Mega Thread Non-Freo AFL Discussion 2024

[CapitalA]

As much as I have liked Rozee as a player, he seems an absolute nonentity as a captain

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It looked like jhf was telling rozee what to do/organising the midfield lol

 

[pK75]

We are in no position to be laughing at Port.
Justin Longmuir is Ken Hinckley’s bitch. He owns him nearly every time.

As for Geelong - they operate in a different league altogether to ourselves or even port. That’s not a vintage cats side but yet they show up week 1 of finals with amazingly clean skills, brilliant self belief, smart coaching moves to counteract opposition strengths and great execution under pressure.
It was obvious the day we played them at Optus a month ago that in the final quarter, one team was a serious football club and the other was just a mentally fragile side lacking belief that retread into their collective shells.

We have just as much talent as Geelong but when it comes to all those other things I mentioned we are not even remotely in the same conversation as them. Most club aren’t admittedly, and we most certainly are not.

Those are the facts and I think waiting for our players to just get a year older and adding an extra bit of talent to the list while all the other factors remain exactly the same, is HIGHLY unlikely to be enough to bridge the gap sadly.

They certainly looked self assured in that last quarter against us, but I don’t think the gap is that far to bridge. Make the below changes and we’re likely so far in front at 3/4 time they give up:
Tabs < Darcy
Voss < Treacy
Draper < Pearce (Draper played better than Cox, but a fit Cox is still ahead in the pecking order)
Banfield < Bolton

 

[Mr Cheese]

Wow, that Port thread is a hot mess (though eerily similar to ours on occaision), and some Port fans want rid of Butters. I'd tolerate a straight swap for NOD tbh.

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[Taylor]

It’s about depth.
Give a youngster a chance, and Geelong gave it to Neale.

Treacy has barely played 50 games.

Actually Voss had more impact the last two rounds than Jackson. Who’s miles off key forward standard then?

I think Jackson had more impact and Jackson wasn't very good. Voss couldn't hold a mark until a week or so to go, couldn't win a tap and played like a lumbering small mid that was tall.

He will get better but Voss isn't yet good enough and not even close

 

[Alfonz]

Wow, that Port thread is a hot mess (though eerily similar to ours on occaision), and some Port fans want rid of Butters. I'd tolerate a straight swap for NOD tbh.

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Some of them want to get rid of Rozee as well. At least strip the captaincy. Can't blame them as well, he was putrid.

It's hilarious reading across multiple threads. In the Houston thread they are still going on about Kozzie to Port and think it makes no sense he wants to play for Freo, despite his true home being Quairading.

I found a nugget which says their last 4 finals (3 at home) make up the worst 4 final stretch in VFL/AFL history going 0-4 with a percentage of 51.

 

[Ge3ks]

Expect Port to come out breathing fire next week. They are getting media smashed from all angles. Gonna be at home against either Hawks or Bulldogs right?

 

[Snuffaluphagus]

Yeah, they finished first in 2020, second in 2021, third in 2023 and second last year. Not a single GF appearance from four top three finishes in five years.

You’re presenting a false dichotomy and coping for the fact we missed finals. I’d much rather be in Port’s position since 2020 than ours.

The other side of last nights result is that of the Cats games I’ve seen this year, they have never looked particularly dangerous. But now in a very open season they have put themselves in the box seat to win another premiership. As it stood in round 20, third place was ours for the taking, and had we not bottled it, we’d be potentially looking at a home prelim ourselves.

Instead we’re on the outside looking in, afraid we’d be Port instead thinking we should be Geelong

I think my initial question has been morphed into something else. Would you rather have Ken as a coach who now has 12 years of failing in finals to the point you know Port are always just making up numbers and not getting anywhere or a possibly worse coach in JL who is easier to move on but we haven't had finals at all really?

Basically, given everything we've seen, would you swap JL for Ken? 12 years of finals failure with not one GF is miserable.

Of course I'd rather make finals, just not with Ken

 

[Snuffaluphagus]

Expect Port to come out breathing fire next week. They are getting media smashed from all angles. Gonna be at home against either Hawks or Bulldogs right?

Sooooo, like every year?

 

[Stinky Lomax]

That game was a win win for a lot of Port supporters.

Was almost hoping Port made the GF to see what the reaction would be like over there. Glad they won’t though because it would be a crap game.

 

[oldgoat]

Some of them want to get rid of Rozee as well. At least strip the captaincy. Can't blame them as well, he was putrid.

It's hilarious reading across multiple threads. In the Houston thread they are still going on about Kozzie to Port and think it makes no sense he wants to play for Freo, despite his true home being Quairading.

I found a nugget which says their last 4 finals (3 at home) make up the worst 4 final stretch in VFL/AFL history going 0-4 with a percentage of 51.

Were open for refugees. Freo Sanctuary City.

 

[trentjac]

Wow, that Port thread is a hot mess (though eerily similar to ours on occaision), and some Port fans want rid of Butters. I'd tolerate a straight swap for NOD tbh.

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I think Port is a little bit like us in fact that they lack hardness (with the exception of JHF and Bergman). We have Treacy and that's about it. Butters and Rozee are both silk. Put pressure on them and hit them hard and they both want to come off the ground.

 

[malpaso]

The impact of small forwards up the ground for the Cats (Miers, Mannagh, Stengle) was huge. I don't care if that's the only area we address this offseason, it's the only priority.

 

[malpaso]

Port just continually bombed into the Cats defense, Rozee the biggest culprit (head down, just on the boot)

 

[malpaso]

We are in no position to be laughing at Port.
Justin Longmuir is Ken Hinckley’s bitch. He owns him nearly every time.

As for Geelong - they operate in a different league altogether to ourselves or even port. That’s not a vintage cats side but yet they show up week 1 of finals with amazingly clean skills, brilliant self belief, smart coaching moves to counteract opposition strengths and great execution under pressure.
It was obvious the day we played them at Optus a month ago that in the final quarter, one team was a serious football club and the other was just a mentally fragile side lacking belief that retread into their collective shells.

We have just as much talent as Geelong but when it comes to all those other things I mentioned we are not even remotely in the same conversation as them. Most club aren’t admittedly, and we most certainly are not.

Those are the facts and I think waiting for our players to just get a year older and adding an extra bit of talent to the list while all the other factors remain exactly the same, is HIGHLY unlikely to be enough to bridge the gap sadly.

We don't have the small forward talent of Geelong (not even close) and that was the difference last night. We fix that and we will be fine.

 

[james haish]

I think my initial question has been morphed into something else. Would you rather have Ken as a coach who now has 12 years of failing in finals to the point you know Port are always just making up numbers and not getting anywhere or a possibly worse coach in JL who is easier to move on but we haven't had finals at all really?

Basically, given everything we've seen, would you swap JL for Ken? 12 years of finals failure with not one GF is miserable.

Of course I'd rather make finals, just not with Ken

If you presented that question to Port fans I don’t think they’re swapping Ken for JL, as much as they’re sick of the former.

 

[DragoDelph]

I feel like it's worth a poll considering the discussion DragoDelph

I'm being genuine here, would you rather:
A) As more angry supporters have said, have possibly worse coach in JL and not make finals consistently
B) Be stuck with Hinkley for twice as long because he always make finals but then always loses them

I honestly think having Hinkley for coach must be close to torture by now

Polls up.

Remember, we'd all love to be geelong, have a dynasty like the hawks.

This about what is your best option of the terrible options.

 

[arsesmart]

If you presented that question to Port fans I don’t think they’re swapping Ken for JL, as much as they’re sick of the former.

What the frick would they even know about Longmuir as a coach. I think for a fair percentage they'd just want to move on (for better or worse). Their preference would be Carr or someone like Montgomery even. Fans being fans and emotive dosing.

 

[james haish]

What the frick would they even know about Longmuir as a coach. I think for a fair percentage they'd just want to move on (for better or worse). Their preference would be Carr or someone like Montgomery even. Fans being fans and emotive dosing.

I think they’d look at 1 finals appearance over the past 5 years as being worse than 4 top four appearances in the same time.

Cats basically fans thought Scott in the same way until 2022. Lots of top four appearances since 2011 but a few straight sets and chokes

 

[nurries]

The impact of small forwards up the ground for the Cats (Miers, Mannagh, Stengle) was huge. I don't care if that's the only area we address this offseason, it's the only priority.

The impact of the small forwards are magnified when you have a couple of talls that need minding. Jezza Cameron is a deadset gun and any forward line would be good with him in it. Geelong have the mix right. 2 x talls / 1 x Medium / 3 smalls

 

[Outshined]

If you presented that question to Port fans I don’t think they’re swapping Ken for JL, as much as they’re sick of the former.

I think the point is, in a perverse way our situation is almost preferrable atm. Longmuir sinks or swims next year and his contract reflects that. We move on to a new coach if he turns in another middling season next year and with a young squad, there's plenty of upside.

Port fans know that Ken will get them into the finals fairly frequently but will then royally **** it up without fail. It's torturous because they have a talented team that always fall apart in September and comes away with nothing. The supporters know it's going to happen but the board has been able to use his decent regular season performances to keep him at the helm. Messing up a home final once or twice might be an anomaly but after ~6 years it's a clear pattern.

Of course there's always the chance Longmuir starts regularly making finals only to become Ken 2.0...in which case I hope Freo's board is a bit more ruthless.

 

[DragoDelph]

I think the point is, in a perverse way our situation is almost preferrable atm. Longmuir sinks or swims next year and his contract reflects that. We move on to a new coach if he turns in another middling season next year and with a young squad, there's plenty of upside.

Port fans know that Ken will get them into the finals fairly frequently but will then royally **** it up without fail. It's torturous because they have a talented team that always fall apart in September and comes away with nothing. The supporter know it's going to happen but the board has been able to use his decent regular season performances to keep him at the helm. Messing up a home final once or twice might be an anomaly but after ~6 years it's a clear pattern.

Of course there's always the chance Longmuir starts regularly making finals only to become Ken 2.0...in which case I hope Freo's board is a bit more ruthless.

Yep.

I would hope in the same situation our "SACK JL" threads only make it to 2. Not the dozen that exist over on the Port board.

There's some serious psychological torture they've endured.

 

[arsesmart]

I think the point is, in a perverse way our situation is almost preferrable atm. Longmuir sinks or swims next year and his contract reflects that. We move on to a new coach if he turns in another middling season next year and with a young squad, there's plenty of upside.

Port fans know that Ken will get them into the finals fairly frequently but will then royally **** it up without fail. It's torturous because they have a talented team that always fall apart in September and comes away with nothing. The supporter know it's going to happen but the board has been able to use his decent regular season performances to keep him at the helm. Messing up a home final once or twice might be an anomaly but after ~6 years it's a clear pattern.

Of course there's always the chance Longmuir starts regularly making finals only to become Ken 2.0...in which case I hope Freo's board is a bit more ruthless.

Of course there's all sorts of potential unforseen snags to scuttle a season (oh Treacy, Treacy, Treacy), but enough goes right and we should be primed to tear a hole through the comp next year.

In some ways it's dealing with the uncontrollable that separates the great from good coaches. But what Longmuir has done with such a young team this year (and previous) should not be dismissed lightly.

 

[apuchar]

I think Port is a little bit like us in fact that they lack hardness (with the exception of JHF and Bergman). We have Treacy and that's about it. Butters and Rozee are both silk. Put pressure on them and hit them hard and they both want to come off the ground.

Butters is in hospital. But I agree our midfields are equally flakey

 

[Mags98]

The impact of small forwards up the ground for the Cats (Miers, Mannagh, Stengle) was huge. I don't care if that's the only area we address this offseason, it's the only priority.

100% was just going to post this. that game with the cats smalls up against rioli (the only half decent port small), mcentee and evans? theyre no chance. both teams had similiar i50 counts.

same thing watching the hawks for the past couple of months and the giants as well, the clean one touch, smart user half forwards make the world of difference. your daniels, jones, greene, moore, ginnivan, macdonald. all clean players who arent afraid of taking responsibility also.

who do we have? fumbles freddy, a cooked walters, tom emmett? switta is clean and a good user but cant buy a goal. improve there and we look a load better

 

[Snuffaluphagus]

We are in no position to be laughing at Port.
Justin Longmuir is Ken Hinckley’s bitch. He owns him nearly every time.

As for Geelong - they operate in a different league altogether to ourselves or even port. That’s not a vintage cats side but yet they show up week 1 of finals with amazingly clean skills, brilliant self belief, smart coaching moves to counteract opposition strengths and great execution under pressure.
It was obvious the day we played them at Optus a month ago that in the final quarter, one team was a serious football club and the other was just a mentally fragile side lacking belief that retread into their collective shells.

We have just as much talent as Geelong but when it comes to all those other things I mentioned we are not even remotely in the same conversation as them. Most club aren’t admittedly, and we most certainly are not.

Those are the facts and I think waiting for our players to just get a year older and adding an extra bit of talent to the list while all the other factors remain exactly the same, is HIGHLY unlikely to be enough to bridge the gap sadly.

I do not subscribe to the "we suck so can't make fun of anyone" thing. I think that's rubbish and boring. So long as you can laugh at yourself when its returned serve, spread the misery I say.

Also, you've mentioned the Geelong thing a few times, yes, they are the best run club in the AFL. No one thinks we are them, no club is.