"Why bother?"

**browneeg** · 15 August 2011, 08:47 AM

I'm my opinion, Goodsey should have been sole Captain this year, that way he would have felt more empowered and allowed the freedom to Lead in his own authentic way. This Co-captian @@@@ only works if both have the same vision and same application. I have never been a fan of Co-Captaining.

Jack and Hannerbery are too young, however Jack could be the 2 IC to Goodsey. Hannerbery just too young!

**erica** · 15 August 2011, 09:14 AM

Winning is up to the players. I can't accept that professional players don't have pride in their performances. I'm not giving up my support for my team so neither should they. Let's regroup and slay the Saints on Sunday.

**ScottH** · 15 August 2011, 09:14 AM

I don't believe anybody is too young. If you have the qualities that make a good leader, then why can't you be captain.
From what I saw and heard on Sunday makes me think Hanners has the makings of a great captain.
He was the one who seemed to be calling the shots out there.

**toothy76** · 15 August 2011, 09:14 AM

I always questioned the promotion of McVeigh into the captaincy role. He must be very good off field. I have wondered if it was an incentive to keep him at the club at his last contract negotiation - stay with us and we'll make you captain one day.

While I would prefer that a young player wasn't burdened with the captaincy, don't forget that Paul Kelly was only 23 when given the role. Hannebery is clearly leadership material, especially on field, and will be an elite player - he's one of the few we have with genuine skill and coolheadedness on the field. He is visibly affected by losses - moreso than many of his teammates - and has that fearless courage that Kelly also had.

I'd put Hannebery ahead of Jack. It may also be the only way of keeping him at the club. Maybe in a couple of years if Goodes retires.

I had no confidence that we would win yesterday. The result highlighted what happens when a side continues to play finals and not drop to the bottom to pick up players like Cotchin, Deledio and Martin. We have good players, but not potentially great ones. It will happen eventually (I hope) but it's not there yet.

**liz** · 15 August 2011, 09:19 AM

You don't need the label of "captain" by your name to provide leadership. Whoever the named leaders of the team are should make no difference to players acting as leaders out on the ground. We clearly lacked leaders yesterday, especially in the midfield, but I can't accept that who is named captain can be completely to blame for that.

**ernie koala** · 15 August 2011, 09:20 AM

Originally posted by Cheer Squad

http://www.smh.com.au/afl/afl-news/s...814-1it49.html

In today's SMH, Richard Hinds pretty well sums up the situation we're in with two words -"why bother?" That's as good an explanation as anything else that's been put forward for yesterday's performance. The team seems to have lost heart.

O'Keefe was interviewed last week and mentioned something about team chemistry either not being there or not being what it should be. To me, it sounds like we're not being led properly. Perhaps it's the endless changes being made to the team that's got everyone fundamentally unsettled.

I think the real problem is leadership. We haven't got the captaincy right. Someone needs to take the situation by the scruff of the neck. As to who that might be, it's obviously not McVeigh. He's doesn't have the personality for it and he's got far more important things to worry about ATM.

I think we need to sort out the captaincy issue once and for all. If not Goodes or McVeigh, it needs to be someone who's going to be around for a while. Maybe Jack, or Hannebery? Who else would have the personality for it?

Yeah, I agree Cheer Squad, leadership, on the field, is sadly lacking.
Even Goodsie at his imperial best is not a troop gatherer, he does what he can on his own.
There is no central force gathering the troops when momentum is against us.
Bolton is the most obvious candidate until others, like Hanners or Jack, emerge, but it had to happen at the start of this season.
I know I'm pissing in the wind on this one, there will be no change.
It would be too unsettling and directionless, to swap leaders, at this early stage of their tenure.

**Plugger46** · 15 August 2011, 09:47 AM

Originally posted by liz

You don't need the label of "captain" by your name to provide leadership. Whoever the named leaders of the team are should make no difference to players acting as leaders out on the ground. We clearly lacked leaders yesterday, especially in the midfield, but I can't accept that who is named captain can be completely to blame for that.

Agree totally. Not enough footy won by our midfielders. Just turned up expecting to win.

As for making the finals - I'd much prefer to finish 8th than 9th. We've shown that we can play some good footy so I can't see why anyone wouldn't want to make it.

**Cheer Squad** · 15 August 2011, 12:24 PM

Originally posted by liz

You don't need the label of "captain" by your name to provide leadership. Whoever the named leaders of the team are should make no difference to players acting as leaders out on the ground. We clearly lacked leaders yesterday, especially in the midfield, but I can't accept that who is named captain can be completely to blame for that.

Why did we lack leaders yesterday? I think our problem goes far deeper that the midfielders having a bad day. I think O'Keefe probably nailed it last week when he said the team lacked chemistry. That's quite debilitating, because that means they're not playing for each other. A strong leader is needed to sort that out.

**GongSwan** · 15 August 2011, 12:58 PM

The contrast between this and the effort against Essendon makes me wonder about our young blokes ability to back up, however, it was again the senior players who did not have enough impact on the game, so I would agree the leadership is a real issue, but I think it comes from the group of older players who should be leadsing the way. Once again skill errors and the lack of a proper forward line has us scrambling. As does the need for outright speed in the midfield

**liz** · 15 August 2011, 01:09 PM

Originally posted by Cheer Squad

Why did we lack leaders yesterday? I think our problem goes far deeper that the midfielders having a bad day. I think O'Keefe probably nailed it last week when he said the team lacked chemistry. That's quite debilitating, because that means they're not playing for each other. A strong leader is needed to sort that out.

I don't know why we lacked them - but we clearly did. Goodes looked like he was carrying the weight of last week's loss on his shoulders. McVeigh looked like his head was somewhere else - it might well have been, and no-one would blame him if it were, except he probably shouldn't have been playing. It is hard to believe that Jude didn't care enough to put an effort in, so one has to assume that he is either very sore or running out of steam. ROK probably wasn't the worst but his game was a shadow of some of his other efforts. He has been down for the last few weeks (as has Bolton). Is he too carrying something? Jack showed signs of stepping up to be a team leader at the end of last year but he hasn't really gone on with it this year (his excellent game against the Dogs notwithstanding). Is the ankle still bothering him? Did the six or seven missed weeks of training take their toll? Mumford tried to change the tide early in the second quarter with a couple of excellent smothers and chases. But he ran out of legs. I suspect the lack of a pre-season is really catching up with him, not helped by the extra workload he has shouldered this year.

**RogueSwan** · 15 August 2011, 01:14 PM

Originally posted by Plugger46

Agree totally. Not enough footy won by our midfielders. Just turned up expecting to win...

What he said.

**Wardy** · 15 August 2011, 07:08 PM

David Parkin & Chris Grant both said after the game that there was no chemisty - simple. Perhaps too much emphasis has been put on leadership groups and the like, worrying too much about all the little incidental things that are happening off the field rather than focusing on the big things that need to happen on the field. Because, at the end of the day, its Footy - its not rocket science. Its not changing world poverty - its just footy. And I know that there are those who embrace the leadership group and the blood brothers thing - but like all fads, they tend to run their course. maybe ours has. (Its only my observations, feel free to shoot me down should you wish)

**Melbournehammer** · 15 August 2011, 07:25 PM

Originally posted by Wardy

David Parkin & Chris Grant both said after the game that there was no chemisty - simple. Perhaps too much emphasis has been put on leadership groups and the like, worrying too much about all the little incidental things that are happening off the field rather than focusing on the big things that need to happen on the field. Because, at the end of the day, its Footy - its not rocket science. Its not changing world poverty - its just footy. And I know that there are those who embrace the leadership group and the blood brothers thing - but like all fads, they tend to run their course. maybe ours has. (Its only my observations, feel free to shoot me down should you wish)

I tend to think that overanalyzes things too. The reality is that games are decided by a series of lucky or unlucky bounces, umpire decisions, spoils which go where players are or don't etc. The first five minutes of the game showed we weren't up for it but who knows what might have happened if Aj had kicked the goal after doing all the work, or if Kennedy snaps truly at the start of the last etc. For those with a long memory of preliminary final night 2005 you may recall I think it was magi re hitting a shot from outside fifty in the first couple of minutes after three quarter time which had it gone in I reckon would have seen our bacon cooked. It drifted wide. We then kicked on in a manner which has stuck with me since then and probably in my last moments instead of whispering rosebud I'll be saying Schneider, Micky, Schneider...

The reality is that we tried hard but simply got lost once the ball went into the packs at half forward, and they were faster than us coming out of those. and they had a number of balls go to full forward where their forwards were first to the ball and we had a similar number of situations where we were second to the ball. A fickle bounce or two and things are completely different.

**Wardy** · 15 August 2011, 07:32 PM

Originally posted by Melbournehammer

I tend to think that overanalyzes things too. The reality is that games are decided by a series of lucky or unlucky bounces, umpire decisions, spoils which go where players are or don't etc. The first five minutes of the game showed we weren't up for it but who knows what might have happened if Aj had kicked the goal after doing all the work, or if Kennedy snaps truly at the start of the last etc. For those with a long memory of preliminary final night 2005 you may recall I think it was magi re hitting a shot from outside fifty in the first couple of minutes after three quarter time which had it gone in I reckon would have seen our bacon cooked. It drifted wide. We then kicked on in a manner which has stuck with me since then and probably in my last moments instead of whispering rosebud I'll be saying Schneider, Micky, Schneider...

The reality is that we tried hard but simply got lost once the ball went into the packs at half forward, and they were faster than us coming out of those. and they had a number of balls go to full forward where their forwards were first to the ball and we had a similar number of situations where we were second to the ball. A fickle bounce or two and things are completely different.

it probably does - but so much was put on the blood brothers ethos and leadership group in recent years that seemed to overide what was happening on the field - they need to get back to basics - smart decision making, kicking to targets, backup each other up, maning up when in defence, and kicking accurately at goal and all the other things that go into playing top class footy.

As Joshua P Kennedys good old grandpa said at Hawthorn all those years ago "dont think, dont hope, DOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!"

"Why bother?"

"Why bother?"

Comment

Comment

Comment

Comment

Comment

Comment

Comment

Comment

Comment

Comment

Comment

Comment

Comment

Comment