Review NAB Challenge Game 2 - Brisbane Lions def. Sydney Swans

[John]

Completely disagree with this.

Not all key forwards can have an immediate Carey/Brereton impact. Expectations on some of these guys that we hope will reconstruct our forward half the likes Close 14 games, McStay 9 games & even Freeman 4 games seriously needs to be tempered. I was happy last night to see Close especially in the 2nd half jumping at the ball, into & over packs. Unfortunately they didn't stick but the signs were good - even the commentators picked up on it. He is far from the Lisle type of player to which your reaction would be applicable.

Gives these guys some time to develop FFS. At what point did Hawkins/Cameron smack someone & cop 6 weeks in order to develop - ridiculous thought.

I would be more concerned about the position of Staker & McGuane. Yes, I am contradicting myself as these guys also need time, but at this point the young guys who are being singled out look far more likely than some of the senior blokes who are getting none of it.

Bobby Bobby Bobby. What don't you get about modern footy talk. The young blokes, especially when playing in scratch match, must show the combined attributes of every great player to grace the game. The older players must be discarded in favour of some obscure untried draft pick who will be a superstar until he fails to live up to that expectation and players coming back from injuries never have a chance to rehabilitate their careers via a programme designed to aid them to work back into the team.

Some of the stuff of I have read around here had me shaking my head. We have a 20 year old KPP with a 14 game season under his belt that showed promising signs that he was not scared of body contact, could take a contested mark, (I watched them happen in front of me a few times while sipping my chardy and wiping my monocle) and got put in the ruck FWIW. Will he make it? I don't know but I am now convinced that that promising 1st season may have been a figment of my chardy hazes mind and battered mono

If you and a couple of others give up posting around here I will be joining the exodus.

 

[chopperduck]

Yeah i noticed we were hand balling out in front of players inside 50 a lot and it was intentional. TBH i dont think we have the top end speed for this to always work, but i figure it might have been due to slippery conditions. Could also be a tactic to limit turn overs. By putting the ball in front it does give our small players a good chance ratjer than trying to hit that perfect handball or kick so they dont break stride (which we rarely can).

 

[carnthemlions]

Completely disagree with this.

Not all key forwards can have an immediate Carey/Brereton impact. Expectations on some of these guys that we hope will reconstruct our forward half the likes Close 14 games, McStay 9 games & even Freeman 4 games seriously needs to be tempered. I was happy last night to see Close especially in the 2nd half jumping at the ball, into & over packs. Unfortunately they didn't stick but the signs were good - even the commentators picked up on it. He is far from the Lisle type of player to which your reaction would be applicable.

Gives these guys some time to develop FFS. At what point did Hawkins/Cameron smack someone & cop 6 weeks in order to develop - ridiculous thought.

I would be more concerned about the position of Staker & McGuane. Yes, I am contradicting myself as these guys also need time, but at this point the young guys who are being singled out look far more likely than some of the senior blokes who are getting none of it.

Yeah but I want it NOW!
I think it's easy to forget how long it takes for some key forwards to develop. It's not an easy position to play in, especially when you have older and stronger defenders wrestling, holding and blocking your run at the ball all day. I think it's never been harder to be a key forward. It's not just you vs your opponent anymore.

 

[Reardo]

I'm loving Rog's reverse ponytail.

 

[Cockliff38]

The big thing I took out of the game was Liam Dawson at HFF. Great lead-up option who did some really nice things. He won the Eddie McGuire Medal for best academy player on the field.
Midfield again was good. Thought we won quite a few one-on-one contests against their bigger mids (Kenney et al) but alternatively we had a few broken tackles.
Merrett - so at home down back. Set and forget for the year.
Our tempo footy was great. Knew when to go and when to slow it down. Very impressive.
Additionally to the previous point, it was probably the most structured performance I have seen from a Brisbane team in some time. Very systematic and very pleasing.
Not completely sold on a HB line featuring Ceams and Lester - two horrible skill errors in one passage of play had us pushed back about 70m. I'll put last night's execution down to the dew - which was telling despite Matty Campbell's interpretation of 'perfect conditions'.
Paps did some really nice things. Looks like he's playing with a lot of confidence for a guy built like a string bean.
McStay started like a house on fire but cooled considerably. (That goal outside 50 was so Jeremy Cameron-like).
Overall it looks like we're in good condition after last week's scratchy hit-out. The telling pre-season game will be the Suns' match but there's plenty of cause for optimism.

Oh and I love Squizzy Taylor

 

[jackess]

Bewick is becoming one of our most important to replace Hanley's outside run. Would love to see him kick a few goals though.

 

[Cousin Jed]

Whist I agree Size Matters over uses the ball a little..... Poor form Jed. He is a regular contributor and a mad Lions fan...... And that's good enough for me.

All in good humour in response to these:

Redden has been poor last two weeks.

Mayes has been poor last two weeks.

No harm meant

 

[Matt_BL]

I think there's also a distinction between a player being 'poor' and being 'quiet'. Redden has been quiet but he's done enough. Theres nothing to play for apart from gaining touch and match fitness. When the times comes he'll be ready.

 

[POBT]

Close got to the contests last night. That says he understand the game better than last year. So a tick from me in that area.

He didn't get ragdolled which is another positive about his rate of improvement.

He did some good defensive work at ground level. Tick.

My only issue with him is that I think he lacks explosiveness. I doesn't seem to be that he has a very good vertical leap which means he's fairly easy to defend against at the drop of the footy.

I think he's going to prove to be a workmanlike forward. And that will get him games.

 

[John]

I think he's going to prove to be a workmanlike forward. And that will get him games.

and if you are right he is joining the vast majority of players that there has been in our game.

 

[Ironmonger]

Just loving the post match discussion on this thread. Real sense of optimistic excitement without going overboard. Very enjoyable to read.

 

[whatboutbob]

We're gonna win the flag!!!!!!!!!11!!11!!

 

[POBT]

and if you are right he is joining the vast majority of players that there has been in our game.

Exactly. An awful lot of premiership forwards were no better than workmanlike.

 

[POBT]

We're gonna win the flag!!!!!!!!!11!!11!!

Bit early for that mate. We beat last year's grand finalists so all we can really say is that, at worst, we are the second best side in the comp.

 

[chopperduck]

If he took a couple more marks that he dropped, it would have been a very solid game from Close. I have noticed he can get stuck under the ball a bit when it comes in on his head. He is much better when he can protect and lead to the drop zone of the ball. Which considering our midfield is a positive i think. He is very much a leading forward, not a contested marking forward. But we are also dangerous enough at ground level that if he can just bring the ball to ground and lay a few tackles he is doing his job as a target inside 50m.

He wont gey many opportunities a game where he will get a nice pass on a nice lead which ends up in a shot on goal, so he needs to convert those chances he gets. He is very much a 1-2 goal a game forward.

Has been potted here a bit for not running more and working his opponent over, but i think that has more to do with his role in the team structure than anything else. He isnt a dumb forward or lacking fitness. If he wasnt running to the right areas he would get dropped.

 

[Simba Moyo]

Paps is really growing on me. I wasn't sure where he would fit in the side but seeing him play with some confidence and utilising his tank up and down the field is great to watch. Applies pressure in the back half and with his added height is a real point of difference and links up really well. Even snagged a goal! Can see him having a real breakout year if he keeps working hard.

Also, his don't argue was a thing of beauty

 

[Brettles]

I think a role as a defensive mid/tagger would be well within Adcock's abilities, assuming we have enough real defensive smalls down back.

Interesting thought!

I do think at times we lack that quality stopper, the oppositions most damaging player does all to often have a field day against us (I'm sureTrent Cotchin gets his pen out to circle the Brisbane Lions fixture/s each year). It would be nice to have a player that could make things a big more difficult for them and I thought Bewick did a decent job of this last year when called upon.

I wonder if there's enough room to have Adcock or Bewick running around in the centre square in that locking down role with all our other midfield talent though.... opinions?


(Btw - Whats Green paying for +40 goals this year, lock it in!!)

 

[POBT]

One thing I really like is when both ruckmen are on the field for a forward fifty stoppage. Leuey takes the tap and Martin sits a kick behind play. While a two ruck strategy has a lot of risks, it is at that moment that the structure has the potential to really pay off. You get Leuey's creative tap work setting up goal scoring opportunities but Martin's mobility makes the forward press difficult to work through.

 

[whatboutbob]

Martin really has remained stupidly mobile given his bulk. Hope his legs hold up.

 

[dlanod]

Martin really has remained stupidly mobile given his bulk. Hope his legs hold up.

He's a freak.

 

[SizeMatters]

Martin isn't just a mobile freak... he is very good around the stoppages and his ruck work seems to be under rated around here. Hopefully no injuries but a few boys will be sore at the moment.

 

[Football Pope]

One thing I really like is when both ruckmen are on the field for a forward fifty stoppage. Leuey takes the tap and Martin sits a kick behind play. While a two ruck strategy has a lot of risks, it is at that moment that the structure has the potential to really pay off. You get Leuey's creative tap work setting up goal scoring opportunities but Martin's mobility makes the forward press difficult to work through.

Yeah spot on!...payed off nicely in the 4th quarter.. kick came in to the top of the square.. Leuey taps the ball to advantage of our crumbers...goal...Thought we over did it a bit with the set shot for goals as in being delivered to the top of the square..would rather we just slotted 'em through.

 

[Elixuh]

Initially when Taylor stayed lying on the ground after he hurt his shoulder I thought he was just having a rest. Runs for days.

Mitch Robinson has really won me over during the course of the preseason.

Having Alastair Lynch on the commentary panel is good for the Lions. He doesn't barrack for us (IMO) but he does know who players are and generally a lot more than the other commentators do on Lions list management etc. Probably better for the casual Lions observer as well. Nothing worse than watching a Lions game and having the commentators spend a majority of the time discussing the other club in depth because they clearly don't have the knowledge base to extend it to the Lions.

 

[whatboutbob]

Geeze I love Leppa's pressers:

http://www.lions.com.au/video/2015-03-06/nab-challenge-post-match-leppitsch

 

[charles202]

Was super impressed with Dawson, he just seems to have really good game sense, the thought of having him and Mayes as long term HFF gives me hope for the long term forward structure.

Still not getting a lot from FF, I was actually quite happy with Close's game, wonder if the brains trust is considering using FF as the resting get second ruck and playing an extra running player. Our somewhat manic style could use the extra set of legs more than a below average FF.

Must admit that I am not a fan of Rich off HBF but it might be the best way to manage his return from injury. Defensive smalls is an area of our list that I am worried about as the cupboard seems a bit bare.