Earl Hood

Don’t remember what deal he is on but doubt he is tradeable so keep as depth but next year we need something else off halfback, we need players who can break lines and set up forward entries. The stats tell us Salem is cooked.

Yep it’s a real puzzle, Champion Data measures us as the second fastest ball movers in the competition, yet we when we enter our F50, everyone else is already there?

Yes obviously the umpires had a forensic session on blocking in the ruck during the week and rediscovered the rule, although I must admit I couldn’t see what Grundy was doing that he and others haven’t been doing all season. But it’s cost him 3 blocking frees against in centre bounces.

I would rather the Steven May Forward Experiment.

I agree with much of this, especially now that the season is done. Let’s do some experimenting. May goes forward to provide someone who can use his body to get the advantage and take a grab and I believe he can kick straight at goal. And could going forward extend May’s career for a season or two? Petty back or bring TMac back in as a KPB (and back up ruck). He was in good form then dropped for what reason? Yes Windsor to the wing, move Langford to the midfield, Viney to play as a defensive forward. Fingers crossed that Jeffo clicks up forward and we can run with Jeffo, May, Fritsch as targets, Viney, Chandler, Pickett at ground level. Of course no matter who you have up forward is irrelevant if the ball movement stays predictable with long bombs to the same spot. Rule 1 - Oliver to handball at all costs, not kick. Rule 2 Max to handball at all costs when forward of centre, especially if he is within goal kicking distance. Tracc, at a loss, any suggestions? Test run JVR as a KPB at Casey for a few games. Give Seston a run at it when he is back fit and has played a few at Casey.

You are sounding a lot like Simon there. If we win contested footy, generate more inside 50’s than them, on percentages we should win, so don’t sweat too much on the small stuff, like goal kicking, forwards leading at the ball carrier etc.

Except I don’t believe it was an accident. But yes it won’t likely happen again.

It’s a given, we can’t afford to sack him early but is there anything in his contract that stipulates that he has to be the main man who calls the shots? In any other workplace he would be moved on, the same failures occurring for 3 seasons with hardly a recognition they should be rectified. I suspect he just doesn’t really believe that the game has moved on, that far. By that I mean I believe Simon begrudgingly accepts changes are needed but believes his basic 2021 formula will still work, that is backline presses up, win contested ball, bang it forward, get a stoppage, hold it in, conjure a score, rinse & repeat over and over. However yes this season ball movement has definitely sped up and we are sharing the ball around more until we get to the F60+ but then it’s often just bang it forward. To us outsiders there seems to be zero emphasis on goal kicking accuracy, no demand that we develop a forward line strategy where forwards lead toward the ball carrier, forwards that try to get separation from their opponents, just some fr**king movement, FFS ahead of a ball carrier. Particularly that there are No penalties applied to the old guard when they repeatedly just bang the ball mindlessly forward, burning team mates in better positions. Oliver, Viney and Tracc are repeat offenders. During our run of wins (5 out of 6) recently, Oliver was almost exclusively handballing to a player on the outside, not kicking, ball carriers were looking for short targets in the F50. For some reason in the last 2 weeks, Oliver is dump kicking and ball carriers are dumping long kicks into the F50? A restructure and some new faces might be a possible answer to get a fresh approach. Some new assistant coaches and maybe the football operations manager actually calls the shots on game strategy and has a greater say in selection.

Very punchable face

6 Gawn 5 Bowey 4 Kozzie 3 Fritsch 2 Turner 1 Howes

Do we need to practice chest marking now?

Yep no movement in the F50 so ball carriers are just kicking long to defenders and it looks like we are really missing a defensive small to stop them cleaning the loose ball up so easily in our full forward line.

Familiar trend forming, good ball movement until we enter the F50, then it’s long bombs to defenders or inaccurate snaps at goal.

That last insufficient attempt free was ludicrous and set up the winning goal. Another umpire decided result.

Yes I saw that and went ape****! It’s hard to reconcile this rubbish with so called semi professional umpires. And then we had the phenomenon of the distant whistle. Several times it came from one extreme end of the ground, calling a holding free amongst a pack of players grappling for the ball around the centre of the ground. You know what would the 2 closest umpires know?

Yet another UmPies goal to Cox! These ruck infringement frees are ridiculous!

Did Campbell go past the demarcation line between the ruckman before the bounce? Hard to tell from the telecast. If he didn’t it was his free not the Pies ruck. The umpiring has been appalling!

The umpires well played there for a Pies goal.

First goal to UmPies after 2 consecutive rubbish free kicks.

Gee our kicking for goal isn’t that bad maybe after watching Brisbane kick 8 behinds and 2 out of bounds in the last! That last 5 minutes was crazy dumb footy, the Lions dominating with the last 11 inside 50’s but just kicking points and the Crows just kept kicking it back out long to contests and watching it come straight back.

“We believe that we’ve done the work to get the skill set” And yet nearly everyone here has noted the obvious flaws in the techniques of the 2 serial offenders, Max and Tracc? There are zero signs that there has been improvements to technique/skill. A poor technique will always struggle under pressure, no matter what sport you are playing. And a poor technique soon affects the mindset, they are both linked.

I can remember going out to watch training at Casey (from outside the fence) a couple of times several years ago and noticed on both occasions that Ben Brown just repeatedly taking set shots at goal from about 40m out. With his long run up that meant he was starting from behind the centre line. He must have been in rehab or something because everyone else was doing ball movement stuff. So if players do have so called voluntary training sessions, some of them should be just practicing set shots and under the supervision of someone who knows about kicking technique.

Bizarre!

Things are getting bizarre. Fracture a hand in a training run!

I am sure the spinning of the ball is to do with some advice he must have got about not tightening up and clutching at the ball that would affect the ball drop. So it makes some sense. So the ball drop might be ok but the rest of his action is flawed. The long run up, the late shuffle to the right, the kicking leg comes across the body and does he lean back on the kick, not following through properly? It looks like it and he nearly always fades it to the left, like a left handed golfer with a slice swing. Golfers have swing coaches who know their swing and are employed to detect flaws, if there are any but importantly to flag any changes. We need someone similar at the club, desperately.