Review Fremantle d North Melbourne by 73 pts

[freoextra]

Hill had a good game but his ball use was patchy. There were missed set shots. Pavlich didn't have one of his best games. Mundy was good but probably playing under a little duress and could have played better. North probably had more inside 50s than you'd like, Freo fewer inside 50s then you'd like. Fix these things and there's a five goal better side.

What this game tells us is the team is able to play below its peak and still run out 73 point winners against a mature side that is competing for finals. That's a sign of a champion side.

Not getting as many inside 50's as we would like, but the conversion rate is truly elite (I would suggest best in the league).

The other thing I like about a RTB team is the amount of turnover goals (read easy goals) we now score.

Really enjoyed the performance and love that there is always areas of improvement being discussed by the players and coach directly after every game. We really dont just drift along.

 

[freoextra]

Sherro looked good 9 posessions in 1 qtr but he just need confidence in himself.

Sherro has in the past and in this game shown that he is someone in that role that will give the team a real lift (Sutcliffe did this a couple of years ago).

I really think Mzungu could own the sub role and provide that lift as well but continue to want to see him more as a full game player. Having said that, I think that the coach could very reasonably say no changes, in fact I am sure he will barring injury.

 

[poshman]

DudleyDocker asked me a similar question and I answered it here.

What I have noticed in most premiership winning teams is that they develop a mental edge over their opponents, where they win the game in small bursts and their opposition is defeated despite plenty of game time being left. Freo have been doing that early, but still leaving the door ajar late in games. Every side so far has had the confidence to run down Freo, even if they haven't gotten a win in the end.

North were nearly winning the quarter in the second and then lost it in two minutes. They scored one goal after half time, and in the last were missing set shots because they'd completely lost their nerves. Freo got the game on their own terms and it allowed Pavlich a rest.

It may seem like a small thing, that two goals before half time can have such an impact, but I'm of the belief that Gunston's goal just before 3QT did the same thing in the 2013 GF.

The mental edge is huge. Teams who would normally fight games out start to cave as a collective. Start to watch things happen around them a little more. If we can have a few more shut out wins like against north, then other teams won't even be able to hold the 'fade out' hope to beat us. What will be more demoralising is the other team realising we are resting our best players, and rotating others into key positions all over the ground. Then its not just winning and losing, the opponent is actively being beaten mentally. Then the sense that there are guns on every line starts to build and its hard to see where you are going to get a match up win and the momentum flows.

 

[Bicco]

The mental edge is huge. Teams who would normally fight games out start to cave as a collective. Start to watch things happen around them a little more. If we can have a few more shut out wins like against north, then other teams won't even be able to hold the 'fade out' hope to beat us. What will be more demoralising is the other team realising we are resting our best players, and rotating others into key positions all over the ground. Then its not just winning and losing, the opponent is actively being beaten mentally. Then the sense that there are guns on every line starts to build and its hard to see where you are going to get a match up win and the momentum flows.

What will be interesting is when/if a team gets a jump on is at the start, how we then react. I can't see it making a difference personally, but if it was the Hawks in a Final, will our players be able to hold up mentally? I guess that's why a home final is so important, the home ground factor of support.

 

[poshman]

What will be interesting is when/if a team gets a jump on is at the start, how we then react. I can't see it making a difference personally, but if it was the Hawks in a Final, will our players be able to hold up mentally? I guess that's why a home final is so important, the home ground factor of support.

Yep, been strange and surreal almost this year watching us almost casually get two or three goals in the first five minutes. We have shown the ability to grind into games in previous seasons and I imagine our midfield would run over the top of other teams. The mental game would be even harder if another team jumped out to a two goal lead in the first five minutes and we finished the quarter ahead. This is the first time I have rated our team and ability along side the truly elite teams of the comp. Even 2013 (would have loved us to win) I felt that we would have to make it a scrap and have things go our way to win. Now I think we can match it with anyone.

 

[The Anchorite]

It may seem like a small thing, that two goals before half time can have such an impact, but I'm of the belief that Gunston's goal just before 3QT did the same thing in the 2013 GF.

Agree with this, North worked their arses off in that quarter and we absorbed it until time on then put them away. And as good as our third quarter was in the GF, every time we came at them the Hawks were able to respond. I was particularly impressed with the way we closed out the Bulldogs game this year as it didn't require Ross putting all the starters back on.

Overall we've displayed an impressive machine efficiency. I love watching us start fast with our A-team and then rotate them around: Mundy intercepting and distributing a little from half back (with bonus nostalgia), Fyfe playing regular forwardline minutes, etc. I get the feeling we have more gears and we're still only carefully calculating it through the qualification period. I can't wait to see what we do if we get the chance to redline it in the finals.

 

[Lach72]

Geez I hate comments like the above. "just ticking over". What an absolute load of crap. We have actually had one of the most successful starts to a season in the last decade (with a handful of exceptions). When are the glass half empty types going to actually acknowledge we are going pretty bloody well. The North game was in reality a really consistent four quarter effort. North was missing three key players, but geez you can only beat the team infront of you and we did that comprehensively. We have also met every challenge thrown at us this year. The way we are playing is making decent teams look crap because of our pressure (eg West Toast and North) and that is actually a really good thing.

Two players having outstanding seasons with little fanfare are Spurr and C.Pearce. Sherro played brilliantly as the sub. Awesome win.

Who pissed in your coffee?

We were average. For us.

Start your own forum if you want to have everything go towards your own opinions

 

[XXRL]

I took the 'just ticking over' comment as a positive statement. In fact, at work today I said it seemed like a 'business as usual' performance.

That is, we were comfortably better than North, who were never really in the game. They huffed and puffed a little in the second quarter but it never felt like it would even get close.

The positive is that we comprehensively beat a team, that most would expect to play finals, and it still looked like the team could go up another gear. I think that shows how far the team has come. Notwithstanding a very impressive performance from Fyfe, Walters, Mundy and others, as has been mentioned.

They talk about the difference between good teams and the best teams is the contribution of your bottom handful of players. We can argue about who they are, but when Mzungu and De Boer can't get a game, I think it shows that, atm, our bottom five or six players are going pretty well.

 

[WA ROO]

We were s**t
You guys did not need to get out of second gear
Nutshell

 

[Scatter]

Do you know what the 'W' guesture is?

I know the signal you mean, been around for a couple of years. I reckon it is some kind of regular zone formation at stoppages.

 

[youmewe]

Because unlike a bunch of one eyed, myopic homers, those of us who watch a lot of footy know there's a lot of footy to come.

Being eight-zip is great. Of the past decade, six teams have been 8-0. Only three of them have won premierships.

The inconvenient truth you failed to mention is that only four of those could have won premierships.

8-0 teams over the past decade

2005: West Coast (8-0) - 'Leaping Leo'd' from a flag ... thank goodness.

2008: Hawthorn (9-0) and Geelong (8-0) both reached the GF.

2009: St Kilda (19-0) and Geelong (13-0) both reached the GF.

2011: Geelong (13-0) were premiers.

 

[clogged]

The inconvenient truth you failed to mention is that only four of those could have won premierships.

8-0 teams over the past decade

2005: West Coast (8-0) - 'Leaping Leo'd' from a flag ... thank goodness.

2008: Hawthorn (9-0) and Geelong (8-0) both reached the GF.

2009: St Kilda (19-0) and Geelong (13-0) both reached the GF.

2011: Geelong (13-0) were premiers.

Yes, and? All being 8-0 shows is that you're 8-0. Nothing else. Go back further through history and find how many strong starting teams fail. It's nice to be 8-0, but that level not only has to be maintained through to October but improved upon.

As you showed, St Kilda went 19-0. That was under Ross Lyon. Did dick all for them when it mattered.

 

[beetz]

Those stats are completely irrelevant to Freo's season.

 

[Arcassius]

The bigger question for me is whether we suffer a slow drop in form during the second half of the season (cumulative effect of playing some players in a winning team that aren't quite performing) or whether we maintain the rage to the end.

 

[Taylor]

Did we get chopped up on the rebound by the fast ball movement from the Roos because that style will cut us to ribbons or because our defensive run dropped off?
Those passages where they moved the ball direct and we didn't seem to have an answer for it late in the game.

 

[youmewe]

Yes, and? All being 8-0 shows is that you're 8-0. Nothing else. Go back further through history and find how many strong starting teams fail. It's nice to be 8-0, but that level not only has to be maintained through to October but improved upon.

As you showed, St Kilda went 19-0. That was under Ross Lyon. Did dick all for them when it mattered.

St Kilda were beaten by a Geelong team who also started 13-0 that season. A team who you stated a day or so ago was the best wet weather team in history.

We are the 28th VFL/AFL team to start 8-0.

The other 27: won 11 premierships, were runners up 7 times and missed the GF 9 times.

On three occasions two teams started 8-0 and went on to meet in the GF.

Of the nine teams who missed the GF, only three had a winning home and away record after round eight and they all finished third.

Obviously 8-0 doesn't guarantee anything but it's a great start.

 

[clogged]

The other 27: won 11 premierships

That alone puts it in perspective doesn't it?

 

[Righteo]

Strong 4 quarter performance, satisfying to annihilate them in the manner we did.

Thought Sandi clearly had the better of Goldstein, am I biased?

 

[Taylor]

Strong 4 quarter performance, satisfying to annihilate them in the manner we did.

Thought Sandi clearly had the better of Goldstein, am I biased?

It will be difficult to make a case that Goldstein is the better player after he got so spanked one on one.

It's games like that which result in Sandi getting AA over Todd.

 

[sherrif]

St Kilda were beaten by a Geelong team who also started 13-0 that season. A team who you stated a day or so ago was the best wet weather team in history.

We are the 28th VFL/AFL team to start 8-0.

The other 27: won 11 premierships, were runners up 7 times and missed the GF 9 times.

On three occasions two teams started 8-0 and went on to meet in the GF.

Of the nine teams who missed the GF, only three had a winning home and away record after round eight and they all finished third.

Obviously 8-0 doesn't guarantee anything but it's a great start.

Your last sentence is exactly the point most here are trying to make to you. You can't judge what is going to happen in the future, but geez we are placed well to have a go at the premiership at this point in time. Continually coming on here in this thread with comments about how it is only in the early rounds is both stating the bleedingly obvious and incredibly annoying. You also greatly underestimate the importance to us of a top two finish which guarantees two finals at home is to our premiership hopes.

 

[Kram]

Thought Sandi clearly had the better of Goldstein, am I biased?

Goldy had his pants pulled down.

 

[beetz]

Goldstein played, did he?

 

[Righteo]

Ok, not just me then ^^^

 

[freoextra]

Goldy had his pants pulled down.

I actually thought Clarke also did a great job on Goldstein and looked very comfortable rucking against him.

 

[youmewe]

Your last sentence is exactly the one most here are trying to make to you. The point is that you can't judge what is going to happen in the future, but geez we are placed well to have a go at the premiership at this point in time. Continually coming on here in this thread with comments about how it is only in the early rounds is both stating the bleedingly obvious and incredibly annoying. You also greatly underestimate the importance to us of a guarantee of two finals at home to our premiership hopes.

I'm sorry, was this directed at me or clogged?

I've only made two comments on this topic and I believe I'm presenting the optimistic side of the argument.