Review R18: The Good, Bad and Ugly vs. St. Kilda

[hugecannon]

Quick reminder

Wasn’t our previous year Rachelle, Soligo, Taylor and Nankervis who were all on the team as well?

And also TT, Berry, & Cook from 2020, with only Pedlar out with injuries.

 

[SugarShane]

I gotta agree with Nath here

Technically, smashing the phones is probably a better way to get them to upgrade them.

 

[George Kramer]

Maybe. Ned has been fringe all year - half his games he started as sub

Jones was coming off a much improved year - but just hasn’t been able to find his form from last year.




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Jones would be playing ahead of Taylor if it wasn’t for injury but Taylor has shown enough to keep his spot, even with being sub in his first 2 games.

Let’s look at Nank, played some games last year and looked good.

Wasn’t considered an A player all preseason and wasn’t selected until round 4. Plays well when he comes in and in particular against Port but is made sub for the following week to accomodate Smith after his stellar 2 kick in sub effort against Port. Smiths form continued to suck and was dropped, Nank has been good.

How can one explain Nanks treatment expect for Nicks having shit for brains and having to be dragged kicking and screaming to play a kid over one of his chosen ones?

 

[CrowBloke]

But there is a clearly consistent pattern where there is no planned debut just a run of injuries that conveniently allow the debut

Nicks might take credit for the "youth development", but you're right.
He's not been proactive. He never is.
The changes were forced by injury, as you said.

 

[CrowBloke]

You don’t know wtf is going on behind the scenes. Stop pretending you do.

Jen, to be fair, I don't think that GreyCrow professed any kind of insider knowledge in that post.
Curtin/ Dowling/ Bond/ Taylor all came in on the back of other players' injuries.

 

[Eagleboy2011]

Nicks might take credit for the "youth development", but you're right.
He's not been proactive. He never is.
The changes were forced by injury, as you said.

He is neither proactive nor for that, reactive. Just seems to let thing roll along and happen. Just sits in that coach's box and looks confused. In any other sport he would have lost his job by now.

 

[Kane McGoodwin]

He is neither proactive nor for that, reactive. Just seems to let thing roll along and happen. Just sits in that coach's box and looks confused. In any other sport he would have lost his job by now.

... because he is not smart enough to strategise different ideas nor does anyone else in our coaching box.

 

[CrowBloke]

The kids are great, but how do we fit Hinge, Worral and Rankine back in the side? Who goes out? It won't be Smith or Laird.

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Rankine in for Murphy? Oh, please, please, please!

Hinge in for Smith.

Worrell in for Butts? (Butts stiff to get dropped but Worrell > Butts)

 

[CrowBloke]

A breakout game for Brayden.

Playing 80% ToG, half on the wing and half as a forward, he racked up 6 kicks and 6 handballs at 67% efficiency. He also contributed 2 of the 109 team tackles and 5 of the teams 162 contested possessions.

Uhhh, what? Was that sarcasm?

Cook, who is 1/23rd of the side (4.35%), contributed 1.83% of the tackles and 3.09% of the CP.

How was that "a breakout game"?

 

[Danger in Texas]

Uhhh, what? Was that sarcasm?

Cook, who is 1/23rd of the side (4.35%), contributed 1.83% of the tackles and 3.09% of the CP.

How was that "a breakout game"?

If you know his posting history on Cook, it’s absolutely sarcasm

 

[CrowBloke]

If you know his posting history on Cook, it’s absolutely sarcasm

OK, thanks. I was thinking it had to be.

I just do not get the big wraps on Cook, myself.

 

[Danger in Texas]

OK, thanks. I was thinking it had to be.

I just do not get the big wraps on Cook, myself.

I like him, deserves to start 2025 in the side at this point, but a fit Pedlar could overtake him at any moment tbh

 

[Kane McGoodwin]

I gotta agree with Nath here

Hope the Saints picked up the bill.

I reckon smash your phone & you get evicted as coach for the rest of the game...

 

[MRB37]

The biggest thing for me in this game was a bunch of the kids all standing up in a tough, wet weather, dour game, especially in the middle against a bunch of mature bodies like Steele, Sinclair, Jones and Clark. Berry and Taylor were 1st and 2nd for clearances, Berry 2nd in tackles, Taylor 4th, Soligo 3rd for disposals, Taylor was equal 2nd for score involvements, Berry 3rd, they all just cracked in on a dirty night and did the work.

Even Sholl who i'd typically expect to struggle in that sort of environment was huge with how hard he worked and was generally clean in the conditions. Dowling, Nankervis all contributed and didn't look out of place and Bond in was very good defensively and allowed us more flexibility on letting Max follow Liam Henry around.

 

[Cap]

How many spoils did Mark Keane do this week?

Honestly I reckon he punched the ball more than our highest stat player kicked it

 

[adelaidecrows]

This is an inane commentary of Curtin based on myths you are choosing to invent or perpetuate.

Got a game on the basis of media pressure? What a joke.

Nobody is whinging that Duursma can't get a game at North. That O'Sullivan can't at Geelong. That jed walters is back in the VFL. That Ethan Reid can't get a game. Curtin is in this group, not yet in the best 18 but not far off.

The rest is correct, injury got these players into the team, training and matches got them ready, their performance keeps them in it.

Winning a bunch many games for the rest of the year will also keep them in it.

F××K the pick 4 or 5 or 6, get this bunch of kids, the youngest team in the comp, winning games. That's what 90% of supporters want.

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Lets go to the time line of events.

Curtin plays deep defense for the first few rounds of the Sanfl, doesnt star and Nicks does say about a week to 2 weeks before he was selected that he was in no rush to play Curtin. The media keep talking about his non selection considering at the time we were losing. Curtin is played in his favoured running position against North, dominates the game and whammo just like this he is selected.

He is then played deep defense away from his running position and subbed both times after really just 2 quarters of football. Interesting to note both times Curtin played there was a sub selected who can play defense. This did not happen for Dowling or Bond who both started the games. So why was it different for Curtin? because its obvious Curtin was a planned sub.

As for your paragraph. I agree with most of your points. I am talking media pressure at the time.

We need midfielders. We need to get as high in the draft as possible. win loss means very little. Getting games and getting to know the list in preparation for next season is the priority.

You dont need to jump to Nicks defense over Curtin. He got it wrong, shouldnt have selected him then if he was only going to play him where he did. Should have played him in that running half back position. And if you think Nicks was in the right, how do you explain Keane being allowed to play a whole game against Sydney in what was clearly a very very bad game and he leaked goals faster than Curtin did. And Keane played the next week. Talk to me about that one.

 

[adelaidecrows]

The biggest thing for me in this game was a bunch of the kids all standing up in a tough, wet weather, dour game, especially in the middle against a bunch of mature bodies like Steele, Sinclair, Jones and Clark. Berry and Taylor were 1st and 2nd for clearances, Berry 2nd in tackles, Taylor 4th, Soligo 3rd for disposals, Taylor was equal 2nd for score involvements, Berry 3rd, they all just cracked in on a dirty night and did the work.

Even Sholl who i'd typically expect to struggle in that sort of environment was huge with how hard he worked and was generally clean in the conditions. Dowling, Nankervis all contributed and didn't look out of place and Bond in was very good defensively and allowed us more flexibility on letting Max follow Liam Henry around.

No doubt a great game from the younger players. They are excited, running on top of the ground. Its great. The reality is that the Saints ran out of legs pretty quick after last weeks game against the saints. Wet weather games are hard as if the energy isnt their your legs die on you. Plus their skills were atrocious.

 

[Mostyn]

Sorry Jenny, but he is five years into the job and he hasn’t to date learnt from mistakes.

And our youngsters are only getting games thru injury.

Do you honestly think that if we were pressing for the 8 that McHenry and Jones wouldn’t still be getting games?

He's dropped Smith, O'Brien, McHenry, Jones, Pedlar, Butts, Murphy - look, it's frustrating that he doesn't seem to drop folks when we feel he should. Absolutely this is a conservative club, that's fair.

But Nicks has played a lot of kids - we've been the youngest side in the league for most of his tenure. I guess he's just more focused than we are on balance.

 

[Punchy Bassett]

Or maybe he's played them at the right time, and not rushed them in and ruined their careers? He might have learned something from McAsey.

Oh come on what real difference would 14 weeks of SANFL football really be?

 

[adelaidecrows]

You can't have a rant that people don't know what's going on and are commenting anyway, and then make statements like 'Nicks learns from his mistakes'.

At least people who think we make selection mistakes have evidence behind them.

I just dont understand why Nicks is allowed to have these conga-line of mistakes when other coaches aren't. Some people I think dont understand what professional means. Nicks had made more mistakes than any other Crows coach and we arent playing finals this year on the back of Nicks completely shitting the bed as his whole preseason and game plan was one big mistake. He only resorted to shackles off attack once the season died. I have every expectation he will resort to the controlled counter attack game plane next year in the hopes of perfecting it.

 

[Mostyn]

Oh come on what real difference would 14 weeks of SANFL football really be?

I don't get your point?

Obviously the standard is lower in SANFL so they can develop their game where it's slightly slower, and focus on the areas where they most need work.

You put a kid straight into the AFL, and they're lining up on Bont, or Jeremy Cameron? Maybe they're somehow ready, or maybe you destroy their confidence.

Getting them ready in the lower leagues doesn't seem like a terrible idea - it certainly seems successful clubs like Sydney and Geelong do that.

 

[George Kramer]

Jones would be playing ahead of Taylor if it wasn’t for injury but Taylor has shown enough to keep his spot, even with being sub in his first 2 games.

Let’s look at Nank, played some games last year and looked good.

Wasn’t considered an A player all preseason and wasn’t selected until round 4. Plays well when he comes in and in particular against Port but is made sub for the following week to accomodate Smith after his stellar 2 kick in sub effort against Port. Smiths form continued to suck and was dropped, Nank has been good.

How can one explain Nanks treatment expect for Nicks having shit for brains and having to be dragged kicking and screaming to play a kid over one of his chosen ones?

Mostyn perhaps you can explain the Nank treatment?

 

[jenny61_99]

Jen, to be fair, I don't think that GreyCrow professed any kind of insider knowledge in that post.
Curtin/ Dowling/ Bond/ Taylor all came in on the back of other players' injuries.

It’s the Royal “you”. So many in here believing they know more than those at the coal face. Generally that’s how players get games - either on the back of blinding form in the twos or through injury to someone in the firsts. It’s not rocket science. WE don’t see the players every day. WE don’t know what they are being challenged with development wise. I reckon THEY have some idea. Ok, maybe not always right, but they may have reasons that aren’t clear to US on the outer.

 

[jenny61_99]

OK, thanks. I was thinking it had to be.

I just do not get the big wraps on Cook, myself.

I think he’s a very cluey player and shows something. Quieter last night, but he’s earned his spot IMO.

 

[jenny61_99]

I just dont understand why Nicks is allowed to have these conga-line of mistakes when other coaches aren't. Some people I think dont understand what professional means. Nicks had made more mistakes than any other Crows coach and we arent playing finals this year on the back of Nicks completely shitting the bed as his whole preseason and game plan was one big mistake. He only resorted to shackles off attack once the season died. I have every expectation he will resort to the controlled counter attack game plane next year in the hopes of perfecting it.

What other coaches have rebuilt their side from scratch and without an impressive line of top ten and/or charity handout picks?