Dr. Gonzo

At the risk of reopening old wounds qI wholeheartedly disagree that the players in 2012-13 played with 100% effort and endeavour. They picked and chose when to go, when to make position, when to run to create an option, when to run to defend etc I agree with your general sentiment though.

Watching the game yesterday I felt it was all on the players. Against the Cats that was on Goodwin, but yesterday we had enough of the ball, our intensity and attack on the footy was good. We just keep shooting ourselves in the foot with our turnovers and poor decision making. Late in the first quarter we had dominated, Richmond had barely had it forward except for the first minute or two. But we had only kicked 2 goals. Richmond kicked their first goal off an idiotic Viney turnover, and from memory they then kicked two goals to finish the quarter off our errors as well. We kicked one back on the siren to basically level it up at quarter time when we should've been 3 or 4 goals ahead. So we are getting enough of the footy. The players came into the game with the right mindset. But the turnovers are crucifying us. Is it because the players just aren't up to it? Are they being coached out of taking the best/right options? Can they turn things around with a fraction more composure? Having said that Goodwin and the coaches do not get off the hook. It is up to them to make gameday moves to try and get the fire started, try and fix these things during the game so that we can actually give ourselves a chance of winning instead of accepting defeat and going back to the drawing board during the week. Goodwin absolutely has ultimate responsibility for failing to make any moves on match day or rectifying things at half time to try and get the players focused on how to turn it around. But I can also see why he would want to persist when if it weren't for some pretty basic errors resulting in turnovers and goals we would be on top. It's a bit of a catch 22 - you can see that what you are doing is working to an extent so do you persist and try and reinforce the gameplan you want played and trust the players to start executing better? Or do you move things around to try and get the short term win on match day but sacrificing your long term gameplan/structures etc This is what I would do this week to try and address some of these issues; 1 An extra key forward into the side - whether that is Weid or Brown or even Jackson we need another big body down there to at least compete if not take the mark. I would go with Weid bur we have the option of playing both Weid and Brown, moving TMac to defense and dropping Smith 2 following on from 1, Joel Smith should be dropped. Simply not good enough especially in a key defensive post. Maybe as a 3rd tall but we already have Lever in that role. Smith should be injury insurance for Lever and nothing more. We can either move TMac into defense if we bring in 2 key forwards or drop Smith for OMac if we bring in only 1 key forward. 3 Bring in Bennell. I don't care if he's underdone or if he needs to work on his defensive efforts. Other small forwards get games with continual poor defensive efforts without offering anywhere near the upside Bennell brings. Whether he comes in for Hunt, VDB or Melksham, take your pick. I'd bring him in for Hunt at this stage, he did nothing the last 2 games 4 bring in Jones - for all his faults Jones does have some composure and is a relatively decent kick. He can come in for one of VDB or Melksham. Melksham has been rubbish so far but he offers more upside than VDB as he has the capacity to kick 3 or 4 goals. Therefore I'd being in Jones for VDB 5 start Harmes in the middle. He was unsighted on Sunday until moving into the middle in the last where he was one of the reasons we got going. Viney can make way for him at the moment. Petracca is currently our best player and Oliver for all his faults can actually win the ball. Oliver is on thin ice too but he is preferred over Viney at this stage who has hit a wall 6 bring Jetta in - Harmes to the middle makes way for Jetta in defence. Similar to Jones he offers composure and a relatively decent kick coming out of defense. He doesn't have a laser kick by any means but he often makes the sensible choice which is why he has such a high DE% 7 - Brayshaw more time in the middle - i haven't noticed Brayshaw much this year which could be a good or bad thing depending on your perspective. I think he deserves an opportunity to at least show what he has, I think he's the type of player who thrives on the responsibility Another consideration is ANB in for Lockhart. I'm not wedded to this one though but if we are going to play Lockhart it needs to be forward of centre. I guess that means my squad would look like this FB Jetta May Lever CHB Salem TMac/OMac Hibberd C Tomlinson Petracca Langdon CHF Jones Brown/TMac Hannan FF Pickett Weideman Fritsch Foll Gawn Harmes Oliver I/C Melksham Bennell Brayshaw Rivers In: Jetta Jones Weideman Bennell OMac/Brown Out: Viney Smith Lockhart Vandenberg Hunt

It's our decision making as much as our skills. Check out the vision they showed on the couch - we just continually burn teammates in better positions because we have the blinkers on, "full steam ahead" - they need to get into a flow and be aware of the situations around them, at the moment it's all manic manic manic which leaves us exposed when it inevitably breaks down. Funnily enough since dwelling on this since yesterday's game I've come to think we aren't that far away. We just need to be a bit smarter with our ball use, a bit more patient as Max said, shake up the lineup so we have another key forward, some better ball users, some more experienced heads out there and we can start rolling again. The problem is it feels like it's that final few percent that are the hardest to achieve and whether we are actually capable of getting there is another issue. It feels like Sisyphus, we've rolled the boulder almost to the top of the hill - but we all know how that story ends....

Gutted? I am furious

How the [censored] is Weideman supposed to develop when we don't even have a dedicated coach to teach him forward craft. Who is he meant to be learning from, TMac? Amateur hour! If you want a return you can't cheap out on the investment. It feels like there is so much wrong at the moment, it is totally disheartening. Every thread I read on here I think of another 5 things that aren't being addressed or have been done wrong. You could write a thesis on this club.

I live on the other side of the Yarra so have never been to the Bentleigh club but if this is true it is a disgrace.

Sorry but that is a copout. The core of the group is the same, particularly the young midfield core who was expected to take this team to the top. Losing that experience might account for a drop from top 4 to top 8, but not to bottom of the ladder. As Dermie and King pointed out last night on first crack (worth a watch as they discussed us for a good 10-15 minutes) the coach/club have the list they want. They built this list and have the players they wanted and the areas of the ground they invested in. We also have basically no injuries to players who are in contention for senior selection.

That's a copout though, this isn't some ragtag group of bush footballers. This team made a prelim less than 2 years ago. With extra development into these players, many who are or have been highly rated, we should be making finals at the very least. We were 17th last year and currently 17th this year and on current form across the comp there is not many teams we would beat.

Jeez this is depressing I'm 38 and the thought of being 50 and still never having seen a flag....I don't even know how to verbalise that emotion

King has 10 cm on him plus reach and is quick off the mark. He also has a highly skilled Suns midfield delivering him the ball. May's form has been ok but he is outmatched when it comes to King.

In addition to this - if the players don't possess the skills to execute your gameplan, then you need to alter the gameplan to give the players at your disposal the best chance of success.

Mate Gold coast and Hawks will cream us. Watch Ben King towel up Steven May just to rub our faces in it

I'm assuming around a mil. He'd be on ~$500k a year wouldn't he?

While I agree - until we eradicate the idiotic turnovers and select the team who should be playing we are going nowhere.

Exactly. My mum msgd me before the game to say I thought it was our home game? How come all the focus is on Richmond? I said it's because Richmond might actually do something this year while we are completely irrelevant. It's not that they don't rate us, it's that they don't even think we are worth talking about.

What does Goodwin do on GameDay though? Does Goodwin select the team on a Thursday? He is the one who selected Smith on Riewoldt and kept him there. He is the one who refuses to play a 2nd tall forward. He is the one who won't play Jones or Jetta whenwe are crying out for onfield leadership. He is the one who won't play Bennell when we are crying out for good ball users. He is the one who refuses to play Harmes in the middle and persists with Oliver and Viney though they are both one dimensional players who have had zero impact on games for 18 months. I could go on.

That annoyed me too, but I think his scoff was more along the lines of "coaches/footy departments/clubs are always under pressure" They must know the supporters are fuming at the moment. Cost them $500 today because if we won I reckon I would've bought 2 of those footy jumpers they're flogging. Not holding back out if spite, just don't feel the impetus to part with my cash when I'm feeling so disheartened with the club.

Promising??

I agree to an extent and have posted as much - but what changes did Goodwin swing midgame when it was obvious we were going down again. Smith forward?

Positive - season is only 17 games Negative - season won't finish til October

Oliver has gone from a potential top 5 player in the comp to a vfl player What the [censored] has happened? Drunk his own bathwater?

So obviously Smith out for omac next week Weid and Jones in for Melksham and Vandenberg Jones in for Viney

Fritsch has been poor, cost us multiple times with poor disposal especially early

Starting midfield next week Gawn Petracca Harmes Brayshaw

He was pretty good last week too I thought, at least he took the game on