Review Rd 20 Review - Freo Shown Up by Melbourne

[mattis117]

Game summed up by Petty overtaking Taberner on the lead. He's just not right and shouldn't be playing, a complete liability out there.

Mundy kicking it out on the full six times was awesome.

Loved Walters sticking it up the doubters and Henry played well.

Umpiring was totally great, best on ground they were.

Anyhow, it's the over performing early in the year that makes it more disappointing. The fade out has come later this year than last, and another season will get this young team closer to being able to compete the marathon that is an AFL season. No one thought we were contenders at the start of the year because of our list profile and nothing has changed in that respect. We've grown, certainly, but more is required. Still too many holes out there and there simply isn't enough contributors.

I'm still happy to see us perform so well over most of the season and really look forward to the coming seasons as our team evens out and gets firmly into that coveted premiership window.

 

[estibador]

We’re in real danger of dropping the last three. And I know who we’re playing. We are currently playing bottom four footy and the coach keep picking the same players

Nah, we've had a long run of playing good teams and we're tiring so we haven't been looking that great.

But I reckon once we actually start playing bottom 4 teams again the difference between us and them will be obvious.

 

[estibador]

Pearce looks like one of those wooden toys where you press the bottom and they collapse before springing back

Haha... I'm not anti-Pearce but that's actually a scarily accurate comparison.

 

[Rob]

AFL ratings had Banfield playing a better game than Schultz and Colyer. And Banfield spent the whole game on the pine.

Can't say they got it wrong either.

 

[believe_it]

You know when I saw Lobb was going to be playing I was pleased. However I knew with rain forecast he wasn't likely to be much use as a marking tall forward. Taberner can be good in the dry but in my mind is about as useful as **** on a bull in the wet. There was no leading no separation but we kept on trying the same kicking to packs. Out of 17 goals tonight only one came from a tall forward surprise surprise.

I can't stand the commentators but one was right when he said that we had to take the game on. That's what we did early season to success. Lately we seem to mark it on half back or the wing and stop wait and ponder. Meanwhile the opposition floods back into defence.

The connection between Darcy and our mids in the last month has been virtually non existent. At times it looks like he is clueless about where to put it.

To be fair we have probably overachieved early season and the game last week against Richmond kindof where we are really at right now - in and around the bottom of the 8. We just don't have quite enough maturity yet. Crowden, Erasmus in!!

 

[Midnite65]

We could finish the round 8th should Sydney and Carlton win.

How? Will the Bulldogs get 12 points if they win this week to jump ahead of us?

 

[Feathercap]

My 2c on fundamental issues:

- We lack hardness and size in the midfield and are regularly beaten in CP against quality opposition. We also lack cohesion - not enough shepherding, knowing where to handball under pressure, getting sucked into the contest leaving your man spare for an easy out. Solution in time: Erasmus, Johnson and Driz. All need a big pre-season in the gym. I’d also like to see a bigger bodied tagger and BB can do that role, as can Tucker. I rate Aish but size matters. Fyfe may also help but looking unlikely now.

- Our spine is inconsistent and removing the rose coloured glasses, far far below the elite teams. Taberner is just awful at the moment, Darcy is immobile and getting soundly beaten, and Pearce is a soldier but ball in hand, no thanks. Solution: Jackson will help; Darcy needs to drop kgs and increase mobility and durability and be rested if he is injured; Logue to permanent back line. Amiss treacy to play all games next year at the expense of Tabs and assume Lobb gone.

- imbalanced list. Too much quality at half back; too little elsewhere. This is mission critical in the forward line. The motley crew is just not good enough. Solution: Switta will help; Chapman and/or young need to be trained wing/ HHF. Western must play games. Figure out how to play to Sturt’s strengths and give the guy games. Recruitment :Zurhaar should be high priority target.

- Walters and Mundy, particularly walters, should not be getting games ahead of kids. If we are still developing, which we clearly are, what exactly is going on there?

A lot of this will be unpopular but we are not just out of form, we are not good enough, so plodding along trying to play stupid slingshot football with no emphasis on contest and hardness and no real remedy is a fail for me.

 

[MrDanggazz]

How? Will the Bulldogs get 12 points if they win this week to jump ahead of us?

Yeah I stuffed up and corrected it

 

[gaskin]

I said it in the match thread and I will say it again. We are the easiest team to set up against. We either bomb it long or chip it around until we either turn it over or bomb it long. JLo has shown multiple times this season there is no Plan B. If Plan A doesn't work well just keep trying it.

The biggest issue for me is that we have no pressure what-so-ever once the ball hits the deck. Not just tonight but over multiple weeks teams waltz the ball out from contests even if we outnumber them. There was one instance in the last quarter where either Tabs or Lobb went up against 3 defenders and Melbourne still had 2 players at the fall of the ball where we had none. It started rearing its head against Hawks and Brisbane when we had less than 10 tackles inside 50 in both games and it has started moving its way into the midfield.

We also really need to do some tackling training. Our tackling is pathetic.

 

[Midnite65]

The dare with the ball has gone. RYAN TAKING THE KICK INS SUCKS BALLS.

he will not take any risks.

up front, our forwards think a lead is when you walk backwards with your hand on the air.

Can't remember the last time Ryan took his 20 from the kick out and found a player on his own 60 metres out on the run to move the ball quickly which a lot of teams do these days.

 

[G Mus]

Freddy being 60m from the ball carrier and still leading away never gets old

 

[Feathercap]

I said it in the match thread and I will say it again. We are the easiest team to set up against. We either bomb it long or chip it around until we either turn it over or bomb it long. JLo has shown multiple times this season there is no Plan B. If Plan A doesn't work well just keep trying it.

The biggest issue for me is that we have no pressure what-so-ever once the ball hits the deck. Not just tonight but over multiple weeks teams waltz the ball out from contests even if we outnumber them. There was one instance in the last quarter where either Tabs or Lobb went up against 3 defenders and Melbourne still had 2 players at the fall of the ball where we had none. It started rearing its head against Hawks and Brisbane when we had less than 10 tackles inside 50 in both games and it has started moving its way into the midfield.

We also really need to do some tackling training. Our tackling is pathetic.

This is good analysis

 

[gaskin]

And a special shout out to the umpiring tonight. Some shocking no calls when melb players clearly dropped or threw the ball in the tackle. And that non-mark to Lobb in the last was comical.

When Melbourne went down the other end and kicked a goal, you could clearly hear May say to Lobb in the goal square "The umps are ****ed. That was clearly a mark."

 

[WaywardSonSon]

Public enemy number 1. What an absolute prawn..
.

I hate Hitler Youth more!

 

[kingswood71]

On a positive, at least we didn't have the worst player on the ground tonight..... Take a bow Sam Weideman (1 kick, 5 mtrs gained with 77% time on the ground)

Thank AP for that......apparently he was shit though....

 

[arsesmart]

I said it in the match thread and I will say it again. We are the easiest team to set up against. We either bomb it long or chip it around until we either turn it over or bomb it long. JLo has shown multiple times this season there is no Plan B. If Plan A doesn't work well just keep trying it.

The biggest issue for me is that we have no pressure what-so-ever once the ball hits the deck. Not just tonight but over multiple weeks teams waltz the ball out from contests even if we outnumber them. There was one instance in the last quarter where either Tabs or Lobb went up against 3 defenders and Melbourne still had 2 players at the fall of the ball where we had none. It started rearing its head against Hawks and Brisbane when we had less than 10 tackles inside 50 in both games and it has started moving its way into the midfield.

We also really need to do some tackling training. Our tackling is pathetic.

Beside's "Plan B" being a bit of a fan's white whale, I reckon adding a bit more run into our transition from defence to break up that pattern would be helpful.

I'm holding the hope that the continued bomb it to Darcy/Lobb etc policy is part of a cards-close-to-the-chest-before-finals thing. Maybe a forlorn one, but this is a time of year where teams who're lining up the finals can tend to fluctuate form here and there. Straps do need to be hit quickly though.

It's curious. We started the year throwing up some awesome turnover-transition numbers and have now morphed into a more contest-winning game style.

 

[Cesoir]

Bloody Fyfe.

 

[s_wd6]

Don't really understand the AP hate tbh. There was the one awful 1v1 he lost to weid but I thought he was definitely one of our better defenders. Cox, Ryan, chappy all so much worse

 

[WilloTree]

Don't really understand the AP hate tbh. There was the one awful 1v1 he lost to weid but I thought he was definitely one of our better defenders. Cox, Ryan, chappy all so much worse

His direct opponent had 1 possession in 100 minutes of footy.

The end.

 

[Freoforever86]

Notice when other teams go long with the kickouts, it’s almost to the middle of the ground. We don’t pressure the kicker well.

When we kick out - mainly Ryan - when he goes long he gets forced to kick quicker and the ball only just gets outside 50.

 

[WhoneedsMcLeod]

Think you are missing my point. I couldn’t give a rats ass about his stance on anything outside of football. I said it because many fans think he’s a bad influence etc etc. I have no problem whatsoever with him playing for us. All I know for sure is he will kick more goals than anyone else on our list over the next 3 years.
Mark my words on that. I’d love to have a proven goal kicker in our team.

Agree 100%
Freo forward line has nothing, Tabs has been a crab since the first day he walked in the door, add on his injury issues. Our smalls have been giving us nothing, no pressure, they seem to be invisible when the ball is on the deck. We have absolutely no mid or reasonable size player who is capable of taking a mark, not a hint of X factor anywhere. Darling or Zuurhar type would assist us massively.

 

[WhoneedsMcLeod]

Notice when other teams go long with the kickouts, it’s almost to the middle of the ground. We don’t pressure the kicker well.

When we kick out - mainly Ryan - when he goes long he gets forced to kick quicker and the ball only just gets outside 50.

Yep, Ryan so predictable, kicks out to the same spot every time, you can put your house on it. Bang one down the guts once in a blue moon ffs, try something different.

 

[SandiHill]

When Melbourne went down the other end and kicked a goal, you could clearly hear May say to Lobb in the goal square "The umps are *ed. That was clearly a mark."

Yep saw this too

 

[muckypup]

Let us burn those retro jumpers and never talk of them again.

Was a retro performance to be sure.

 

[muckypup]

If LJ plays like he did for Melbourne tonight for Freo next season, then AP may have competition in the overrated stakes.

Was thinking something very similar. Not sure what an over-priced tall adds to this lineup.