Preview Qualifying Final 1- Adelaide Crows vs GWS Giants, Thursday 7th September, 19.20pm, Adelaide Oval

[Determinant]

What we need most is a game day strategist

 

[KevDawg]

Club will email, if yoyu are a member you'll get a headstart to buy, online. If not you'll have to wait longer for public sale. Should be able to get tkts though. Dont know exact time. Afl website will clarify end if the weekend when the matchups are known is my guess

They'll be giving tickets away with apologies I imagine.

 

[KevDawg]

So, anyone thinking about who has their minds on trading out instead of playing football?

 

[Shaz2012]

Not trying to cause offense with this post so please take it constructively.

I thought you guys outsmarted yourself in the first half. Right from the start you were not attacking your forward line. Chipping it around and slow build up. I think the commentators suggested it was so you dont get burnt on turnovers.

I thought this was really strange. You are a top 4 side. For much of the year flag favourites. Why didnt you back yourselves in? Thats how teams like Carlton should be playing GWS. Not how GWS should be playing.

Anyway good luck for the rest of the year.

 

[Westy Bogan]

We have so many issues.

Our defence is a shambles. Davis is clearly injured (I reckon he has a bad back) Williams and Wilson are light weights and have half a brain between them.

Our mids are great on paper but are one way runners with the exception of Ward and Scully not prepared to work hard enough.

Our forwards are cumbersome and pretty one dimensional. They lack creativity and don't really defend (although this area was better tonight).

Some of our best players last year were Mummy, Shaw and Stevie J. All three are shadows of their former selves. If Mummy and Shaw go on rest assured they will end the same way as Stevie next year.

Positives...Ward, Scully, Haynes all tried hard. Greene is elite but couldnt get his hands on it. Though Himmelberg was good, he is athletic and a point of difference also thought Hopper really tried hard and put his head in the hole. Lobb will get criticised but he defended as best he could.

As I've said before Leon needs help, these L Platers helping him aren't up to it. We are a Ferrari driven by Mr Magoo.

Agree with most of this... Did they check the weather? Went in to tall.

You cannot play the 4 bigs. Cameron has been playing as a midfielder just because they don't want to drop one of the bigs. Mummy had been shite for ages. Give Lobb the ruck.

 

[Bokonon_]

What we need most is a game day strategist

I think we have 2 game day analysts, saw it on the staff list once. Didn't we take one from the Bulldogs laat year as well? Not sure of the difference. Maybe the analysts just provide data to the coaches.

 

[Simmofreo]

A shitty night, but we are still odds on to play a PF at least. We've been better than Port and WC all season, sadly not the Crows.
I dont think much needs to change. We haven't had stable structures all year. I do think the trust and the intuition about teamates intentions is not easily built and it cant be just arbitarily created. A review if everyting is appropriate as always but caution is also sensible.
We push on to the end this year, and then go into the off season hoping for a better run next year is my view. The risk, and it's huge, in overreacting is it starts a downward spiral when quick and radical fixes dont work.

Do they look back at the Melbourne game where we went small

We had no choice but it clearly worked

MDB does not lose his spot. Tackled his heart out

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[Simmofreo]

Not trying to cause offense with this post so please take it constructively.

I thought you guys outsmarted yourself in the first half. Right from the start you were not attacking your forward line. Chipping it around and slow build up. I think the commentators suggested it was so you dont get burnt on turnovers.

I thought this was really strange. You are a top 4 side. For much of the year flag favourites. Why didnt you back yourselves in? Thats how teams like Carlton should be playing GWS. Not how GWS should be playing.

Anyway good luck for the rest of the year.

Agree

It is very strange how they just lose the ability to lead for each other.

It has been mentioned earlier but its almost as if the game plan is only follwed at certain times then its every man for himself.

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[Simmofreo]

Agree with most of this... Did they check the weather? Went in to tall.

You cannot play the 4 bigs. Cameron has been playing as a midfielder just because they don't want to drop one of the bigs. Mummy had been shite for ages. Give Lobb the ruck.

Dawson simpson = heart

Dawson Simpson = heart

Dawsom.Simpson = heart

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[Simmofreo]

Will our semi be on the Sat ?

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[Simmofreo]

By the way mummy has an injured ankle. Just saw that in Leons presser. That makes some sense.

Said he almost didnt take the field in the second half.

Good bring in dawson. The bad news is that in Perth they are super confident Nik Natanui will come back for the Semi. Thats terrible timing for us. So Dawsin would have either Paddy rider or nik nat. Crikey

Would love Griff to have a good game in the scratchie. And torranto.



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[van peebles]

Not trying to cause offense with this post so please take it constructively.

I thought you guys outsmarted yourself in the first half. Right from the start you were not attacking your forward line. Chipping it around and slow build up. I think the commentators suggested it was so you dont get burnt on turnovers.

I thought this was really strange. You are a top 4 side. For much of the year flag favourites. Why didnt you back yourselves in? Thats how teams like Carlton should be playing GWS. Not how GWS should be playing.

Anyway good luck for the rest of the year.

The only thing going for us is that the "bye" will work against you and hopefully give us the advantage.

 

[Bokonon_]

Dawson simpson = heart

Dawson Simpson = heart

Dawsom.Simpson = heart

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Agreed the big lug did really when given a chance. He looks and says he's 100% fit as well.

 

[Danny88]

really disappointed with last night...

Nobody can debate the talent on the field but the structures and hard stuff are whats lacking. We struggle to get the ball out to reset when forced long down the line. Its a significant problem when we are bombarded with forward entries. I thought our defensive work as a back 6 was good, they withstood some significant pressure.

We still lack the MDB's of the team...the guys who get in the contest through pure hard work. Too many times we are caught out because out blokes dont want to do the unrewarded running (toby was probably the exception...his running numbers did not convert into posessions and goals). It shows when we play a well drilled team like adelaide or geelong where they have less talented blokes getting a game because they work harder.

Its so frustrating to watch and difficult to fix.

Also, for a team full of talent, we used the ball so poorly by comparison

 

[dlanod]

I made this post elsewhere initially...

Cameron has an obsession with going tall when every other team is seeing the benefit of going small. Dropping SJ and bringing in Himmelberg, even when rain was forecast, is a prime example.

Guys like Rampe are playing a key position in defense and Richmond is playing a single KPF while we play Davis, Corr, Tomlinson and Haynes down one end and Cameron, Patton, Lobb and one of SJ/Himmelberg at the other.

If a team throws numbers around the contest we have no answer because we don’t have the midfield numbers; if a team gets a turnover we have no answer because we don’t have the foot speed. It wasn’t a coincidence that we looked our best when Cameron missed a couple of games late and we started being able to lock the ball into their forward line like they used last year.

IMO we need to drop Mumford (spent most of last night providing ineffective taps, fumbled balls, and smothering Giants players able to get their hands on the ball) and move Lobb into the ruck full time, then replace him and Cameron (injured, otherwise it’d be Himmelberg) with two small forward or midfield options. Fewer tall options also reduces the “bomb it in” epidemic that sees either an opposition mark (by good teams) or a spoil and clear (by any team).

Won’t happen though - IMO SJ will come in for Cameron, and while we’ll probably knock off Port or West Coast we’ll lose at the MCG to Geelong because we’ll be run off their feet again.

Examples from last night:

• We actually got our hands to the ball in contested situations really well. Shiel was great (at least initially). However by the time we'd worked our way through two or three handballs without clearing the pack, Adelaide still had another couple of players still standing to apply pressure.
• When clearing the ball from defense and bombing it long, we couldn't even contest the kicks half the time because our talls were playing one and a half to two kicks ahead of the football and aren't fast enough to cover the space.
• Adelaide could rebound the ball into the corridor with impunity because our guys are too slow to apply consistent pressure.
• After a turnover we'd react two seconds or so slower than Adelaide, so trail them all the way into their forward 50. The worst times it looked like a player would see if anyone else would chase the ball carrier first before deciding to commit, by which point it's too late.

 

[Simmofreo]

Ok so im trying to look at some positives and im honestly thinking this is not a bad thing for us

I think last year was not a coincidence and the double bye does not help teams. It disadvantages them. The only help it does is allow injured players extra time to get back.

We now play port or west coast at spotless, which are the only teams in the 8 at the moment we have seemed to be able to beat.
We get to fix up a few things that didnt work, and it means we wouldnt have to play the swans until a GF if we made it.

Honestly playing at ANZ with turf shipped up from Melbourne is a terrible idea. Imagine all the grass movement and the injuries that can cause.

However if we win next week we get a practise on the MCG which we have not had a lot of chance to do this year. Yes that game would be mightly tough. But hey, beat richmond or geelong at the G in front of 80k of their fans, then the next week we can beat anyone. Especially since that team will most likely be Sydney or Adelaide who are not from Melbourne !!

Thumbs up

Lets do this

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[peter9789]

Last night was as poor an effort as I've seen from a club playing a qualifying final. Seem to lack any intensity and thirst for the contest. Not sure this can be turned around. GWS have talent to burn but this year it seems there is not much desire. Last years GWS team would be this years GWS by 10 goals.

Not sure if this is symptomatic of problems within the playing group or coaching.

Cant see GWS really make anything of this year.

 

[Danny88]

I made this post elsewhere initially...

Cameron has an obsession with going tall when every other team is seeing the benefit of going small. Dropping SJ and bringing in Himmelberg, even when rain was forecast, is a prime example.

Guys like Rampe are playing a key position in defense and Richmond is playing a single KPF while we play Davis, Corr, Tomlinson and Haynes down one end and Cameron, Patton, Lobb and one of SJ/Himmelberg at the other.

If a team throws numbers around the contest we have no answer because we don’t have the midfield numbers; if a team gets a turnover we have no answer because we don’t have the foot speed. It wasn’t a coincidence that we looked our best when Cameron missed a couple of games late and we started being able to lock the ball into their forward line like they used last year.

IMO we need to drop Mumford (spent most of last night providing ineffective taps, fumbled balls, and smothering Giants players able to get their hands on the ball) and move Lobb into the ruck full time, then replace him and Cameron (injured, otherwise it’d be Himmelberg) with two small forward or midfield options. Fewer tall options also reduces the “bomb it in” epidemic that sees either an opposition mark (by good teams) or a spoil and clear (by any team).

Won’t happen though - IMO SJ will come in for Cameron, and while we’ll probably knock off Port or West Coast we’ll lose at the MCG to Geelong because we’ll be run off their feet again.

Examples from last night:

• We actually got our hands to the ball in contested situations really well. Shiel was great (at least initially). However by the time we'd worked our way through two or three handballs without clearing the pack, Adelaide still had another couple of players still standing to apply pressure.
• When clearing the ball from defense and bombing it long, we couldn't even contest the kicks half the time because our talls were playing one and a half to two kicks ahead of the football and aren't fast enough to cover the space.
• Adelaide could rebound the ball into the corridor with impunity because our guys are too slow to apply consistent pressure.
• After a turnover we'd react two seconds or so slower than Adelaide, so trail them all the way into their forward 50. The worst times it looked like a player would see if anyone else would chase the ball carrier first before deciding to commit, by which point it's too late.

I agree we are too tall. The issue is in Lobb, cameron and patton you have 3 genuine tall options to play. Going small means dropping one of them which is probably going to create player welfare issues (look at the dogs and stringer). That said, cameron being injured means we are a little smaller, and if mummy is out we can go smaller again.

hoping taranto has a blinder today

 

[Gigantic]

I'd love to keep all 3, they all bring something to the table but it's just not plausible to have them all playing forward.

If Jezza is out, which I presume is the case, then I'd like to see Taranto come in. If Mumford isn't 100% right, then bring in Dawson. And I know Himmelberg had a good game, but perhaps we'll need to consider bringing him out for Devon Smith (if he's right) or even Reid.

What's the news on Devon anyway? Does anyone know?

 

[Gigantic]

A bit of an update. Don't think there's any stats of the sort available so we'll have to go off people's comments

 

[Simmofreo]

Apparently mumford on crutches at the airport

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[Brave New World]

I have watched Leon Cameron's Press Conference after last nights match in which he stated; he was pleased with the second half and the last two matches have really only come down to one very bad quarter for each match.

I thought this was too optimistic, as last night I considered us poor for most of the night and very poor for the second quarter.

My opinion was that we were a bit off the pace in the first quarter, third quarter we came back as a opening surprise but the Crows resumed their 'first quarter superiority' and the final quarter was both sides playing a somewhat faint accompli. As per many posting here even I thought even when we raised our intensity; the structure still seemed wrong around contested ball/'getting it out' and no plan b for no orange tsunami except bomb it long.

Are our problems more than just two bad quarters the last two games?

 

[Danny88]

I have watched Leon Cameron's Press Conference after last nights match in which he stated; he was pleased with the second half and the last two matches have really only come down to one very bad quarter for each match.

I thought this was too optimistic, as last night I considered us poor for most of the night and very poor for the second quarter.

My opinion was that we were a bit off the pace in the first quarter, third quarter we came back as a opening surprise but the Crows resumed their 'first quarter superiority' and the final quarter was both sides playing a somewhat faint accompli. As per many posting here even I thought even when we raised our intensity; the structure still seemed wrong around contested ball/'getting it out' and no plan b for no orange tsunami except bomb it long.

Are our problems more than just two bad quarters the last two games?

it should be noted he was talking about how we came back after that second qtr and won the second half

 

[dlanod]

I have watched Leon Cameron's Press Conference after last nights match in which he stated; he was pleased with the second half and the last two matches have really only come down to one very bad quarter for each match.

I thought this was too optimistic, as last night I considered us poor for most of the night and very poor for the second quarter.

I don't pay a heap of attention to Cameron's public statements. They're always the positive airy-fairy type of warm and fuzzies almost regardless of results.

My opinion was that we were a bit off the pace in the first quarter

I think we were ok in the first. We really could have come out of that ahead by a couple of goals with very few changes. Adelaide took their chances, we didn't. The second was a debacle.

I agree that positioning it as "one bad quarter" isn't really honest. When we beat Melbourne they only had one bad quarter, but they were never in the game as a result. That one bad quarter can basically end the game and invalidates the following quarters as a real competition.

 

[Danny88]

I'd love to keep all 3, they all bring something to the table but it's just not plausible to have them all playing forward.

If Jezza is out, which I presume is the case, then I'd like to see Taranto come in. If Mumford isn't 100% right, then bring in Dawson. And I know Himmelberg had a good game, but perhaps we'll need to consider bringing him out for Devon Smith (if he's right) or even Reid.

What's the news on Devon anyway? Does anyone know?

agree.....SMALLLLLLLLLSSSSS please