Well, after 3 promising weeks to start the new era of the AFC, the big question prior to R4 was whether we had truly reformed or whether the old Crows were due to resurface? Were we now a gut running, hard tackling, selfless, organised, efficient machine or, once an opposition was able to scratch the surface, would we find the physically insipid, individually orientated, haphazard and unpredictable Crows of old?
After years of snatching failure from the jaws of success, deep within most learned Crow supporters this week was a nagging sense of pessimism that this was a massive danger game…and so it turned out to be.
Q1:
- Early on it was obvious the Bulldogs had come to play. Their intensity at the contest, run and spread, and team structure had us under the pump. Unfortunately, the umps added the icing on their cake allowing them shots at goal whilst down the other end we struggled to convert the easy chances to stay in touch. - - We fumbled, made poor decisions, had no lead-up forwards and I damn near lost my s**t when I predicted Ten Goal Tommy would no doubt ignore the sensible option to look inboard to a 3v1 impossible kick…which he duly did
Our pre-game fears were realised.
Q2:
- My notes very early in 2nd quarter stated the defensive match-up on Stringer had to change. He was ripping us a new one and Boyd was never going to…the swap needed to be made. I'm hoping Phil simply had the longer term educational view in mind cos Hartigan really got schooled.
- Our goal kicking was laughable, tackling back to last years level, skills atrocious, Jenkins was taking the shortest steps ever for a guy his size and Tex looked pre-occupied with body contact and going one-handed at the contest.
- 2 goals at the end gave us a slither of hope and a flattering scoreline.
Q3:
- What an insipid display. For the first half we were comprehensively pantsed but this took it to a whole new level of embarrassment. It was a soulless, soft, gutless quarter.
- Highlights were Hartigan 'dropping the comeback' (I've heard he's got a comedy gig booked in for the Fringe next year…great slapstick act apparently full of slips, juggling, and falcons), Tex trying to boot another snap shot 80m and the Bulldogs getting another ridiculous free for headbutting an opponent.
- Thompson and CEY kept trying to stem the midfield avalanche.
Q4:
- Smith finally woke up and started playing proper footy…he was shocked to find he was playing the Bulldogs when he thought it was the Pies in R2…can someone fill him in on the last couple weeks cos I'm sure he hasn't been right.
- Despite the effort it was more of the Crows of old structurally…hacking it forward with no method, preferably to Eddie in a 1v4 due to a distinct lack of decent options presenting up the field.
- Betts is a freak and I hope we can assemble a decent list before he's too old.
Where was the game won/lost?
- I'm not sure who the 22 bodies were in Crows guernsey's out there but it seems the real blokes didn't board the plane. It can only be said in hindsight but we just weren't up for the challenge mentally.
- Some quite rightly will also question our physical preparation…we looked flat as a tack from the start.
- But credit where it is due…the Bulldogs were sensational. Their tackling pressure, running game, defensive structure to block our rebound exits (every time we switched player they zoned the space perfectly), and skill level were impressive for a young outfit.
- Personnel wise, when the 'team defence', work ethic and structure was insufficient, we were exposed. We lack class defenders, marking forwards and midfielders who can run both ways every week.
- Overall poor prep, shallow list depth and a rabid opposition caused us to regress to the Crows of 2013-14.
Stats:
- WB scored 11.11 from our turnovers…reminds me of the start of 2014 when we were league leaders!
- Tackles 51-69
- Clangers 50-31
- Scoring shots 18-35
- Uncontested possessions 209-258
- Efficiency 67%-77%
I reckon these sum it up.
Key Moments:
- Dangerfield's inaccuracy in the 1st quarter was inexcusable. A couple of very easy shots we desperately needed to halt the momentum. Instead, he choked it and the horse bolted.
- Hartigan 'dropped the comeback' early in the 3rd, handing a second wave of momentum to the Bulldogs and away they went!
- Jenkins taking a half-decent contested grab in the dying minutes…I put it in here as an 'anti key moment' because it was so effing infuriating given his disgraceful performance for the rest of the day. To have the affront to pretend he was a key marking forward when the Bulldogs were basically walking off for a well deserved shower just highlighted what an imposter he has been this year. On multiple occasions Betts had to contest a pack while Jenkins waited out for the crumbs FFS.
Decisive Match-Ups:
- Hartigan v Stringer…poor match up, was obviously in need of a change after the 1st quarter (at the latest). Walsh persisted, and so did the Stringer onslaught.
- Walker v Talia…oh dear, it really hurts cos I was one of a few who stated before the trade period that MT was a perfect target. We needed a mature KPD, he would've been a low price, was on the outer but clearly had potential. Oh well. On the other side of it, Tex must be injured cos he's struggling to move/jump/kick/cover the ground. Chalk and cheese from R1.
- Murphy v ??? (VB/Mackay)…not only did our forwards do bugger all but those charged with 'cooling' Bob were abject failures.
What we've learned?
This is a tough one because this game stands in stark contrast to the first 3. I guess the sample size is growing but here goes:
- Leopards don't change their spots…Jenkins and Henderson simply do not know how to impose themselves physically. It's embarrassing.
- Our list is nowhere near good enough to compete in September. We need decent KPD's, KPF's, and running mids. Trigg's legacy lives on.
- Walsh is taking the long view and this is no quick fix…if it was Hartigan would've been moved much earlier.
- Eddie Betts is currently our best key forward and best small forward at the same time…quite a feat.
- CEY is a keeper. After a promising start in contributing to good wins, he stood up today against the tide.
Questions:
- Are 'ground ball gets' a critical stat and are they correlating to results on the scoreboard? If not, does this bring into question Phil's whole game plan?
- Where are the best position/roles for the following players: VB, Mackay, Henderson, Jaensch, Lynch? I'm thinking I'd like to try VB back to get him out of the flankers graveyard, Hendo HF to utilise his running and lead-up marking while minimising his time squibbing in defence, Mackay sub, Jaensch wing as we have Brown/Laird in defence and i reckon Jaensch could use his kick to greater effect up field, Lynch…persist HF/swingman but ffs just choose the obvious option and stop trying to be someone you're not.
- How will Walsh improve our transition game this week? Who will provide a lead-up target…we know it won't be Fabio Jenkins. How will we recapture the defensive pressure through the middle part of the ground to stop us getting sliced up so easily?
- Who should debut this week…Lever, O'Brien or Ramsey?
- Should Scott Thompson stay in the side? Will he…100% yes. Should he? Stupid question based on today's performance but I'd still like to see him well and truly phased out this season. We have a bunch of inside mids and at least one should be traded…we need to see who will cut the mustard this year!
MVP:
1. Scott Thompson…sounds hypocritical after the above comment but hard to go past his contribution today. Sure he's old and slow but at least he showed some pride in his performance, some fight in the clinches. I still wonder about how he can contribute defensively across the ground but tbh the same criticism could be levelled against Lyons, Grigg and Junior.
2. Sam Jacobs…plenty of hit-outs against crap opposition but also contributed around the ground and at least tried to be a marking target. Not his best game but a solid contribution.
3. Cam Ellis-Yolmen…full of heart and endeavour. Love what he's bringing. Fought to the end, took some nice marks, didn't panic as much as the others, 6 clearances and only one less hit-out than Jenkins.
4. Matthew Jaensch…stats may flatter a little as lots of kicks were sideways crabs which didn't achieve a lot but was generally clean with ball in hand, defended pretty well given the pressure the defence was under and actually looked like he gave a s**t.
5. Jake Kelly…bit an encouragement award here as Betts 4 goals were no doubt a bigger contribution (though when the game was over). Jake defended strongly and disposed of it within his limitations resulting in a good disposal efficiency for a guy with generally poor skills…at least he's not like Lynch who thinks his kicking is way better than it is!
Well, thank God I didn't have to pick the bottom 5 as 15 blokes would've deserved votes!
Now we have a balanced sample size, it's onwards to the Showdown which will reveal whether we were early season pretenders or still a team on the rise?!
After years of snatching failure from the jaws of success, deep within most learned Crow supporters this week was a nagging sense of pessimism that this was a massive danger game…and so it turned out to be.
Q1:
- Early on it was obvious the Bulldogs had come to play. Their intensity at the contest, run and spread, and team structure had us under the pump. Unfortunately, the umps added the icing on their cake allowing them shots at goal whilst down the other end we struggled to convert the easy chances to stay in touch. - - We fumbled, made poor decisions, had no lead-up forwards and I damn near lost my s**t when I predicted Ten Goal Tommy would no doubt ignore the sensible option to look inboard to a 3v1 impossible kick…which he duly did
Our pre-game fears were realised.Q2:
- My notes very early in 2nd quarter stated the defensive match-up on Stringer had to change. He was ripping us a new one and Boyd was never going to…the swap needed to be made. I'm hoping Phil simply had the longer term educational view in mind cos Hartigan really got schooled.
- Our goal kicking was laughable, tackling back to last years level, skills atrocious, Jenkins was taking the shortest steps ever for a guy his size and Tex looked pre-occupied with body contact and going one-handed at the contest.
- 2 goals at the end gave us a slither of hope and a flattering scoreline.
Q3:
- What an insipid display. For the first half we were comprehensively pantsed but this took it to a whole new level of embarrassment. It was a soulless, soft, gutless quarter.
- Highlights were Hartigan 'dropping the comeback' (I've heard he's got a comedy gig booked in for the Fringe next year…great slapstick act apparently full of slips, juggling, and falcons), Tex trying to boot another snap shot 80m and the Bulldogs getting another ridiculous free for headbutting an opponent.
- Thompson and CEY kept trying to stem the midfield avalanche.
Q4:
- Smith finally woke up and started playing proper footy…he was shocked to find he was playing the Bulldogs when he thought it was the Pies in R2…can someone fill him in on the last couple weeks cos I'm sure he hasn't been right.
- Despite the effort it was more of the Crows of old structurally…hacking it forward with no method, preferably to Eddie in a 1v4 due to a distinct lack of decent options presenting up the field.
- Betts is a freak and I hope we can assemble a decent list before he's too old.
Where was the game won/lost?
- I'm not sure who the 22 bodies were in Crows guernsey's out there but it seems the real blokes didn't board the plane. It can only be said in hindsight but we just weren't up for the challenge mentally.
- Some quite rightly will also question our physical preparation…we looked flat as a tack from the start.
- But credit where it is due…the Bulldogs were sensational. Their tackling pressure, running game, defensive structure to block our rebound exits (every time we switched player they zoned the space perfectly), and skill level were impressive for a young outfit.
- Personnel wise, when the 'team defence', work ethic and structure was insufficient, we were exposed. We lack class defenders, marking forwards and midfielders who can run both ways every week.
- Overall poor prep, shallow list depth and a rabid opposition caused us to regress to the Crows of 2013-14.
Stats:
- WB scored 11.11 from our turnovers…reminds me of the start of 2014 when we were league leaders!
- Tackles 51-69
- Clangers 50-31
- Scoring shots 18-35
- Uncontested possessions 209-258
- Efficiency 67%-77%
I reckon these sum it up.
Key Moments:
- Dangerfield's inaccuracy in the 1st quarter was inexcusable. A couple of very easy shots we desperately needed to halt the momentum. Instead, he choked it and the horse bolted.
- Hartigan 'dropped the comeback' early in the 3rd, handing a second wave of momentum to the Bulldogs and away they went!
- Jenkins taking a half-decent contested grab in the dying minutes…I put it in here as an 'anti key moment' because it was so effing infuriating given his disgraceful performance for the rest of the day. To have the affront to pretend he was a key marking forward when the Bulldogs were basically walking off for a well deserved shower just highlighted what an imposter he has been this year. On multiple occasions Betts had to contest a pack while Jenkins waited out for the crumbs FFS.
Decisive Match-Ups:
- Hartigan v Stringer…poor match up, was obviously in need of a change after the 1st quarter (at the latest). Walsh persisted, and so did the Stringer onslaught.
- Walker v Talia…oh dear, it really hurts cos I was one of a few who stated before the trade period that MT was a perfect target. We needed a mature KPD, he would've been a low price, was on the outer but clearly had potential. Oh well. On the other side of it, Tex must be injured cos he's struggling to move/jump/kick/cover the ground. Chalk and cheese from R1.
- Murphy v ??? (VB/Mackay)…not only did our forwards do bugger all but those charged with 'cooling' Bob were abject failures.
What we've learned?
This is a tough one because this game stands in stark contrast to the first 3. I guess the sample size is growing but here goes:
- Leopards don't change their spots…Jenkins and Henderson simply do not know how to impose themselves physically. It's embarrassing.
- Our list is nowhere near good enough to compete in September. We need decent KPD's, KPF's, and running mids. Trigg's legacy lives on.
- Walsh is taking the long view and this is no quick fix…if it was Hartigan would've been moved much earlier.
- Eddie Betts is currently our best key forward and best small forward at the same time…quite a feat.
- CEY is a keeper. After a promising start in contributing to good wins, he stood up today against the tide.
Questions:
- Are 'ground ball gets' a critical stat and are they correlating to results on the scoreboard? If not, does this bring into question Phil's whole game plan?
- Where are the best position/roles for the following players: VB, Mackay, Henderson, Jaensch, Lynch? I'm thinking I'd like to try VB back to get him out of the flankers graveyard, Hendo HF to utilise his running and lead-up marking while minimising his time squibbing in defence, Mackay sub, Jaensch wing as we have Brown/Laird in defence and i reckon Jaensch could use his kick to greater effect up field, Lynch…persist HF/swingman but ffs just choose the obvious option and stop trying to be someone you're not.
- How will Walsh improve our transition game this week? Who will provide a lead-up target…we know it won't be Fabio Jenkins. How will we recapture the defensive pressure through the middle part of the ground to stop us getting sliced up so easily?
- Who should debut this week…Lever, O'Brien or Ramsey?
- Should Scott Thompson stay in the side? Will he…100% yes. Should he? Stupid question based on today's performance but I'd still like to see him well and truly phased out this season. We have a bunch of inside mids and at least one should be traded…we need to see who will cut the mustard this year!
MVP:
1. Scott Thompson…sounds hypocritical after the above comment but hard to go past his contribution today. Sure he's old and slow but at least he showed some pride in his performance, some fight in the clinches. I still wonder about how he can contribute defensively across the ground but tbh the same criticism could be levelled against Lyons, Grigg and Junior.
2. Sam Jacobs…plenty of hit-outs against crap opposition but also contributed around the ground and at least tried to be a marking target. Not his best game but a solid contribution.
3. Cam Ellis-Yolmen…full of heart and endeavour. Love what he's bringing. Fought to the end, took some nice marks, didn't panic as much as the others, 6 clearances and only one less hit-out than Jenkins.
4. Matthew Jaensch…stats may flatter a little as lots of kicks were sideways crabs which didn't achieve a lot but was generally clean with ball in hand, defended pretty well given the pressure the defence was under and actually looked like he gave a s**t.
5. Jake Kelly…bit an encouragement award here as Betts 4 goals were no doubt a bigger contribution (though when the game was over). Jake defended strongly and disposed of it within his limitations resulting in a good disposal efficiency for a guy with generally poor skills…at least he's not like Lynch who thinks his kicking is way better than it is!
Well, thank God I didn't have to pick the bottom 5 as 15 blokes would've deserved votes!
Now we have a balanced sample size, it's onwards to the Showdown which will reveal whether we were early season pretenders or still a team on the rise?!
