Preview 2012 - What we need to give the flag a shake?

[gurncentral]

He is clearly a better user of the ball than Waters or A Selwood, but whatever you think the fact is that the combined effort of Geelong's half forwards; Johnson, Varcoe and Duncan, was not great.

Not trying to start a long debate, but we did struggle to run the ball out of defence on the weekend. Partly a lack of run up the field etc etc, but I thought we looked a bit one-dimensional coming out of defence in all three finals. I remember a few Carlton supporters saying the same thing before the semi.

 

[Pottering]

Not trying to start a long debate, but we did struggle to run the ball out of defence on the weekend. Partly a lack of run up the field etc etc, but I thought we looked a bit one-dimensional coming out of defence in all three finals. I remember a few Carlton supporters saying the same thing before the semi.

Agreed we struggled to run the ball out of defence, but I think that was largely due to the ease of it coming in, putting us under pressure. Our best footy is when the balls struggles to come in to the opposition forward due pressure from our forwards. This fell away at the weekend.

As to the proposition that we were one dimensional, that's all well and good as long as it doesn't mean we have variety just for its own sake.

Many years ago Dockers fans would barrage the Saturday Sportstalk program complaining about how useless Dan (not Shane) Parker was in their backline. I agreed with those callers, but disagreed with the answer they always got from the experts, that Freo lacked height in their defence and that was why Parker was there. Unless you consider the difference minimal you should always pick your best 22 ahead of trying to cherry pick players for positions based on one aspect of their games.

 

[Eastern Rangers]

^ Seriously.

Why did the ball come back in so often then? We can't employ a press when it's in our defensive 50. We can't run and spread when we don't have possession.

A lack of midfield pressure, flat footed targets up field and shocking kicking. The system we had broke down for a plethora of reasons. Rubbish kicking was the one of three biggest problems we had.

 

[bluengold89]

Do we have a trade thread going anywhere? Anyway in the west australian this morning it said Collingwood are interested in uncontracted Eagle Lewis Stevenson. Obviously he'd be worth nothing in a trade, but I hadn't seen it mentioned here.

 

[Pottering]

^ Seriously.

Why did the ball come back in so often then? We can't employ a press when it's in our defensive 50. We can't run and spread when we don't have possession.

A lack of midfield pressure, flat footed targets up field and shocking kicking. The system we had broke down for a plethora of reasons. Rubbish kicking was the one of three biggest problems we had.

The ball came back in for the reasons I mentioned and as elaborated by you. I've highlighted in another post that kicking efficiency from our backline is the major issue. To my mind Lewis Stevenson is probably the best kick of all our defenders, but that certainly didn't and shouldn't have got him a game.

Either our current backs develop their kicking skills or those with the skills develop the rest of their games. If both groups advanced that would be ideal.

 

[mentalgrind]

Was at the game on the weekend and I knew we were gone in the first few minutes. We were defending well but midfield wasn't working hard enough forcing defenders to try hit a tall target on centre wing. Geelong was quicker getting to contests, outnumbering us and more than 9 times out of 10 won the contest and got it going back thier way while our guys were stuck in no man's land. Can't blame waters disposal, he had no other options.

Bottom line is, our guys were buggered and even before the ball was bounced were never going to have the gas to win

 

[getgaff]

Daniel Connors...

Thats a start. Thread going around that he could be available for trade. I know his a rough diamond but if he seriously wants to make a career out of being a footballer than why not. We can use his pace, penetraing left foot and footy smarts off half back and midfield. Even just as a depth player

 

[Prem87]

Like Connors a lot, just needs more consistency by foot and he'll be a ripper cutting through Subi.

 

[Coast Guard]

A lack of midfield pressure, flat footed targets up field and shocking kicking. The system we had broke down for a plethora of reasons. Rubbish kicking was the one of three biggest problems we had.

A lot has been said about our 'shocking kicking' on the weekend - most noticeably Beau's. While I acknowledge that our kicking skills let us down I thought the biggest problem was our decision making - were we were putting the kicks or when we decided to kick (timing). Credit must be given to the Cats - their pressure around the ball was immense, slowing up our ball movement off half back, which in turn allowed more time to apply coverage further up ground.

In the games we lost this year I thought we we were beaten in the midfield and/or across half forward. As such I still think that they are the area's we need the most improvement (whether internally or traded in). Connors would be a great get.. is he coming out of contract? Wouldn't think the Tig's wud wana give him up.

 

[West123]

38 disposals was a joke, it was as if Chris Scott was coaching for Waters to get the ball.

Sadly yes. I fully believe Waters is in our best 22 but we don't win games by him getting 38 possessions. If the was Hurn that had 38 touches the Prelim could have been very different.

 

[Special Agent Utah]

Daniel Connors...

Thats a start. Thread going around that he could be available for trade. I know his a rough diamond but if he seriously wants to make a career out of being a footballer than why not. We can use his pace, penetraing left foot and footy smarts off half back and midfield. Even just as a depth player

I like this very much.

Huge potential

 

[Obeanie1]

Like Connors a lot, just needs more consistency by foot and he'll be a ripper cutting through Subi.

Wasn't it Conners who had a fresh air kick and booted Rosa in his knee injuring his PCL?

He does alright at the Tigers but isn't consistant. Would only come into consideration if we had one of our mids ask for a trade back to Vic. Not exactly the top gun goal kicking mid we are looking for.

 

[JordanWCE]

Wasn't it Conners who had a fresh air kick and booted Rosa in his knee injuring his PCL?

No, that was Daniel Jackson.

 

[Eastern Rangers]

Connors is ok, nothing special.

Ebert to Port for Pick 28 or 33. Could score a decent player and exit the draft after pick 45. Lockyer, Marson, Nelson and plenty of others are chance around those picks.

 

[gurncentral]

Connors is ok, nothing special.

Ebert to Port for Pick 28 or 33. Could score a decent player and exit the draft after pick 45. Lockyer, Marson, Nelson and plenty of others are chance around those picks.

Unless he says he's going to into the PSD, this is a crazy suggestion. Absolutely nuts. Do you really expect to get a better player at pick 28?

 

[Zazzaqa]

To give the flag a shake, I think we need natural improvement in the areas of contested marking, general strength and composure. We'd also need our oldies to maintain a similar level of output - we can't afford have Cox, Lynch, Embley and Nicoski playing like they did against Geelong for the entirity of 2012.

A kind draw and brilliant run of injuries also wouldn't hurt.

 

[Freo Blood]

A kind draw and brilliant run of injuries also wouldn't hurt.

I think most Freo fans would be mightily pissed if you got that 2 years in a row.

You made a good effort this year to get up the ladder but the draw was ridiculously soft with no major injuries except Kerr to speak of. Of the top 8 teams you only beat Geelong (h, and them about to go on a week's holiday on the Gold Coast), Ess (h) and Carlton (h&a).

The home draw was full of gimmes, you were not tested by Hawthorn, Coll or StK and lost to Sydney. Couple of decent away wins against WB, Carl, and Adelaide - thats about the extent of it.

Sorry to burst your bubble - based on those results you are nowhere near the flag for 2012.

 

[WCErevival]

I think most Freo fans would be mightily pissed if you got that 2 years in a row.

You made a good effort this year to get up the ladder but the draw was ridiculously soft with no major injuries except Kerr to speak of. Of the top 8 teams you only beat Geelong (h, and them about to go on a week's holiday on the Gold Coast), Ess (h) and Carlton (h&a).

The home draw was full of gimmes, you were not tested by Hawthorn, Coll or StK and lost to Sydney. Couple of decent away wins against WB, Carl, and Adelaide - thats about the extent of it.

Sorry to burst your bubble - based on those results you are nowhere near the flag for 2012.

Sure the fixture was good but you can look at it another way. There was only one game in the year that we weren't in a shot of winning and that was against Collingwood in rd 10. Our other losses were easily winnable.

Also people say Carlton aren't far off and we beat them twice.

 

[ThePuma #9]

I think most Freo fans would be mightily pissed if you got that 2 years in a row.

You made a good effort this year to get up the ladder but the draw was ridiculously soft with no major injuries except Kerr to speak of. Of the top 8 teams you only beat Geelong (h, and them about to go on a week's holiday on the Gold Coast), Ess (h) and Carlton (h&a).

The home draw was full of gimmes, you were not tested by Hawthorn, Coll or StK and lost to Sydney. Couple of decent away wins against WB, Carl, and Adelaide - thats about the extent of it.

Sorry to burst your bubble - based on those results you are nowhere near the flag for 2012.

LOL Just win one. Just one & until then Shhhhhhhhhhhhh

 

[INSANE]

Carlton are a very strong team and we beat them by 6 goals in Melbourne....Also beat Geelong at Subi, so I reckon we'll be close to unbeatable again their next year. Hawks got us by one goal at Tassie, we weren't then that we ended up being.

Kerr, MacKenzie, Schofield, Darling, Kennedy, Cox, Waters, Butler and NN might not have missed huge chunks but they did play at well under top fitness for a lot of the year. We were the walking wounded at the end.

I expect a similar ladder position next year, give or take a couple of spots.

 

[TrueBlue05]

hey fellas, just wondering if Mitch Brown is in contract atm?? we could use him at FF since he is originally from Victoria....

Maybe Kane Lucas for Mitch Brown sounds like a likely trade....

 

[spEKTre]

hey fellas, just wondering if Mitch Brown is in contract atm?? we could use him at FF since he is originally from Victoria....

Maybe Kane Lucas for Mitch Brown sounds like a likely trade....

Wouldn't think that would happen.

 

[tesseract]

hey fellas, just wondering if Mitch Brown is in contract atm?? we could use him at FF since he is originally from Victoria....

Maybe Kane Lucas for Mitch Brown sounds like a likely trade....

General rule of trading is that you don't give up KPP for midfielders. Given WC have a need for Mitch Brown, a trade is unlikely.

 

[Nuke Fremantle]

I think most Freo fans would be mightily pissed if you got that 2 years in a row.
I'm guessing that's because soft/charity draws are normally Freo's territory.

You made a good effort this year to get up the ladder but the draw was ridiculously soft with no major injuries except Kerr to speak of. Of the top 8 teams you only beat Geelong (h, and them about to go on a week's holiday on the Gold Coast), Ess (h) and Carlton (h&a).
There were a couple of teams that had finished in the top 8 the previous year that we played twice and beat twice. Not our fault they suddenly turned to crap. I know one was the Bulldogs, can you remind me of the other?

The home draw was full of gimmes, (would've loved a double of Gold Coast/Brisbane in consecutive weeks) you were not tested by Hawthorn, Coll or StK and lost to Sydney. Couple of decent away wins against WB, Carl, and Adelaide - thats about the extent of it.

Sorry to burst your bubble - based on those results you are nowhere near the flag for 2012.

Closer than you fear. One thing for certain, any club under Ross Lyon goes backwards before it goes forwards. Happy 2012