Car crash. Nothing more, nothing less. We overachieved with no expectation last year. This year there was a higher expectation, a harder draw and we caved in like a paper cup.
It is clear that there is a significant leadership void in this team, not helped by the fact that it is led by that weasel captain of ours who should have the dignity of hanging up the boots instead of trying to squeeze another year or two out of the club when he clearly isn’t up to it.
The club has become a sterile, vanilla entity and it shows on the playing field. However 2022 isn’t over yet; a civil war has just erupted and will play out over the next few weeks and even months. Heads will inevitably roll and let’s just hope that there is a seismic shake up that occurs.
What could we possibly gain in keeping a “coach” who obviously has issues with his players, assistants, and wont address the bleeding obvious through a mix of incompetence and pig headedness?
Cons:
Good Improvements in 2MP/ Guelfi/ Redman/Durham/ Draper
Glimpses or moderate improvements in Caldwell/ Martin/ BZT/ Perco/
At expected level- 2nd Half Shiel/ Z Merrett/ Parish
Static- Lav
Went backward- Rids
Not good recruitment -Kelly
What need to be done- Work hard on body strength/ Tackles / Pressure/ Running without the ball and defensive structure. Once these things start coming together work on ball movement.
A very disappointing season with a couple of fun high points - the wins against Hawthorn and Sydney were undeniably fantastic to be in the stands for. Unfortunately it feels like we’ve completely undone the improvement we saw in 2021 and are now back in the “who would want to come here?” phase.
While poor, I wouldn’t call it the worst I’ve seen. 2020, 2015 and 2006 are still my top 3 for worst seasons.
Would’ve got rid of Sheedy after 6 months if that was a worry. He always did things his own way.
We need someone with enough conviction to back themselves which Ben has. Add to that dignity. Just because he is nice in front of the camera doesn’t mean the players don’t get a bake.
The bloke was set up to fail from day one this year. Players coming back from surgery late or injured. Weren’t fit enough.
But everyone should take this into account. Look at our VFL the last two years it’s been an absolute shambles thanks to X screwing with it. No senior coach can survive with a terrible VFL program. Look at Melbourne , Hawthorn, Richmond , Bulldogs in flag years their VFL has gone close or won it.
What’s Ben inherited 6 with the VFL ?
A few left over players who aren’t injured and anyone they can drag out of the pub on game day to put a jumper on
In saying that he is worth the gamble next year. What does it cost us?
If he can’t learn from his mistakes this year then he will never learn. And sometimes 2nd year coaches make mistakes just like 2nd year players
So finals with a list that was expected to finish bottom 2 and came up with the defensive plan that won Richmond a flag and the guy can’t coach at all?
The list this year was worse than last year with a harder draw we beat sides in the 8 this year unlike last year but he can’t coach?
Add to that having 8+ plus players missing from your best 22 for 75% of the season and a forward who won the goal kicking and your leading pressure fwd not playing ever again and the guy can’t coach?
I think if you have him another year he wouldn’t be putting as much faith in lazy Cara as he did you know the midfield coach of downhill skiers? Who also came up with the way we move the ball. The guy the fwds coach was arguing with in the Collingwood game as it was so crap?
Let him get the players he wants not the crap he inherited then judge him
Mate seriously the finals reference is so bogus its ridiculous. The side beat 1 solitary top 8 side last year, limped in off a soft draw and Stringer putting together his career best form for 10 weeks AND WERE OBLITERATED IN THE FINAL.
Since then we have been uncompetetive, scratch that, completely uncompetetive in 9 games this year, addressing absolutely 0 in what saw us embarrassed in the gold standard finals performance against the Bulldogs that you’re hitching your wagon to.
Ben Rutten is not a senior coach, he is not up to it and never has been.
So this year after a crap start we beat SYDNEY, BRISBANE and ST KILDA who were all in the 8. Two of those were in the top 4 when we beat them and lost to Collingwood by a point after the siren.
The season after we made finals as you said beating zero top 8 sides
ending collingwoods streak would have been perfect
But unfortunately our inability to stop goals being kicked after points, as in the ball starts as far as possible from the goal, the easiest place to defend from, is so damning and has cost us all year
My earliest memory is dons vs freo. Maybe 96. We won close to the siren to a young freo team. I was maybe 6. The same year or 97 we slammed the dogs. I got my taste of what it was really like to win.
Fast forward to this aggresive, unrelenting team from 99 - 2001. Maybe not the most talented team, but one that hit the ball and the other team hard. No matter what. Non compromising Johnsons, hardwick, wellman or soloman. To see Brisbane overcome us was barely disappointing in 01, it was impressive. They took that one further step to be dominant.
Now. Jesus Christ couldn’t save us. Truck - who has showed as much loyalty as anyone - being chased away. A team that any realistic supporter would admit OVERACHIEVED in 2021 returns to regression norms. Fagan is the exact prototype that reflected on this not long ago predicting some success in Year 3 and then further in year 4 for Brisbane.
Keep Truck for one more year. He has done enough to appease supporters surely, and not this dumb board. He has kept us on average to where we should be. Big responsibility for him in 2023, but I belive in him more than anybody else.
More things to look at:
Ridley: Can’t defend on anyone
Need another Key forward…George?
Harry Jones, never was the answer.
M.I.A. Waterman, Reid, Mcdounut, Ayre, Brand
Wtf is this 2 up in a marking contest?
Less handballing more kicking
Kicking to our team mates? They wear black and red.
Coast to coast goals
Cheap easy goals for the opposition
Discipline
Status quo:
Is Caldwell better at doing the same job as Shiel?
Merrett is the next leader on the field.
Need Parish to step up as a vice.
Delisting squad: Ham needs some mates to go out with…Francis, Waterman, gonna miss Phillips.
What went well
Redman
Guelfi
2MP needs consistency
Durham, Martin, Ambrosio
Betting against us on game day.
