Review AFL Round 18 autopsy - GWS Giants defeated by Geelong by 7 points

[Shai]

And one of todays papers has a photo of Hawkins, with a GWS holding him with a fist full of jumper, and the ball out well away from both players. Surely holding the man without the ball- but bet it wasn't paid as a free kick that would hold the flow of the game up.

Sadly this has become the expected with any opp team inserted in place of GWS, why he should be penalised any more than another "power" foward is beyond me but time after time he's had to suffer any number of infractions with no recognition/reward..

 

[winty]

Sadly this has become the expected with any opp team inserted in place of GWS, why he should be penalised any more than another "power" foward is beyond me but time after time he's had to suffer any number of infractions with no recognition/reward..

Yeah, it would be good if Tom got the Riewoldt treatment from the twerps in green.

Kersten was copping similar treatment last night too.

 

[Spazz Cat]

I think Guthrie will be playing in the middle. It's one of the very few, if any, MC decisions I would nearly be prepared to bet on.
I also think we'll continue to be whacked in clearances, and will continue to play around the problem as we have for the past 2-3 seasons.

It's not a Guthrie knock, he's just about my fav player. I just think we need him down back + the only game this year we've looked good around stoppages was the last Norf game when we had the old c***s around the ball

 

[DV2000]

no Christensen and Blicavs is a lot of extra run through midfield missing. Wonder why Bundy missed?
Likely would have allowed us to hold a 3 goal lead late in the final term had they played.

Bundy was ill, apparently with flu-like symptoms. Should be back for the next match

 

[Shai]

I'm far more worried about North Melbourne than what I am of Fremantle and Hawthorn coming up. The latter are tired and carrying some old aching bodies. North Melbourne were not prepared to run on Friday, more between the ears for that side which is why they are going to be set for us after we got them earlier in the season too.

A question for you Bobby, d'ya believe our defense and forwards are better than Carlton's..? I do and that was where NM were worst for mine..

 

[Teriyakicat]

I'm pretty sure in all of those good games we has Simpson, Hmac, and Blitz all playing. Also Mcarthy and Varcoe both playing as pressure forwards.

Burbury also played in the first half dozen games- as a pressure forward. I'd love to see the stats for our time spent inside 50 during those first few weeks!

 

[Shai]

So. a lil light reading (18 pages worth) and it seems I watched a different game to most Was Jimmy really that bad..? And Kersten who I thought did some pretty good things.. oh well, the best for me was the fact that the last 3 weeks, regardless of the position of the opps, were the product of some good team work and we are definitely on the up.. don't say we can win the flag but keep improving & I'll b 1 happy Cat..

 

[JUBJUB]

Bundy was ill, apparently with flu-like symptoms. Should be back for the next match

Unless it's the dreaded Essendon flu,then it's R.I.P Bundy

 

[Stocks_go_Up]

Hard to do if you are playing a zone.

This wasn't about zoning, this was in situations a 50/50 ball went their way and their players took off. Our players were left 10/20m behind them and paid for it with loose GWS players everywhere. Kersten also needs to improve his fitness, late in the game he didn't show enough urgency for me when the ball was in our F50.

 

[Teriyakicat]

yeh that's a good point. Carlton's flukey though because when they (talls) all play well together, they almost beat anyone, it may have been one off for North Melbourne. I can't imagine they play that poorly two weeks in succession.

Well they won't- they have the bye next week... unless they lose that game as well?

 

[Art Vandelay_]

Yeah, it would be good if Tom got the Riewoldt treatment from the twerps in green.

Kersten was copping similar treatment last night too.

Nah * the Riewoldt treatment, let's aim higher... It would be good if he could get the Lloyd treatment

 

[FredLeDeux]

Nah **** the Riewoldt treatment, let's aim higher... It would be good if he could get the Lloyd treatment

That would be good, but not if they also applied it at the other end, it would finish Lonergan's career.

 

[Seeds]

I don't think we should worry bout clearances too much. Come finals well probably put Bartel,Kelly and Selwood around the ball. Guthrie to half back. Problem solved!

Whens the last time we played Bartel in the midfield in the finals? He should be a midfielder but they never play him there.

 

[Seeds]

yeh that's a good point. Carlton's flukey though because when they (talls) all play well together, they almost beat anyone, it may have been one off for North Melbourne. I can't imagine they play that poorly two weeks in succession.

Lucky for us they have the bye this week and we can get them on their bad week.

 

[FredLeDeux]

Lucky for us they have the bye this week and we can get them on their bad week.

 

[candiehappy]

I think Guthrie will be playing in the middle. It's one of the very few, if any, MC decisions I would nearly be prepared to bet on.
I also think we'll continue to be whacked in clearances, and will continue to play around the problem as we have for the past 2-3 seasons.

as much as I hate that, it wouldn't be the right time to try and change the game plan.

 

[Art Vandelay_]

That would be good, but not if they also applied it at the other end, it would finish Lonergan's career.

There was one night at the docklands I thought it was going to end Scarlett's career. He couldn't look at Lloyd without the umpire blowing his whistle

 

[caitsith01]

Winning 6 of our last 7 is disappointing? All teams have occassional bad games. Hawthorn, Freo, Port and North have all had shockers as bad if not worse then us recently (only Sydney havent and they lost to GWS earlier in the year). We have recently had a 100 point win and a 70 point win and all while we have been going through a heavy training load. We are fine. Our form is not where it needs be for finals. But it doesn't have to be. It just needs to be good enough to win games at this point and it has. Who wants to be July champions. I'm optimistic that we are timing our run perfectly at this stage although we won't know how good we are until after the bye and start playing the good teams.

Keep your pants on. I said our form is disappointing, not that winning is disappointing.

Recent form:

L Belted by Port
W Scraping past Richmond
L Comfortably beaten by Freo
W Scraping past North Melbourne
L One of our worst losses in history to Sydney
W Scraping past Carlton by continually letting them back in the game
W Smashing St Kilda (equal last, percentage of 61%)
L Losing to Gold Coast by 40 points
W Scraping past Essendon after going to sleep for the third quarter when the game should have been over
W Scraping past the Bulldogs (14th)
W Half a game's effort vs Melbourne (equal last, percentage of 72%) followed by slacking off for a half
W Almost losing to GWS (equal last on the ladder, percentage of 73%)

So since round 6 that's:

3 heavy losses to other top 4 aspirants
1 heavy loss to a team currently placed 9th
2 beltings of the teams placed 16th and 18th
6 games where we've scraped over the line mostly due to a lack of sustained effort allowing very mediocre teams to come back at us repeatedly

That is not an 'occasional bad game'. That is a run of ****house form where we have not displayed a single four quarter effort against quality opposition in three months.

 

[candiehappy]

but unlike Freo & North didn't drop this one when it mattered.

 

[Pivo]

Not a bad effort considering we've got a few things to iron out between now and the business end of the season.

The big one, clearances, has been a problem for a few years now. I doubt that one is going to be fixed between now and the Finals.

Am curious why Varcoe was moved to our defence?

To try and generate some run and overlap from halfback I suspect.

It wouldn't be for his defensive qualities.

 

[FredLeDeux]

as much as I hate that, it wouldn't be the right time to try and change the game plan.

An unsuccessful attempt to change the game plan might be worthwhile, if only for the comments it would produce here.

 

[BlitzenTrapper]

Whens the last time we played Bartel in the midfield in the finals? He should be a midfielder but they never play him there.

His midfield days seem to be diminishing. He has been switched a bit there during the year every now and then, but the MC want him in defence or up forward, as they are developing players like GHS and Guthrie etc.

I love Jimmy in the midfield in patches, but prefer him up forward to be honest these days.

 

[Pivo]

An unsuccessful attempt to change the game plan might be worthwhile, if only for the comments it would produce here.

I read somewhere that the Geelong Footy club has surpassed ASIO as the hardest place to get a clearance in Australia now.

 

[Teriyakicat]

That would be good, but not if they also applied it at the other end, it would finish Lonergan's career.

I would bet that Lonergan has been given more frees against him than anyone playing on Hawkins- and I see less of him holding jumpers than I do of Hawkins getting held off the ball.

 

[Teriyakicat]

That would be good, but not if they also applied it at the other end, it would finish Lonergan's career.

I would bet that Lonergan has been given more frees against him than anyone playing on Hawkins- and I see less of him holding jumpers than I do of Hawkins getting held off the ball.