Coach Alastair Clarkson - NMFC Senior Coach - Coaching & Football Discussion

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We bashed richmond last year too.

Shaw was a horrendous coach, an unstable man who absolutely diminished our core values as shinboners and made a complete mess of s**t. Shaw can SMD and * off. *in dog of a bloke
Jesus I had no idea. But wasn't he one who wanted brown out in favour of Larkey too?
 
I think we need a weekly updated thread that includes a list of players who aren’t playing to Clarkson's standards of ‘premiership quality player’. Just to put the microscope under frequent offenders with statistics to back it up
Could be more efficient/quicker to keep a short list of those that are?

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Our forward line is still a major issue. I don't care about the Carlton game and how many shots we generated. That game had multiple shots on goal from midfield stoppages. Not from our forwards.

We're not going to score with Taylor's current run of form, Larkey's current run of form and Comben having to keep presenting putting his body on the line in doing so. Spicer isn't spicing things up, Ford is the forgotten man but isn't doing much, CJ wants to be ruck more than a forward (it is the reason he left the Tigers), Mahony isn't a small forward but really an inside mid with deficiencies, Turner isn't a goal scorer, Cam is playing midfield and forward, Sleevo is doing well but it's not enough and PC is having a typical second year blues but still doing nice things. This doesn't sound like something that is running on all cylinders at all.

Our midfield is our only hope this season and it's currently on the edge of breaking down with Jy out. So tell me guys, how do we compete with these deficiencies? How does Clarkson get this to work? Until we pump games into Comben and Larkey, then potentially grab a KPF from somewhere, we're not going to score consistently.

Players with the ball in-hand are only as good as what's in front of them. Of which, at the moment, isn't much. So we're still going to struggle to score if we rely heavily on scoring from stoppages, clearances and other avenues that don't involve transition from half back. Clarko made a very specific point about our ball use. It's still shocking and he's trying to address it.

When there are so many issues still underlying, we can only address the first few each season through drafting and mature-age talent recruitment from other clubs. We won our first two games miraculously through some absolute mega performances from individuals, but this can't continue with just individuals playing well. Everyone has to contribute and that ain't happening.

We don't have a swingman, we don't have at least one or two elite-consistent players on each line that we can count on to lift and, most importantly, our ruck stocks are still reliant on our 300-gamer.

We're nowhere near a half-baked product guys. We're in early access alpha.
 
The biggest problem for Clarko is the lack of voice to set up the structure from our lynchpins at either end of the ground. McKay is quiet AF and Larkey spends most of his time pushing back with the flow of play.

I think our forwardline would look a lot different if we someone like Jack Riewoldt in there. It'd be older but it would also maintain shape much better.
 
The biggest problem for Clarko is the lack of voice to set up the structure from our lynchpins at either end of the ground. McKay is quiet AF and Larkey spends most of his time pushing back with the flow of play.

I think our forwardline would look a lot different if we someone like Jack Riewoldt in there. It'd be older but it would also maintain shape much better.

One of many yes indeed
 
We rarely have 18 guys on the ground working hard enough, at the same time, to stop opposition uncontested marks and easy ball movement. To create those turnovers that lead to easy scoring opportunities. There's always a few passengers - often senior players. The 18 don't work hard enough, consistently enough. Maybe for a game or two, for 5 or 10 minutes here and there but never consistently- not for years.

We also rarely have enough players providing overlap run from defence and through the middle or running into space.

It's been that way for such a long time - selective effort from senior players. They won't skirk the contest though, they're tough like that, they just don't run. Too many stand around and jog around and the side looks like witches' hats. That standard - or lack of - permeates down.

Until Clarko weeds that culture out, we'll struggle.
 
We need to revert back to a man on man defence

Our players aren’t smart enough to zone, just ends up being checkers with the oppo overlapping through us
Clarkson has never done this & never will.

The defenders either learn the zone, or he finds players that can.
 

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View attachment 1669647We are too slow without the ball. This is a problem. The balance of the side is wrong. Exhibit A above.
Correct. Not even the most perfect zone could handle the onslaught brought on by this level of work rate.

Unfortunately that’s why we will continue to see the likes of Dan Howe in the 22.
 
We need to revert back to a man on man defence

Our players aren’t smart enough to zone, just ends up being checkers with the oppo overlapping through us

My knee jerk reaction is to agree with you here. However, I think our worse case scenario is where we just keep swapping and changing without taking the necessary time to settle into any plan. Luckily, we know Clarkson is not like that.


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We rarely have 18 guys on the ground working hard enough, at the same time, to stop opposition uncontested marks and easy ball movement. To create those turnovers that lead to easy scoring opportunities. There's always a few passengers - often senior players. The 18 don't work hard enough, consistently enough. Maybe for a game or two, for 5 or 10 minutes here and there but never consistently- not for years.

We also rarely have enough players providing overlap run from defence and through the middle or running into space.

It's been that way for such a long time - selective effort from senior players. They won't skirk the contest though, they're tough like that, they just don't run. Too many stand around and jog around and the side looks like witches' hats. That standard - or lack of - permeates down.

Until Clarko weeds that culture out, we'll struggle.

Is it a mental or physical thing?
 
Larry Shrug GIF by Curb Your Enthusiasm
 
Clarkson took over Hawks, I think, when they were at an equivalent to us in 2016/17- a few decent senior players who weren’t gonna ultimately get the silverware.

I feel like our list now is a few years past that and we’ve already got a few high picks who you’d hope would be showing a little more under an apparently “better structure”.

I struggle to blame a need for a clean out when our best players are still consistently our oldest whose best years are behind them.

It’s hard to say “give it time” or “trust the process” when we’re seeing the same old crap both at selection (seems to be a few favourites already) and in games.

It’s so hard supporting this club.

I hope we’re on the right track and either way we’re invested for five years. Clarkson has obviously done it all before but I’m hoping his methods in 2023 are relevant and effective.

Time will tell. In the meantime, nobody’s enjoying watching us get poleaxed due to the same old issues and who can blame them? It would be exciting watching Essendon, St. Kilda or Collingwood whereas we watch our uninspiring team consistently lose with all the enjoyment of coming down with a headcold. It’s just not fun watching our team and hasn’t been for almost 10 years. I mean, we can’t even be competitive for Goldy. What do we stand for? What did we fight for in 2007? This??

Scott, Lyon, McRae etc have all had immediate impacts and Hawthorn already look far better than us under Mitchell. Geelong and Sydney never “rebuild”, Bulldogs are always a chance. What are we doing?

It doesn’t take a decade long rebuild for players to, for example, tackle as hawks did yesterday. That’s mindset and effort. I thought, at a minimum, Clarkson would bring this. I’m not throwing the toys out of the cot, but I have legitimate concerns and I’m flipping sick of being the team always making excuses. At the moment we’re as much of a joke as our worst detractors say we are. Where is our pride?
 
Yep cos zoning has worked so well the last few weeks
I don't know why I'm even bothering to respond to you but do you understand that in a situation where they have to choose between plugging a leak now and potentially conceding 10-20 fewer points per game, or building the foundations for a functional, disciplined and modern AFL side for years to come at the expense of some leaked goals in the short term, they're always going to choose the latter and they're right to do so?

Did you think Clarkson could just come in and wave a wand and we'd suddenly leapfrog every other club that's years into building their systems? Some of the ****ing impatience around here, you're like the Essendon coterie groups.
 
I don't know why I'm even bothering to respond to you but do you understand that in a situation where they have to choose between plugging a leak now and potentially conceding 10-20 fewer points per game, or building the foundations for a functional, disciplined and modern AFL side for years to come at the expense of some leaked goals in the short term, they're always going to choose the latter and they're right to do so?

Did you think Clarkson could just come in and wave a wand and we'd suddenly leapfrog every other club that's years into building their systems? Some of the ******* impatience around here, you're like the Essendon coterie groups.
I’m not sure if you have the answer to this, but do you know why our setting up and structure looked better in the first two and half rounds?
 

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Coach Alastair Clarkson - NMFC Senior Coach - Coaching & Football Discussion

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