Review R23: The Good, Bad and Ugly vs. Port Adelaide

[CrowBloke]

And you’re still going to claim that Craig’s dropping Tex early on has no impact on his career?

Many players are dropped early in their careers. Look what Nicks has done to our kids, but until your discussion I'd never considered what impact that might have on whether they'd (say, eg Curtin) get to 300 games, which has become some kind of mythical Milestone of Greatness.
Tex has achieved greatness all ready; the only thing missing is a Flag, poor bugger.
Tex was a big, goofy kid back then (now he's a bigger, goofy adult lol). Maybe he didn't take training/diet/game day seriously enough? I can't imagine Craig thinking that he was gonna stop Walker from playing 300 games ie some vindictive motive.
+

There's no alternate universe in which Tex wasn't ready for AFL games in year 1. Got screwed over.

You mean 2008 or 2009? Tbh, I don't remember much angst about Tex's being ready/selected, or not.
Why do you reckon he got 'screwed over', please? Was Craig playing favourites, like Nicks does now?
(Digression: jeez, wouldn't we kill for Craig's W/L record, now? )

With respect to you both, I think you've used some time-travel-hindsight logic re: Tex and 300 games.
Back in 2009 (Tex played 14 games), 2010 (18 games), 2011 (13 games) did either of you think
"Jeez, this [whatever happened back then] is gonna hurt his chances of playing 300 games" ...?

There are other factors too --- he did his knee in 2013, other injuries (back especially), suspensions, being rested/managed.
Without those, he'd have his 300 games now, Craig or no Craig. Btw, if Tex retires close to under 300 games, I doubt he'll be cursing Craigy for it.
(Speaking of that ACL injury, in 2012 he'd kicked 63 goals and was shaping to be a major AFL forward --- it took him 11 years to better that, 76 goals last year)

Funny thing: after he returned from his knee injury I remember people complaining about how he was slower, "turned like the Titanic" etc, yet he went on to become an excellent and highly respected Club Captain, our highest goalkicker, then polling his most Brownlow votes in his 13th (2021, 9 votes) 14th (2022, 14 votes) and 15th (2023, 18 votes) season.
Tex has become the Crows' shiraz , improved with age.

 

[Stephen2]

You mean 2008 or 2009?

2008, he spent the entire year in the 2s.

There was anguish, he ended the year on more than 50 goals, including 6 in a final.

Craigy needed him to learn to "keep his opponent boundary side". Gimme a spell...

I don't care about 300 games, though it'd be awesome, I care about being robbed of watching more Tex games.

 

[FR0GGY]

I can't imagine Craig thinking that he was gonna stop Walker from playing 300 games ie some vindictive motive.

Never claimed it was vindictive or deliberate.
I only responded to the assertion that there are no negative effect on his career from not playing him early, which is just not true.

 

[Vader]

2008, he spent the entire year in the 2s.

There was anguish, he ended the year on more than 50 goals, including 6 in a final.

Craigy needed him to learn to "keep his opponent boundary side". Gimme a spell...

I don't care about 300 games, though it'd be awesome, I care about being robbed of watching more Tex games.

... and Tex has frequently credited Craig's tough love with helping him become the player that he did subsequently.

 

[Rabish Binney]

I look at this whole thing in a slightly different way. They targeted rankine from the off as they knew he was the guy that could rip the showdown away from them in a quarter such is his quality. That it was Houston that eventually took him out and thats exactly what he did probably ended up winning the showdown for then as we lost our most creative player and took our eye off the ball and were distracted. Port capitalised and won. It gave them a top 2 spot that they now can keep by beating freo and a much better pathway to a possible grand final.

If they win a flag (and god hope they don't), they should chair houston around the ground as that win on saturday was quite possibly season defining for them. Houstons suspension is just collateral damage in what might be a much bigger picture and he played his part perfectly for them.

I cant see why we are so up in arms at Rankine being targeted (I exclude the Houston bump because that situation cant be set up)

The question is why didn't we plan prior to the game to do the same to Butters or JHF? Especially knowing that JHF loses his rag if he is harassed.

Furthermore, our guys would have seen what was going on with Rankine so why didn't they do anything about it?

If the coaches had planned ahead and we targeted Butters as Port did to Rankine, we would be salivating.

 

[Milo Cyrus]

I cant see why we are so up in arms at Rankine being targeted (I exclude the Houston bump because that situation cant be set up)

The question is why didn't we plan prior to the game to do the same to Butters or JHF? Especially knowing that JHF loses his rag if he is harassed.

Furthermore, our guys would have seen what was going on with Rankine so why didn't they do anything about it?

If the coaches had planned ahead and we targeted Butters as Port did to Rankine, we would be salivating.

Strategy isn't our strong point.

 

[DJ75]

Both the charging and rough conduct rules are sufficiently vague enough that the Houston hit comfortably meets both. How can even AFL umpires not know this...

Lets say he didn't bump but ran straight into him chest to chest - THAT'S STILL A FREE KICK!
Front on contact is a free kick.

 

[DJ75]

What a piss take. Most of the time the police don't do anything about actual assaults where punches connect and this apparently warrants an investigation.

Summary of investigation:

A hat got knocked off. No further action.

The police should have laughed at him and told him to stop wasting time. That should have been the end of it

 

[Rabish Binney]

The police should have laughed at him and told him to stop wasting time. That should have been the end of it

You can just imagine what the feral said to Crouch

 

[DJ75]

You can just imagine what the feral said to Crouch

The stadium management should actually ban the guy for his behaviour. Now that he's drawn attention to it.

 

[DJ75]

Strategy isn't our strong point.

We let Butters run around untouched all game. No-one went near him while he collected a record number of disposals.
As always, our coaches are morons.

 

[GROTTO]

The police should have laughed at him and told him to stop wasting time. That should have been the end of it

What a complete waste of police resources, especially more so given in all probability the Port fan instigated the incident to begin with.

Its not like he stood there and Crouch knocked his hat off, "allegedly" too. Its not caught on camera either.

 

[Rabish Binney]

We let Butters run around untouched all game. No-one went near him while he collected a record number of disposals.
As always, our coaches are morons.

Errol Gulden to get 50+ this week.

Nick's to deny in the presser that Gulden had a major influence on the outcome of the game (a loss of course).

 

[Mutineer]

2008, he spent the entire year in the 2s.

There was anguish, he ended the year on more than 50 goals, including 6 in a final.

Craigy needed him to learn to "keep his opponent boundary side". Gimme a spell...

I don't care about 300 games, though it'd be awesome, I care about being robbed of watching more Tex games.

Walker thanks Craig for tough love

Taylor Walker lauds Neil Craig's influence ahead of 100th game

www.afl.com.au

 

[Geoffa32]

I'm not sure how anyone can think having 19 AFL teams, with dwindling participation, can produce a better product

If it's an elite comp ....make it elite & have just 14 teams (thereabouts)

As you say ...the game is just hyped up & marketed to compensate ....and the AFL relies on a close comp, and supporter fanaticism to gloss over a poor product

Media is directed to hype up players, and rookies in particular, B4 they've done anything to deserve the status

AFL is an Entertainment League.


The quality of the sport is second to Entertainment.

 

[Geoffa32]

The stadium management should actually ban the guy for his behaviour. Now that he's drawn attention to it.

And the kid who punched the mascot.

 

[DJ75]

And the kid who punched the mascot.

Ah yes. The mysterious kid that doesn't exist.
If there had been a kid and he was wearing a Crows scarf it would have been front page of the paper

 

[1990crow]

Ah yes. The mysterious kid that doesn't exist.
If there had been a kid and he was wearing a Crows scarf it would have been front page of the paper

Media in Adelaide have been a disgrace since Saturday.
Club should be calling it out

 

[Geoffa32]

Ah yes. The mysterious kid that doesn't exist.
If there had been a kid and he was wearing a Crows scarf it would have been front page of the paper

Given the Mascots have a club minder and security guard near them at all times, there should at least be an official report.

Plus footage.


It didn't happen.

 

[1990crow]

Given the Mascots have a club minder and security guard near them at all times, there should at least be an official report.

Plus footage.


It didn't happen.

Our club should be calling this out. It's a lie and there should people held accountable for it.

 

[Rabish Binney]

And the kid who punched the mascot.

Is there any footage or similar to confirm that this indeed did happen?

 

[SugarShane]

Penbo saying what everyone's thinking. Love this!

 

[MarcusP2]

Lets say he didn't bump but ran straight into him chest to chest - THAT'S STILL A FREE KICK!
Front on contact is a free kick.

Only in a marking contest.

 

[SugarShane]

Imagine going to the cops cos someone knocked your hat off.

I mean, the word snowflake is a bit played….but there’s snowflakes and then there’s Turbo Snowflakes.

The only thing that needs investigating here is the decision to have the newsreader in a bright red jacket with a bright red shirt in front of a bright red screen.

 

[Slippery Pete]