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I never want to see walker in the backs again. Truely horrible piece of coaching. He finally found some form in the forwards last year after being not much for quite a while. Can't find any logic in moving him back.We’re all armchair pundits FWG. I think you’re being a bit harsh there.
Pretty sure one of the things that needs to work better is disposal efficiency. Thats what cost us not the defensive positioningGood old Gerard Healy On The Couch always sticks up for us. He said we looked "brilliant" and just need to sort out our defensive positioning and a few small things.
Hence the a few things call. Look at every single team who lost and poor disposal will be one of the main reasons.Pretty sure one of the things that needs to work better is disposal efficiency. Thats what cost us not the defensive positioning
Good assessment DashinD & agree with you about NO players being dropped after Round 1. Our decision making when in control of the ball was poor. We seemed to rush and not steady or have a look before kicking to nowhere specific...just a bit rusty....we will improve & then watch all the knockers change their tunes. I sat with a lot of StKilda supporters and, for most of the game, they were just as horrified with the skill errors as we were.Best part about footy season, there is always next week to redeem yourself.Watched the replay last night.
One thing that stood out was the evenness of contribution... of fumbles, turn overs, dropped marks etc
This isn't a criticism. No one really stood out as having a howler. Everyone had a rusty moment and it all kinda added up and cost us the game in the end. Completely expected given out list profile and limited pre season, and not something to be too worried about at this stage. This said, I dont remember error from Hodge, also not unexpected given his experience and class. What an asset he is going to be for us.
I thought Stef was enormous. So important that he stays on the park this year.
Clearances a huge tick. If we can maintain that throughout the season we will start winning games.
Harris and Darcy weren't as bad as some are making out. Nor Bell and I'd be giving him another run. In fact, apart from Zorko who was just plain old quiet and pretty ineffectual, no one really had too bad of a game.
On the 'being rushed' point, Fagan made an interesting comment in the post match press conference that Etihad has a tendency to cause players to rush their footy which I though was interesting. Not sure whether that is just a sub-conscious thing or the fact that the ball goes very quickly from end to end and players are under greater time pressure than normal.Good assessment DashinD & agree with you about NO players being dropped after Round 1. Our decision making when in control of the ball was poor. We seemed to rush and not steady or have a look before kicking to nowhere specific...just a bit rusty....we will improve & then watch all the knockers change their tunes. I sat with a lot of StKilda supporters and, for most of the game, they were just as horrified with the skill errors as we were. Best part about footy season, there is always next week to redeem yourself.
One comment that resonated with me was at the end when Fagan made the comment about how we butchered some of our forward 50 entries, and straight away I thought of Bell taking the shot from the angle when he could have kicked to a couple of open Lions players directly in front.On the 'being rushed' point, Fagan made an interesting comment in the post match press conference that Etihad has a tendency to cause players to rush their footy which I though was interesting. Not sure whether that is just a sub-conscious thing or the fact that the ball goes very quickly from end to end and players are under greater time pressure than normal.
The other comment he made that resonated with me was that the easy over the top goals for the Saints were really about our turnovers and bad decision making (as you noted) more than bad positioning/defending. I do wonder though whether our backs are over-committing when we have possession and whether that is a safe approach given our current propensity to cough it up.
One comment that resonated with me was at the end when Fagan made the comment about how we butchered some of our forward 50 entries, and straight away I thought of Bell taking the shot from the angle when he could have kicked to a couple of open Lions players directly in front.
I thought it was one where he needed to take the shot, round the corner kick at that pace would have been difficult. He just shat himself.My intial reaction was he was being selfish, but after watching the replay I think he just rushed it.
His game was nowhere near bad, and honestly had more impact than most of/if not all of his games last year. I reckon give him 4-8 weeks. If he can build his confidence and form he could be handy depth. If he doesn't then at least we've given him the opportunity he earned. Absolutely cannot doubt his work ethic.
I agree guys like Bell, Walker, Bastinac, etc should be given about 6 weeks to show if they're up to it. If they're not meeting Fagan's expectations, then we should start bringing the top NEAFL performers in. Make it clear to the kids that spots are up for grabs if they perform.My intial reaction was he was being selfish, but after watching the replay I think he just rushed it.
His game was nowhere near bad, and honestly had more impact than most of/if not all of his games last year. I reckon give him 4-8 weeks. If he can build his confidence and form he could be handy depth. If he doesn't then at least we've given him the opportunity he earned. Absolutely cannot doubt his work ethic.
And make it clear to the older boys, that close enough is 'not' good enough.I agree guys like Bell, Walker, Bastinac, etc should be given about 6 weeks to show if they're up to it. If they're not meeting Fagan's expectations, then we should start bringing the top NEAFL performers in. Make it clear to the kids that spots are up for grabs if they perform.
Hey Lions fans,
I was impressed with Berry in the opening round, so I cut some extended highlights.
Here's hoping he can work up to getting 20-25 disposals per game towards the end of the season. I think he'll be quite the player in time.
Hey Lions fans,
I was impressed with Berry in the opening round, so I cut some extended highlights.
Here's hoping he can work up to getting 20-25 disposals per game towards the end of the season. I think he'll be quite the player in time.
As the old adage goes, "bad kicking is bad football" and never was it truer than today. Fact is, we lost that game. We had every chance to win it and we blew it with poor disposal and terrible decision making. Both will be fixed with time and experience.
That being said, I HATE FOOTBALL.
Hey Lions fans,
I was impressed with Berry in the opening round, so I cut some extended highlights.
Here's hoping he can work up to getting 20-25 disposals per game towards the end of the season. I think he'll be quite the player in time.
I was a bit suprised he didnt score any coaches votes tbh. Thought he was our most influential player.
We tend to forget some times that even our coaches are on a learning curve. It's about finding the right balance I guess. Which all suggests that when we get it right we will be hard to beat.So true Kezz, and the coach put that front and square in his post match.
Fagan, who was excited by a new look team that included No.1 draft pick Cam Rayner, said a pre-season spent focusing on contested ball and defensive structure could have hurt the Lions' ball use.
http://www.lions.com.au/news/2018-03-24/fagan-confident
Interesting watching that Berry video. It felt a bit like he was tiring as the game went on as his disposal got a fraction less dominant and his impact on the play in the 4th was much less than the rest of the game. Goes to show the growth that is possible with him. Amazing player on our list right there who will be super dominant very soon.