Has anybody noted we need a goal kicking coach? FMD 15 times over.
There’s an idea…
If Dempsey wants to invite me down to training to show him how not to fark everything up then I’m there with bells on!
The second half was for me the most disappointing half of the year. We were right in it at half time, thanks to Langford’s beautiful shot after the siren.
After halftime we did nothing. I don’t think we won a single centre clearance. Our players were consistently behind their opponents.
Much has been said about our kicking for goal, which is simply sub-standard. But it’s not only kicking for goal. The field kicking is appalling as well. I don’t know what the club is doing to address this, but our kicking has generally been poor for years, and it’s just geting worse and worse. It’s a fundamental skill of the game and it’s capable of being taught, and it should be being taught to every player at every training session.
I can't be the only one that is blaming the coaching panel for tanking that game.They simply did not care enough about our clubs history to try and avoid the wooden spoon.
Seriously?
They were missing goals from right in front. There was like 1 rushed behind.
The one and simple reason we lost today is because we cannot kick for goal.
You cannot “tank” missing the ■■■■ we did today.
We would have won by 10-15 if we had kicked straight. Lions go heaps of junk time, turn over from us missing opportunity goals.
As poorly as we played at times and as badly as were beaten in clearances in Q3 and early Q4, it was a game that we could easily have won if our conversion and general field kicking were anywhere near standard. We had 66 I50s (12 more than the Lions) and about 4-5 more shots on goal (two I40 set shots going on the full). We had enough of the ball but it’s our ball use that cruels us. Yet, Daniher & Fantasia - serial offenders in front of goal - kicked 7.1 between them. Brown & Walla, however, kicked 1.5 between them.
Hats off to Fantasia for working his way back into the game something Zaharakis is yet to learn to do (or perhaps to want to do) despite being vastly more experienced. Demspey was terrible, ditto Cooney. Neither should be on our list next year. Nor should McKernan who put in another passive performance.
Francis made a great debut and should have been swung forward much earlier. He marks overhead like Mitch Brown can’t. Again, Brown missed sitters 20m-30m out - each time Brisbane took the ball forward and goaled themselves. There’s a 22 point turn around just there. I’d be sending Mitch Brown back next week and starting with Francis forward.
McKenna’s field kicking was superb and his only two less than perfect kicks were his shots on goal. The fact he had the run and carry in him to have two shots on goal (one admittedly after a 50m penalty) means we have something to work with.
Daniher did well with limited opportunities. Leuenberger beaten in the ruck but didn’t stop trying.
Both Dea and Gleeson took short steps when they needed to commit their bodies to the contest - it happens at least once a week with each. Ambrose again smothered his opponent. Is definitely worth keeping on.
With Bird out and Kelly strangely played on a wing all day we were down season, experienced bodies around the contest as Rockliff, Bastinac & Hanley dominated against the younger & smaller Merrett, Parish & Hams. Langford much better this week.
We keep sending someone out to get a forwards coach and they keep coming back with magic beans.
Was fully expecting an essington performance. Could feel it in my waters.
That said it was a special performance and should be footnoted in the St Essington thread.
Zach Merrett, Tippa, Francis, Parish, Joe D (for all his faults he tries his guts out and seeing good signs in Lav keep me hanging in there.
But fark me we have put up with farkin ■■■■■ from this club in the past few years and deserve better than that. Tanking or no tanking that was completely unacceptable.
We were, what, 6 goals behind at three-quarter time but level on scoring shots, despite the Bears reading every one of Luey’s taps.
SACK FARKING SKIPWORTH !!!
NOW !!!
I can't be the only one that is blaming the coaching panel for tanking that game.They simply did not care enough about our clubs history to try and avoid the wooden spoon.
Except for the fact that if we could kick straight for goals we probably would have won.But yeah, tanking.
Oh yes… you’re right… silly me. Its just the goal kicking that lost us the game.
Lucky we’ve been kicking so straight all year, and it came as a complete surprise. I’m sure if the coaches had some time to fix it they would’ve. And I imagine if they couldn’t they’d play blokes forward who could.
They clearly chose future development over winning that game. Well they can get ■■■■■■. It should cost a few of them their jobs.
Yes our set shot goal kicking is very ordinary, yes it is a facet of the players game that can be fixed, but it would not happen over night. all players would have had the same set up for multiply years, players also have technique issues with their kicking styles, these two issues would be ingrained in the players subconscious and could take six to twelve months to change. Let's take JD, the first of his problems, is that his run into a set shot is far to long, next his approach is not aligned properly (should run at the centre of the goal), thus when he kicks the ball he naturally brings his leg across the ball instead of through the ball and finally his ball drop is to high, which directly effects what position the ball is in, when he makes connection. All of these things are pretty easy to fix, but as JD has probably done since he was very young, it would take a considerable amount of time for him to be comfortable and confident with.If there is that much wrong with his goal kicking why are we playing him as a forward?
Because the club seems to have a weird faith that the Prancing Yellow Sparkly Sky-Goblin will one day pirouette down from his enchanted ■■■■■■■ cloud, and wave a magic wand over his kicking action and fix it, and then he’ll be a perfect forward and we’ll all live happily ever ■■■■■■■ after.
This is superb!
I can't be the only one that is blaming the coaching panel for tanking that game.They simply did not care enough about our clubs history to try and avoid the wooden spoon.
Except for the fact that if we could kick straight for goals we probably would have won.But yeah, tanking.
Oh yes… you’re right… silly me. Its just the goal kicking that lost us the game.
Lucky we’ve been kicking so straight all year, and it came as a complete surprise. I’m sure if the coaches had some time to fix it they would’ve. And I imagine if they couldn’t they’d play blokes forward who could.
They clearly chose future development over winning that game. Well they can get ■■■■■■. It should cost a few of them their jobs.
i got no fkg idea what youre on about
Leuenberger’s ineffective taps were a major cause of this disaster. There were far too many easy Brisbane clearances. Also when he does get a handball of a scrambled short kick, they mostly disadvantage us.
Brown’s lack of ability to hold overhead marks is a serious concern.
Francis can hold his head high
Magnificent crowd.
I’m just so amazed at how ubiquitous the bad goal kicking is. It’s not just one forward, it’s everyone!
It would be nice if we played against a team who wasn’t banging every goal, no matter how far out or how slight the angle.
Brisbane 20-8
Richmond 16-6
St Kilda 17-7
WC 20-10
Even Freo kicked 20-6!
Hopefully we get Dew to succeed Woosha in 2018.
Gleeson's up to three weeks in a row where he's shirked a marking contest. I know he's skinny, but he's got to hit those contests as hard as he can.I don’t agree with this at all. Last three weeks? Also the one today where the commentators decided to give it to him, he was outnumbered 5 to 1. Where were his buddies manning up?
All that happened today was he misjudged the flight. Thought it was going to the guy behind and that he couldn’t get there
I was there with the wife today and she knows little about football but is learning. She turned to me and asked, “why do professional footballers who get very well paid to kick the football, miss shots that the little kids at halftime have no problems with?” I had no answer except, “it’s the Essendon way.”
Anyway, where’s my priority pick.
McCluggage and SPS thanks.
Sadly this is so accurate and has been for over a decade. We have to recruit players into the club that have quality skills and decision making (Parish, Zerrett) because we seem to have NFI how to improve them at the club like the quality teams. We still have JD and others butchering the goal kicking, we have so many senior players like Dempsey who can't complete basic skills even when not under pressure and so many players without lateral awareness like Zaka. Sure they look great running in straight lines but given a chain of handballs that requires a quick decision, for his experience, he is very average. We are the worst team without a doubt of butchering up a linking play. How many years do we go without teammates helping others out with something radical like a meaningful shepherd, god knows the players need as much help as they can get. The good teams get so much more time to think with the ball due to the off the ball work by their teammates. Unfortunately the saga has been used as a crutch to cover up many players and the club's shortcomings. /end rantAnd Langford. But in rockys defence they have only been at the club for 2 years, we'll get rid of their accurate kicking soon enough.Sounds like a simple stupid question, but why isn't anyone at Essendon a good set shot for goal? NO ONE is a good set shot for goal, not one player. None of our players can you look at when they're having a shot and think "Right we got one here". Every single player on our list, is questionable in front of goal, no matter the angle, distance or ground. Imagine a basketball side in the NBA that didn't have the ability to shoot?Laverde
I am so farking angry it is unbelievable.
I’ve been to our two biggest losses of the last five years and that was…so much worse than that…
That is the sort of game that ■■■■■ players just by playing in it.
So many targets for my anger I barely know where to start.