Autopsy 2024 Round 1 Blues hold on in yet another heartstopper

[blues4flag]

It's really interesting - I actually though the opposite at the game. I thought our intensity/effort/pressure was really good.

To win disposals +33 and yet still be ahead in tackles by 15 is a very good effort. Thought we generally also stuck our tackles far better than we have in the past. Really thought our execution was poor anlaour f50 entries were far too predictable.

Agreed. Brilliant in the second quarter in particular. We got hurt on transition as we were a bit disorganised behind the ball but that changes with Weiters back in the team.

 

[Faz 2000]

He cost us 3 or 4 goals with some very poor efforts. Positioning was terrible, inability to take the body worse. First out next week if Weiters is back.

Yeh, he looked awful.

My ragging on him is not just random punching bag stuff either. I WANT him to improve and be good.

His problem is he looks indecisive and weak in everything he does. For a 200cm, 100kg professional athlete, he looks grossly unprepared to accelerate, change direction, hold his ground or attack anything/anyone. He has great size, OK hands, and can competently kick a long drop punt to the wing from a free kick or mark.

But anything dynamic he looks all at sea. He seems to lose contests in every conceivable way - too far behind opponent, too far under the ball, out-bodied. An unfit Tom Lynch sidestepped him several times last night. And god only knows what Williams or Saad are thinking handballing it to him, when he is ALWAYS flat-footed and prone to getting caught.

He looks like a poorly animated video game character when you tap the controls. He goes from still to flailing without going anywhere.

He needs to do a LOT of work to physically build some core and hip strength to be ready to move explosively, and also mentally ready to go 100% at whatever he's doing. For mine, that's why Kemp looks a far better player - even though he makes mistakes and howlers (a few last night), he goes at the mark or spoil or rebounding run at 100%. Young seems to second guess everything.

 

[Faz 2000]

Agreed. Brilliant in the second quarter in particular. We got hurt on transition as we were a bit disorganised behind the ball but that changes with Weiters back in the team.

No Weiters, Doc and Newman a bit out of sorts... the backline was disheveled. That should improve.

Weitering alone stops 2-3 goals from happening in that 30m out, directly in front area.

Tackling and effort was good.

Ball-butchery and decision-making was poor.

 

[Kramer1]

He cost us 3 or 4 goals with some very poor efforts. Positioning was terrible, inability to take the body worse. First out next week if Weiters is back.

The entire backline was poor last night McGovern and Saad aside...and even they had numerous moments.

Young is easy pickings. Was good last week and his direct opponent last night had little influence on the game.

 

[Blue Pulse]

Direct all further correspondence to Epworth Hospital Cardiology Wing. Room 1864.

Hey, I'm in room 1865.

Said to my son before the game, "I hope we win, but I hope we win by 5-6 goals so I'm not popping my Blood pressure gauge.

Not good for the Blue Pulse line, if you know what I mean

 

[Blue and Silver]

We're winning in second gear.

It wasn't great at times, and their "lucky" first quarter kept the game closer than it ought to have been.

I don't think I agree with the comments about playing as individuals. I think that they worked over the off season on running forward to punish teams on the rebound. They are however running in waves and looking to give to teammates.

There were some poor entries inside 50 (quite a few) but I don't know how much of an issue this is compared to this time last year

On Pixel 7a using BigFooty.com mobile app

 

[Kramer1]

there were many who made some incredibly poor decisions last night.

Wrong to single Kemp out.

Got the win, who cares how.

Reckon they were tired - emotionally and physically - after snatching the Lions' win at the Gabba...

Great time for a week off.

In a post about Kemp I think it quite acceptable to talk about Kemp.

I understand he is still finding his identity as a footballer but Kemp is prone to putting his own interests ahead of the team at times.

We understandably lacked defensive leadership last night

 

[kenhunter]

Yeh, he looked awful.

My ragging on him is not just random punching bag stuff either. I WANT him to improve and be good.

His problem is he looks indecisive and weak in everything he does. For a 200cm, 100kg professional athlete, he looks grossly unprepared to accelerate, change direction, hold his ground or attack anything/anyone. He has great size, OK hands, and can competently kick a long drop punt to the wing from a free kick or mark.

But anything dynamic he looks all at sea. He seems to lose contests in every conceivable way - too far behind opponent, too far under the ball, out-bodied. An unfit Tom Lynch sidestepped him several times last night. And god only knows what Williams or Saad are thinking handballing it to him, when he is ALWAYS flat-footed and prone to getting caught.

He looks like a poorly animated video game character when you tap the controls. He goes from still to flailing without going anywhere.

He needs to do a LOT of work to physically build some core and hip strength to be ready to move explosively, and also mentally ready to go 100% at whatever he's doing. For mine, that's why Kemp looks a far better player - even though he makes mistakes and howlers (a few last night), he goes at the mark or spoil or rebounding run at 100%. Young seems to second guess everything.

hate his two fisted spoil when should mark

 

[T2B_]

He finds more footy and uses it better at AFL level.

Funny how that works for some players, whereas others can dominate VFL week in week out but struggle with the pace change.

This probably sounds like it makes no sense and I'm talking out my hiney, but players like him I think almost think too quickly for VFL.

 

[V_23]

That was pretty ugly.

What can we fix up though?

Kicking to our forwards has been a problem for a long time and still is.

Who went onto Hopper at half time? He had 20 at half time and only 4 in the second. Was that Carroll?

Clearances / contested posessions was a problem. Cerra and Hewett were well down.

I don't want to individualise it but Ollie needs a rest. Binns deserves his chance and Ollie has been well beaten again tonight. Maybe Walsh takes his spot anyway.

Adding Motlop up forward might help.

North next after a rest. Good chance to find another gear. Maybe we'll win by 2 goals!

Adding Walsh, Weitering, Marchbank, Martin, Motlop, and E Hollands should help. That’s over a quarter of our best 22 (IMO), and two of our top four players, missing.

 

[bradfisher14]

Bank the 4 points and burn the tape.

 

[Stig O'Hara]

In a post about Kemp I think it quite acceptable to talk about Kemp.

I understand he is still finding his identity as a footballer but Kemp is prone to putting his own interests ahead of the team at times.

We understandably lacked defensive leadership last night

Granted he had a couple of howlers & if he took that spekkie we’d be calling him Jezza.

But he’s playing deep defensive 50 as a lockdown defender which really isn’t his role.

Still took his 10 marks, hopefully when Marchbank/JW return would play him forward.

 

[Chemical]

Man, all the articles about how the free kicks favoured us. I know the count is on our side but did I watch another game?

 

[T2B_]

Jack Carroll. Equal 2nd most prolific mid for us with 20 touches. Has a touch of class and poise around the ball. Is growing and growing with each game under his belt. From the footage in the rooms after the game you can see Cripps has taken Carroll under his wing and loves him.

The resultant I50 didn't amount to anything (extra I50 pressure and pace would have helped..) but Carroll had a lovely roving clearance from the tap at pace, something we usually only see Crippa or Walsh capable of doing.

He's apparently not very quick but he surprised me at times last night. I suppose he's just very good at positioning and keeping on the move, because he looked pretty quick at times.

 

[Beer n Skittles]

Thought it was interesting that we were beaten around the ball, but were able to open the game up with precise kicking. A real reversal of what I would have considered this teams strengths and weaknesses

 

[Coops93]

Direct all further correspondence to Epworth Hospital Cardiology Wing. Room 1864.

How lovely, the same as your birth year!

 

[kreuze_missile]

Subjected myself to watching the replay this moring. It was not fun. Do not recommend.

The positives...

• McKay is absolutley back. Just looks ready to tear the competition to shreds. AA/coleman form.
• McGovern. If the AA team was picked after round he's in. Rebound immense.
• Acres game sense is A+. Knows where to be and when. Absolutely fantastic footballer. Deserves AA consideration.
• Cripps is in brownlow form. Great to see him running around without the mattress covering his guts.

Two concerns...

• Tap work & clearance. I love what TDK does around the ground. Was HUGE in Q4. But I also haven't liked what I've seen to date from his tapwork and fear he's hurting our clearance game. We have lost clearances in both games this year. I'm still of the view that Pittonet has a role to play in 2024 and that they can co-exist. Statistically Pittonet is a clearance impacting monster. Ugly yet effective. I'd play both.
• Charlie - Looks like he's playing for free kicks & it's not a great look.

Thoughts on changes for next week...

• Ollie Hollands. Backed up a just okay performance against Brisbane with a particularly ordinary one. Looked timid over the footy. Worked off the ball a few too many times. And had the fumbles. Will greatly benefit from a few more pre-seasons. For now I have him getting squeezed out next week -- Hollands for Hollands perhaps.
• Fantasia. Thought he got into a few good spots and looked dangerous at times vs Brisbane. But had no impact against Richmond and was rightly subbed off. I'd exepct to see him miss next week with Durdin/Motlop taking his spot.
• Pittonet. I'm on the bandwagon. Need to get our clearance dominance back and I think he's got a role to play in that.
• The seat warmers - Young & Kemp to go as soon as Weitering/Marchbank are fit. Not sure who goes for Walsh but its likely one of Hollands, Cunningham, Boyd or Carroll (would be very stiff).

 

[agro]

Jack Carroll. Equal 2nd most prolific mid for us with 20 touches. Has a touch of class and poise around the ball. Is growing and growing with each game under his belt. From the footage in the rooms after the game you can see Cripps has taken Carroll under his wing and loves him.

He’s one of those young players who you need to make a leap in improvement above all member/supporter expectations

 

[Christou2Kouta]

Pro:
We saw transition football that we've not really shown before. Handball chains from D50 to F50 through the centre corridor, as well as 45 degree kicks to pierce our way through their zone.
Con:
Just so many calamitous clangers that cost us goals (both kicking them and conceding them).
It's frustrating when Boyd runs past for a handball 60m out from goal and the handball misses him by metres which results in a turnover.

Boyd is still in his fledgling days and that moment when he gets a handball receive and dobs it from 55m will help unlock the next phase in his career.

 

[agro]

Carroll was pretty good last night.

Nothing flash, got involved.

The faith by the coach and match committee in sending him to centre square is very pleasing - in fact did anyone notice third quarter start our centre square starters were Fogarty, Carroll and Hewitt, with Cripps on the bench.

This would never have happened during Teague years.

 

[carlton_99]

Boyd going out of this team would be a massive mistake - he's been great

 

[Just Kreuzing]

Boyd going out of this team would be a massive mistake - he's been great

No chance he goes out, 2 way player with great desperation who can take match up on a medium or small forward.

 

[Red Bull]

I was there last night. We were jogging and pressure was poor. Played as Individuals.

It’s early in season and a long way to go but the standard of effort needs to improve.

Keep doing this and you develop bad habits

Probably a good idea to sort this sort of thing out in the trial games where habits can be formed … both good and bad …

 

[Aphrodite]

Good morning

 

[Cowboyblues]

Reckon Kemp is a diamond in the rough. A little more experience, composure and polish will see him emerge as a gun.

But by jeez ya wanna bloody throttle him sometimes.