Opinion Which direction to take from here?

[you pick one]

Yes, or it tells me that the crop one [year]older (read: the three emergencies heading into yesterday's match and peers) is simply not having anywhere near the output they should be.

EFA..........I've been studying square brackets.

 

[iameviljez]

need to look at out list and who should be gone next year

defenders - Rivers, Enright, (maybe Mackie although his kicking is needed)
Mids - Kelly, Stokes, Bartel, SJ
Rucks HMac

Babies and bathwater! Bartel and SJ were two of our three best yesterday, HMac is the best ruckman at the club, Mackie is without doubt the best halfback at the club.

Introduce kids through a side that wins more than it loses, and sets standards. I don't want to be StKilda, thanks.

 

[Whiskers]

To be honest that tells me they picked the wrong players. Everyone got an erection because Cockatoo (see what I did there) went on a couple of flashy runs and kicked one great goal. He did nothing else in the pre-season, and he did absolutely nothing yesterday. He is miles away. Lang and Gregson at least contributed at times.

Agree with your last sentence. There will be much gnashing of teeth, rending of garments, and in modern football parlance, plenty of 'backing them in'. 'Backing over a cliff' may be more beneficial long term.

Wrong on Cockatoo, he is a flashy player yes but will be a very good one. He will have learnt plenty yesterday, I think it was a good initiation on Burgoyne. Cocky was a step or 2 behind and will have learnt the pace of AFL is a big step up. Not a better side to have learnt from.

It was always likely he was going to have an average game but you could still see where he will be good.

He won't dominate many games yet or be there every minute but he will give us plenty. Freo will be tough for him aswell but he will know what to expect, it'll be a great learning year with a handful of very good games.

 

[Partridge]

It was always likely he was going to have an average game but you could still see where he will be good.

He won't dominate many games yet or be there every minute but he will give us plenty. Freo will be tough for him aswell but he will know what to expect, it'll be a great learning year with a handful of very good games.

I never said he won't be good. Just that right now he isn't ready. He can't win his won footy. He won't get near it against Fremantle once their midfield strangles us.

 

[Whiskers]

I think he is ready. I'm worried about him v freo but he has to learn.
He can do it but will he is the question. It'll be tough but I think he can add something now to the team.
Throw him to the wolves now.

 

[Lana]

Didn't Scott promise us a flag in 2015?

He delivered it a little early, sorry if it inconvenienced you.

 

[Daniel McL]

Still pick the best team you can.
If we still show disappointing / struggling signs then we need to make some tough decisions at the end of the year.

Enright to retire, more game time to Smedts (Though should be up forward).
Kelly to retire, more game time to Gore.
McIntosh to retire, more game time to Stanley of course.
If we are making a tough choice then Rivers to retire, more game time to Kolodjashij.
Another tough choice Mackie to retire, Thurlow more game time.
Another tough choice Stokes to retire, Lang more game time.
Keep Lonergan there for 2016 with Taylor to help build the backline around them.

 

[iameviljez]

I think people are also underestimating the effect of having so many players with less than thirty games in the one team. Cockatoo and Lang were subjected to pressure they haven't seen before, Bews and Smedts (who has played just over 30) lacked the physicality to really get involved, Simpson had a stinker and Gregson came on once the heat had gone out of it. Hawthorn on the other hand had just two - Ceglar, and Anderson. These players were often the weak links in possession yesterday, which is forgivable, but it has a real effect when playing teams like Hawthorn.

 

[meto]

Seriously why isn't GHS playing? Last year was winning over 20 possession in some games, what are we doing? He's a big body and is now building experience why isn't he out there?
Our smalls and mediums were poor.

 

[iameviljez]

Seriously why isn't GHS playing? Last year was winning over 20 possession in some games, what are we doing? He's a big body and is now building experience why isn't he out there?
Our smalls and mediums were poor.

Bring back Varcoe

 

[meto]

Bring back Varcoe

For a bit of grunt!

 

[THE CAT WRANGLER]

Seriously why isn't GHS playing? Last year was winning over 20 possession in some games, what are we doing? He's a big body and is now building experience why isn't he out there?
Our smalls and mediums were poor.

Not playing because he is too slow for the modern game

 

[Munich]

He delivered it a little early, sorry if it inconvenienced you.

I'm quite sure he had nothing to do with it.

Those boys coached themselves to that flag.

 

[manboob]

I think people are also underestimating the effect of having so many players with less than thirty games in the one team. Cockatoo and Lang were subjected to pressure they haven't seen before, Bews and Smedts (who has played just over 30) lacked the physicality to really get involved, Simpson had a stinker and Gregson came on once the heat had gone out of it. Hawthorn on the other hand had just two - Ceglar, and Anderson. These players were often the weak links in possession yesterday, which is forgivable, but it has a real effect when playing teams like Hawthorn.

That's all these next two years could end up being. Pumping games into players getting them from 10-20-30 to 80-100. Port have been doing the same the last 3 years and look at the turn around when they hit the 50 game mark (yes yes lots of other things have changed at the club too).

 

[Teriyakicat]

Babies and bathwater! Bartel and SJ were two of our three best yesterday, HMac is the best ruckman at the club, Mackie is without doubt the best halfback at the club.

Introduce kids through a side that wins more than it loses, and sets standards. I don't want to be StKilda, thanks.

I'm about to burn my membership and rip up all my old Cats posters.... Boohoo!!! The club is in a middle of a meltdown...
oh, hang on a minute- it's just half of BF posters who are having a meltdown and acting like the Queen of Hearts.
I might hang onto that membership just a bit longer.

 

[iameviljez]

That's all these next two years could end up being. Pumping games into players getting them from 10-20-30 to 80-100. Port have been doing the same the last 3 years and look at the turn around when they hit the 50 game mark (yes yes lots of other things have changed at the club too).

Worth looking at how long it took our premiership stars to "come good", as in genuine-contention good. It took six years for the 2001 group and eight for the class of 1999 - it does not happen as fast as people think it does.

 

[cats2rise]

I wonder if those demanding anyone aged over 29 not play for the remainder of the year would then complain less when the club lost more games by a larger margin, eroding the winning culture in the process along with the added benefit of the young players learning a thing or two off the experienced guys in the process?

Fair dinkum. This is not Football Manager. You don't just draw a line in the sand after round 1 and kick out all your older players.

And to whoever the poster was who said Bartel is meh and will be for the rest of the year, you should be taken out the back and shot.

A young player will learn twice as much playing with him (And Kelly, and Enright) than playing in a team without them and being smashed by 10 goals all game. Just because we have young players does not mean they have to play right now. They are earning their spot. I couldnt name 5 players I would have rather have played over Bartel, Kelly etc on Monday.

 

[manboob]

Worth looking at how long it took our premiership stars to "come good", as in genuine-contention good. It took six years for the 2001 group and eight for the class of 1999 - it does not happen as fast as people think it does.

I think the 60-80 game mark still holds. We made the prelim in 2004.

 

[you pick one]

Still pick the best team you can.
If we still show disappointing / struggling signs then we need to make some tough decisions at the end of the year.

Enright to retire, more game time to Smedts (Though should be up forward).
Kelly to retire, more game time to Gore.
McIntosh to retire, more game time to Stanley of course.
If we are making a tough choice then Rivers to retire, more game time to Kolodjashij.
Another tough choice Mackie to retire, Thurlow more game time.
Another tough choice Stokes to retire, Lang more game time.
Keep Lonergan there for 2016 with Taylor to help build the backline around them.

If we were really lucky there might be one AA player among the bolded,I personally doubt it,what I do know is that they can learn a lot from the veterans and give themselves a better chance at being a good AFL player by watching the professionalism and dedication required to reach the top,we will be better served by finding a way to put them together in games either via the AFL or VFL side rather than just a straight replacement program.I'd rather see more of the Wojo than the Chapman way of finishing up at the Cattery.

 

[goyoucatters]

I'm quite sure he had nothing to do with it.

Those boys coached themselves to that flag.

How accommodating of the players to turn over all responsiblity for the team to the actual coach straight after that success.

So we can now be certain that just as Scott had nothing whatsoever to do with winning that flag, we can also be sure that every miscalculation and stumble since 2011 is solely his responsibility rather than having anything at all to do with the players.

As I watched player after player continually make little or no attempt to put everything on the line yesterday against the Hawks, it was certainly heartening to know that there was only person responsible. Only one individual who should shoulder all the blame.

How we clings to his job having only won three out of every four games since he joined the club is beyond me.

Surely it's about time the players started coaching the side again.

 

[iameviljez]

I think the 60-80 game mark still holds. We made the prelim in 2004.

Sure, but we were still a good six goals off flag pace that year I think. We were a bit flattered by the fact that the game was played at the G.

 

[you pick one]

I think the 60-80 game mark still holds. We made the prelim in 2004.

Bomber will be looking for a job next year.

 

[thegerman]

Babies and bathwater! Bartel and SJ were two of our three best yesterday, HMac is the best ruckman at the club, Mackie is without doubt the best halfback at the club.

Introduce kids through a side that wins more than it loses, and sets standards. I don't want to be StKilda, thanks.

I think what is being discussed, is being overlooked.

There's several discussing probably a term that is being missed. Succession planning.

What was raised in the post you commented upon, probably didn't have this affect. However, what was trying to be stated is we are expecting these players, the Thurlows, JK, etc to take over for the experienced players, with virtually no AFL experience.

This needs to happen over the next two years. If we are still are not acclimatising these players to AFL, and soon, this will be significant risk to their development; I.e. Sink or swim. And or, opening them up to poaching from lack of opportunity.

 

[Whit3y]

To be honest that tells me they picked the wrong players. Everyone got an erection because Cockatoo (see what I did there) went on a couple of flashy runs and kicked one great goal. He did nothing else in the pre-season, and he did absolutely nothing yesterday. He is miles away. Lang and Gregson at least contributed at times.

cringeworthy stuff isnt it
some were saying his the next selwood.

i dont wanna bring up eardley again

 

[iameviljez]

I think what is being, is being overlooked.

There's several discussing probably a term that is being missed. Succession planning.

What was raised in the post you commented upon, probably didn't have this affect. However, what was trying to be stated is we are expecting these players, the Thurlows, JK, etc to take over for the experienced players, with virtually no AFL experience.

This is needing to happen over the next two years. If we are still are not acclimatising these players to AFL, and soon, this will be significant risk to their development; I.e. Sink or swim. And or, opening them up to poaching from lack of opportunity.

I think the succession planning has been ok for all areas except tall defensive posts where we've covered with Rivers and then tried to do so with Frawley. Don't forget, only ten players from yesterday (Bartel, Kelly, SJ, Selwood, Hawk, Stokes, Duncan, Lonergan, Taylor, Enright) played in the 2011 flag.