2009 Our Year????

[ultima650]

Another example of what a year it will be being poleaxed by Port when we have a near full strength sqaud.

Youth are skilless no hopers and aging stars lack kicking skills.

We'll finish in the 8 the bottom 8 you can bank on it.

No doubt there will be whingers saying its only pre-season but believe me
this side is going nowhere but down.

I've been saying we were going to win a flag for the last 27 years it just isn't going to happen. This clubs history is a joke and it ain't getting any better.

[Solar]

to be fair have a look at the senior players left out....

nah bugger it...

TANK!

[plugger66]

Another example of what a year it will be being poleaxed by Port when we have a near full strength sqaud.

Youth are skilless no hopers and aging stars lack kicking skills.

We'll finish in the 8 the bottom 8 you can bank on it.

No doubt there will be whingers saying its only pre-season but believe me
this side is going nowhere but down.

I've been saying we were going to win a flag for the last 27 years it just isn't going to happen. This clubs history is a joke and it ain't getting any better.

Full strength squad. What you on about. At least 6 regulars missing. Depth may be poor but we are no where near full strength.

[plugger66]

Maybe you are right.

[evertonfc]

Ugly, ugly, ugly.

Shot of realism or a sign of things to come?

[sawks]

aren't we playing a real game of footy against this mob in rd 5? why give anything away now in a warmup game?

[kaos theory]

No doubt there will be whingers saying its only pre-season but believe me
this side is going nowhere but down.

LOL!

The only whinger here is you.

Typical. On the basis of one practice match, we are hopless and are going nowhere...

Why do you bother posting here? Go and support another team.

[Mr X from the West]

aren't we playing a real game of footy against this mob in rd 5? why give anything away now in a warmup game?

If tennis players thought that way they'd never win any money!

Give anything away? Like what? How s*** we are?

[Quixote]

Another example of what a year it will be being poleaxed by Port when we have a near full strength sqaud.

Youth are skilless no hopers and aging stars lack kicking skills.

We'll finish in the 8 the bottom 8 you can bank on it.

No doubt there will be whingers saying its only pre-season but believe me
this side is going nowhere but down.

I've been saying we were going to win a flag for the last 27 years it just isn't going to happen. This clubs history is a joke and it ain't getting any better.

3rd post in three years.

Drop your meds in the bath again?

Go hug a rubber ducky.

[Batnoe]

practice match

doesnt mean much

trying things out

[Mr X from the West]

practice match

doesnt mean much

trying things out

Which assumes that Port weren't (trying things out)?

[Bowey Boy]

practice match

doesnt mean much

trying things out

Which assumes that Port weren't (trying things out)?

Maybe Port were...and they all worked !!!

[vacuous space]

Which assumes that Port weren't (trying things out)?

No, it doesn't. What it means is that Port can take about as much from this game as we can - next to nothing. The only thing that matters is assessing who's ready for round one and who isn't.

[Mr X from the West]

Which assumes that Port weren't (trying things out)?

No, it doesn't. What it means is that Port can take about as much from this game as we can - next to nothing. The only thing that matters is assessing who's ready for round one and who isn't.

Well, I'd be worried if I was a player in consideration for Round 1 and played in a team that got touched up so badly today, wouldn't you? Why wouldn't those players in contention play their guts out today (which obviously they didn't)?

[ausfatcat]

guys he's a troll

[mad saint guy]

Yes it's a troll, yes it's only the pre season, just warming up etc, but there have been some worrying signs.

None of our kids look to be ready to step into the side. Steven, Heyne and Connors have shown a few flashes but haven't actually influenced anything. Dal Santo is still going missing, Ball still can't kick and Kosi still doesn't have a position.

Nothing has happened to suggest we will improve this year. Roo, BJ, Chips, Max, Blake, Lenny and Milney will continue to hold the team together while others continue to disappoint. If Kosi, Dal and Gram keep playing well below themselves and we keep the likes of McQualter, Jones and Eddy in the side then we're going nowhere. It's not enough to have either talent or endevour, there needs to mix of both. And while the effort of Mini/Jones etc is admirable, they just don't have the tools to be an effective AFL player. You can teach a player to work harder, but you can't teach natural talent.

[saintly_safes]

I hear what most of you blokes are saying & I agree with you .I have said this & been howled down for it , our foot skills are shite we have guys on our list that are not up to it & havent been for 2 or 3 years but we still continue keep them on our list even though they havent got what it takes to make it.IMO L.Fisher , X.Clarke, A.McQualter, J.Gwilt , have had ample opportunity to establish themselves & are not up to afl standard . R.Clarke, M.Gardiner, C.Jones,D.Armitage,R.Eddy, need to have big years to stay on our list. S.Baker , M. Maguire, M.Hudgeton are stalwarts of the club but have to get on the park week in week out or we are gunna struggle to hold sides to remain competitive with the likes of Geelong & Hawthorn.I think we can make the 8 but that wont do us any favours come draft time either.

[matrix]

im saying it once and once only, then im doing the old 'positive thinking' thing for the rest of the season.....

we are ordinary, we have no chance of a flag this year.
granted we had no ruckman against the best duo in the league today, and boy are Port friggin quick!!...
but shesh it looked ordinary...and this we out scored them in the 2nd and 3rd is nuthing, they still played all over us in those quarters, we just hapopened to sneak a few more goals, thats all..we didnt play better than them all day.
we have a hell of a long way to go with pace and disposals.



there,...said.
now come on boyz, take it as a learning curve and get ya asses into gear.

[BigMart]

Some of the same people talking down the match, that would be talking up a positive result - me thinks....

BTW - I am a little worried about WHY we were beaten so comfortably......not that we were beaten comfortably....because those reason are familiar....

[Longwayfromhome]

Maybe the problem is we keep playing the same old players and hope everything will get better.
We keep saying the kids aren't quite up to it but we as a side don't give them much of go. Says a lot for our draft selectors. Instead we keep playing the likes of Gwilt, Schneider, Gardiner, Kosi, X. We bring in outsiders like Ray and Dawson, King and Gardiner, and Schnieder. King aside, the others have shown me diddle.
Why not give the youngsters a go. We keep saying we'll give the flag a jolt IF Ball has a great season and X makes a dramatic comeback or Baker finds a spot or Gardiner makes a name for himself or Goose finds his way back to CHB or Kosi finally finds his spot in the team or Dal gets physical or Dawson is capable of taking Max's spot or Fish will be great in the midfield or BJ will be a great forward .
Well. I have more faith in the aussie dollar matching the US equivalent by the end of the year.

[vacuous space]

None of our kids look to be ready to step into the side.

Which is only a disappointment if you actually expected them to. We have a lot of veterans on the list who you'd expect to hold their spot unless one of the kids really exploded onto the scene. We've added a few older players, still relatively young, from other teams. I'd expect us to beat Sydney in R1 even if we have a handful of our best missing on the night.

The expectations here are lofty. I'd let them play before jumping to any conclusions. There's nothing important to be won in March.

Nothing has happened to suggest we will improve this year.

There are positive signs and there are negative ones, same as if you went for any of the other fifteen teams. Goddard and Dal Santo got a lot of the ball in preseason. Ball and Hayes were right up there with them. Fisher was good, Mini and Geary did some good things. Gilbert showed some promise up forward. Heyne, Lynch or Steven could probably play R1 without embarassing themselves. We've got injuries, as usual, but we've got some depth.

We're not locked into a GF appearance and we're not doomed to a slide down the ladder. There's a lot of footy to be played and no prizes for being the first to predict we won't win a flag. Just let them play.

[mad saint guy]

None of our kids look to be ready to step into the side.

Which is only a disappointment if you actually expected them to. We have a lot of veterans on the list who you'd expect to hold their spot unless one of the kids really exploded onto the scene.

When I say kids, I'm not just talking about our new draftees. The only draftee who has actually earnt a spot in the last four years is Sam Gilbert from '05. Our '06 and '07 drafts so far have given us nothing.

[remboy]

One thing you have to remember is that the normal, average 18 year old draftee takes about 3 years to establish themselves. Just because you get the odd freak who looks like they've played 100 games from their first game doesn't change anything. The guys we've drafted in the last couple of years may still come good.

[noob]

yeah i agree with some extent. Well its bound to happen, we haven't had a top5(which usually produces a gun player) for about 5-6 years. We've mainly gone for players that fill the spots of delisted or retirees. Though i think we can make the 8, unlikely we'll win the flag.

[rodgerfox]

Typical. On the basis of one practice match, we are hopless and are going nowhere...

To be fair, I doubt it's on the basis of one praccy match.

The same opinion could quite easily be formed based on the past 2 years - not just Friday night.