Post match - Pies v. Bombers. All comments.

[sq3]

Lazza - firstly Eddie and Mick are our leaders and they should stay.

We should alwyas be looking for ways to better our clubs performance on the filed.

This is the function of the off field staff.

Yesterday we could all see they were not physically 'up' for the game. This is timing and is used in most physical sports - boxing, soccer and even horse racing.

You have to get the timing right.

I remember being at Vic Park when the Pies played the Saints (with Barney coaching) and when the resies started the game - they could not run, marking was sad and skills were way off. Matthews face said it all and he even said that night - he knew we would lose before the first bounce.

The answer - He had overtrained them during the week.

Now I do believe we are far better than then - but even last year was not great in the conditioning stakes.

Learn from the NRL teams they do it better with less days between games.

Pies must improve off the field and it will flow to the on field performances.

[lethalburns]

Incase you have not been looking at the stats we have frequently:

- out possessed most of the teams we played
- had fewer forward entries

We can't get the ball into our forward line let alone kick more goals.

Rocca played in the first 3 games and we were equally hopeless until our midfield kicked into over-drive and we began running off HB like ferrets on steroids.

We have played poor teams and lost crucial games. Make no mistake our hard run has yet to come. If you cannot handle the pain now, strap in tight. Bar a miracle we are going to look very sick in a few weeks.

I will cross my fingers and hope that a miracle does come.

[Vincenzo]

Wow, this board is pretty heated and I have not rad pages6 and 7. Yesterday was disappointing but we are missing three KEY POSITION players in Bucks, Rocca and Fraser. My only contact at CFC stresses the importance of their absence. Having said that, I was aware of some of them looking to see who else was going for the ball. As though they were unsure if it was their ball, or as if they did not want the responsibility, or frightened to make a mistake...anyone agree?
Finally why was so much play (by both sides) on the Nothern Wing or Construction site ? were both teams afraid of the fans on the Southern side. I was sitting low down in the AFL members in front of the Screen and I certainly missed out on a Second Screen. All I could really make out was the fact that most of the mistakes were coming from guys in Black and White, dropped handballs, out of bounds on the full, giving off handballs when the recipient was not expecting it or did not want it, perhaps.....and so on.
However as we say in Scottish Soccer....Keep the Faith

[Cam]

It's simple.

Essendon were poor, really poor, they sucked big time and we held their supposed good players in check.

We just sucked more.

Everyone on here feels the pain - some are pessimists, some are optimists, some are recidivist recalcitrants, some stoic realists, some just want some love and some are just trolls.

Everyone hurts in their own ways, and everyone relieves the hurt in their own ways.

Another game will come around.

And we shall do it all over again.

[DaVe86]

3rd degree, freo will never win anything.

[Johnson#26]

Well said Coach. One week at a time.

[Johnson#26]

[punkologist]

hmmmm,

Why do we always lose to them duds?? I'm getting bloody sick of it. The players should experience catching the train home to Essendon and walking past Windy hill on the way home like I did, then maybe they will put in a bit.

What happened to the free flowing game of the Carlton and Kangas games? Why when we had C3, C2 Taz and Walker in the forward line at various times did the players insist on kicking to Tarrant who was triple teamed?


On the positive side:

SHAWRY HOW GOOD IS HE??!!!!!! I have always had faith in him. As I have said before, he always goes in, is lightning quick and now he is learning how to use the ball! It was only a matter of time. I also noticed he didn't give away any frees this week either.

T Cloke will be an absolute chamion. I was really impressed with his game.

Burnsy was good also.

[bokka]

Lack of belief - disposal into and inside 50 was shocking for the most part.
We missed much too many easy or getable shots. Contrary to popular belief Bummers did not have the yips in the first half, almost all of their misses were very difficult shots. We missed at least 3 easy goals more through inaccuracy than they did > game over.

But the most important thing was inept and predictable forward coaching - rather absurd to publicly humiliate the players for your own shortcomings, doesn't augur at all well for team morale I'm afraid, and just when the players were getting behind the coaching again.

Well at least MM tried a few things like Rowe in the forward line which looked promising. YOu need your most creative smalls and best talls in teh forward line, so in our present injury situation I think we have to plant Wakelin (in superb touch) up forward and replace him with Tex down back. Obviously it may cost a couple of goals but you have to hope that it will buy us a lot more. 10 goals, 2 of em in junk time is an embarrassment.

Also I would put Clement into service as a forward/midfielder, someone else can hopefully cover him especially with Maxwell's excellent form. And use our best midfielders much more up forward - LIcca, Burns, Woey. Although Woey is looking a lot better than earlier in the season down back, and could be the man to cover for Clement.

It's partly psychological, since players kick to players they have a lot of faith in such as WAkelin and Clement. With Tarrant, Wakelin, Clement, Didak, Carrot and Cloke3 in the forward line we have a genuinely multipronged attack and midfileders will kick to all of those players without hesitation instead of Tarrant all the time.
But defend-at-all-cost-horses-for-courses-man will probably never try anything risky like that.

[Culprit]

culprit the lions you mean lol

The Lions as in Fitzroy no longer exist despite what the AFL and a minority push.

They are and always will be the BEARS.

[Culprit]

Incase you have not been looking at the stats we have frequently:

- out possessed most of the teams we played
- had fewer forward entries

Of course we have had more possesions, all the chip passing makes our stats look great. How many more times do we need to go backwards to go forward.

Fewer forward entries?, see above. We screw around with the ball that much we let the opposition put their numbers on our forward line, hence cutting off our supply to our so called forwards.

When we turn the ball over, the opposition have enough quality to make us pay.

When the opposition turn the ball over or make an error they still have time to gather the ball up and in most cases kick a goal (ala the Anzac day medalist). We apply very little pressure these days and this is a continuation from last year.

[Culprit]

At least they are on the improve Culprit. He is getting much better by foot - a confidence thing. Credit where credit is due.

He is and as I said Johno he has been our best player all year, I would go so far as he would be in the top 3 for Copeland voting at the moment.

[uuuuu..... The LoneSTAR]

BLAKE Carra - I didn't watch his game closely, nor have i seen the replay yet, but was he moved off the half forward flank at all???

He's wasn't much of a leading target on Monday - You think they considered moving him into the middle, or further down the ground somewhere ??... Maybe even sit him under Cam in the goal square as a crumber??... i don't know!!!,.... somewhere to stop that embarrassing crumbling under the pressure of a spoil from behind!! He just looked so weak & soft like a little boy playing against men,.. felt sorry for him!

Lets hope he has a go next week!,... we NEED him at the moment!

[stik35]

With Tarrant, Wakelin, Clement, Didak, Carrot and Cloke3 in the forward line we have a genuinely multipronged attack and midfileders will kick to all of those players without hesitation instead of Tarrant all the time.
But defend-at-all-cost-horses-for-courses-man will probably never try anything risky like that.

I'm sure if he did try it there would be those who would crucify him for taking away our defence which is the only thing that's working for us at the moment.
Who would then do the kick-ins?

[bokka]

With Tarrant, Wakelin, Clement, Didak, Carrot and Cloke3 in the forward line we have a genuinely multipronged attack and midfileders will kick to all of those players without hesitation instead of Tarrant all the time.
But defend-at-all-cost-horses-for-courses-man will probably never try anything risky like that.

I'm sure if he did try it there would be those who would crucify him for taking away our defence which is the only thing that's working for us at the moment.
Who would then do the kick-ins?

Things like that are at least worht trying for a quarter or a half a quarter.
Kick-ins - have to see how they go with say woey and Lockyer, they are as good as most teams' kickins. I don't think that would be a huge problem in fact Lockyer used to be our #1.
Better to be crucified for trying something daring and experimental than for being stodgy and predictable. I actually think most supporters would not be too critical even if it backfired - at least he would be having a go. IN any case like I said, sometimes you have to try risky things.