Redleg

That actually bears examination. Early last year they were considered ordinary. They have 3 stars in Dusty, Rance and the Captain, the rest are no names and I include Jack R in that. We have some very good players in Gawn, Clarry, Perracca, Hogan etc and also the no names. So what is the difference. All their players seem to have ball skills and pace. We don't. They know their game plan and it is effective. Ours isn't. We both have effort. So for me it comes down to skill, pace and game plan ( coaching). And yes as a kicker but not the sole reason they won, their bottom 6 are better than ours and in fact their three ins last night kicked 6-7 of their goals I think.

Unfortunately at this stage that is true.

Well we could have had one for nothing and he is 2nd highest metres gained in AFL but everyone said he was crap. He went to Roos and played well against us incidentally. Tigers are doing well off trades and later picks. Early picks haven't saved us.

I agree with you when you say " can we be more inept with the ball". That is what's wrong not camps or effort. Our effort was there and I wish people would stop thinking a two day camp would have given us a game plan and put skill into ANB, Vince, Harmes, Hunt etc. The sad fact of life is that we are the worst skilled side in the AFL, lack pace, lack the Cyril/Breust type of magic to make something happen from nothing, are poorly coached and selected which hampers the thing we are good at which is contested footy.

Good post agree entirely.

But it's not taking risks to switch play to an open player. It's actually taking risks to kick to packs which we are the world specialists at. There is a reason the spoils were something like 60-20 their way.

That's a Bullsh-t comment. I suppose you think we would have developed football skills and learned a decent gameplan at the 2 day camp.

Worst skilled side in the AFL. Effort has been fine. Game plan putrid. Refuse to switch. They have no idea what they are doing. Evert kick is to a pack. Putrid football.

Disposal killing us as usual.

Must be wrong, itsounds so logical and simple.

Different games on different days. I was actually referencing what we did wrong against the Hawks. It was slightly different against the Roos.

He can go to us or Dockers.

Bingo. However, North don't have two joggers in the backline who can't run, they don't have players who have no football skills, they nail their set shots, they are spreading and not allowing the Hawks to shepherd the mark and also making each Hawk accountable for a player and they never all run to the forward 50 leaving no one between the pack and the opposition goals. They are also able to pass a football properly. Pretty simple really.

Can you feel it coming up in your throat?

I have been saying that for 2 years. Grab his wrist and pull towards you.

Tyson will play.

I think the shepherding player near the mark, should be scragged away by the player on the mark, even if that results in him getting a free. At worst the free will be in the same place as the original mark. This will lead to an ugly game and will see the AFL stepping in and stopping the shepherding player being within say 5 metres of the player on the mark. You just have to be pro active to these types things and we rarely seem to be that sort of club.

Plan A is probably ok for us with a few provisos: 1. Always have a Demon between the opposition and their goal. 2. Don't play unskilled players, they kill you in today's footy ( goodbye Bugg and maybe ANB/Harmes). 3. Add some pace to the side, to give spread. (maybe goodbye Vince, Jetta if he can't find form and Lewis, hello Hunt and Stretch and maybe Baker or Spargo in the future if they come up ) 4. In addition to the above, only pick players who give their best efforts ALL game. 5. Use Gawn to best advantage, meaning he needs players around him who can get his taps and then players who can spread from there. That is hard to do with no wingers and B grade players in the guts. Game plan A will look much better now.

Yet!

As I and others have said, ensure always a Demon is closest player to opposition goal and add some pace and skill to the backline and you go a long way to fixing up these opposition scoring bursts.

But current players should know if a teammate can play. Crows were furious he left. Does that sound like they think he is no good. He will be a good player for us once he settles and gets used to plan and fellow backs.

I enjoyed in a perverse way watching On the Couch and Footy Classified as they highlighted things I have been banging on about all summer. We lack pace. We needed another Garlett type of player who can create something from nothing and has pace. Our game plan exposed our back half and leads to us leaking like a sieve in games. We must at a minimum have the last player between the opposition and their goal. We don't take full advantage of Max by playing to him. Our skills across the list are poor, especially under pressure. We are in trouble if Vince and Lewis are in the back half together as we become even slower. Clubs have worked us out and like master coach Clarko did they can then cut us to ribbons. When Jaeger with a stuffed knee can run past 4 of our backmen and goal, that highlights problems for the footy world to see. We also continue to play poorly skilled players because they can do something else, yet ultimately it leads to failure in today's possession dominated footy, because in a crunch they let you down. No name players with pace, skill and effort will continue to cut us apart unless we react quickly. As a side note, the Hawks who are quicker than us get Impey, how did he go Sunday. Personally I am far less impressed with big name players being chased than I am with identifying prospects who have pace, skill and give effort all game. Forget Lynch, find another 3-4 of those types and we will be a good side with our other talent.

It was posted 23 hours ago, so it was actually yesterday. Does that give you a hint?

Not suggesting we sack Captains who get injured are you?

The closest player to the opposition goal should be a Demon, no matter where he is. Would have stopped half their goals at least yesterday.