Autopsy Round 14, 2020: Port Adelaide 11.7.73 def Sydney 7.5.47

Only managed to catch the second half so I missed what seemed to be the worst part of the match.

Thought there was a lot to like in the second half, we really controlled the game for most of the third quarter. McCartin was outstanding as a defender often intercepting their exits with strong body positioning and read of the play. We locked the ball for the most part in our front half and kept a top team to a single point then so that's a good effort. Our work rate around the ground was a lot more intense than Port's from what I saw, generally first to the loose ball and had numbers in support whether we were in possession or to apply pressure. Had lots of opportunities to close in on the margin but unfortunately missed our shots and gave up our chance to get back into the game.

Forward entries definitely still leave a lot to be desired, countless times in the second half we had the ball around 65 out from goal and so many times we end up kicking long to a pack 20-30m in front of goal where Port have an extra number. Any above average defence will pick that off all game, as Freo did last week. We got our best opportunities when we moved it on quickly into the forward line so I'd like to see more of that and forwards being a bit more on the move to create space so we don't have to kick to a pack.

We're really missing Rampe as Dixon was the difference and in his current form outclasses Melican or any other KPD option we have.

Obviously had low expectations for this game given it's the ladder leaders at home so it's a decent effort. Hoping we take the intensity in the second half and sustain it for four quarters next week.
 

Dubai Quacker

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Aliir in the ruck - tick
McCartin to CHB - tick
Clarke - tick
Dawson - tick
JPK - tick
Horse tactics - tick

alas....

Bell - gong & whoopee cushion
Reid - buzzer

Yes, the forward entries weren’t great, but our mids weren’t smashed & with a couple of quality forwards, we’d have been right in it. Heeney would have made a huge difference today.

I don’t recall a single mark on the lead in recent weeks. Papley remains our only effective forward option.
 
Think our best were Lloyd, Fox, Dawson (1st half) and Sinkers. McCartin was terrific in the 2nd half.

The performance was a marked improvement over last week's festival of trash.
 

Kapers

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Wonder how much of the second half was us standing up, and how much was Port taking their foot off the pedal.
Personally, really good to see the swans stay in the game and fight back, but a team like the cats would of beat us by 40-60 after that second quarter.

Currently our best probably matches 16th to 10th if every team plays their best. Next year, if we can just focus on consistency and get to 12th to 8th, I think that would build some belief, and it's easier to build a good top end game of a consistent brand.
 
I love the way McCartin has been working on his ball drop in order to kick a bullet pass. Obviously, he has been working with someone at training who puts the ball onto his boot for him so you have to be excited when it comes off during a game.

He has really worked at his skills, inc goal kicking. In his first year I thought his field kicking was fine but his set shots for goal were dire.
 

Joycerama

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Only managed to catch the second half so I missed what seemed to be the worst part of the match.

Thought there was a lot to like in the second half, we really controlled the game for most of the third quarter. McCartin was outstanding as a defender often intercepting their exits with strong body positioning and read of the play. We locked the ball for the most part in our front half and kept a top team to a single point then so that's a good effort. Our work rate around the ground was a lot more intense than Port's from what I saw, generally first to the loose ball and had numbers in support whether we were in possession or to apply pressure. Had lots of opportunities to close in on the margin but unfortunately missed our shots and gave up our chance to get back into the game.

Forward entries definitely still leave a lot to be desired, countless times in the second half we had the ball around 65 out from goal and so many times we end up kicking long to a pack 20-30m in front of goal where Port have an extra number. Any above average defence will pick that off all game, as Freo did last week. We got our best opportunities when we moved it on quickly into the forward line so I'd like to see more of that and forwards being a bit more on the move to create space so we don't have to kick to a pack.

We're really missing Rampe as Dixon was the difference and in his current form outclasses Melican or any other KPD option we have.

Obviously had low expectations for this game given it's the ladder leaders at home so it's a decent effort. Hoping we take the intensity in the second half and sustain it for four quarters next week.
I think we are stroking ourselves. Port we’re asleep in the second qtr. Our extraction work at stoppages is wooden spoon material. How is it that our ruckman can get on top but our midfield setups are such that the oppostion is better at reading the tap than we are? I can only conclude that this is sh#t coaching. We just couldn’t pick up the rick scraps at all. The clearance numbers were terrible really, and it doesn’t play to our stregngths at all as we have recruited for speed and we can’t even get the ball to our carriers...the forwards were in quicksand and should be torn strips for their lack of movement in creating leads and space, but our midfield made them look worse than they were. Heeney would have been just another jumper in a pack of seven for each lollipop coming I50 from the stratosphere. Conversely, it was a pleasure to watch Melksham last night nail it low into the 50, resulting in either chest marks our chaos within 25m of the goal. With Paps roaming, surely that is a better tactic?
 

Joycerama

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He has really worked at his skills, inc goal kicking. In his first year I thought his field kicking was fine but his set shots for goal were dire.
Loved McCartin at CHF. Took some great one on ones, including v Dickson. Perhaps the net benefit for the team is for him to play there. He prevented several goals and was one of the reasons why we were able to reduce their scoring in the 3rd before Port’s setups improved a bit.
 

bungee

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I was OK with this game given our young developing team. I thought we showed a fair bit, except for that forgettable 2nd quarter. We had a couple of crucial decisions early that went the way of the parochial crowd, which cost us a few goals and weren't made up for by some cheap frees for us. I liked our attack on the footy and the positional changes that Horse made after half time. When did Horse start turning up to games with a Plan B ? Well it worked. Shame we didn't use Plan B for the whole game. You live and learn.

Port have an impressive forward line, very well organised and a bit much to handle without Rampe. Melican did his best, Fox/Mills/LLoyd were sound and Aliir put in some genuine effort this week. McCartin as HB was a nice surprise. Leave him there. By contrast our own forward line was a bloody mess. Who's organising it ? How many times did we see an inside 50 go to a vastly out-numbered Reid. There was no movement, no-one was leading or taking their man away from the goal square. At least we could give Reid a run and jump at it rather than landing it right on top of him. The mark he took in front of goal was almost spoiled by Parker coming over the top of him. Buddy would have told him to f...off. If Reid is no1 key forward he needs to command the space around him. We need to lower the eyes going inside 50 and Cunningham needs to realise his limitations. Better to find a player inside 50 than take a ping from outside 50 on the run. He's a good enough player but he's no Stuey Maxfield or even Wayne Schwass. Stuey would barely touch the ball off his boot to sail it through from 60, he was usually going that fast. Sigh...maybe one day we'll be talking about Rowbum with similar misty eyed reverence. We can only hope.

I'll give the team a B- for that effort.
 

Dubai Quacker

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I was OK with this game given our young developing team. I thought we showed a fair bit, except for that forgettable 2nd quarter. We had a couple of crucial decisions early that went the way of the parochial crowd, which cost us a few goals and weren't made up for by some cheap frees for us. I liked our attack on the footy and the positional changes that Horse made after half time. When did Horse start turning up to games with a Plan B ? Well it worked. Shame we didn't use Plan B for the whole game. You live and learn.

Port have an impressive forward line, very well organised and a bit much to handle without Rampe. Melican did his best, Fox/Mills/LLoyd were sound and Aliir put in some genuine effort this week. McCartin as HB was a nice surprise. Leave him there. By contrast our own forward line was a bloody mess. Who's organising it ? How many times did we see an inside 50 go to a vastly out-numbered Reid. There was no movement, no-one was leading or taking their man away from the goal square. At least we could give Reid a run and jump at it rather than landing it right on top of him. The mark he took in front of goal was almost spoiled by Parker coming over the top of him. Buddy would have told him to f...off. If Reid is no1 key forward he needs to command the space around him. We need to lower the eyes going inside 50 and Cunningham needs to realise his limitations. Better to find a player inside 50 than take a ping from outside 50 on the run. He's a good enough player but he's no Stuey Maxfield or even Wayne Schwass. Stuey would barely touch the ball off his boot to sail it through from 60, he was usually going that fast. Sigh...maybe one day we'll be talking about Rowbum with similar misty eyed reverence. We can only hope.

I'll give the team a B- for that effort.
Pretty fair summation.

I honestly don’t know what Stevie J is doing with our forwards.

Delist.
 
Pretty awful start

port didn’t seem very engaged in the second half , score flatters us a bit
Often I’m not sure what we are trying to do, there’s no forward set up, it’s Papley or bust, we need a real tall forward who can help give us some structure

Stevie j cops it but what’s he got to work with ?

but they didn’t drop their bundle so that’s a tick

our skills are awful though
 

Dubai Quacker

Wily Old Campaigner
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After the past 2 weeks, I felt like I needed one of those Dr Evil style buttons - press it and the subject individual falls through the delisting trapdoor.

But in the cold hard light of day, Bell is the only player I’m pressing the button on right now.

Plus Stevie J on the coaching panel.

Yessssss Mr Bigglesworth, Stevie J must go.
 

bungee

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It's hard to tell who's going to make it when they're all just kids. They're persisting with Bell so he must be showing something. Nice goal though.
 

Jack2Jack

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- 1 terrible quarter, but the rest wasn't too bad...considering they were close to full strength, and the side we had. Some of those players that were out there today wouldn't be out there with a better injury list and a few won't even be on a list next year.
I do like that Horse is prepared to completely throw the magnets around this year, he hasn't really be known for doing that stuff on game-day in past seasons (bar the tactic of player X behind the ball for the last 5-10 minutes of a quarter)...obviously trying to find out about a few players too.

- McCartin at CHB outpointing his opponent to take a contested mark was bringing back some Reg flashbacks. Maybe long term he ends up a forward but play him down there for 12 months, could be really good for his development. As a KF he's drifting in and out of games as young KF's often do, in defence he'll constantly be engaged in the game and will learn a shitload of some of the star KF's aswell.
May end up staring and staying down there.

- Charlie Dixon's game, plus a few others this round shows how much a KF can be the difference between sides. If JD doesn't come I still hope we can find a promising tall in the draft or next years..need to start developing that spine, the whole side is built around it and a better one would change the whole dynamic of our list. It will make some of our current smalls/mids look a hell of a lot better too.
 
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I enjoyed the game, especially compared to the Fremantle game. It seemed like a nice sunny day and good conditions.

Even though we were beaten in the first half, there was still effort there. Nice moments of attacking play in the second half. Longmire made some effective tactical moves during the game. Positive performances from mainly our middle rung of players.
 
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Arrr

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I didn't get a chance to watch the game yesterday. What are people's thoughts on McCartin as a back? Was he playing the intercepter role or was he playing as a key defender? If he was playing as a key defender how did he match up directly on his opponents? I always figured he would get bullied by bigger stronger forwards like Dixon, Buddy, or Hawkins if he was playing directly on them.

Personally I'd like to see Reid played in defense instead of McCartin. If he can transition to a key defender role he might be able to allow McCartin to play more freely up front. It's not like he hasn't played that swingman role before in defense.
 

Dubai Quacker

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I didn't get a chance to watch the game yesterday. What are people's thoughts on McCartin as a back? Was he playing the intercepter role or was he playing as a key defender? If he was playing as a key defender how did he match up directly on his opponents? I always figured he would get bullied by bigger stronger forwards like Dixon, Buddy, or Hawkins if he was playing directly on them.

Personally I'd like to see Reid played in defense instead of McCartin. If he can transition to a key defender role he might be able to allow McCartin to play more freely up front. It's not like he hasn't played that swingman role before in defense.
McCartin forward - not sighted.
McCartin back - game changing.

He even beat Dixon one-on-one.

Leapin Leo and Reg both made the shift. So can McCartin.
 
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I didn't get a chance to watch the game yesterday. What are people's thoughts on McCartin as a back? Was he playing the intercepter role or was he playing as a key defender? If he was playing as a key defender how did he match up directly on his opponents? I always figured he would get bullied by bigger stronger forwards like Dixon, Buddy, or Hawkins if he was playing directly on them.

Personally I'd like to see Reid played in defense instead of McCartin. If he can transition to a key defender role he might be able to allow McCartin to play more freely up front. It's not like he hasn't played that swingman role before in defense.
Defence you mean
 
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