Opinion Mid season report card

[76woodenspooners]

We’re at the mid season bye with a record of 8 wins, 4 losses and 2 draws

Call it the equivalent of 9 wins. Fly is on the record as saying we’re aiming for 14 wins, meaning that we would need to get another 5 wins from our last 9 H&A games

How would you grade us?

What’s gone well?

Where is there room for improvement?

 

[KillerMagpies]

B.
Considering our injury carnage. Very good.
The key will be getting players back, fit and in form. If we do, we are in the hunt for B2B!
I would’ve scored us A if we hadn’t tossed aside the Essendon and Freo games (which we had).
A huge run home coming up.

 

[CheckerTrade666]

Tough season to rate. Out of 10 I’ll give us an 8 or maybe a 7.5 Even though we’re off the pace of last season and the place for top 4 and finals are still very much for grabs, you can’t fault our effort from going 0-3 and having our season on the ropes to now transforming it and only losing one game since then.

The injuries have been the low point of the year, however to see the new guys step in and make an impact has been really enjoyable. The standouts so far are probably Harrison and Richards while Dean And Sullivan have showed signs as well.

Also nice to see guys like Cameron and Lipinski in career best form, while a lot of the older players like Pendles, Sidey and Howe have held up well despite poor starts to the year. Oh and Nick Daicos is being Nick Daicos, nothing has changed.

The two draws sting a little bit though, would’ve been nice to convert at least one of them into a win (Looking at you Freo Game).

Things could change very quickly after the bye, however credit is due for the turnaround after the Saints game.

 

[Dubaimagpie]

B+

Given the horrendous start to the year due to a stupid and moronic draw by the AFL and the injuries I would take our position in a heartbeat.

Sets us up for the home run.


Sent from my iPhone using BigFooty.com

 

[gouki88]

B+ as well.

Some points deducted for the rough start to the season, but we’ve done very well with our injuries to be sitting 3rd at this stage of the year

 

[AmericanMustard]

Considering the start to the year and the injuries, it’s definitely a pass. The loss against St Kilda is by far the worst performance and result for the year and looks quite bad considering they’re completely uncompetitive against any half decent side.

If we want to be really picky though, the two draws we probably should have won both games.. could come back to bite considering you definitely want to finish top 4 with a tough run home

 

[TW Sherrin]

We’re at the mid season bye with a record of 8 wins, 4 losses and 2 draws

Call it the equivalent of 9 wins. Fly is on the record as saying we’re aiming for 14 wins, meaning that we would need to get another 5 wins from our last 9 H&A games

How would you grade us?

What’s gone well?

Where is there room for improvement?

given the circumstances and being a game off 2nd, I'd grade it A+.

missing so many key players and finding ways to win is a credit to the coach and players.

6 debutants (I think the equal most this season) is also crazy.

 

[Tarkyn_24]

I think a C, but we have done a fantastic job of covering the injury toll that’s been placed upon us in recent weeks. The Roos to my eye are the only side that managed to exploit our bottom ten consistently in that period. The start to the season was unforgivably bad and we have limped over the line in a lot of matches. Definitely hasn’t felt the same as the close string of wins the previous two years where you felt we were definitively the better team in 80% of them.

 

[Vicky Park]

Find it hard to assess - or reassess - our very poor early season form. Those three losses…

As someone on here posted at the time, when we didn’t look right or ready for the season (along with Brisbane), that we looked instead like we were playing a practice match in Wangaratta.

Those three losses drag us down to a B or B+ given our injuries, but if we hadn’t had the crazy early scheduling we could easily be rated A.

 

[ThePhantom777]

If we want to be really picky though, the two draws we probably should have won both games.. could come back to bite considering you definitely want to finish top 4 with a tough run home

We'll want to finish 2nd or 3rd to avoid Sydney at home week 1 of finals.

I give us a B+ the 0-3 start and 2 draws weren't great.

The ability to play next man up and get wins with our injury list is amazing. We've played some amazing footy during that time with the Daicos brothers, Crisp and the backline carrying the team. The makeshift forward line had someone bob up each week for a bag.

 

[barrackers]

In a way there’s 3 different periods to our first half of the season

1) preseason footy, thanks AFL for bringing us & Brisbane back earlier than any grand finalists in history. We clearly weren’t ready in the first 2 rounds. The saints game was more reminiscent of a round 1 clash, a rusty side fighting to find touch, no surprise that weekend was actually round 1 just 2 years earlier.

2) building back to our best. Important wins against Brisbane away, Port and Carlton. Our win against Hawthorn is looking better given their recent form.

3) hanging on for injured players to come back. Young legs seen us draw/lose against freo and the dogs. Both games we win with a bit more experience. Exposing our inexperienced players has the potential to hold us in good stead though. We now know how deep our list is for 2024 and have a better idea for list management decisions.


Despite the preseason start and dropping 6-8 points in games we had chances to win I think we’ve managed to bank enough points to the half way mark. If we can get players back we’re reasonably well placed to attack the back half of the season. I also like that we’re somewhat going under the radar to this point of the season.

 

[76woodenspooners]

I’d give us an ‘A’

What are we grading against?

Short term

- being entertaining in general
- winning games of footy in particular.

As reigning Premiers (ooh that feels good) we have a target on our back. And we’re not next-level dominant in the way we were in 2011. And we’re not exactly a young list on the way up either. And our footy boss is on sabbatical. To be third at the mid way point is a decent outcome. For comparison, Geelong were 10th this time last year.

Mid Term

- silverware

We’re as on track as we could reasonably expect under difficult circumstances.

Long Term

- building sustainable success

This has been the big standout for me - how we are transitioning from our aging list into being sustainable. There are still things to play out but

• Schultz is coming along very nicely IMO. He was always going to take some time to fit in - just as Luke Ball did in 2010. The last few rounds have shown that Schultz is settling in very nicely.
• Harvey Harrison has been a revelation. I haven’t seen many 12 game players providing poise and contributing a 4 quarter effort the way he is doing. I don’t see him giving up his spot no matter who is coming back. If he finishes the season on his current trajectory he’ll give the rising star a decent shake
• Joe Richards was solid in the few games he’s played. He’s been quite a find.
• Charlie Dean is improving every week
• Krueger, Sullivan, Reef have all shown something.
• Parker, Jiath, Allan have been exposed to the level and now have an insight into what’s expected of them.
• A few players have shown noticeable improvement (Frampton, Hill, Reef, Noble, Nick Daicos)
• Some of our veterans have stepped up - Pendles, Sidey, Crisp
• Our losses (Murphy, McStay, many injuries) have been able to be covered without impacting outcomes too much

Off field

- Being decent community citizens

It’s all too easy to take this one for granted, but there have been no scandals.

There has been a little blowback from ex-players (Adams, Ginnivan) but that’s probably reflected more poorly on them rather than us.

Fly has been a superstar both off the field and on the coaching sidelines.

 

[31550]

Ladder-wise we can't really complain given the fixture and injuries. We are well-placed to lock down a top-4 spot in the second half of the season, provided we start getting players back and don't lose any more through injury.

Game-style wise in terms of structure I hate the fact that we refuse to lock down on any key forwards in defence, and just rely on the midfield to win enough ball to prevent the opposition getting repeat and easy entries. I also hate our delivery into the forward line which is usually too high, too slow, too predictable, too inaccurate or too easily defended. We haven't had a dominant key forward, but our strength is ground ball, tackling and stoppages on the forward line, so run the ball in and kick it to ground and let the small forwards do the job.
There have also been a few games when our effort was not 100% for four quarters, and that is simply unacceptable.
BUT somehow we've been able to find ways to win (or draw) even when things went against us. The fact that we've been able to bring in new players yet keep the same basic structure and approach is a credit to the coaches. (In Fly we trust!).
So, despite my grizzling, there's no reason to do anything different in the back half of the season - stick to the plan and the results should look after themselves. A top-4 finish and a Melbourne-based first final is what we are aiming for.
Structure-wise, Frampton must play in the backline as he's our only proven genuine lockdown tall defender. He hasn't worked up forward.

 

[manicpie]

A+ for me.
Two unfortunate draws that if we won, would see us two games clear in second and only one game behind Sydney

 

[BigVic]

B+ for me

0-3 start and recovered with an 8-2-1 run since the loss vs St Kilda despite a long injury toll and losing half the premiership side last month. Has been a tough season considering the early March start and Opening Round in NSW in March.

 

[SuperSub17]

B+ so far, maybe an A if we’d converted one of the draws.

Don’t forget a brutal start - we were given 6 of the other 7 finalists from 2023 in our first 8 games, along with Essendon who have been top 4. Coupled with our injury woes since the Carlton game - which we’ve done very well to cover with a 5-1-1 record since - I think we’ve done very well.

We have a good launchpad for a top 4 assault from here if we’re good enough.

 

[Soaring Magpie]

Realistically, we should have won the StKilda and Freo games. Our start to the year was poor, so to get to the bye with the equivalent of 9 wins is a massive result considering the injury profile we have faced.
The opportunity presents in the run home to have a real crack at B2B, if we can get close to our best 23 on the park we will challenge anyone.
Top 4 is in sight, then bring on September.

 

[Exambolor]

Considering the start we had and the injury crisis I’m thrilled at the current ladder position at the moment. These last couple of weeks have been season defining and with getting the troops back and slowly getting to full strength we’re in a better position than ever to attack the second half.

I reckon a lot of teams will fear a full strength Pies outfit.

 

[Bogsey]

Top 3, now on a bye, the amount of injuries we've had, got a group of important players coming back in a couple of weeks, good development signs from some of our younger squad members (Dean, Richards, HH) there's a lot positive on our mid-season report card.

 

[Run n Spread]

A. In a position to challenge and push for a top 4 and tilt again.
Highlight The KB win and win against Carlton was best footy we've played.
Lowlight Opening round. We're off the pace and obliterated and that hurt the majority for a bit.
Improvements Vulnerable to getting monstered by the big KPFs couple of players stagnated.

 

[Pie thon]

We are in a good position. And have the form to be a flag contender and a clearing up injury list. We've also had to learn to adapt our game plan as we were figured out early in the year and play the boundary rather than down the guts, which is handy as we have a plan A and B that we can switch between.

Premiers, and usually the runners up tend to lose 0-2 games post the bye and also finish top 4. So if we fit the typical profile from here and lose to Sydney away and another random one, thats enough to still finish top 3 and properly contend for B2B.

 

[gappa]

Dear Mrs and Mr Magpie,

Your child has achieved excellent results this semester, though often it appears they are cruising and getting by on talent instead of applying themselves fully and absolutely smashing their opponents. If they applied themselves more I’m certain they would achieve higher marks/scores.

I do need to mention that they can be a disruptive influence. Very often their miraculous come from behind and/or narrow victories ensure the other children cannot focus as they are too busy looking on in awe or crying into their exercise books in frustration at another Magpie miracle. Little Blues is often especially unsettled as is poor little Tiger.

Overall I am very pleased with little Magpies work this year, and am looking forward to taking them in the extra credit classes this September.

Yours,

Miss AFL

 

[Granit1962]

I’d give us an ‘A’

What are we grading against?

Short term

- being entertaining in general
- winning games of footy in particular.

As reigning Premiers (ooh that feels good) we have a target on our back. And we’re not next-level dominant in the way we were in 2011. And we’re not exactly a young list on the way up either. And our footy boss is on sabbatical. To be third at the mid way point is a decent outcome. For comparison, Geelong were 10th this time last year.

Mid Term

- silverware

We’re as on track as we could reasonably expect under difficult circumstances.

Long Term

- building sustainable success

This has been the big standout for me - how we are transitioning from our aging list into being sustainable. There are still things to play out but

• Schultz is coming along very nicely IMO. He was always going to take some time to fit in - just as Luke Ball did in 2010. The last few rounds have shown that Schultz is settling in very nicely.
• Harvey Harrison has been a revelation. I haven’t seen many 12 game players providing poise and contributing a 4 quarter effort the way he is doing. I don’t see him giving up his spot no matter who is coming back. If he finishes the season on his current trajectory he’ll give the rising star a decent shake
• Joe Richards was solid in the few games he’s played. He’s been quite a find.
• Charlie Dean is improving every week
• Krueger, Sullivan, Reef have all shown something.
• Parker, Jiath, Allan have been exposed to the level and now have an insight into what’s expected of them.
• A few players have shown noticeable improvement (Frampton, Hill, Reef, Noble, Nick Daicos)
• Some of our veterans have stepped up - Pendles, Sidey, Crisp
• Our losses (Murphy, McStay, many injuries) have been able to be covered without impacting outcomes too much

Off field

- Being decent community citizens

It’s all too easy to take this one for granted, but there have been no scandals.

There has been a little blowback from ex-players (Adams, Ginnivan) but that’s probably reflected more poorly on them rather than us.

Fly has been a superstar both off the field and on the coaching sidelines.

Wonderful summary. Adding my thoughts: J Richards was more than solid, I thought he was outstanding in to of his three games. The super Veterans are exceeding expectations, in Pendles and Howe. Sidebottom now starting to show signs. Only Mitchel at this stage I wonder whether he is best 22. I feel Mihocek and Crisp are still in there prime.

 

[Kes1984]

A-/B+

Can’t expect much better really from us with the injury list we’ve had so I’ve marked up for that.

Would be an A if not for our starting 3 games. I’ll forgive us the Sydney one, seeing what sort of a team they are this year. St Kilda one was appalling. Also marked down for the Freo game. That was a draw that was a loss. Letting a 25 point lead become a draw felt like a loss. It also meant two draws equaled one win one loss.

We’re absolutely right in the hunt this year. Just back with a few others in the pack now. Good position at this point though. Hopefully we finish this season stronger than last, even though we know how that turned out!

 

[Apples]

I think a C, but we have done a fantastic job of covering the injury toll that’s been placed upon us in recent weeks. The Roos to my eye are the only side that managed to exploit our bottom ten consistently in that period. The start to the season was unforgivably bad and we have limped over the line in a lot of matches. Definitely hasn’t felt the same as the close string of wins the previous two years where you felt we were definitively the better team in 80% of them.

We sit third on the ladder at the bye and you rate us only a C?
Crikey, you are a hard man to please.