No Oppo Supporters 2022 Season - Season in review

[Coops93]

Unfortunately we have missed finals because of a few let down games where we really disappointed ourselves. Sure we can look at Melbourne and Collingwood games and say we threw it away, but the game we REALLY threw the season away was vs Adelaide.

The complete lack of intent and respect we showed them on the day was a complete shambles. We thought that we'd get the points for showing up.

That's where our finals campaign was lost, not vs Collingwood or Melbourne. They were just the last gasps we gurgled up to try and make it (and it almost paid off), but what got us stuck in the water was some insipid efforts prior.

 

[Benaly28]

If we were to flip the season around,so start as we finished and vice versa,would that change peoples view?


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[ferrisb]

I had the opposite experience at uni - I failed a subject with a 54!!!

IIRC the subject was 10% tute attendance, 30% assignment and 60% exam.

I didn't go to any lectures, I didn't go to any tutes, I didn't bother with the assignment (despite it being compulsory, oops). Before the exam, I photocopied a friend's notes and crammed for 2 days straight. I got 54 out of 60 on the exam.

I got a call from someone from the dept who told me that the assignment was compulsory to pass and so they would have to fail me. I made up some sob story about overlooking the assignment (instead of CBF) and she was nice enough to say 'oh, we'll chat to your lecturer and tutor and if they put in a good word for you, we'll see what we can do'. I made sure to thank her, but quietly shook my head in acceptance knowing that would do more harm than good.

Shortly after I switched from Business to Economics, just so I could avoid having to repeat Marketing 101

In hindsight, my approach was not the best way to deal with a subject I didn't enjoy....



























I should have taken this path:

 

[JustaBattler]

I have a book on teaching theory that insists with evidence that high expectations regardless of standard of achievement is key to improvement. The important thing is, high expectations but supportive and honest.

yep

 

[Arr0w]

Go on then, explain? That's what we thought I'm 2011 as well, and it was downhill from then on.

Docherty is 28. Saad, Cripps, Williams, McGovern and Martin are 27. Hewett, Marchbank and Kennedy are 26. Curnow, McKay, Weitering, Silvagni and Pittonet are 25.

Under 24 is what, Walsh and Cerra, and maybe O'Brien, and a bunch of late draft picks, mostly small forwards. But the absolute core of our list are peaking now. You don't get much better in list profile that that.

Still probably 2 years or so before we can expect that group to decline, but it is still a year of their primes wasted.

Not sure why you want to go back 10 years, has nothing to do with the core of this list

Would you believe we have the least number of 28+ year olds (4 players) on our list, throughout the league? Even Crows and Bombers have more than us. Would you also believe that 7 of the top 8, have 10+ players in this age bracket, with the Dockers the least number, being 8

Of course it revolves around quality and I think the ideal list spilt is, quarter at 28+, quarter at below 22, and half in the 23-27 age range. I mean, this is exactly what has played out with the top 8 sides this year and in the past

So sure, we can focus on a lack of maturity in critical moments in a game, our gameplan still needing layers and gears, or our injury toll, which has been extensive, or that some players will be replaced as they lack characteristics to play within our setup, but to say we have this core in optimum peak/maturity is wrong

 

[zeggie]

This season was a pass.

Not a success. Not a failure.

12 good wins, and some against top sides.

Only missed out on playing finals by 1 pt or by percentage, depending how you want to look at it.

Younger players are becoming a very, very good core unit. We just need to add the cream. An elite winger should be target #1.

Looking forward to 2023.

 

[bruceflea99]

When in 12 months from now we're sitting in a top 4 position at the end of the 2023 season, we'll look back at the tough lessons learned in 2022 and we will be thankful.

 

[HarryFlashman]

If we were to flip the season around,so start as we finished and vice versa,would that change peoples view?


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Completely, it would have shown growth & learning not capitulation

 

[katmanblue]

Are we a better team yes … but the season was a failure given where we were … 100% now the challenge is to get better personnel wise injury wise and ffs composure wise the latter being our biggest issue that needs addressing … will never stop supporting this club that’s non negotiable …

Personnel is nice, but we need to get our systems humming. We need more situational training too.

This will be more important going forward.

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[AndyLucimitis]

If we were to flip the season around,so start as we finished and vice versa,would that change peoples view?


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I've posted that before. I'd prefer us to have been 8-2, 9-3 at the start of the season when the whips were cracking than 2-8 and season over as has been the case the last 8-9 years.

One of the worst things that can happen to clubs is to get some cheap late season wins and paper over the problems.

 

[Baggers]

Failure for mine.
I expected us to play finals this year, even with a new coach at the helm.
No doubt injuries stuffed us around yet again, but we absolutely shot ourselves in the foot, so many times throughout the season.
And when you consider we missed out by 0.6% or thereabouts, those games against Port & Hawthorn prove to be very costly indeed.

Would love to see Charlie & Harry revert to the drop punt when kicking for goal. Harry's banana attempt (when on a 45 deg angle, 20m out) a couple of weeks back was hideous. Charlie's around the body effort yesterday, that travelled about 25m straight into the lap of a Pies defender, just as bad.

Also want to see us kick the ball to the top of the square (if not passing it directly to a lead) when we go inside 50. Has frustrated the hell out of me, how deep & wide to the pocket we kick it. Some of our attempts (at least 2 yesterday, I missed bits of the game) went out on the full. Another yesterday went straight to a Pies defender in the last quarter. I'm sure defenders would much rather see a ball travelling towards the boundary in the pocket, than the top of the square. Even if we do mark it, it's a tough shot for goal.

And now the loooong wait for a new season.

 

[Graffy4242]

Failure for mine.
...

Also want to see us kick the ball to the top of the square (if not passing it directly to a lead) when we go inside 50. Has frustrated the hell out of me, how deep & wide to the pocket we kick it. Some of our attempts (at least 2 yesterday, I missed bits of the game) went out on the full. Another yesterday went straight to a Pies defender in the last quarter. I'm sure defenders would much rather see a ball travelling towards the boundary in the pocket, than the top of the square. Even if we do mark it, it's a tough shot for goal.

And now the loooong wait for a new season.

Can't agree with this more. It's as if we kick it to the pockets to set up an across the body kick at goal if Harry or Charlie mark it. Infuriating

 

[FRUMPY]

Can't agree with this more. It's as if we kick it to the pockets to set up an across the body kick at goal if Harry or Charlie mark it. Infuriating

they kick it to the pockets so if it isnt marked its a fair chance to go out of bounds and then you have a throw in 20m out from goal and try and get some set plays working

 

[Styxx]

Can't agree with this more. It's as if we kick it to the pockets to set up an across the body kick at goal if Harry or Charlie mark it. Infuriating

I think that also is because that's where Harry and Charlie want it to say can hook the kick in the first place.

Wasn't keen on it before yesterday, filthy on it now.

 

[blues4flag]

The loss hit hard. Feel empty inside today but I've had a bit of time to contemplate.

My views as a supporter, having ridden the rollercoaster of emotions over the course of the season, are absolutely a fail. You couldn't script the end to the season. Everything had to go against us for us to miss the finals, and it did. You couldn't script it. Heartbreak, my name is Carlton.


The more interesting question is, was it a success or failure internally? There's only one measure of ultimate success in football, and that's winning premierships. If I'm within the inner sanctum, I'm not assessing the season on whether or not we made finals, but whether we've made progress towards being a genuine contender. Every season you're not a contender should serve as a stepping stone to becoming a contender.

I'm assessing the season based on:

• Do we have clarity on where we need to improve?
• Is the club united in the direction we're taking?
• Is there a clear vision in place?
• Have we shown progress as a playing group?
• Have we matured as a football club?
• Have we instilled in the playing group a genuine belief that they can compete, and a hunger and drive to succeed?

Time will be the ultimate judge, but as it stands I'm calling the season a success. If I'm a player, while I'm hurting at the moment, I'm heading into season 2023 with a point to prove.

Fitness
We're clearly a much fitter team in 2022 than we were last year. Voss worked with the league's best conditioning coach in Darren Burgess at Port Adelaide. He understands the importance of strength of conditioning. Andrew Russell was hamstrung under Teague. Voss inherited a list that was nowhere near fit enough or strong enough. He gave Russell the autonomy required and we've made huge headways in that respect.

There were rumours throughout the season that we were coming off such a low base, that we were willing to risk injury to try to bridge the gap. Listening to Voss' press conference last night confirms this. We've gone from one of the least fit teams to probably middle of the table. It sounds like we'll be stepping it up in intensity again over preseason to get to the next level. Fitness is built over the summer and one summer wasn't enough to get us to where we want to be.

We're injury prone but that's an inherited problem due to poor list management decisions.

Gameplan
We're building a game plan that's based on pressure at the source and for the most part, it's worked. For the first time in years, a game plan is evident. I do have concerns with our ability to win when we're matched at the contest, but again it sounds like we acknowledge our gameplan needs work and that it was always going to take longer than one season to get right.

Three weeks ago, I had major concerns with our ability to match up against teams that brought finals-like intensity and pressure. It cost us against the Saints, Geelong, Adelaide and the Lions. Freo didn't turn up when we beat them. Swans was a fantastic win but they weren't at their best. However, we were able to adjust and more than hold our own against the Demons and the Pies in genuinely high-pressure games. Hard to say what changed (Pittonet instead of TDK? Doc and Setterfield moving into the middle? A gameplan adjustment) but it gives me hope going forward.

For the first time in years, I felt we made adjustments to our game plan in season that worked. Early on, teams found us easy to defend against (rounds 3-6) by playing a tight zone, but we were able to adjust and work our way through it.

I'm interested to see what layers we add over the pre-season, particularly if we have access to a healthy playing list.

Leadership
There's clearly a desire to succeed within the playing group. The players are hungry and want to play finals. For all the criticism of Cripps throughout the year, his game yesterday to try and will us into the finals was herculean. Happy with the likes of Walsh, Weitering, Doc and Hewitt driving standards. Lacking leadership in the front half of the ground.

Playing List
We've learnt a lot about the playing group this season, and have had players grow all across the field. Wings aside, it feels like we have most of the pieces in place. Need one of Motlop or Durdin to take the next step and start impacting the scoreboard more regularly. We're probably short a genuinely dangerous third tall, ala Zurhaar. JSOS rarely kicks multiple goals and Martin struggles with consistency and continuity.

I had concerns re our midfield depth but Docherty and Setterfield put that to rest in the last fortnight. Setterfield in particular should be given an opportunity to earn his spot in the middle over the summer. There's enough quality and depth in Cripps, Walsh, Cerra, Hewitt, Kennedy, Docherty and Setterfield to challenge any side. A dynamic midfielder that can hit the scoreboard would be nice but not a necessity.

We do have a dearth of experienced players who can help calm the nerves late in tight games. While a finals appearance would've been invaluable for experience, the reality is we've played in more meaningful games this season than we have in a decade. Our young players have gained valuable experience, particularly in the last fortnight, which were effectively finals games in pressure, atmosphere and importance.

---

From a macro point of view, it's easy to say that we've failed. Looking closer, there's been growth across all facets of the footy club. Success will be defined by whether we're able to build on this foundation and continue to make strides forward into 2023.

 

[Graffy4242]

they kick it to the pockets so if it isnt marked its a fair chance to go out of bounds and then you have a throw in 20m out from goal and try and get some set plays working

Understand that but it's now very predictable (as are our kick outs). Also, if centred to the top of the goal square it would be better set up for our smalls to crumb and goal (which we seem to do very little of).

 

[blues4flag]

they kick it to the pockets so if it isnt marked its a fair chance to go out of bounds and then you have a throw in 20m out from goal and try and get some set plays working

This is an area that we need to work on. We're very good at getting repeat i50 stoppages, but feels like we struggle to score from them.

 

[Blue_Fusion]

Have you seen any excuses offered by the club since yesterday?

They have been spinning things for over 20 years! "Enough spin" is well justified...

 

[The Flying Doormat]

Not a success, nor a failure, just the realistic outcome of wins for where we are as a side. 50% increase in output from last year, with a new coach and the worst injury list of the top 10 sides

Team is no where near their prime and if we had of made finals, we would have had the least experience (players 28+) of any top 8 side

As always, sage words of wisdom. "We" were a realistic finals chance for 22 rounds however deep down some, if not most of us had doubts about our ability to push deep into September given the instability around injuries and lack of big time experience.
The last two games were for all intents and purposes elimination finals and we came up short. We will learn.
The extra recovery time will hopefully give the boys a good pre season so we are firing on all cylinders (batteries) come round 1 next year.
Some important list decisions coming up to fine tune and we'll be good. Bring on 2023...and trade week.

 

[Sector 7G]

This is an area that we need to work on. We're very good at getting repeat i50 stoppages, but feels like we struggle to score from them.

It is harder to score from forward stoppages now they have cracked down on ducking to gain a free. Used to be 1 or 2 more a game both ways

 

[Blue1980]

They have been spinning things for over 20 years! "Enough spin" is well justified...

I don’t think anything is or has been spun.

It is what it is, we can’t change what happened, the club aren’t happy with it, but it’s all about what we do next.

 

[Gethelred]

They have been spinning things for over 20 years! "Enough spin" is well justified...

Now, you're looking for an argument. Might I suggest another forum?

 

[SBYM]

Yep...
Voss even said in his presser that our goal was to play finals...

Full post-match, R23: Blues

Watch Carlton's press conference after round 23's match against Collingwood

www.afl.com.au

Our CEO very clearly did not talk finals.

 

[Justnetime]

When the players walked off the ground yesterday they would have had nothing but failure written over their faces.

That moment is the truth of it. Then the club starts its healing process and they bring in kind words and massage those words to ensure those players feel better. 24 hours later those players feel it was now a failure that we had to have that will make us better and that in hindsight and on reflection we finished thereabouts based on our pre season expectations. All the words are carefully chosen to focus on what seems like improved areas. Nothing is mentioned about the fact that just failed an amazing opportunity.

Its baloney.

Then that is mirrored on here. The words are turning slowly to what is failure acceptance. If this annoys you, go back to all the tv shows and listen to the past players like Gary Lyon in the media who repeatedly says how brutal this sport is on success and treatment of players. Geelong failed for years on sugar coating it before they hardened up. Clarkson hard as nails at hawthorn. Cotchin turning from nice guy to determined. Softening what happened this year let’s the club off the hook.

What is important is to soak up the hurt. Accept the hurt. Use the hurt. Stop the failure acceptance words. Well that is, if you want these boys to turn into men. Men who can win a flag. Or let them off the hook and be a nearly team next year as well.

 

[Gethelred]

When the players walked off the ground yesterday they would have had nothing but failure written over their faces.

That moment is the truth of it. Then the club starts its healing process and they bring in kind words and massage those words to ensure those players feel better. 24 hours later those players feel it was now a failure that we had to have that will make us better and that in hindsight and on reflection we finished thereabouts based on our pre season expectations. All the words are carefully chosen to focus on what seems like improved areas. Nothing is mentioned about the fact that just failed an amazing opportunity.

Out of interest, you know this or you think this?