buck_nekkid

May is doing well down back. The Smith experiment is one to question. Lever is generally good. If we look deeper the problem is the lack of pressure between the arcs. By the time it gets to May, it is all or nothing. There have been half a dozen lazy actions that have led to that pressure. dont take May from the backline. Just give Weid or brown a go in the forward line, and give the midfielders who cough it up like a COVID carrier at a trump rally a rocket (or drop them). Omac is probably better than Smith, don’t know what the FD want? A racehorse rebounder?

Discussed in Blacktown thread, suggest merge?

Goody “our execution is costing us games”. Yup. Now what are you going to do about it? The pressure might not be on you yet, but man, the steam is building.....

He gets the ball, but panics. He should be encouraged to get a few holding the balls against him and take a little more time. Learn to take the tackle. Get ball/panic disposal puts other players in terrible positions or simply costs us possession. His handball to Smith’s boots was terrible, and his kick in the middle was unbelievably poor. Add to all the other moments, it must be heartbreaking to work so hard just for him to give it up. I think he has read his own press. Needs to do better with ball in hand.

That was unacceptable by every measure. If the gameplan works, why do we only play it for short periods? Why do we persist with players who frankly cannot cut it? Why dont we show commitment to shut down opposition when they get going? Why do we make such appalling decisions and skill errors? Oliver should be dropped - he cost us at least 2 goals directly (handball to smith on his boots from 3 m away) and that woeful kick in the middle. He gets the ball and his panic release makes him a liability. Too many passengers, not enough pressure, not enough commitment to deliver on the plan. Trac was a gem, Hibbard best game in ages. It is really hard to feel anything good after that. It is a [censored] time right now, and it would be nice to barrack for a team that actually cared.

Pah!

Not much to redeem this. Risks are obvious and not coming off. They simply don’t have the skills or intellect to deliver.

Smith....gawd.

This is spineless. Playing these fools back into form.

Not good enough for long enough

Bloody Viney overposessing. Stupid handball and absolute hospital

How many go? The whole 40 players? Any info on this? Assume we will play scratch matches up there too?

I don’t know what to expect, from either team. I know we are working on our style and connection, but I really want to see effort converted into something valuable - maybe scoreboard action! This feels make or break, although it is so early in a disrupted season. Go Dees! A few tins in front of the telly this arvo to see us home - my guess by 22 points

Those umpiring decisions were a disgrace. Trying to keep pies in it. Worth 2 additional goals (brown +1, Treloar -1 to bombers).

How long has it been since we have gone unchanged? I’m not sure I can remember when we last did.

The two players who also played the role were not ready, so Bennell got a run. They have now gone past him in fitness, and he needs to enhance his defensive efforts. Not shocking, role based.

Listened to Plapp on the zoom call. He spelled it out. All good with Weid.

Wow. All the whiners queue up. There has been HEAPS of commentary from inside the club that, if the complainers were to listen, might give a few hints about selection. Goodwin - looking for consistency and small changes on a role by role basis. Bennell now third in the line and has to work. Plapp - Weids working on his game and Will be ready when needed. Brayshaw - the team know what goodie wants and are all aligned around delivering it. Omac best on last weekend. Spargo great in his role. Jones body nearly back to full fitness. Jetta - playing more like old Nev, but still a bit to do. Brown - kicked goals on the WE. Anyone remember Spargo at his best? Without track watchers to help us, we are further away from seeing who is in our out based upon training. If your cognitive frame is the MFCSS, then you are not gonna like it. But honestly? There are really few surprises here if you tune in to what the club have said across the week.

I think the club wants to settle on a lineup and give it a chance to deliver. I think there will be few changes, perhaps one or two like for like so the coaches can get their preferred group on the park and playing a few games together. The posts that want ‘revolution’ (like May or Oscar forward) might have to settle, petal. They have not trained there, the season is only 3 matches old for us, so there is a long way to go before those sort of tricks could be expected.

OMAC clearly best on. Perhaps a signal that they want two tall defenders for Lynch and Riewoldt? Jones and Jetta could easily slot back in - it just depends how much the club wants the playing group to consistently play together. Vanders was rusty and Bennell looked like a smooth mover in the scratch match, so an easy exchange if they want to...

Plapp said in the zoom call that he is still refining his game, is in a good head space, and is ready to go when called on. They are taking a longer term view and know that big players can take longer to develop, but there does not seem to be the angst in the club that people are expressing here. I think there is a place for him in the team, especially standard length games. Shorter games might be the straw holding him out.

The club obviously have a strategy for how the forward line should function, very different to previous years. This is a significant tweak to our style, and has to be learned. Frittata will be an asset up front, but also being the kick into the 50. Suggest we give it a little time to see if it can work before ditching it all - the interruptions have been massive to getting a change like this to work. We also need the forwards to be accountable and apply massive defensive pressure. I think this has been missing, and allowed Geelong to waltz out with kick to kick. Forwards being accountable for their opposition numbers and applying pressure and they would have had to go long up the line. Also, the pressure has to work to retain forward 50 entries, not just let it bounce straight back out with no shot on goal. Fritta needs to apply that pressure and lead to better places. It will come, I believe.

I chipped in - did the jumper plus happy ending experience. Hope I’m not going to be disappointed... I support the club. I know we are playing crap, but I still support the club.

We had no chance of getting him, so let it go...

Perhaps we are too wedded to the midfield group. If Viney and Oliver were half forwards, and Brayshaw, Harmes, Salem, Bennell, Sparrow were the guts players, maybe our midfield’s ‘hidden’ woes would start solving themselves?