Eagles launch search for MIA key forward
April 24th 2008 07:01
The first six rounds of this year have shown that the Eagles are not the side that their biggest supporters had chalked them up to be. Clearly the loss of Judd and Cousins is being felt by the Eagles' secondary set of midfielders struggling to help out Daniel Kerr to stick to the once sturdy, clearance driven, and ball carrier-protecting team plan. Even more noticeable is the lack of support he has had from the players who were once called elite midfielders such Braun and Embley.
Eagle supporters could be resentful at my suggestion of change tact in John Worsfold’s box, and although I will never be the clubs biggest fan, I believe it to be a suggestion forged in practicality and truth. My point still remains very valid, things are not working for the Eagles. The morale of the Ozymandias like team must evidently be low. Garry Lyon suggested this is perhaps behind the side’s weak resistance to Barry Hall after his disgraceful hit to Brent Staker. A football side winning can also gloss over a lot of problems within a club. Maybe last year’s off field events, arenot as easy to shrug off in the daylight of this season’s negative win-loss rate.
Woosha must see that his side needs to change things as quickly as possible, and the best one to change is to make things as simple as possible. The last thing a side near the bottom needs to worry about is a complicated game-plan. The midfield of his side cannot simply take on the opposition man for man and think that they have the brilliance to come out on top. The Eagles' game needs to be setup more defensively, to get the players more focused and enjoying their football as much as possible.
A shoot-out with the Dogs would be even more ridiculous. For a number of years the Bulldogs have owned the term “Pace” and are in their best form for a couple of seasons. The Eagles need to realise the defensive pressure they will need to apply and devise a simple executable plan. I personally would look at starting from the top down, looking where the goals can come from in a defensive side. Andrew Embley was criticized heavily for his poor midfield performance last week. How about throwing him at full-forward and isolating him? He’s a big bloke, who can take a mark and kick a goal; he has showed this throughout his career. Further, he has the athletic pace, and a great goal sense for crumbs.
Embley is hailed as a champion by many at his club; this could be the opportunity for him to respond to his knockers. For his coach to back his man as a champion, and a example. By clearing space for Embley, with perhaps Wirrapunda and McKinley as Half-forwards moving in at the drop of the ball. The footy game becomes a lot simpler for the side to understand, and the pressure of covering for the two departed brownlow medalists is taken of a bunch of largely inexperienced midfielders who can push back.
It also provides the club with the chance of auditioning Embley for a role as a genuine full-forward. I think the audition is overdue. Despite the 2006 flag, Lynch shows much enthusiasm and Hansen has great hands. However neither is a target the likes of a Lucas or a Mooney. In turn both have shown the use of their hands as targets on the flanks. The bypassing from midfielders from within the central corridor has seen the role of one key forward replace a Centre-Half in front of a man in the square. Richo showed at Subiaco recently that Lynch-sized type units moving forward from a wing could not be as bizarre as first thought.
Hansen will be missing this week, so Lynch could be possibly unburdened by his recent lack of goals by maybe finding some rhythm and continuity as a spare man in defense. The return on Hansen likewise could see him focus on strong marking skills with less emphasis on kicking goals, he was never the player his four goals in the Grand Final performance suggested, but one still of much value.
The plan may seem negative, and reliant on the response of a vice-captain to performance. Worsfold likes reporters to believe he only deals in injury and stat sheets. The reality is his young captaincy led to the club first golden age. And his arrival as coach saw the club’s reemergence from the pack again. You could pick a much a worse man to provoke a down and out side into a reaction
Eagle supporters could be resentful at my suggestion of change tact in John Worsfold’s box, and although I will never be the clubs biggest fan, I believe it to be a suggestion forged in practicality and truth. My point still remains very valid, things are not working for the Eagles. The morale of the Ozymandias like team must evidently be low. Garry Lyon suggested this is perhaps behind the side’s weak resistance to Barry Hall after his disgraceful hit to Brent Staker. A football side winning can also gloss over a lot of problems within a club. Maybe last year’s off field events, arenot as easy to shrug off in the daylight of this season’s negative win-loss rate.
Woosha must see that his side needs to change things as quickly as possible, and the best one to change is to make things as simple as possible. The last thing a side near the bottom needs to worry about is a complicated game-plan. The midfield of his side cannot simply take on the opposition man for man and think that they have the brilliance to come out on top. The Eagles' game needs to be setup more defensively, to get the players more focused and enjoying their football as much as possible.
A shoot-out with the Dogs would be even more ridiculous. For a number of years the Bulldogs have owned the term “Pace” and are in their best form for a couple of seasons. The Eagles need to realise the defensive pressure they will need to apply and devise a simple executable plan. I personally would look at starting from the top down, looking where the goals can come from in a defensive side. Andrew Embley was criticized heavily for his poor midfield performance last week. How about throwing him at full-forward and isolating him? He’s a big bloke, who can take a mark and kick a goal; he has showed this throughout his career. Further, he has the athletic pace, and a great goal sense for crumbs.
Embley is hailed as a champion by many at his club; this could be the opportunity for him to respond to his knockers. For his coach to back his man as a champion, and a example. By clearing space for Embley, with perhaps Wirrapunda and McKinley as Half-forwards moving in at the drop of the ball. The footy game becomes a lot simpler for the side to understand, and the pressure of covering for the two departed brownlow medalists is taken of a bunch of largely inexperienced midfielders who can push back.
It also provides the club with the chance of auditioning Embley for a role as a genuine full-forward. I think the audition is overdue. Despite the 2006 flag, Lynch shows much enthusiasm and Hansen has great hands. However neither is a target the likes of a Lucas or a Mooney. In turn both have shown the use of their hands as targets on the flanks. The bypassing from midfielders from within the central corridor has seen the role of one key forward replace a Centre-Half in front of a man in the square. Richo showed at Subiaco recently that Lynch-sized type units moving forward from a wing could not be as bizarre as first thought.
Hansen will be missing this week, so Lynch could be possibly unburdened by his recent lack of goals by maybe finding some rhythm and continuity as a spare man in defense. The return on Hansen likewise could see him focus on strong marking skills with less emphasis on kicking goals, he was never the player his four goals in the Grand Final performance suggested, but one still of much value.
The plan may seem negative, and reliant on the response of a vice-captain to performance. Worsfold likes reporters to believe he only deals in injury and stat sheets. The reality is his young captaincy led to the club first golden age. And his arrival as coach saw the club’s reemergence from the pack again. You could pick a much a worse man to provoke a down and out side into a reaction
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