by blackandred » Sat Jul 30, 2011 9:47 pm
Westies supporters looking for an improved effort from their team at Richmond today were sorely disappointed. The fact the coach could not provoke a positive reaction from the group after last week’s pathetic effort must be a major concern to the club.
We have now been beaten by everybody and are on a spiral to bottom position given that there is not a glimmer of hope evident in our performances of late. Our superior percentage to Sturt and North could save us from the spoon.
Conditions were perfect at Richmond today with a sunny and windless day and a good playing surface. James Allen was out injured for North and we gained Brad Moran back from the Crows. So far so good.
The first Q set the tempo for the game with North booting 5 to a solitary point from Westies. After this it was an arm-wrestle in a game that never rose to any great heights, in fact North made plenty of mistakes but their best was enough to put us away. In simple terms North won because they could deliver the ball better, hit a player with hand or foot and the player could take the ball cleanly. Westies couldn’t do this. They fumbled, they kicked to the opposition, they kicked out on the full, they missed easy set shots for goal, they went sideways and backwards, in fact their performance was so bad and so mistake-ridden as to be almost laughable to any independent observer. With the possible exception of the game at Elizabeth we have been playing at this level for 6 weeks!
Moran limped off early with what looked to be a lower leg injury and didn’t return. Macreadie and Brad Fisher were reported. Frustrations boiled over into the crowd and a few classic umpiring blunders didn’t help. It was not a good day.
Brad Fisher booted 5 and Webb 3. Best (again) were Morris and Birss who worked tirelessly all day. Macreadie got a lot of the ball but lets himself down with his disposal. Daniel Caire never gives up and ditto for Ryan Willets. But we have far too many players that don’t deserve to be playing at this level and week in week out they fumble their way through the game, have a handful of disposals, drop marks, don’t chase, fall over, kick along the ground but are not replaced due to the lack of talent in the 2s and the subsequent lack of real pressure for senior places.
Of those who returned today from long term injury Adam Hartlett had a forgettable game. He missed a few simple set shots after some good marks but doesn’t possess a second effort. He calls team-mates out in marking contests and then fails to take the grab. He falls over a lot. Piasente added some toughness to the team but we needed more skill today. Ben Fisher didn’t do a lot on his return after a long layoff and needed the run.
Plenty to think about before we play Norwood in 2 weeks.
