Review Qualifying Final, 2025 - Geelong vs. Brisbane Lions

[Paul Mac]

Sorry didnt realise Oscar Allen was coming in next week.

 

[Nathan Barley]

Why should umpiring be different in finals?

That seems to be the main argument the umps had against the Rayner frees but surely consistency and getting players to stop doing dumb shit is the what they should be trying to accomplish

 

[JasRulz63]

Why should umpiring be different in finals?

That seems to be the main argument the umps had against the Rayner frees but surely consistency and getting players to stop doing dumb shit is the what they should be trying to accomplish

The media sets the narrative, and we've already seen Jon Ralph nearly burst into tears at half time ranting about it.

 

[Surly Boy]

You know in the first 5 minutes what you will get right? And when our mids go missing, it looks bad all over the field.

Long season, tired and sore, missing some players due to injury, it looks like 2025 is done now.

 

[Nathan Barley]

The media sets the narrative, and we've already seen Jon Ralph nearly burst into tears at half time ranting about it.

Had the frees not been paid and it was Collingwood and not us, I bet they’d still replay the incidents on loop and say the umps cost them the game

 

[Tom14]

The media sets the narrative, and we've already seen Jon Ralph nearly burst into tears at half time ranting about it.

Ralphy should focus on regurgitating verbatim what player managers tell him because he sure as shit has no actual interest in footy.

 

[Section 5]

The Lions lost these stats
I50's 60-47
Marks I50's 21-6
Tackles I50's 14-7
Center clearances 15-9

Most of that is due to our midfield as a group not doing enough.
That's including the wingers.

To get back on track is reasonably simple, but also hard at this time of the year.

The Lions coaches have made some good decisions this year but not regarding McCluggage tonight.
Leading up to the game i mentioned if Neale was getting tagged out of the game the coaches needed to do something early about it. You can't afford one of the best midfielders not getting the ball.
Same applies to McCluggage. He was getting well held and should have been moved to the wing early.
It is very hard to go with a hard tag on a winger. McCluggage disposals by quarter 1,6,2,5.
McCluggage did not have a disposal in defense behind the center square or forward of the center square.

Dunkley (30 disposals) was one that played his usual role very well again, but he is not a damaging midfielder.
Neale (32 disposals) is also not a damaging midfielder but has been a great player over his career.
Will (30 disposals) at only 60% with 8 turnovers but did have 3 goal assists
McCluggage (14 disposals) 1 inside 50 (season average 5.6)

We have shown this year if our midfield gets beaten up, we usually lose the game, sometimes by big margins.

Our forwards were starved of the ball and when it did come in the delivery was below average.
Overall, they were really not very functional tonight even allowing for bad delivery.
Surprise we were actually able to score 74 points.
It is pretty easy to lay the blame on the 3 talls, Day, Gallop as well as Morris.
Probably Gallop misses out next week and we include a more mobile player like Reville who can take a mark.

Charlie kicked the first goal of the game from inside the goal square after marking a great kick by Day.
Charlie never kicked the ball again after that goal. He added 1 handball and 2 tackles for the remainder of the game.
There is no one in the VFL we can rely on, so he gets to play again and hopefully starts producing a much bigger effort.

Lucky, we finished top 4 as i don't think we would have beaten the bottom 4 of the 8 this weekend.
The beauty of finishing top 4 is you get another chance, and we do need to redeem ourselves after that game.

 

[Tom14]

Sorry didnt realise Oscar Allen was coming in next week.

Mentally I’m on to 2026.

 

[DERRINALPHIL]

3KZ Lester lost every contest he was involved in in the first quarter and there were quite a few.

The bloke you hate Darcy G. had a very good game.

Comment please.

 

[Tom14]

Not sure if already posted but Ralphy saying on twitter that we think Lachie’s season is over.

 

[JasRulz63]

Not sure if already posted but Ralphy saying on twitter that we think Lachie’s season is over.

He said on the coverage he spoke to Dany Daly in the rooms who said he doesn't think it look just a mild calf strain.

 

[Tom14]

He said on the coverage he spoke to Dany Daly in the rooms who said he doesn't think it look just a mild calf strain.

 

[Harris Specter]

Need a bit of luck this time of the year, and injuries haven’t been kind to us this year. Did amazingly well to secure a double chance, hope we can go to the preliminary final weekend.

 

[Toffee Lion]

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

30 disposals (10 contested), 6 tackles, 5 clearances, 9 inside 50s, 3 goal assists & 559 metres gained (3rd on the ground).

His efficiency by foot let him down but Dunkley was even worse going at 56%, despite also putting in a solid shift.

Will is judged very harshly on this board.

 

[SpecialBruce]

Why the **** was Bruce dropped? ****ing ridiculous decision.

Anyway I am confident we have Collingwood’s measure at the G in two weeks. Not sure we have Geelong’s in the Grand Final.

 

[Generalissimo]

Fort did some nice things, but his positioning was definitely poor at stoppages.

I come in peace.

I always liked Fort. I rated him when he played for us, was surprised how few chances he got in the seniors, and I was really happy for him to win a flag last year. Tonight he felt like a huge PITA dropping back and marking in our F50 all the time, especially with Shannon Neale well held by Andrews and Jeremy Cameron playing way up the ground, it was kind of annoying. Aside from that Blicavs beat him around the ground, but that's not much of a mark of shame. You don't get 50+ hitouts in a final if you're a spud.

See you in the GF.

 

[Mr Ripper]

Why the **** was Bruce dropped? ****ing ridiculous decision.

Anyway I am confident we have Collingwood’s measure at the G in two weeks. Not sure we have Geelong’s in the Grand Final.

Geelong won't make the Grand Final SB

 

[Tricky Dicky]

I've seen us play too much good footy against the other finalists this year, and even as recently as the previous two games, to be all gloom and doom.

Sometimes it's just not your day and the way I saw it was that Geelong's pressure was phenomenal and unrelenting. They bossed us from go to woe.

They won most of the centre clearances and when our midfield did manage to get their hands on the footy, the cats took away our time and space.

But we never gave up, even when it seemed hopeless, and if Zorks and Cam could of nailed those gettable shots on goal in the last quarter, we would have been close enough for it to have gotten interesting.

We did a number on them at Kotten-on park, and they did a number on us tonight.

Invoking again Fages' quote; 'your wins are not as good as they seem, and your losses aren't as bad as they seem'.

 

[Tricky Dicky]

...and we very much need Eric back asap

 

[Beware The Wounded Lion]

I've seen us play too much good footy against the other finalists this year, and even as recently as the previous two games, to be all gloom and doom.

Sometimes it's just not your day and the way I saw it was that Geelong's pressure was phenomenal and unrelenting. They bossed us from go to woe.

They won most of the centre clearances and when our midfield did manage to get their hands on the footy, the cats took away our time and space.

But we never gave up, even when it seemed hopeless, and if Zorks and Cam could of nailed those gettable shots on goal in the last quarter, we would have been close enough for it to have gotten interesting.

We did a number on them at Kotten-on park, and they did a number on us tonight.

Invoking again Fages' quote; 'your wins are not as good as they seem, and your losses aren't as bad as they seem'.

This was the reflection I needed to read, thank you

 

[moncon]

What about "Jezza" the Champion All-Australian Captain and his dirty cheap shots, one on Starcevich by the boundary, another on Dunkley, both of them aimed at and hitting the jaw, neither of them pinged.

 

[Bucking Beads]

I can't believe how poorly we played. I can't believe they coaster through so many games to dish that up in a final.

 

[Tom14]

30 disposals (10 contested), 6 tackles, 5 clearances, 9 inside 50s, 3 goal assists & 559 metres gained (3rd on the ground).

His efficiency by foot let him down but Dunkley was even worse going at 56%, despite also putting in a solid shift.

Will is judged very harshly on this board.

His decision making was consistently really really poor.

 

[Ceebee]

Sort of looks like injuries and long seasons have caught up with us .

It’s a bit sad but it happens and I am grateful for the effort of making another final series .


We have a lot of young talent coming through .

Geelong and Collingwood yuck

 

[mpal6]

Neale underdone, Hugh couldn't break the tag and our midfield got pushed into ball all night. Strangely when Neale went off injured and we gave midfield keys to Bailey it looked a lot more balanced like we were about to do something when we had the ball.

Put Bruce and Marshall back in and we go again.