Rumour Bluemour Discussion XXXVI - 'Loopy' Season in full swing

[BlueTongue]

Head hunt for the best & experienced talent in the field, Coaching & Recruiting are critical and vital, we’ve lost at least 20 years fumbling in the dark. SOS burned away so many first round picks, just disastrous what a waste.
Dow, O’Brien had to be paid out SPS it’s too painful to mention the remainder.

Our list issues started before SOS & Austin.

SOS made some poor decisions but he also inherited a basket case and had to get us competitive fast. GWS was the fastest way because he knew the talent and had some opportunities to get good players cheap due to injury. A gamble that could go either way. BUT, he didn’t miss with our spine.

Austin inherited a hospital ward of long term injured, and has had to offer decent picks and salary to get talent through the door, as we weren’t really seen a a destination club.

Blame our Head of Football and previous board for that.
At least we are travelling in the right direction now.

 

[bmaurizio]

We’ll be eternally grateful to SOS for selecting champions in , Charlie, Harry , Jacob, and Sam.
Just as Roger’s before him with the amazing Patrick, however both recruiters were dismal with anything else they touched. Especially SOS.

 

[Juice030103]

We’ll be eternally grateful to SOS for selecting champions in , Charlie, Harry , Jacob, and Sam.
Just as Roger’s before him with the amazing Patrick, however both recruiters were dismal with anything else they touched. Especially SOS.

Roger’s did enough with Cripps. If he wins a flag it’s gonna be hard to say he’s not our best ever

Also don’t give sos too much credit for Sam and Jacob. Everyone would’ve picked them had they had the number 1 selection

 

[WalshistheGOAT]

Regardless of SOS or Austin. Both have done a really poor jobs at recruiting fast midfielders and small forwards. I don't think the problem is so much the head of recruiting, I think the issue is the recruiting team as a whole.

We have been poor at securing players with key traits in the forward line and in the middle.

Our midfielders lack pace and agility. We get made to look like witches hats by the sides who don't. We literally suck at the part of AFL football that is "tiggy/tag". We pick all the kids in the playground who get stuck as the one who is "it" because they can't catch anyone and make a midfield out of them. While teams like Collingwood did the exact opposite.

Picking midfielders who are agile, reasonably quick and can rack up a good tackle count is something we have sucked at. None of our quick midfield selections apart from Walsh the last 10 years tackle and all lack physicality. We pretty much pick mids who are fast but small and not physically good or we pick bigger bodies who get plenty of possessions but are slow and lack agility.

We finally bring a player into the list who has these qualities and what does our ** ** coach do? Drops Lord for finals.

Recruiting team is poor. Coach is not pushing the right types of players with his selection.

SOS picked plenty of quick mids who tackle at GWS, not sure it's a SOS thing, it's an us thing.

It's the same with our small forward selections. Cottrell, Fogarty, Fantasia, Durdin. All rubbish. They are all VFL level midfielders who failed to become mids and have been stuck in the forward line. None of them are natural forwards. Hollands, Motlop and Williams have half the forward qualities to be ok. Those three don't have the full set of forward traits to be elite, just ok.

It's a league wide problem, not being able to identify genuine and quality small forwards. That's why they often are recruited late in the draft or from other clubs because they are being coached poorly. I think it is because the genuine small forwards doesn't always fit the mould of the modern AFL player. They are different. You have to have a forward brain, not just the athletic attributes.

Good small forwards need to have smarts, they need to be able to get to good positions regularly. They also need an overhead game. Biggest issue in our forward line is the lack of players with an overhead game. Look at Collingwood, they have Elliott and Hill who are strong overhead. All the small forward I have mentioned don't have an overhead game. When we are going forward there really are only two players you would bother kicking to and everyone knows it. You can ask the players not to do this but subconsciously they know who is reliable overhead and who is not, you need to put the players into place. That is why Martin was a big loss. That is why Kemp and Moir will be in my best 22 selection.

Small forwards should not be judged on goals alone but by how often they make good position and what their impact is like. Get the the fall of the ball a lot and either get it or make a tackle. Have a good overhead game. Win the ball not way up the ground but in the position they play. Take a few marks and break up the play that way and of course, kick a few goals.

The names I mentioned above don't get to good position a lot. If they do their impact is often poor because they don't get the ball a lot or they don't make tackles or compete in contests. The physicality level of our small forwards is terrible and the overhead game of them is non-existent. They are not AFL level forwards.

The one who is is Moir. Comes into the team, makes really good position, lays tackles and has big impacts when he is at the contest. Wins the ball in the position he is playing in. Really good at ground level and overhead. He is the only player who looks like a genuine elite small forward we have had in the side all season and what does our ** ** coach do? Drops him for finals.

The problem with our side is that our recruiting team (regardless of SOS or Austin) have done a really poor job at identifying onball talent. Totally neglected defensive traits and abilities, the ability to run and catch players, the loose ball etc and lay good tackles. Run and carry. We have missed the boat badly when it comes to recruiting small forwards. Only Moir has the complete traits of a good small forward.

To back that up, our coaches of the last 10 years have done a horrible job of feeding this information to our recruiting team. Our current coach has done a horrible job when it comes to pushing genuine forwards and faster onballers. Refused to play Dow and dropped him for finals even though he proved to make a difference to our onball setup leading up to finals last season. He's no star and isn't good defensively but he offered a point of difference in there. Did the same with Fisher and left us with no run off half back in finals last season. Did the same thing this year with Lord and Moir.

How anyone would pick Cottrell at every opportunity and pick Cerra when he's absolutely useless and drop two young players who were playing well and contributing to areas that we are really weak in is beyond me. He's not much of a coach but he could be successful if we were able to put the right people around him and we haven't. That's clear.

Our recruitment team needs to focus on the traits I have mentioned. The coach needs to favour these types over his favorite names. big slow types and useless athletes pretending to be forwards. The coach needs to drive the right types. The coach needs to drive what attributes we want our players to have and hasn't.

These are the two things that our footy club needs to get right or we will go to the bottom of the ladder pretty quick.

I agree with a lot of the points behind this... But this just comes across as one giant melt at Voss and Austin.

Moir also is not a small forward, he's 190cm tall.

 

[lopezz]

Was it SOS though? He didn't burn them with GWS. In fact he got them to a grand final despite not being overly well coached.

I think it's us and I think it's because our recruiting team has been working in the dark.

The coach is a member of all clubs recruiting team. The coach goes to the recruiting team and gives them direction. The coach asks for the types of players he wants and he asks for the attributes he wants those players to have. The recruiters then go out and recruit those players with those attributes.

If the coach wants big bodied mids who get a lot of the footy and are physical in the contest then that's what the recruiters will get. If the coach wants outside mids with speed then that's what you get. The recruiters, it's up to them to pick the individuals.

I don't think Teague was giving great direction if any. Not sure about Bolton. Voss at the beginning, not sure he was really directing them well either.

Recruiting is done as a team and it's guided by the coaching group.

Blaming one individual is just not on the money.

It's not like Voss and Austin came in and got cracking at fixing all the issues the side has. It's taken until last year before anything significant happened. In regards to the middle and the forward line? We need more action here. Significant list changes haven't happened for a while but look to be happening now. Hopefully it's not too late.

Haynes gives us 2 or 3 good seasons. At least one of the Camporeale's turn out pretty good. We take two good kids in the draft and possibly land another handy mature player we need then it's going to be a good draft for us. Particularly if we go into next season with Lord, Wilson, Moir etc coming into the side and having a solid impact.

Are you suggesting Jordan Russell can't teach Motlop running patterns?

 

[myblueroan]

Are you suggesting Jordan Russell can't teach Motlop running patterns?

 

[WalshistheGOAT]

Are you suggesting Jordan Russell can't teach Motlop running patterns?

Teaching Motlop to run full stop would be a good start

 

[lopezz]

Teaching Motlop to run full stop would be a good start

JR faced adversity in his quest to become an average player, surely that scares Motlop into running. Though they are starting to show similar physical attributes

 

[Sickblue]

Had a conversation with a certain someone this morning and they didn’t share anything earth shattering by any means, but this was the jist.

Believes Houston wants to come to us, but does not believe we will get him, he 100% wants him as he feels he makes us a better side. He made an interesting point about his influence at stoppage, believes the addition would help our mids as many oppo half forwards push up to stoppage as they don’t believe our backs are damaging enough and Dan’s addition would help in this space enormously in addition to the natural skill and ability he possesses. Voss is all in on him, but list management won’t sell the farm (this we all know).

Loves Ollies flexibility and they want him to eventually become a mid and he may get minutes as early as next year.

He said some interesting stuff about Lij, believes he won’t ever be a true mid, he’s better being on the outside of a stoppage to use his strengths, not clean enough in tight, but elite just outside the bubble.

Walsh, he’s the player all of our supporters believe we need, just wasn’t able to show it as much this year due to limited prep, watch out next year in terms of the inside outside mix and dash.

I should see my contact same time next week so will try and get more info.

 

[Kernafides]

Look, I kind of like them. They are fun to watch. But Footy is complex.
I loathe them on principle and that jumper is triggering.
Plus I HATE that they are already back up the top.

Being the hunter is easier than being the hunted

 

[carlton_99]

Teaching Motlop to run full stop would be a good start

I'm no fitness expert but I think he's put on too much muscle. Could be way off but noticed he wasn't as zippy as 2023

 

[Blue_Fusion]

We’ll be eternally grateful to SOS for selecting champions in , Charlie, Harry , Jacob, and Sam.
Just as Roger’s before him with the amazing Patrick, however both recruiters were dismal with anything else they touched. Especially SOS.

TDK?

2016 draft, I give him an out.. that wasn't a great draft...

2017, he could've picked Cerra and that would have saved us pick 6 down the track...

Could have picked Richards ahead of LOB too...

Wanted to support the decision of trading our F1 in 2018... but ultimately, it was a bad move.

 

[4flagsin5yrs]

I agree that they're entitled to name their price but something tells me they'd like to offload him.

They'll play hardball till the 11th hour... then fold.

 

[VainGlorious]

TDK?

2016 draft, I give him an out.. that wasn't a great draft...

2017, he could've picked Cerra and that would have saved us pick 6 down the track...

Could have picked Richards ahead of LOB too...

Wanted to support the decision of trading our F1 in 2018... but ultimately, it was a bad move.

I wanted LDU over Dow and Richards over LoB.

 

[VainGlorious]

I'm no fitness expert but I think he's put on too much muscle. Could be way off but noticed he wasn't as zippy as 2023

His injuries and lack of continuity played a part also.

 

[Sheephead]

How many would rather :-
A) - take our 1st rounder to the draft?

B) - Use it to trade for an established player of repute?

I’ll start. B) - I’d rather trade for what I know than wait for what may be. Our window is open and with health we are Top 4.





On iPhone using BigFooty.com mobile app

 

[carlton_99]

How many would rather :-
A) - take our 1st rounder to the draft?

B) - Use it to trade for an established player of repute?

I’ll start. B) - I’d rather trade for what I know than wait for what may be. Our window is open and with health we are Top 4.





On iPhone using BigFooty.com mobile app

Doesn't it depend on who the player is that is available? I'd rather trade every pick we have for Chad Warner than hit the draft but it's not realistic.

 

[VainGlorious]

How many would rather :-
A) - take our 1st rounder to the draft?

B) - Use it to trade for an established player of repute?

I’ll start. B) - I’d rather trade for what I know than wait for what may be. Our window is open and with health we are Top 4.





On iPhone using BigFooty.com mobile app

I’d honestly rather trade our F1 for a first rounder this year.

We can then either take two top 15 draftees or trade one out for an established player. Grab the Campos.

Grab another Blake Acres type.

Winning

 

[VainGlorious]

Doesn't it depend on who the player is that is available? I'd rather trade every pick we have for Chad Warner than hit the draft but it's not realistic.

Zak Butters for me.

 

[carlton_99]

Zak Butters for me.

Yeh another option but again not exactly realistic.

 

[VainGlorious]

Yeh another option but again not exactly realistic.

We’re on the popular social networking platform known as ReasonablySizedFooty.Com, we make our own reality

 

[SafeAsMilk]

How many would rather :-
A) - take our 1st rounder to the draft?

B) - Use it to trade for an established player of repute?

I’ll start. B) - I’d rather trade for what I know than wait for what may be. Our window is open and with health we are Top 4.





On iPhone using BigFooty.com mobile app

"B" if it fills an urgent need (KPD, small forward), "A" otherwise. (So no Dan Houston IMO)

 

[RAPPA]

I'm no fitness expert but I think he's put on too much muscle. Could be way off but noticed he wasn't as zippy as 2023

Well given he can’t stick tackles then he can afford to drop muscle in order to increase speed

 

[WalshistheGOAT]

I'm no fitness expert but I think he's put on too much muscle. Could be way off but noticed he wasn't as zippy as 2023

Never been zippy but came back looking like a genuine meatball this season. Don't know what he or the S&C team were thinking but was a ridiculous choice whoever made it.

 

[carlton_99]

Never been zippy but came back looking like a genuine meatball this season. Ridiculous the S&C team allowed it.

Yeh I'd be correcting that this off-season