tiers

I have posted before about the late Dean Bailey's comment that it takes 70 games for a core group playing together to build the necessary understanding within the team. Also McCartney once said that it takes five years to develop a footy player. When added together, 2020 is the year when both streams come together. Think Oliver, Brayshaw, Petracca, Salem, Viney, TMac, Frost, Weideman, Max, Harmes, Hunt, Melksham, Hibbert and others. Remember that Hogan missed playing in the great games at the end of 2018 and AVB finally played. There is genuine cause for hope if we have a full pre season. 2020 Go dees.

Shot on (not at) goal - a straight lift from soccer intended to make the person speaking sound more worldly and intelligent. Only used by dummies. Offence (not forward) - straight lift from basketball (the only sport where deliberate fouls in the last seconds are considered both good play and good form) for the same reasons as above. Only used by dummies. Left to right, right to left - describing the movement of the ball when kicking at goal - its like listening to cricket commentators talk about swing or movement off the seam. Yet to be observed by sentient viewers. Thankfully mainly used only by one of the biggest dummies in town. Minor premiership - straight pinch from rugby league for the same reasons as above to offer some kudos to the team that finishes on top of the ladder. Who has ever cared about who finished on top, only flags count. Makes dummies look dumber, not smarter. Off season - straight take from any foreign sport. In footy there is never an "off season" as we live it all year round, just don't get to watch much between October and March. Lastly the ugliest of all - it's the ladder, never a table. Straight pinch from English soccer for those want to sound more worldly and intelligent. Only used by phony, pretentiou,s self serving, so-called sophisticates. Really only dumb, dumberr and dumbest. Those who use this offensive term should be required to wash their mouths out with soap and disinfectant and voluntarily remove themselves from the footy world until they have served a long period of contrition, penitence and repentance and sought forgiveness and reinstatement to footy society. We have lost our pride and belief in the superiority of our footy. All other alien and inferior sports should be ignored and disregarded. Footy is good, better and the best sport ever invented by man (or God). Leave it alone.

Tex quitting is a lesson in understanding leadership qualities. There is no analogy with our captain. When he was firing and Bruuuuce couldn't wait to exclaim "Tex' he was seen as the ultimate leader able to "kick a captain's goal". When he struggled to get a kick, let alone a goal, he was seen as a impediment to success. What this episode says is that leadership is not dependent on personal performance but on personal qualities. Do not compare Nathan Jones to Tex. Jones has always shown the personal qualities of a leader but seemingly has struggled with the need to offer direction as well as leadership on field. His efforts against all odds in his career have been exemplary. He needs help and it is up to the coaching panel to find it.

I see it as an indictment of the coaching panel that they had not prepared adequately for the "no runner" situation by developing alternative methods or by developing players to fill the on field role. Its too easy to blame the "system". How many messages does a team need? We performed poorly in other years when there were two runners so that is a feeble excuse. And how many times can we remember a message or a move making a major difference in a game? Surely there must be many situations that, even if not predicted, can be trialed with the senior players before the season and directions agreed to and implemented. For example, at the end of GC game, after we took the one point lead, it was TMac who responded and told the players to flood back. May apparently has the nous to fill the role down back (when he plays) and Tracca could surely be primed for the mid field even if he does not play there all the time. Clarrie is also seen to give directions and have game awareness. Get to work coaching panel.

Jones deserves another year so that he can find a position where he adds value. His best position was always on the ball as both an attacking and defensive player who could win the ball and deny the opposition easy use of the ball. The only thing that has changed is that he is no longer alone in this role and the midfield is becoming crowded. Time for the coaches to find a new role for him. Traditionally slowing and aging onballers went to either the back pocket or the forward pocket. I believe that a role in the forward line will suit him best because he is tough in close, tackles hard and can snag an goal so will make defenders earn their positions. Unless of course the coaches realise that his greatest efforts were at the centre bounce, not running wide down the wing. Leave that for Brayshaw and Harmes. He is like Clarrie - he hunts the ball in close, not the player, which makes him so effective. Any success in 2020 without Jones will be hollow. He has earned the right to enjoy success and should remain as co-captain so that his hands will be on any silverware. The other co-captain can do the actual leading.

Selling the land as individual house sites would probably be the easiest if not the most valuable. Landata maps suggest that the titles have been consolidated so a subdivision would be required. No big deal if this is the preferred option to maximise the return. Glen Eira zoning is already residential (NRZ1). Lots of opportunities depending on how far we want to stretch the envelope and maximise returns.

There is no viable option to relocate anything football related to the Bentleigh club site. Lack of access and small size are all against it. If the return on retaining the club is no longer worth the risks and the effort, then we are better off to sell and cash in but only if, and when, the club has conducted a feasibility and accepted a proposal for a rock solid gilt edged alternative. Having somewhere around $20m from the sale sitting in a bank is a like creating a honey pot for those who promote either corrupt, devious or vanity schemes.

He played exactly two more games than me and he got to be drenched inside the circle. I should be green with envy but the spirit of the red and blue makes me delighted for Dec. Best wishes.

To dazzledavey36's prescription. This would guarantee a good year. All things are possible. A better game plan would lock it in. 2020 Go dees.

Win a flag. Anything more is superfluous.

2018 showed we could do it but ran out of puff. 2019 at times we showed that we could do it at times but not sustain it. Fewer surgeries. Fewer injuries. (Apparently b.bears have only one injured player). Longer, more gradual pre season. Fewer week to week changes due to injuries that unsettle the team. Most key players will have five years behind them and should be ready for top level AFL footy (McCartney's theory). A solid core of players who have played 50-70 games together (the late Dean Bailey's theory). It will be 2020 - 1+9+6+4= 20. What an omen.

Watching Froggy Crompton's kick sail through the goals and over my head in 1964 premiership. Robbie's first goal against roos in 1987 elimination final.

We had McCartney as development coach based on his work with developing Geelong in the 00' to win three flags. He also coached doggies who also won a flag after he left behind his development work. He came well credentialed, it was a good idea but hasn't worked out as well as it should. My gut feel is that his development goals either did not mesh with the coaching goals in that players were not played when ready or in the right positions or he did not have enough time to complete his work. It takes at least five years to develop a player. The coaching panel needs a complete reset for 2020.

The cattle are in place. What's missing is a game plan that teaches forwards when and where to run and teaches midfielders and backs to know what to look for and to deliver. Until now, it has been ad hoc, so called" chaos" play and relied on individual great efforts to score. Let's add to that. No great dramas - just need good, intelligent coaches to make it work. One of the features of long established top clubs is that they are able to refresh and renew by absorbing new players who have been taught the game plan and can slot in. It's much harder when 44 have to be taught. Let's get a game plan and then we will know. It's up to you coaches.

Three things stand out. Gawn dominating the hitouts, swannies dominating clearances. How? Why? They play one on one so no dee is free. We play anywhere so they are all free when needed. How? Why? In any contest when the ball is there to be won in a pack, they win the ball, clear to an open player and then deliver downfield. We kick/handball blindly out of the pack to no one in particular. I think it is called "hail mary" How? why? Failure of coaching/teaching. If I can see it, why not the coaches?

Our great game of footy has its own culture - it is a game for everyone that can be played anywhere at any time with any form of footy. I can remember as a boy playing with a cloth filled sock (real leather balls were expensive) in a confined space that could be kicked and marked and we couldn't get enough. So long as it was our game of footy it was enough. The modern day cultures are an attempt to graft attitudes and behaviors from other, inferior ball games onto our great game. The correct response is to resist and deny these alien and destructive attempts. Our footy is the greatest game in the world and superior to all others sports. We need no culture - we just need a footy to kick.

I have seen every great and dominant ruckman since the early 60s including Schultz, Nicholls, Sampson (ess), Dempsey, Moss, Teasdale (he really was great in one year), Baker, Scott, Madden, Madden, Stynes, Sandilands, Cox, Maxie and others. Graham "Polly" Farmer was better than all of them. He could match any of them them for pure ruckcraft and footy skills and then added his own special dimension to his team and to the game. Our great game is in mourning today for one of its exceptional champions. Vale Graham "Polly" Farmer.

He is not big enough, strong enough, fast enough or clever enough to play the inside game that he thinks he should or that is expected of him. Coaches please find him a role that matches his endeavour, effort and skill set. Perhaps defensive HFF, outside runner or tagger. Too committed and too valuable to waste.

Gawn tagging anyone is a fundamental acknowledgement by the coach that we are inferior to the opposition. Max is a match winner and drives our performance when he is on song and the team plays to his game. Coaching error showing lack of creativity and match awareness. No wonder we remain nearly, but not quite, there. As for AA, Max should be absolute certainty. When the number of kicks and possessions, not ruckcraft, are criteria for selecting a ruckmen, then the game and the stats are losing credibility.

I posted this a couple of weeks ago. Nothing has changed on field but it is clear that we need a captain who acts as a leader on the field by voice and by actions. The job can be shared but there must be only one captain on the team sheet. It's funny how in the history of the game that in many cases the best captain is the best leader with the coolest head, not the gun player. Think Harley and Ling at cats, Davis at GWS, Easton at dogs, Hurn at toasters and many others. Who is our born leader with a cool head who can lift the side? Not Max because he is too busy being the best ruckman in the game and definitely not Viney who seems to believe that there is never too much stupid effort. My preferred options include TMac (who is always seen directing the team in close games), a versatile Tracca who has become the papa bear in the forward line (he is the one patting heads when team mates come to him after doing well) and has a football brain. Any other choices that fit the bill?

It's funny how in the history of the game that in many cases the best captain is the best leader with the coolest head, not the gun player. Think Harley and Ling at cats, Davis at GWS, Easton at dogs, Hurn at toasters and many others. Who is our born leader with a cool head who can lift the side? Not Max because he is too busy being the best ruckman in the game and definitely not Viney who seems to believe that there is never too much stupid effort. My preferred options include TMac (who is always seen directing the team in close games), a versatile Tracca who has become the papa bear in the forward line (he is the one patting heads when team mates come to him after doing well) and has a football brain. Any other choices that fit the bill?

The stats from the game reveal that we had fewer forward entries than the sainters but kicked more accurately. Thank goodness we didn't have more elastic band style forward entries (bounce right back) that would have created more scoring opportunities for them. Nevertheless, if we could retain our new found accuracy and regain our higher forward entry numbers from earlier this year, we might have the beginnings of a workable game plan so long as we can keep the ball in our forward line. I am still haunted by our game against the cats this year when we had 50% more entries and still lost by 80 points.

i posted this in December 2018. Nice to receive recognition at last. Frosty can be a weapon. The classic 80-100m players who can run away from any opposition and drive the ball long into the forward line. It doesn't have to be "lace out" just so long as the opposition are put under pressure and forced to defend in our forward line. Can't kick goals from anywhere else. If used tactically and strategically at the right times will make a huge difference to the game plan.

A 133 free differential between most and least favored is seriously disturbing. It equates to an average of 7 free kicks a game, any one of which could be game changing (ask Scott Thompson). For the credibility of the competition and the umpiring, these stats should even out over 18 rounds. All conspiracy theories should at least be aired but not necessarily believed. However, this should be no.1 priority for 'shocking' Hocking.

I couldn't watch much of the game against the toasters but I did notice that Preuss's tap work was very precise and nearly always to a dee and we either retained the ball or got a clearance. Gawn wins a lot of taps but we lose the clearances, especially in the centre. By the way his goal kicking will improve dramatically when he adopts the reverse Buddy run up ie. a curved run up that swings the ball to the goals by using his natural hook. Something to watch.