Where Heppel fails as a leader is what he does on the training track. 3 years of being on modified training whilst being captain. He was too young, not there and not skilled enough to teach.
Sydney’s success and Geelong and Hawthorn to a degree have been down to what there leaders can teach and upskill others.
Our captain does the warm up, shouts for 5 mins and then goes into the hangar. What can he teach? He missed a year of footy, he’s kidding himself if he knows everything there is about a specific role. The whole leadership are in the same boat, none are experienced enough to tell another the right and wrongs of footy.
I think you might need to re-read your original post…
After all the press about bouncing back he has 1 fcking possession in the first quarter. Countless turnovers, can’t make the distance from 35m out in the last. This is what we all fcking flamed him for in the first half of last year and he’s showing it again. He has skill no doubt but we can’t afford the season to be over again before he starts figuring it out. If he’s injured then drop him, I don’t want to read in Round 18 how he’s carried an injury all year.
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and the absolute think tanks coming out being like 'see how courageous he is playing through an injury that ABSOLUTELY none of us knew about?,… 
but blind ■■■■■■■ freddy could’ve seen it the whole time.
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There are much much bigger problems at our club then heppell being captain.
Not the best captain in the comp but definitely not the worst.
He puts his body on the line every week for the club,
I wish he was a more authoritarian type but thats just not him, and we dont have anyone like that.
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Some players are - some are not happy with the changes to the leadership group. Therefore that potentially adds up to disharmony and is reflected in the on field performances.
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One possession from your captain in the first, who’s a midfielder, after the round 1 debacle, is damning
Nothing sets the example like one touch of the pill in the first 30 minutes
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I could almost stomach the one possession if he wants doing want Devon Smith does. Harassing, niggling, bumping guys over, blocking, shepherding.
I thought he had turned the corner in the 2nd half of last year. But no, just another false dawn.
I recall last year in our game against the Dees, Goddard was beset upon by 2 Demons in an off-the-ball scuffle. There’s vision of Dyson looking at it for 2-3 seconds, then running away. Not going in to support one of his teammates. And that’s the ■■■■■■ skipper! I thought he’d be a good captain but I’m not seeing it. I agree, Hooker should be captain, or Hurls.
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I personally think the Coaches should choose the leaders.
Nothing wrong with giving the players a say but in my opinion the most critical relationship in a side is the one between captain and coach.
Unfortunately we are not stacked for true leaders so Heppell would probably maintain it by default.
Something is seriously wrong when the guys letting us down the most are the ones in the leadership group.
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I still wonder why any club needs a ‘leadership group’?
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When you draft all these players with leadership abilities I guess you better have a leadership group.
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What’s the bet we make Langford captain? Right now I can see us actually doing that.
Yep the coach leaves the motivation to the players, the captaincy choice to the players. Hardly ever makes a change on game day. What does he actually do?
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I think he is the best player on our list to lead them out of this and is the only person at the club I’d back.
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I love Hepp as a player, but I don’t think he is a great fit as Captain. Trouble is, I can’t see anyone better. Hooker would be my first choice, but not sure he is going to be on the field much in coming year(s) due to injury.
I’m not familiar with how a modern footy department is run but it appears to me like it’s structured like you would a company.
Very defined hierarchy and too many decision makers.
That to me spells trouble.
When it works it can be really effective but when it doesn’t what you end up with is people blaming each other and no accountability.
Woosha will be ultimately held accountable while the rest will get off Scott free.
Sacking neeld last year put the focus squarely on the players and it appears to me that bringing Rutten and a new game plan has taken the focus off the players again.
Not having Joe and Hooker at the moment is going to have an obvious impact but for mine the blame should be put fairly and squarely on the midfield.
From where I was sitting yesterday I saw far too many players standing far too far away from the stoppage with little chance of them actually receiving it.
One of those guys was Heppell. He reminded me of how Stanton used to stand out wide demanding the ball.
We either are coached to play like that or too timid to want to make a stand in fear of making mistakes.
See me suffer see me pain
Must be someone else to blame
See me suffer see me pain
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Get him playing on the ball.
Remember the wins against Freo and Eagles at Subi when Hird was coach?
He was immense inside
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I thought the same thing. I was so ■■■■■■ off when that happened
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