Feeling the same as many… not too concerned but probably would have liked to see a little better in either of the games if I’m honest.
The most concerning part is seeing the same issues over and over… the lack of forward movement… lack of intensity (particularly early in the games), lack of skill by hand and foot… the lack of stoppage craft.
Having said that… still think the list is primed for a huge year and only finally getting to the ‘real stuff’ will we see. If we start slow again this year, I hope they don’t want as long to make a change.
Good news is that we got through without any major drama and we had 15 min patches in both games where we looked very, very, very good… so hopefully that is the real standard and we are set for big things!
After failing consistently for 15 years I can’t see how anyone would be prepared to “back in the club”. They simply haven’t earned it. Absolutely zero expectation or confidence for me. Sadly, I’m expecting the same mid-table garbage with the odd upset and glimmer of hope thrown in until they can prove otherwise. It’s been going for 15 seasons and most of those started off with the same false hope from die hard fans. Believe me, I wish it were different but I’m a realist. That doesn’t mean I support them any less.
Whilst I love watching us win absolutely anything, I’m definitely not fussed about what we saw in the JLT. Our intensity was almost non existent which is the easiest thing to fix.
I’m just happy we have almost all of our best 22 available for round 1 aside from Hooker.
We will be slight outsiders in four (Giants & Swans away, Melbourne and Collingwood), clear faves in two (Saints and Lions in Melbourne) and slight faves in two (NM/Geelong). It’s not all about odds but it helps with expectations.
That nets out at 3-5, 4-4 or 5-3 as the most likely outcomes.
Anything better than 5-3 will be outrageously good, anything worse than 3-5 and we’ll be calling for heads.
My only concern is I’m not convinced the club knows what our best team is, and with our start let’s hope that doesn’t cost us a chance to get ahead of the competition.
A lot depends on Daniher. If he is as useless again because of injury and/or form, then he will completely disrupt Essendon’s forward structure. Cannot afford to carry him for 7 rounds like last year
Brown a certain starter as CHF in my opinion, then it’s a toss up between McKernan and Daniher.
Not worried about JLT form one bit. Practice matches are just that. Nothing like the real thing. If you’ve been following the club for longer than 5 minutes you’d know that and that they are not a gauge whatsoever and be eagerly awaiting the start of the season. Bring it on I say.
Training Reports
What I’d be really interested in this week are what the coaches are focused on in training this week.
Rather than their public pronouncements, are we adjusting our emphasis to;
Stoppage work?
Whole ground transition?
Hitting up leading forwards?
Or still focused on getting kilometres into legs (ie no real concerns & relying on fitness)?
Anyone who can make it and report would be much appreciated, rather than the circular opinion fest Blitz is stuck in at present
A positive about the side is that we have been impressed by the drive and smarts of guys like Zach, McGrath, Shiel and Smith. If we think that is important then it Should help us get a winning mindset into the team. And to have a real confidence about themselves, which I think is important for good decision making and disposal. Second guessing yourself makes you hesitate and leads to poor choices and execution.
But we have seen this side show first class composure with the Sydney game, that posters have mentioned, the best example.
Sydney challenged us hard multiple times and we responded to come out winners. The ability to win the tough games is there. It’s our ability to do it consistently that needs to be found.
One thing that completely baffled me in JLT 2 was how much we hugged the boundary. It felt like Mick Malthouse was in the coaches box at times. There are times to be conservative but you’d think JLT qtr 1 is the time to leave that stuff alone and take some risks. One thing I did hear a few Geelong supporters say, however, is that KPark is a difficult ground to play especially for teams that never play there. It’s a huge advantage for the Cats, and a great part of the reason they continually make finals despite being pretty average.
I didn’t especially notice this. I was focussing on individual players, but you are probably right.
We are known AFL wide as “the corridor team”. I think we might have been practicing chaining along the boundary, so we can mix it up a bit. As I said in an earlier post, hugging the boundary line is not something we do well, nor do we defend it well.
Aaah, the 15 threads here would suggest that… yes.
Hardwick came out and said he was happy with the Tige’s form this JLT and suggested they peaked too early last year. With one of their coaches (Rutten) coming over in the off-season, maybe it’s this thinking (take it easy in the JLT) that’s the prevalent one at Tullamarine… and the reason for our (deliberate?) slow start.
However, there’s also 15 threads worth of genuine criticisms to be concerned about… so we shall see.
We have 12 days left to worry our soul cases out about it.
Then.
Come Monday morning after the game, check the nature strips of Bomber fans for cracked TVs if we lose.
According to Corrigan, Geelong forced us wide in the first half, and we lessened the effects of their tactics in the second half. Which is about how it looked, in a general sense, at the ground.
Too much cognitive dissonance (just wanted to use this term) in this thread. I simply ignore the JLT. No points were on the line, we fielded two different lineups, a few players were underdone, others played out of position, etc. Not concerned in the slightest.
I think just as clubs don’t want to show their hand yet with kick-ins, they are probably holding back a little with inside 50 kicks from winning centre clearances. If you have Joey running to one pocket with 2 defenders, Stringer and Walla running to the other pocket and Brown roaming around CHF our mids will easily find a target. I noticed most teams were bombing it inside 50 in the JLT without spreading their forwards too much. Definitely not how it will be when the season starts.