Memo to Craigy - "It is Time For Change"

[sydney-dog]

Memo to Craigy - "It is Time For Change"
Since last years Prelim lost, all we we have heard is, to be a powerful club, the club must

"Identify players that are more flexible and skillful, and that can play finals winning football"
"The club needs to keep developing it's list"
"The club needs to develop a more flexible structure and game plan"

Well after today's lost, I can honestly say, in all these area's we have not improved

1. If the club identified a need for more flexible players, why do you continue to lack flexibility with our game plan and our structure, very rarely we change of your course during the course of the game.

2. As a club we seem to lack courage at the selection table, the club seem fixed on a strategy that players need to reach a certain high level in the SANFL before AFL selection, other clubs seem to have the courage to select the previous years draft selections, we seem to recycle players that do not get the job done against top 4 sides.

3. Our structure, our key forwards are natural defenders, some of our midfielders are flankers at best, not to mention when Jonas came to the club we heard a bit of talk about expecting something different down back, well it is the same back 6 from previous years

where is our development

In specific.

Stevens, If he plays, he should not play on a Key Forward, Chad Jones, first game player for the Eagles, 6 AFL games in total, pushed Stevens around like a rag doll in 50/50 marking contest

Torney, poor match up against Embly, couragous yes, but I have concerns over his leg spped and decision making, if we are keen to develop our list, why is the club not looking at Hinge as a running defender

Griffen, time to play Griffen as a Key Forward, he does not have the bulk to go with Cox, Ottens, Sandilands, Hille, lets have a look at Maric in the ruck and Griffen up forward, Maric is already a strong 98kg's and will provide greater strength in the ruck, while Griffen would be hard to match up on up forward

Shirley, continues to get carved up against Top Sides, Kerr today made Shirley look ordinary, their is no alternative Plan B for Shirley, he is not good enough to play as an attacking midfielder and is not cabable of playing forward or back, time to look at Douglas in this role

Welsh and Roo, need to decide is Roo a forward or a Midfielder, Roo and Welsh can not play in the same forward structure, finally Welsh continues to struggle in big games, time to look at Gill and Sellar as forward options

Bock and Kenny, both are natural defenders, the crows can't keep playing both these players in the same forward structure, they need to be book ends, one at either end of the ground

Doughty, once again, a half back flanker, not a midfielders boot lace, needs to play across HB or not at all

Execution too many players going to ground, too many skill errors under no pressure, too many break tackles, too many poor decisions

Solutions

1. Develop a forward structure with more natural forwards
2. Time to show some courage at the selection table, move some players aside, Torney, Welsh, Doughty and Shirley need to go, time to look at Maric, Douglas, Hinge, Gill and Sellar
3. Time for Craigy to start showing more courage on match day, the crows are too predictable and too easy to coach against

My side for next week
F ROO GILL GRIFFEN
HF PROPLYZIA BOCK DOUGLAS
C KNIGHTS THOMPSON MATTNER
HB MACCA KENNY HINGE
B STEVENS RUTTEN JOHNCOCK
IR HUDSON VAN BERLO EDWARDS
INT MARIC MASSIE RADAR BURTON (IF FIT)

IN MARIC DOUGLAS HINGE BURTON
OUT WELSH TORNEY DOUGHTY BASSETT (INJURED)

Unfortunately I believe once again we will see a lack of courage at the selection table

[mal]

Sorry to bring it up again SD
AC cant beat WC
AC are declining
WC are a force for quite a while yet
Considering the AC line up, Craig has done a good job propping up an ordinary list
AC will be missing finals next year ?
Thats 10 or eleven wins to one loss v WC over the last few years

You are right time tO try something different against WC

[Psyber]

I tend to agree with your summation, though I'd favour Roo on a HFF, and Stevens in forward pocket. I'm still not sure if that gives us enough pace on the ball, and wonder if there could be a spot for Archard. Edwards in the centre appeals to me too.

The Crows do seem to have a tendency to play the "stars" fit or not, which is a worry.

[Dutchy]

Stevens was terrible today, absoltuely terrible

[Booney]

Once again the lack of felixibility in the Adelaide coaching box once rears its ugly head.

There is no doubt Adelaide are predictable.Teams in the top 8 can struggle against them,teams in the top 4 counter them with some ease,due to the predictability.

[Dutchy]

Classic case was 2-3 minutes to go they still only had a 2 man forward line....surely you have to take a couple of blokes out of the defensive side of the ground and try to win the game????

[Dutchy]

Sorry to bring it up again SD
AC cant beat WC
AC are declining
WC are a force for quite a while yet
Considering the AC line up, Craig has done a good job propping up an ordinary list
AC will be missing finals next year ?
Thats 10 or eleven wins to one loss v WC over the last few years

You are right time tO try something different against WC

wrong mal....7 out of last 10...last 5 in a row

[stan]

I tend to agree with your summation, though I'd favour Roo on a HFF, and Stevens in forward pocket. I'm still not sure if that gives us enough pace on the ball, and wonder if there could be a spot for Archard. Edwards in the centre appeals to me too.

The Crows do seem to have a tendency to play the "stars" fit or not, which is a worry.

Edwards in the centre is good, stevens, Roo up forward the go as for pace on the ball. Douglas or Archard could be at least given a look in.

[sydney-dog]

Dutchy

Agree on Stevens, Bloody Ordinary, if Stevens plays he needs to play in the right role, I can't understand why Craigy keeps playing him at CHB, every time he plays as at CHB he gets murdered in the 50/50 contests

Edwards, he is a champion of the club, but he is also one of the main reasons the crows continue to move the ball slowly

Edwards, Rutten and Torney continue to hold the ball up, stop, turn, prop, go sideways, at times there stats look good but their method is poor

Why do other clubs have the courage to select young players, Adelaide always chose to take the long road through the SANFL.

It's time Hinge or Pfeiffer comes in for Torney, Douglas for Shirley, Sellar for Stevens, Griffen to replace Welsh up forward and Maric in the ruck

But unfortunately, I do not believe the club will show this courage at the selection table

[Dirko]

Look Hinge, Sellar and Douglas are not up to AFL standard yet...let them learn there trade with the Bays

[Dutchy]

Look Hinge, Sellar and Douglas are not up to AFL standard yet...let them learn there trade with the Bays

Agree!!!!....to be honest though I think Douglas needs 2-3 great games int he SANFL before going up again rather than doing the Honeymoon thing....Hinge and Sellar arent staring for the Bays so little chance of a recall....Its only Sellars 3rd senior game fo rthe year, I dare say the Crows have put a line thru him for this year already

[sydney-dog]

Douglas kicked 7 on the w/end

was Gray or Westhoff deemed to be up to AFL standard prior to selection, what about Thomas or Pendlebury for the Pies......

[Blue Boy]

Firstly well posted Syd

Today we looked slow in patches as well - which I thought was strange because we had the week off.

Flexibiltity is something Mummbles tries to pride himself on - even today he mentioned about Porplyzia in his pree conference and how well he adabted to his back pocket role. Must of not been watchin the same game I was. He is gettin it wrong big time in this area - my example about getting Mattner on a wing is just one.

I think the coach needs to get his head out of his ?^&$ and stop tryin to make players in to something there not as well. They are elite footballers and not elite athletes - blind freddy knows there is a difference.

We should be pickin our best footballers every week - if some is out of form drop them. If someone has carved up in the SANFL pick them.

Now I could go on about the need to recriut a gun forward but I guess whilst the coach has his faves that will never happen either.

[Blue Boy]

Douglas kicked 7 on the w/end

was Gray or Westhoff deemed to be up to AFL standard prior to selection, what about Thomas or Pendlebury for the Pies......

Gray had outstanding SANFL form - even though playing for the Bloods. The difference with power from the crows is that they actually give there youngsters plenty of game time when they are picked.

[Dutchy]

Douglas kicked 7 on the w/end

was Gray or Westhoff deemed to be up to AFL standard prior to selection, what about Thomas or Pendlebury for the Pies......

Im more thinking of Adelaide's selection/develpment process that they seem to be committed too...

[NFC]

Memo to Craigy - "It is Time For Change"
Since last years Prelim lost, all we we have heard is, to be a powerful club, the club must

"Identify players that are more flexible and skillful, and that can play finals winning football"
"The club needs to keep developing it's list"
"The club needs to develop a more flexible structure and game plan"

Well after today's lost, I can honestly say, in all these area's we have not improved

1. If the club identified a need for more flexible players, why do you continue to lack flexibility with our game plan and our structure, very rarely we change of your course during the course of the game.

2. As a club we seem to lack courage at the selection table, the club seem fixed on a strategy that players need to reach a certain high level in the SANFL before AFL selection, other clubs seem to have the courage to select the previous years draft selections, we seem to recycle players that do not get the job done against top 4 sides.

3. Our structure, our key forwards are natural defenders, some of our midfielders are flankers at best, not to mention when Jonas came to the club we heard a bit of talk about expecting something different down back, well it is the same back 6 from previous years

where is our development

In specific.

Stevens, If he plays, he should not play on a Key Forward, Chad Jones, first game player for the Eagles, 6 AFL games in total, pushed Stevens around like a rag doll in 50/50 marking contest

Torney, poor match up against Embly, couragous yes, but I have concerns over his leg spped and decision making, if we are keen to develop our list, why is the club not looking at Hinge as a running defender

Griffen, time to play Griffen as a Key Forward, he does not have the bulk to go with Cox, Ottens, Sandilands, Hille, lets have a look at Maric in the ruck and Griffen up forward, Maric is already a strong 98kg's and will provide greater strength in the ruck, while Griffen would be hard to match up on up forward

Shirley, continues to get carved up against Top Sides, Kerr today made Shirley look ordinary, their is no alternative Plan B for Shirley, he is not good enough to play as an attacking midfielder and is not cabable of playing forward or back, time to look at Douglas in this role

Welsh and Roo, need to decide is Roo a forward or a Midfielder, Roo and Welsh can not play in the same forward structure, finally Welsh continues to struggle in big games, time to look at Gill and Sellar as forward options

Bock and Kenny, both are natural defenders, the crows can't keep playing both these players in the same forward structure, they need to be book ends, one at either end of the ground

Doughty, once again, a half back flanker, not a midfielders boot lace, needs to play across HB or not at all

Execution too many players going to ground, too many skill errors under no pressure, too many break tackles, too many poor decisions

Solutions

1. Develop a forward structure with more natural forwards
2. Time to show some courage at the selection table, move some players aside, Torney, Welsh, Doughty and Shirley need to go, time to look at Maric, Douglas, Hinge, Gill and Sellar
3. Time for Craigy to start showing more courage on match day, the crows are too predictable and too easy to coach against

My side for next week
F ROO GILL GRIFFEN
HF PROPLYZIA BOCK DOUGLAS
C KNIGHTS THOMPSON MATTNER
HB MACCA KENNY HINGE
B STEVENS RUTTEN JOHNCOCK
IR HUDSON VAN BERLO EDWARDS
INT MARIC MASSIE RADAR BURTON (IF FIT)

IN MARIC DOUGLAS HINGE BURTON
OUT WELSH TORNEY DOUGHTY BASSETT (INJURED)

Unfortunately I believe once again we will see a lack of courage at the selection table

Outstanding post. 100% agree.

[NFC]

1. Doughty will take this club nowhere. It's all well and good having 25 possessions but does he ever actually have an impact on the game? He’s the kind of player you think did nothing but you go home and look at his stats and you see he's had 25 disposals. He has no impact and his hurt factor is non existent. He turns 28 in a few months and there’s not another level he can go to.

2. Shirley can’t tag. He is out of his depth tagging the premier ball winners in the league and he doesn’t find much of the ball himself and doesn’t hurt the opposition with his disposals, so he is effectively useless. Time to move him on.

3. Stevens is completely useless against taller, more physical opponents. He MUST play up forward because too often he’s a liability in defence.

4. Welsh needs to be delisted at years end. Yes he’s our leading goal kicker, yes he’s potentially our most damaging forward, but he is worthless against good opposition. Flat track bully if there ever was one.

5. It’s time to start bringing in some more youth. I’m sick of our players running around week after week in the SANFL. Time to give Douglas a go in the midfield, time to see what Meesen is capable of at the top level, time to give Hinge and Pfeiffer a chance.

MY In’s and Out’s this week (of course not going to happen…):

In: Douglas, Maric, Hinge, Pfeiffer
Out: Doughty, Welsh, Shirley, Mattner

[sydney-dog]

The Crows won clearances 35-29, were dominant in centre bounce takeways (16-6) and had a 47-34 advantage in hardball-gets, not to mention won the inside 50's

Poor execution and decion making killed us, we need to select players who do not continuously burn the ball

[Booney]

Edwards, he is a champion of the club, but he is also one of the main reasons the crows continue to move the ball slowly

Edwards, Rutten and Torney continue to hold the ball up, stop, turn, prop, go sideways, at times there stats look good but their method is poor

Add Bassett to that list,he and Rutten do the most damage to any possible quick forward movement.Often they call for it when in a poor position.

Once again Syd,is all this by accident or design?

[Hondo]

The Crows won clearances 35-29, were dominant in centre bounce takeways (16-6) and had a 47-34 advantage in hardball-gets, not to mention won the inside 50's

Poor execution and decion making killed us, we need to select players who do not continuously burn the ball

That's what frustrates me so much about yesterday and confirmed by a mate who went - it doesn't sound like it was West Coast pressure that did us in. Instead sounds like we beat ourselves.

I didn't watch 1 minute of the game so can only agree with your other comments SD