its just around the corner.
three words - spirit, ticker & desire
I hope they do continue to fight it out.
If it’s just talk and our performance doesn’t improve then I would be looking at trading a few players out.
Because it’s easier to develop players who have spirits rather than turning HFF into midfielders. Were any of their players who played and were on the rookie list being played out of position. And I dont mean Key defender playing key forward, talking key position playing midfield or forward pocket playing key position?
Our recruiting and subsequent development are both pathetic. Fancy re-rookieing someone like Eades, Steinberg in the past and others
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No fight, completely agree with you, it was relatively easy to stick by Roos and Longmire.
Choose the right coaching team and stick by them if they’re meeting their KPIs. Buckley and Hardwick must have met there’s as their support coaches were turfed, but the club stood by their senior coach. The very next year, with some tweaking, success. I don’t think we chose the right support coaches and senior coach… not privy to our coaching teams KPIs but I’d be surprised if any are being met.
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because sydney players are expected to develop or they are shipped off. they are expected to perform to a certain level.
meanwhile we still have jackson merrett, myers, mckernan etc etc on our list who simply just shouldn’t be, esp jackson merrett. 6 odd years in the system and it’s still based off of the fact someone somewhere still thinks he has “potential” in him.
We pick players and hope they turn out the way we think they can.
sydney simply just do. they pick em, if they don’t work out, move on and try again.
I suspect leadership is a big part of it too. They have the bloods mentality which the whole playing group buy into, and which is championed by their leaders both in the team and as an administration. I think it makes for an inclusive culture which nurtures talent and allows players coming in to blossom as individuals.
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lol
Why don’t we develop players like Sydney?
Why aren’t we hard like Sydney?
Why don’t we ever win finals like Sydney?
Why aren’t we ever consistent like Sydney?
I think Sydney also make it very simple for their younger players. As others have said, they give them a role and just expect that role. They are very quick to analyse their strengths and they build on that, rather than go out of their way to ‘fix’ flaws.
We are seeking perfect football machines that can play 6 different positions (which we never use anyway) and let them languish at VFL without hope of promotion. Big difference.
For example, Langford has shown he can lead, mark and convert goals. He has also shown good skills and outside play through the middle. SO Sydney would use him as high half forward/linking winger, with stints through the middle. We immediately go and try to turn him into an inside mid. Then we drop him after one bad game never to be seen again.
Our coaching sucks, our game style sucks and our development is woeful. Also how can you demand a young kid to be hard at the ball when our ‘leaders’ are soft as butter - Heppell doesn’t exactly inspire you to thrown your body on the line.
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A couple of things they do well…
- they lean towards mentally tougher players. They don’t necessarily value speed hut do not entirely ignore it. We lean towards back flankers.
- extending on the above note, their leaders ensure you play the Sydney way. Tough. Willing to defend first. Someone like Kelly from the 90s, Kirk and Kieran Jack of recently are great examples of their style of player. Historically, our prototypical players play like millionaires mainly focussed on attacking. Joey D is symptomatic of that style. I felt Jobe broke the mould a little, but essentially, we have nice players who are good offensively but not as good defensively. McGrath, Parish and Zerrett are slowly breaking that mould.
- they have no troubles using their rookie list for players who need a lot of work. We use it to have another look at guys who have already been on our list for years.
- they are patient. Contrary to popular belief, we are not. They played Newman in the NEAFL for a year and a half while racking up 30 possessions. They didn’t force him back until it was warranted. Florentine spent a lot of time in NEAFL last year. Sam Murray spent all year in NEAFL last year and now he’s entrenched in Collingwood’s best 18. Darcy Cameron has had some massive games in NEAFL the last two years. They don’t play him until he can contribute to the team. Ronke was in NEAFL for a long time and was talked up be their fans. They have another smokey in Colin O’Riordan as well. They have patience. We do not.
- John Longmire is an underrated coach. He was Paul Roos’ understudy and he has followed on from what Roosevelt was able to establish.
- They cycle their assistant coaches by necessity. Keeps new and fresh ideas in the coaches box.
- they target the right age groups. Outside of Buddy, I don’t think they’ve gone after players older than 28 even though they’ve been in the top 8 for a long time.
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Ah if you really want to be depressed then the reality is that Blitz has been talking about a full ground up review for at least a decade. We were sort of promised it post Saga but there’s no real reason to believe it even happened let alone successfully.
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Combination of things.
They have better leadership and they pass that down, each new generation learn it and adapt it. Someone like Josh Kennedy or Luke Parker demand you put it every time then you put in EVERY time otherwise you’re out. look at our list, we have "yeah-nah mate she’ll come good Dyson Heppell and butterboys like David Myers fcking up and staying in week after week after week. Breeds a culture of “I can half put in and she’ll be right”.
And let’s not get started on their coaching structure, who’ve had recent, long career playing player/coaches whilst we have a fckn failed Melbourne coach and a guy in Skipworth who played 30 odd games swap between midfield and forward coach for no fckn reason.
Coaching and culture sucks.
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Simply put - wrong people in the job and wrong people in the footy department.
I agree we need to re-cycle regularly and we are not permaculturists.
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we need to poach more sydney people, not rejects from unsuccessful clubs
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Simple answer: too many ■■■■ Coaches at Bomberland.
We don’t have a development coach
NO you are incorrect, we don’t have any development coaches.
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Two people.
MARK NEELD.
HAYDEN SKIPWORTH.
Both cancers to this club. Have completely ruined our fabric and our midfield .
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Kinnear Beatson.
Talent indentification genius.
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Wasn’t kelly held onto in a development role?