AFL Autopsy RND 18: Done by the Demons

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7zark7

Club Legend
Sep 2, 2004
2,768
851
Napier St
AFL Club
Essendon
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Arsenal
I am at the stage where I am basically just really sad. I don't know why I keep watching. Then every year I say that I will cancel my membership but then give them another chance and they do it again. I don't want to downplay domestic violence but I feel like a battered wife.
 

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creepyguy23

Debutant
Apr 7, 2019
124
294
Melbourne Airport
AFL Club
Essendon
I am at the stage where I am basically just really sad. I don't know why I keep watching. Then every year I say that I will cancel my membership but then give them another chance and they do it again. I don't want to downplay domestic violence but I feel like a battered wife.


I think I know why a lot of us supporters are more "sad" and "disappointed" than anything else right now.

I think it's because deep down, we all know that we are going to bottom-out for the next two years or so. It's a sad idea to contend with :(
 

fairbump_playon

Premiership Player
Jun 27, 2014
4,761
7,610
AFL Club
Essendon
Fox is gross for not making a bigger deal of that. Literally a game/season changing decision.
Yeah they went on about the Guelfi htb decision instead.

This year I don’t know what’s been worse - the umpiring of our games or Fox’s total indifference to us getting reamed
 

bonddm

Cancelled
Jul 3, 2013
607
787
AFL Club
Essendon
986AE3A4-DD36-4041-8D7A-910FF9FD8102.jpeg
 

MiguelM

Norm Smith Medallist
Feb 22, 2014
5,373
6,641
AFL Club
Essendon
Yeah the HTB call was putrid but one bad decision didn't cost that game. The uncompetetive 2nd quarter did.

Story of the last half of the season, most games had at least 1 quarter where we were uncompetitive and blown away.

forget the game plan, the gap between our worst and being competitive needs to be addressed.
 

Albertross

Club Legend
Feb 26, 2015
1,623
3,495
North of the border
AFL Club
Essendon
second angle clearly showed that Petracca was making a legitimate attempt to dispose of the ball, not intentionally dropping the ball, and since he was tackled without any prior opportunity, that means it's a play on, but there is a grey area because the tackle had been applied for quite awhile by the time the ball left Petracca.

anyway, I don't think we had 2 goals in us from that spot anyway. but a goal and behind for a draw would have been fun
Definitely had 2 goals left in us, or at least the chances to score 2 goals. The boys played as if they were a chance to pinch it, whole body language and effort had changed.

The Bombers faithfull in the stands also had a reason to make some noise. That non decision and resulting Melbourne goal deflated everyone except the Dees.
 

Albertross

Club Legend
Feb 26, 2015
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The boys were a bit more switched on to start the match today. Cutler seemed to have more touches in the first than his last 3 games combined.

Don't know what happened during the break but that 2nd was awful and the third only slightly better.

When Joe started in the ruck for the last, I wondered if he told Truck he was leaving, so it was make him or break him time. He had a good last qtr, only criticism is his kicks into 50 seemed to go to deep. He was never having a shot, just trying to set it up but too close to goals.

Have doubts that Margaret will make it and Gleeson needs to be moved on, just not up to standard. Lost count of how many times they lost their opponent in defensive 50 that resulted in goals.

Merrett and Shiel, both one way runners. The number of times i watched Melbourne players run from a contest and these 2 refused to chase. Would be more than happy to let Merrett go, sure he gets a lot of the ball but is not a danger to the oppo when he has it.

Tippas effort was good, just wish he would be in the right spot for the high ball into the forward 50. Stewart was great today, Drapes struggled but was better in the last. No to Hurley please, lose all momentum with the ball as soon as he gets it.

I feel very privileged to have had the opportunity to see so many games this year. Feel really conflicted though. Watching us on tv play like crap is tough, but it's much harder to be at the ground taking it all in. You see so many areas where we structually fall down that you don't get to see on tv. Part of me would love to do it again, forgot what it was like to go to the footy all the time, the other part hopes you Vics get back to normal so you can have them back.

May not have been a big send off for TBC, but a number of the crowd stayed till the end so we could rise as one to applaud the big fella off. Thanks Tommy.

Darker days ahead for us I fear, but you know what...I ******* LOVE THIS CLUB!
 
Jul 6, 2002
12,292
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The only time the coaches looked animated was when they were trying to get Shiel to come off with three minutes to go. Could have been some exciting coaching moves if we goal after the Petracca non-decision.
 

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Sockeye

Team Captain
Aug 13, 2014
430
425
AFL Club
Essendon
More of JD in the ruck in 2021. He is 2m tall and has a good leap. Has a penetrating kick and takes a contested mark. He will dominate many opposition ruckman and can take a game by the scruff of the neck. Him and Draper FF/Ruck is a great combo going forward.

Cutler has to go.

Clarke needs to start best 22 next season. He wins contested ball.
 

Chief Hopper

Team Captain
Oct 9, 2016
415
432
Melbourne
AFL Club
Essendon
Disappointing game, but I liked that they still gave it their all in the last quarter fightback.
Have to wonder how much of it is mental strength that they allowed themselves to be outplayed in that 2nd quarter, and how much is game plan.
We played so much better in that last quarter holding down the Melb 50m, very un-Essendon like.

If JD in the ruck means JD picking up injuries over a season, then no.
 

MightyDon

Premiership Player
Jun 18, 2011
3,030
3,354
AFL Club
Essendon
Merrett and Shiel, both one way runners. The number of times i watched Melbourne players run from a contest and these 2 refused to chase. Would be more than happy to let Merrett go, sure he gets a lot of the ball but is not a danger to the oppo when he has it.
I certainly don’t think we can continue to play Merrett Shiel and McGrath in the same mid field, two of them together only add up to the height and weight of one proper midfielder
 
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Jan 31, 2012
36,623
24,069
patterson lakes
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I am at the stage where I am basically just really sad. I don't know why I keep watching. Then every year I say that I will cancel my membership but then give them another chance and they do it again. I don't want to downplay domestic violence but I feel like a battered wife.

Hearing ya.

Not sure I’d have used the same analogy, but I sure as hell am gettig to the end of my tether with this club. Been a member for 30+ years & don’t think I’ve felt so hopeless.

Happy to give Rutten a year to impart his stamp now that he’s found his feet, but if we float without any constructive progress next year, that’ll be it for me.
 
Marks 117 to 79. I know I have few fans on this but when you mark the ball you control the game. Our marking power has been on the last line. We simply need to be able to take more marks forward of the ball. There are simply too many times in a game where we go down the line and can not mark the ball and it ends up heading back the other way. Take a mark, someone runs past long kick and it is inside the forward 50 quickly.
 
Mar 13, 2015
8,327
7,787
Victoria
AFL Club
Essendon
Marks 117 to 79. I know I have few fans on this but when you mark the ball you control the game. Our marking power has been on the last line. We simply need to be able to take more marks forward of the ball. There are simply too many times in a game where we go down the line and can not mark the ball and it ends up heading back the other way. Take a mark, someone runs past long kick and it is inside the forward 50 quickly.

Marking has been down for a while, probably since Ryder left some years ago, yet it’s the better option than punching the ball to ground, which became trendy over the last five years. If you can mark the ball its 100% possession and moving the ball forwards, the far better option. Where as players opt for the defensive mindset instead of winning the ball.
Our smaller players aren’t good marks as it stands. I don’t get how an AFL player can find marking strategy instinctively so difficult and fumble heavy, bizarrely, which makes you wonder if AFL was their first or second sport growing up. Because marking and kicking does actually come together at some point in the progress of practice, being interested and training over time.

it wouldn’t surprise me if fans on this forum are instinctively better marks of the ball then a chunk of this generation players. Because in previous decades marking was Just very normal part of the game to every player.

this is an assumption, but I get the feeling the players don’t take game day seriously enough or get too nervous and distracted by the game plan and messing up, rather than just playing their natural game hand in hand.

a good way of practicing marking is sky balling and catching the ball overhead and alternating to chest marks for hours and hours, and of course practicing contested marking in groups, until it becomes a solid skill where the person doesn’t even have to think about marking, it’s just instinctive.

if a higher percentage of time during pre-season was dedicated to fitness and marking, I think it’d be more then worthwhile.

ball movement by foot too, of course.
 
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BrunoV

Brownlow Medallist
May 5, 2009
21,620
28,992
AFL Club
Essendon
Eddie McGuire ‘Daniher’s groin looks sore’

Yeah get fked


Thought I heard him say that.

Most players looked sluggish. Was very hot wasn't it?

Also, I had a very interesting discussion with someone intimately connected to Collingwood recruiting in 2016. He told me a number of interesting things. One was Hurley for De Goey and something was on the table. Other thing is that Collingwood footy dep was feral that Laverde slid to us - thought it made a mockery of draft sanctions.

Always hard to know who an individual is speaking for but the way McGuire always talks about Laverde as though he's Garry Snr (immediate god status should be conferred and statues built btw) in the making makes me believe it was all true.
 
Last edited:
Jul 6, 2002
12,292
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Melbourne
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Essendon
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Thought I heard him say that.

Most players looked sluggish. Was very hot wasn't it?

Also, I had a very interesting discussion with someone intimately connected to Collingwood recruiting in 2016. He told me a number of interesting things. One was Hurley for De Goey and something was on the table. Other thing is that Collingwood footy dep was feral that Laverde slid to us - thought it made a mockery of draft sanctions.

Always hard to know who an individual is speaking for but the way McGuire always talks about Laverde as though he's Garry Snr (immediate god status should be conferred and statues built btw) in the making makes me believe it was all true.

Have noticed Ed often often talks Laverde up.
 
Positive: No late season injuries today for any of the boys
Negatives: we are a long long way off competing with the top teams

lol

Essendon cant even compete with Mediocre teams let alone top teams.

Bar Collingwood every team we beat is at the bottom of the ladder.
 

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