Opinion This Season Just Became More Interesting

[Tiger_Of_Old]

Good example. Cats were written off as being too slow and old for the past few seasons. Didn’t stop them in 2022.

We had/have a hole in our list with lack of core aged players (24 to 28) and lack of midfielders in that age range. We partly addressed the issue the best we could last season. I don’t see the problem.

Sounds like some people want us to go down the path of north melb and hawks - a decade of rebuilding with kids. A lot of pain.

We are rebuilding on the run. Don’t underestimate the influence a guy like Tarrant has had on Tyler Young. I am sure sonsie, Dow, Clarke, banks and any new recruits etc will be much better for having the likes of Hopper and Taranto around.

Besides .No guarantees a kid from the draft is gonna make it.
At least give a kid half a chance with experience guys around them.
Something I think the hawks have stuffed up on recently

 

[Ralll]

Judging by the team vs Carlton, injuries or resting the older players was the only way we would see the younger guys this season.
We had (and possibly still have) gone all in with the older players.
Will be interesting to see what the mc do when Short and Broad are ready.

 

[living_in_syd]

Optimistic assuming we no more injuries

 

[tony__montana]

Judging by the team vs Carlton, injuries or resting the older players was the only way we would see the younger guys this season.
We had (and possibly still have) gone all in with the older players.
Will be interesting to see what the mc do when Short and Broad are ready.

Broad and Short are walk up starts, they're in that age demographic that is critical to success and onfield leadership

 

[tony__montana]

Optimistic assuming we no more injuries

agreed, anymore and we may hit the tipping point

 

[_RT_]

Last night wasn't the ideal start to life without Lynch and Nankervis, and it's only going to get worse before it gets better as we front up against Melbourne next week.

As frustrating as it has been to watch I'm hoping we continue with trying to implement the change in game style that we've been trying to get up and running. At the moment though we don't quite have the mix right for the way we want to play.

In the middle our mix seems to be off. When we've got Taranto Prestia & Hopper in the middle our clearances work is a mess when it should be a strength and it's because we've got all 3 trying to win first possession when we should be relying on one to get first possession and then having good run and spread from the stoppage. We look better when we've got someone like Bolton in the middle as he sets himself up as the receiver and then spreads away from the stoppage. I think we need to tinker with the mix that goes through the middle to establish cleaner ball use coming out of the middle. It doesn't help that we're working with our 3rd/4th string rucks at the moment, but we've got to make do with what we've got in that regard at least for another month.

The other area that seems to be a concern is the make up of the side. A combination of injuries, poor form and wanting to treat veterans with due respect is making things difficult.

Down back losing the likes of Tarrant & Gibcus before the season started have impacted our defensive set up, which has been compounded by the suspension of Broad and the poor form of Vlastuin and Grimes to start the season has seen us struggle. Balta has been up and down in his performances, while Daniel, Baker & Young are the only ones who can hold their heads up. Options are limited in terms of changing things up, Broad will return after the Melbourne game, but Tarrant seems likely to miss most of the year, while Gibcus is still a while off and isn't really a genuine KPD option just yet being he is playing his second season. Unfortunately the days of our back line being a strength built around the solid performances from the likes of Grimes Vlastuin Broad seem to be behind us now and we're looking at moving on to the next era where the back 6 will be built around Balta Gibcus & Young with Daniel & Baker/Short the rebounding defenders, with Brown & Banks next in line.

Through the middle Cotchin Prestia & Martin who were our go to midfield options have now been replaced in the pecking order with Taranto & Hopper now the go to options as starting midfielders. Both of them have delivered as promised when we recruited them and I feel both fit well into the new style of play that we've been trying to implement with run and carry leading to quick ball movement. The problem is that the mix we have around them doesn't quite mesh with the way we want to play. Both Prestia and Cotchin are ball hunters, but so to are Taranto and Hopper, the difference being that both Taranto and Hopper are better in spreading away from the contest. What we're missing at the moment is midfielders that played in the way that Lambert Edwards B. Ellis & Graham used to play, where they'd link up through the middle of the field and enable quick ball movement. I truly believe that Hardwick and co are caught between giving the likes of Cotchin & Prestia the respect they deserve as premiership stars and bringing through younger options that can deliver what we're really needing. Guys like Sonsie Ross & Clarke are being given opportunities, but they're still being played as role players on the edges, where I'd like to see them being given more important roles as they add the run and carry that we're missing through the middle.

As mentioned at the top we're embarking on a 2-3 month journey without Nankervis & Lynch and circumstances have dictated that we turn to Ryan and Miller as our first ruck/KPF set up. Both of them are still trying to find their way in the game and are going to have their ups and downs over the run. However as the old saying goes crisis presents opportunity and hopefully both can establish themselves as we'll be much better served moving forward if they do.

So the question now becomes how do we treat our aging stars that aren't quite playing at the level that we've come to expect? Cotchin now finds himself 8 games away from 300 with 18 rounds to go in the season. Does he continue to get selected on merit given he was made sub last week and was then subbed out this week after struggling to have an impact. Prestia is also down on the level he was playing at last year. Grimes and Vlastuin have struggled all season. Dusty hasn't really grabbed a game by the scruff like we're used to with his game against the Dogs his best this season and seems to also be struggling with not being the go to option he used to be. It's clearly a period of transition that we're going through and I believe we're going to have to adjust our expectations as fans on where we're going to finish this year.

 

["The Roar Is Back"]

Last night wasn't the ideal start to life without Lynch and Nankervis, and it's only going to get worse before it gets better as we front up against Melbourne next week.

As frustrating as it has been to watch I'm hoping we continue with trying to implement the change in game style that we've been trying to get up and running. At the moment though we don't quite have the mix right for the way we want to play.

In the middle our mix seems to be off. When we've got Taranto Prestia & Hopper in the middle our clearances work is a mess when it should be a strength and it's because we've got all 3 trying to win first possession when we should be relying on one to get first possession and then having good run and spread from the stoppage. We look better when we've got someone like Bolton in the middle as he sets himself up as the receiver and then spreads away from the stoppage. I think we need to tinker with the mix that goes through the middle to establish cleaner ball use coming out of the middle. It doesn't help that we're working with our 3rd/4th string rucks at the moment, but we've got to make do with what we've got in that regard at least for another month.

The other area that seems to be a concern is the make up of the side. A combination of injuries, poor form and wanting to treat veterans with due respect is making things difficult.

Down back losing the likes of Tarrant & Gibcus before the season started have impacted our defensive set up, which has been compounded by the suspension of Broad and the poor form of Vlastuin and Grimes to start the season has seen us struggle. Balta has been up and down in his performances, while Daniel, Baker & Young are the only ones who can hold their heads up. Options are limited in terms of changing things up, Broad will return after the Melbourne game, but Tarrant seems likely to miss most of the year, while Gibcus is still a while off and isn't really a genuine KPD option just yet being he is playing his second season. Unfortunately the days of our back line being a strength built around the solid performances from the likes of Grimes Vlastuin Broad seem to be behind us now and we're looking at moving on to the next era where the back 6 will be built around Balta Gibcus & Young with Daniel & Baker/Short the rebounding defenders, with Brown & Banks next in line.

Through the middle Cotchin Prestia & Martin who were our go to midfield options have now been replaced in the pecking order with Taranto & Hopper now the go to options as starting midfielders. Both of them have delivered as promised when we recruited them and I feel both fit well into the new style of play that we've been trying to implement with run and carry leading to quick ball movement. The problem is that the mix we have around them doesn't quite mesh with the way we want to play. Both Prestia and Cotchin are ball hunters, but so to are Taranto and Hopper, the difference being that both Taranto and Hopper are better in spreading away from the contest. What we're missing at the moment is midfielders that played in the way that Lambert Edwards B. Ellis & Graham used to play, where they'd link up through the middle of the field and enable quick ball movement. I truly believe that Hardwick and co are caught between giving the likes of Cotchin & Prestia the respect they deserve as premiership stars and bringing through younger options that can deliver what we're really needing. Guys like Sonsie Ross & Clarke are being given opportunities, but they're still being played as role players on the edges, where I'd like to see them being given more important roles as they add the run and carry that we're missing through the middle.

As mentioned at the top we're embarking on a 2-3 month journey without Nankervis & Lynch and circumstances have dictated that we turn to Ryan and Miller as our first ruck/KPF set up. Both of them are still trying to find their way in the game and are going to have their ups and downs over the run. However as the old saying goes crisis presents opportunity and hopefully both can establish themselves as we'll be much better served moving forward if they do.

So the question now becomes how do we treat our aging stars that aren't quite playing at the level that we've come to expect? Cotchin now finds himself 8 games away from 300 with 18 rounds to go in the season. Does he continue to get selected on merit given he was made sub last week and was then subbed out this week after struggling to have an impact. Prestia is also down on the level he was playing at last year. Grimes and Vlastuin have struggled all season. Dusty hasn't really grabbed a game by the scruff like we're used to with his game against the Dogs his best this season and seems to also be struggling with not being the go to option he used to be. It's clearly a period of transition that we're going through and I believe we're going to have to adjust our expectations as fans on where we're going to finish this year.

Hopper and Taranto don’t hunt the footy and that’s the issue . They are somewhat receivers who aren’t that quick by hand or foot . Many times last night Prestia , Taranto and hopper were all caught ball watching as their opponents gathered the footy and walked away with ease . We look so much better when players like Sonsie , boron or Cotchin who do hunt the footy are in the middle or around stoppages .
Why we didn’t give RCD more game time and haven’t given Ross , Pickett and Dow more time as genuine mids is astonishing . .

 

[SleepingGiant]

Good example. Cats were written off as being too slow and old for the past few seasons. Didn’t stop them in 2022.

We had/have a hole in our list with lack of core aged players (24 to 28) and lack of midfielders in that age range. We partly addressed the issue the best we could last season. I don’t see the problem.

Sounds like some people want us to go down the path of north melb and hawks - a decade of rebuilding with kids. A lot of pain.

We are rebuilding on the run. Don’t underestimate the influence a guy like Tarrant has had on Tyler Young. I am sure sonsie, Dow, Clarke, banks and any new recruits etc will be much better for having the likes of Hopper and Taranto around.

Geelong have been constantly in preliminary finals. We have been gutter trash since the 2020 GF. Move on. Time to rebuild.

 

[Bird Man]

Hopper and Taranto don’t hunt the footy and that’s the issue . They are somewhat receivers who aren’t that quick by hand or foot . Many times last night Prestia , Taranto and hopper were all caught ball watching as their opponents gathered the footy and walked away with ease . We look so much better when players like Sonsie , boron or Cotchin who do hunt the footy are in the middle or around stoppages .
Why we didn’t give RCD more game time and haven’t given Ross , Pickett and Dow more time as genuine mids is astonishing . .

have you seen Picketts handball efficiency ? the amount of turnovers would bee astonishing ...

 

[STRUGGLETOWN EST1885]

Last night wasn't the ideal start to life without Lynch and Nankervis, and it's only going to get worse before it gets better as we front up against Melbourne next week.

As frustrating as it has been to watch I'm hoping we continue with trying to implement the change in game style that we've been trying to get up and running. At the moment though we don't quite have the mix right for the way we want to play.

In the middle our mix seems to be off. When we've got Taranto Prestia & Hopper in the middle our clearances work is a mess when it should be a strength and it's because we've got all 3 trying to win first possession when we should be relying on one to get first possession and then having good run and spread from the stoppage. We look better when we've got someone like Bolton in the middle as he sets himself up as the receiver and then spreads away from the stoppage. I think we need to tinker with the mix that goes through the middle to establish cleaner ball use coming out of the middle. It doesn't help that we're working with our 3rd/4th string rucks at the moment, but we've got to make do with what we've got in that regard at least for another month.

The other area that seems to be a concern is the make up of the side. A combination of injuries, poor form and wanting to treat veterans with due respect is making things difficult.

Down back losing the likes of Tarrant & Gibcus before the season started have impacted our defensive set up, which has been compounded by the suspension of Broad and the poor form of Vlastuin and Grimes to start the season has seen us struggle. Balta has been up and down in his performances, while Daniel, Baker & Young are the only ones who can hold their heads up. Options are limited in terms of changing things up, Broad will return after the Melbourne game, but Tarrant seems likely to miss most of the year, while Gibcus is still a while off and isn't really a genuine KPD option just yet being he is playing his second season. Unfortunately the days of our back line being a strength built around the solid performances from the likes of Grimes Vlastuin Broad seem to be behind us now and we're looking at moving on to the next era where the back 6 will be built around Balta Gibcus & Young with Daniel & Baker/Short the rebounding defenders, with Brown & Banks next in line.

Through the middle Cotchin Prestia & Martin who were our go to midfield options have now been replaced in the pecking order with Taranto & Hopper now the go to options as starting midfielders. Both of them have delivered as promised when we recruited them and I feel both fit well into the new style of play that we've been trying to implement with run and carry leading to quick ball movement. The problem is that the mix we have around them doesn't quite mesh with the way we want to play. Both Prestia and Cotchin are ball hunters, but so to are Taranto and Hopper, the difference being that both Taranto and Hopper are better in spreading away from the contest. What we're missing at the moment is midfielders that played in the way that Lambert Edwards B. Ellis & Graham used to play, where they'd link up through the middle of the field and enable quick ball movement. I truly believe that Hardwick and co are caught between giving the likes of Cotchin & Prestia the respect they deserve as premiership stars and bringing through younger options that can deliver what we're really needing. Guys like Sonsie Ross & Clarke are being given opportunities, but they're still being played as role players on the edges, where I'd like to see them being given more important roles as they add the run and carry that we're missing through the middle.

As mentioned at the top we're embarking on a 2-3 month journey without Nankervis & Lynch and circumstances have dictated that we turn to Ryan and Miller as our first ruck/KPF set up. Both of them are still trying to find their way in the game and are going to have their ups and downs over the run. However as the old saying goes crisis presents opportunity and hopefully both can establish themselves as we'll be much better served moving forward if they do.

So the question now becomes how do we treat our aging stars that aren't quite playing at the level that we've come to expect? Cotchin now finds himself 8 games away from 300 with 18 rounds to go in the season. Does he continue to get selected on merit given he was made sub last week and was then subbed out this week after struggling to have an impact. Prestia is also down on the level he was playing at last year. Grimes and Vlastuin have struggled all season. Dusty hasn't really grabbed a game by the scruff like we're used to with his game against the Dogs his best this season and seems to also be struggling with not being the go to option he used to be. It's clearly a period of transition that we're going through and I believe we're going to have to adjust our expectations as fans on where we're going to finish this year.

Very analytical and thoughtful post mate. I have no expectation on where we finish. Just want to see what Dimma and the coaches can come up with in the game plan. Dimma seems a stubborn man by nature, not always a bad thing when something has worked for a long time but it's been well documented by many posters on our threads about the frustration since the 2020 season finished and what has gone on at AFL headquarters to change the way the game is played now. I cannot recall changes of this magnitude being done during the Cats, Lions and Hawks reigns before us. The only obvious thing I noticed was due to the Lions extra concessions leading up to their 3 peat the AFL changed the salary cap restrictions. Lions fans won't like hearing this but it's a fact.

 

[_RT_]

Hopper and Taranto don’t hunt the footy and that’s the issue . They are somewhat receivers who aren’t that quick by hand or foot . Many times last night Prestia , Taranto and hopper were all caught ball watching as their opponents gathered the footy and walked away with ease . We look so much better when players like Sonsie , boron or Cotchin who do hunt the footy are in the middle or around stoppages .
Why we didn’t give RCD more game time and haven’t given Ross , Pickett and Dow more time as genuine mids is astonishing . .

Hopper and Taranto are players who accumulate the ball not just at the source but also around the ground and are damaging in both roles. Cotchin thrives in hunting the ball at the source but once the play gets moving is found wanting in todays game where speed is of the essence. I do agree that we struggle big time when we have all 3 at the centre bounce as they all find themselves within 3m of the fall of the ball where we actually should have 1-2 of them in close and the other looking to surge away. When we have the likes of Bolton in the middle it looks much better and I'd like to see how we go with the likes of Sonsie Ross & Bolton in there more often as I think it would give us much better balance.

 

[_RT_]

Very analytical and thoughtful post mate. I have no expectation on where we finish. Just want to see what Dimma and the coaches can come up with in the game plan. Dimma seems a stubborn man by nature, not always a bad thing when something has worked for a long time but it's been well documented by many posters on our threads about the frustration since the 2020 season finished and what has gone on at AFL headquarters to change the way the game is played now. I cannot recall changes of this magnitude being done during the Cats, Lions and Hawks reigns before us. The only obvious thing I noticed was due to the Lions extra concessions leading up to their 3 peat the AFL changed the salary cap restrictions. Lions fans won't like hearing this but it's a fact.

As I said in the post, I do believe we're trying to implement a new game style to better suit the way the game is played and have identified players that will allow that to happen over the next few years with the likes of Sonsie Clarke Hugo Banks Brown Cumberland Campbell Green & Smith capable of bringing a good mix of ball winning and run and carry themselves.

 

[Boston tiger]

Are we still having fun ? Cotch didn’t look happy . Wondering if we have lost our way a-bit philosophy wise. Richmond man / why we play football etc

 

[59Stanley]

Just think about how bad our footy has been for several years. That patch last year where we lost games that perhaps no other team ever would was shocking only to be surpassed by our recent efforts.
Please do not get fooled by any bright aider we are soooo bad it is quite incredible.
Skills, fitness, strategy, discipline and talent are absent we are in real trouble.

 

[French Tiger]

Are we still having fun ? Cotch didn’t look happy . Wondering if we have lost our way a-bit philosophy wise. Richmond man / why we play football etc

Certainly not as fun when you are losing I guess


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[THE THIN MAN]

Hopper and Taranto don’t hunt the footy and that’s the issue . They are somewhat receivers who aren’t that quick by hand or foot . Many times last night Prestia , Taranto and hopper were all caught ball watching as their opponents gathered the footy and walked away with ease . We look so much better when players like Sonsie , boron or Cotchin who do hunt the footy are in the middle or around stoppages .
Why we didn’t give RCD more game time and haven’t given Ross , Pickett and Dow more time as genuine mids is astonishing . .

How many more years did you want RCD on the list, I must have missed the stampede of other team clammering to get his signature.

If Cotchin is not getting the ball, he is a liability as he no longer has the speed to chase the opposition ball carrier.

Bolton disposal has been diabolical this year, all very well to get the ball, but you must hit the target with your disposal.

 

[wegetpumped]

How many more years did you want RCD on the list, I must have missed the stampede of other team clammering to get his signature.

If Cotchin is not getting the ball, he is a liability as he no longer has the speed to chase the opposition ball carrier.

Bolton disposal has been diabolical this year, all very well to get the ball, but you must hit the target with your disposal.

Might as well let Cotchin get his 300 not going anywhere anyhow. The only shining light for me is Cumbo imagine the shock of seen him on the outer real professional selectors we have how times change. Going from the most feared team once again to a going where team

 

[Roachy8]

Are we still having fun ? Cotch didn’t look happy . Wondering if we have lost our way a-bit philosophy wise. Richmond man / why we play football etc

The way we fell apart on Friday night in the 4th told me a lot actually - players certainly not enjoying the footy and the subsequent frustrations that were evident clearly red-flagged issues for me.

Highly unusual to see Cotch showing frustration and disappointment at being subbed - the undisciplined frustration fuelled 50's and crap free-kicks, lack of accountability to get back in defence allowing Papley to have (statistically) his 2nd best game EVER and the general selfishness that was evident as players started to try and do it all themselves rather than sticking to a team plan.

Clearly there is a lot of frustration and some disenchantment at the moment at the club and it is Dimma's biggest challenge since the end of 2016.

Also the biggest challenge for us supporters since the end of 2016....

 

[rfctigerarmy]

Are we still having fun ? Cotch didn’t look happy . Wondering if we have lost our way a-bit philosophy wise. Richmond man / why we play football etc

Doesnt last forever

 

[tora tora tora]

Hopper and Taranto don’t hunt the footy and that’s the issue . They are somewhat receivers who aren’t that quick by hand or foot . Many times last night Prestia , Taranto and hopper were all caught ball watching as their opponents gathered the footy and walked away with ease . We look so much better when players like Sonsie , boron or Cotchin who do hunt the footy are in the middle or around stoppages .
Why we didn’t give RCD more game time and haven’t given Ross , Pickett and Dow more time as genuine mids is astonishing . .

What did Tarranto get? 36 disposal 6 ,7 tackles is what he did at the giants.
Thats hunting the footy in my book

 

[living_in_syd]

‘Interesting’ is a good choice of word.. hope it doesnt mean bottoming out in a season when we dont have a r1. Thats going to sting.

 

[_RT_]

If Cotchin is not getting the ball, he is a liability as he no longer has the speed to chase the opposition ball carrier

This is the elephant in the room that a lot of people don't want to/can't address because it's like shooting Bambis mother.

To be honest it was painful watching Cotchin trying to chase a couple of times on Friday night as the Swans players eased away from him and I'd suggest it's part of the reason why he was subbed out of the game.

 

[rfctigerarmy]

This is the elephant in the room that a lot of people don't want to/can't address because it's like shooting Bambis mother.

To be honest it was painful watching Cotchin trying to chase a couple of times on Friday night as the Swans players eased away from him and I'd suggest it's part of the reason why he was subbed out of the game.

The elephant in the room is that other players can't step up / we have recruitment holes and playing Cotchin, Riewoldt, etc, doesn't actually do us any harm.

 

[tiger_tough]

Things are never as bad as they seem. We've played 3rd, 4th, 5th, 7th and 14th (Dogs who will finish in the 8), with Dees to come this week. It would be the hardest draw in the competition after 6 rounds for sure.

We will find form at some stage and bank some wins.

 

[JAKLAUGHING]

Things are never as bad as they seem. We've played 3rd, 4th, 5th, 7th and 14th (Dogs who will finish in the 8), with Dees to come this week. It would be the hardest draw in the competition after 6 rounds for sure.

We will find form at some stage and bank some wins.

Not too bad for a middling side from last year..