Round 4, 2014 v North Melbourne

[liz]

Jetta was awful yesterday but he's been OK up until now. Last week I thought he was showing signs of getting back to 2012 form, and he was one of our better players against Collingwood.

Also think Reg has been reasonable at times this year and he should have several seasons of footy left in him. I highlighted ROK and Shaw because they're probably in their final seasons and because we should have players in the reserves capable of playing similar roles. Bird should be back in the side and I'd pick him now ahead of ROK.

I really feel for Shaw. He's worked desperately hard to get himself fit again after a knee reco just six months ago. He's giving it his all but looks like he's just trying too hard. I know the game was over by then, but his decision to play on from a mark in a crowded defensive 50 yesterday late in the final term just about summed up the game from the team and the season thus far from him.

[Rod_]

They played wet weather footy, we didn't.

From the selection table to who played where. When are we going to learn some players play really bad in the wet.

Rod

[Flying South]

I think I have calmed down enough, to hopefully write something that it is not full of anger. There are some good assessments above from I?m-uninformed2, Ernie, Giant, Liz, Ludwig. There are a myriad of things of things we can point to, skill errors, decision making, forward line structure, poor coaching, slow clearances, contested possessions, lack of ruckman, etc. As frustrating as these things are, they are things that can be worked on and hopefully fixed. Eternal optimist that I am. But what worries me, and is not so easy to fix, is the perceived lack of strong leaders in the club. Both at a playing and coaching level. As Leigh Matthews would say, ?don?t give me excuses, give me leadership?. In the past, the likes of Stewy Maxfield, Brett Kirk, Adam Goodes, Jude Bolton, Craig Bolton and Ryan O'Keefe were all extremely strong leaders who demanded excellence, trust, commitment and honesty among the group. When Darren Jolly first came to the club, he said he of Stewy, ?I didn't like him. He was brutally honest with the feedback he gave me in terms of how I was playing football. He was a hard, no-bull@@@@ kind of guy. He lived and breathed everything he preached. When he spoke everyone listened?. Who are our strong leaders now? And I am not just talking about the captain. You don?t have to be the captain to provide strong leadership. I am worried that the famed Bloods culture slipping away. It makes my blood boil when I see players standing on the outside of a contest watching the ball and expecting someone else to step up and put their bodies on the line. There is no way the likes of Kirky, Jude or Stewy would stand back and not provide a contest. This is not the bloods way. The bloods way is about stepping up and doing your bit, because your brothers did it before you and you trust that they will do it after you. There are a numbers of players who would not be able to look their brothers in the eye and say that they stood up. And where is the brutally honest feedback from our leaders about the lack of commitment and respect for the bloods code. Perhaps a chat from Stewy and Jude during the week might be able to turn things around. But that would require Longmire to admit that there are problems. Hopefully this is all actually happening behind closed doors and it is just a perceived issue for me. But it does worry me.

McVeigh once said, ?you choose your way in, or in choose your way out?. There are a number of players that need to go back to the ressies and ?choose their way back in?. The Bloods culture demands it.

[Ludwig]

In the past, the likes of Stewy Maxfield, Brett Kirk, Adam Goodes, Jude Bolton, Craig Bolton and Ryan O'Keefe were all extremely strong leaders who demanded excellence, trust, commitment and honesty among the group.

Flying South is right. I cannot remember Stewy, Kirk or Jude ever not putting in 100%, game after game. When we were down, they went even harder. They were just so intense. That was part of the never say die attitude that allowed us to snatch victory from the jaws of defeat so often. Now, when the game is on the line, we just fold.

Hanners is the one in the last few years that gave us those inspirational moments that set the standard for hardness and commitment. That's been missing this year and it has spread like a virus through the team. We desperately need him to stand up and be counted.

We may need to bring Zak Jones in the side sooner than usual, just because he brings the kind of commitment, like his brother, that sets the standard for the rest.

Although I am not a fan of Terry Wallace, he now has written off Sydney this year because it seems to him like the group has lost the hunger. I think he's right this time.

[AnnieH]

Well, we were just @@@@.
@@@@, @@@@, @@@@, @@@@, @@@@.

@@@@.

[erica]

Longmire seems reluctant to change his tactics during a game, even when it is blantantly obvious that they aren't working. Surely a coach should devise tactics for the team we are playing rather than have a one-size-fits-all approach?

[rojo]

I wonder if the players are losing confidence in 'the game plan'? But I think it might 'just' be a confluence of a whole host of little things. Senior players coming back in who are way short of match practice and other players who had interrupted preseasons. The personalities of Buddy and in the back line Shaw who throw their weight around a bit so there are too many 'voices'. The inability of the forward line and mids to get any match time together before the season started. KT coming in may solve some forward problems or add to the confusion.

As has been noted, there is also the poor form of Hanners, and maybe Jack is playing with an injury. Macca by all reports had a fantastic preseason but for whatever reason has no way been playing at his best. Mitchell has had so many injuries since he has been at our club, knee, hamstring and now ankle, it is a wonder he can still run at all. Evidently he excels as an in and under mid and so far is no good as a small forward. Parker seems to have usurped his spot and Parker is also effective in the forward line. ROK sadly is grinding to a halt. It will probably take Gary all this season to regain confidence and be anywhere near his best. I could go on!

Hopefully by the 2nd half of the season most of these things will be sorted out! Then scraping into the top 8 will be our big challenge.

[barry]

We should play more games at ANZ. At least that ground suits our game style. And we win more out there.

[ernie koala]

We should play more games at ANZ. At least that ground suits our game style. And we win more out there.

After the heavy hits you took in some earlier rounds....It's good to see you've still got your jab working Barry

[Triple B]

After the heavy hits you took in some earlier rounds....It's good to see you've still got your jab working Barry

Lol... Keep fighting the good fight Barry....

[Industrial Fan]

We should play more games at ANZ. At least that ground suits our game style. And we win more out there.

It was inevitable, but it took a while.

Was going to make the same comment as a wind up. We havent lost to the Pies at the Scg for a long time though.

[Flying South]

Longmire Quote; "we over handballed early when it was wet and then we kicked long but still did it when it cleared up." Who's fault is that? Dear John you are the coach, please start taking some responsibility for our losses. Stop blaming everything on the players by innuendo. I couldn't see this game as I was in Adelaide for a wedding but from what I have heard from friends, we played like a bunch of WWI veterans and all of them are dead.

But I am getting sick and tired of listening to the mandatory press conference and hearing the coach blame the players but take absolutely no responsibility himself. Gary Lyon is right, Horse is coaching badly at the moment. The problem is that I don't believe Horse can think on his feet like a Clarkson, Chris or Brad Scott, Bomber or Ross Lyon.

Horse has two game plans 1) short kick to position and create the loose man to incorporate sling shot, hard running footy kick to leading forward. 2) If (1) is not working kick the hell out of the pill & try to get as much distance as possible. Never to our advantage of course. That's it. He can't seem to counter opposition moves and he has been terrible at letting the opposition get one up (see Pies, GWS games with loose men back). I think Tudor was the man linking back & forward play and pointing out the problems. Now he is with North. The stoppages have been a problem too and that is because George Stone is asst at Melbourne not here. The people who have taken their roles are not doing very well. I like Marty but he had absolutely no experience at any level wit coaching. It might be better to get Josh Francou to take the stoppages role, after all he was an SANFL coach and played midfield.

The club is looking at 1/4 and a style of footy that is just not good enough. The other thing is that the team is old and looks it. This was one of my beefs the first week and hasn't changed. ROK & LRT, sad to say, are looking finished. Derrickx is not good enough. I am sad that Horse saw fit not to play Toby or Big Sammy N. We need to mix it up and find a list of strategies to counter every side we play. Not only that we need a list of strategies that can exploit their weaknesses, every team even the Hawks have them. We have none of those things it seems.

Nice analysis!!