Review 2016 Season Review and Changes for 2017

[Stiffy_18]

The is no doubt we have made improvements but so have other teams. We severely lack genuine midfield quality. Sloane has taken his game to another level. Matt Crouch and Atkins have improved. Brad Crouch has been relatively injury free this year after a limited pre season.

I am hopeful these young midfielders take another step up next season along with those boys in SANFL. Having said that, I would rather go all out for a couple of good quality mids. Rockliff and Hartlett would improve us significantly IMHO but I don't think we will do it.

 

[Elite Crow]

So do we finish 5th or 6th?

 

[TheLeftFist8]

So do we finish 5th or 6th?

6th

 

[SydCrow]

I can't see how Cheney's spot is up for grabs.

Or Brown's

 

[pjcrows]

6th

So after the highs of the year... we finish in the same position as last year.

 

[SydCrow]

I blame the Squiggle

 

[earlsta]

A 23 year old Wayne Milera cutting through the middle is exactly the type of player we need, shame it'll take a few years for him to be a core mid. However I think he needs to be fast tracked into our side with an eye on the future, just like McGovern was.

 

[WetCrow1991]

A 23 year old Wayne Milera cutting through the middle is exactly the type of player we need, shame it'll take a few years for him to be a core mid. However I think he needs to be fast tracked into our side with an eye on the future, just like McGovern was.

Nah gotta keep a spot for Thommo! 34 years young!

 

[Wymo]

A 23 year old Wayne Milera cutting through the middle is exactly the type of player we need, shame it'll take a few years for him to be a core mid. However I think he needs to be fast tracked into our side with an eye on the future, just like McGovern was.

Yep. My thoughts exactly

 

[Orange]

Brown's and Cheney's spots are up for grabs because small forwards consistently slaughterr us in big games.

 

[little graham]

Despite tonight I actually think we've been, for the most part, pretty good this year.

It was nice seeing Betts get late goals, he deserved the highest tally possible. Should win the best and fairest, IMO.

Officially we won sixteen minor round games. Morally it was eighteen. Thats a good effort. Shows we're competitive/proud. We did improve on last year. We know what our problems are.

 

[Captain Furious]

Shouldn't be surprised how negative people are but still am a bit. If it wasn't for the shocker against West Coast, we'd probably be sitting here looking forward to a home prelim. Yet everyone's talking about getting rid of half the team and some even dark on Pyke! After winning 17 games!

We have a good young squad who should get better. Target competitive footballers with foot skills above all else. Our Achilles heel is foot disposal. Rockliff's not going to help there. Hartlett's not competitive enough. Open your eyes to filling gaps, not just recruiting names.

Still not sold on Hartigan, feel like he makes too many errors that result in goals. Hurley would have been perfect but that ship has sailed. Target a key defender early in the draft.

Full pre season into B Crouch should see a big year from him and expect Knight to have a breakout year.

Feel like we're right in premiership contention in 2017. Without removing half the players and coaching staff!

 

[threefa9]

I think we have done okay this year considering what we have lost. Think Thommo has to call it a day he's stopping a Wigg or CEY for gaining valuable experience now. I expect us to back this year up now, and improve. I expect nothing less and will not contemplate less

 

[whitey_1975]

Rockliff and Steele(GWS) thanks. Out Thommo, MacKay, Dougie, Trade Lyons. Knight in, Hampton in. Wigg, Doods, Menzel and Milera putting on the squeeze. Keath , Greenwood look to have real potential for AFL. ROB, Dear, Kelly CEY.
Great list there but unless we grow some balls and make some calls we will continue to look like fools.

 

[Crowman32]

First of all i think we have to target a gun midfielder, the obvious choice being rockliff. Wouldnt be against targeting hartlett but wouldnt give much up for him so dont think that will happen. If we could get wells for a couple years i would do it as long as the price is right.

I think next year its time to push charlie cameon up to the wing. I would like to see reilly obrien play more games and rest jacobs in some of the games against the lower sides.

Hopefully menzel and knight can come into the side and relace guys like thompson and douglas.

I believe greenwood could play a few games and get the taste of it. Still got a way to go but looks the goods.

I would have milera take mackays spot.

I think our defence is too slow so i would have hampton come in for brown. I have concerns that lever, hartigan, talia and cheney are far too slow so maybe replace cheney with hendo.

 

[Rory Walkerfield]

I'm happy if we:

- retire Thommo
- trade Lyons for a pick and use it on another trade or the draft
- start looking to transition Jacobs replacement
- trade in an established mid
- drop Mackay to SANFL
- start playing SANFL players and get games into them

That is all for now.

these two are the litmus test. If they don't happen then 2017 will be a write off.

 

[mattymac]

Posted in game day:

Disgusted in our choices with injured players this year.
Kept playing Tex with a foot injury that needed a few weeks off and it could have been fine after that but playing on it would prolong it.
Kept playing Brown with a groin injury he is struggling with massively, he gets work on it often at home games I notice this.
Kept playing Jacobs with an ankle injury that has made him totally useless.
Kept playing Jenkins now with an ankle injury that has rendered him useless.
Kept playing Laird when he hurt his toe which resulted in it becoming worse and having to sit out multiple weeks.
There would be others.

It's not that we haven't had injuries, it's that we have kept playing guys with injuries - unlike other clubs.
(Then we have had injuries to others anyway like Hampton, Seeds, Knight, Menzel etc)

It's Sando revisited with Thommo, Petrenko etc etc.

This is a cultural thing because we don't trust young players generally and we especially seek to look after players who have been around a long time and are mates with everyone

 

[Rory Walkerfield]

Positions up for grabs:
Thomson
Douglas
Jenkins
Brown
Atkins
McGovern
Cheney

LOL - no Mackay? But Jenkins, brown, Atkins, McGovern? Surely a pisstake?

 

[mattymac]

Out: Noble, Campo, Clarko, thommo, dmac, Douglas.

This is some kind of crazy victorious utopia

 

[Rory Walkerfield]

This is the glaring issue for me. In too many games this year, the ball has been constantly bombed into our backline and our defenders have held up admirably. Many team's backlines would have caved under the pressure, but these guys are something special.

They need support from the midfield and that is killing us. Our backline is great and will get better, the forward line is the best in the comp, but the midfield is pedestrian and lacking heart (except for Sloane). M Crouch will get better with experience and he tries, B Crouch is looking like a fizzer atm (I'll reserve true judgement until next season), Thommo is done, Lyons is not good enough, Mackay is done and Dougie just seems to have lost the will.

You and I have the exact same assessment on personnel - as do so many on here. Baffles me how those at the AFC don't see it too.

 

[Orange]

Forgot Mckay!!

But the rest are there.

 

[Crowhorse]

Was seething during tonight's game and hated nearly everything, but now calm I thought the season as a whole it was pretty good to solidify the club as a top 8, almost top 4 contender.

Played out of their skins last season to finish where they did and this year could have gone anywhere, no one predicted the crows to make finals. The club has been a hot mess in the past decade, this season was what I hope a step in the right direction. Pykes game plan needs reviewing but it got the best out of most players only to crumble against stiff opposition (particularly solid back lines).

Second Pyke season will be telling, he will now need to deliver that top 4 finish. He gets the most out of a mediocre and inexperienced list (bar forwards, Sloane & Tal), there are enough positives to assume we are on a better track then we have been for quite some time. Much more impressive wins this season (beaten 2 nearly 3 of the preliminary finalists) and beat everyone out of the top 8.

There is a lot of criticism to playing the older players but beyond them there is not enough experience there. It bought an extra year to develop the sanfl guys further, expect to see many more debuts for the club next year.

 

[Rotayjay]

We finished 2015 with 13 wins and 115%. We finished 2016 with 16 wins and 138%. Most years that is top 2.

FFS. We Crows supporters have been denied so many chances to see a flag. GWS, Sydney and the Dogs look like they will be very strong and share the next few premierships.

From a purely football perspective, I really am sad now.

 

[Captain Furious]

First of all i think we have to target a gun midfielder, the obvious choice being rockliff. Wouldnt be against targeting hartlett but wouldnt give much up for him so dont think that will happen. If we could get wells for a couple years i would do it as long as the price is right.

I think next year its time to push charlie cameon up to the wing. I would like to see reilly obrien play more games and rest jacobs in some of the games against the lower sides.

Hopefully menzel and knight can come into the side and relace guys like thompson and douglas.

I believe greenwood could play a few games and get the taste of it. Still got a way to go but looks the goods.

I would have milera take mackays spot.

I think our defence is too slow so i would have hampton come in for brown. I have concerns that lever, hartigan, talia and cheney are far too slow so maybe replace cheney with hendo.

Cheney may be many things but slow is not one of them. Pay attention.

 

[jackster83]

We suck.

The only decent coach we've had since Blight was murdered.

This year was a waste.