07-08-2018, 08:05 AM
(07-08-2018, 07:28 AM)deags link Wrote:I don't disagree with anything you say there.
I'm not calling for anyone to be sacked right now. I just am starting to doubt what is going on.
We have turned over 40 odd players, and have a brand new coach who is supposedly a master at teaching the kids.
I don't have an issue with the players we have drafted, some are not up to it, but that's not something you generally know when you get them in the place, or at least hopefully not.
We have a coach who is saying all of the right things, and as far as I am concerned, teaching the boys defence first was a great move. I was all on board with that, even when plenty have been calling for a more attacking style. I think if your defence is right, you are 75% of the way there.
What I can't cop is the insipid performances. The lack of heart. The lack of effort. The lack of pride. The lack of playing like you want to be a professional player. There are a few guys in the side who play like that, unfortunately they are for the most part the ones with less than the required skill level, or the blokes coming to the end of their career.
My response was to your statement about wanting to see how Bolton goes with more players available. If yesterday's effort was repeated, it wouldn't matter which 18 guys were out there, they'd have still stunk it up.
Effort. That's what I want. Not just against this side or that, but every week.
You want to know why McKay isn't getting a run, it's because he is lazy, and doesn't give required effort. He has obviously been told to improve that part of his game, and he hasn't. The thing that mystifies me about McKay is why plenty of other guys aren't in the same position.
You want to know why Polson, SOJ and O'Shea keep getting a run? Because they try their guts out.
I think from the outside, what supporters see as lack of effort can be many things - genuine laziness on the players part, fatigue, bad attitude. Sometimes you may find players not running, not chasing - is this because of confusion about who does what, is it trying to not make a mistake by running to the wrong spot, is it sticking to the game plan which is based on zones, so if you abandon your part of the zone, you're in strife ? Some times there may be some behind the scenes personal things that we don't know about that throws things off. I don't know, I'm just thinking aloud, and maybe I'm talking through my ar$e.
We've seen very good effort at times this season. Don't forget last night, we had Simmo as a late out, Marchy and Philips injured, Rowe has to go forward, so the backline (with no Doc, Rowe, Marchy, Plowman, Simmo, ACOS etc.) was a shemozzle. Also we were down on rotations from very early on etc.
If you believe in simplistic dualities, then we either have talented types who don't put in 4 q efforts or gut busters who have little talent and awful skills.