Review R24: The Good, the Bad and the Ugly vs. North Melbourne

[Redline]

Feel like we’ve got a bit of info about the finals team at least.

Draper definitely done for the year, Dowling hangs around, Taylor probably hangs around, and Smith might have a role as the specialist sub.

Didn’t learn too much else - did move the ball nicely from defence though.

A dissapointing part of our day was none of Bond, Taylor or Draper really locked away way a spot. At least one or probably two play the first final but we are going to need a lift from everyone. Dowling did enough.

Smith should just be the permanent sub now I think.

 

[SugarShane]

Why is he doing stupid stuff like that? Unnecessary.

What the hell goes on in Adelaide players' brains when it gets near September? Just supremely stupid when Michael Christian will be looking for any excuse to rub us out.

 

[Miss Vanessa]

You seriously reckon a high up employee at AFL Hoyse thought they’d get the umpires to turn the game in favour of 17th to topple first. Even when top 2 was guaranteed for us. You can’t be that stupid.

I like to yell at the TV about the umpires as much as the next guy, but yeah, the likelihood that there is an actual conspiracy against us is somewhat dubious.

It’s a turd of a game to umpire and having three or four adjudicating a single game - I don’t even know how many bloody umpires there are nowadays - just leads to major inconsistencies in decision making.

It’s always funny to hear two commentators - both of whom may have played 200+ games, won premierships or Brownlows etc. - disagree about an umpires decision on air.

If two people who have lived and breathed the game their entire adult lives can’t agree on what is the right decision after multiple viewings, from different angles, all in slow motion, what hope does an umpire have to get it right in the moment every single time.

Having said all that. The umpiring was garbage all day

 

[chazwazza]

Anyone having audio issues with streaming the 7 replay?

 

[kirky]

What the hell goes on in Adelaide players' brains when it gets near September? Just supremely stupid when Michael Christian will be looking for any excuse to rub us out.

And think you need to add “senior” to Adelaide players brains.

 

[skam85]

I’m a straight man but I’d definitely let James Peatling cuddle me

 

[skam85]

The great: this was on our coaches box all day and nobody removed it

 

[CrowBloke]

Clearances is only one part of the equation - we are no 1 for contested possession, ground ball gets, loose ball gets and 3rd for hard ball gets.

The #16 team beat us today in contested possession 142 - 113 .

My take on that is that the Crows did enough to win without pushing themselves or sustaining injury.
Every time we got well ahead we eased off and they came back at us.
OK.
We still won it.

If that was deliberate I'm happier now than I was after the game. At the time I thought it was a shit win, without authority.
I like the idea of the Crows being able to step up when needed, but I doubt other Finalists will be as compliant or error-ridden as NM were.

 

[skam85]

Why is he doing stupid stuff like that? Unnecessary.

Just wants to give his best mate Brodie some more game time in September as 2017 retribution

 

[Roscrow86]

Does anyone know of Burgess has been putting us through a higher training load over the last month to ready us for finals? I recon we’ve looked quite flat over the last month but have still been managing to win

 

[NSolis]

Does anyone know of Burgess has been putting us through a higher training load over the last month to ready us for finals? I recon we’ve looked quite flat over the last month but have still been managing to win

I think they would have been, but so would all the other contending clubs. One small positive that might be true for us is that we have quite a bit to gain from the week off. Three injured players who might be back, two of whom are clear best 22 players, plus quite a lot of guys like Soligo, Curtin and Taylor who aren’t as accustomed to the long stretches of games and might need a break.

Obviously every club benefits from a break but I think it might help us more than Brisbane and Geelong for instance, with more inexperienced players in the best team.

 

[Rotayjay]

I'm over the moon that there were no injuries

 

[ams4crows]

I'm over the moon that there were no injuries

Dawson looked sore though

 

[FR0GGY]

Dawson looked sore though

We’ll give him next weekend off

 

[ams4crows]

We’ll give him next weekend off

Needs it, we need a fresh Dawson

 

[Rotayjay]

Needs it, we need a fresh Dawson

You can throw a blanket over Worrell, Tex, Thilthorpe, Rankine and Dawson as our most important player. However, I think the skipper just pips them all.

 

[Rotayjay]

Soligo just cannot have that type of game in a final. Was decent when he got it, but had little to no influence both around the ground, and at clearance

Same with Curtin. 7 touches off a wing in a final won’t cut it

Thankfully guys like Peatling, Berry, Keays picked up the slack

That's what happens when you have talent on every line - when someone is having a mare, there are plenty of others who can lift. Hence why recruiting guys like Neal-Bullen, Peatling and Cumming was critical. Minimise the spuds you have to pick every week and get closer to a flag.

It's not that often a club recruits 3 best-23 players in 1 off-season. And it's not often that a club goes from 15th to 1st in one season ... oh wait, it's never happened. We're the first.

 

[Rotayjay]

Probably right, unless AFL want Crows Pies for Friday blockbuster $$$$

Isn't Thursday night even better for TV ratings than Friday night?

 

[footy4ever]

Well I've just watched the last qtr.

FMD. Cheating scum.

 

[BunjiMC]

You seriously reckon a high up employee at AFL Hoyse thought they’d get the umpires to turn the game in favour of 17th to topple first. Even when top 2 was guaranteed for us. You can’t be that stupid.

That's not what I said....

I think it's highly possible that umpires are directed to keep games as close as possible.

 

[ftmch]

Does anyone know of Burgess has been putting us through a higher training load over the last month to ready us for finals? I recon we’ve looked quite flat over the last month but have still been managing to win

I've wondered the same thing tbh. Would make sense

 

[Moonwatcher]

I’m a straight man but I’d definitely let James Peatling cuddle me

No Cumming?

 

[Rotayjay]

That video is one of my all-time-favourite pieces of Crows content. It fires me up. Let's stick it up all these campaigners.

 

[Moonwatcher]

What the hell goes on in Adelaide players' brains when it gets near September? Just supremely stupid when Michael Christian will be looking for any excuse to rub us out.

It does appear to be a uniquely Adelaide problem

 

[Slippery Pete]

There's no head contact.

There wasn’t with Rankine either.