Strategy Love or hate - where can we replace these workers

[sij1981]

Hi,

Was just watching the 2013 Prelim at Subi vs sydney swans and man o man raised my whiskers.

Players who are just pure hard workers might not be the most skilled but just blue collar workers. Do we have those kind of hard bodies?

• Ryan Crowley - a pure shutdown player who can also kick 45-50m goals - Bailey Banfield aint no Crowley - He kept Parker to 3 possessions in the 2nd quarter
• Matt Deboer - just was a battering ram in the middle and tackling tackling sydney players - his mission dont worry about getting the ball yourself just stop the opposition
• Suban - we may not like his kicking or anything else but he put his head down and worked like a bull wherever he played
• Muzungu - Another tagger soft one but still hard bodied - kept their 2nd best midfielder Hannebry to very few touches
• Duffield - yes he can be replaced by Wilson so will give this one.
• Frizzy hair Mayne - just tackle tackle non stop in forward line - who does that now no one that manic
• Barlow - well nothing more to be said here

Other key items we must do in 2019.

• Walters must play in forward line - this match just reminded me of how key he is up there
• Fyfe - has to go back in the middle - man the 2013 young fyfe just too good in the middle - no forward time unless resting

 

[DeanS]

We didn't win the premiership that year so not sure we have to follow that model and replace them at all.

 

[eastfreo75]

Hi,

Was just watching the 2013 Prelim at Subi vs sydney swans and man o man raised my whiskers.

Players who are just pure hard workers might not be the most skilled but just blue collar workers. Do we have those kind of hard bodies?

• Ryan Crowley - a pure shutdown player who can also kick 45-50m goals - Bailey Banfield aint no Crowley - He kept Parker to 3 possessions in the 2nd quarter
• Matt Deboer - just was a battering ram in the middle and tackling tackling sydney players - his mission dont worry about getting the ball yourself just stop the opposition
• Suban - we may not like his kicking or anything else but he put his head down and worked like a bull wherever he played
• Muzungu - Another tagger soft one but still hard bodied - kept their 2nd best midfielder Hannebry to very few touches
• Duffield - yes he can be replaced by Wilson so will give this one.
• Frizzy hair Mayne - just tackle tackle non stop in forward line - who does that now no one that manic
• Barlow - well nothing more to be said here

Other key items we must do in 2019.

• Walters must play in forward line - this match just reminded me of how key he is up there
• Fyfe - has to go back in the middle - man the 2013 young fyfe just too good in the middle - no forward time unless resting

https://www.footywire.com/afl/footy...d2=9&type=A&pid1=6541&pid2=1349&fid1=O&fid2=O
Banfield played 20 games vs Crowley player 0 at the same age.

 

[Alfonz]

We didn't win the premiership that year so not sure we have to follow that model and replace them at all.

If we had played like we did in that prelim, we would have easily won the 2013 GF. Unfortunately half our side got stage fright.

 

[FreoMonocle]

We had the tools in the shed to make thongs, but not hobnailed boots.

If we had more run and skill, we would have been playing a different type of game. Instead of skill - all those missing first round draft picks, we used big and hard bodies to put pressure on the opponents and lowered their skill level (hasty passes, kicking oob etc).

We still need pressure. You need to soak it up and dish it out. I don't know if you remember going to the pub as a weedy 18 year old and realising that, Crikey, those fellas in their 20s are way bigger - didn't care at high school but made a point to be invisible at the pub and not invite unwanted attention. Being a young midfielder, you are going to feel more delicate than your opponents when you wake up the next day. Compounded by the fact that we've got several young uns and not much big bodied protection for them.

In saying that, I was quite surprised by Brayshaw making so many tackles stick this year.

 

[Rob]

Barlow is the only one that's remotely hard to replace.

We need more A graders, not more foot soldiers.

 

[Dale147]

We just gotta kick more goals, how ever that needs to happen, then that’s the road we need to take and build on from that.

 

[jedi mind tricks]

This thread just feels like we are reflecting on the premiership that got away.

Past players and replacements are irrelevant for today.

Freo need to look at player development so that the best 22 each week is heading in the right direction for whoever is selected.

No two players are exactly the same and replicating a season shouldn't be the goal. Bettering it is the ideal outcome.

 

[theGav56]

If we are worrying about the replacements for the likes of Crowley and Mzungu (love those guys by the way), then our list is in better shape than I thought.

 

[Scham]

Time to move on. It wasn’t a successful model in 2013 and it’s less of one now.

 

[E Shed]

If we had played like we did in that prelim, we would have easily won the 2013 GF. Unfortunately half our side got stage fright.

No if we'd played Sydney or a team with similar gameplan we would have won because we were harder for longer than anyone that year.
But we came up against Ross's kryptonite - a team that wouldn't get down in the mud and wrestle and played keepies off instead so we ran around in circles chasing tails all day.

 

[Outshined]

It was 5 years ago. Let it go.

The game's moved on. Ross did well to get that list firing, but his system has been cracked and I would hope we're moving in a different direction.

We shouldn't be looking to replace, but rather upgrade.

 

[Joao]

No if we'd played Sydney or a team with similar gameplan we would have won because we were harder for longer than anyone that year.
But we came up against Ross's kryptonite - a team that wouldn't get down in the mud and wrestle and played keepies off instead so we ran around in circles chasing tails all day.

To be fair, that Hawks team on their game was everyone's kryptonie (bar maybe Geelong who were also full of gun players). Evidenced by belting both Sydney and West Coast in the following 2 GFs. Ross did well to get us close at all.

 

[FreoGirl]

Other than Hawthorn's dominant reign, the past Grand Final winners could have been 'anybody'. We just need things to fall our way. We got pretty close to Collingwood in our final game - who would have expected them to then beat Richmond.

We just need a bit of luck and self belief. If we can have better management of the team around injuries we are as good as any other team.

 

[mightymouse75]

Cant we just go fully autonomous

 

[beetz]

That was a glorious game. How I’d love to have that feeling again.

In saying that, I reckon our playing list is way better than 2013. It’s just the game plan that needs work.

 

[im_a_lazy_sod]

In our 'golden era' we bought in players based on gameplan
Now we need to adapt gameplan based on players

Simplistic, yes, but we need to adapt to the cattle we have

 

[anchor man]

Hi,

Was just watching the 2013 Prelim at Subi vs sydney swans and man o man raised my whiskers.

Players who are just pure hard workers might not be the most skilled but just blue collar workers. Do we have those kind of hard bodies?

• Ryan Crowley - a pure shutdown player who can also kick 45-50m goals - Bailey Banfield aint no Crowley - He kept Parker to 3 possessions in the 2nd quarter
• Matt Deboer - just was a battering ram in the middle and tackling tackling sydney players - his mission dont worry about getting the ball yourself just stop the opposition
• Suban - we may not like his kicking or anything else but he put his head down and worked like a bull wherever he played
• Muzungu - Another tagger soft one but still hard bodied - kept their 2nd best midfielder Hannebry to very few touches
• Duffield - yes he can be replaced by Wilson so will give this one.
• Frizzy hair Mayne - just tackle tackle non stop in forward line - who does that now no one that manic
• Barlow - well nothing more to be said here

Other key items we must do in 2019.

• Walters must play in forward line - this match just reminded me of how key he is up there
• Fyfe - has to go back in the middle - man the 2013 young fyfe just too good in the middle - no forward time unless resting

Just in response to your post,most of these players you mentioned were just foot soldiers who were never going to take us any further.This of course, is only my opinion.
When Crowley left, he was a spent force.A very good player for us.
DeBoer.Was a handy player, but was never going to take us any further.Even now at the Giants he is still just that. A good honest playing.A trier.
Suban. Similar to MDB.I considered that he was lucky not to be released at the same time.
Mzungu,same as the above.A true work horse who was just that.
Mayne looked shot when he asked to be cleared.He hadn't fired a shot for several years.He needed a break from the restricted role he was playing at Fremantle.He struggled for a place at Collingwood for a long time.
Barlow,in my opinion, there was more to him being delisted than met the eye.Being involved with the media, maybe he was letting thing out that he shouldn't have.Again, only an opinion.
Duffield was a player we sadly missed when he retired.His precise kicking from the back line was missed, and probably still is.Though Wilson has partially taken over that role.
I think we have more than covered these players with the result of the draft last year, and will cover even more with the ones we have traded in this trade period.
I think we have covered work horses with race horses.