AFL Autopsy JLT 2: 28 point loss to Geelong

[JayJ20]

I'm concerned about the percentage of goals coming from half back. It seems like we have to go to defence to look like scoring. Our midfielders are not generating enough scoring chains/opportunities from clearances.

Teams like Richmond and Collingwood are too good running defensively to counteract that style of play.

Another major concern is the lack of physical presence around contests. Not sure these areas can be fixed in 3 weeks.

 

[Bombermania]

I'm concerned about the percentage of goals coming from half back. It seems like we have to go to defence to look like scoring. Our midfielders are not generating enough scoring chains/opportunities from clearances.

Teams like Richmond and Collingwood are too good running defensively to counteract that style of play.

Another major concern is the lack of physical presence around contests. Not sure these areas can be fixed in 3 weeks.

Particularly with the new 6-6-6 rule I expected to see our mids driving the ball forward to a dangerous looking forward line, on paper we look dangerous but twice now we have looked underwhelming, hopefully its sorted by Rd1.

 

[Beerfish]

Have there been any other 'sprigs out' rules paid so far? Not sure what the rule is actually called but the thing that Jarrad Waite built a career on.

 

[eth-dog]

What happened to Bags?

 

[Bombermania]

What happened to Bags?

I thought he was better than last week but considering the talk that he was given one more season I would hate to see him struggle but he had a similar slow start last season before coming good.

 

[Beerfish]

It's almost like he should play forward.

 

[Shane Heard]

We really did fail to win first hands around a lot of ball-ups. Ground balls in packs were picked up and flicked out by the cats much easy than us.

Our best experienced midfield/on balling hardnut grunt patrol is now basically made up of Smith, Shiel, Merrett, McGrath, Parish and the captain.

 

[blitzer]

Positives:
Good injury list: It looks like in round 1 we are only going to be missing Hooker and Gleeson as clear cut best 22 players. Can't be unhappy with that. Its probably the best you can hope for.
Tippa - been all class and is in good form going into the season
Stringer - super impactful and just in good nick and confidence right now.
Ridley - Really coming along as a player and fully expect to see him line up round 1
McGrath - not as good this week but you can still see he's ready to take the next step in his career.
McKenna and Saad - great dynamic run from half back
Daniher: Progressing well and looks to be moving pretty freely out there. No he didn't reach any great heights but considering his last 12 months I'm excited by what i was seeing.
We got some good game time into all the managed guys like Smith, Merrett, Heppell, Fantasia and Daniher. Give em a couple more weeks of training and they should be in good shape for the start of the season.

Negatives:
Parish and Langford - neither were terrible today from limited game time but they aren't setting the game on fire and McGrath seems to have gone straight past both of them. Neither are having much impact with their touches either.
Way too much of our attack is being set up from defense. We know that doesn't work for our side. We need to do a lot more defensively at stoppages to stop the quick inside 50 entries. We won't kick a winning score if we can't keep the ball in our front half more often.
Not a lot of form or confidence to be taken from our preseason, may not matter but its hardly anything to be excited about.

 

[Beerfish]

My viewing was interrupted by a visit to the vet but McKenna looked to have a bit of dog to me. Was caught short more than once but I'm not sure if he was trying to cover someone else's man or not because tv.

 

[Beerfish]

Parish and Langford - neither were terrible today from limited game time but they aren't setting the game on fire and McGrath seems to have gone straight past both of them. Neither are having much impact with their touches either.

Surely you can't be too surprised about that?

 

[eth-dog]

I thought he was better than last week but considering the talk that he was given one more season I would hate to see him struggle but he had a similar slow start last season before coming good.

Nah just on twitter I saw some pray for Bags stuff

 

[fishardansin]

Does this mean we’ve got no chance of winning the Ansett Cup now? I’m pretty sure we only win premierships after firstly winning the preseason comp. Ah well, there’s always next year.

Winning the Reserves the year before is also a good indication for us.

 

[blitzer]

Surely you can't be too surprised about that?

Yeah I guess but its not like Langford and Parish are some scrubs that we picked up with our last pick in the rookie draft. They were both pretty high draft picks and more experienced, you'd certainly have hoped for more from them. I do agree that I always expected McGrath to be the best of that group but its a shame that it seems to be such an enormous gulf.

 

[Beerfish]

Yeah I guess but its not like Langford and Parish are some scrubs that we picked up with our last pick in the rookie draft. They were both pretty high draft picks and more experienced, you'd certainly have hoped for more from them. I do agree that I always expected McGrath to be the best of that group but its a shame that it seems to be such an enormous gulf.

Yeah they were pretty high but they weren't numero uno. We had our pick of the litter that year. I'm not so sure I'd describe it as an enormous gulf yet either. I did agree with a lot of your post though I just kind of cherry picked that bit.

 

[vass44]

I think we are going OK and it’s far from panic stations just yet. Stringer and Tippa look in ripping nick, Shiel all class and many players like Fanta, Joey ZMerrett and Smith will be better for the run.
A bit of a concern was only 2 contested marks inside 50, so you’d have to think both Smack and Laverde are still right in the mix for round 1.
At this stage for round 1 Id have;-

Out: Ambrose, Draper, Baguley, Ham, D.Clarke, Brown, Parish

In: Hartley, Laverde, McKernan

So round 1 starting 22 is:-

Hurley Hartley McKenna
Ridley Francis Saad
ZMerrett Heppell Smith
Tippa Daniher Laverde
McKernan Stringer Fanta

Bellcho Shiel McGrath

Bench: Zakka Myers Guelfi Langford

Brown a bit stiff done nothing wrong just think McKernan brings more X factor.
Parish for me didn’t do enough and I’d rather see someone like Guelfi who puts his head over the ball in the team


On iPhone using BigFooty.com mobile app

 

[rumply]

How was Francis?

Played well, got caught out playing on too quickly which cost a goal, rookie mistake, but otherwise looked polished for the most part.

Hurley the one that looked rusty to me, hopefully just needed another hit out.

 

[boncer34]

Parish is a 21 year old mid who has never averaged less than 20 touches. The pessimism around him surprises me.

 

[boncer34]

Parish is a 21 year old mid who has never averaged less than 20 touches. The pessimism around him surprises me.

 

[Pweter]

My biggest concern out of both games is midfield related. Because we're rotating so many guys through we're not getting as much synergy in there as I'd like, and with less congestion the guys that get first hands on the ball which tends to be your big bodies will be far more damaging.

Our midfield looks like it's been built for the past 5 years, but with the 6-6-6 the bulls will get more time and space and we don't have the players to match or counter them 1:1 (or 3:3). We haven't even drafted these types have we, the list basically bereft of big bodied mids?

Can we get Watson out of retirement?

 

[Whispering_Jack]

I still lold at Geelong's first four rounds. Collingwood, Melbourne, Adelaide aaaaand can't remember but I lold.

GWS I think.

 

[srobbo]

All good & well to dismiss both games as praccies, but to me all I’m seeing is the same high octane, high risk game that gets us nowhere.
Both Carlton & Geelong set up far more organised around stoppages & bullied us into chasing arse between the arcs for the most part.

I’ve also got some serious questions about Langford, Parish & Zaka. All 3 just to default to be being reactive footballers & have no intent to hunt & create. As for Myers, he’s so far off being AFL standard it’s a joke. A slow crab, who applies zero pressure without the ball is a liability....we wonder why we can’t control the game between the arcs carrying the aforementioned. All 4 would be struggling to play round 1 for mine.

We also looked vulnerable down back without Hooker. Ambrose & Hurley are barely keeping their head’s above water. Thankfully we’ve got Ridley & Francis to shore us up in the air now.

Some may see it as an overreaction, I see it a continuation from last year.

 

[calyam]

It is easy to overreact to pre-season footy but it is disappointing that we really failed to fire a shot in either game.

The main reason I'm not worried is because our prime movers, guys such as Merrett and Heppell and Smith, will all be more influential when round one commences. It is clear to me that we are trying some things in the pre-season, most of which I'm assuming didn't work, and giving other players a chance to prove themselves.

When the list is cut back to 22, when the games mean something, a core midfield of Bellchambers, Shiel, Merrett, Heppell and Smith will be very competitive.

Parish is a 21 year old mid who has never averaged less than 20 touches. The pessimism around him surprises me.

He was also one of our best performers over the final seven games of last year. Board should be a lot higher on him than they currently are.

 

[Stopher]

Basically, I'm not going to dismiss what was an extended run of good/very good form in the second half of last season on the back of a couple of pre-season games where a few things are being tried, rotations are heavy, and even the possibility of a bit of self-preservation is about.

If we are 0-2, 1-3, 2-4 or worse, then I'll worry a little.

 

[Ambrosia]

Played well, got caught out playing on too quickly which cost a goal, rookie mistake, but otherwise looked polished for the most part.

Hurley the one that looked rusty to me, hopefully just needed another hit out.

That was not Francis's fault for two reasons. He hadn't played on when the ump called play on and Hawkins was standing 3m over the mark when play on was called.

Hurley always starts slow am not worried in the slightest.

 

[srobbo]

Parish is a 21 year old mid who has never averaged less than 20 touches. The pessimism around him surprises me.

It’s the balance of where he gets them & what he does with them that’s the concern....he simply isn’t impacting games as much what we’d like.

Until he develops his outside game & shifts his default from see ball, handball, he’s not going to be an asset to the midfield.

It’s his 4th season....he’s got to challenge himself more.