Coach Craig McRae

[HFF]

I still have to watch the presser but Fly is a winner and winners do whatever it takes to win.

I think he has shown a lot of faith in this playing group and the middle tier and younger group have been so poor since the bye. They have really let him down.

I got smashed by my mates for this but the second biggest selection statement he could have made would have been at some point to drop Crisp and ends his game streak. That would have been a good wake up call to all imo.

He made a statement of sorts in round 4 when he made Crisp the sun…and he came on and was virtually almost BOG in the space of 30 mins….

I don’t think he should drop Crisp as he has done a lot of heavy lifting to get our season back on track when it was off the rails at the start of the year with all the missing personnel too.

However, I think he needs to look at a few of the older senior guys and really make a statement of intent.
He’s a loveable guy and that’s his style to back players in to redeem themselves and all that care and belief stuff but there comes a time where you can no longer remain loyal blindly.

He needs to make some decisions on a few veterans that may give the place a shake and wake up call.

Dropping the same younger players or fringe types no longer is par for the course.

 

[doofdoof]

What are you talking about… he moved Moore forward with 4 mins to go,10 goals down. Showed courage to do that.

Ps thanks for the 2023 premiership Fly!

The calls for Bucks to be sacked really gained pace when he moved Darcy forward.

 

[sr36]

Fly is least of your worries. Graham Wright dick rode Clarko to 3 flags. Got a huge rep. He has paid overs for every single trade at Hawthorn, the Wingar, JOM , Mitchell trades.completely ruined our list. He’s doing same at Collingwood. Gave up Ginni and got a worse version for a furture first. He’s the greatest fraud in Football. Bar None

You paid pick 14 for Mitchell who gave awesome service - how you can possibly list that one as a trade that ruined your list is beyond me.

 

[Defabs]

It's been happening since 1974. I struggle to understand it at times.

We won the flag in 1990, 2010 and 2023 and in all these years we lost to Hawthorn at least once.

Ironically the only times we’ve dominated hawthorn have been when Collingwood has been at its very worst.

Think 1998 on a cold Sat night at Waverley, our wooden spoon year in 1999, 2000 opening round on Labour Day and 2004 and 2005, the two years between a GF appearance and start of a dominant era.

 

[crackerss08]

Fly’s coaching has been unbelievably bad the last four weeks. Has done nothing to counteract oppositions possession football. Eg 1v1 ??

 

[ZEV]

You paid pick 14 for Mitchell who gave awesome service - how you can possibly list that one as a trade that ruined your list is beyond me.

Didn't they manage to get 15 for Jed Anderson the year before...

Not sure what GW is doing wrong here?

 

[Run n Spread]

Who else are you playing?

Seriously it’s not an excuse, but if you can’t hack a bad season from time to time then off you go buddy.

I bet you jumped up and down like a lunatic when we won last year

I said go smaller and give the emergency smalls in macrae or bytel or even bring Allen et al in for a go. Just an opinion. Said before the game too tall and needed to play to conditions Read the other threads. I was laughed at when I said yesterday could be a disaster.
Now everyone has a sook .
I still reckon the seasons alive. I'm not the one crying that it's all over and time to concede. Beat Richmond next week than pendles 400 and you never know.
What a stupid last paragraph. Last years over. Can only plan for August 24 and beyond. I'll rock up every week with a smile on my face.

 

[Do_Beta_Rapport]

In game adjustments are just either non existent or 40 mins too late.

Howe going forward seems to be his only trick.

 

[76woodenspooners]

In game adjustments are just either non existent or 40 mins too late.

Howe going forward seems to be his only trick.

A big part of our problem has been connection. Shuffling the magnets around in-game doesn’t help with that.

 

[Do_Beta_Rapport]

A big part of our problem has been connection. Shuffling the magnets around in-game doesn’t help with that.

It might help players that aren’t winning their position get a better matchup.

 

[Vicky Park]

It's been happening since 1974. I struggle to understand it at times.

We won the flag in 1990, 2010 and 2023 and in all these years we lost to Hawthorn at least once.

It’s crazy, but in our 1990 flag year I recall having this exact conversation with a Hawks supporter I worked with. All year we bantered about the Hawks and how they ‘had it over us’. Ridiculous.

 

[NMBB]

It’s crazy, but in our 1990 flag year I recall having this exact conversation with a Hawks supporter I worked with. All year we bantered about the Hawks and how they ‘had it over us’. Ridiculous.

I remember being relieved when Melbourne knocked Hawthorn out of the finals in 1990

 

[Anzacday]

It’s crazy, but in our 1990 flag year I recall having this exact conversation with a Hawks supporter I worked with. All year we bantered about the Hawks and how they ‘had it over us’. Ridiculous.

Had the discussion during the week with a Hawks supporter who bemoaned the fact they missed us in the finals.
I had a different slant on it, I knew we dodged a bucket and laughed about it.

 

[TW Sherrin]

It might help players that aren’t winning their position get a better matchup.

In this system alot of match ups are with space not players.

 

[Mostfamousclub_Pies]

His red wine replays are a thing of the past.

 

[Harry O]

In this system alot of match ups are with space not players.

Are we allowed to sack Roughead as defence coach before the end of season?

 

[JLC]

In game adjustments are just either non existent or 40 mins too late.

Howe going forward seems to be his only trick.

It's quite interesting - you look at the path Sam Mitchell has taken. He has been able to hibernate for a period and experiment with the team and really build the team from ground zero. The only pressure to perform came early in this season.

Whereas Fly really got us up and going from early on in his tenure and it's been win, win win and I don't think he has had the luxury or the need to of experimenting as much.

Personally I would be leaving Howe in defence and Moore is the player I would be moving.

I actually thought this year the team was pretty close to fitting the Fly game style. Clearly in hindsight that has proven to be wrong.

 

[jmac70]

His red wine replays are a thing of the past.

Not if you rewatch them.
Can’t say I’ll ever get sick of watching the 2023 Grand Final.

 

[NMBB]

Not if you rewatch them.
Can’t say I’ll ever get sick of watching the 2023 Grand Final.

Fair enough - I'm a bit concerned the next one might be a way off though:

• older, peaked, plateaued players
• thin VFL stocks
• traded out our draft spots for lean return
• probably something else

 

[Mostfamousclub_Pies]

Not if you rewatch them.
Can’t say I’ll ever get sick of watching the 2023 Grand Final.

I still watch the 1990 one when I’m feeling sentimental. There’s a moment late in the last quarter on the wing, where the crowd is full of the happiest faces I’ve ever seen.

 

[NMBB]

I still watch the 1990 one when I’m feeling sentimental. There’s a moment late in the last quarter on the wing, where the crowd is full of the happiest faces I’ve ever seen.

One young lady in particular is grinning from ear to ear

 

[jmac70]

One young lady in particular is grinning from ear to ear

I was there, and will never forget it. Have been lucky to be at three flags and they are all special.

If we are in for some lean times then so be it. Although I can’t believe that Nick will only win one. Reckon we will bounce back next year and give it a crack.

 

[jathanas]

Fair enough - I'm a bit concerned the next one might be a way off though:

• older, peaked, plateaued players
• thin VFL stocks
• traded out our draft spots for lean return
• probably something else

It's grim, comrade.

Many of the above concerns were valid at the start of '22. Too many are posting as if '22 and '23 didn't happen. They're almost in denial of it when they describe the present.

Football outcomes are not easy to predict.

Nobody stays at rock bottom forever, sadly the same applies to those who occupy the peak. What goes up, must come down.

The coaching group have earned the opportunity to right the ship over the next year or 2.

I look forward to the BF "glass half empty" and the "pitchfork" brigades having a ball during this rebuilding period.

 

[northcotehead]

.

We supporters can be so fickle, myself included but having been around since the 70s things can turn good or bad quickly. It's the nature of the comp. Fly had us competing against all comers from day dot, he never had a chance to build a team or to come up with a new game plan, he didn't need to coz we were up and about from the start. I'm prepared to give him a go with a clean slate of youngsters.

 

[Anzacday]

His red wine replays are a thing of the past.

Not true.
The nature of them has changed slightly though.
Instead of a glass, it’s now a bottle