Dude, where's my forward line?

[Zahki]

No seriously, where'd you put it Mick? 4 goals? Seriously? Something has to be done about our forward structure because it looks like it's just not working. Looking back the warning signs were there but in Round 1 Medhurst, Didak and Davis all fired up so of course all looked well. But they're not going to chip in with 3-4 goals every game, we scraped over the line against Melbourne and now have been badly exposed against the Saints.

Forward line once again our biggest weakness, all the optimism that Bucks would work something out to get it firing again is fading.

Credit where credit is due, the Saints are an excellent team and ground out the win, but geez, it was there for the taking and we just couldn't do it.

 

[Chief Ten Beers]

It's general work-rate around the ground and delivery as well that doesn't help. But you're right.

Also, Richo nailed it. Every comment he made about Collingwood tonight. Nailed it. Really hope the coaching staff listens to him.

 

[Drizt]

Sigh... face/palm ... Collingwood.. grrr.

 

[Ant85]

We had plenty of scoring opportunities.

We're getting shots on goal. We're just not converting them.

 

[Football God]

nothing wring with our forward structure. we cant f***ing kick.
also, every team floods against us so we have to move it quicker in ther otherwise we have to just go for the lucky bomb.

 

[Zahki]

So why doesn't the club employ a kicking coach? Oh right, Malthouse doesn't believe in kicking coaches, and we have a few players who have been consistently bad shots for goal, hmmmm.

 

[Ant85]

So why doesn't the club employ a kicking coach? Oh right, Malthouse doesn't believe in kicking coaches, and we have a few players who have been consistently bad shots for goal, hmmmm.

Our forward coach was arguably the best kick last decade, aka Nathan Buckley. If he can't give them a few pointers on their kicking, who the f can?

 

[Quicky]

I think people would be singing a different tune if we had kicked accurately. But even so you have a point. I think accuracy is the main thing but our lack of consistent KPF options is really hurting right now.

It's general work-rate around the ground and delivery as well that doesn't help. But you're right.

Also, Richo nailed it. Every comment he made about Collingwood tonight. Nailed it. Really hope the coaching staff listens to him.

Can you enlighten us??

 

[Blur]

17 points isn't good enough, specially in such a low scoring game. Very bad kicking.

 

[Zahki]

I think people would be singing a different tune if we had kicked accurately. But even so you have a point. I think accuracy is the main thing but our lack of consistent KPF options is really hurting right now.

Well yeah, of course we would. If they kicked accurately we would've won and everything would be peaches. But tonight just shows the MOST important thing in football is finishing, you can dominate the midfield, your defense can be a blanket but in the end you've got to kick the goals to win. Holding the Saints to 10 was great if you hold a team to 10 goals you should win.

As for KPFs I posted this in another thread:

We have no key forwards who can be relied on. None. That is extremely worrying.

Anthony - Fantastic shot but can't take a contested mark to save his life

Cloke - Can take a mark but is the worst shot for goal in the side

Dawes - Probably looking like our best option right now but considering most don't even think he can make it at AFL level so far that isn't great.

Rusling - Can't stay fit.

You wouldn't count on ANY of them to boot more than a single lucky goal in any given game. We're boned.

A little melodramatic but it's bitten us in the arse hard tonight.

 

[Bloben]

lets hope dawes and rusling can do well tomorrow to give us some options up forward. We will not win a grand final with this forward line right now. Cloke is a good player but won't win games on his own

 

[HFF]

I hate to say I told you so but....

Jack's omission was clearly felt. Sure, we dominated the game and has the chances but we need to be able to take them. Jack would have nailed a couple when the game was there to be taken by us and runaway with it.

But, hey, at least we have the "work-rate" of Leroy Brown in the forward line. He is good for his "roughing-up" of opponents costing the team cheap free kicks/50m penalties and to cap it all off, he hasn't even kicked a single goal yet in season 2010.

I can see the logic of dropping our leading goal kicker from last season and FF (who has still kicked 3 goals in his 2 games from limited opportunities) for someone of the quality of Leroy who just keeps on "working". Seems like he worked very hard tonight too.

 

[Zahki]

If Jack played the way he did in rounds 1 and 2 it wouldn't have made much difference, and we have no evidence that he would've been any better. A forward who can't take a contested mark is just as bad as one who can't kick straight.

 

[Kipz]

Lacked a target up forward. Extremely frustrating watching us just bang it in to no one and then when we had a shot be it from a mark or what, be a point.

 

[Visions]

nothing wring with our forward structure. we cant f***ing kick.
also, every team floods against us so we have to move it quicker in ther otherwise we have to just go for the lucky bomb.

Chance in hell that happening the way MM has us play.

 

[redandblackbomba]

Isn't Buckley your forward line coach??

 

[Visions]

I think people would be singing a different tune if we had kicked accurately. But even so you have a point. I think accuracy is the main thing but our lack of consistent KPF options is really hurting right now.

The problem is we have never been an accurate team over the years.

At least we created a record tonight. Most inaccurate scoreline ever kicked at Etihad. Do we get a trophy for that?

 

[daneswan]

Isn't Buckley your forward line coach??

yeah he is. that doesnt mean he's out there kicking it for them!

 

[Zahki]

Chance in hell that happening the way MM has us play.

Yep a fair amount of the blame has to be levelled at the gameplan Mick is having them play. Looking forward to watching the post match interview so I can see where he's deflected the blame this time.

 

[HFF]

If Jack played the way he did in rounds 1 and 2 it wouldn't have made much difference, and we have no evidence that he would've been any better. A forward who can't take a contested mark is just as bad as one who can't kick straight.

Oh, like in rounds one or two where he was able to chip in with goals in pressure/crucial stages of the game, despite his "poor" outing?

Hmmm, yeh, I'm sure that would not have been handy tonight nor would of his height particularly with the Saints defence all talls taking marks back there at will.

But hey, at least we have Leroy who "tries" and has a "presence".

A team's strength is measured by it's bottom 4 or so players.

Ours tonight are Leroy Brown, Toovey, J-Mac and Macaffer.

Might be being harsh on the latter two youngsters who were both ok (despiteJ-Mac missing some simple shots on goal) but Toovey is a massive liability when he goes near the ball as he always seems to fumble it in pressure situations. Leroy is simply useless and keeps getting this whole "Mr Fixit" tag when in fact, he doesn't contribute anything. Jack at his worst is better than Leroy at his best.

All we can hope for is that Jack and Rus have a day out in the twos tomorrow so we can see the last of these types. Hopefully the Sack comes in for Toovey.

 

[Zahki]

Oh, like in rounds one or two where he was able to chip in with goals in pressure/crucial stages of the game, despite his "poor" outing?

Jack was piss poor in both games and deserved to be dropped, thems the facts, sorry. Pressure situations? Crucial stages? Jack got a single goal in round 1 and it was in the first quarter, hardly a pressure situation or a crucial stage of the match.

1 goal a game is not enough from your full forward, period.

 

[HFF]

Jack was piss poor in both games and deserved to be dropped, thems the facts, sorry. Pressure situations? Crucial stages? Jack got a single goal in round 1 and it was in the first quarter, hardly a pressure situation or a crucial stage of the match.

1 goal a game is not enough from your full forward, period.

As opposed to ZERO goals out of the "make shift" FF in Leroy?

Sorry but I don't buy it.

Mick's stubborness at selection was costly this time round. He is very lucky it's only round 3 and not later in the season.

Tippett has only kicked 1 goal this season but I haven't seen the Crows drop him yet and they are ****ing winless!!

Fact of the matter is, you only drop players if you have "quality" players in reserve to replace them with.

Leroy Brown > Jack Anthony just doesn't make any sense.

 

[Bloben]

Tonight really showed how much we are missing an Anthony Rocca type. Since 2007 we have all had hopes that Cloke would take that role in our side however it is clear that he is now not up to it. A good player yes but not a Rocca type figurehead.

Even when our talls have been crap we have always had quality smalls in Didak, Thomas, Davis, Dick, Medhurst etc. Now we have pretty much nothing with no bigs and smalls playing well. 4 goals 14 and 2 out of bounds is disgusting.

 

[Ickirus]

Why is it our supporters always bag our forward line after a loss when its the slow ball movement, and stupid and shithouse delivery that is at fault?

Yes we were inaccurate, but it is the DELIVERY into the forward line that is the problem!

Bombing it in long to a 3v1 every god dam time is stupid and useless, especially with our only forward who consistently is able to at least bring the ball down after these stupid bombs is out in Anthony.

Yes Anthony failed to take a lot of grabs in the first two rounds, but he was able to get his hands to the ball and spill the ball down to the ground even when he was outnumbered, something we failed miserably at tonight. The amount of marks the Saints took in our forward 50 was embarrassingly bad.

One again our forwards are only as good as the ball coming in, bombing it in like idiots gets you no where.

 

[mattys123]

Where's the forward line you ask?

Possible VFL Lineup tomorrow;

F: Rusling, Dawes, Anthony.

THERE IT IS.