There’s enough individual talent on the list to beat the average and bad teams and occasionally one or two of the good sides.
We had 11 wins last year and I think the ins and outs cancel each out. Losing Stringer hurts in terms of goals but it should help us set up a more balanced and mobile forwardline. That’s assuming we still want to play a high press, front half pressure game where manic pressure and clearance dominance is king. All I’ve seen and heard suggests that’s still the case with the tweaks mainly to ball movement. We’ll need to make sure our midfield balance (positional and personnel) is sorted. We got caught out in attacking positions too much last year. Stringer was pretty guilty of this on a regular basis.
The losses of Hep and Kelly should ideally help with ball movement from defence. The question remains whether Shiel, Martin, McGrath etc are good enough kicks or have enough pace to help move the ball through zones. I’m not convinced about that yet.
Then we’ll need to really refine our press so that when we get the ball back we can find targets inside 50. It really requires players to work hard to find and create space. We’ll also need to be much better at holding a sweeper or making sure we have numbers at the fall of the ball so we don’t get done over the back. An all too familiar problem last year. An injury free year for Ridley and better spacing between he and McKay would help.
On the plus side, I’d like to think there’ll be some improvement from a bunch of players that should help us: I’m thinking: Tsatas, Draper, Bryan, Caddy and Perkins to all improve on last years showing. Kako should help with forward pressure.
All in all, I’m predicting around the same as last year give a win or two either side.
Some random AI created a musical medley that reflects this thread into song.
It has 4 of The Smiths most depressing songs on repeat:
“What difference does it make”
(played to posts about pre season ball movement and defensive systems by the black team against the red team)
“Heaven knows I’m miserable now”
(Played to whipping boy posts about long term contracted players / perennially injured players / high draft picks that haven’t lived up to it / 10 year hang over still coming from Jacket’s list management)
”That joke isn’t funny anymore”
(Played to posts about finishing 9-12th & in no man’s land… not finals but also not high enough draft picks)
“Stop if you’ve heard this one before”
(played to posts about coach not playing youngsters / having favourites etc
I am expecting us to drop down slightly but I honestly have no idea what to expect from us this year.
I can’t see how our outs make us a much worse team outside of our ability to kick goals. But Heppell, Hind and Kelly I don’t think will really make too much of a difference and if anything will allow a better replacement into the team. Think Roberts/SEH for Heppell. Even Shiel for Heppell/Kelly would be an upgrade.
The biggest question mark from our outs is Stringer and while it may make our forward line less offensively potent, I think it will be much better defensively with him not being there.
Even from a pre-season injury point of view we are no worse with Ridley and Parish being the two main worries, but it was the same last year.
I am still hopeful that we can see some improvement on last year even if I am expecting not too.
All we need is a couple of players to have break out/good years and we will be ahead of where we were last year. Who knows what a Kako or Tsatas will add to the side, but if they add even a small amount of good it will make us better.
If we can consistently play Hayes, El-Hawli, Reid, Roberts, Bryan, Cox, Tsatas, Hobbs, Caddy, Kako and maybe one or two others, we may finally be on our way.
The guy who picks a side laden with around 15 talls for a night game in wet weather just can’t be taken seriously when it comes to discussion of talls.
wright has a good tank and is a respectable long distance runner but his top speed is average and his acceleration and change of direction is appalling. it leaves him useless with the ball is on the deck or in the hands of fleet of foot defenders. bryan isn’t much better and langford’s acceleration is pretty poor too. Perkins’s acceleration is also a bit of a weakness for him honestly.
jones and caddy both have respectable speed and acceleration and can lay legitimate chases to apply pressure, so can draper if he sets his mind to it.
but i think a deep forward line of langford and wright is asking for the ball to be whipped away by hand with overlaps being generated all the way down the ground as langford and wright slowly get going.
. Merrett, Martin and Durham to win AA noms
. Langford to boot 50+ goals
. Caddy to breakthrough as a true KPF
. No major long term injuries
. Draper and Bryza form top class ruck combo
. Clarke and Hayes to breakthrough into the 23 by EOY
No prediction on Harry or our infamous 2020 draftee trio destiny. Wish I could…
