Preview Changes and prematch discussion vs Swans

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The only way we have any chance in this is if we manage to lower Sydney to our levels. They have to do a St Kilda. We're ****ed.
 
OUT: Mahony (inj) LDU (inj) Tucker (inj) Perez (inj) Taylor (omit) Scott (omit)
IN: Wardlaw Cunnington CCJ Thomas Phillips Ford

B: Corr McKay Ziebell
HB: Sheezel Logue Bergman
C: Shiels Cunnington McDonald
HF: Stephenson CCJ Thomas
F: Curtis Larkey Zurhaar
R: Goldstein Simpkin Phillips
I: Wardlaw Drury Ford Greenwood

I’d drop Corr, McKay and McDonald too if I could. We’re stuffed

Need to change this now

OUT: Mahony (inj) Corr (susp) LDU (inj) Tucker (inj) Perez (inj) Zurhaar (inj) Taylor (omit)

IN: Wardlaw Cunnington CCJ Thomas Phillips Ford Hall

B: Ziebell McKay Bergman
HB: Thomas Logue Sheezel
C: Shiels Simpkin Scott
HF: Ford CCJ Stephenson
F: Curtis Larkey Drury
R: Goldstein Cunnington Wardlaw
I: Phillips McDonald Greenwood Hall
S: Taylor
E: Harvey Dawson Howe Turner Lazzaro Spicer Free Edwards

Missing LDU, Comben, Zurhaar from a best 22 perspective. Not bad but the replacements and depth we have is putrid.
There could be 8 fit AFL listed players in the VFL.
 
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Unfortunately Horace this is very true . I don’t know the stats but i would reckon the young and mid aged players would all be in the negative win loss ratio wise( quite a lot too)Losing becomes a habit and it can be difficult to turn the tide. We need to build up our on field leadership but it takes time , even more when you change coaches every couple of yrs.
The last part is spot on. How many coaches in that space of time. Where is the continuity? And the belief supposed to come from? We've made some shocking decisions in the last 5 or so years in the football department.
 
McDonald 8 week ankle, Mills 6 week calf.
It was a joyous half second before I realised you were talking about their McDonald
 
McDonald 8 week ankle, Mills 6 week calf.
Indeed.

We are really only missing LDU and Zurhaar from Best 22. Yes Comben has bought energy and looked "likely" but he's played 6 or 7 games...he's not a lock.

Most of the players unavailable this week are fringe players, and doubt would get a game elsewhere.
 
I certainly won't stop watching them. And rather than thinking that they don't care, I think instead that they have become so used to losing that they find it hard to get out of that mindset. Hence, when an opposition kicks a couple of unanswered goals, rather then gritting their teeth and knuckling down to just win the next clearance and the next after that and so on, they automatically think here we go again and they are over run.

It is simply not plausible to lay the blame at the recruiting, or the coaching or the game plan in these circumstances.

If we look at the recruiting alone, while some might say some players were taken ahead of where they should have been, by and large, if you go back and look at all the phantom drafts over the years, most players were rated to be taken around their pick.

If we look at the coaching panel, then who can fault a four time premiership coach? Who can fault Todd Viney in his role. Assistants such as Blakey, Monky, Ratten, Gibson, Adama are all well credentialed. Certainly Clarkson is bound to be hampered by the ongoing racism allegations and that needs to sorted out urgently.

Maybe we can fault the game plan.

But I am very much more of the view that as much as anything, the problem is between the collective mindsets of the players. They are conditioned to lose and lose they do. In my opinion the club needs to bring on board a highly experienced sports psychologist, to try to change the thinking.

Agree and disagree. I agree the player mindset is a big issue and we need to learn to win again. The best teams also play on a different mental level, Daicos would never be able to do what he is now because you just can't place trust in the rest of the teams.

However, recruiting or more specifically list build is an issue. We are the least competitive running side in the comp easily. While every other side has boosted their running stocks and play hard and fast, we simply don't have the same. We have completely missed the style change in 2022 and unless we aggressively reset, we have little chance to get back in the game.
 
I think the game plan is still the major problem... outside the general lack of skill, we aren't playing a game plan that suits the players we have.

We can move names around the whiteboard but at the end of the day we have a fundamental problem with the pressure we apply, we actually do a lot of things... somewhat okay, but we just break down at some basic fundamental levels in terms of defensive structure and defensive instincts.

If I was out there I would have a lack of trust in my teammates in terms of their ability to stick a one-on-one tackle or position themselves in a zone where they can actually get to target and impact it in a positive way. You don't actually need a lot of skill to play defensive football, you just need to be well drilled and somewhat competent. We are too loose, we make too many mistakes.

If I was the opposition it would be an inevitability that if you just hold your structure, North will turn over the ball and then we can burn them on the rebound.

I missed the game last week but decided to torture myself and watch the replay and the first minute was basically fumbling with the ball from the centre bounce, Simpkin missing LDU with a handpass who was literally 2m away, LDU picking the ball up, missing Goldstein with a handpass who was 3m away and Greenwood applying a sloppy tackle allowing Port to get the clearance. Some more fumbling and missing targets down back, give away another stoppage free kick and Corr just ball watches instead of going to contest a ball in his zone and SPP takes an uncontested mark 20m out of goal and goals... then the game got a lot worse.

This is from the players who are meant to be leaders. You just are not going to be competitive playing that kind of footy. We are too easy to play against.
Don’t be surprised if you see a complete gutting of the playing group in the 20-25 bracket. The game plan won’t change and if it’s performed well, it’ll be successful.
 
We lost by 11 and 38 against the swans last season and 14 points in 2021. We seem to go okish against the swans of late. With their outs (ours don’t help ugh) this might be our last opportunity for a win before we face the hawks and eagles again towards the end of the year.
I guess I’ll tune in and hope for the best.
 

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Is there anyone here who doesn't think Wardlaw should come in? I've seen a mixed bag of comments, some say too soon others say get him in.

I think why not? Surely if he's running out VFL games he can at least play 60-70 mins AFL level. This mfer will lead our tackle count.
 
Is there anyone here who doesn't think Wardlaw should come in? I've seen a mixed bag of comments, some say too soon others say get him in.

I think why not? Surely if he's running out VFL games he can at least play 60-70 mins AFL level. This mfer will lead our tackle count.

In an ideal world, I’d say leave him in the VFL. However, the current NMFC world is far from ideal.
 
We lost by 11 and 38 against the swans last season and 14 points in 2021. We seem to go okish against the swans of late. With their outs (ours don’t help ugh) this might be our last opportunity for a win before we face the hawks and eagles again towards the end of the year.
I guess I’ll tune in and hope for the best.
Given their tall outs, I actually feel ok with a forward line of CCJ, Larkey and Ford and all three have shown recent decent form.

It depends on the midfield and backline though. The backline obviously needs more than send Logue back.
 
Starting a petition - "Send Logue Back"
That is a given this week. L Mac and McKay remain major personnel problems, while our transition has grounded to a halt because they are sitting on Ziebs/Shezeel.

If I had to guess, something has got to give from a defence setup standpoint. The midfield is what it is and at least we have tried to rotate different people through there, but defence remains such a blackhole for us.
 
I certainly won't stop watching them. And rather than thinking that they don't care, I think instead that they have become so used to losing that they find it hard to get out of that mindset. Hence, when an opposition kicks a couple of unanswered goals, rather then gritting their teeth and knuckling down to just win the next clearance and the next after that and so on, they automatically think here we go again and they are over run.

It is simply not plausible to lay the blame at the recruiting, or the coaching or the game plan in these circumstances.

If we look at the recruiting alone, while some might say some players were taken ahead of where they should have been, by and large, if you go back and look at all the phantom drafts over the years, most players were rated to be taken around their pick.

If we look at the coaching panel, then who can fault a four time premiership coach? Who can fault Todd Viney in his role. Assistants such as Blakey, Monky, Ratten, Gibson, Adama are all well credentialed. Certainly Clarkson is bound to be hampered by the ongoing racism allegations and that needs to sorted out urgently.

Maybe we can fault the game plan.

But I am very much more of the view that as much as anything, the problem is between the collective mindsets of the players. They are conditioned to lose and lose they do. In my opinion the club needs to bring on board a highly experienced sports psychologist, to try to change the thinking.

Agree 💯

It’s all between the ears. This habit of giving up and losing confidence is deeply entrenched into our players.

Once you see one player do it, it spreads like wildfire. Same goes if you see one player going in hard, it’s contagious.

We need to find a way to light the spark. Idk how but I can barely find any enjoyment watching us anymore.
 
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Agree 💯

It’s all between the ears. This habit of giving up and losing confidence is deeply entrenched into our players.

Once you see one player do it, it spreads like wild flower. Same goes if you see one player going in hard, it’s contagious.

We need to find a way to light the spark. Idk how but I can’t barely find any enjoyment in watching us anymore.


Be nice if 30,000 members turned up for a Saturday arvo game and the boys ran out with shocked looks and said, " we're shyte, but let's put on a show "

But be lucky to be pushing 18,000 l think. Won't be many loyal Swanee's either at a guess.

 

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