Still think we should be aiming for the back end of the eight.Originally Posted by Markwebbos
Still think we should be aiming for the back end of the eight.
Hawks trailing by 39 and won
Adelaide winning against the Cats
Swans beating Brisbane.
Footy round 1 won by a country mile. Exciting to watch.
We don't tank!
I'm revising my expectations upwards based on our performances and those of other teams. I now reckon we can win a final! That would be great preparation for success in the coming seasons.
All opinions are not equal. Some are a very great deal more robust, sophisticated, and well supported in logic and argument than others. -Douglas Adams, author (11 Mar 1952-2001)
I think we can make finals. longmire said he just wants our guys to be competitive. We are that and hopefully we will continue to be against Wretchmond. A few things that are shaping up already. We play a style of footy that is hard defensively, with great pressure, but fast on the break. We use the corridor or if that is not available we flick it around until a player is free an then hit up a target in the forward scoring zone after taking it wide. Very clever coaching. our forwards are making space for each other and creating conditions for the lead up forward. we are not bombing so the Richmond backs will all have to be accountable which is something they are not used to. Richmond try to shut down space so their opponent will have to bomb long therefore playing into their hands. we have a game plan that could bring that unstuck.
Just some observations so far.
Norf; Easily the worst side in the comp
Bombers; Not much better
GWS; biggest disappointment in the AFL an going nowhere. GWS players are not accountable. they are one way players who go missing when defence is needed. this has been a problem for a long time.
Freo: On the rise. they had half a team in and should have annihilated GWS
Cats; Dad's army are not as good as they think they are
Crows; play a great brand of footy and are just behind us in development
Port; Should be Premiership favs. but have yet to play a good side
Tigers; The benchmark. but there is one thing against them in this new game. They do not kick a lot of goals. How long can they keep winning with 11 goals under these new rules? If they can up their goals they will still be either 1 or 2
Hawks; Overrated. very much a work in progress
Dees; not sure. They look good at this stage but will they keep it up? Have a habit of falling into the abyss. they have one of the oldest lists in the AFL. they have to get it done soon or start to rebuild.
Eagles; Another ageing team. A good side but vulnerable. They have lots of stars that are more unreliable than the Lao telephone system. They don't really score a lot. again even though they are a good side under the new rules good sides should be able to kick 15-20
Doggies; Same as Eagles except for the ageing. they have rebuilt on the run. Good side if not a bit defensive. They strangle sides. but a fast, hard, high pressure side who uses the ball well will bring them undone i think
Pies; Pretenders. They have some huge vulnerabilities. They can be very slack defensively. They can also be taken to the cleaners by a very quick side who uses the ball well. Without Darcy Moore they would give away double the scores they do now. Lose him and they will be very incredibly vulnerable.
Lions: Hard to see what is happening here. I think their general lack of pace and game plan has been identified and capitalised on. They need to be more accountable. Against us and the Cats at different times in that match they just did not chase. several of their backs like to play off their opponents and if you have players who quickly identify space then they get caught out of position.
Saints; A very good side who should play finals. They had a hiccup on the weekend and probably beat themselves with poor disposal and by kicking it to Max. I don't think that will happen too often and will make the 4
Suns; They play a pretty good brand of footy but still seem to be a middle of the pack team even with all that talent and the extra list space. Should be far better. But they are getting better.
Blues; Talk about overrated. If too many more seasons go by they will need a total rebuild. this mob have had multiple number 1 and top 10 picks at the draft and still manage to lose matches they should win. They played just ok against Richmond but were never really in it. against pies they were really well beaten. they never really looked like winning. never looked to be in command at any stage. Their list is not only getting old. Like Dees they need to go now or go to rebuild.
Swans; We have done all the work and suffered the pain of a major rebuild. having GWS as the second Sydney team has allowed us to be able to rebuild our squad. we have done so by drafting well over a long period. this started with the drafting of the likes of Hewett who played his first game in 2016. At the same time we were drafting from the Academy which was just starting to yield results. Now we have 10 Academy boys on our list. the club has recruited very well when it comes to coaches. Longmire has introduced a much more attacking game plan and has the players to carry that out with precision delivery. We are on the rise. top 4 and i am not being overly optimistic. our game plan stacks up. the big test will be against Tigers this week.
Tell that to Blues and Bombers fans. We have spent two seasons out of finals and look to be a real chance of getting back to finals this season. A major credit to our club - showing the competition how it should be done. ;-)
All opinions are not equal. Some are a very great deal more robust, sophisticated, and well supported in logic and argument than others. -Douglas Adams, author (11 Mar 1952-2001)
Yeah, I don't think we can call it a 'major' rebuild just yet.
I'm still worried about our ruck. Hickey is 30, nainsmith is about 30. Will they be around for the next flag, and if not who else is there?
I'm sure they've got their eye on that.
They should both be fit and firing for September.
Maybe we have been this good for a while now, but only a decent ruckman has allowed them to show it?
The biggest difference in the team this year is the foot speed and quality ball use. I've never seen a Sydney team move the footy like this.
I think we'll get a serious reality check against Richmond this week. They'll really capitalise on our poor defence, and then intimidate our smaller bodies in the middle with their pressure.
However, Essendon just lost Shiel, Draper and Caldwell for a month, so we should still be 3-1 after the first month. Not really what anyone expected!!
I pretty much agree with most of Wolftone's analysis above (but too long to post as reply thread).
My one caution on us is: depth and youth. We're one ruck and one KPD injury away from being very stretched, and our young players will inevitably tire over the course of a season.
We can't do much about the first except hope and pray, but an injury to Hickey or McCartin would impact us ALOT. We may be able to deal with the second by managing players in cycles, but it'll be an issue. So Stephens and Rowbottom are arguably best 22 but sat out last week for various reasons. It's a good sign that Hayward is being made to earn a game. Bell can fill a role where needed. So can Ling. We know Buddy will need to be managed, and that may affect how we manage McDonald. Hopefully Fox gets fit. But I reckon over the course of a season we'll need to call on that depth.
I'm still supremely confident about our prospects over the next few years; but I'm still a little wary of whether we can jump into the eight this year over the grind of a long season. (And the KPP depth is where we need to target our recruitment and trading).
'Delicious' is a fun word to say
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