If I were Rodney Eade...

[CalWard Is Money]

First thing Monday morning I would be having a meeting with all the under 25 players, Libba and Wally included, and enforcing the point that these are the guys that need to step up and take us to the promised land.

I would be challenging Cooney to Captain our Club with Griffen his deputy. Coons is our best player and needs to now take ownership of the next wave coming through.

I would be challenging Higgins to really step up and become a part of the midfield where his skill and class is needed. I would be challenging Roughead to overthrow Hudson as the number one ruckman.

I would be urging Jones, Grant and Cordy to work their arse off in the gym and become permanent fixtures within the 22. I would be challenging Ward, Reid, Wood, Picken and Addison to work on their skills and get them to the point where it matches their desire and ferocity at the footy.

I would be instilling the belief in Tom Williams that he is our number one defensive stopper and that he will be taking the best forward every week regardless of the opposition. I would be emploring Howard, Tutt, Wallis, Libba and Hooper to push as hard as they can to make the best 22 and finally I would be throwing my absolute full support and confidence behind Hill, Everitt and Stack...make them feel that with a full pre-season that they will be valued members of our best 22 and given every opportunity to cement a spot.

The time for sentiment is finished, this club needs to get real...We all know Rocket has his favourites and they have tried their guts out to get us to a Premiership but have come up short when it counts. 3 consecutive years we have come out poorly in the qualifying final and 3 consecutive years we have come up short in the second half of Prelim's...enough is enough. These guys have all been great clubmen but being loyal and committed just isn't enough these days. Look at Collingwood on Friday night they had Fraser, Medhurst, Davis, O'Bree and Lockyer sitting in the stands whilst their kids put the almighty Cats to the sword. All have made significant contributions to where Collingwood are now but none are in the best 22 anymore.

Hargrave, Hahn, Gilbee, Gia, Cross and Boyd have all had their go at attempting to get us to the granny but keep being exposed...i am not saying all have to go but geez i think a lot of them will be pushing the proverbial up hill to be part of our best 22. I am one of the many who are starting to believe their is only room for one of Cross or Boyd...Gia and Hahn are both gone for me and only one of Hargrave or Gilbee stays.

As we sit here now my 22 to carry us forward is;

B: Morris, Lake, Picken
HB: Wood, Williams, Addison
C: Higgins, Ward, Reid
HF: Grant, Murphy, Hooper/Stack
F: Jones, Hall, Hill
R: Roughead, Cooney, Griffen

I/C: Hudson, Boyd, Gilbee, Everitt

Trade Bait: Minson, Hargrave, Gia, (i feel ill saying it but...) Cross

 

[DogsAreBarking]

A good post. You make a lot of sensible suggestions.

One question - what makes you dangle Crossy as trade bait instead of Boyd?
For me Boyd's sometimes erratic disposal puts his value underneath Cross.

 

[dogwatch]

Hey Fred Cook! I found us that coach I was talking about...

Good post CWIM. Don't agree with you about Cross but otherwise pretty much on the money.

Boyd has to join the skills class too. Video of Ablett, J.Selwood or Swan dispose of the ball under pressure would be essential watching.

If you were Rocket you'd of course be telling the trade bait where they're at wouldn't you? Probably the hardest part of any coach's job.

 

[Godzilla!]

The fact that you said we shoud trade Cross renders your opinion meaningless.

Higgins isn't a midfielder. Will never be quick enough. Has never played a good game there. Has shown nothing to suggest he is a mid.

 

[CalWard Is Money]

A good post. You make a lot of sensible suggestions.

One question - what makes you dangle Crossy as trade bait instead of Boyd?
For me Boyd's sometimes erratic disposal puts his value underneath Cross.

Boyd's best is better than Cross'...that is all. Boyd has the ability to hit the scoreboard, Cross doesn't. Boyd just needs to learn his limitations. Keep it simple, he is never going to be a Judd or Ablett he needs to get back to what he was doing in '08 & '09.

 

[BenF]

Some good points.

Although trading Crossy is ludicrous

 

[CalWard Is Money]

The fact that you said we shoud trade Cross renders your opinion meaningless.

Higgins isn't a midfielder. Will never be quick enough. Has never played a good game there. Has shown nothing to suggest he is a mid.

and the fact that you wouldn't even entertain the idea of it renders yours meaningless...

as for Higgins the guy is 21 or 22. has had a dislocated elbow, reconstructed ankle and an over active thyroid...cut him some slack. This is the same guy who polled 12 votes in the brownlow last year. He can't play in the midfield because he is too slow...yet we can't trade Cross...I'm confused

 

[Godzilla!]

So we should consider trading Cooney as well?

 

[Godzilla!]

Higgins polled those votes playing as a forward. He is a gun as a forward. Every good game he has played has been in the forward line. Cross may not be the fastest bloke, but he has elite endurance. He tops the tackling count every week, often drops in the hole in defense, does all the hard stuff. Higgins isn't really in Cross' league when it comes to that stuff. Nor is Boyd.

 

[fronkalicious]

Definitely some excellent points in the original post, but we definitely should not be trading Boyd or Cross. Neither are perfect, but they are 2 of the best grunt players in the busines and theyre seriously hard to come by and shouldnt be thrown on the scrapheap.

They were exposed a little with the loss of Cooney and Higgins in the class department which isnt their fault. The whole balance of our midfield was thrown out when those guys went down. They'll also be absolutely perfect mentors for Libba & Wallis.

Agree entirely that Gilbee, Gia & Hargrave are only borderline best 22 for next season and that Jones, Roughie, Reid, Everitt etc must be given consistent games regardless of who has to miss out to make that happen.

Collingwood have shown the way in this department and have reaped the rewards. Geelong to a lesser extent as well having the bollards to drop mackie.

Bye bye to Hahn Im afraid. We need to make the hard calls on guys like him.

 

[SCRAY72]

If I were Rodney Eade I would be asking my manager to seek new employment in 2012.

 

[fronkalicious]

Back to the Boyd/Cross thing, I would much rather be a team that needs to add some speed & outside players than a team thats not competitive enough around the footy (ie Dogs 2003-2006). Dont undervalue these 2 warriors.

 

[beaser]

The joint needs a freshen up and Gilbee, Cross, Boyd, Gia, Hahn, Hargrave,all need to be looked at. Its hard decisions that will get us past the prelim not sentiment and romance.

 

[comrade]

Back to the Boyd/Cross thing, I would much rather be a team that needs to add some speed & outside players than a team thats not competitive enough around the footy (ie Dogs 2003-2006). Dont undervalue these 2 warriors.

How many grunt men do we need?

Boyd, Cross, Ward, Picken, Reid, Addison. Throw in Liberatore.

How many line breakers do we have?

Cooney and Griffen.

Our midfield is completely unbalanced. Whilst Boyd and Cross have been warriors for us, they either have to change their roles and become strictly defensive or we try different personnel.

The fact is their best hasn't been good enough and the definition of insanity is trying the same thing over and over expecting different results.

 

[Zeno The Great]

Very good post, but i also think you could not trade Boyd or Cross - both have their deficiencies, but you see last night Crossy puts his body on the line every time, and Boydy goes so hard too - but true i think we need a few more line breakers, we are not quick at all like people suggest we are, especially after losing Harbrow.

 

[CalWard Is Money]

How many grunt men do we need?

Boyd, Cross, Ward, Picken, Reid, Addison. Throw in Liberatore.

How many line breakers do we have?

Cooney and Griffen.

Our midfield is completely unbalanced. Whilst Boyd and Cross have been warriors for us, they either have to change their roles and become strictly defensive or we try different personnel.

The fact is their best hasn't been good enough and the definition of insanity is trying the same thing over and over expecting different results.

This...

forget about sentiment. I watched Cross have a head start on an oppositions back up ruckman and get beaten to the ball. Name one other midfielder in the comp this would happen to.

I love the guy and maybe there is still a role for him but there is no way that Boyd, Cross and Ward can exist in the same midfield and in our biggest game of the year on Saturday night it was the kid who was the best of these three by a long, long way...

 

[fronkalicious]

Cal, I completely agree that the midfield still needs tinkering to get the balance right, but my point is that Id much rather be in need of some additional speed and finishing, than finding guys who have motors like Cross & Boyd and can win the footy against the bets mid-fields in the comp.

You guys honestly think we could win enough pill to beat Geel, St Kilda & Collingwood next year in big games without these 2 guys?? Hayes, Swan, Selwood, Bartel etc would have a field day against us.

 

[comrade]

Hayes, Swan, Selwood, Bartel etc would have a field day against us.

LOL.

These guys did have a field day against us THIS year with Boyd and Cross playing. That's kind of the whole point!

 

[Beasley]

Very good post and I agree .. how many grunt players do we need?

I didnt realise how many good players Collingwood had outside the top 22.

About time we made similar tough decisions.

 

[SonOfScray]

He needs to make a significant shift in how the squad is picked and start handing over responsibility to the younger blokes to keep us up and running. Give the right blokes a chance, a few need to change their role around a bit. We can't keep going back to the well with the same leaky bucket.

If he can get the wheels turning with a different looking squad, he'll have served us well in what I think should be his final year as coach.

 

[Bulldog1954]

This...

forget about sentiment. I watched Cross have a head start on an oppositions back up ruckman and get beaten to the ball. Name one other midfielder in the comp this would happen to.

Give me strength it was one contest when Brown had probably just come off the bench and Crossy was spent. He is no slower then Luke Ball who is playing in a grand final on Saturday or recent premiership winners like Cameron Ling and Brad Sewell

 

[Krushed]

If I were Rocket I'd definitely attack that huge amount of beverages he was just seen carrying across the road in High Street Ashburton.

 

[DogsAreBarking]

Some of you guys are saying that we don't seem to have enough pace but this team is feared on its best day by its running game and their relentless ability to run in waves and run all day. Sure, we haven't seen much of that this year but I think we still have the personnel to be that team again, and the addition of a few young guns coming through the ranks won't hurt either. A few less injuries would be nice too.

 

[Dazb86]

I think Rodney Eade should set up some reward/punishment system relating to tackles and pressuring next year. Set it up in 3 sections - Forwards, Mids, Backs and reward the player with the most tackles somehow and punish the guy with the least tackles. Something like if you are last in tackles 3 weeks in a row you will be dropped or something along those lines.

But I also think we won't look as slow next year because of the interchange rules being changed. Fit sides will have a bigger impact than the burst running sides I believe.

 

[CalWard Is Money]

Some of you guys are saying that we don't seem to have enough pace but this team is feared on its best day by its running game and their relentless ability to run in waves and run all day. Sure, we haven't seen much of that this year but I think we still have the personnel to be that team again, and the addition of a few young guns coming through the ranks won't hurt either. A few less injuries would be nice too.

Feared by those teams who don't know how to apply pressure...the big boys though, they must lick their lips at how predictable we are. Geelong were hammered on friday night because they are too slow. Corey, Selwood, Ling and Bartel are all one-paced midfielders and got exposed. If we want to achieve anything other than countless honourable preliminary final losses then we must act now.

The AFL is a cut throat business and you have to stay ahead of the game. The current gameplan would have won us the flag in '05 and '06. We need to have the gameplan for '11 before anyone else does. Only the unpredictability of youth can provide this...