John Worsfold - will not get a new contract in 2021

There is a difference between playing forward with a hobbled Joe, and playing forward now.

Equally our defensive line was in all sorts of trouble early but now seem reasonably stable.

Yes we are all numpties and make comment on the club with little real insight. But there is a reasonable argument to be made that he should now go forward, even if you thought he should go back early in the season.

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I love him in defence. We just look more solid down there with him and we have someone who can actually take a mark back there.

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A lead.

Joe and Hooker forward last year was a roaring success.

The ordinary performances of Hartley and Hurley and the loss of Kelly’s experience meant the defence turned to ■■■■■.

Hooker had to go back. I think most of us agreed

Now with Joe and Hooker (100 plus goals in 2017) out of the forward line means Stewart gets the number one big defender. Also Raz and Green have been injured

That’s nearly 200 goals missing

Is it any wonder we are where we are now?

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Yeah but you also don’t make outlandish claims and then try and cover your tracks later.

Well maybe not on here!

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Ooh. Barnz and Bomber girl sitting in a tree…

:heart_eyes:

Poor nev.

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Makes a lot of sense our Nifty.

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It’s a mix of things, as always some within, some outside our control. We clearly got the more defensive plan wrong, squeezing the ground and slowing the ball movement didn’t work. However that’s leadership, you devise a well intentioned plan and you implement it, you give it enough time to work until you realise you have erred and you change the plan.

The injuries to Daniher and Fantasia have been disastrous. Green and Begley haven’t helped. Tippa has played plenty of games sore, it was so bad that Jackson got two games and on the weekend we were running with Smack and Brown. Good toilers, but toilers none the less. It’s obviously effected Stewart’s form and we all knew this early into his career he wasn’t ready for the number 1 role. No real surprise there.

The poor form of Hurley and the injuries to Ambrose and to some extent Gleeson has forced us to play Hooker in defence which has robbed us of all our forward weapons which lets face it was our shining light last year.
There have been positives over the last month. Our pressure has increased, our contested ball and clearance numbers have improved significantly to the point that we are now doubting the need for the big insider that we all thought we needed.

Worsfold, like Hird and Thompson before him want to run with the extra at the contest. It’s frustrating when the opposition out pressures our mids//backs like Richmond did. However when you have the overlap run of Mckenna, Saad, McGrath you can see why they want to play this way. It also gives us an easier defensive transition.

I enjoyed 2017 because we could finally throw off the yoke of the saga and we played some really good footy. But, we were flakey. The challenge for the rest of this year is to not only have a look at some younger players and I think we have seen some real positives with Langford, Ridley, Redman, Mutch and I’m sure Francis and Clarke will get a decent look. But more importantly we get an opportunity to produce a style of football that will hold up against the best sides. A game based on two way running, pressure, contested ball and a bit of Essendon flair. How much improved would we be with a fit and in form Daniher, Fantasia, Zac Merrett and Hurley they are our best 4 players.

It’s been a massively dissaponting year to date but their are some positives and we have a big opportunity to solidify a game style that will hold up when our squad is fit and in form. I don’t know perhaps it’s the Domain A 2007 pinot noir but I’m feeling fairly philosophical about it all.

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Domain A 2007. Now you are just gloating. But very happy with tonight’s Devil’s Corner 2017 Pinot.

Their 1998 Cabernet is the best non Bordeaux Cabernet I’ve ever had.

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Opportunities presenting themselves you say?

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Ooh, you win.

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Yeh, Nah, the winner is the one with the most Facebook friends.

All pretty pathetic really.

There’s another one for you @NiftyNev2

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You missed my point, altho ita prolly cos i didnt make it well.

Hooker forward was a bandaid because it cover3d the cracks in this side , that when push comes to shove, so many of our players panic and just boot the ball away.

Thats not a smart or sustainable way to transition the ball forward, cos it relies so heavily on the ball being kicked to hooker most of the time.

When you panic and kick it blindly you cant always kick it to hooker.

Hooker forward was never the fix, it simply just masked the true deficiencies.

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I don’t agree.

Having that pillar in the forward line meant we had someone capable of taking a contested mark/creating a contest even in congestion or with defender right on him which JD and Stewart can’t (anywhere near as often).

Whilst yes he was also there as a bail out option I think that’s underselling massively how much he brings to the fwd line in general.

Watch the Crows game and how many goals he was directly involved in either as part of the play or kicking himself. And he also dropped a sitter and had JD give away a dumb free which Hooker had beaten his man and about to mark also.

Kicking goals aside … things like two on one contests at half forward where still gets ball to ground for crumbers. Hit up leads on the wing and holding marks with defender up his clacker and then handing off to running players.

Not about papering over a midfield deficiency and thus the easy bomb, but more we are devoid of that genuine kpf target who does it all.

And also him there gets JD / Stewart off the chain. JD had Talia at start and switch had to occur and Hooker still kept beating Talia.

Get him fwd again and watch the flow on effect of goals happen. Him saving 1-2 more than Hartley/Brown ‘might’ not worth keeping him back.

Eventually Woosh will get sick of not capitalizing on our inside 50’s and move him IMO

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We need someone who’s a strong mark in the forward-line. Hooker seems to fit the bill.