spirit of norm smith

Ins. Lockhart. Harmes. Brown. I don’t think Sparrow, Brayshaw or Jackson are ready to go. I think Lockhart was unlucky to get dropped and has the tackling and intensity needed. He should have been on Walters v Freo. Again why did Brown go? He provided a contest in Stk and Sydney games and at least looked like a marking forward. Outs. Neal-Bullen? Smith ?? Preuss Want to see Hunt and Baker and Bedford given a second chance. Hopefully dry conditions and told to run run and run Pickett and Bedford not to leave to 50m arc at all !!! lockhart May lever Hibberd Tomlinson Salem Rivers Viney Langdon Melkshsm brown Vberg fritsch Weid Pickett Gawn Trac Olly Int. Harmes Baker Hunt Bedford

I don’t think he would look at the Dees. Why would he??? He’s from WA so immediately he’d be looking at Eagles or Freo.

Especially after we killed our captains like James McDonald and Brad Green in consecutive years. We should have learned from the Neeld debacle not to destroy the captain. Whatever internal culture we had was quickly destroyed in those f-ups

Wow. Hogan and Watts back. That’s not lifting the intensity index. I’m after players that will walk across nails and hot coals to get a premiership

Exactly. Another inside mid. No way. And he will cost $$$$$. We have 6 inside midfielders already !!!

Trade your captain ? Wow. That’s a team culture killer. Has that ever happened before ??? Smashed ? yes my response is no farrrrrrken way

How good was Sam Walsh. 20 yo and 2nd year. Dragged his team back. Fantastic 2nd quarter with 10 possessions 4 marks 3 tackles and a goal to make it a contest. Oversll disposals at 85% efficiency. 480 metres gained. That’s what we need. A player with class. Have not had such a midfielder with class and elite skills since Flower in 70s and 80s.

I’d take that

Assume Preuss goes (Giants or Swans) and Wright brought in as key forward/ruck backup. Sounds good.

Hey Elon - wanna coach the Dees??

Hopefully our supercoach can get him to be more composed and look to work on his disposal

Hogan had a shocker. He fumbled about 7-8 marks and slipped over many times and gave away the ill disciplined 50 penalty. Not great conditions but others did mark the footy ok. Hogan only had one good moment in the last minute. Tomlinson was not terrible but had no influence or sight on the game.

Top 4 realistic targets Alex Witherden. Lions Isaac Cumming. Giants Matthew Ling. Swans Jacob Kennerley. Cats Pace and skill. No more hackers.

What we need. Pace and skill. That’s it for me. I want runners. I want to take our game to match the Tigers transition of the footy. We get the footy (Trac, Clarry, Viney, Harmes, Brayshaw,Sparrow) but lack the outside run. Langdon and Rivers have added this in 2020. But we need more. The top targets Jack Carroll. East Freo. I saw him last year and put his name down. Great skills and run. Fit beautifully on the wing opposite Langdon. Teammate of Rivers and Jackson at East Freo colts. Give JT the pick and “Get him in”. Archie Perkins. Sandringham. Showed in 2019 that he’s got pace and class and moves through traffic similar to Pendlebury. Eddie Ford. Western Jets. Stood out as underager in 2019. Best jets player since Callan Ward! Played well in futures game on the G. Good size at 188cm and has the pace and tenacity. Definitely AFL traits. Jack Ginnivan. Bendigo. Another skilled player especially across half forward. Think Connor Rozee type. Creates and runs. Brandon Walker. East Freo. Another NGA zoning player to Freo. If he’s not gone, I’d push the button and make the kid. A skilled runner who delivers the footy lace out. I think will be a Tim Kelly type player. Others in perhaps the later part of the draft at 50+ Brayden Cook. Sth Adelaide. Nick Stevens. Rebels. Isaac Wareham. 2019 Rebels (Got injured last year and missed being drafted). Patrick Walker. Tassie. Harry Sharp. Rebels. Joshua Clarke. Eastern. Three of these blokes on board will definitely help our run and skills and corridor footy return.

6 Viney 5 Trac 4 Langdon 3 Rivers 2 Gawn 1 Oliver Frittata and May just miss

Trent Rivers is now my pick for best first year player. In his 7 games, he has shown his pace and his skills and his intensity and courage to go at the contest. His marking is also very good. I will put him automatically in the team across half back. He can even play on the wing. He takes the game on. Last night he also took some of the kick ins. Not safe 15 metre chip kicks. Good clearing kicks. Good signs so far in his debut season.

Langdon was again one of our best. An excellent recruit. His run and run and endeavour is fantastic. He created a goal for Fritsch by having a 2nd and 3rd and 4th contest. I love his outside run. His pace. He takes it in. I love that he gains metres and propels us forward. He has 180 kicks 110 handballs and creates. Improvements? - lower his eyes to hit a target - goalkicking accuracy (and no more kick ins)

I really rate Clayton Oliver highly. I think he can push up and become an A grade player. ✅ He has real ability to win the footy. His contested possessions must be the equal of any player in the league. Heart of a lion. ✅He has pace ✅He tackles and 2nd effort rate is high BUT BUT BUT ❌ his footskills are desperately needed to improve . He can kick it 50+ metres but often it skews or tumbles. Hitting a target!?!?! One pass this year to Trac was highlighted as a turning point. Yet many more a missing their targets even when he’s clear. His preseason assignment. Kicking kicking and kicking ❌ his decision making is sub-par. He still looks to handball far too much but this is slowly changing. He sells his teammates into trouble. ❌goalkicking. On the run from 30-40 out he needs to land the goal. Martin. Dangerfield. Neale. That’s the standard. For possessions Clarry is a gun. For effective possessions (as shown in champion data and fantasy points) is poor. I want to really get into Clarry that he can be a champion. Not by trying harder but being better at core footy skills. He is young and at 23, time is right to elevate his footy and become A grade

and again

Tomlinson. Wow. He disappeared for most of the night. 6 kicks.

Yes that was shizzzzzzzen. Hiding the real issue of footskills and intensity.

Agree our core group can take us forward and have years ahead. I still believe that footy skills by hand and foot are the difference between us and the top group. The Tigers, Eagles, Power all carve us up with ball movement and footskills. I can’t name one elite ball user. We hold Salem up but he has been using safe 15 metre chip kicks and lacking any real run. Im only recruiting the next group of draftees x 3 with elite footskills and outside run.

I’m looking for a coach PLUS a skills coach

Yes I really want Baker to hold his place although unlikely with 3-4 players back in. He was ok but fumbled given the wet weather. I think he needs to just RUN. Too many times he stopped which is fair in the conditions. I really want Goodwin to eyeball Baker and say “you’ve got the next 2 games on the wing and you need to show me what you can do”.

Agree it sucks but I’m still trying desperately to hold in to hope (year after year). The core issue is skills. We have very good players at getting the footy but they are also horrible decision makers and their skills let us down. Perhaps our poor foot skills is why we overhandball, we kick to pockets, we don’t use the corridor. I don’t question the effort of the team (exception was the Swans game). We win contested footy but can’t transition the footy. The Tigers transition through great foot skills and run destroy us, like most teams. The Tigers are the pinnacle and the absolute standard to aim for. I still believe the team needs “coaching “. Basic skills and decision making. It’s crucial. I have hope that this can be fixed or we will be destined for rebuild phase 13.