Review Qualifying Final, 2025 - Geelong vs. Brisbane Lions

[davemc_lions]

I suspect they needed Cam deep to provide a marking target as Day and Gallop aren’t that and Morris was being sat on.

stop kicking it high and long
We got goals when it went along the ground.
Cats out coached us knew when we go into the middle and cut it off.

 

[Tom14]

It’s the best part about tonight. They’re genuinely still upset about it.

I’ve never heard Gerard Whatley that upset in comms before and he couldn’t hide it. It was involuntary.

At least Huddo kept his composure.

Biggest bummer is that we didn’t scrape over by less than 2 goals. Could have run a ‘I’m an lions fan and I am DISGUSTED by this result’ gimmick for years on the main board.

 

[braddsey]

I reckon the AFL will tick off on the Rayner frees. Because they were both there.

Even though I'd be screaming about the injustice of it all if it were us.

Agreed. A bit embarrassing for the umpire (i laughed when i finally saw a replay, particularly at the first one).

 

[3KZ is Football]

Unfortunately for now footballers are all human beings who don't always handle pressure as well as you hope they would

True. Tonight it reflected itself in some diabolical turnovers as we were trying to transition out of defence. Special mention to Zorko and W. Ashcroft, who led the ‘Clanger Count’ with 7 each.

 

[p4p1]

Can someone make a gif of the free kick given against Rayner for me? The replay is at about 2:01:30 on the Kayo broadcast.
Just as soft as the ones he got but crickets and that is shitting me to tears.

 

[brutus76]

Cats just cleaner at the contest and at ground level and dominated the clearances in the first half and had the game pretty much sewn up.

I feel for Lachy. Looked shattered.

VFL team play at 11.40am tomorrow. Be interesting to see if there are any late changes.

Marshall is too good to be the sub.

Would consider bringing Bruce in at HBF and having Zorks play mid and forward pocket (always lively around goals)

Would drop Day and play the Big O at FF and in the ruck with Forty who battled hard but was clearly gassed in the last.

Bruce, Big O, Tunstill, Mckenna and Dev a chance to impress late tomorrow morning (if they aren't withdrawn).

At least whomever comes to the Gabba the Lions have an extra day's rest and a shorter trip.

Go Lions! (Brutus from Bezza's hometown)

 

[rye]

watching neale try to play on after the injury was just painful. hes done for the year i reckon.

 

[braddsey]

I honestly can’t believe the carry on about the Rayner double goal.
They were both there. They were soft, sure, but they were there.
Rayner had a free kick against for pushing the guy in the chest not that much earlier but it was crickets.

They were without a doubt a better team than us tonight. But that doesn’t change the fact that there were plenty of obvious missed calls that directly lead to Geelong winning the ball back and scoring.
There were clear throws that weren’t called both ways. The Starcevich throw when he had someone hanging off his neck was an interesting one.
There was the clear block from Dangerfield in the marking contest that lead to an easy goal. So for the Victorian media to sit there and pick out those two free kicks is pathetic.

Nah - the first Rayner free was embarrassing (for the umpires). The second was just funny. Of course it’s going to be talked out over a few missed frees in the play.

 

[Nathan Barley]

Did they replay the BS free against Rayner at all after half time?

 

[p4p1]

Nah - the first Rayner free was embarrassing (for the umpires). The second was just funny. Of course it’s going to be talked out over a few missed frees in the play.

Anymore embarrassing that the free against him? Or the HTB straight after he was hit in the head etc?
I’m not saying they weren’t soft but there were so many bad calls, I don’t know if those were even the worst ones. Hitting someone in the back while a teammate is having a shot at goal is beyond stupid.

 

[p4p1]

Did they replay the BS free against Rayner at all after half time?

They did not.

 

[Tom14]

Curious what the end of season review will be like for Will. Tonight was all his worst qualities sadly.

 

[braddsey]

I think that Scott had a long time to study Brisbane and that his players were well drilled to counter our corridor tactics. He's not generally well rated around here but we were out coached and well out played.

Geelong have spent the last 2 months drilling on how to beat the other 7 finalists, because they had nothing to worry about from the week-to-week opponents.

 

[lionsrules]

Out coached and played tonight. Credit to the cats.
For us … not sure this team has the hunger to go all the way. But I’m not going to be too upset about it. Happy to reload next year. But whatever happens next week all good!
I think We can win next week regardless and after that… it’s a coin toss what team wants to show up against the magpies.

 

[Nathan Barley]

Curious what the end of season review will be like for Will. Tonight was all his worst qualities sadly.

I think his best games have been when hes been strong in the contest.

Is that something he can do more consistently? If it isnt then he needs to find a way to be more damaging with the footy

 

[mattsmob]

It takes a lot of hard,running and discipline but it's possible

I think before the Crows, Collingwood game they showed a statement that teams generally don't win finals from ball movement out of the back half and a lot of that has to do with the better teams pressuring and shutting down ball movement the way they did tonight

It's just how you win finals

I think there’s more to it than that to be honest. We don’t just sit around and wait for guys to pop up in the middle. We’ve got our patterns we run to open up the game and change the angles and we do it better than anyone else in the comp. Them shutting us down is down to more than just they tried super hard

 

[Nathan Barley]

I think there’s more to it than that to be honest. We don’t just sit around and wait for guys to pop up in the middle. We’ve got our patterns we run to open up the game and change the angles and we do it better than anyone else in the comp. Them shutting us down is down to more than just they tried super hard

Well that's the other side.

Were we running those patterns? I'm not sure we were working hard enought up the field

 

[Tom14]

I reckon the AFL will tick off on the Rayner frees. Because they were both there.

Even though I'd be screaming about the injustice of it all if it were us.

You underestimate how reactionary Michael Christian and Dillon are. Will 100% fine Cam for the first one and then he’ll challenge it via written submission then get off.

 

[Pride of lions]

It was so frustrating watching the lack of movement from the forwards,

 

[Tom14]

I think his best games have been when hes been strong in the contest.

Is that something he can do more consistently? If it isnt then he needs to find a way ti be more damaging with the footy

I’d ban him and Levi from handballing to each other. I guess otherwise I think he’s at his worst when he is trying fancy flick ons or crazy handballs?

Just focus on fundamentals and contest please (just pick up the f-ing the ball).

He’s so so good when he just does the basics well.

 

[Lazza16]

3 Votes....Harris Andrews

31

Harris Andrews

Age

29

Ht

200cm

Wt

98kg

Pos.

Def

Career

Season

Last 5

D

12.8

3star

K

7.4

3star

HB

5.4

4star

M

5.6

5star

T

1.6

4star

MG

151.7

2star

D

17.0

4star

K

9.0

4star

HB

8.0

4star

M

4.0

4star

T

2.0

3star

D

9.8

3star

K

5.0

2star

HB

4.8

4star

M

3.4

4star

T

1.6

4star

MG

94.0

2star

. Thanks Captain.

 

[Paul Mac]

Just got home from the game. Disappointing but in my eyes was not unexpected with our up and down season. It staggered me though how Tom Stewart was allowed to roam the backline again on his own.
Im not sure how we fix our forward line, Day out, Gardiner forward , Joyce in , Charlie sub, Mclachlan in, ive got no idea but nothing was happening tonight. Out bullied, out run, out pressured and amazing how Dempsey was just roaming around the ground with no one going anywhere near him. Looked a very tired bruised and battered team tonight.

 

[Tom14]

Ridiculously, the AFL website has him listed as our second best player.

Our mids had a lot of empty, empty stats.

Dunks and Harris (honourable mention to dizzy) the only players who can be proud of their performance. Cam can too for content creation.

 

[Tom14]

Just got home from the game. Disappointing but in my eyes was not unexpected with our up and down season. It staggered me though how Tom Stewart was allowed to roam the backline again on his own.
Im not sure how we fix our forward line, Day out, Gardiner forward , Joyce in , Charlie sub, Mclachlan in, ive got no idea but nothing was happening tonight. Out bullied, out run, out pressured and amazing how Dempsey was just roaming around the ground with no one going anywhere near him. Looked a very tired bruised and battered team tonight.

 

[Sproj]

Man I don’t know what to say and whatever I do so won’t be nice. Putrid. Rough game to watch live amongst opposition fans and getting absolutely smashed in every facet of the game. Did we win a single clearance or one on one?

I haven’t seen us play that bad in 10 years. Geelong were excellent, everything they did turned to gold because they wanted it more. The umpiring was absolutely abysmal and way more in favour of us than them. That Rayner trash in half time should have the lot of them sacked, that was embarrassing for us.

The only good players we had were Andrews, Dunkley and yes at least live, Fort. I don’t know how many times WAshcroft kicked it straight to Geelong. We haven’t played that bad in years and to do it in a final, yuck. The boys panicked, second guessed themselves and just lost all ability to be clean anywhere on the ground.

Maybe this year is a bridge too far, maybe it was the wake up call we needed, I don’t know but I think bringing in McKenna and Bruce is needed and probably anyone for Day. We were never in it. Our forward line should all be sacked, no pressure whatsoever and you can’t carry Gallop, Cameron and Day. My gosh, Day. I have nothing positive to say about his lack of effort, if I had tomatoes they would have been thrown. At least Gallop has the excuse that he’s a kid. There was a point where we got within like 2 and Day just stood and watched and then walked away when he could have at least pressured or did something but nope, just watched and walked away. Who the heck does that? This was Prior level bad against Hawthorn a couple of years back. Makes the bloke unpickable. Ah Chee and Cameron couldn’t even be bothered running.

That was deflating but if we can make a couple of needed changes, we can still win it but it will be very tough from here. I’m not writing us off though, not yet. Maybe the boys might have subconsciously switched off when we just couldn’t get in it knowing there is still next week. I expect us to come out breathing fire…or get smashed if we’ve understandably hit a wall at the wrong time.