Review Round 12, 2021 - Melbourne vs. Brisbane Lions

[Big Sauce 21]

Watched the 3rd quarter to see where it all went wrong. Looking at some of the players McCluggage and Starcevich especially, they could hardly move. Hugh was absolutely cooked. Then they showed an interchange number and i've noticed this some weeks. We are always well below the other teams interchange numbers are certain points in games. Players time on ground look normal but they looked shagged.

 

[Nunez]

Watched the 3rd quarter to see where it all went wrong. Looking at some of the players McCluggage and Starcevich especially, they could hardly move. Hugh was absolutely cooked. Then they showed an interchange number and i've noticed this some weeks. We are always well below the other teams interchange numbers are certain points in games. Players time on ground look normal but they looked shagged.

Not to speculate, but there's a cold going around Brisbane at the moment - I wonder if we had a few sick players on the field?

 

[LIONS08]

People will laugh and criticise me for this but I’m not overly upset that we lost this one. Good teams will always drop games during the year to other good teams. Melbourne have now shown their ace card to beat us. We now know what to plan for come finals when a win really matters. You always learn more from a loss than any win!

 

[Lions1024]

People will laugh and criticise me for this but I’m not overly upset that we lost this one. Good teams will always drop games during the year to other good teams. Melbourne have now shown their ace card to beat us. We now know what to plan for come finals when a win really matters. You always learn more from a loss than any win!

Had the exact same thought! I’d rather lose to them now than in September.

If there’s one thing I’ve observed with this team is that we always learn from our defeats (e.g. Richmond last year)

 

[martinson]

Not to speculate, but there's a cold going around Brisbane at the moment - I wonder if we had a few sick players on the field?

It's possible.

Has anyone ever noticed that teams coming off a big win come out with all guns blazing the next week and gradually can't hold that momentum through the game and generally struggle in the back half of games.

I haven't got stats to back that up but it seems to me to occur frequently.

 

[davemc_lions]

I was talking about when we were kicking in to our forward 50, in that last quarter.

Sorry although as said both ends when we getting beat we have a problem
i think we either kick short or to a 50-50 down the line a lot.
When I was at the pies match live you not see much leading..

When we open up the game is when we take a chance.. Although need some more runners to split it open
we slow off back line and not fast in mids.. Have a couple of zippy forwards about it
Why I like to keep Madden in somehow

 

[davemc_lions]

Had the exact same thought! I’d rather lose to them now than in September.

If there’s one thing I’ve observed with this team is that we always learn from our defeats (e.g. Richmond last year)

Last year we lost to the Cats before loosing again in September.
round 6 up 10 points half time beaten by 27
PF down 5 points half time beaten by 40

Melb up 20 half time beaten 22

As said is a theme. Is it we buggered or they re grouping

 

[LongLion]

Not to speculate, but there's a cold going around Brisbane at the moment - I wonder if we had a few sick players on the field?

I think you did actually speculate

 

[Nunez]

I think you did actually speculate

Haha you know what I mean

 

[Dalions]

 

[LIONS08]

Had the exact same thought! I’d rather lose to them now than in September.

If there’s one thing I’ve observed with this team is that we always learn from our defeats (e.g. Richmond last year)

Could not agree more!! I also don’t think finishing top 4 is as big a deal as it used to be with the bye before the finals. You can quiet easily lose all form and momentum playing twice in a month! I wouldn’t be upset with a 5-6 finish. A good chance to build some steady momentum

 

[ForzaRoma]

Could not agree more!! I also don’t think finishing top 4 is as big a deal as it used to be with the bye before the finals. You can quiet easily lose all form and momentum playing twice in a month! I wouldn’t be upset with a 5-6 finish. A good chance to build some steady momentum

The bulldogs were an anomyomly. I know some may want to be optimistic and suggest we can win it from outside the 4, but we won't. If we want any chance of winning the flag, we have to finish in the top 4. Given our loss against Melbourne, we will be a win behind either Geelong or Port. Melbourne and The Bulldogs are almost a bridge too far for us, meaning 3,4 are in play, but we have to beat north and geelong to bridge that gap again, because if we lose to Geelong on thursday night, A possible 2,3 game gap between us and them would be too much.

 

[martinson]

Could not agree more!! I also don’t think finishing top 4 is as big a deal as it used to be with the bye before the finals. You can quiet easily lose all form and momentum playing twice in a month! I wouldn’t be upset with a 5-6 finish. A good chance to build some steady momentum

As long as we get that first home final I'm happy.

 

[jackess]

The bulldogs were an anomyomly. I know some may want to be optimistic and suggest we can win it from outside the 4, but we won't. If we want any chance of winning the flag, we have to finish in the top 4. Given our loss against Melbourne, we will be a win behind either Geelong or Port. Melbourne and The Bulldogs are almost a bridge too far for us, meaning 3,4 are in play, but we have to beat north and geelong to bridge that gap again, because if we lose to Geelong on thursday night, A possible 2,3 game gap between us and them would be too much.

Richmond last year played all 4 weeks of finals

GWS made the GF coming from outside the top 4 (didn't end well though)

 

[ForzaRoma]

Richmond last year played all 4 weeks of finals

GWS made the GF coming from outside the top 4 (didn't end well though)

Richmond last year finished in the top 4. They didn't go into their first final knowing if they lose this, they are done. GWS also got smashed in the Grand Final. We also don't play the MCG well, so we need the security of a Gabba Semi (if we were to lose in the first round of the finals). History tells us that we won't win from outside the top 4, and I would love to be proven wrong, but the task from finishing outside the top 4 and winning the flag is neigh on slim for a reason.

 

[martinson]

Richmond last year played all 4 weeks of finals

GWS made the GF coming from outside the top 4 (didn't end well though)

Sometimes it's easier to sneak up through the finals series rather than be heavily favoured and have that pressure hanging over you.

Richmond got better once they had the monkey off their back facing us in what was thought to be a 'do or die' moment.

For us that was actually our GF.

 

[jackess]

Richmond last year finished in the top 4. They didn't go into their first final knowing if they lose this, they are done. GWS also got smashed in the Grand Final. We also don't play the MCG well, so we need the security of a Gabba Semi (if we were to lose in the first round of the finals). History tells us that we won't win from outside the top 4, and I would love to be proven wrong, but the task from finishing outside the top 4 and winning the flag is neigh on slim for a reason.

Great logic. Surely you can see it's not a stretch.

Another example last year was Geelong making the GF playing all 4 weeks

 

[briztoon]

People will laugh and criticise me for this but I’m not overly upset that we lost this one. Good teams will always drop games during the year to other good teams. Melbourne have now shown their ace card to beat us. We now know what to plan for come finals when a win really matters. You always learn more from a loss than any win!

Melbourne didn’t show their ace card tho. The first half they went away from their usual style of play. The second half they went back to their normal style of play.

We went in all guns blazing and ran ourselves in to the ground in a half of football.

 

[martinson]

Richmond last year finished in the top 4. They didn't go into their first final knowing if they lose this, they are done. GWS also got smashed in the Grand Final. We also don't play the MCG well, so we need the security of a Gabba Semi (if we were to lose in the first round of the finals). History tells us that we won't win from outside the top 4.

I'm not sure we can win anyway. If we play well enough we'll be top 4 , but to me for a team happy to finish 5th or 6th and get a bit of momentum and regular play.

The security of the Gabba has seen us lose 3 of the last 4 finals we've played there. Two of them convincingly.

 

[ForzaRoma]

Great logic. Surely you can see it's not a stretch.

Another example last year was Geelong making the GF playing all 4 weeks

Making a grand final and winning a grand final are completely different things. And it's not just logic, it's facts. If it were as easy as you're suggesting, then more clubs would be doing it. I just hope we don't get to that stage, because I really think we could win it if we scraped into the top 4. Outside of it, sorry, but no chance. And I don't rate any other team to win it from outside the 4 as well, not even Richmond.

 

[ForzaRoma]

I'm not sure we can win anyway. If we play well enough we'll be top 4 , but to me for a team happy to finish 5th or 6th and get a bit of momentum and regular play.

The security of the Gabba has seen us lose 3 of the last 4 finals we've played there. Two of them convincingly.

Let's say we finished 4th and faced Melbourne at the MCG, then had to play Richmond or Sydney at the Gabba a week later. I would back us to make the grand final from there, because we have had enough finals experience to rise to the challenge. 2019, we rose up the ladder too quick. 2020, we got too ahead of ourselves. in 2021, we could do what Geelong did last year, and go on the road knowing that we must win at all costs.

 

[martinson]

Melbourne didn’t show their ace card tho. The first half they went away from their usual style of play. The second half they went back to their normal style of play.

We went in all guns blazing and ran ourselves in to the ground in a half of football.

Melbourne also had Salem and Viney out didn't they.

 

[martinson]

Let's say we finished 4th and faced Melbourne at the MCG, then had to play Richmond or Sydney at the Gabba a week later. I would back us to make the grand final from there, because we have had enough finals experience to rise to the challenge. 2019, we rose up the ladder too quick. 2020, we got too ahead of ourselves. in 2021, we could do what Geelong did last year, and go on the road knowing that we must win at all costs.

We could do a lot of things.

First off we've got to be good enough and have enough luck with injuries to do it.

I don't think we got ahead of ourselves at all in 2020. It all went by the book but we were mentally done by the PF and tbh we just weren't good enough anyway.

 

[jackess]

Making a grand final and winning a grand final are completely different things. And it's not just logic, it's facts. If it were as easy as you're suggesting, then more clubs would be doing it. I just hope we don't get to that stage, because I really think we could win it if we scraped into the top 4. Outside of it, sorry, but no chance. And I don't rate any other team to win it from outside the 4 as well, not even Richmond.

Am I saying it's easy? Do you really think Geelong and Richmond would've been that much worse off last year had they finished 5th?

It's definitely not preferable but after Melbourne I think Richmond is most likely to win the premiership this year and if they finish 5th that won't change my mind.

 

[briztoon]

Melbourne also had Salem and Viney out didn't they.

Langdon and Viney. Maybe Tomlinson if he’s in their best 22.