Rd 4 vs Port Adelaide @ SCG - Match Thread

[waswan]

Looks to me like someone playing to team rules and sacrificing his game.

100%

I havent noticed it as much in JM but Stephens is clearly told to provide a wide bail out option from defence and when you mark it, hold the ball for the next line to get into position only then you are to kick long down the line.
For a good kick he doesnt have a license to hit up a target or play on.

[AB Swannie]

1. We got a return of 2.8 from Franklin, Papley, Heeney, and Hayward. These were our four leading goal kickers from 2022. Not good enough from our senior forwards regardless of the entries.
2. Rowbottom has to lift. He deserved the credit he got finishing top 3 in the Bob Skilton medal last year but he has to re-balance his game to include more offence. His 13 tackles last night was fantastic but he needs to find the ball more. 12 possessions - 4 of which were from free kicks is not enough - 2 possessions per quarter from general play.
3. It really is sad when a great goes on for one too long. Watching Buddy live last night proved that age catches up with all of us. I think there could be a mysterious hamstring or knee complaint coming soon as I can't ever see him being ""omitted".

[chalbilto]

Even though I have the greatest respect for Buddy Franklin I am wondering if he is now a liability for the team. He has definitely lost some pace but more concerning is the lack of power in his kicking. Is it a confidence thing? Should he be dropped? I don’t think he needs a rest. Has Father Time caught up? As he is a champion do the selectors persevere with him? Please don’t get me wrong I am not laying all the blame on Buddy for the teams performance, the loss or Paddy & Tom had a huge impact. The lack of form and impact from other players eg. Harry, Justin, Issac was also concerning. Time to reasses and regroup. Rant over.

[Scottee]

[QUOTE=Bexl;863947]

One of Longmire's strengths is that he backs his players and doesn't indulge in knee jerk reactions. Rewarded handsomely throughout his coaching career. We still have a lot of relatively inexperienced players who are still developing. Not sure dropping them is the answer. I would like to see Sheldrick play but he is not speedy. He should be the sub at least. A number people on here need to take a deep breath before lashing out. Reckon we have been spoilt as supporters by the heights our young team has reached, especially last year. Coaching panel has been outstanding in a cut throat competition.[/QUOTE
re your comment on Sheldrick being slow. How was Greg Williams and Tom Mitchell still is. I would give Sheldrick a few games see how it goes. Maybe take Cunningham spot.

Shellacking is deceptively quick.Sub 3 seconds over 20m.Takes long strides, and often catches his man.Has a problem when kicking off balance though.

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[Blood Fever]

Didn't know those stats on Sheldrick. Hope he gets a game and we give the Tigers a shellacking.

[Blood Fever]

One of Longmire's weaknesses is that he backs his players and doesn't allow poor performances to have repercussions. I do get vexed when I see players who have not been given opportunities, or get played out of position, leaving the club and flourishing elsewhere. We've done this with rucks, KPDs, mids, forwards over the journey. Darcy Cameron was not given a chance. Hewitt played out of position. Aliir forced to ruck. Nankervis? Even Dawson and further back Mitchell were forced to play season after season in the reserves.

Buddy is now a liability. That is blindingly obvious. No distance in his kicks. Struggling to get down to ground balls. Chasing but not catching anyone. It would be worse were he to play further down the ground. Goodesy had the humility to put his hand up to play in the reserves when he lost his touch. If the issue with Bud is that he needs to play his way into confidence (and I think that the issue is bigger than that—he's cooked) he should be doing it in the seconds instead of cruelling our structures in the Firsts.

But it's not just Buddy and the mess of a forward line. We seem to have no capacity to control the tempo of the game. Where were the leaders last night when Port got on a roll in the second quarter? Every time we did get our hands on the ball we rushed the play, bombing it to huge packs, or to contests down the line. Looping, airy handballs putting receivers under immense pressure. Where were the voices settling down the team, trying to take some pace off the game and keeping the ball in hand (or at least out of their hands)?? All the more important given the gusty conditions.

Last year we excelled at channel running and careful, selective 45 kicks back into the corridor to open up options. We controlled tempo, and then unleashed. Last night we hacked. We fell off tackles. We surrendered the corridor.

I'm not buying into the 'we're a young team' and 'relatively inexperienced players' any more. There are enough players out there with serious game experience to be able to make much better decisions and to stamp some authority on the game. I'm just seeing players carrying injuries or playing with no confidence. That we seem to rely on Chad Warner and Errol Gulden to provide leadership and authority is an indictment. And the umpiring issue is not a factor. Both teams were stiffed, but we scragged, held jerseys, fell into backs and were just undisciplined (as we were against the Dees).

And I'm not knee-jerk reacting. There are big issues with the team that are not being addressed.

Cameron and Nankervis didn't get played because we kept winning and making grand finals. Hewitt was a mainstay of our team who developed in the reserves until he was able to play a proper role in the senior team. Played a large majority of his games as a midfielder, not out of position. Mitchell had injuries but was just starting to reach his peak when he played in 2016 GF and then pissed off for more money. We developed Dawson into a gun and then he did the dirty on us. Allir played some good footy for us and was only used in the ruck infrequently.

The coaching staff have done a phenomenal job of developing a very young group into a Grand Final team over a three year period. A lot of our players are still not seasoned, especially a number of our midfielders. You are way too quick to condemn and you are not alone.

[waswan]

Whilst Buddy was poor and his depth of kicking is a worry he still has to play. Ideally he goes up the ground a bit but that appears past him cos he isnt doing it regularly.

Amartey or Mac against the best defender would be a joke, they need more time.

[Blood Fever]

Just read Jeremy Findlayson's wife is terminally ill with cancer. Puts things into perspective.

[Ludwig]

All 4 of our 2013 national draft picks are now successfully playing for other clubs (Jones, Hewitt, Nankervis and Aliir). On one hand, it says that our drafting is pretty good, but on the other hand, we haven't managed the development of our players very well and have made some poor decisions in this regard along the way.

Longmire noted in his press conference our predictable and poor entry into our forward 50. We all know that, and have known that for quite some time. In the minds of our players, the game plan is to move the ball quickly then kick it long to Buddy who will pull off a miracle goal, like he's done his whole career. If there's no Buddy to kick to, then everything changes. Everyone plays to a different plan. It doesn't pay to go too deeply into many individual performances until this is resolved and we can evaluate how the team plays without Buddy.

We devoted the past 2 drafts to adding midfielders to our list. These drafts will be wasted unless we find a way to play them. Roberts got a few games as the sub. He should be a good player in due course. Sheldrick has been a strong contested player in the VFL and looks a natural inside mid. HHK is likely to produce inconsistent performances early in his career, but he has a lot of talent and is a good option for replacing under-performing outside mids, e.g. if we wanted to replace Cunningham or McInerney.

We have serious problem picking up the coverage of smaller players in our defensive 50. There's always someone loose, even after we've had time to go back and set up. There have been some comments regarding on field leadership, and this could be part of the problem. We also have been poor for some time with our defensive 50 stoppages.

We have to make the most of these kind of losses by fixing the problems these kind of games reveal. I have long held that team selection is more about picking the best team than the best 22 players. And it's not just about the next game, but the best future.

[Ludwig]

Whilst Buddy was poor and his depth of kicking is a worry he still has to play. Ideally he goes up the ground a bit but that appears past him cos he isnt doing it regularly.

Amartey or Mac against the best defender would be a joke, they need more time.

The joke is Buddy against the best defender, as he proved yesterday. He was easily the worst player on the ground. Buddy not only gets beaten badly by his defender, but also allows that defender to affect marking contests of our other forwards. The only way Buddy can be effective is by pushing the defender in the back and hope the umpire misses calling a free kick against him.

[Blood Fever]

Not every selection a club takes in the draft gets to pay. We are no different to any other club in this regard. We made the Grand Final last year. Not an easy side to get into barring injuries.

[AB Swannie]

Aliir, Nank, Cameron, Dawson, Mitchell, Hewett are all quality first team players. Dawson is a star. Mitchell won a Brownlow. AA an AA.

How many Victorian clubs lose these sorts of players? Same with the two SA clubs. Sure, we have probably made some poor calls on who to keep and who to let go but other southern clubs don’t seem have to make these decisions. The fact that we’ve lost these players and have still be successful is crazy.

[Blood Fever]

The joke is Buddy against the best defender, as he proved yesterday. He was easily the worst player on the ground. Buddy not only gets beaten badly by his defender, but also allows that defender to affect marking contests of our other forwards. The only way Buddy can be effective is by pushing the defender in the back and hope the umpire misses calling a free kick against him.

Sorry. That's not what I saw at MCG v Melbourne when he was on May. Your fixation is getting out of hand.

[Ludwig]

Sorry. That's not what I saw at MCG v Melbourne when he was on May. Your fixation is getting out of hand.

You are right that this Buddy fixation has gotten out of hand. I will just have to accept what is and let the chips hall as they may. My constant harping about Buddy is not doing anyone any good, including myself.

[Scottee]

Didn't know those stats on Sheldrick. Hope he gets a game and we give the Tigers a shellacking.

The dangers of AI!

A Sheldrick shellacking hopefully.

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