Yes, I know it's hard to play good football when you're missing 5-10 of your best. But the Dogs are a team that lost to Melbourne. That lost to the Gold Coast. That beat GWS by under a kick.
We had enough quality to win this game. Worryingly, the Dogs wanted it more. They played well under pressure. The Eagles for large parts of the game, namely in the 2nd and 3rd looked rudderless. There didn't appear to be much method to our madness. There wasn't much leadership or direction.
If the season wasn't already over, it now certainly is cooked. Right at this moment, admittedly engulfed in negativity, it's hard to see a win in the last 5 games. No chance against the Essendon 'we aren't drug cheats but we called in ASADA to investigate our use of drugs to improve performance' Bombers. No chance against the mediocre Pies. No chance against the smug Cats. Little chance against Adelaide.
Next week against the Suns may be our only chance for another 'W'. If it was on the Gold Coast we would be underdogs. In fact, given our home record, 2-7, I repeat 2-7, I suggest they still should be favourites. I'm now deeply regretting purchasing tickets to that game. But on the other hand, I'd watch it on TV anyway, so I might as well see the potential disaster in person.
The loss was compounded by what appeared to be a serious ankle injury to Masten. Until today he was one of the only midfielders to avoid bodily harm this season. Be careful Priddis.
There were still some positives. Wellingham stepped up his play big time. He showed the class and flair that drove us to recruit him last spring. Those 2 goals in the second were sublime. He also took a great mark in the the last quarter. Hopefully he will give us something to look forward to the remainder of the season. Hill also had productive outing against his old team, including a superb goal in the first term. Then there's JJK. That tackle was a thing of beauty. That's the ferocity, the never say die attitude this team needs. It was an amazing effort against the greatest player ever, Luke Dalhaus.
Kudos to the commentators as well. A very neutral performance by the pros at 7. Led by the inimitable Leigh "I hope the Dogs win" Montagna. I'm glad he said that though. I would hate to have any one associated with the stinking carcass of a club which is Stkilda support the Eagles.
Does this result affect Worsfold's future? I Wouldn't think so. Rightly or wrongly (wrongly in my opinion) the board has already rubber stamped a new contract for John. Just because he's a club legend doesn't mean he is beyond reproach. Ultimately, he is the one responsible for this mess of a season. Yes, injuries have been devastating. Indeed, we have used 37 players in total this season and only four players - Andrew Gaff, Matt Priddis, Dean Cox and Jack Darling - have managed to play all 17 games. But the team has been asleep for most of the season. They failed in critical games. I'm not saying I want him to be fired. But his reappointment should not be a fait accompli.
Cometti wrote:
Injuries played a part, sure, but this Eagles model seemed lacklustre, regardless. Even the best loved Eagle of them all, John Worsfold, found himself too unstable to provide stability. The coach took us on a remarkable detour concerning his future when the present was slipping away. Yet, I'm sure most Eagles fans remain keen to see him continue into his 13th season in 2014.I've wrote it before, but Worsfold has acted rather erratically this season. He conveyed poor body language to the team, he was out coached and even took a cheap shot at Kerr. As for Cometti's line about most fans would be keen to see him stay, I'm not sure about that. Obviously, I don't have any stats, but based on what I've seen on twitter, I'd suggest right now the reaction is 'lukewarm' to his inevitable reappointment. I've yet to see a fan vehemently in favour of his return.
I think I'll put up a poll to gauge opinion, hopefully it gets more than 10 votes...
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