said Thankyou Mark Duffield

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wehavethepassion

wehavethepassion

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Mark Duffield article in today's Game section of The West has nailed it beautifully. The Dockers have the worst skill level in the AFL and a coach who values "effort" above skill level in his coaching philosophies.

I quote Duffield "..Not the players, regardless of what coaching focusses are, are full-time athletes who have let their own skill levels slide to appoint where they uncompetitive in the AFL.

Also " to cure the disease you must admit what it is: this is a crisis in confidence borne by a skill level
that is now arguably the worst in the AFL"

Duffield also no one should avoid scrutiny - Lyon and his coaching methods/beliefs, the board for endorsing lyon's methods & beliefs till 2020 and the players and their skill level.

V Cats 7 of first 11 Cat goals from Dockers clangers worse V Power 10 of Power first 12 goals from Docker turnovers.
 

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salim malik said:
Skills can be re jigged. West Coast a few seasons ago were being targeted as having the worst skills in the comp and turned it around in one pre season.
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By changing the coach. When Simpson came in he was appalled at the level of technical ability of the squad at that so little was done on it. In his time there he's made Masten a reliable kick which gives hope for just about anyone on our list.
 
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It's not a bad article - pinpoints the problem directly, suggests that no singular figure is to blame and all must accept responsibility, not just Lyon.

Fundamentally, we cannot have a backline of Spurr, Sutcliffe, Ibbotson and Dawson - none of whom have ever had elite or creative ball use. No we can't drop them all, but we need to enforce skills and effort as a minimum standard, not just effort.
 
If we didn't fix poor skills and our inability to run the ball out of the backline in the last 6 months how likely is it we do it now, during the season.

We have wasted the off season and the JLT thinking our 2013 backline of Spurr, Dawson, Sutty, Johnson, Ibbo could get it done.

It was clear as ****ing day that good teams have great run out of the backline and we thought we could go back to our dour defence and it would work. It's either arrogance or stupidity that got us in this bind and I'm not sure which is worse.
 
It's not so much skill, as poor decision making. Spurr can hit a target, he was a decent kick, it was just a poor decision to go across goal at that point in time. However Zac Dawsons kick was a skill error. As was Hamling's really early on and Wellers off the inside of the boot in the first quarter.
 
Bradesmaen said:
It's not so much skill, as poor decision making. Spurr can hit a target, he was a decent kick, it was just a poor decision to go across goal at that point in time. However Zac Dawsons kick was a skill error. As was Hamling's really early on and Wellers off the inside of the boot in the first quarter.
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Spurr has never been a good kick.
 

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I honestly believe that it is a combination of Poor Skills,Non existent game plan and a coach who refuse to change or adopt to combat the game as it has massively changed and keeps changing every year.
Also, Ross Lyon seems to be not fussed in the coaches Box ( that's my take on the body language) , Throwing the pen here and there every now and and then , but never seems to be doing anything to stop the slaughter that is taking place.
A change is needed immediately , whether it is a complete change in game plan or Coaching panel , I don't care , the club needs to admit that we are in a black hole and must acknowledge the fans concerns. I just don't think that they will admit it!!
the way things are going , we are heading for some dark days and a very long couple seasons , not just one.
 
Ross Lyon is a hugely loyal man - He was loyal to Fitzroy when he could've bailed and gone to Carlton.
He was loyal to St Kilda and the players there but at the end he retired publicly at the end of his last season before he run out of patience with the St Kilda board over his contract extension and come over to us.
Now his loyalty to the core group is beyond fault now - the players who he has been loyal too who should not be getting a game have failed once too many times and when the hammer comes down - they will know how the Saint supportters felt when Lyon left
There will be no comeback
 
Ross has already targetted skills and it didnt work, we will continue to work on it. pointless article


We are now going to change our personnel according to Ross' presser, he was blunt about what needed to happen to keep playing and it didn't now changes will be forced, Ibbo and Johnno will be 2 of the first to go as they were already shifted forward on Sunday as they couldn't deliver out of defense, Dawson would be another likely to go, Expect Hughes, Collins, Balic (mid tho) and Sheridan all to come in to sure up the backline.
 
Freo Hitman said:
I disagree Johnson of old would've got there in a canter , he was physically unable and gave up
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I was sitting directly behind the kick and it went backwards about 10m... Johnson was on his own too, it was a shocking kick.
 
Unique Name said:
If we didn't fix poor skills and our inability to run the ball out of the backline in the last 6 months how likely is it we do it now, during the season.

We have wasted the off season and the JLT thinking our 2013 backline of Spurr, Dawson, Sutty, Johnson, Ibbo could get it done.

It was clear as ******* day that good teams have great run out of the backline and we thought we could go back to our dour defence and it would work. It's either arrogance or stupidity that got us in this bind and I'm not sure which is worse.
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Johnessan(spelling?) is a WA boy can kick and can run at the opposition is looking for $700k a few of our dodgey backline are out of contract so there is the $s in the CAP to go and get him
 
wehavethepassion said:
Johnessan(spelling?) is a WA boy can kick and can run at the opposition is looking for $700k a few of our dodgey backline are out of contract so there is the $s in the CAP to go and get him
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Our backline not getting younger and I think is better concentrate on youngster than getting somebody costly as freo is not in premiership mode.
 
wehavethepassion said:
Johnessan(spelling?) is a WA boy can kick and can run at the opposition is looking for $700k a few of our dodgey backline are out of contract so there is the $s in the CAP to go and get him
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I disagree that he can kick. He can run, but his kicking is so-so. Another one of those heavily overhyped players because he "gains metres". It's one thing gaining 50m with a kick, it's another if it's going straight back over your head.
 

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said Thankyou Mark Duffield

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