Remove this Banner Ad

Review Semi final vs Hawthorn - Ugly, Historically Embarrassing and Pathetic

🥰 Love BigFooty? Join now for free.

Not sure as I agree with this. Adelaide lost a golden opportunity to play a grand final in 93 when a coaching masterstroke by Cornes, 42 points up over Essendon at half time, dragged Hodges, who was running rings around their defence, so as his bum chum Two Inch Tony could play the lone hand. Forgetting that Fletcher had Modra's measure every time previously, and completely unsettling the structure of the forward line. No finals until 97 when Blight took them all the way at the first attempt. Coaches win or lose finals with their strategy regardless of finals experience.
Not sure what you dont agree with? That nicks was outcoached or Crows lack of finals experience showed? They were like a deer in headlights against Collingwood, while continuing to kick down the line and straight to Moore.
 
I don't think it's all the coaching I think alot of the blame has to also be with the players.

It's on them to start the game well, it's on them to be prepared to bring pressure and execute. It's on them to take ownership of their own performances individually in which only about 4 players can say they played well in both finals.
 
Good
We should have progressed beyond him through our list rebuild but Laird is a very good ball winner.
Rachelle’s second half is a reminder of why we’ve missed him. X factor talent.
Worrell continued to play well under pressure, not as composed as normal but still great.
RT, limited opportunities but 3 goals in a drubbing including that left foot snap, another genuine star.

The Bad
A lot, but ROB’s kick, or attempted kick into the forward line, just ouch.
Tex fighting for back position and getting out marked. Has been an absolute star but time is up.

The Ugly
Our game plan. Win the ball back in the back line and kick it at right angles until we on the right wing boundary line. Kick it long to a contest where we are out marked or the ball is punched forward by the opposition who pounce on it and deliver deliver it into their forward line with precision.
The lack of elite mid-fielders after a list rebuild.
 

Log in to remove this Banner Ad

I put a post up warning about the glaring issues in our game and midfield. Many on here dismissed it with things like "we dont need to win the midfield to win" and "our gameplan doesnt revolve around clearances and winning in the middle".

Well, it looks like they were wrong.
None are so blind than those who choose not to see.
 
Draper won’t be a player of any real note. What was the common denominator last night with Hawthorn: skill and good decisions.
Draper is an absolute panic merchant. Always has been. I’m broken record. And I know we can’t turn back time but we missed a trick by not grabbing Langford instead.
This surprised me, but on reflection I doubt I've seen enough of him to be sure.
Isn't it a bit too early to write him off?

From what I have seen, he has enthusiasm/spirit and exudes positive energy
BUT
so did Sholl and McHenry and to a certain extent, Murphy <== all not up to AFL level, high-intensity pressure.

If anything, he looks underdone physically; another skinny-underfed-boy type among bigger, hard-bodied men.
I think he hasn't worked out the pace of AFL, either.
A bit over 19, he has some physical developing to do.
It'll be interesting to see how he comes on after another pre-Season.
 
I’ll get smashed for this. And I’m going very early…

Draper won’t be a player of any real note. What was the common denominator last night with Hawthorn: skill and good decisions.

Draper is an absolute panic merchant. Always has been. I’m broken record. And I know we can’t turn back time but we missed a trick by not grabbing Langford instead.
You'll get smashed.... and rightly so.

There's been some dumb things posted on this board, this is up there.
 
The three most disappointing players of 2025:

Hinge
Soligo
Murray

All three pulled the wool over our eyes.
True but Hinge was a delisted free agent, Soligo was a pick in the 30’s and Murray was a preseason rookie who also had the lowest percentage of contest losses in the league. Maybe our expectations were too high. When you look at where they came from their performance wasn’t too bad.
 
' and in that moment Tex knew his career was over '

I think Ah Chee coming in might concern him
What’s that saying…what’s got you here won’t get you there?

There are some players like Keays who have got us to this point, and we’re very grateful for what they’ve contributed. Now we need other players to take us to the next level.

Same goes for Smith Tex and others. Reckon Tex will get another year. Surely Murphy goes. I’m hoping we bring in Draper just so Rob has some competition and pulls his finger out.

And we need another tall marking forward. Is Toby Murray ready?
 
Honest question, do y'all think you would've won with Rankine?
Rankine has match-winning games and also-ran games
Last year when he copped a 4-game suspension, we won and lost 2 games without him.
So, that info's no help.

I don't see a lot of value in the question; speculation is inconclusive because he was out. The end.
We'll never know.
Edit:
I just read this, which is a good response:
Would we have won if we inserted Rankine into a team where otherwise everyone else played exactly the same? No

Would we have won if Rankine never got suspended and didn't suck the energy out of the team through his idiocy? Maybe
 

Remove this Banner Ad

I put a post up warning about the glaring issues in our game and midfield. Many on here dismissed it with things like "we dont need to win the midfield to win" and "our gameplan doesnt revolve around clearances and winning in the middle".

Well, it looks like they were wrong.
None are so blind than those who choose not to see.
It’s true that all year we’ve been able to win games when we’ve lost the midfield…But as that little girl on the tacos ad says, “Why not both?”
 
He was terrible last week.

Better this one - but 23 touches for 370 meters gained, average of 16 meters gained per disposal, is nowhere near good enough for your main half back distributor.

I like him, but he’s not up to it.
Crazy talk . Was in our best 3 last night. Plenty on the chopping block before him
 
It’s true that all year we’ve been able to win games when we’ve lost the midfield…But as that little girl on the tacos ad says, “Why not both?”
We were just winning games over absolutely terrible teams like West Coast and North. If people didnt see those games and the warning sirens didnt go off then they need to put down the bottle.
There was massive warning signs, its just Wether people wanted to accept them or put their head in the sand.

Its best we didnt make it to pay Geelong because they would have done a 119 on us.
 

🥰 Love BigFooty? Join now for free.

Taylor surprised me how well he did when he went in the middle, even given Hawks had put the cue in the rack a bit. Worth persisting

Berry vs Newcombe for most of the night was diabolically bad. Several times right in front of where we were sitting at a stoppage, Barry’s got his hand on Newcombe’s chest, Newcombe just pushes off him, gets the ball and dishes off. Berry had no impact. Before the game Nicks said we’d see a lot of that march up - we saw way too much of it. Backing a player in to respond is one thing but a 10-0 clearance difference might make you think twice about that.

I know it won’t happen given we went from 15 to top but I’m in favour of moving Nicks on. He’s taken us as far as he can, we need a different energy
 
We were just winning games over absolutely terrible teams like West Coast and North. If people didnt see those games and the warning sirens didnt go off then they need to put down the bottle.
There was massive warning signs, its just Wether people wanted to accept them or put their head in the sand.

Its best we didnt make it to pay Geelong because they would have done a 119 on us.
And just before that we played both Hawks and Pies and just got over the line in each - which is definitely an improvement on previous years but you could tell that if they were 5% more efficient they would have got us

Signs everywhere. Time to restock and go again. I’m hoping we get significant changes to coaches and players. Fortunately we may now have some attraction to players and coaches at other clubs
 
"We won't see Smith this year" "We won't see Murphy this year with ANB in the side" "Laird will play down back"

As soon as anything goes slightly pear shaped Nicks rushes to his security blankets.
' Westhoff Back! '
 

Remove this Banner Ad

Review Semi final vs Hawthorn - Ugly, Historically Embarrassing and Pathetic

🥰 Love BigFooty? Join now for free.

Back
Top