No one in the 20+ possession category, no multiple goal scorers.

I agree with Riley's comments, something to be taken in the performances of some of the new/young types. Cripps flashed some ability that suggest he's going to be a ripper but he, like so many in the <22 bracket, looked tired most of the game.

They only pipped us by 10 or so in contested possessions, yet had almost 120 more than us in total, so it was all about the run.

_________________
29 different attributes,
And only 7 that you like;
20 ways to see the world,
Or 20 ways to start a fight.

we better not get a couple of injuries to mids this year....
thats what i saw from that game....

there is nothing coming through in the midfield...

if u wanna know why both hughes and rogers are gone.. theres a clue

_________________
Due to recent budget cuts and the rising cost of electricity, gas, and oil....... the Light at the End of the Tunnel has been turned off. We apologize for the inconvenience.

There is no way that is our game plan for 2015. We are not showing our hand to the opposition.
Masterstroke by MM to let golden oldie coach this way. Sly fox is Malthouse, no doubt!!!

I'm not reading too much into that, but we were thrashed. Scoreboard flatters.

Pros-
Jaksch
No injuries

_________________
It's never as good as it looks and it's never as bad as it seems.

Scrappy game and hard to get to much out of it. Cripps will be a 200 gamer if he keeps fit.

Jacksh looks a player.

Smith I really like the look of but didn't do much until late on.

Love Johnson's tackling but he looks a pretty limited player. Would go okay being fringe in a top side perhaps.

Yarran played very well and showed good leadership. Going to be a very nice player given he is still young.

Didn't see a lot ride to excite. Simmo played within himself which is fair enough at his age at this find of year.

White toiled away all day as did touhy.

Not an easy day for our big guys, they got poor service or didn't set up well.

Good to get done cobwebs out.

Jaksch very impressive. If Cripps can get a tank he will be something.

Not a whole lot else to worry about, outside of no injuries.

Can't read much into the result with arguably our 7 best players missing in Gibbs, Murphy, Thomas, Judd, Henderson, Jamison and Menzel. Furthermore Everitt, Walker and Carazzo are in our best 22.

Happy to read that Jaksch looks the goods.

_________________
There is no footy god

Tonights game was Boys V Men.... Simple as that. Positives were no injuries & young guys have a game under their belts.

Judd Murphy Gibbs Henderson and Yarran and a couple who bust their guts in Simpson and Curnow
The rest are ordinary
Lose 1 or 2 of them and we are fluted

_________________
If you allow the Government to change the Laws in an emergency
They will create an Emergency to change the Laws

No Walker, Menzel, Murphy, Gibbs, Judd, Everitt, Thomas, Carrazzo. Personally I'm more worried that our new tall forward options didn't fire a shot, even if it was just the 30 scrappy inside 50s. Get to the area, make a contest, give something for Tutt, Buckley, Smith et al. Push up and feed the ball out to Boekhorst, Docherty, Simpson, etc.


Yeah it wasn't great, but I think Tuohy, Curnow, Bell, Simpson and Yarran showed enough to suggest they will be able and solid for the season proper. Cripps got a solid 10 contested possessions and showed wheels; he'll be in there for round 1 and he could do some real damage if he has team mates who can reward his efforts.

Buckley, Boekhorst, Docherty, Sheehan and Dick all showed they can contribute if they're fit, but not as prime movers, at least not yet.

Graham and Byrne are a bit further off the pace than hoped by a few.

Some other thoughts:
- White got open at times on the way out of defence but was hopeless otherwise
- Wood got smashed but did OK in open play
- All the tall forwards got smashed
- All of pacier types had a hard time linking up with each other; tired legs?

_________________
29 different attributes,
And only 7 that you like;
20 ways to see the world,
Or 20 ways to start a fight.

I love Tom Bell's attitude, but he rivals James Hird for bad decision making.

_________________
"I'll tell you what I didn't do;
I never injected anyone."
AD 3/3/14

Nothing in the midfield coming through.
Forget about the peripheral positions

The game now is about finding the ball when it's in dispute.. Retaining the ball and collectively working to squeeze the ball away from the opposition

We have been taking the wrong types for years and they haven't made it.
Wastage galore in drafting guarantees and condemns this club to a Sisyphean task for years....

_________________
Due to recent budget cuts and the rising cost of electricity, gas, and oil....... the Light at the End of the Tunnel has been turned off. We apologize for the inconvenience.

The AFL should allow clubs who lose their senior coach before a match to rent a senior coach from another club...

Just off the top of my head, picking a name out of the hat, totally randomly chosen as a hypothetical, we could have for example hired say Ken Hinkley for 4 hours tonight at say $3,000 per hour.

It could be any coach that is available. But let's say for argument sakes we could have got Hinkley for $12,000 plus expenses for this critical opening NAB game. Let's say Ken was available ladies and gentlemen and we could get Hinkley. Actually have Hinkley in the box with say an assistant coach from another club...let's say hypothetically speaking That hawthorn bloke was available, the genius with the Hawks midfield, who was instrumental in the Hawks back to back flags. Ratten, that's the bloke. Say we could get Ratts for $6,700 plus expenses, and so we had Hinkley and Ratts in the box for $18,700 with Wiley as runner......this is purely hypothetical ladies and gentlemen, just pulling names out of a hat randomly......now I've forgotten the point I was going to make. @#$%&! cauliflower of a night

_________________
Vice President, International Extreme Sarcasm Society (IESS)

Wasn't worried about the fitness as it affected both sides. Our blokes don't make good decisions. Look at WCE when they were kicking against the breeze and how they slowed it down and moved the ball inside their 50.

I hope we train to make good decisions rather than just style of play because what I saw tonight was bombing away against and with the breeze and that's a worry.

Liked KJ, Cripps, and Boeky's run in that 3rd where he evaded 3 guys was tantalising.

_________________
For some silly reason, you people want to assassinate him, and it's just rubbish. You people. All of you, ALL of you!

Bruise free footy. Yet again, despite being a praccy, no one cracking in.

Too many passengers, and no leadership, looking at you Simmo and Rowe. Both were hopeless tonight, expected more from them.

Yes we were not expected to win, yes we were too young, yes we had hardly any experience. But for goodness sake , give it a crack.

Agree 122 or so uncontested poss, worrying sign for the future NAB cup or not.

_________________
"Then joked and said he (Jack himself) probably wouldn't even need to play until round 2 against Collingwood."

Trust in the Madhouse!

Tonight sucked big time. Lets blame the recruiters.

_________________
I am as mad as hell and I'm not going to take it any more!!!

Not too concerned with a praccy game in Feb, but I agree with Synbad, we don't have much coming through in the middle

Completely outplayed through there tonight

Only reading comments here but Jaksch must have felt like he was still at GWS

From all the comments the biggest concerns appear to be lack of spread and the bomb.
I suppose the latter is a result of the former.
WHHHHHYYYYYY do we always appear to go the bomb??? particularly if our talls are getting beaten.

I gather from the reports we can pencil out Watson and Graham and White
Pencilling Armfield and 2e back in....

But its just pencil....