Post Game Passion AFL Rd 10: Carlton vs St Kilda

[spf]

Agreed, more high draft picks aren't going to fix us....

Agreed, and I think Stocker is showing some real class and will surprise a few people over the journey. I like him a lot from what I have seen.

[flyboy77]

How many times this year has Dow butchered a shot at goal at key moments in games? I'm sick of hearing about "elite runner", "great endurance" and "breakaway speed" when they talk about draftees. If you can't do the most basic thing in the game, kick the footy, then you can have all the running ability in the world and you'll be good at chasing an opponent and not much else. I hope I'm wrong, but we'll look back in 3 or 4 years on the 2017 draft as another one that we slaughtered.

I was taken with Bolton initially and his youthful enthusiasm and honesty but we've stalled, our young players are not coming on (Walsh excluded) and for the life of me I can't work out our game plan. In defence we're like Richmond of about 6 or 7 years ago where opponents just waited for the poor skills and decision making to eventually show through and they'd turn it over trying to kick short, backwards and sideways. If Thomas and Simpson are all we've got to keep a cool head down back then we're in strife. Newman showed some fight yesterday but even he turned it over numerous times.

Agree with EB's earlier comment about Kreuzer. He's been a warrior for us but he looked tired and cumbersome yesterday against a smaller/inexperienced opponent. Like many, for weeks I was calling for Kennedy to be in there to help Cripps but he showed us exactly why he hasn't been in there....slow and ineffective. Take Cripps and Walsh out of that midfield and at the moment we've got nothing. SPS/Fisher/Dow etc just don't do anywhere near enough. Yes they're young, but so is Walsh...so is Cripps.

1. Dow should have been back in the 2s weeks ago - he's lost his way....
2. BB - he really does need to explain the game plan...
3. Kreuzer looked shot.
4. Kennedy - went ok early - first game back, he'll be better for the run - miles ahead of LOB and Setterfield presently.
5. SPS and Fisher need rockets, big ones....lots of behind the play jogging is apparent.

[flyboy77]

Agreed, and I think Stocker is showing some real class and will surprise a few people over the journey. I like him a lot from what I have seen.

Yes, he's got some ticker too - great foot skills. Will be a player.

[WASurfer]

Agree on Stocker....has a bit of mongrel in him too. Commentators were blasting Newman yesterday for conceding a free kick to Long but I don't mind that.....Long is soft and took a dive and typical of the umpires to pick up on that but not the other obvious free kicks that we didn't get.

Can't over-estimate how much we've missed Jones in recent weeks too. Weitering looked lost at times yesterday and I'm still not sure what role Marchbank plays for us. For mine, Casboult is worth perservering with down back.

[capcom]

[quote author=Zed link=topic=4561.msg276978#msg276978 date=1558916623]
: We need to stop focusing on this as its not that much of an issue in the scheme of things.
Betts wanted to leave for Adelaide - we didn't give him away.  [/quote

That's certainly not my memory of the events.  Yes, he asked for bigger dollars and would have stayed had we agreed.  Stupidly, we didn't

[jeza]

I too would hate any coach naming specific individuals in a post game interview... that's left to internal discussions.

But are we really better?  The ladder position suggests otherwise.

But (and though this was not on Bolton's watch) think of Robinson and Betts still with the club.  We sold ourselves into mediocrity.  Same with Waite despite the fact he's now retired.

This obsession with youth gives us little grounding.  Those clearances for little return or salary cap impact were beyond dumb.

Dropping players and naming them to the media are both levers the coach can pull to set the expectations and hold them accountable. BB probably doesn't do it to protect them as most are young. Which probably feeds into the mentality of the players a little bit that they aren't men yet and therefore the expectations aren't as high as other clubs.

[laj]

By far the best football we have played this year was against the Dogs and the first half against Hawthorn. The reason? One of thee rare times we have been allowed to just take the game on. Funnily, we were very efficient moving thee ball into the F50, and surprise, surprise, our skills were so much better, as they are when you can kick to players in space rather than having to thread a needle through a million players. Our kids have had the flair knocked out of them and it is wrecking their confidence.

A good coach will look at his list and build a game plan around it. Bolton is not one of those coaches and needs to go. A very poor coach.

[laj]

Agree on Stocker....has a bit of mongrel in him too. Commentators were blasting Newman yesterday for conceding a free kick to Long but I don't mind that.....Long is soft and took a dive and typical of the umpires to pick up on that but not the other obvious free kicks that we didn't get.

Can't over-estimate how much we've missed Jones in recent weeks too. Weitering looked lost at times yesterday and I'm still not sure what role Marchbank plays for us. For mine, Casboult is worth perservering with down back.

Marchbank is like Weitering last year, totally confused at to his role. Another failure of coaching.

Levi's surprised me down back. Never thought it was in him bit he has been very good. Interesting to see what happens when Jones come back. Can't play them all.

[Tragic]

I'm still sticking fat with the coach until the end of 2019.  Our list is still young, lots of new players, with not much continuity together over a number of seasons.

However, we are shizen, and we should be better than we are.  There's enough talent, and there's enough experience that we should be win 5 games minimum this season.  The clock is ticking.

The Stocker trade was a good move if you ask me, even though it's looking like it will now blow up in our faces.  Most decisions are easy to pick apart in retrospect.  Very few of us would have expected 1-9 at this stage.  And anyway - I know you do have to factor in what we will end up giving away, but in a way it is irrelevant.  All that matters is what we get back in return, because that is what we get, it really doesn't matter what the crows get.  We get Stocker and pick 12 (at this stage) for our future first rounder.  There are so many ifs and whatifs, it's almost impossible to predict how this will pan out.  In 2-3 years time Stocker might be one of the best mids in the game, and the crows likely pick1 (yes, it does hurt a little to type that) might be a waste of space who never realises his potential. No risk, no reward.

[Gointocarlton]

Yes, same here.

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