jnrmac

When you are coming off a low base you have to aim at something realistic. Winning quarters is realistic and achievable. That phase though while still relevant should now have moved into other meaningful stats like I50 differentials and efficiency, rebounds, time in fwd50 etc. I am sure the club looks at all those acutely but the public face is quarters won. KISS.

I'd like to win the I50 count. Last year we only won it six times. One stat that encapsulates pretty much where we are. And that gives a pretty good indication of whether you will win the game or not. Our midfield needs to improve stoppages and clearances dramatically. Needs to help the fwd line keep the ball in longer. Neat article attached says we defend from too far back. I actually agree with that. We are so slow from kick ins and rebounds that other teams can zone up before we clear the area. Big focus needs to be on first give BUT going forward. None of this backwards crud. Fwd starvation

Martin will play back up for the short term so it's Evans for mine.

I agree with your post and it highlights our two biggest weaknesses. Getting the ball in our fwd 50 and for that the midfield is a PROBLEM. Have been saying it for a while - yes we have some kids to go in there but it is a problem. ANd keeping the ball in our fwd 50 when it gets there - defensive pressure. Not good enough. For mine Jetta will make that his stand out attribute this year.

If people actually watched Watts they would see how much work he does. He does 3 or 4 leads for pretty much every fwd thrust. He either gets ignored or the delivery is poor. Every player is on notice regarding improvement and I take this thread as that. I'd be hugely surprised if he is not there in rd 1.

When Fev nicks off next year and the Dees have gone the Scorps might bemoan their short term thinking.

Too short.

I'm pretty sure that the membership packs get fulfilled from China directly (I know for sure it happens at other clubs). I'm guessing they send a batch of new membership details across and perhaps when there's 'enough' to process (maybe 500/1000 or so) they send them out.

You can't be serious?? He was 30 seconds late to a training session and you have trashed his career?? Good grief.

Hey I was at those games! And I was at the West Coast, Carlton and North games too And I was also at the Hawthorn game in Rd 1 after we had played shizen in the praccy matches and showed no game plan. If you think we can flick a switch and turn it on in Rd 1 you are deluded. And this year we have an incredible opportunity to be 4 and 3 after Rd 8. If we start like we did last year then our year will derail quickly. I understand that our progression won't happen in a straight line but I want to see intensity, structure, system and not the same weak mistakes we have had for the past 4 years. It ain't the losing that gets me it's the way we lose and the same culprits creating the same errors.

No, but they have been training for 5 months!! It seems to me too much of the off season is about building a fitness base and strength but the game plan is neglected.

I agree you have no clue. Refreshingly honest assessment of yourself KS. 73 marks to 29 at half time says a lot about the way we were playing. The full time stats also suggest nothing was done about it. The point of having, say, a kick in defence system is that it doesn't in essence matter who is in there. Now of course it does because of the talent but it should LOOK the same regardless of who is in the team. And the intensity at the contest should be a standard regardless of who is in the side or how elite they are. If you think that our first 8 games this year are not important in the context of our season you are deluded.

Nothing in it. HS has about 127 footy journos all looking for a story. We don't know the context of the questions. Could have been an innocuous "if Dean Bailey doesn't coach next year who do you think would be a good replacement?" Now he may be stupid for answering a journos question like that but I would say nothing malicious.

I can't disagree with you more. Yes we want to see some young guys get game time. But our kick-ins, stoppage work, system and effort should be working. We have been training FIVE MONTHS! Our draw is the best we have had for years from a football perspective. If we get off to a flyer, it sets us up for the year. Momentum is huge in football and belief among young sides can do incredible things. We play Swans, Hawks, Bris at teh 'G, Gold coast, bye, WCE, Adelaide at the G. We should easily be 4 and 3 after 8 rounds. It is imperative we get off to a good start. I can't stand this weak crud we have to put up with in pre-season. What have they been doing for 5 months????? Because we didn't look fitter or more skilled than Brisbane yesterday. Nor did we show stronger desire. Our system and efforts were inept. As was the performance of our coaching staff.

What exactly is it we do at training??? Because I don't see a lot cohesion, intensity or skills happening out there. The simple idea of trying to follow a game plan does not appear to be evident.

Let's hope we hear that a lot more in the next decade!!!!!!!!

?????????? LIke last year when we played the Premiers twice? Good grief. And got beaten by the Bummers in the pre season but smashed them in the H&A?? Bring on Rd 1 quick please.

Don't know what you are basing that on. There wasn't one piece of Sheahan's opinion in the article.

52 Free kicks to them is like 5 extra players.

And so much for Eddie's 'Gospel Truth' or 'Impeccable source'.... Hey Eddie, they're coming after Daisy Thomas now....

Someone conspicuously missing from this thread??? America De Call? Where are you?? Maybe you won't die of an ulcer now.

How about telling Mike if we wanted to tank we wouldn't have been in front when the siren rang in the Richmond game. If not for the ol' Jordie McMahon (God bless his cotton socks) we wouldn't have got a PP. And those filthy Blues did it to us in Rd 22, 2007 to get Kruezer and deny us NicNat or Daniel Rich. Yeah, Mike it doesn't fit your story does it???

No Davey, Bartram, Trengove, Jordie, Grimes or Blease...

Good to see Tom Scully, Luke Tapscott, Ricky Petterd and Jordan Gysberts in the squad v Brisbane Lions for 5 March 2011 ... 1. Matthew Warnock 2. Nathan Jones 4. Jack Watts 5. Jordan Gysberts 6. Matthew Bate 7. Jamie Bennell 12. Colin Sylvia 14. Lynden Dunn 15. Ricky Petterd 18. Brad Green 19. Addam Maric 20. Colin Garland 21. Lucas Cook 22. Brent Moloney 24. Liam Jurrah 27. Jared Rivers 28. Joel MacDonald 31. Tom Scully 34. Stefan Martin 35. Luke Tapscott 38. Jeremy Howe 39. Neville Jetta 40. Mark Jamar 42. Jake Spencer 43. Tom McDonald 44. Rohan Bail 47. James Strauss 49. Daniel Nicholson 50. Michael Evans

Why was his list so poor at the Toiges then??