News Media Thread, 2024: Insightful, Inciteful and Incomptent

[stallon]

Well, Ryan could play that small forward role he was AA at, for starters.

Brockman and Kelly to float between HFF and mid/wing, so they're on hand to receive 2nd possession.

I liked Ryan in mid but that's because the current setup is far too stale without Harley in there. Nobody else seems to get clean possession and look to get into space before kicking the ball.

Yeo and Kelly mostly bomb it and Ginbey fumbles before offloading a handball.

Once Hewett back that's a completely different story but Kelly's strengths isn't to get the ball to feed it to the outside, he's the one that should be on the outside himself.

Ryan and Reid to rotate out of deep forward, Kelly, Cripps and Brockman to be our HFFs/wing, Yeo + Trew/Culley/Hall to be our 2 mainstays maybe.
Dont know where this leaves Long, as he would probably be in that HFF spot Kelly would take, and Hewett takes a spot off someone in a month or so if all goes well

 

[bzparkes]

Ryan and Reid to rotate out of deep forward, Kelly, Cripps and Brockman to be our HFFs/wing, Yeo + Trew/Culley/Hall to be our 2 mainstays maybe.
Dont know where this leaves Long, as he would probably be in that HFF spot Kelly would take, and Hewett takes a spot off someone in a month or so if all goes well

Long replaces Cripps, or is part of the midfield rotation.

Either way, at least there's a number of options if one isn't working, and they all play a bit differently from each other also.

Better than the current setup of 4 talls that don't mark the ball whilst the oppo waltzes out for a coast to coast goal on rise and repeat.

 

[flamingEMBERS]

My own uneducated opinion based on what I’ve seen at AFL and WAFL level.

Not sure he’s been given the opportunity at AFL level for that to be determined

 

[thebutterflyeffect]

The only players putting up numbers in the WAFL are Gaff, Trew and Culley… all got a go. Now some will say Trew needs to play in the guts but none of Yeo, Kelly, Reid or Ginbey are the ones that need a kick up the bum. Earlier this year we played Rawlinson and Johnstone. Neither put up big numbers, not that I would expect them to this soon. But what then is the message if they stay in? Until we get a better balanced squad with players 20-25 forcing out senior players, we’re gonna have this issue. It’s part of the rebuild.

Hmmm our midfield gets annihilated every second week but none of our starting midfield are part of the problem.

 

[KERRPOW]

The only players putting up numbers in the WAFL are Gaff, Trew and Culley… all got a go. Now some will say Trew needs to play in the guts but none of Yeo, Kelly, Reid or Ginbey are the ones that need a kick up the bum. Earlier this year we played Rawlinson and Johnstone. Neither put up big numbers, not that I would expect them to this soon. But what then is the message if they stay in? Until we get a better balanced squad with players 20-25 forcing out senior players, we’re gonna have this issue. It’s part of the rebuild.

I wouldnt say 1 game and 1 as a sub is a go....

 

[Ishmael_]

Trew could quite easily play Kelly's position in mid, because Kelly's best position isn't where he's currently playing.

I dunno how you can look at a goal-kicking mid/HF, who finished third in the Brownlow, and decide he'd be great as an inside brute, but somehow Simmo managed to do it...

Prior to 2018 Simpson would throw players around, often in strange positions, sometimes good (2015), sometimes bizarre (Mitch Brown).

In 2018 he had success after resolving to play mids as mids, forwards as forwards and backs as backs.

But he has taken the wrong message out of that success.

It wasn't successful because players were narrowly, stubbornly, defined. It was successful because players played in their best positions.

Playing Kelly as a contested beast might help a weak midfield but it dilutes his and the Eagle's competitive advantage.

Success in any field is about exploiting your competitive edge. Yes minimise weaknesses, but not if dulls your edge.

 

[Altum Volantes]

Is there anything more certain than Peter Sumich and Paul Haselby shit canning the Eagles this week?

Sumich on his usual stuff re. Simpson.

I know some (most) of you are ready for Simpson to walk the plank but to listen to Sumich talk about how ‘frustrated’ he is ‘as a supporter’ is ridiculous.

Hasn’t said a positive thing about the club in more than a decade.

 

[ziad]

Is there anything more certain than Peter Sumich and Paul Haselby shit canning the Eagles this week?

Sumich on his usual stuff re. Simpson.

I know some (most) of you are ready for Simpson to walk the plank but to listen to Sumich talk about how ‘frustrated’ he is ‘as a supporter’ is ridiculous.

Hasn’t said a positive thing about the club in more than a decade.

A sad and bitter looser. Sad to see.

 

[Seadog]

Dunno if anyone else has posted this but it is quite interesting.

 

[CoastersFlag No.5]

Good listen. Hits the nail on the head. Real lack of chasing noticeable on the weekend. Sydney are a great model for our midfield.

Full link to listen here.

 

[Altum Volantes]

Good listen. Hits the nail on the head. Real lack of chasing noticeable on the weekend. Sydney are a great model for our midfield.

Full link to listen here.

Interesting take - this may have been the case when Longmire was up and coming but probably not today’s Sydney team.

Don’t get me wrong, Sydney are a hard running team for sure but I’d suggest their weakness at the moment is probably their chasing and defensive work when they aren’t in control of the ball - they have a lot of guys that are very capable run and gun players - but not the strongest when it comes to chasing.

By the by though - it’s definitely an issue for West Coast - effort just evaporates far too quickly and we are left with that farce against Hawthorn.

 

[donpyke92]

Dunno if anyone else has posted this but it is quite interesting.

Good listen, thank you Seadog.
Got a little caught up watching vision of 90's footy.
Very well researched and relayed to the listener from that fella...makes a lot of sense
Content terrific. Cheers for that.

 

[donpyke92]

Don't like potting Duggan, but at 2.22 is not an effort you expect from the skipper, probably a better example of what Mark Stone was talking about.
Coaching, compliance, corralling, rules no-one understands, including umps?
No idea...just commit to the contest, esp when your team is getting it's pants pulled down, but still in it somehow.
Really like Duggo, but that one pi**ed me off at the time.

 

[UseR2006]

EXCLUSIVE: Senior Eagles led match review after ugly loss

Senior West Coast players led a tough review of Sunday’s ugly loss to Hawthorn which co-captain Liam Duggan described as ‘honest’.

thewest.com.au

Very interesting to read that the post match review was led by the players and the defenders essentially chewed out the mid group.

West Coast captain Liam Duggan says players lead team review after dismal Hawthorn loss​

Senior West Coast players led a tough review of Sunday’s ugly loss to Hawthorn which co-captain Liam Duggan described as “honest”.

The review is normally steered by coaches, often with players assisting, but this one was run purely by team leaders after a 61-point defeat in which the Hawks had 148 more possessions, dominated clearances and cut the Eagles up on the spread.

“It was players asking more of players and that can be really powerful at times,” Duggan told The West Australian.
“It was really engaging with plenty of buy in from all members of the playing group.
“There wasn’t one or two voices being heard, it was across the board which I think is really beneficial, particularly after a game like that.”
Duggan said watching footage of the game “wasn’t ideal”.
“But it was definitely an engaging review and just honest,” he said.

“We sort of challenged each other a little bit. Without getting too deep and meaningful on it we needed more from each other out there at the weekend so we focused on that area.
“A lot of that was on our team defence and how we can help each other in those areas.

“The honesty piece and getting everyone engaged and making sure we are on top of what we are actually chasing in that area of the game was the most important part for us.”
Asked what went wrong in a game the Eagles lost battles all over the ground on their home deck, Duggan said: “To be honest, what went wrong was most areas of our game.
“There was no indication prior or in the week leading up that tells you you are going to have a performance like that.
“We couldn’t get anything going and Hawthorn beat us in pretty well every facet of the game.

“To show up that way in front of 50,000 fans was pretty flattening. But the buys have got out in front of it and have owned it.

“They are committed to bouncing back from that one.”
Defenders Duggan, Jeremy McGovern and Tom Barrass, were the Eagles’ three best players in the game.
It is believed senior members of the Eagles backline were disappointed at the lack of midfield accountability against the Hawks and held a defensive coaching class with the on-ballers for more than 30 minutes at Tuesday’s sessions at Mineral Resources Park.

“It was about that team defence stuff. We are able to train a lot of it as backmen, which is what we do. We just shifted up the line to help out,” Duggan said.
“We find that when we are all on the same page and working together it is really fluid and easy to operate team defence.
“There was a bit of disconnect at the weekend. TB and I jumped up there to help out and give a little bit of insight into the tools and tricks that we can use and how we work together and create that connection. We stripped it right back.”

Duggan said it can’t all be left to Barrass and McGovern to save games.
“Those boys have been great for us all year. The key pillars. You can look at the defenders and say that’s your defence, but for us it is up the ground and we are trying to focus on how that 18-man defence looks,” Duggan said.
“We know we have TB and Gov down there to take a big mark for us and save the day but we don’t want them to be having to do that for us.

“The reflection piece was we will call on Gov and TB when we need them but ideally we are trying to turn the ball over a little bit closer to our goals and that was where we stemmed our focus on how our team defence looks.
“We were pretty thankful for those buys because it could have blown out to a bit more.”

Asked about anger from members and fans about the lack of effort against the Hawks, Duggan said: “I can understand how it looks that way but I can reassure them it is not through a lack of trying or what we are going after here.
“There is definitely no lack of urgency and trying to improve and get better and implement on game day.

“I could talk as much as I like and people are going to see what they see, but the confidence I have in the group that we are going after the right things and putting in the work is there.
“It didn’t happen for us this week but I’d expect over the next seven or eight weeks we really start to see again what some of that system and identity is and our brand that we have been able to show through patches this year.”
Duggan backed coach Adam Simpson with the Eagles stuck on three wins this season.

“It is a tough week and there has been a bit of chatter around him and he has put himself out in front of it, which is admirable,” Duggan said of Simpson.

“We are backing him. We are right behind him. He has been fantastic in allowing the players to do what we did yesterday (running the review and part of training) and is right behind us with our views on it.
”He commented to us that there is no one in here who wants to win more than him and that’s evident. He is sticking to his guns and the process.”

 

[eaglevision]

EXCLUSIVE: Senior Eagles led match review after ugly loss

Senior West Coast players led a tough review of Sunday’s ugly loss to Hawthorn which co-captain Liam Duggan described as ‘honest’.

thewest.com.au

Very interesting to read that the post match review was led by the players and the defenders essentially chewed out the mid group.

Would be very hard to take Witho seriously when he pretends to be a leader then kicks the ball straight to the opposition with seconds left on the clock thinking he’s Kaiden Coleman.

 

[kerrazy]

Yep Duggan was certainly one of the best players of the weekend in the hawks eagles match thats for sure. Wonder if any of his team-mates gave him a coaching class on how to kick?

 

[The Dodger]

Dunno if anyone else has posted this but it is quite interesting.

Very well done and was a good watch.
It shits me beyond belief whenever any of these "just how out of whack things are in the AFL" that Collingwood come out on the positive side of. And yet Vicbias thread on the mainboard has a bunch of Collingwood supporters trying to explain just how even things are.
I guess when all of the "quirks" favor you what else can be done but shrug and say "YoU jOineD our LeAgue!!"

 

[ConcreteWaters]

EXCLUSIVE: Senior Eagles led match review after ugly loss

Senior West Coast players led a tough review of Sunday’s ugly loss to Hawthorn which co-captain Liam Duggan described as ‘honest’.

thewest.com.au

Very interesting to read that the post match review was led by the players and the defenders essentially chewed out the mid group.

“The reflection piece was we will call on Gov and TB when we need them but ideally we are trying to turn the ball over a little bit closer to our goals and that was where we stemmed our focus on how our team defence looks.
“We were pretty thankful for those buys because it could have blown out to a bit more.”

Reckon it might work a bit better if we concentrate on not turning the ball over....

 

[KERRPOW]

“The reflection piece was we will call on Gov and TB when we need them but ideally we are trying to turn the ball over a little bit closer to our goals and that was where we stemmed our focus on how our team defence looks.
“We were pretty thankful for those buys because it could have blown out to a bit more.”

Reckon it might work a bit better if we concentrate on not turning the ball over....

It would also help if we didnt pick a 6tall forward line with 2 talls on the bench.

 

[Eaglemaniac]

It would also help if we didnt pick a 6tall forward line with 2 talls on the bench.

Was about to say this exact thing. Hard to put any pressure on the oppo backs and turn it over (from them) closer to goal when you play a “land of the giants” forward line.

 

[KERRPOW]

Was about to say this exact thing. Hard to put any pressure on the oppo backs and turn it over (from them) closer to goal when you play a “land of the giants” forward line.

When you drill down to it, its little wonder why our midfield gets killed on the spread & in the contest....generally everywhere.

the past month we've played flynn...who is getting even less TOG (which i assume is due to match fitness) than Nicnat. Like BWill he cant play forward, so the fkr is sitting on the pine for half the game. this uses up a mid rotation.

the mids have to burn energy chasing oppostion players, missing tackles or just coralling as our gigantic tall forward line cannot apply any pressure. When we do cause a turnover the mids are too gassed and they miss kicks/handballs.

This is all 100% on the coaches IMO.

 

[Miguel Sanchez]

the past month we've played flynn...who is getting even less TOG (which i assume is due to match fitness) than Nicnat. Like BWill he cant play forward, so the fkr is sitting on the pine for half the game. this uses up a mid rotation.

Flynn averaged 70% TOG his first three games, that’s more than NicNat.

Getting subbed out early in the third quarter of his fourth game would have affected that average.

 

[ziad]

It would also help if we didnt pick a 6tall forward line with 2 talls on the bench.

Our if the talks could take a contested mark. I think we overstate how tall they really are.

 

[UseR2006]

Club getting chewed out in the team announcement tweet.

 

[OobiDoobi]

Is this one of those clickbait headlines where the header doesn’t match the content at all? J Wadd special:

Multiple Eagles players believe it’s time for coach change

A growing number of West Coast players do not want Adam Simpson to coach the club beyond the end of the 2024 season, it can be revealed.

thewest.com.au