#21 Dyson "Go jam it” Heppell - 200th game this week (Part 1)

Just the usual suspects who stir up trouble and then start a feeding frenzy. Just ignore them Lance.

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Results will always speak for themselves.

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We can’t blame Hep for Friday night’s loss. He had 19 possessions after half-time. Yes, many of them seemed to be the long bomb into the forward-line type, but at least he’s trying his heart out. That’s more than can be said of some others.

I think he does stand up in games. He’s 3rd quarter in particular was very good.

The bigger issue is the complete lack of mental preparedness under his captaincy. All three years we have started the season off poorly. We are currently sitting 3-5 with 3 loses under 10 points and the consistent feature of those loses has been terrible first quarters.

St Kilda 0.2 to 2.7
Collingwood 1.0 to 4.5
Sydney 2.3 to 2.6

I totally recognise that our forward line due to injuries is a mess. But start those 3 games off properly and we would have won them. We could have been sitting 6-2 knowing that we’ve been winning ugly but when we get some forwards back we had a chance to step it up.

The season has been wasted due to being mentally unprepared each week. I think the Melbourne game was the only game we have started well.

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They do and they have

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Yep.

And now we are finding the supporters with blind faith attacking the rest of us just because we can see the writing on the wall.

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Merrett is still the man for me to be captain, despite his somewhat down ish season this year.

I still harp back to in 2016, in the last game of the year of the shittest seasons in efc history, and he was out there remonstrating with Zaka for not working hard enough and not getting into the right spots.

That’s a leader, not someone who looks like they are a bum from the carpark who seems like he’s been smoking too many bongs and just wanted to surfing.

I’ve never thought hepp was a good fit for the captaincy, and it’s not just related to this season, he is not strong enough, nor capable of actually demanding more from others, let alone leading by example.

I’m sure he’s a nice bloke off the field, someone you’d prolly want around the club, but in my life time he is the worst choice for efc captain that i’ve seen.

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No they don’t. Equating his captaincy with us losing is wrong. We lost a crap load of games under Hird and Lloyd but we don’t blame their captaincy for that. KM seems to hate Heppell with a passion, actually seems to hate him. After a win he says nothing, after a loss he bleats on and on and on.

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I just think he’s a poor captain.

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Dyson has been playing his guts out
He is ok

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You are not the only one either.

The turning point for me was last year when he came out and said he wasn’t providing enough leadership for the young players.

The typical names on here defended him and said it takes leadership to admit fault and then fix it.

Well guess what, it happened again this year.

I want somebody that bleeds for this club and is prepared to demand better of himself and others. I’m not sure how match committee works but I wouldn’t mind betting that the leadership get some say in who plays and who doesn’t.

It’s time to demand more of the senior players and be prepared to run a few players up the wrong way if they aren’t committed to the cause.

Hepp is a very good player and if he could kick he would be pushing this 20 in the league but the players aren’t responding to his leadership so he needs to ask himself if he needs to be more brutal.

I would be happy if he stepped aside and gave Merrett or Smith the gig but we all know it won’t happen.

The challenge is for Heppell to lift and not just now that the season is shot but but even when we are winning.

It amazes me that we came out and said that we were believing our own preseason hype when we have absolutely no right too.

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I’m not sure “is a good footballer” and “if he could kick” belong in the same sentence. He’s an average footballer for that very reason. He isn’t very good at the games most fundamental skill.

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Kicking is just one skill of the game but I agree it’s an important one.

He’s still a valuable player and would get a game at every club.

That’s not what he said.

he is an average kick but a lot better than average at most other things hence why he is still a very good player.

KM is right, if his kicking was better he would be one of the top players in the league.

Why are you continually wrong?

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While you are at it reads these comments from purple last year. Basically mirrors exactly what’s happening this year.

http://aflnation.com.au/2018/04/10/barrett-on-bombers-im-a-bit-worried-where-they-are-at/

Because that was the article writer saying that. Heppell said the senior players were not setting enough of an example/standard out on the field at the time but the young players were, in Heppell’s eyes.

What McGrath said was:
“I don’t think Dyson has set a foot wrong this whole season from a leadership point of view.”

Please quote all of what McGrath said otherwise it makes you look like an idiot again.