Review R5: Port v Adelaide Review

[philreich]

I was assured by a Crows fan at work this morning that Port didn't win the game - the Crows lost it, and the umpiring was deplorable. Pretty standard response from Crows fans really.......

Funny: the umpires didn't make Adelaide's forwards miss all those goals.

 

[Boss351]

Can someone explain why the Hoff did what he did tonight in the goal square tonight in the last quarter or is it one of life's great mysteries like cold fusion??

yeah the Hoff is one you can never work out what's running through his head, seems like he's got a bit of the 'Butcher yips' with simple straight kicking from minimal distance after a few 'gimme' misses in games, he even took the risky option of playing on and snapping a goal (2nd Quarter goal square) ala Butcher instead of the basic set shot, I guess the air is thinner up there for our taller players

 

[Power freak 2008]

One of the things I loved about Hinkley's press conference was that as he was summing up the fact that "we fumbled the ball too much which caused turnovers and led to some of those forward 50 entries" Robbie Gray was listening and nodding in agreement. He has the respect of the players and they really thrive off of his feedback.

 

[El Zorro]

I find the concept of "stolen" games, like "Bradbury" flags, to be complete bullshit. You're either good enough or not. Failing to capitalise on scoring shots (like Adelaide did yesterday) does not equate to the other team "stealing" the game. If a team fails to take their chances they simply don't win. s**t football is s**t.

I'll add I do understand the trolling nature in which stolen games/Bradbury flags are used. I understand riling up the opposition, but that is all it is to me. Anyone taking it more serious than that is beyond reasoning with.

Thanks.

 

[El Zorro]

Capel called it "the great showdown robbery".

..and that is Exhibit A...

 

[Power freak 2008]

Capel called it "the great showdown robbery".

Stole it by 4 goals?

 

[Mangus Onfries]

yeah the Hoff is one you can never work out what's running through his head, seems like he's got a bit of the 'Butcher yips' with simple straight kicking from minimal distance after a few 'gimme' misses in games, he even took the risky option of playing on and snapping a goal (2nd Quarter goal square) ala Butcher instead of the basic set shot, I guess the air is thinner up there for our taller players

He did have the presence of mind to kick that one backwards over his head though
Watching the replay it looks like he knew that if he didnt kick in that split second he was going to get tackled. Not even time to turn around to goal. His big sigh of relief after he kicked it showed he realised he was lucky to get away with it. Made for great viewing.

 

[Doctor Feel]

Meamwhile down at waverley oval in the 80s, "I SAID EYE ON THE BALL. NOT 4'N'TWENNY IN THE EYE"

 

[ScooterBrother]

This "adelaide lost it and didn't take their chances" bullshit is pretty stupid when you look into it.

Adelaide are trying to play a high press game plan like Freo and Sydney. This results in the following:

• The ball is trapped in the forward line of the team which is pressing up, and since the press is so high, there are more players in the forward 50, which creates pressure, both on the defense AND the offense (everyone forgets this part) - resulting in rushed or scrappy shots at goal.
• There are no easy shots or clean i50s when teams play like this. Space is at a premium, especially goal scoring space in the corridor, which means the shots are from distance or in the pockets - resulting in more points.
• As the forwards are part of the frontal pressure, they are more knackered when they do get a fleeting chance on goal they don't have the same amount of energy to concentrate on the execution of the skill - resulting in more points.
• With all of the above occurring, the ball rebounds to and from the 50m arc as the defence tries to get it out but the press is trying to keep it in - grossly blowing out i50 numbers.
• i50 numbers are also blown out when a team can't kick a goal! If you kick a goal the ball goes back to the centre, but if you keep missing or falling short, the ball is an order of magnitude more likely to go back in compared to when its in the centre.

So all in all, the Crows didn't miss their chances or choke the game, Port were simply the better football side and executed their game plan to a higher standard.

 

[Lockhart Road]

One of the things I loved about Hinkley's press conference was that as he was summing up the fact that "we fumbled the ball too much which caused turnovers and led to some of those forward 50 entries" .

Concur with Ken that there was too much fumbling, but when we went one-grab our skills were sublime. One contribution to the fumbling may well have been distraction by the lack of crowd noise. I imagine trying to play footy in a relative vacuum ain't easy. Good thing is we don't play in it until at least next season.

 

[Powerstufff]

Their banner should read "we flounder as one". Much more appropriate.

Or "We fly as one ... out the door at the end of the 3rd quarter".

 

[Ralph Lorenz]

This "adelaide lost it and didn't take their chances" bullshit is pretty stupid when you look into it.

Adelaide are trying to play a high press game plan like Freo and Sydney. This results in the following:

• The ball is trapped in the forward line of the team which is pressing up, and since the press is so high, there are naturally more players in the forward 50, which creates pressure, both on the defense AND the offense (everyone forgets this part) - resulting in rushed or scrappy shots at goal.
• There are no easy shots or clean i50s when teams play like this. Space is at a premium, especially goal scoring space in the corridor, which means the shots are from distance or in the pockets - resulting in more points.
• As the forwards are part of the frontal pressure, they are naturally more knackered when they do get a fleeting chance on goal they don't have the same amount of energy to concentrate on the execution of the skill - resulting in more points.
• With all of the above occurring, the ball naturally rebounds to and from the 50m arc as the defence tried to get it out but the press is trying to keep it in - grossly blowing our i50 numbers.
• i50 numbers are also blown out when a team cant kick a goal! Naturally, if you kick a goal the ball goes back to the centre, but if you keep missing or falling short, the ball is a order of magnitude more likely to go back in compared to when its in the centre.

So all in all, the Crows didn't miss their chances or choke the game, Port were simply the better football side and executed their game plan to a higher standard.

Great post.

 

[faquito]

I'll make a few random comments about the game, please let me know if I'm making any sense or if I'm way off the mark about anything I say here.

- First of all, of the games I've watched so far, the Showdown seemed to be the one that stopped more often (umpire having to throw the ball back in play a lot) and as a result the game was not as free flowing as I know it can be. Perhaps it was due to the intensity of the rivalry, or maybe something to do with the team's style, I've got no idea. That was my perception though, particularly in the 1st half.

Was definitely noticeable in the first half. I think the first bounce of the game had about 2-3 consecutive stoppages. Like others have said the Crows are trying to use a tactic similar to Freo/Sydney high press or 'flooding'. The Crows have relied on stoppages a lot due to the fact that Sam Jacobs is quite a dominant ruckmen and they can use that to their advantage. Despite their average seasons in 2013/14 their clearance work is actually one of their strengths.

- That Eddie Betts is an annoying little fella. I thought the guy marking him (it was one of the Toms, I think 42 Tom Jonas?) struggled a bit with him - he probably should win the balls in the air, at least! Thankfully despite scoring some great goals, Betts also missed some quite easy ones in the first half, so the AFL R5 Top 10 plays may only have Crows stuff and no Port, but a game isn't made of highlights.

Jonas isn't the ideal match up on Betts, he's not as nimble or quick as Betts, but aerially he should have had his measure. Jonas is ideally suited for match ups against mid sized opponents (183-190cm). I don't think our team has a decent match up for forwards like Betts, Lindsay Thomas or Michael Walters who are quick and adept both in the air and on the ground. Impey can defend them on the ground, but is exposed in the air. Wouldn't mind seeing Krakouer matched up on them for a game.

Good call on that AFL R5 top 10 plays. He hit 1 out of 4 attempts from that pocket, but they'll only show the one that worked.

- Westhoff is coolness personified. A great player - I predicted him to score 3, I think he got only 2 unfortunately - who works really hard but I just love how he looks like he couldn't give a **** after doing whatever he does, like scoring a goal. I noticed he dropped back to defence near the end of the game too.

His laconic look and nature gives him a 'cool' vibe when he and the team are doing well. But there were periods when he and the team's form was down, where his laconic nature made the fans think he wasn't trying on the field.

 

[Cheesey Mac]

Beating Adelaide never gets old, great way to end the weekend.

I loved how our midfield leaders stood up and all had big ones. Gray and Boak especially, but I really liked Ebert's game, his first half was just brilliant.

To me last night and to some extent the first quarter against Hawthorn were a great example of the worth of Patty Ryder for our team. Has the ability to ruck first and foremost, but just has that brilliant ability to be a contested mark in the forward line and stretch the defence. When Lake went down last week he took a few good ones while the Hawthorn defence struggled to find an answer and ultimately it took quarter time to save them a bit. Last night with an undersized Crows defence (seriously, Cheney is rubbish, and Kelly has played all of 3 games; Talia is the only one I rate at all, and he had no impact at all last night) he stood up and took that wonderful contested mark in the last quarter, as well as some good leading marks throughout the night. This is not even to mention his ruckwork last night, in Showdowns past Lobbe and Jacobs have battled 1v1 and I've never really liked the match up, but with Ryder there last night it was a completely different ballgame, gave our guys different looks, and gave Jacobs something else to think about. Compared to his performances in previous Showdowns Jacobs did very little. With that said, our clearances on the numbers could use some work, but we slaughtered them in the hitouts (I am not sure how much I put this down to any Walsh knowledge or just their mids reading our taps).

Credit where due, Adelaide had their moments in the ascendancy, and when I re-watched the game last night that second quarter did not make for super pretty viewing, but like others have said, bad kicking is bad football. Freo lost the Semi against us with awful kicking, and we lost the Prelim to Hawthorn due to a similar inability to take our chances... But this does not give the opposition the credit they deserve as well, we were irresistible in the second half of the semi, Hawthorn are premiers for a reason, and last night when Adelaide had all the play and weren't able to take their chances we were able to counter punch effectively and be efficient enough to still win the quarter despite our lack of time with the footy. Having as many inside 50s against us over the last two weeks is a little alarming, but I am sure this will be a focus area and something that we can work on and improve on.

The umpiring didn't have the impact some claim it did. We got some good calls in our favour in the last quarter, but to the letter of the law the free kicks were free kicks. I didn't think too much of the Crows crowd last night, they have a right to be livid with the umpiring if they choose to be, but when they got to within 8 points early in the last quarter I would have expected that to light a fire beneath them... As much as last night was a Showdown, the atmosphere created by their fans didn't make it feel that hostile...

I'm really pleased with where our season sits at the moment. To be 3-2 after our start, with the draw beginning to look a lot kinder to us, I reckon we should be looking very healthy come the mid-season break.

 

[Doctor Feel]

Our next banner should say "we exist to win premierships, but don't really want to drive a renault. (Unless its a megane)"

 

[u2uabrs]

Stole it by 4 goals?

Of course we stole it........ we didn't hit the front until 10 mins into the first quarter!

 

[Portmanteau]

Of course we stole it........ we didn't hit the front until 10 mins into the first quarter!

Came here to post this. Lead for 90% of the game and it's a robbery? How can they write that it with a straight face. Smacks of having a skin in the game.

 

[BIG MATTY WHITE]

I take heart in the fact our defense can rope a dope the s*** out of the opponent and it wont break...

It disheartens me that we struggle to hold off repeat entries....

If we had an off day in front of the sticks we lose...

Robbery ...nope
but convincing win....nope not that either...

 

[RussellEbertHandball]

Inside 50's this year

Port 42 V Freo 58 goals 10.8 V 11.9 - we were more efficient
Port 62 V Sydney 52......6.8 V 14.8 - we weren't
Port 55 v North 53 ..... 17.11 V 16.9 - pretty even
Port 43 v Hawks 79..... 15.9 V 13.13 - we were more efficient
Port 42 v Crows 71...... 18.7 V 13.13 - we were more efficient

 

[RussellEbertHandball]

I'll make a few random comments about the game, please let me know if I'm making any sense or if I'm way off the mark about anything I say here.

- First of all, of the games I've watched so far, the Showdown seemed to be the one that stopped more often (umpire having to throw the ball back in play a lot) and as a result the game was not as free flowing as I know it can be. Perhaps it was due to the intensity of the rivalry, or maybe something to do with the team's style, I've got no idea. That was my perception though, particularly in the 1st half.

- Paddy Ryder is immense; I don't mean just in height! The man works really hard, scores goals, does a great job in the ruck giving some rest to Lobbe who is another machine. I feel so confident whenever the ball is going to the opponent's 50 with Schulz and Ryder up there, and I keep reading about how the ruck options Ryder offers have made us a better team as well. An early favourite of mine.

- Jay Schulz is something else! Such a reliable goalscorer, uses his body so well to win marks and score goals. Cracking player, should be our leading goalkicker once more, right?

- That Eddie Betts is an annoying little fella. I thought the guy marking him (it was one of the Toms, I think 42 Tom Jonas?) struggled a bit with him - he probably should win the balls in the air, at least! Thankfully despite scoring some great goals, Betts also missed some quite easy ones in the first half, so the AFL R5 Top 10 plays may only have Crows stuff and no Port, but a game isn't made of highlights.

- Jasper Pittard is so good. The man's got such a style on the ball; fast runner, classy kicker and hard as hell to beat in defence. His kick to Ryder near the end of the game made me jump out of my seat.

- We seem to be pretty good on restricting the damage from opponent's offences even when our game simply isn't flowing out of our 50 and we're under heavy pressure. The 2nd quarter was tough to watch but a lot of credit should go to the great effort the lads put in defence to guard our lead and keep us with control of the game.

- Sometimes I barely notice Krakouer in the game but when I do, it's because he's just done something awesome. I've read a bit about his story, how he came back to the club etc, and it's great to see he's found his foot again because he seems to be a pretty good player.

- The 2nd goal from Hammer was special. The team work, the handball from Wingard (don't you wish you were him?), everything was top notch. I don't seem to find many teams that score this type of team goal like we do on a regular basis - but that's probably because I haven't watched much non-Port football yet.

- Westhoff is coolness personified. A great player - I predicted him to score 3, I think he got only 2 unfortunately - who works really hard but I just love how he looks like he couldn't give a **** after doing whatever he does, like scoring a goal. I noticed he dropped back to defence near the end of the game too.

- Ebert and Boak were everywhere in the middle of the park, I thought they were both in with a shout for best player on the pitch. I also thought Broadbent was quite influential, him and Pittard seem to form a powerful combination coming from behind.

- Robbie Gray is awesome, his reflexes are a step ahead of everyone else. He failed to mark that kick from Wingard but thankfully the captain was around to make sure a goal was scored.

Haha you have picked up this game pretty quickly in 4 weeks. I know people who have watched the game for a decade or two and wouldn't get it as clearly as you have.

And your Westhoff comment

 

[Lumpy432]

For someone quite new to the game you probably already take in more and have a greater knowledge than a very large percentage of Australians who have grown up with it. Kudos to you.

My moneys on the fact that its actually a crows supporter who's secretly in love with Port. Can't blame them.

 

[Smithy7]

Their banner should read "we flounder as one". Much more appropriate.

Well flounder are a bottom dweller .. so I agree with you there...
But geez they are good eating lol

 

[Chewy316]

I understand that we need to clean up the inside 50 count, but if you take out that 2nd quarter, the inside 50 count was 48-36, and IIRC they had around 5 inside 50s in the last 3 minutes when we were 5 goals up and the game was sealed.

In the second quarter they were on top of us but we weren't breaking. For the most part, we looked very comfortable resisting their attack and we were able to counter efficiently. Yes, the inside 50 count is something that sorely needs addressing, but I'm not sure it's the be all and end all given that the efficiency of where the ball is going inside 50 is largely wide or to packs where we have the advantage.

Something that needs to improve is our forward pressure. It's not up to the standard as it was last year. At times this year we let our opponents get out way too easy. I feel that this will help the inside 50 stat quite a bit in our favour.

 

[Coobk001]

A couple things for ya,

Paddy Ryder is immense; I don't mean just in height! The man works really hard, scores goals, does a great job in the ruck giving some rest to Lobbe who is another machine. I feel so confident whenever the ball is going to the opponent's 50 with Schulz and Ryder up there, and I keep reading about how the ruck options Ryder offers have made us a better team as well. An early favourite of mine.

- We seem to be pretty good on restricting the damage from opponent's offences even when our game simply isn't flowing out of our 50 and we're under heavy pressure. The 2nd quarter was tough to watch but a lot of credit should go to the great effort the lads put in defence to guard our lead and keep us with control of the game.

The one thing here you've gotten a little mixed probably comes from a soccer background. In AFL, when we refer to our 50, we are talking about our forward 50 where we kick goals. A lot of other sports class the end they are defending as their end, but it is the opposite in the AFL. Mind you because we have a different 'no offside' structure to NFL, soccer, etc, we generally just refer to them as our defensive 50 or our forward 50.

- Westhoff is coolness personified. A great player - I predicted him to score 3, I think he got only 2 unfortunately - who works really hard but I just love how he looks like he couldn't give a **** after doing whatever he does, like scoring a goal. I noticed he dropped back to defence near the end of the game too.

This is exactly what drove supporters mad about Westy over his first few years. We've all come to appreciate his ability now though and he is thorougly loved amongst the supporters I feel. Honestly though Westy has had a poor to average start to the year and hopefully he can regain form as we play some lesser ranked sides in the next few weeks and then show you what he can really do.

 

[FishingRick04]

Inside 50's this year

Port 42 V Freo 58 goals 10.8 V 11.9 - we were more efficient
Port 62 V Sydney 52......6.8 V 14.8 - we weren't
Port 55 v North 53 ..... 17.11 V 16.9 - pretty even
Port 43 v Hawks 79..... 15.9 V 13.13 - we were more efficient
Port 42 v Crows 71...... 18.7 V 13.13 - we were more efficient

This has so many Choco flash backs it's not funny. Our whole physique, game plan etc is so choco just Ken is successful at it