Not fit enough an clearly didn’t use balls during preseason.
It’s a concerning trend. The youngsters have a lower standard to achieve to get games now the can gift games for just being available.
Our standards are dropping faster than Bill Clintons pants.
In what world can you justify balls not being used during pre season in professional sport.
We had 4 AFL listed players in the reserves, it’s not a matter of low standards as it is pure necessity.
There are 3 issues as I see it:-
* Injuries have cost us dearly. You cannot replace what we have out atm. As shocking as we were vs Bulldogs for all bar 15 minutes, we lost that game through injuries.
* Confidence is at an all time low - why? Who knows but we have our best defenders punching when they should be marking, midfielders fumbling and missing basic targets by hand and foot they would normally nail and forwards who have stopped leading into space. You lose confidence then drop off in skills when that happens
*Discipline is a huge issue and I blame the leadership at the team for that. Shai Bolton should not be giving away 50’s in his 7the year in the system.
On the one hand, I wonder if we have the talent to execute this game plan, on the other I wonder if the coach is aware enough to evolve with this player list like he did in the back half of 2016.
I remember early in that year, it was one step back to tale two steps forward. That courage landed us 3 flags.
Dimma, you implored the players to “take the stairs, not the lift” in this preseason.
I am now asking - how are you getting them off the bottom floor?