Review Good/Bad vs Gold Coast, Round 1 2024

[AFC979810]

But we couldn’t even make an early tactical change and get a big bloke off. You’ve admitted going in tall was a mistake therefore you can’t deny limiting our options to replace him also wasn’t a mistake.

I agree that Nicks should have had him come on half way through the 2nd quarter.

By the way, do you have a grab of Nicks saying it was fitness that made Soligo the sub?

It was quoted on another thread where Nicks mentioned that Soligo was coming off an ankle injury when discussing the sub for the week. I then assumed him saying that, the fact Soligo missed almost a month, the fact we had a 6 day break and were playing in miserable and taxing conditions that it made sense.

 

[ABAB]

Ok, what if we had an injury in the first 5 minutes?

Why didn’t he play a full game in the SANFL to get match fitness?

Why did we wait until after half time to bring him on?

Why was he training at the end of the game? Ie still had the capacity to play more game time.

Then his game time would have been managed through rotation.

 

[BACCS]

Rachele's ability to kick a set shot in pouring rain that comfortably went 55m+ is not a skill I thought he had, very impressive

 

[spenze]

Tex didn’t develop that for years either. It’ll come with Fog.

That will only develop when Tex is gone or doesn't play for an extended amount of time. Like most things it needs real matches to develop, not match sims, not training but real matches

 

[Eagleboy2011]

Hindsight is great. Sam Flanders instead of Fish in 2019 would have been an inspired pick.

 

[AFC979810]

They have had their time over and over again , they always stick to this “structure “ regardless of the opposition or weather.

We will always play 3 talls with limited pace and agility regardless.

Incorrect.

Less than a year ago we went into a matchup against Richmond with our 2 best key defenders being Nick Murray and Tom Doedee.

Lynch, Riewoldt and Samson Bloody Ryan kicked 8 goals between them.

 

[ABAB]

But we couldn’t even make an early tactical change and get a big bloke off. You’ve admitted going in tall was a mistake therefore you can’t deny limiting our options to replace him also wasn’t a mistake.

By the way, do you have a grab of Nicks saying it was fitness that made Soligo the sub?

Was the question asked?

 

[BunjiMac]

Players get exposed in wet or windy conditions if they have below average skills

Many of our players were found wanting last night

In the wet you also see who is unable to stand up in the clinches, in a physical, scrappy game

Again, a few of our players were found wanting

We won't use this information for anything of course

True talent executes where time and space is limited.

People who can only execute when in the clear and open under no pressure will.get absolutely found out in poorer conditions and definitely in finals.

This team has a number of players that will get found out. Sholl is a classic example of this and I'm really disappointed that the coaching staff are so stubborn as to have not learnt this lesson.

Sholl is such a slow thinker when the.pressure is on, that by the time he's made up his mind he's either tackled or simply goes long. This is as bad as a turnover.

We don't have a finals built team.

Murphy for all his endeavours is exactly the same and is incredibly poor under real pressure.

When the pressure rises, the minds ability to process information and move through decisions and execute is absolutely what talent is all about.

Unfortunately we have too many players who under pressure develop a fog in their minds and go into myself preservation mode.

I'm not saying everyone needs to be scott pendulbury or Andrew McLeod but this administration needs to consider the weight the put to low pressure training drills when assessing players.

 

[George Kramer]

I agree that Nicks should have had him come on half way through the 2nd quarter.



It was quoted on another thread where Nicks mentioned that Soligo was coming off an ankle injury when discussing the sub for the week. I then assumed him saying that, the fact Soligo missed almost a month, the fact we had a 6 day break and were playing in miserable and taxing conditions that it made sense.

So he could play 2 and a half quarters but not 4, is that what you’re seriously suggesting?

So that was before the game?

 

[John Who]

I think the weather conditions really didn’t suit us considering we’ve been playing in dry weather for the last 2 months. That was my guess on why we played so shit in the first 2 quarters.
We gave it a good arm wrestle in the 3rd quarter and the momentum felt like it was changing.
Bad - first half of abysmal skills
- Smith giving away an important 50m free, then shanking a short kick soon after (exactly what you shouldn’t do in rainy weather)

Good - Rachele’s goal kicking efforts was a standout, particularly in wet weather.
- Soligo looked great considering his preseason was limited with the leg injury.
- Crouch still hungry for the possessions.
- 4th quarter comeback; bottle it up boys and try and play like this for the first quarters!

 

[beartoo]

Need to find a way to create space for Fog to lead into. He's not much use otherwise.
I was bullish on Gollant. No longer. SANFL is ceiling.
I called the selection of our 53 k wingman as being stupid for a wet night. It was.
They ran riot for the 1st q and a half
Next time we need to control the ball early. Fortunately their manic early stuff didn't result in goals.
FFS get Soligo into the starting 18.
Keane in next week.

On SM-A115F using BigFooty.com mobile app

 

[FullyBigKPro]

Thought Michelanney was pretty solid last night, him and Worrell were our best defenders i thought.

It wont happen, but would love Curtin to come in and play Smith's role, Smith was putrid last night for a 'senior' player and leader.

 

[Thaiphoon23]

I wouldn't read too much into fog. Terrible conditions for talls which is evident from Luko being the only tall to score (only a point at that). I thought he moved up the ground and presented well and brought the ball to ground which is what you need your talks to do in these conditions.

 

[Redleg Crow]

I maintain we need to factor in that this was the Suns second game and our first. Why all the teams who played last week did not play each other this week and Rd1 featured teams who had not played last week playing this week is beyond me.

Our first half we looked like we hadn't had a decent hit out yet. The second half showed I think a better reflection of where we're at.

Still shit selection.

Soligo should never be a sub. If fitness was a worry, let him go for the first 3 quarters and then sub out.

Smith is 2024 Scotty Thompson

Murphy and Sholl need to be replaced next week.

Good signs from Crouch, Rankine, Pedler.

Some players are not wet weather players, and Dawson seems to be one. No need to panic though.

 

[AFC979810]

So he could play 2 and a half quarters but not 4, is that what you’re seriously suggesting?

So that was before the game?

I have outlined my thoughts many times.

Yes I believe he could play 2 and a half quarters not 4. I think the club (burgess) monitors fitness very seriously. These guys track sleep, eating, km's run absolutely everything. They would have an idea of what level he could perform at and for what duration.

Then the following factors would come into play:

1. He missed almost a month of training due to an ankle
2. The conditions were brutal (humidity, muddy ground, travel).
3. We only have a 6 day break.

So it would be a combination of how they expected Soligo to perform across 4 quarters, how he would recover and what the recovery implications were for Geelong in 6 days. The club would have the facts and percentages and would be very well placed to make a decision. Thats why, for the millionth time, I think its an absolutely reasonable decision by Nicks to have Soligo as the Sub.

 

[George Kramer]

I have outlined my thoughts many times.

Yes I believe he could play 2 and a half quarters not 4. I think the club (burgess) monitors fitness very seriously. These guys track sleep, eating, km's run absolutely everything. They would have an idea of what level he could perform at and for what duration.

Then the following factors would come into play:

1. He missed almost a month of training due to an ankle
2. The conditions were brutal (humidity, muddy ground, travel).
3. We only have a 6 day break.

So it would be a combination of how they expected Soligo to perform across 4 quarters, how he would recover and what the recovery implications were for Geelong in 6 days. The club would have the facts and percentages and would be very well placed to make a decision. Thats why, for the millionth time, I think its an absolutely reasonable decision by Nicks to have Soligo as the Sub.

I know that’s what you think, just means for the millionth time you’ve been wrong

By the way, how have you deducted he could play 2 1/2 quarters? Are you in the inner sanctum? Going by your posting, you have to assume Burgess said he could only play the game time he did

 

[Brenton Davy]

Dare I say, the Crows in the first half looked like they were coming off a pre-season while the Suns looked like they’d played a game already…

Round zero is for s**t

Quoted for cromulence

 

[footy4ever]

Name a tall forward that had a good game last night…

Yes I agree, first game also. Just didn't look a likely AFL standard to me.

 

[footy4ever]

Yes, Sholl would look like a star in training, not being hit or tackled by teammates like he was rag-dolled last night; in fact, nearly every game he plays.
He's not strong or smart enough to evade or break tackles and his handball oob when tackled last night showed him him up to be clueless under match pressure.

Infuriating the important times he got caught.

 

[footy4ever]

Bringing on Soligo.

As I noted in the other thread this was sheer coaching mastery.

 

[footy4ever]

Crouch, Rankine and ROB were about our only 4 quarter good players I thought, Rachele a very good 2nd half, Berry, Worrell, Michalanney and Butts all had their moments. That's about it.

I thought Milera and Hinge were good also.

 

[AFC979810]

I know that’s what you think, just means for the millionth time you’ve been wrong

Well thats just silly. You are like a dog at a bone.

By the way, how have you deducted he could play 2 1/2 quarters? Are you in the inner sanctum? Going by your posting, you have to assume Burgess said he could only play the game time he did

No I am not in the inner sanctum. Haven't claimed I am. Have said many times that my comments are an assumption based on what info we fans have access to.

Once more its an assumption and its based on Nick's comments, and the undeniable facts that we face a 6 day break, Soligo missed close to a month due to an ankle injury and the brutal conditions in Queensland.

Now with those things combined is it unreasonable to use a player as a sub in the first match of the year? I argue it isn't.

My argument is based on the above. What are your arguments that my assumption is wrong? Before round 1 - Soligo has played 37 games in 2022/2023. He appeared as a sub in only one of those games (his second ever game - round 2, 2022). Do you think Soligo has just fallen out of favor?

 

[SugarShane]

By contrast, Hardwick's influence on GCS after only ONE pre-season is obvious. Sadly, I see no such Nicks-stamp on the Crows after 4 years other than backing in the seniors and selection blunders, week after week.

In 2016, Richmond finished 13th on 8 wins with 79.5% .
I'd like to bottle whatever changed from then until end 2020 and make the Crows drink it, daily, instead of the poisoned Kool Aid they are guzzling now.

In another contrast, in his first 7 years from 10 to 16 he had a record that makes Ken Hinkley look good. 7 years, 3 finals games for 3 losses. For a few years it was a journo tradition to ask "When will they sack Hardwick?"

As it stands at GC, he's coached 3 flags and has walked into a club that has had leg up after leg up. Of course he's going to have them looking pretty hot. Whether they can keep it up all year has always been GC's issue.

 

[baldandbroke]

OK - after a night of swearing and a morning of shaking my head, here's my take:

• Rankine needs to play forward, only occasional midfield attendance
• Rachele needs to play forward, only occasional midfield attendance
• Soligo is in the best 5, let alone 22
• Anyone who does not rank Keays is blind
• Sholl is backup
• Smith is backup
• Burgess is backup
• Gollant is backup
• Murphy is #22 picked

As soon as we put Rankine and Rachele back in the forward line our other players looked better - like Dawson and Pedlar and Berry.

It's not "oh no, no Tex no forward line" - last night it was "No Tex, No Thilthorpe, No Rankine, No Rachelle" ... that is nuts. Poor Fog was left to "compete" which he did, without a single honoured lead to my memory.

We need to trust more of our players coming through to take on real roles, not fill those roles with guys that have excelled elsewhere - leaving new holes to worry about. We cannot keep the experience is king going with ANY players or we will die on the vine.

Cook and Nank and Curtin can not provide less than Murphy and Sholl and Smith ... not in the short term, and definitely not in the longer term.

The things we couldn't control:

• the weather
• playing a team that had already had a game in round 0, at their home ground
• the umpires (no holding the ball, no idea what deliberate is, no idea what advantage is, a free against the runner is pretty rare)

Things we could control:

• who we picked (including the sub)
• where they played
• not giving away 50m for soft idiocy
• not kicking directly to oppo players 20m out

Disastrous to think this is the best we could come up with after 5 months of planning and practice.

I understand (and was onboard) the rotation of Rachele and Rankine in the middle when we had our full forward line in play, but when we have the legs cut out from injury ... you have to come up with something better than what we saw for the 1st hour 45 mins.

Nicks needs to do better, or he needs to step aside. We CANNOT waste this group of players on mid-table finishes.

I hated what was said after the game. If Nicks backs in the team for next week then the black marks get multiplied.

/rant

 

[Hodgy]

True talent executes where time and space is limited.

People who can only execute when in the clear and open under no pressure will.get absolutely found out in poorer conditions and definitely in finals.

This team has a number of players that will get found out. Sholl is a classic example of this and I'm really disappointed that the coaching staff are so stubborn as to have not learnt this lesson.

Sholl is such a slow thinker when the.pressure is on, that by the time he's made up his mind he's either tackled or simply goes long. This is as bad as a turnover.

We don't have a finals built team.

Murphy for all his endeavours is exactly the same and is incredibly poor under real pressure.

When the pressure rises, the minds ability to process information and move through decisions and execute is absolutely what talent is all about.

Unfortunately we have too many players who under pressure develop a fog in their minds and go into myself preservation mode.

I'm not saying everyone needs to be scott pendulbury or Andrew McLeod but this administration needs to consider the weight the put to low pressure training drills when assessing players.

I totally agree with this. Darren Jarman was a perfect example of having innate ability to process information quickly, which allowed him to be where the ball was despite average speed and fitness.

I also agree that it’s far fetched to expect your whole team to have these qualities, but we do need to get them in the important areas. You can just see with Jake Soligo that he often moves totally on instinct, like the play that led to Rankines goal in the last quarter last night, and it makes you shake your head even more that our coaching group kept a 3 possession lumbering tall forward on for 2 and a half quarters before bringing him on.

You are also correct that this isn’t a finals built team atm.