bondiblue wrote:
Sidefx wrote:
CK95 wrote:
It was yep. But you could apply it to us because we've got a bit in common with them at the moment
I don't disagree.
I think the game plan we have implemented over the summer required certain players to be able to utilise their skills to move the ball cleanly out of defence.
Unfortunately those players are injured and we are now fielding a very young inexperienced team.
I guess Voss and Co only have a couple of options.
1. Try and work out a way forward with the plan and our injury list - which I think they have been.
2. Revert back to last years game plan and risk a few beltings along the way until our injured players return - if we do that I just hope the herd are ready for it.
It seems to be a damned if you do and a damned if you don't scenario.
Our issues this season, the same as last season are coming back to bite us from the obscure drafting option taken last year.
When we were screaming out for another mature ruck, 1-2 quick & or skilful mature aged inside mids and possibly a small forward with some X-factor, instead we went heavy on the wings. And although they needed some addressing, either Acres or Hollands would've been enough (and I'm not saying I'm not happy with them).
Therefore we didn't fix the more important issue, covering and removing the annually injured players.
I just hope this year we start to move on the more injury prone players (if possible) out of the club and keep the more durable ones like your LOB's, Dow, Fisher, Plowman etc as depth players for a while longer until that mid tier is built up to support the top tier injuries. Though it's not ideal and the herd will hate hearing it, at least those players can get on the park and stay on that park and if the team as a whole needs less of them (especially at once) then if/when required they can fit into a stronger system to cover players and not be so exposed. Fit average players are better than always injured stars IMO.
And although I don't like looking backwards an example is getting rid of Setterfield and Stocker (although there were reasons) instead of say Philp, Cunningham or Marchbank. That hurts the list depth, a lot.
So for me going forward the list management really needs to be focused on mature aged durable footballers that can kick a footy if we want to play a tempo style game like we are trying to.
Acres cost us pick 49 and we have him on a wing for next 3 years
Hollands cost us pick 11 on a wing for the next 10 years
I dont think those selections stopped us trading for a ruckman
I'm sure we didnt need any more inside mids.
I think some outside speed to add to the mids waxing with Cerra, and a HF is all we really needed if Martin couldn't be relied on is what we could've added.
I'm glad to see Pitto lasted 84% of game last week.
Acres cost us 2023 3rd and the way we are going it might be better than #49, hopefully not though.
Not that we had a chance but Grundy went for #27
Rory Lobb went for #30
Lloyd Meek was a player swap.
As for inside mids, in 2022 we ranked #10 for Centre Clearances and #11 for total clearances and finished up 9th.
Not sure what else says we needed more speed in the middle, aside from watching us get ripped a new one on the rebound.
* Currently we only have Crippa #7 Centre Clearances next is Cerra #36 and Crippa #2 for total clearances and next is Cerra #46.
That's a massive hole in inside mid top end talent, no wonder teams can shut us out so easily.
And if we needed outside speed why did we bring in two wings that aren't overly quick.
We could've traded pick #11 for a pretty decent mature mid TBH.
Taranto #12
Tanner Bruhn #18
Jacob Hopper #31
or even Josh Dunkley or Tom Mitchell for experience.
Not sure if we had a chance with any, but one of those (except Tanner) in the middle providing experience and depth would've been pretty good.
Either way, it's only RD 6 and both Kennedy and Hewett have had a stint on the side lines already and that is the biggest issue we will face all season, as we did last season.
Don't get me wrong, I like all 4 of our players but the holes that needed to be filled and still need to be filled are either replacing injury prone players or creating depth to cover them at a better than VFL level (mid tier).
So for me it doesn't matter if Acres plays for 3 years and Hollands 10, if we aren't fixing our injury and depth issues in the other key positions they may also never see a flag at the club.
We need durability and depth, not 6 players (3 in the one draft) that can play wing role, all of whom are not that quick (except maybe Cottrell).
And it's great Pitto played 84%, but he is also another risk on top of all the other risks we have on our list ATM.
Anyway this is just my opinion carried over from last season, unfortunately I have seen no other evidence to change it yet.
We have a player in the seconds that is good at clearances. He has speed and can kick goals too.