Autopsy Round 9, 2025: Positives and Negatives vs Richmond

[TY24]

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‘Graham is a plodder that wouldn’t get a game in any other side’

 

[Footfalcon]

Biggest positive for me was Liam Ryan picking up and consoling Gross. Outstanding leadership.

Anyone that suggests trading him must not want to see a win for another couple of years. He's our most important play maker

Well, look at the reversal of frees for Harley since the St kilda game, for starters.

Also that random 50 against Harley, which Ralph-Smith kicked a goal from for 'knocking the ball out', when he didn't even touch is and RS just straight up dropped it on his own.

Even Dermott complained about a number of frees against us this game.

Dermott cops a lot of unearned flack when he's mostly very calibrated with the position our team are currently in, and generally pays good kudos to what would otherwise go unnoticed

 

[FKASC]

Sinking feeling we are now Norf and don’t know how to win. Our players and probably coaches have been indoctrinated into losing, and it will take a very very long time to turn into a competitive side again

 

[Footfalcon]

It's completely killing the fun of a player who is so good to watch. Has been the most targeted player ever at this stage of his career.

If you're a neutral, is the game really better to watch if this strength in the contest is a free against?

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Or if this genuine attempt to just stand the mark is a 50?

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Or if this awesome run is called running too far? There's a difference between taking the piss and just not bouncing the ball for 30m on a wing vs running probably 16m in a contested play.

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Like with all of these, the last one in particular for me, have some ****ing sense of what makes a game fun, let a fun player be fun. Guaranteed Dustin Martin would have done carbon copies of all those plays at points in his career and not been pinged.

And the AFL will go ahead and market the fendoffs, the wrestles in the contest, the big runs to non-fans as "THIS IS AFL" all while they kill the desire and enthusiasm of a player who does those things.

Holy shit this infuriates me... it's ****ing disgraceful and needs to be called out.
He literally cannot fart or beat his man without getting punished..

 

[FKASC]

Anyone that suggests trading him must not want to see a win for another couple of years. He's our most important play maker

Dermott cops a lot of unearned flack when he's mostly very calibrated with the position our team are currently in, and generally pays good kudos to what would otherwise go unnoticed

Derm’s fine - he just talks way too much. If he shut up 20% more, then he’d be great

 

[bzparkes]

Sinking feeling we are now Norf and don’t know how to win. Our players and probably coaches have been indoctrinated into losing, and it will take a very very long time to turn into a competitive side again

All g, Norf are improving.

They now know what's it's like to draw.

Baby steps.

 

[eaglespremiers]

He's been excellent. Really like his work.

 

[ArdentEagle]

Really?
You think he's been shite?

Can't agree there personally...Don't get me wrong, he's not a star but he's the sort of player, I'd love to have on my team.

 

[Priddis Is Done]

Positive.

It's rare we are getting smashed. Sure in the ruck, contested possessions and against some teams uncontested and i50's. But not on the scoreboard.

Thats an improvement.

 

[DorothyG]

Archer Reid. Didn't know common sense wasn't common

Yeah. My bad. Forgive me for assuming the wrong player, but there have been a mountain of terrible takes regarding H Reid on this board as of late

 

[Pwani Magharibi]

Walked away from the MCG today feeling worse than I do after we're flogged, because that was a game we should have won.

Positives:

• Really good games from Liam Ryan
  1

  Liam Ryan

  Age

  29

  Ht

  181cm

  Wt

  76kg

  Pos.

  Fwd

  Career

  Season

  Last 5

  D

  11.3

  3star

  K

  8.6

  3star

  HB

  2.7

  2star

  M

  3.0

  3star

  T

  2.0

  4star

  G

  1.3

  5star

  D

  9.9

  3star

  K

  8.0

  3star

  HB

  1.9

  1star

  M

  3.3

  3star

  T

  1.6

  3star

  G

  1.3

  5star

  D

  11.4

  3star

  K

  9.0

  4star

  HB

  2.4

  3star

  M

  3.8

  4star

  T

  1.8

  4star

  G

  1.6

  5star

  and Liam Baker
  3

  Liam Baker

  Age

  27

  Ht

  173cm

  Wt

  72kg

  Pos.

  M/F

  Career

  Season

  Last 5

  D

  15.7

  4star

  K

  7.8

  3star

  HB

  7.9

  5star

  M

  3.2

  3star

  T

  2.6

  4star

  CL

  0.7

  3star

  D

  14.6

  4star

  K

  6.8

  3star

  HB

  7.9

  4star

  M

  3.8

  4star

  T

  1.8

  3star

  CL

  0.5

  3star

  D

  14.4

  4star

  K

  6.2

  3star

  HB

  8.2

  5star

  M

  1.6

  2star

  T

  1.8

  4star

  CL

  1.2

  4star

• Actually winning some centre clearances at last and out-tackling the opposition as well
• Our percentage went up
• Another No 1 draft pick looming for the footy media to advise us to split and then if we don't, spend the next few years speculating on when he'll leave the Eagles

There are probably others but I'm too despondent to see them just now.

Negatives:

• Lost another close game which may have been our best chance of a win all season
• Our kicking at goal pretty much cost us the game
• Umpire-assisted goals helping get Richmond over the line
• Reversed free against Brockman - yes, Brockman should not have risked pushing the guy at all, but he totally milked it and sucked the umpire in
• The umpiring against Harley Reid as if there's a completely different rule book for him. If the (V)AFL gets its way and Harley heads back to Victoria it will be interesting to see if the biased umpiring against him ceases. If it does, conspiracy theory confirmed.
• After such good games last week, Ginbey and Hewett much quieter this week
• Once again, too slow to use our tactical sub
• Harry Edwards and Bailey Williams going for marks instead of spoils

 

[HoneyBadger35]

Really?
You think he's been shite?

Can't agree there personally...Don't get me wrong, he's not a star but he's the sort of player, I'd love to have on my team.

He’s done exactly what we thought he’d do upon signing, faults and all.

If all of our senior players gave us what Graham has, we’d have a couple wins on the board by now.

(Still should have ****ing blocked for Gross, but I digress.)

 

[ArdentEagle]

I'm not an Owies fan but he kicked 2 goals and really should've had 4.

Another way of looking at it is, if we actually had someone with a modicum of talent, playing in that game, in his position instead, we probably would have won the game.

Things went his way and he still was average. I'm just not a fan.

 

[cacik]

Sinking feeling we are now Norf and don’t know how to win. Our players and probably coaches have been indoctrinated into losing, and it will take a very very long time to turn into a competitive side again

Cant be like north yet, we havent got our suite of priority picks yet ...
Our Home games in front of 30k+ will help the rot
eventually. Eventually.....hopefully
Weve had Great home support considering what we've dished up last few years.
Richmond 3 flags in the last 8 years and they got under 30k today.

I mention the numbers cos my conpsiracy brain thinks the afl business will need us to be semi successful soon
Or we just never win again, and enter the vfl in 2027 and make an elimination final even other year after that...

 

[HoneyBadger35]

Also shoutout to Jack Hutchinson

The passage ends with the great chase down tackle to win the game, I get that, but standing in the centre of the G in the final minute, needing a goal and you find yourself under a true one on one high ball.

To not only keep it alive (a forward spoil by the Richmond player coming full tilt is as good as ball game), but to win very decisively and also make a good decision after taking a beat to assess. A big moment. He runs hot and cold throughout games but very pleased to continue to pump games into this bloke and see what he becomes.

 

[merovingian]

I (we) just knew Kelly was going to miss. He always does.

+1000

Zero centre bounces for him today. I reckon he's in the departure lounge.

 

[Footfalcon]

Holy shit this infuriates me... it's ****ing disgraceful and needs to be called out.
He literally cannot fart or beat his man without getting punished..

The only way for the umpiring to change for Harley, the boys at backchat need to start the waves and call out the biased umpiring against him.

They literally changed the way the media cover him after they started the fingers for Harley at the 9 minute mark... and ever since I've heard nothing but crickets.

If anyone has twitter tag danconst, will and backchat handles or comment in their videos

Shit is beyond a farce atm..

 

[Godfather32]

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He’s done exactly what we thought he’d do upon signing, faults and all.

If all of our senior players gave us what Graham has, we’d have a couple wins on the board by now.

(Still should have ****ing blocked for Gross, but I digress.)

From last weeks post game thread, was absolutely disgusting from a senior player supposedly brought in to provide leadership

I have to call you out on Graham, he was the reason th rot started in the third term, he decided to jog after a Melbourne player who sprinted from the half back flank all the way forward to create the demons first third quarter goal, Graham was right with him and should have stayed with him, could easily have to stop that goal, but he pretended he was "gassed" in the first two mins after half time, pathetic effort and needs calling out.

Nah, he's right, this was absolutely piss-poor. It happened right in front of me, Graham was with his man just outside the forward 50 and his man ran forward to get involved in the play and Graham looked at him and slowly jogged after him, could probably still have caught him but Graham looked at him again and just started walking. Resulted in a goal and killed any momentum we had coming out of half time. And it was literally 2 minutes into the half.

 

[DorothyG]

Holy shit this infuriates me... it's ****ing disgraceful and needs to be called out.
He literally cannot fart or beat his man without getting punished..

Was the moment in the third were he got dropped after he kicked called a free kick. I don't think it was (didn't matter we scored either way).

But it's the shit like that that he cops for no protection, but is punished when he does it

 

[FKASC]

From last weeks post game thread, was absolutely disgusting from a senior player supposedly brought in to provide leadership

Still busting his ass more than Kelly and Duggan etc. Had a lot of 3rd and 4th efforts today. Rarely get that from our other players. Might not do it every single time but lots of our players do it never

 

[Godfather32]

Still busting his ass more than Kelly and Duggan etc. Had a lot of 3rd and 4th efforts today. Rarely get that from our other players. Might not do it every single time but lots of our players do it never

You won't find me defending either of them either.
Doesn't change the fact that the only thing Graham has going for him is that he tries hard...except when he doesn't

 

[domad33]

Also shoutout to Jack Hutchinson

The passage ends with the great chase down tackle to win the game, I get that, but standing in the centre of the G in the final minute, needing a goal and you find yourself under a true one on one high ball.

To not only keep it alive (a forward spoil by the Richmond player coming full tilt is as good as ball game), but to win very decisively and also make a good decision after taking a beat to assess. A big moment. He runs hot and cold throughout games but very pleased to continue to pump games into this bloke and see what he becomes.

Good call on this.

When the switch happened and I saw Hutch standing under it I had this weird assurance he'd win it—not just because of his experience as a marking forward—but because the guy never takes a backward step.

Was a good moment for him considering how fumbly he's been in previous games.

 

[DorothyG]

No down the ground free kick. Look at where the ball is

Na mate, play on champ

 

[Doashuey]

Yes, but last year the wins were a false economy, particularly early. Harley plus a resurgent Yeo and TK…

Don’t have that now unfortunately.



He was given two games and unfortunately, the smashing in the middle against Carlton and wailing from all and sundry about how bad the the contest numbers were plus the return of Hewett saw him make way. He’s a pick 46 in the first ~8 weeks of his senior footy career, being demoted to the WAFL is hardly a crime surely.

I liked him back today but puzzled as to why he was left so late to come on as sub, too conservative by the coach (es). He now needs either an extended run of full games at AFL level or to go back to the WAFL to work there.

Hewett had some good games in his debut year and showed a bit more than Gross and has done so again this season. He and Harley are top priority right now, getting the time in developing them as our midfield leaders.

It wasnt so much that he got dropped. After that game he was made sub and got 10 min game time, then got dropped. Thats piss poor. Had no chance to show anything and was then dropped plus missed a game of footy and development. Would have been better to just give him the full game in the WAFL. Comes back in and same treatment. The very least they could do was inject him half way through the 3rd quarter rather than half way though the last.
They are taking away opportunity for him to develop either in the AFL or the WAFL, its bad for his development and his confidence and Im struggling to understand their strategy with it, as are many others.

 

[bzparkes]

+1000

Zero centre bounces for him today. I reckon he's in the departure lounge.

Probably why we won so many.