TOPIC:

Rather than dwell on the WP game, I thought it's probably a good time for all us Subi diehards to reflect back on the season overall.  It started badly with Covid and some long term injuries impacting on our performance and we never really recovered from there on.  I think our final position on the ladder is an accurate reflection on where we sit in the scheme of things.  

Our worst was pretty ordinary with the game against SF a couple of weeks ago a good example.  At our best, we could compete with the top teams for extended periods of the game but generally weren't good enough to close them out with a win.

On the upside, Stef Giro was superb and must be odds on to win the B&F and could also go close in the Sandover.  Also our colts and ressies are performing well and should give it a bit of a shake in both grades given our seniors won't be playing finals and a few from there would have qualified.  There's also been the unearthing of some new young talent in Savigni, Putt, Eaton, Stergiou, Vanirsen to name a few which will give the coaches something to work with next year.

The downside is the gradual decline of our once strong core group which was always going to happen but it seems as though there's no-one to step up in our ruck and midfield stocks which is a worry.  Add to that Marsh, Kitch, Dewar, Lockyer, Sokol, Heal, Rohde aren't getting any younger so I think we're going to be in the bottom half of the comp for a few years to come.

Wardman will be under pressure next year to come up with a new game plan, develop the younger guys and to move the group forward generally to become the competition standard once again.  

He inherited a very strong side from Schofield which in 4 years either won the flag or missed the finals. Why the inconsistency I'm not sure as every other team had the same issues around Covid and injuries as we did but the likes of Souths, Claremont, WP continued to perform.

I'm also not sure our training levels are currently where they were a couple years ago.  At our peak, we monstered the other teams with our strength and fitness but that no longer seems to be the case.

Some off season recruiting, a strong pre-season, a healthy Covid free list will hopefully give us a good launch pad for next year but have to admit, I'm not overly optimistic we'll be challenging for a flag any time soon.

So in my opinion, all in all not a great year which started badly and never really recovered but interested in the thoughts of others.

I watched the Joondy game and we were a good match for Joondy for 3 qtrs but fell away badly in the last which supports your suggestion that our fitness levels aren't what they used to be, but in other games like the Kalgoorlie game we ran over Swans in the last so who knows.

We lack height and size, Mayo and Braut will address that to some extent as will Atkinson who will be better for the 2 or 3 games under his belt this year. I thought Oskar did ok in the ruck yesterday so we should persist with him but as I've said over and again, we need a good big experienced ruckman to mentor the young blokes and take the bulk of the work at stoppages. We wont get Locks back until near mid season so a key backman would be handy although Atkinson at CHB, Hendo at FB and Savigni on a flank have done well. Keeping Heal and Rohde is vital, Gus can also go back there but I like him as a swing man in the Clanger mould. Mayo, Sok, Borch, & Breman should be our tall forwards but we need a couple of the young small forwards to step up, the Matera's are not the answer. We need pace and good defensive skills by the small forwards.
The colts and ressies have done well so we should see a few come through next year, but agree, I expect we will be mid pack next season and will need everyone fit and available all season to challenge for a top 5 spot.

Back to yesterdays game, what are your thoughts on the report of Keitel for his very late high hit on Drew Rohde? Normally he should expect at least a 1 game on the pine, but with it being West Perth and finals time plus Drew was ok to continue, he'll most likely get away with a reprimand.

SS..I thought it was reckless, high contact, medium impact so a week at worst and reprimand at best.

Good summaries gents. We seemed to lack a spark this year. No obvious sign the height,  pace and vigour we need is currently on the list and waiting to emerge. But I could be wrong. 

Mayo is the best in the wings. Borchet and Breman were a bit light on this year. Will that change? Maybe.  25 is a good age for footy. .  Farone might develop too. 

Henderson has the size. He might develop. A good start.  Savigni is going very well. I still like Mullane as a player. Vanirsen is  young and looks the best of the young mids. Though not super quick.

Other teams probably have more dynamic midfields . Footy teams are wierd things. Players improve and regress each year. The results can be unpredictable. But mid table looks likely next year. 



 

I thought that when the commission got to the point where they realized they had to even up the comp somewhat, they finally showed a set of nurries and attacked Subi.  Great decision for the comp I thought.  But now they are giving the Freo crabs an open ticket to rort any form of fairness.  So when are they going to do to the crabs what they did to Subi?  Didn’t they learn that average AFL team will beat the best the WAFL have to offer?  If I was a Subi supporter, I’d be friggin livid watching another open rule game (for the crabs only) starting to form as we head into the finals. FFS!!!

Mixed feelings 58, after the endless relentless crap we copped from opposition supporters, some who found joy in the fact we got beaten by an AFL team in 2 GF's, It's a bit of the chooks coming home to roost. Until a Joondy, EF, Cl or SF get rolled in a GF by Freo, attitudes wont change. Things were fine for many when Subi got rolled, but you will hear the screams of anguish if the above happens. Imagine the self righteous rage that will come, especially from our Joondy friends if they make the GF only to get rolled by Freo. Hopefully Freo will be out of the AFL finals after this weekend and the WAFL teams will only have to face 12 listed players unlike Subi who copped 15 -17 listed players.

That being said, the current arrangements are a farce and I will cheer hard for any team that knocks Freo out of our comp.
Go the Doggies this Sunday.

I'm playing devil's advocate here SS but I guess there wasn't a lot of sympathy for Subi back then because we had won flags in 2014 and 2015, dominated the comps in 2016 and 2017 only to be rolled by Peel in the GF's.

To put it in perspective, if we hadn't have lost to Peel in those GF's, we would have won 7 flags in eight years from 2014 to now so I can understand where other supporters are coming from but still believe the WAFC allowing Peel to load up on AFL listed players for the finals is just plain wrong.

Totally agree with those comments BC , still feel the the injustice of 2016 and 2017 with Peel being able to load up on full time afl players against a team who had been best all year before being beaten by them. Especially hurt that Shane Yarran and Josh Deluca played against us in 2016 with Deluca playing in 2017 also. If we had been able to call on “our” afl players Daniel Rich , Sam Menegola etc results may have been different but I know a few people who were completely disillusioned with the WAFL “competition “ at this time and haven’t returned.
This has been a tough season for Subi and we won’t get a lot of sympathy from others, but hopefully will inspire us to work harder again and solve the problems to return again in 2023 and beyond. Go Lions!!!

Senior Seagull wrote:

Mixed feelings 58, after the endless relentless crap we copped from opposition supporters, some who found joy in the fact we got beaten by an AFL team in 2 GF's, It's a bit of the chooks coming home to roost. Until a Joondy, EF, Cl or SF get rolled in a GF by Freo, attitudes wont change. Things were fine for many when Subi got rolled, but you will hear the screams of anguish if the above happens. Imagine the self righteous rage that will come, especially from our Joondy friends if they make the GF only to get rolled by Freo. Hopefully Freo will be out of the AFL finals after this weekend and the WAFL teams will only have to face 12 listed players unlike Subi who copped 15 -17 listed players.

That being said, the current arrangements are a farce and I will cheer hard for any team that knocks Freo out of our comp.
Go the Doggies this Sunday.

Well my ‘screams of anguish’ started in 2017.  I was peed off in 2016, but thought our WAFC wizards wouldn’t let that happen again.  I thought of walking away from the wafl after that, but needed my footy fix.  So here we go again and I may well do it this time no matter which real wafl team gets screwed by the Fremantle football club!! 

Are you any chance to get Teakle back 58? Under the midseason draft rules, players can go back and play finals with their original club if the AFL team doesn't make it and is prepared to release them like Matty Parker last year.