Coach Craig McRae

[black is White]

When you learn from mistakes, so does the opposition. And next week’s opposition will be different and bring a whole new set of challenges to overcome.

Yet it looks like a mirror image of the same issues and mistakes every week. You can at least get the sub right more times than wrong which I feel we are on the negative side of that ledger. That's just one example but it sums it up perfectly. McRae will probably get the best out of us next year but these are real issues we face right now that is glaringly obvious to most.

 

[76woodenspooners]

This is one of the most ridiculous takes I've seen for some time.

Why?

If we’d brought him on earlier - and lost - people would have been pillorying the coach for unsettling the team when we had the lead?

Win the game, and every decision looks like a masterstroke.

Lose the game, and every decision looks like a dud one.

 

[Horaceg]

A team trying not to lose rather than a team trying to win, Carlton game was hard to watch and last night seeing it live was horrible. You could see the repeat of the Carlton game, it’s what we were doing to teams last few years now happening to us.

All we needed was to score 2 goals,

 

[76woodenspooners]

… these are real issues we face right now that is glaringly obvious to most.

No doubt. It’s the Dunning Kruger effect.

 

[black is White]

Why?

If we’d brought him on earlier - and lost - people would have been pillorying the coach for unsettling the team when we had the lead?

Win the game, and every decision looks like a masterstroke.

Lose the game, and every decision looks like a dud one.

They kicks 5 goals in a row and you are more than fine with waiting till less than a minute to go to make that change. Everyone would of been happy if he made the change after the 2nd or 3rd goal in a row. We could all see what was coming and if the sub didn't work out we all would have understood why they made it still. There is no real justification of putting him on for half a minute. If they didn't think he was up for it why make him a sub in the first place. Your last couple of sentences is you projecting the Dunning Krueger effect. You simply can't argue against any of the concerns pointed out that's all you have shown here.

 

[76woodenspooners]

Your last couple of sentences is you projecting the Dunning Krueger effect. You simply can't argue against any of the concerns pointed out that's all you have shown here.

Do you even know what the Dunning Krueger effect is?

Providing plausible explanations for decisions made by the experts is not it.

Being a punter using the benefit of hindsight to have a crack at so called “obvious” mistakes made by the experts is the epitome of it.

 

[JLC]

Great to see Fly finally speaking some truths about the officiating.

 

[doofdoof]

Meh, the umpire calls a 50m penalty in that last play …

… and we’d all be lauding Fly for us beating the top of the table team on their home deck. We’d be feeling confident about our last two games and our finals chances. We’d be lauding Fly for being able to keep our season on track despite our injury woes.

But no, a few line ball calls go against us, we lose the game, and people want to sink the boot into the coach of the reigning Premiers.

Disagree.

Yet another game where they stopped playing aggressive attacking footy too early and let the opposition back into the game. It has happened far too regularly for it not to be a coaching directive.

That last 50m non-call should never have mattered

 

[bucksisbest]

We brought him on pretty much as soon as we lost the lead and needed to get it back? Doesn’t seem unreasonable?

There was 47 seconds left in the game.

It's a completely reactive rather than proactive move. That was so late it was redundant.

The opposition were dominating us in last 10 minutes, as we went into our now commonplace hold on for dear life mode.

The point you made in support pretty much represents where we have lost our way for a significant period now.

 

[Fat Jesus]

Meh, the umpire calls a 50m penalty in that last play …

… and we’d all be lauding Fly for us beating the top of the table team on their home deck. We’d be feeling confident about our last two games and our finals chances. We’d be lauding Fly for being able to keep our season on track despite our injury woes.

But no, a few line ball calls go against us, we lose the game, and people want to sink the boot into the coach of the reigning Premiers.

Great post mate. Exactly this.

 

[HFF]

Great to see Fly finally speaking some truths about the officiating.

He needs to hear some home truths about how he is coaching and maybe deliver some to his players to let the reality sink in of what has transpired in 2024.

 

[Pies_10]

Great to see Fly finally speaking some truths about the officiating.

Should have been 50, but so should of the one against North at Marvel.
Swings and roundabouts

 

[JLC]

He needs to hear some home truths about how he is coaching and maybe deliver some to his players to let the reality sink in of what has transpired in 2024.

Agree with some home truths to certain players.

 

[Roverjg]

We brought him on pretty much as soon as we lost the lead and needed to get it back? Doesn’t seem unreasonable?

We lost the lead with over 3.30 on the clock. Bringing him on with .47 seconds left. What was that going to achieve? If it was to achieve the win it would have been when Sydney were 12 points down & coming with a full sail, to try and arrest momentum. Not after they hit the front

 

[JLC]

We lost the lead with over 3.30 on the clock. Bringing him on with .47 seconds left. What was that going to achieve? If it was to achieve the win it would have been when Sydney were 12 points down & coming with a full sail, to try and arrest momentum. Not after they hit the front

Are we still talking about Joe Richards?

I like Joe Richards as a player but I wouldn't expect much from him in the last 15 minutes let alone 3 minutes.

 

[Brad Goodman]

Subs rarely win or lose games, but bringing him on with that long to go is pointless.

 

[Mostfamousclub_Pies]

Next year will be a test for Fly, and I’m looking forward to what he and his team of assistants (which may have some turnover) will do.

But as for running out of patience if we have a poor year - fickle flakey supporters might, but fortunately they don’t run the club.

Nothing fickle about reality. We’ve got Frampton as a key defender, completely unsustainable and a dud recruit in Schultz that all the ‘positive people’ defend to the hilt.

 

[Ugene41]

The game plan has seemed to evolve back to the future of Buckley era tactics. Front half pressure, flood our forward line, lock the ball in rather than the free flowing end to end fast transition footy that made us so exciting to watch.

It's also manifesting in our recruiting and selection of players prioritising the like of Schultz, Long, Bytel where it's all about running patterns and pressure. Rather than x-factor creative players like Ginnivan, Harrison, Reef, Richards etc. Like the Blair, Mayne, Goldsack forward line days

 

[Vicky Park]

Nothing fickle about reality. We’ve got Frampton as a key defender, completely unsustainable and a dud recruit in Schultz that all the ‘positive people’ defend to the hilt.

My post related to Fly, and the fickle/flakey posts I’ve read in relation to him.

I’m not saying he coached well throughout this season, but he’s been an outstanding coach in two of his three seasons with us.

The club, and especially the Board, will have a more balanced assessment of him and how he’s travelling than some of the rubbish I’ve read on here.

 

[Mostfamousclub_Pies]

My post related to Fly, and the fickle/flakey posts I’ve read in relation to him.

I’m not saying he coached well throughout this season, but he’s been an outstanding coach in two of his three seasons with us.

The club, and especially the Board, will have a more balanced assessment of him and how he’s travelling than some of the rubbish I’ve read on here.

The patience I referred to is in relation to the supporters, not the board. One follows the other however if you wait long enough.

 

[Vicky Park]

The patience I referred to is in relation to the supporters, not the board. One follows the other however if you wait long enough.

Which follows which ha ha? Hopefully the Board leads on this one.

 

[Mostfamousclub_Pies]

Which follows which ha ha? Hopefully the Board leads on this one.

I think the average supporter is far more heavily invested in an emotional sense than most board members. i take my hat off to anyone who consistently travels interstate to watch the Pies.

 

[Mollythedolly]

I understand what you’re saying but to leave a fresh player on the bench until the last 47 seconds…when you can see we are in need of fresh legs and such is our pattern all season in last qtrs ….I’m sorry that’s a coaching fail and Fly needs to take the L for that.

This team has become the opposite of what he preached when got the gig.
We don’t take corridor anymore.
We don’t excite
We are effectively boring to watch save for a handful of talents and are playing far too system based…we have gone too much the other way rather than embrace our strengths of flair and dare with some of the players we possess.

Can anyone imagine Pendlebury in a grand final calling Ned Long into a centre square bounce to win the game?
Because that’s what effectively we have. Ow become
It’s not to hang shit on one individual but the standard of player and players we are gifting games too in premium slots….it’s a huge coaching fail for me.

I disagree. Would have been nice for the kid to get more game time but we needed a lift in the midfield to stop Heeney and Warner, Richard’s wasn’t going to give us that.

 

[Mollythedolly]

Has been poor all year managing the sub.

A big wake up in 2024 to the ‘can’t do no wrong’ aura.

Use of the sub in most games this year has been dictated by on-field injuries. Not sure how that can be managed better.

 

[YouBeauty]

You could see how shattered McRae was. It wasn't a good way to lose. The umpiring was a ****ing disgrace and glad he called it out although the reporters didn't really question him on the deliberate OOBs. Those campaigners don't even watch the game I bet.

Something that bucks always said. Shit will always go against you, umpires in particular. You always got to be 5% better to mitigate it.