Autopsy 2026 Rd 8 Blues disgraceful second half. Something must be done.

[The Old Dark Navy's]

Exactly ... Weiters doesn't need inexperienced kids to support him ... he needs a reliable experienced tough nut.

Pleeease spare me the Lewis (easily pushed aside) Young is what Weiters is wanting..... or Buku Khamis

We need a Sam Frost type to hold the fort. I'm not sure who that might be though.

 

[The Old Dark Navy's]

Tassie is coming for one of our uncontracted players, allowed to access one from each team over 2 years. If I were Tassie I’d be in Dean’s ear (though most likely in Cowan’s)

Not a chance with Dean. If he ends up as a CHB that goes up the ground, he'd be a future captain in the Sicily mould.

 

[Skull Face]

Tassie is coming for one of our uncontracted players, allowed to access one from each team over 2 years. If I were Tassie I’d be in Dean’s ear (though most likely in Cowan’s)

Cowan can go, he might net us something back and doesnt move the bar.

 

[4flagsin5yrs]

Ollie is not the problem. Would rather have a wilson or charleosn given a go instead of Saad.

Playing acres or hewett or Saad may make the team marginally better in the short term because of their experience but we are now looking longer term so playing those ahead of younger players is detrimental long term.

Would be happy to give blocks of games to wilson, charleson, ison, f young for the rest of the year. Although dropped back to the twos Byrne was better for the run in the seniors

oh is exactly emblematic of the problem...

A bloke with poor skills who often 'fails' (poor disposal, misses a tackle, out marked...) when the heats on gets gifted game after game after game....

 

[TwiggleyFanClub]

That was the glimpse at the end of last season. Wilson, F Young, Lord, Moir…

Voss won’t play them this season.

Maybe getting stuck in the magoos while the AFL side are ground I to the dirt is the luckiest thing that could happen to them.

 

[COBALT BLUE]

The Vfl team also fell asleep for a quarter or so after we got out to a decent lead in the first quarter. Seems its a pattern across the board.

Ok
So its flawed tactics...Play a unsustainable contested style..burning the fuel tickets early every time....I have backed Voss since day 1...he needed support and he did get extended honeymoon with the group...however right now its not great,really going into a rut and this will eventually get quite ugly ...
Depth on B graders is better but we lost A graders TDK and CC....(some of it was money)
Cripps getting old
People now questioning Blues fitness yet Andrew Russell was critersed for over training..and as well rumours are its a tank job

I don't think so....they are just poor right now

Its like the team tactical setup is wrong...Voss knows to bring them out and attack early can crack a few of the teams,and possibly prevent genuine humiliation..so maybe last years 11th was a bonus in a weaker completion in the later rounds..really 2025 was even worse in many ways...with players wanting out

I think Voss is done with this group,he based his contest style around cripps who's gone quiet.
Tactically he's not adding up.....its really starting to look pretty odd with what's happening...a lot of people will turn off the TV for sure....thus will not turn around quickly
The group depth is actually Quite good......really need a genius I think to make it work
Blues needs new midfield pace
Forwards and defence depth wise are ok
We got a Lot of c grade or b grade wingers......just one of them an A...
Bring back a fit Acres?

 

[athensblue]

Kingy reading BF posts

Went to town on our so called leaders
Get rid of them all when the new coach comes in

 

[Cringle]

Kingy reading BF posts

Went to town on our so called leaders
Get rid of them all when the new coach comes in

And I think he’s right.

I was against the scorched earth approach a month ago.

But the current group of leaders aren’t the right players to bring the next crop through.

 

[ITCHY EYEBALLS]

and can't kick. Walsh, Cripps, Hewitt, Pittonet.

Further the forwards are required to compensate by running up & back to defend... resulting in exhaustion & inability to exploit turnovers or attack with speed. How many times do we see attacks stop & wait on the wings or defence kicking it sideways to create time to transition.

Jeremy Cameron does it on a regular basis.
It’s the way the game is these days.
Maybe it is a fitness issue, or it’s just a lack of care factor…..I’m tipping the latter.

 

[Blue_Fusion]

Assuming a bid for Cochrane comes first, any scenario where we could trade down and manufacture more picks?

The only candidate at the moment would be Melbourne as they also hold 2 first round picks.

I’m with you on the idea of the mid forward types, like Bailey Humphrey types, but if he goes asking for a trade again, why not throw our hat in the ring with pick 3?

Assuming we’d get some form of change, it would take the risk out of things.

Doubtful he’d want to join us but it could temp GC

I doubt he'd want to come this year to be honest... the writing is on the wall unfortunately and we're set for a lot of pain in the years to come.

Is Butler a genuine top 3 selection?

He's right up there at the moment I'd say. He's got x factor, match winning qualities and rotates fairly well in the midfield imo.

 

[Earls Smother]

Kingy reading BF posts

Went to town on our so called leaders
Get rid of them all when the new coach comes in

I was at the game and the rot started when Cripps tried his superman stuff in the middle (just after half time). He got caught holding the ball, Saints went forward and kicked a goal. I muttered under my breath, "your goal Cripps".

10 minutes later, our 2 goal lead was a 4 goal deficit. That cannot possibly have anything to do with fitness or game plan (from a coach's perspective).

I liken this to a cricket scenario. You are chasing a smallish total and the captain says all the right things about head down, build a partnership, rotate the strike with singles etc. Then he goes out, tries to hoick one over mid wicket and stumps go everywhere. Everyone else sees that and everything he has said becomes meaningless. No one feels obliged to stick to the game plan. Individuals might, but the collective is no longer on the same page.

I watched Cripps in his recent interview with Hamish McLachlan. He waffles about "levelling up" and "craft" and how his current focus is on nutrition (funny how he is selling a related product). I found it cringeworthy, totally uninspiring and turned it off.

Our leaders are absolutely a big part of the problem and I actually feel sorry for Voss. If only he could get out on the ground and lead from there.

 

[bourbons]

That was the death rattle for this leadership group. Just pathetic, we look as lost as we ever have for the last 30 years.

Back to the days of deciding between Fev and Stephens for captain before trading in Judd. Can't be Cripps anymore, not sure I've ever seen the game pass someone by so completely and quickly, might not even be getting a regular game next year. Walsh the 'obvious' replacement I guess but wowee, not sure you can have a captain with such bad disposal and decision making. Weiters I guess, but he looks checked out too and hard to do from full back.

The only winners tonight were Stephen Silvagni, Jack Silvagni

3

Jack Silvagni

Age

28

Ht

194cm

Wt

92kg

Pos.

D/F

Career

Season

Last 5

D

11.0

3star

K

7.1

3star

HB

3.8

3star

M

3.8

4star

T

2.9

4star

MG

176.9

3star

D

5.3

1star

K

4.0

1star

HB

1.3

1star

M

1.7

2star

T

0.7

1star

MG

91.0

2star

D

9.2

3star

K

6.2

3star

HB

3.0

3star

M

3.4

4star

T

2.8

5star

MG

131.4

3star

and Tom DeKoning.

Yep, they would have been sitting in the changerooms having a laugh and thinking holy **** did we make the right decision.

Makes you sick. This is club destroying stuff, seems to be a new low point of some type every week

 

[bourbons]

PS Cerra just lol, still doing the exact same braindead stuff 3 years later

This one 30 seconds later is the real kicker though;

View attachment 1705087

Thats our best performing mid missing one of the most obvious options ever seen in an AFL match, 3 minutes into a game

That was from 2023, this from Saturday night;



Obviously has the tools, but I'm not sure you're a league standard player if you're continually (and I do mean continually) missing options like this. At least it wasn't the standard dump/territory kick to contest I guess, but barely even glanced towards the most dangerous part of the ground before fanning it sideways and backwards

 

[DangerousD]

The only candidate at the moment would be Melbourne as they also hold 2 first round picks.



I doubt he'd want to come this year to be honest... the writing is on the wall unfortunately and we're set for a lot of pain in the years to come.



He's right up there at the moment I'd say. He's got x factor, match winning qualities and rotates fairly well in the midfield imo.

On Humphrey, there’s only so many clubs in Melbourne and some of those don’t really appeal to lots of players, if he wants to return home, we might be the only club who could temp GC in to letting it happen

 

[NavySteel]

PS Cerra just lol, still doing the exact same braindead stuff 3 years later



That was from 2023, this from Saturday night;

View attachment 2601455

Obviously has the tools, but I'm not sure you're a league standard player if you're continually (and I do mean continually) missing options like this. At least it wasn't the standard dump/territory kick to contest I guess, but barely even glanced towards the most dangerous part of the ground before fanning it sideways and backwards

This play stood out to me too. Haynes totally burned.

Does not align with progressive and dynamic play.

Reeks of defence-first at any cost and control. And fear.

 

[Jatz]

PS Cerra just lol, still doing the exact same braindead stuff 3 years later



That was from 2023, this from Saturday night;

View attachment 2601455

Obviously has the tools, but I'm not sure you're a league standard player if you're continually (and I do mean continually) missing options like this. At least it wasn't the standard dump/territory kick to contest I guess, but barely even glanced towards the most dangerous part of the ground before fanning it sideways and backwards

Is that the player himself or is it what he's instructed to do?

 

[bourbons]

Is that the player himself or is it what he's instructed to do?

I mean... general instruction/gameplan or not, that's one of the most obvious options that has to be taken you're ever likely to see, not just at AFL level either. Just like the one from 3 years ago. Not like he's going to dragged or reprimanded for hitting that kick.

 

[JimmyRabbit49]

made the 6 hour return trek to watch the game on the weekend (an annual pilgrimage for our half Blues half Saints household) and from my perspective;

Positives first;
- really like Carroll - has a way to go but I can see him being a high quality player similar to Dempsey from Geelong

• Kemp could be goal 50 goal plus forward - if he could tidy up his kicking for goal
• there will be a lot of negatives on her about Harry no doubt but given the sheer volume of illegal holding arm, arm chopping etc he copped coupled with pretty ordinary disposal and slowness of decision making by those up field he did keep presenting and working hard
• Ben Ainsworth was our best trade in this year
• Dean will eb a player - if he gets his agro more focused

Now for the rest;
1 Sam Walsh

18

Sam Walsh

Age

25

Ht

184cm

Wt

84kg

Pos.

Mid

Career

Season

Last 5

D

25.1

5star

K

13.5

5star

HB

11.6

5star

M

5.1

5star

T

3.2

5star

CL

3.4

5star

No current season stats available

D

26.2

5star

K

15.4

5star

HB

10.8

5star

M

6.0

5star

T

3.2

5star

CL

4.8

5star

plays like a 12 year old - runs flat out and kicks it as far as he can - the 2 things that stood out - in the 3rd breaking free from a centre bounce in metres of space with 6-6-6 in front - and he kicks it like a bag of flour straight to the Saints, the other in the last, streaming down the wing and despite having Cerra (I think) alone about 35m out dead in front decides a 50m banana to a contest at the top of the square where it got turned over - just dumb
2 Cripps unfortunately seems to have been beaten into submission couldn't seem to find space around the ground and couldn't create his own space at the stoppage like he used to
3) Kept forgetting Cerra was even playing - surely he goes out for Hewett
4 We seem to be a unintelligent side/not confident side - slow decision making led to numerous options being missed, incidents like Saad bursting through multiple Saints defenders getting himself into clear air with nothing between him and the 50m arc and he chooses to bomb to a stationary target, where as he had to kick over the pack of defenders the ball was lofted and the target was easily swamped.
5 I hate to say it but the last quarter had the same feel as the 2015 Carlton Brisbane game that ended Malthouse

 

[Jatz]

I mean... general instruction/gameplan or not, that's one of the most obvious options that has to be taken you're ever likely to see, not just at AFL level either. Just like the one from 3 years ago. Not like he's going to dragged or reprimanded for hitting that kick.

I don't disagree but I'm not discounting the idea that he's had it drilled into him for the last 5 years to take the safe option.

It's a great illustration of the issues in our game though. Whoever's at fault for it, there's a clear issue there.

 

[JJBagger]

made the 6 hour return trek to watch the game on the weekend (an annual pilgrimage for our half Blues half Saints household) and from my perspective;

Positives first;
- really like Carroll - has a way to go but I can see him being a high quality player similar to Dempsey from Geelong

• Kemp could be goal 50 goal plus forward - if he could tidy up his kicking for goal
• there will be a lot of negatives on her about Harry no doubt but given the sheer volume of illegal holding arm, arm chopping etc he copped coupled with pretty ordinary disposal and slowness of decision making by those up field he did keep presenting and working hard
• Ben Ainsworth was our best trade in this year
• Dean will eb a player - if he gets his agro more focused

Now for the rest;
1 Sam Walsh plays like a 12 year old - runs flat out and kicks it as far as he can - the 2 things that stood out - in the 3rd breaking free from a centre bounce in metres of space with 6-6-6 in front - and he kicks it like a bag of flour straight to the Saints, the other in the last, streaming down the wing and despite having Cerra (I think) alone about 35m out dead in front decides a 50m banana to a contest at the top of the square where it got turned over - just dumb
2 Cripps unfortunately seems to have been beaten into submission couldn't seem to find space around the ground and couldn't create his own space at the stoppage like he used to
3) Kept forgetting Cerra was even playing - surely he goes out for Hewett
4 We seem to be a unintelligent side/not confident side - slow decision making led to numerous options being missed, incidents like Saad bursting through multiple Saints defenders getting himself into clear air with nothing between him and the 50m arc and he chooses to bomb to a stationary target, where as he had to kick over the pack of defenders the ball was lofted and the target was easily swamped.
5 I hate to say it but the last quarter had the same feel as the 2015 Carlton Brisbane game that ended Malthouse

The Cerra hate is so forced. Top 2 for score involvements for us in back to back weeks. Doing alright for what he’s clearly being asked to do

 

[Bluebag13]

The Cerra hate is so forced. Top 2 for score involvements for us in back to back weeks. Doing alright for what he’s clearly being asked to do

I would like to see him be more impactful. He is at the right age/experience now as a top draftee and paid player at the club to say "this is my midfield now" and with Walsh take it off Cripps.

 

[JimmyRabbit49]

The Cerra hate is so forced. Top 2 for score involvements for us in back to back weeks. Doing alright for what he’s clearly being asked to do

Well given Cerra only played 67% of game time (compared to Cripps at 80% and Walsh at 76%) it is probably not surprising I kept forgetting he was out there as he often wasn't - but Cerra had 25 possessions (10 contested, 14 uncontested) for a grans total of 112m gained - roughly 4.5m a possession. I would think that 2 of his 5 clangers for the night would have offset any forward movement he generated.

 

[Blue since 72]

Ok
So its flawed tactics...Play a unsustainable contested style..burning the fuel tickets early every time....I have backed Voss since day 1...he needed support and he did get extended honeymoon with the group...however right now its not great,really going into a rut and this will eventually get quite ugly ...
Depth on B graders is better but we lost A graders TDK and CC....(some of it was money)
Cripps getting old
People now questioning Blues fitness yet Andrew Russell was critersed for over training..and as well rumours are its a tank job

I don't think so....they are just poor right now

Its like the team tactical setup is wrong...Voss knows to bring them out and attack early can crack a few of the teams,and possibly prevent genuine humiliation..so maybe last years 11th was a bonus in a weaker completion in the later rounds..really 2025 was even worse in many ways...with players wanting out

I think Voss is done with this group,he based his contest style around cripps who's gone quiet.
Tactically he's not adding up.....its really starting to look pretty odd with what's happening...a lot of people will turn off the TV for sure....thus will not turn around quickly
The group depth is actually Quite good......really need a genius I think to make it work
Blues needs new midfield pace
Forwards and defence depth wise are ok
We got a Lot of c grade or b grade wingers......just one of them an A...
Bring back a fit Acres?

You are correct the one thing it isn't is fitness.

It's a flawed game style (one example only: I watched Ben Ainsworth take a mark on the back flank on the weekend to then look up and see nothing ahead. Why is Ben Ainsworth taking marks on a back flank?) compounded by a combination of a lack of strong on field leadership, poor selections, mental weakness in some and/or mental fatigue in others, an absoluteness stubbornness to play certain players while not playing others and in some case players who are just not good enough.

Belatedly Voss has started tinkering with his midfield with some new faces attending stoppage and some spending more time there but this "refreshment" is then negated by sticking with the likes of Cripps and Cerra.

Cripps has always tried to do too much and this has absolutely infected Sam Walsh, Jacob Weitering has completely checked out, as someone mentioned Jagga has gone from locked in rising star to a bit player. Cow has completely stalled, Harry is not a key forward anymore (should play ruck/forward or be gone), Will Haywood just cannot get into this game style and is used way too far up the ground.

Far as I'm concerned there has been one standout shining light this year and that's MATT CARROLL. Shout out to Benny A for continuing to work his arse off every week and thumbs up to Kempy (just worried his inconsistency in front of goal will stay with him however he brings a lot more dynamic play to our F50), Gov, Zac and Nick N can hold there heads up and that's it. Love Harry D but he's on a hiding to nothing in our backline at the moment.

Wright just cannot continue with the status quo, we are finishing bottom three so to that end stop wasting the year, move some "names" out of the side and get some senior exposure to some of our ressies players. Not interested in win/loss that ship sailed, hit the ice berg and sank but lets bring in some enthusiasm and find out who we need to keep and who we need to jettison.

 

[Sucker for Trade Period]

Not a chance with Dean. If he ends up as a CHB that goes up the ground, he'd be a future captain in the Sicily mould.

If Dean ends up as good as Sicily, then it's an incredible pick.

Leaders who can play offensively, defensively and aerially are just so critical. Love a bit of tempered aggro too.

 

[Blue_Fusion]

On Humphrey, there’s only so many clubs in Melbourne and some of those don’t really appeal to lots of players, if he wants to return home, we might be the only club who could temp GC in to letting it happen

Would be a massive get. Still very young so will be part of our next flag push too.