Redleg

Heard a couple of the commentators say that if we persisted with the long kicks down the line we would get badly beaten. Guess what?

There is the big question. I would rather play a kid with skills and give him time to gain experience, than persist with ball butchers. BTW how old is Higgins, same age I think as Spargo and younger than Baker. Not saying they should get games yet, but we need an alternative to the turnover merchants. Wonder if you gave the ball to a Baker who can run, would be better than giving it to ANB and Vince who are mistake riddled.

Or grab his wrist and pull or swing.

I can give them a revolutionary but simple start, tell the players not to kick to packs.

Just loved his kick off the ground at the bounday line at our end, giving them an out on the full. Idiotic.

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.