capable team

Despite being beaten by 54 points, the team we fielded against Adelaide, in my opinion, showed we have at least 10 really good players. They need to be encouraged to take the game on and get rid of the pattern of using short passes in defence. Whether they use short kicks through lack of confidence or coaching instructions we don't know. However, it usually results in a turnover and a goal for the opposition. They are capable of winning games, particularly if we play young blokes showing promise in the Seconds.

rougeplasma,

I feel this is a very accurate assessment of our present position.

This season is gone so we need to blood these young players for next season after a strong preseason.

Another critical factor we need to address is that we will probably lose 3/4 of our best older players at the end of the year and X amount in drafts

rougeplasma wrote:Despite being beaten by 54 points, the team we fielded against Adelaide, in my opinion, showed we have at least 10 really good players. They need to be encouraged to take the game on and get rid of the pattern of using short passes in defence. Whether they use short kicks through lack of confidence or coaching instructions we don't know. However, it usually results in a turnover and a goal for the opposition. They are capable of winning games, particularly if we play young blokes showing promise in the Seconds.

I agree, we probably have 10 players about league standard. Unfortunately, we are well down in a couple of key areas. Our midfield is thin and we are lacking a couple of experienced talls, however I think that the main culprit is the football department. The resources we do have are being mismanaged. The game plan and selection processes need a major overhaul. We certainly are not a top 5 side, but it is totally unacceptable that we have lost 19 consecutive games. As rougeplasma suggests the players need to be encouraged to take the game on and get rid of the pattern of using short passes in defence. At the very least give us something worth watching.

Furthermore, as Oldfella points out, we will lose players through retirement and drafts. I sincerely hope the football department have plans in place to deal with this. I also hope that it doesn't waste the rest of the season chipping away at the same game plan recycling the same players. We need to work out who is worth persevering with and who we need to let go.

Great to see Josh Carmichael added to the State team and will play.

I think we all hope they have plans to deal with it.
Sadly I have no confidence that we have or even if we have, it will be acted on.
But as with past years I have no doubt soon we will be told how good our recruiting is looking for next year and how well our finances are going off field.
"Green shoots will now be a forest of seedlings"

Ten goods players.... Less than half of the team.
If we added a new ten next year as clearly half should not be there were would we get them from.
Juniors would need experience and very hard to get the good recruits as has been shown in the past so we are still heading in a long dark tunnel without seeing the light at the moment.

Having posted that, we all need to hang in there and enjoy watching the new kids come through and when they play in the AFL be proud that they started at the West Adelaide Football Club.

Go Bloods.

Well we should make it 11 good players if Clayton Gay gets a game , or he could be another player that might leave , i cant see why hes not getting a league game as his form in the ressies is very good .

mikeme wrote:Ten goods players.... Less than half of the team.
If we added a new ten next year as clearly half should not be there were would we get them from.
Juniors would need experience and very hard to get the good recruits as has been shown in the past so we are still heading in a long dark tunnel without seeing the light at the moment.

Having posted that, we all need to hang in there and enjoy watching the new kids come through and when they play in the AFL be proud that they started at the West Adelaide Football Club.

Go Bloods.

Ten good players (- ? due to retirements at end of year - ? mid season draft) + ? who are worth persevering with. We desperately need a couple of mid fielders, a ruckman and two key forwards. Easier said than done of course, but absolutely essential. This would decrease the pressure on existing players who are struggling to fulfil their current roles.

We've had 8 players chosen in the state U18 squad. An excellent result, but how many will play 100 games for our seniors? We have a set target of 70% of players in the Senior men’s team that have been sourced from the WAFC metropolitan and country zones. Does anyone know if we have achieved this target?

I do take some pride when WAFC players, particularly former juniors, are successful in the AFL competition, however it has been little comfort to me these past 6 1/2 seasons. Agree with your comment Mike, we are still heading in a long dark tunnel without seeing the light at the moment. A more accurate appraisal than what we usually get from the club.

Go Bloods

We might also be a more capable team if we abandoned this ludicrous rotation system we have off the bench. Clearly there are scheduled rotations of players that occur regardless of what is happening on the field. So we get the ridiculous scenario on Saturday, for example, whereby we start off kicking the first 2 goals of the third quarter off the back of Couroupis's run off half back and his good ball use, and then he gets rotated off at the 5 minute mark. Firstly, why take off a player who is having such an impact, and secondly how could he need a rest after 5 minutes when he's just had a 20 minute half-time break?
Similarly, Kobe Ryan kicks his 2nd goal, he's full of confidence and he gets rotated off instead of letting the kid soak it up, grow his confidence, and keeping a goalscorer on the ground. Is anyone at any level in the club questioning this sort of idiocy?

aldo russian wrote:We might also be a more capable team if we abandoned this ludicrous rotation system we have off the bench. Clearly there are scheduled rotations of players that occur regardless of what is happening on the field. So we get the ridiculous scenario on Saturday, for example, whereby we start off kicking the first 2 goals of the third quarter off the back of Couroupis's run off half back and his good ball use, and then he gets rotated off at the 5 minute mark. Firstly, why take off a player who is having such an impact, and secondly how could he need a rest after 5 minutes when he's just had a 20 minute half-time break?
Similarly, Kobe Ryan kicks his 2nd goal, he's full of confidence and he gets rotated off instead of letting the kid soak it up, grow his confidence, and keeping a goalscorer on the ground. Is anyone at any level in the club questioning this sort of idiocy?

As I said in a previous post, the football department is mismanaging our resources. The game plan needs to be more fluid and suit our playing group. The notion, whether it be on field or off field, that you can put a plan in place and the rest will take care of itself is nonsense. ie Get your structures, rotations and one percenters functioning properly and success is guaranteed. Unfortunately, the game ebbs and flows and astute coaches and players need to respond accordingly. Excellent observations, Aldo. Players have purple patches and taking Kobe off after his second goal defied logic. Similarly, as you say, why would Nic need a rest.

The same applies to strategic plans, unless someone is actively driving each of the elements then the plan will fail. Simply putting processes in place is not enough to ensure success. Those responsible need to be passionate and relentless if these goals are to be met. Unfortunately, it will be very difficult to measure the success of some of these objectives as they are a little vague. Each element should have included some dot points ie We will know that we have been successful when ... What is easy to measure however, are finances and on field performance.

Question
Is Tom Scully eligible to play league? If so, why hasn't he been given a run?

Are we having any sort of internal practice match on the weekend to try to improve the way we're playing? Anyone know?

Josh Carmichael will go in the mid season draft so start planning for a replacement.

Tom Scully would be eligible to play league or reserves.
He has done well in the under 18 comp clearly but I have seen more fat on a chip so he stillneeds to bulk up a bit more but hopefully he gets a go soon in the 2's.

Go the Bloods.

mikeme wrote:Tom Scully would be eligible to play league or reserves.
He has done well in the under 18 comp clearly but I have seen more fat on a chip so he stillneeds to bulk up a bit more but hopefully he gets a go soon in the 2's.

Go the Bloods.

Thanks Mike. I'd be happy to give him some of mine.
I'd love to see him have a crack at league before the season's over.

Go Bloods

Tom is very tall.

Tom is very skinny.

Ar this stage, he has a big height advantage at 18s level. He's also agile, but I woukdn't be rushing him at this stage.

A bit different with Kobe Ryan, he's a midfielder.

From the 18s, watch out for Barnett, a gun.