Coach Adam Simpson Megathread est. 2017 - Staying for 2024, Lyon’s Cryin’

[Chump Change]

The Rioli fiasco and losing to Hawthorn killed 2019 and Rioli was an important loss for the following two years. Rioli had become a gun all round player in 2019, I hope but don’t know if he’ll ever get it back. He seemed to have come back with a bang at the beginning of the year but for some reason has gone off the boil since.

Just on another issue concerning Rioli - Bailey Smith got two weeks for cocaine, Rioli got two years for marijuana ( I know his main ‘crime’ was interfering with his sample twice - but still, the different approach and commentary or absence of commentary about Smith and Rioli is very interesting at the least).

Losing Rioli doesn't explain why senior players could not get the contested ball count to where it needed to be......

The contested ball count needed to be hovering around even to get Simmo's game plan to work. But it was often well below. During those losses, he talked about it in the presser after the game.

We can find all the reasons in the world and potentially they did contribute, but regardless of all that the contested ball level needed to be at a certain point but wasn't. This is not speculation, it's a fact.

Why they couldn't do that? I'd speculate that after training the team for years to not be first to the ball, or not to apply hard pressure all the time - ended up training them to be the weaker side.

 

[Bacchus]

Losing Rioli doesn't explain why senior players could not get the contested ball count to where it needed to be......

The contested ball count needed to be hovering around even to get Simmo's game plan to work. But it was often well below. During those losses, he talked about it in the presser after the game.

We can find all the reasons in the world and potentially they did contribute, but regardless of all that the contested ball level needed to be at a certain point but wasn't. This is not speculation, it's a fact.

Why they couldn't do that? I'd speculate that after training the team for years to not be first to the ball, or not to apply hard pressure all the time - ended up training them to be the weaker side.

I don’t know the full answer to your question but losing key players such as Yeo, Shuey and Rioli for most of this period certainly didn’t help.

Every team would be weaker if their two most important midfielders were taken out. The loss of Lycett (a big angry guy) is probably important also.

 

[bzparkes]

The Rioli fiasco and losing to Hawthorn killed 2019 and Rioli was an important loss for the following two years. Rioli had become a gun all round player in 2019, I hope but don’t know if he’ll ever get it back. He seemed to have come back with a bang at the beginning of the year but for some reason has gone off the boil since.

Just on another issue concerning Rioli - Bailey Smith got two weeks for cocaine, Rioli got two years for marijuana ( I know his main ‘crime’ was interfering with his sample twice - but still, the different approach and commentary or absence of commentary about Smith and Rioli is very interesting at the least).

Rioli was suspended for (you said it youreelf) tampering with a test, TWICE.

It's a miracle he didn't get 4 years.

The narrative around his suspension has always been about the tampering, not the marijuana use. If he just did the test, he'd have gotten caught, been on 2 strikes and we'd be none the wiser.

Instead, he panicked and cost himself 2 years out of the game.

Not remotely the same as Smith's situation. Better off comparing his to Mumford & Carlisle.

 

[DanWCE]

Rioli was suspended for (you said it youreelf) tampering with a test, TWICE.

It's a miracle he didn't get 4 years.

The narrative around his suspension has always been about the tampering, not the marijuana use. If he just did the test, he'd have gotten caught, been on 2 strikes and we'd be none the wiser.

Instead, he panicked and cost himself 2 years out of the game.

Not remotely the same as Smith's situation. Better off comparing his to Mumford & Carlisle.

Actually I don't think he would've been caught initially as it was a PED test in which they don't look for THC. I'm not sure he understood the difference between checking for steroids and recreational drugs and panicked.

 

[Bort Cummings]

I don’t think any one thing in isolation led to the cliff, but agree that, for whatever reason, the purple patch in contested ball we hit in the ‘18 finals well and truly wore off in ‘19. Getting touched up by young sides the minute there was a drop of moisture around (Brisbane in round 1, Port at Optus) showed how quickly things went to shit for us when we were forced to play outside our comfort zone. I’m not sure what the ratio of player complacency/bad attitude vs coaching was there, but it’s be interesting to know.

Whatever we had in 2018, it’s a crying shame we couldn’t hang onto it another year or two. Watching some of the field kicking from Ryan, Rioli and Jetta in the Essendon EF, if we had brought the same ability to at least halve contests in 2019 (and Willie had just pissed in a tube when he was told to) I think we were the side with the best chance of cutting through Richmond’s pressure game.

 

[CursoryMercenary]

Pressure is still on Simmo despite an improvement in the last couple of weeks but if we don't play well against another struggler in Essendon it will intensify again.

On SM-G981B using BigFooty.com mobile app

 

[bzparkes]

Pressure is still on Simmo despite an improvement in the last couple of weeks but if we don't play well against another struggler in Essendon it will intensify again.

On SM-G981B using BigFooty.com mobile app

It won't really, because he's pretty much been given a free pass this year.

 

[eaglesnutcase]

Interesting points being raised.

• a few minor mentions of the loss of Lycett, but don’t forget people we had two meatheads in Lycett and Vardy.NN is a great player but as oft stated he papered over a lot of cracks.Plus he’s hard at the ball but he’s not a meathead.Never underestimate the value of a couple of meatheads especially when they are also handy footballers.
• Shep was so valuable as everywhere man but he never kicked to attack,he chipped the ball to safety,sideways to the point of ****ing distraction.Duggan has inherited his traits.
• In one game Yo at halfback made us look like a different team.

-Don’t underestimate the loss of Cole.He was hard at it and was willing to take the game on.Yes he tried to do too much sometimes but he’ll at least he had a go.
-To me this “losing the players” is open to interprotation.When you see ALL players coralling you want to tear your hair out. Why do they come out another time and attack like maniacs.? Surely the mindset of the players is ultimately on the coach?
-Simmo hasn’t adapted quickly enough.The lack of heart and moaning during the hubs should surely have had alarm bells going off.We appear to have been waiting years for the stars to align both celestially and playing group.
-Please don’t give me this crap about treating players with kid gloves.NOBODY likes being dropped.Examples should have been made years ago.
-We all have our viewpoints,let’s not eat our young! I don’t want to turn into a dockers fan.We will be back and we will be back quickly,

 

[Cuzz09]

It won't really, because he's pretty much been given a free pass this year.

he probably means on here we'll all get our pitch forks out

On SM-G925I using BigFooty.com mobile app

 

[EagleMan87]

he probably means on here we'll all get our pitch forks out

On SM-G925I using BigFooty.com mobile app

Pissing in the wind, in other words.

 

[KERRPOW]

Bump

 

[Lazzas]

Losing Rioli doesn't explain why senior players could not get the contested ball count to where it needed to be......

The contested ball count needed to be hovering around even to get Simmo's game plan to work. But it was often well below. During those losses, he talked about it in the presser after the game.

We can find all the reasons in the world and potentially they did contribute, but regardless of all that the contested ball level needed to be at a certain point but wasn't. This is not speculation, it's a fact.

Why they couldn't do that? I'd speculate that after training the team for years to not be first to the ball, or not to apply hard pressure all the time - ended up training them to be the weaker side.

Had more to do the timing of when Rioli was sanctioned. The team was flat, Petch had to fly over.

 

[HoneyBadger35]

Bump

I don’t know that our first home win in nearly a calendar year vindicates much, but I will say the evidence of a change in approach has been visible since the bye.

Yeo to half back has been huge for our drive. Jones is being backed in despite the pencilled in two turnovers per game. Hough getting almost 100% of his minutes on the wing is pleasing. Tackling and intent is right up, and the ball is going quickly through the corridor much more frequently.

I’m starting to think that having the same AFL players available for several weeks in a row might be a good thing. I hope the other clubs don’t figure that out, cause we might have a leg up on the competition with this radical approach up our sleeve.

 

[The_Gambler]

I don’t know that our first home win in nearly a calendar year vindicates much, but I will say the evidence of a change in approach has been visible since the bye.

Yeo to half back has been huge for our drive. Jones is being backed in despite the pencilled in two turnovers per game. Hough getting almost 100% of his minutes on the wing is pleasing. Tackling and intent is right up, and the ball is going quickly through the corridor much more frequently.

I’m starting to think that having the same AFL players available for several weeks in a row might be a good thing. I hope the other clubs don’t figure that out, cause we might have a leg up on the competition with this radical approach up our sleeve.

42 inside 50s to 58, and 14 Centre clearances to 18 against the 16th ranked side, a bit early to shut the thread bro

 

[FKASC]

42 inside 50s to 58, and 14 Centre clearances to 18 against the 16th ranked side, a bit early to shut the thread bro

Yeah a lot to be said for forwardline efficiency for both of our wins so far this year. Or more to the point, most of our wins over the last few seasons.

Still nice to get a W though

 

[Forward Press]

I don’t know that our first home win in nearly a calendar year vindicates much, but I will say the evidence of a change in approach has been visible since the bye.

Yeo to half back has been huge for our drive. Jones is being backed in despite the pencilled in two turnovers per game. Hough getting almost 100% of his minutes on the wing is pleasing. Tackling and intent is right up, and the ball is going quickly through the corridor much more frequently.

I’m starting to think that having the same AFL players available for several weeks in a row might be a good thing. I hope the other clubs don’t figure that out, cause we might have a leg up on the competition with this radical approach up our sleeve.

Almost my exact thoughts, with the small addendum of now that the younger players are getting a run at it, we're starting to see more belief even if they naturally make more errors or lose contests more often.

Obviously still early, but at the Geelong and Essendon games we saw things that gave us hope. Will mean little though if we get thumped by Richmond at the MCG - as always, effort is non negotiable even if we don't get the 4 points...

 

[Miguel Sanchez]

42 inside 50s to 58, and 14 Centre clearances to 18 against the 16th ranked side, a bit early to shut the thread bro

Good thing he didn’t shut the thread then.

 

[Bender_]

Good thing he didn’t shut the thread then.

Stop being such a fan boi.

 

[HoneyBadger35]

42 inside 50s to 58, and 14 Centre clearances to 18 against the 16th ranked side, a bit early to shut the thread bro

Good thing my point was “not sure one win against 16th is worth a bump, but”.

I’m just happy to see that you’re ok mate. I know you hate it when Simmo FanBois (tm) disappear/get blocked, and I know you’d never vanish on us. When I saw you’d not posted for three weeks right as we started playing our most competitive football and the positivity was returning, I was worried about you.

We’re all on this site to enjoy the Eagles and absolutely not just on it with a single issue axe to grind, so thankfully you’re back with us. Jump in the game day or autopsy threads next time mate! They’re really fun when we’re playing good footy!

 

[Miguel Sanchez]

Back from three weeks at a Mensa convention, obviously.

 

[ziad]

Pissing in the wind, in other words.

Just make sure its down wind

 

[Keys]

You gain extra keyboard warrior points when you delete rather than reply to posts that disagree with you or your fanboyistic ideals

Post deleted

Extra keyboard warrior points incoming for me

Yeah baby

 

[HoneyBadger35]

Post deleted

Extra keyboard warrior points incoming for me

Yeah baby

 

[Shoei]

Truth is that if both Collingwood and Essendon kick straight we'd be 0-14.

Minor improvements all round so maybe there will be light at the end of the tunnel.

 

[bzparkes]

Truth is that if both Collingwood and Essendon kick straight we'd be 0-14.