What I would do if I was the Eagles Coach Part 3
Some fan solutions for the West Coast Eagles plight:
Part One
Part Two
4. Leadership
Darren Glass can’t do it. The like of Kerr won’t do it.
We need some leadership in the middle of the ground.
Get any one you like to smile for sponsors, speak to the media or toss the coin. We need some players to stand up and exert themselves on the contest and lead by example.
For years our team had the example of Cousins and Judd who without fail made it their responsibility to outrun, out compete, out work their opponents. Cousins for all his off field crap, never cheated an inch on the field. He didn’t feign for free kicks, he didn’t try and gain an advantage through cheap shots, he didn’t lose his cool if things weren’t going for him. Instead he made sure when his opponent took his last step, he’d take another, even if it meant throwing his guts up.
It’s leadership by example.
For all Darren Glass’ fine qualities he can’t do that. 1) Because of his physical condition and 2) Because of his position. For all Leo Barry’s fine attributes at Sydney it is Brett Kirk who leads by example.
We need some Kirk’s the lead the way at West Coast because right now there is a gaping massive whole that our current players are unwilling to fill.
5. Make a decision on a forward line structure
We need something that will work with the players we have. And if we can’t discover something with the players we have we need to get new players.
Recently the endless tinkering is hampering the confidence of our forward line players.
We have some potentially good forwards - LeCras, McKinley plus the likes of Kennedy, Hunter, Lynch, Hansen and Wirra. But we need to make those players work together to kick a winning score.
Right now it’s a lottery going forward. For all the coaching restructures this is one part of our game plan that desperately needs work - there is no confidence in this squad that we will kick a winning score.
Jul 19th 2008
I think Cox along with Glass would be good co-captains. Glass provides stability and a steady head after our last two captains being idiots and thinking of themselves instead of the club. Cox is indeed a midfield player and like you rightly mention will help like Kirk does.
I agree o the forward line mix. I think the question needs to be were you play Lynch. If we play him forward, it needs to be CHF or wing roaming forward and not FF, use his long kicking. If we play him ruck back up instead of Seaby, we need to play Hansen FF, Kennedy CHF with LeCras and Wirra roaming half flankers with McKinley leading from goal square and recruit a good small crumber.
Jul 21st 2008
Lynch did really well again up the field against Brisbane I thought. His long forward 50 entries are real weapon and we need to utilise that. Even as it is - with Kennedy and Hansen and McKinley - we lack mobility and chase out of defence. Something needs to be tweaked there.
Jul 21st 2008
Yes agree, once it hits the ground, it gets out really really easy….
We need to aim for goal kicking midfielders and small crumbing, tackling forwards in this draft.