AFL Autopsy Round 4: 65 point loss to Adelaide

[eth-dog]

Eth-Dog.... only for team balance. Pies aren't exactly huge forward line so he might be surplus for ANZAC DAY then i see mass changes for Melbourne as we have only 4 days rest and Lewis and Hogan be in the team by then.

He ain't gonna be dropped. Just accept it.

 

[Halftimehero]

The GOOD:
Crows are a bloody good footy team.They had a few injuries last year that stopped them going all the way. We did ok I thought in patches.
We fought back well after quarter time. Umpiring always favours home team but FFS they got a few cheap ones.
Tippa and McGrath awesome... Zac, Trav and BJ did their best to stem the flow.

The BAD:
Hurley - looks disinterested.
Hooker - needs to go to defence.

The UGLY:
Small/medium agile forwards.. once again our achilles heel.... need a stopper badly who won't cost mega $$$ (Brodie Smith, Rhys Williams, Dane Rampe)

With an extended break leading up to Anzac Day then only 4 days rest before the Melbourne game (which i'm flying down for) i think we'll not tweak the team too much for Anzac Day but make a fair few for the Melbourne game.

ANZAC DAY INS : Francis, Myers, Bird
ANZAC DAY OUTS: Ambrose, Brown, Mckenna (susp.)

Ambrose out? Surely not serious?

Myers in? Has hardly played a match of any kind for 2 and a half years and you'd bring him straight in?

 

[Doss]

Keep reading that Heppell's struggling this season, did you all miss the first two games?

This. Admittedly I have not seen the last two games so I'll run with what seems to be the consensus around here about his last two games (that is, that he's struggled), but his first two games were sensational.

Surely a bit of goldfish kicking in to suggest he's struggled overall.

 

[RedmanWasHere]

Rhys Williams

Who's Rhys Williams?

 

[Runk]

Who's Rhys Williams?

Past captain of Middlesbrough

 

[SherbertLemon]

Forgot to say, on two occasions Goddard tried to be attacking through the corridor and turned the ball over for easy goals.

IMO he still has something to offer, but he must realise his limitations.

 

[Bombers36]

We obviously got blown away early, but were pretty decent in the second half - in fact the Crows with their tails up on their home turf only managed to outscore us by 13 points. Not concerned about that game - it was always going to be a loss, but if we cant beat Collingwood this week then I think we have a bit more to worry about...

 

[hippyhippy]

Im thinking most of the afl are overrating adelaide. Adelaide are going to win their home games. Actually adelaide could not have asked for a better season. We have hard teams at home and easy teams away. Its a dream fixture which will hide how good they really are imho. On the weekend we played shootout footy ... and imho the dons were actually up to the task. When they did go forward, most times it was actually clean. What messed you up was the midfield pressure in the first half which was all adelaide but none from essendon. That is the area the dons need to work on.

However, collingwood have a similar midfield to us which is why i think the dons will struggle. Also essendon looked spent in the last qtr. Seems fitness is going to be a big problem.

 

[Rack Watts]

rather have AA defender defending myself

Ambrose is in AA form...

 

[mayhem20202]

Ambrose is in AA form...

Settle down


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[HirdsTheWord]

whatever

crows on another level

next

 

[Rack Watts]

Settle down


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His direct opponents simply cannot score, and he's added an attacking element to his game.

 

[CourtzMajora]

The BAD:
Hurley - looks disinterested.

Whilst I agree Hurley hasn't had a good start to the season disinterested isn't what I saw from Hurley.

He looks frustrated and angry if anything. He's not playing to his best and he knows it, unfortunately Hurley (to me) seems like an emotional guy but does not look disinterested.

 

[Killer_Mike]

Forgot to say, on two occasions Goddard tried to be attacking through the corridor and turned the ball over for easy goals.

IMO he still has something to offer, but he must realise his limitations.

So you would encourage him not to take risks?

 

[SherbertLemon]

So you would encourage him not to take risks?

If he's kicking across the face of goal into the corridor and precedent shows he now cannot hit the target, absolutely.

Go down the line to a contest until there's a more percentage option.

He simply isn't the player he was, and he's been costing us goals. As I said, he's still a beast around the contest.

One must realise their limitations if you're ever going to be a good contributor. Not everyone is a freak.

 

[JDavey]

This. Admittedly I have not seen the last two games so I'll run with what seems to be the consensus around here about his last two games (that is, that he's struggled), but his first two games were sensational.

Surely a bit of goldfish kicking in to suggest he's struggled overall.

Struggling is a bit of a reach - he has looked slow the last couple of games, and not his normal "canter is his top speed" slow, just a touch behind in general play - should come out of it soon.

 

[eth-dog]

If he's kicking across the face of goal into the corridor and precedent shows he now cannot hit the target, absolutely.

Go down the line to a contest until there's a more percentage option.

He simply isn't the player he was, and he's been costing us goals. As I said, he's still a beast around the contest.

One must realise their limitations if you're ever going to be a good contributor. Not everyone is a freak.

He's hit that ball over a dozen times this year and because he missed two it means he can't hit that target? Get a grip.

 

[Killer_Mike]

If he's kicking across the face of goal into the corridor and precedent shows he now cannot hit the target, absolutely.

Go down the line to a contest until there's a more percentage option.

He simply isn't the player he was, and he's been costing us goals. As I said, he's still a beast around the contest.

One must realise their limitations if you're ever going to be a good contributor. Not everyone is a freak.

All players make mistakes and BJ is no different.

The guy would either be one or two in our B&F as it currently stands so I think criticism of him is totally unfair.

As others have said previously, the guy came here with a dream of playing finals and has been dished up the biggest nightmare in the history of football!

In that time he has conducted himself in a way that very few can. For me I can handle a couple of mistakes because the good far outweighs the bad.

 

[SherbertLemon]

All players make mistakes and BJ is no different.

The guy would either be one or two in our B&F as it currently stands so I think criticism of him is totally unfair.

As others have said previously, the guy came here with a dream of playing finals and has been dished up the biggest nightmare in the history of football!

In that time he has conducted himself in a way that very few can. For me I can handle a couple of mistakes because the good far outweighs the bad.

Mate, I'm not shooting him down. I'm saying he should play to his numerous strengths, one of which isn't that kick any more. If Jobe Watson was trying to get around Cyril I'd be just as vocal, and I still want to carry his offspring.

He's hit that ball over a dozen times this year and because he missed two it means he can't hit that target? Get a grip.

I've seen him miss it multiple times this year. It has cost goals every time, thus the basis of my criticism. It wasn't a hysterical post eth, so pull your head in.

 

[Saint]

To me, it seemed like we rolled the dice and Adelaide rolled the dice and they spanked us from the start. The rest of the match we tightened up but the horse had bolted.

Good to see we can score goals when the play opens up though, we now just need to work out how to free up play against tighter teams, but it's all part of the learning. Even if we played our best this season, we wouldn't have beaten Adelaide away. Even if we win the flag in two years' time we'd probably still lose to GWS and Adelaide away.

There were some disappointing performances, a lot of them from the returning players, perhaps suffering a bit of leg tiredness from the year off (not as seasoned to getting up week to week).

Disappointing in the sense that it led to us losing, but nothing against any player in particular. We've got a long break and a big ANZAC day clash. It will be a great spectacle with lots on the line for each team and for many players in each team.

We're two games ahead of both Sydney and Hawthorn, if anyone offered me that at the start of the season, I'd have taken it. Win this week and we're in the finals two games clear of Carlton and Collingwood. I can't remember the last time we had a start that good!

 

[BOMBERS 4 LIFE!!!!]

To me, it seemed like we rolled the dice and Adelaide rolled the dice and they spanked us from the start. The rest of the match we tightened up but the horse had bolted.

Good to see we can score goals when the play opens up though, we now just need to work out how to free up play against tighter teams, but it's all part of the learning. Even if we played our best this season, we wouldn't have beaten Adelaide away. Even if we win the flag in two years' time we'd probably still lose to GWS and Adelaide away.

There were some disappointing performances, a lot of them from the returning players, perhaps suffering a bit of leg tiredness from the year off (not as seasoned to getting up week to week).

Disappointing in the sense that it led to us losing, but nothing against any player in particular. We've got a long break and a big ANZAC day clash. It will be a great spectacle with lots on the line for each team and for many players in each team.

We're two games ahead of both Sydney and Hawthorn, if anyone offered me that at the start of the season, I'd have taken it. Win this week and we're in the finals two games clear of Carlton and Collingwood. I can't remember the last time we had a start that good!

Have Pies and Demons next 2 both winnable

4-2 would be a great result.

 

[efcboy]

Forgot to say, on two occasions Goddard tried to be attacking through the corridor and turned the ball over for easy goals.

IMO he still has something to offer, but he must realise his limitations.

Realistically Goddard will never realise his limitations. He's too arrogant for that and will attempt risky kicks thinking he can pull them off. Most of the time he does but there will be times when he doesn't which is what we saw against the crows - majority of game he was good with a minority of turnovers.

 

[EnolaGay]

Forgot to say, on two occasions Goddard tried to be attacking through the corridor and turned the ball over for easy goals.

IMO he still has something to offer, but he must realise his limitations.

He's been bloody good this year so far, though.