Autopsy Round 9, 2025: Positives and Negatives vs Richmond

[HoneyBadger35]

No down the ground free kick. Look at where the ball isView attachment 2311897

Na mate, play on champ
View attachment 2311901

That passage of play was unreal by the way, taking three blokes out of it single handedly.

The down field kicks Harley has been giving away of late (he pulled out of one completely in Q1 clearly as a result) compared to the shit he has to eat and it’s just play on. Great stuff, it’s why we love the game.

 

[Footfalcon]

No down the ground free kick. Look at where the ball isView attachment 2311897

Na mate, play on champ
View attachment 2311901

That rat ****** 41 was the most blatant Afl **** taker, they don't even try to ****ing hide it

 

[Rivoroo17]

Got to remember some forwards take a year to settle with their set shot kicking especially young first/second years. Liam Ryan came in as a mid age recruit and had a terrible set shot accuracy his first year with us. His kicking has become one of the best parts of his game. Kid hasn't got confidence to kick through the ball yet needs some time at lower levels to build the muscle memory and confidence at lower levels, but it's not time to write him off completely as a forward.

 

[ukurrie]

I was at the game and had my head in my hands the moment Gross got tackled. I watched the (Kayo) mini tonight and it looked like Ryan, and then maybe Nathan Broad

35

Nathan Broad

Age

32

Ht

192cm

Wt

86kg

Pos.

Def

Career

Season

Last 5

D

11.7

3star

K

7.3

3star

HB

4.3

3star

M

3.6

4star

T

2.0

4star

MG

192.9

3star

D

12.3

3star

K

8.3

3star

HB

4.0

3star

M

4.1

4star

T

1.0

2star

MG

192.9

3star

D

12.8

4star

K

8.4

4star

HB

4.4

4star

M

3.2

4star

T

2.0

4star

helped Gross up. Class from Broad, if so.

 

[domad33]

Gross was involved in a sexy bit of play where we streamed through the corridor that included Duggan hitting a target going i50 and Bwilliams actually kicking it between the big sticks.

If there's any positives that come from watching us get flogged every week its those little plays that pay off

 

[maverick001]

That loss sucks big time, desperately needed it & had our chances

Quite a few were getting stuck into Hewett on game day thread. He didn't have a good game but give the kid a break he's in what his 21st game, had a lot of injuries & has been one of our best since coming back.

Umps hate on Reid is too much. The running too far was very rough & the 50 simply wasn't there. Then the media scum are piling on with headlines like Reid antics continue, & reporters in presser bringing up his ill-discipline. I think Mini needed to be stronger in response in the presser & emphatically say he didn't knock the ball out of his hands (he only eluded to this in his response). Someone needs to take a stand. They're also piling on about him giving it to the crowd, but when it's Bailey Smith

3

Bailey Smith

Age

24

Ht

185cm

Wt

86kg

Pos.

M/F

Career

Season

Last 5

D

18.3

5star

K

8.5

3star

HB

9.8

5star

M

2.3

2star

T

3.8

5star

CL

2.7

4star

D

19.8

5star

K

9.6

4star

HB

10.2

5star

M

1.8

2star

T

3.2

4star

CL

3.2

4star

D

14.8

4star

K

7.6

3star

HB

7.2

5star

M

2.0

3star

T

3.4

5star

CL

1.6

4star

or Nick Watson it's all in good fun.

Also I question how our senior players have gone backwards so badly this year - Kelly, Allen, duggan. Not a great reflection on the coach really.

Gross caught a couple times, he was still at WAFL tempo. Can't crucify the kid though at least he was getting amongst it.

 

[Cuzz09]

Still a fair way for us to go, but at least (he tentatively says) it feels like the 100pt+ losses are in the rear view mirror.

checks fixture.... Adelaide at Adelaide Oval in 2 weeks

 

[Andyy]

I was at the game and had my head in my hands the moment Gross got tackled. I watched the (Kayo) mini tonight and it looked like Ryan, and then maybe Nathan Broad helped Gross up. Class from Broad, if so.

Broad is a class act man. WA product too.
When we had a small exodus last year he chose to stay and said he couldn't in good conscience leave knowing Richmond took a chance on him and the team needed him during the rebuild.

A real leader.

 

[Avalor]

That loss sucks big time, desperately needed it & had our chances

Quite a few were getting stuck into Hewett on game day thread. He didn't have a good game but give the kid a break he's in what his 21st game, had a lot of injuries & has been one of our best since coming back.

Umps hate on Reid is too much. The running too far was very rough & the 50 simply wasn't there. Then the media scum are piling on with headlines like Reid antics continue, & reporters in presser bringing up his ill-discipline. I think Mini needed to be stronger in response in the presser & emphatically say he didn't knock the ball out of his hands (he only eluded to this in his response). Someone needs to take a stand. They're also piling on about him giving it to the crowd, but when it's Bailey Smith or Nick Watson it's all in good fun.

Also I question how our senior players have gone backwards so badly this year - Kelly, Allen, duggan. Not a great reflection on the coach really.

Gross caught a couple times, he was still at WAFL tempo. Can't crucify the kid though at least he was getting amongst it.

Yeah, I just watched the replay. What a botched, biased decision that was against Harley - total poo - he didn't knock the ball out of the player's hands at all. Then the reversed decision with Brockman - again total poo! Jeez, give us a break, umps! That's the game right there with those 2 decisions. Very, very unlucky, Eagles. My heart bleeds for you all.
And Gross, why oh why did he bounce the ball after only 2 steps? Keep him in the best 22 from now on. Pick the kid up and back him in. He will be a very, very good player.
That's a game that was taken away from us.

 

[eaglesnutcase]

+ HR was fantastic.Learning to work through the close attention. Look out world!
- Ryan showed potential mids how to attack the contest.
-Pressure was good.

— not unhappy just a bit disappointed.
-Umpires? Phew
- Duggan? Why the constant panic?
-Hewett was tentative ! WTF?
-HEd I was a big advocate but mate you move like the weight of the world is in your shoulders
- I think we need to throw Basso to the wolves.Or get AReid back and give him the experience now while we are experimenting.
-Owies sorry but I think we need to try Long or Dewar forward
-Hunt is soft but fills a temporary spot. One of the first to be delisted or permanently WAFL.
Waterman’s kicking; but meh a minor abberation.
Gross, but a mere hiccup in the journey to stardom !
-We need Hough permanently back as he adds a bit of class and less fu**ery.
-Cole did
some good and some horror
-Duggan,Cole and Hunt would be right at the top of my delist list.Too many shit disposers.
-Bitchslap to Brockman for the silly free turnover, soft as it was.The lad has the goods,the aggression,and the talent just needs to channel it more consistently.
Brockman has the talent to be in our best 5-6 players .
-Maric.I’m not as big a fan as a lot of people on here.He’s very hesitant and doesn’t hit or impact the close in contest.
Get MORE physical mate.
-There’s no law against having people at the front of the pack.

 

[Patron]

Anyone blaming Gross is a grub, jack graham sent him just as he got his handball receive, pointed told him to go. Kelly was useless, Gross out worked him in his 15 minutes

Hate to say it, but Harley was in second gear and really missed a golden opportunity to block for him. Graham did too.

If you go re-watch the footage it’s not the best look.

 

[dothebowdenshuffle]

Shouldn't lose sleep over the loss - we had a serious crack and should have won. It was a good performance for the most part, especially in the midfield.

Objectively it was a great game in terms of contest - the margin was back and forth without getting over 10 points after the first. Great to see the team fight it out.

Comfortably winning centre bounces is a big improvement. Brockman and Ryan running through there is having a good impact, and I thought the BBW/Flynn combo worked okay.

Really the game comes down to wasting our chances when we had the momentum in the third - almost could have killed the game then and there but players who should be better just couldn't seal the deal.

Combined with the Bombers game it's just disappointing to have both been losses, especially with some cruel umpiring calls and missed chances in both.

Hey I want to say, hang in there. A win isn't far away. To play so well on the road is a good sign. You were the better team today and we were extremely relieved to get away with the win in what developed into a final quarter arm wrestle. There's a bit to work with and more talented kids arriving via this year's draft. In a few years I'm confident you'll have a very competitive team capable of contending for flag. And a coach in Mini who will have grown into the role. Best of luck for the remainder of season 2025.

 

[Total_Juddshanks]

Am pretty convinced we won't win a game this year after that.

Absolutely played well enough to win it, and you can see from the pressure rating and contested ball stats they desperately wanted to win mcqualter this one, but just wretched luck.

If our hands down best player wasn't out with concussion, if Allen wasn't a late out, if Brockman wasn't an a grade ****head, if the paint a target on Harley umpiring conspiracy didn't kick into high gear in the fourth quarter, if the normally hyper reliable Waterman hadn't chosen this particular week to have a 'mare in front of goal, in fact if any one of those things wasn't true it's a drought breaking win, but it just seems like this club is cursed.

So basically I think this was a huge non repeatable effort to try to get mcqualter a win against his old club. The footy gods rewarded that effort with the exact same savage kick in the nuts we've gotten whenever we've looked competitive this year and I expect normal service will be resumed next week.

 

[twce13]

Is it time we question Mini using Hough in the middle? He is doing ok but hardly doing what we need from him in there. Are we potentially robbing a future AA backmen in by making a make shift mid. Personally even I don’t know. He has fit in so well intk that defence last few years that I’m worried we might actually play him out of form by persisting with him in the middle.

I just don't understand this eagerness people have with getting hough out of the midfield already. It's been 3 weeks and he has shown plenty. We need to give him a big block of games to get comfortable in there, giving up so quickly (especially when he is actually doing fine) is some knee jerk analysis.

It's all good having a great backline, but how about we get this midfield firing so we can actually win games. Not to mention hough projects as an accountable midfielder, with a big frame and good athletic profile and as an added bonus is good overhead, a lot of attributes our midfield has been missing for a long time.

And tbh guys like Pickett, rankine, Bolton etc are spending way more time through the middle as well.. so having a guy who can nullify these types but also expose thier lack of two running will be very beneficial as we get more competitive.

Tldr; persist with hough in the middle. it's been 3 wks FFS.

 

[twce13]

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

 

[CursoryMercenary]

I really hope we put in a good effort next week, if we tidy up the mistakes and bring most of what we did today we are a big chance against a hot and cold St.Kilda.

 

[twce13]

I also don't get the pile on mini, we been basically the youngest team all season and he has been trying lots of things, some of which look really promising.

It's unfortunate that we are (A) stuck with the ruck situation we have and (B) haven't had yeo to cover such cracks.

But unlike previous years, while we suck no less, it feels like genuine development is happening with the kids and pleasing that a lot of midfield minutes are going to kids. This really does feel like the turning point in the rebuild for mine as the kids take on important roles and many are showing great signs they can handle it.

Supporting the team in this rebuild ain't for everyone tho and fk me the game day thread had a lot of losers chirping. Speaking of which, surely we can start a go fund me page, raise 3k and get rid of Goroyals22 for good.

 

[Wet Toast Rule]

Every game is winnable. You just never know what sort of oppo team turns up
Looks at rich vs gc - wouldn't have tipped that as a win for them

we were better than richmond
take a couple of umpire howlers away and its a likely win

 

[Grahame]

Umps hate on Reid is too much. The running too far was very rough & the 50 simply wasn't there. Then the media scum are piling on with headlines like Reid antics continue, & reporters in presser bringing up his ill-discipline. I think Mini needed to be stronger in response in the presser & emphatically say he didn't knock the ball out of his hands (he only eluded to this in his response). Someone needs to take a stand. They're also piling on about him giving it to the crowd, but when it's Bailey Smith or Nick Watson it's all in good fun.

Agree. As a first step I think the club could put together a video showing how Harley is being umpired and take it to the umpire’s boss. Not publicly. No big fuss. Just say this is how we see it, what’s your opinion? We’re asking because we want to help Harley blah blah

Of course the down side of that is the inevitability that the vAFL media might ‘accidentally’ find out.

I also don't get the pile on mini, we been basically the youngest team all season and he has been trying lots of things, some of which look really promising.

It's unfortunate that we are (A) stuck with the ruck situation we have and (B) haven't had yeo to cover such cracks.

But unlike previous years, while we suck no less, it feels like genuine development is happening with the kids and pleasing that a lot of midfield minutes are going to kids. This really does feel like the turning point in the rebuild for mine as the kids take on important roles and many are showing great signs they can handle it.

Supporting the team in this rebuild ain't for everyone tho and fk me the game day thread had a lot of losers chirping. Speaking of which, surely we can start a go fund me page, raise 3k and get rid of Goroyals22 for good.

Agree. And with an inexperienced side we can’t afford to be getting SFA - by form or injury - from Gov, Yeo, TK and Allen. That’s a big hole.

 

[Quinz]

Who knows where to find centre bounce attendance stats?

 

[lusheslewis]

Who knows where to find centre bounce attendance stats?

AFL Match Stats

AFL Match Stats

www.wheeloratings.com

 

[HoneyBadger35]

Watched this tonight and this was the first post I saw when I opened this thread. We’re through the looking glass, people.

 

[Quinz]

Hate to say it, but Harley was in second gear and really missed a golden opportunity to block for him. Graham did too.

If you go re-watch the footage it’s not the best look.

They would have paid a free kick against Harley if he put a block on, nothing surer.

 

[Kegs15]

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?

View attachment 2311573

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

View attachment 2311575

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.

View attachment 2311574

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.

Part 2: Then the AFL come out with this absolute shit:

Harley's antics once again in the spotlight after Tigers clash

Harley Reid once again put on a scintillating display on the field, while providing plenty to discuss off it

www.afl.com.au

I didn't see the incident with the fan but it sounds even from the article like he was just pointing out someone being abusive etc. Really though their entire basis for the "Harleys antics once again in the spotlight" is the Ralphsmith 50m penalty. "Mired in controversy" the article says.

Mentions in the sub-heading that he put in a scintillating display on the field, then doesn't at any point in the article mention anything positive he does and instead picks apart this 50m penalty wording it like it cost us the game.

Sheezel gets the "Sheezy Ball" comment from Kane Cornes and because everyone (rightly) hates Cornes, North + everyone else in the AFL/media piles to Sheezel's defence and you wind up with Kane doing some lame backpedaling in his 'First Up' this week.

Everyone coming in in that situation with "he's a young player and you're going in too hard"

Would much rather "Sheezy Ball" than the Harley headlines week after week, from the conglomerate Victorian media blob (this article by Phoebe McWilliams for instance) who are far more powerful and harder to call out as a collective than Cornes by himself. Interestingly Cornes himself is always pretty positive about Harley in general.

I get that Harley doesn't help himself sometimes but honestly, a game like today showed the best of him, thought he played on the edge and had his regular scraps which showed he cared but didn't overstep the line or get bogged down in it all like he's done earlier this season. Yet the media narrative has characterised him almost irreversibly for opposition fans of the 17 other clubs, who rightfully don't actually watch many of our games.

If he does go back to Victoria they'll turn the narrative around immediately to "he's evolved in maturity, he's come a long way, he's learned to harness his aggression" and "he's now looked after better than he was at West Coast" when 100% it will just be that the negative spotlight is off him + he'll be 22-23 instead of 19-20.

Will not blame him in the slightest if he does leave. I probably would it I was him, don't think I'd handle this all very well. But jeez I hope he stays and sticks it up everyone's ass. Keeps being a ratbag on the field while he wins a premiership with us. **** this narrative they're trying to create.

 

[Kegs15]

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.

Great call. He's got heart, and doesn't give up in the contest.

This was the first contest of the game, and set the tone for us early:

View attachment 20250511_115337_1.mp4

Will be a really good, 2-way mid for us with as you say more games pumped into him.