The season so far: the good, the bad and the so and so

[RudeBoy]

Putting aside our disappoint at currently lying outside the top 8, I think there have already been a number of positives to come out of this season, which should give us optimism for our medium term fortunes. Remember, our 2 top draft picks, Scharenberg and Freeman, have not yet played a single game, so next season they should have an immediate impact.

The good

Witts has had a great development year and should be much better with another pre-season under his belt. If he, with support from Grundy, can match it with their opponents in ruck contests next season, this will go a long way to making us a top team once again.

Langdon and Frost have exceeded all expectations and should be even better players next year. Seedsman, should be better also given an injury free pre-season.

Broomhead, looks like he's about to bloom and will help provide the genuine pace and skill in the midfield we're sadly lacking at present.

Keeffe shows terrific promise, and has played some top games, despite have a few shockers as well. Given his non-footy background, he should be even better next year.

Adams has shown he has the grunt, hunger and fierce competitiveness to make him one of the AFL's top in and under midfielders. With him, the best is still to come.

Sidebottom has had a great year, but one suspects he'd be a better player if he wasn't used to fill holes all over the ground. Perhaps a semi-permanent role in our forward line next season might bring us rich rewards.

Pendles and Beams are currently our only genuinely A grade players - Premiership teams need 5 or 6. Pendles has suffered from having to carry too much of a load all over the ground and Beams has shown time and time again that he is most dangerous when played closer to goal.

The bad

Swan's injury plagued season has robbed us of our only A grade quick midfielder. The jury is out on his future, but let's hope age and injuries have not caught up with the champ.

Maxwell's retirement is a huge loss in terms of on-field leadership, especially in defence.

Losing Nathan Brown again, was a body blow to our young defence. The worry now is that his body may never be able to recover for long enough to become the top full back he has always promised he'd become.

Luke Ball's legs have got slower as the year has progressed and this must surely be his last season. A warrior and leader to the end, his decline has hurt us badly this year.

Since signing on for the big bucks, Cloke has been a disappointment up forward. Although his kicking seems to have improved somewhat, he has not got enough of the ball and his marking seems to have tapered off significantly.

Reid's season was wrecked by injuries and he may not now be able to have much of an impact until next year.

The so and so

Josh Thomas has played some good games, but after 4-5 years on our list, he still is not consistent enough. He looks like finishing the season as a fringe player.

Kennedy, has showed glimpses of greatness, but like last year, he is still struggling to cement a place in our team. Given his age, however, we should be optimistic as to his future.

Blair has had an ordinary season. He remains a fierce competitor, but one suspects he's only in the side until the next generation of midfielders emerge to take his spot.

Overall

We are where we are. Or perhaps I should say, it is what it is?

The fact is, in the absence of Jolly, Didak, Davis, Johnson, Shaw, Wellingham, Dawes, Thomas, Tarrant and the player formerly known as Swanny, Bucks is building a brand new team to take us forward over the next 5 years or so. While we will inevitably suffer some short term pain, our medium and longer term prospects look decidedly rosy.

Remember, next year we'll see scharenberg, Freeman and young gun Darcy Moore (son of our former captain and Brownlow medalist, Peter Moore). and still, there's 5 more games to go in 2014. Win 4 of these and we're in the finals. Go Pies!

[Bob Sugar]

As much as Witts has improved it's painfully clear that we need to look elsewhere for 2015, Grundy's in the same boat, our 2 no1 rucks are still 2-3 years away from being potential AA ruckmen, we need to recruit a ready made ruck for next year.

[John Wren]

good assessment.

jt can only benefit from another full preseason under his belt.

[Lazza]

[Skids]

Another bad is only 7 games from Fasolo. Averages a couple of shots on goal a game from 15 or so touches. Need him in our forward line big time.

[What'sinaname]

[jackcass]

^^^ and the injury plagued seasons of Karnezis and Oxley. Thought we'd have seen PK in the seniors before now but prefer we get him right for the longer term. Big fan of Oxley, think he can bring another dimension to the team with his marking and disposal.

[thebaldfacts]

[swoop42]

I think you're judging Kennedy to harshly nudie rudie.

It's only his second season, he's excelled at VFL level, improved at AFL level from last year and very very unlucky not to have been selected in the senior team more often.

Oh and he has had to put up with being continually used as the sub when having him available to play all of the possible 120 minutes would have been beneficial.

He should have played a full game against Adelaide IMO.

[SuperStar Beams]

I think we are being a bit harsh on Clokey. He may not be taking the marks like he was last year or kicking the amount of goals like last year but being double to triple teamed time and time again, the delivery into the forward line is terrible and that he gets a very raw deal with the umpires is why his been struggling, he works hard and at least creates a contest. If we had actual crumbers we could be saying a different story but we don't so we presume Cloke is doing nothing.

It showed on Sunday night that when Cloke gets good delivery and isnt double and triple teamed his able to mark it and go back to kick a goal. We needed Reid back in there to help both Cloke and White as he also relished not having the 2nd best defender on him

[qldmagpie67]

Good post Rudeboy the only things I would add.

I think Pendles and Beams form has been down on previous years but I think having Swan playing injured and no support they have carried a huge burden for everything we do offensively.
Sidebottom is a gun no doubt but I've been a little disappointed in some of his games this year. I can remember him missing a few goals from 30-35 out near in front which he should kick every day of the week. Can't knock his effort at all he does try constantly but I believe he has just been a bit below my expectations.
Witts is a beauty for sure. Not sure if Grundy's form has been dented because of how heavily he was penalized in the early part of the season. I hope he gets back to what we saw at the end of 2013. I see your point about adding an experienced ruck look at what Stefan Martin has done at the lions he would be a handy pick up as he can play forward and pinch hit back if needed.
As for the rest your spot on IMO

[melliot]

1.Faz - fail. Injured most the season or recovering from it. Is a senior player though. Limited preseason

2. Dwyer. Fail. Injured partly through the season. Limited preseason. Seems to have gone backwards this year. I like him, but will only be a fringe player at senior level.

3. Caff. Pass. Has been a good tagger. Needs to be better with offensive ball. One player that has possibly improved under Bux.

4.Grundy. Borderline. Possibly a fail. Having 2nd year blues. Gone backwards slightly. But a 2nd year ruck playing ok senior footy is still a good sign.

5. Maxy. Pass. Had a great season until he twanged his calf against Saints. Then like our season, everything went south.

6. Goldy. Pass. But isn't a top 15 player in a winning side. Just a role player. He's handy but has limitations.

7. BK. borderline. I expected more senior footy from him.

8. Harry. Pass. Has been one of our more consistent players. Which shows our problem.

9. Clarke. Fail &delist.

10. Peddles. Pass. Seems to have to do too much and lack friends.

As you keep going you realise on player form/expectation alone 2014 has been a complete bust with much more fails than passes.

[Didaksgoal]

Good thread, Rudey.

The good:

Beating Carlton twice, and winning ANZAC Day.

As for good players...........Pendles and Beamer, with Pendles carrying bricks in the last month or so. Sidey has been good. Elliot has been the shining light this year. Frosty and Langers have shown they're made of the good stuff too. Wittsy is coming along.

The Bad:

Injury - If we are not over-trained, I've got a ten inch dick. Why we look so exhausted half way through the first quarter for the past 2-3 years has me f@#n pissed right f@#n off!!! You watch the players drag their carcasses around for the final 3 quarters of each game and it's glaring. Our run and spread in the final quarter of the Adelaide game in the last quarter for the last 20 minutes.............I haven't seen statues like that since the museum!!! Yes, and the soft tissue injuries all year, again.......Kleenex sponsorship!!!

The plan after the first bye, it changed, why?

We can't execute the plan cause we can't run. Our backline has the ball, we want to go through the guts, get it to our defensive 50, handball or sideways kick, running player has nothing presenting up forward.......as we've pushed too far up the ground.......enter panic, lack of leadership, 50cm handballs, 87cm handballs, 33cm handballs..............stoppage, free against, turnover....team despondent.

At many times, the team looks like it has no f@#%ng idea what to do, why? This zoning sh!t has got to stop, we look like barking witches hats out on the ground!!!!! Drives me insane. It takes us most times 3 weeks to get it past half way after we kick it in, but the opposition have it half way in 2 kicks....................Fix the f#$%ng plan.............it doesn't work....the plan worked before the bye, then changed.........Why?

To me, the players look like footy is a drag, almost like they're defeated alot of the time.

The forward setup...........how many times can we get the ball into our 50, only to have it repelled even quicker....................where are the crumbers????????????? What f@#$ng plan is this?????? It's repeat, repeat, repeat!!!!!! How many times does Clokey go to ground?????......you'd think he was an ant or something!! Same as J White, he loves the smell of grass too.......keep ya feet ya dolts!!!!!

Second efforts from alot of the team.......non existent....takes 4 seconds to get off the ground, put the binoculars to your eyes, and see the ball sail swiftly, smoothly, with class, with silk, into the opposition's forward 50 with a shot on goal 25 out!!!!!!

My favourite, the handball to the player standing still......and why don't the players without the ball use some football instinct...........run to receive, don't f@#$ng stand there!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Coming out of our def50, fluke it to the 50.............no option but to handball 27cm to player under pressure..............I'm surprised that backline players aren't in straight jackets with all the pressure and shonky plan!!

From what Grundy showed late last year compared to now, good Lord!!! Two different people. One had go, this one has hhhhmphhh......running around like Anthony Rocca after a 20 metre sprint!!! Fitness? over-trained?...............How the bark can AFL players be so barked after 20 minutes of footy??? FMD

I wont continue with the bad, I don't want to sound negative. How's about our footskills...........................


The so-so:

Zilch. It's either good or bad this year.


The future:

Hopefully Tooves and Keeffe are better for the year after their knee injuries. They're both not the same at this stage, especially Keeffe.

Shazza and Freezer next year, I can't wait.

I want Bux to win us a flag.........and in saying that, we are 2-3 years away with what we have at-the-moment if all goes well........but I keep seeing the same bodgey plan and it's driving me mad. The zoning/witches hats plan hasn't worked, and will not. We don't play on instinct, have flair, fitness, want, or desire......We play like footy is a chore.

Maybe we just don't have the players or enough experienced players at the moment......but the plan, the forward setup, smashed in the middle is the same.............The team has no fight, and that sh!ts me most of all. I hope it's youth and injury that are the reason for where we are.

I had us pegged for somewhere between 7-10 on the ladder at the start of the year......The first third of the season had my hopes up, now they are dashed, but my team is around where I thought they'd be........

Go the Pies

[stoliboy]

The Good:
Jamie Elliot: 31 goals in 15 games.
Beating Carlton twice!

The Bad:
Our defence
Our midfield
Our attack

The Ugly:
Our loss to Gold Coast. Gold Coast ended the game with no one on their bench and even lost Abblet with 50 minutes still to play. We had 27 more rotations that them, with the Suns having no rotations for the final 20 minutes... Aaaaand we lost.

[Piesnchess]

THE GOOD IS OUR KIDS, GREAT POTENTIAL IN NEARLY ALL OF EM.

THE BAD IS THESE DAMN NEVER ENDING INJURIES.

WE ARE WHERE WE ARE PROBABLY SHOULD BE, AT THIS POINT.