Review Round 5, 2015 - Gold Coast vs Brisbane Lions

[Fatcat08]

Decided to watch the space surrounding the stoppages this week and what struck me was the lack of pre-emptive movement from our midfield and those around the ball. We have a very bad tendency to wait for the ball to be palmed down and then get on our bikes and into motion. The result of this is that we're constantly either second to the ball, or more importantly when we do get the ball we aren't able to either a) create any separation between us and our direct opponent resulting in either the ball getting locked in or spilling to the ground and a turnover or b) a handball or knock forward going to a player with someone right on him because of this lack of movement.

We really need to get our feet going around the stoppages so we can create separation and give ourselves that half a second to clear the ball into space. During the pre season sessions there was a fair bit of work on this with guys in motion in lots of different directions but we seem to have completely stopped this come game time. Hanley was probably our best at this and we're severely lacking his run and spread from the contest as the rest of the players haven't picked up the slack.

I must admit that in 8 years of following this team I've never been more disheartened than I am at the moment. It has got to the point where I'm not even angry any more, just disappointed at where we are. Anyone who is trying to point the blame at one person is fair kidding themselves though, every single player needs to be sat down this week and asked what do they stand for and if they want to be playing AFL football because there are plenty of people out there who would love to be in the position they're in.

I was quietly glad to see Leppa get angry this week. I think its been a positive that he's been so level headed through this process, trying to educate rather than just rant and rave, but I think the time has come to get a bit angry about whats happening out there.

 

[josephs_79]

I said to the wife on the weekend after we saw the scores (was at a wedding and couldn't watch) that Leppa needs to get some mongrel in him that he had as a defender and rip a new one to each player individually and collectively.

This is ridiculous, these guys have gotten soft in 2 years and are seeming to be laconic. They have lost the rough and grit and grunt they had under Voss and don't seem to be anywhere near the grit and determination they need to be a formidable team.

Is it because we made so many changes over the off season and bought in 3 new key players that the team just isn't gelling yet or is it because they need to be all torn a new one, I don't know but this is missing and someone needs to get into them harder.

If that was true that Roos was giving it to Hall and he was nervous, then I want to see that too our players.... if they don't like it then they can leave and go home to mummy ) Lol) but something needs to be done to light a fire under these guys @sses

 

[Kevvo]

It stood out to me dramatically on the weekend that we need another key back as much or more than we need a key forward.

Clarke was excellent. Gardiner is a fantastic developing player, but has been asked to carry an unrealistic load. At 191cm and 80something kilos, there is just nothing he can do about a player like Dixon (or Lynch) when they're on. We absolutely need another capable defender that is closer to 200cm than 190 to take over when Merrett is gone.

At some point midway through the second, we were down by about 24 points but still up by 5 inside 50 entries. I thought that was mind-blowing, and telling. We were creating way more opportunities, but not scoring, then every time they went in, they scored. You could very clearly see the effect that was having on our confidence, and it seemed to spiral out of control after Christensen's miss. It was a bad miss, but you can tell every time which particular deflating incidents will spark the team getting deflated and just fading.

At the moment, I don't think the playing group believe we have the team to win games. Not so much that we don't have the talent on the list, but certainly that we are exposed in both 50m arcs.

 

[jjami15]

At the moment, I don't think the playing group believe we have the team to win games. Not so much that we don't have the talent on the list, but certainly that we are exposed in both 50m arcs.

It's kind of dawned on me that if we continue to be so insipid over the remainder of the season we might actually have some of our more mature and better players might have had enough with it all and look to leave themselves.

 

[Kevvo]

It's kind of dawned on me that if we continue to be so insipid over the remainder of the season we might actually have some of our more mature and better players might have had enough with it all and look to leave themselves.

Yeah, I can understand that sentiment. Still, I'm fairly convinced that the senior guys have bought in and want to make it work.

More than that, I think we are just too affected by single incidents right now. Rocky goes down, Christensen misses and we fall apart. I recognize that we've had a deflating run with injuries to our senior players, but I just don't think the kids we've got believe that they can get it done over a full game, so the most we ever get is patches of persistent effort.

Most critically, our confidence just seems too brittle. You could tell after the Christensen miss that we'd drop off, and surely enough GC suddenly started running the ball through the midfield at will and serving it on a plate to Dixon.

 

[luthor]

Most critically, our confidence just seems too brittle. You could tell after the Christensen miss that we'd drop off, and surely enough GC suddenly started running the ball through the midfield at will and serving it on a plate to Dixon.

I don't know what the stats say but we must be getting absolutely thrashed in marks both inside forward 50 and inside defensive 50.

We can't seem to take an offensive or defensive mark to save ourselves, whilst opposition forwards and defenders pluck them at ease with monotonous regularity.

We can bang on all we like about "effort" but it's got to be absolutely draining for the side as a whole to be going inside forward 50 so often but oh so ineffectually, only to see the opposition rebound at will and a great proportion of the time, go coast to coast and score at the other end. Especially if we have absolutely butchered a "gimmie" ourselves, like the Christensen one on the weekend.

I've lost count of the number of two goal turnarounds we've suffered in the five games so far. In the Richmond game in particular, it was an absolute epidemic. I swear the Tigers scored nearly all of their goals from "rebound defensive 50" running after we buggered up our own opportunities. There's only so much of that kind of totally deflating kick in the guts that can be born until the wheels just fall off completely. To me that's exactly what happened in the last quarter of the Richmond game .......and has continued ever since.

Sadly, in the absence of at least one genuine tall forward target, It's hard (for me) to see how the malaise affecting the side is going to be eradicated.

The only thing I can think of to at least stem the bleeding, is for our smalls and half forwards to put more ( a lot more) defensive pressure on opposition defenders. At the moment,it seems that opposition defenders are just waltzing out of the defensive part of their ground and finding midfield and /or forward targets with ridiculous ease.

Something has got to change in this area of the ground( ie forward defensive pressure and tackling) because unless a couple of KPF's suddenly fall out of the sky into our laps I fear that we are going to see more of the same rubbish being served up week after week.

 

[Elixuh]

You make a really good point luthor

It shouldn't be an excuse but I can't imagine how deflating it is for the players to work to get the ball inside 50 and by the end of the game have a similar amount of inside 50s to the opposition and still be losing by 50 or 60 odd points.

The problem I see with us securing a win is the ability to control the oppositions scoring relative to some kind of AFL avg with an inexperienced backline vs our ability to put on a score and outscore the opposition. I fear that even if our backline performed well we'd still struggle to kick 80+ points. I just hope that an increase in effort and workrate will see us kick a score through a number of different players.

 

[jackess]

IIRC we had more marks inside 50 on the weekend. Or at least we were ahead in the third quarter.

 

[Wounded Lion]

I found the vision of Leppa being quite angry on the phone about Greeny and I have lip synced it to the best of my ability:

"Tell Greeny he is a f*cking crumbing forward, not a leading forward, he needs to move up and back"

It was a valid reaction. Stef Martin had the ball forward of the wing and had Dayne Beams streaming in to space around the 50m mark. It would have been a short kick or long handball to Beams and possible shot at goal but Greeny kept leading up at Martin and took all the space. He didn't take the mark and it resulted in a boundary throw in.

If Stef Martin had kicked it to the square, Greeny would not have made it back in time to pressure the rebounding defender.

It is shocking to see that this nonacceptance of the role occurred in the first 2 minutes of the 2nd quarter when players aren't fatigued and can maintain their structure. Very poor by Greeny and I can understand Leppa's frustration. For a 5th year player, this is just not on!

 

[Hollow Knight]

 

[Fatcat08]

About what I thought.

Reckless, High, high - 3 weeks with a one week reduction for a guilty plea

 

[jackess]

a mayes ing

 

[jackess]

2 weeks is a bit rough IMO

 

[Harris Specter]

Same as Lewis, which is pretty rough. Thought he'd get 2 weeks, downgraded to 1 week.

 

[Hollow Knight]

2 weeks is a bit rough IMO

But perfectly in accordance with the new MRP guidelines. Not much latitude to reduce any of the gradings.

Reckless definitely. Contact definitely high because he hit him in the head, and force high because he was stretchered, subbed and taken for scans.

 

[CarloLion]

Not sure that it was worth two weeks but whatevs

 

[royboys4eva]

So May's hit was deemed worth 2 weeks but the umpire on the day said play on Hope he gets sent to the bush this week where he belongs.

 

[doddgey]

Wonder if this phone call has been made @Robbo18! ?

Hi Dad,
.......
No everything is fine,
.......
Yeah I pulled up really well, I feel great,
.......
Well actually Dad, the reason for the call is I need to borrow a grand.

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" lang="en"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Stephen May can accept 2 games for rough conduct against Tom Rockliff.&#10;Nick Robertson can accept $1000 for striking Tom Nicholls.</p>&mdash; Patrick Keane (@AFL_PKeane) <a href="">May 4, 2015</a></blockquote>
<script async src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

 

[jackess]

But perfectly in accordance with the new MRP guidelines. Not much latitude to reduce any of the gradings.

Reckless definitely. Contact definitely high because he hit him in the head, and force high because he was stretchered, subbed and taken for scans.

I guess it comes down to the doctors report and given he ended up in hospital it must have been pretty bad.

 

[CarterS]

"Not up to AFL standard" and "It is very worrying that the coach appears to be getting no response" was the verdict on AFL 360 tonight.

 

[a mayes ing]

a mayes ing

Interesting, l guess that means l won't be invited to join the MRP judges?

 

[PepperFace]

Not sure where to ask this question but i will try here.

I was watching this match thinking, s**t - allen Christensen looks fat. And then watching talking footy earlier Tim Watson said he looks physically out of shape. Anyone know whats going on with him?

 

[BrizzyBandit]

Not sure where to ask this question but i will try here.

I was watching this match thinking, s**t - allen Christensen looks fat. And then watching talking footy earlier Tim Watson said he looks physically out of shape. Anyone know whats going on with him?

He had no pre season..... So I'll cut him some slack.

Green on the other hand.

 

[Big Lion]

He had no pre season..... So I'll cut him some slack.

Green on the other hand.

Christensen will be fine once the season rolls on, he missed a bit of footy and the pre-season. Green has to be carrying an injury surely, how to you go from being one of the most exciting young small forwards in the league to a liability, just doesn't make sense.

 

[luthor]

Christensen will be fine once the season rolls on, he missed a bit of footy and the pre-season. Green has to be carrying an injury surely, how to you go from being one of the most exciting young small forwards in the league to a liability, just doesn't make sense.

Too many meatball (with the works) Subway subs.