of seeing all of our players sucked in to the contest. Tmac goes back with T Smith replacing him, hopefully more mobile up forward. I’m interested.

Nice to read some proper, level headed analysis! Couldn’t agree more. The whole ‘win the ball at source’ philosophy is fine, but you better dominate in there. A territory game can also be fine, but you better have the players, and in our case we went in with 3 talls. And the game awareness/structure in the D50 is shocking, which fees like Chaplin. Or they relied on May and when he went down we weren’t prepared. Lewis, Jones are clearly now liabilities.. so what the hell were they doing on the wings against such a fast team? Why the hell didn’t we send TMac back? Petracca to the ball? Fritsch forward? Anything at all? I hate the rubbish about ‘not trying’, ‘no heart’, in my view this is never the reason. In this case it was coaching, all over the place. Just. Dreadful.

I don’t buy in to the emotive crap, no heart, passengers etc etc. There have no doubt been some really bad performances (Lewis, Spargo, McDonald, Jones etc), but this is so clearly coaching to me I’m astounded others don’t see it. Structure, selection and game day. It appalling and questions must be asked!!!

Would feel better about that.. but would Freo be prepared to pay Brayshaw plus first round? Steep!

Will be absolutely filthy if all we get back for him is Steven May! Don't get me wrong, May is a good player.. but he doesn't hold a candle to Hogan's potential in my view... In addition to the fact May is 3 years older!

Really? Ridiculous.

I actually reckon he will play more of a traditional full forward, leading out of the goal square, using his strong marking ability. Hogan to play the Watts role further up the ground. Realistically they could both play each role at various times though, particularly given both have a good tank.

Wise and C & B, nothing that Saty said was wrong, controversial, inflammatory, opinionated or anything other than solid contribution. Youve both gone out of your way to create an argument. Sort yourselves out, it's garbage and doesn't add to the conversation.

Physicality is beside the point I was trying to make. Also wasn't alluding to Jack in U18's. A Francis wants to be that Goddard type. Swings between the arcs, can play that third tall defender who takes marks and sets up play or go forward and take a grab by exploiting a mismatch as the third tall. I can remember us all talking about Jack in exactly the same way. So I think my comment of "seems that Aaron Francis would be what Jack Watts promised to be once", is accurate. Anyway, like we both said, not the foil for Jesse. Therefore I would pass.

Also seems that Aaron Francis would be what Jack Watts promised to be once, not sure if he is the foil for Jesse.

Just watched the footage of Darcy at home on the farm and it seems clear to me that the perfect role model would be Bernie. I was unsure on this kid because of his size, but country kids are hard, honest workers and tough as nails.

I hadn't! Those highlights were really solid weren't they! Excellent hands below his kness, good vision, good decision maker, nice kick. I was already keen, but those highlights sold me.

That just looked like classic Thomas theatrics to me, I'm glad Melksham gave it to him.