Autopsy 2024 Rd 5 Blundering Blues give game away to Crows

Who played well for the Blues in Round 5 vs the Crows?


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It was interesting how playing with 2 ruckmen made such a difference, 2 things happened that I don't think is a coincidence. We won the clearance game and our contested ball game was the best it has been all season, and 2, it was TDKs worst game of the season.

TDK cannot play forward. It has been said about him since we drafted him that he's a ruckman that can go forward, but that's a myth. He has no forward craft whatsoever and looks lost when he goes inside 50. It also adds a 3rd tall to Harry and Charlies space which isn't what we want either.

If we want to play Pitto to help our congestion game then that's fair enough, but it means TDK has to sit out. I don't like that option, I'd rather TDK play as no.1 ruck, but if the route we want to go is fixing our clearance game then we just have to go with Pitt solely and H backing up.
 
No surprises Rankine could run off Cripps & Hewitt - a bad matchup to start with.

Teams will always look to run off these guys until we can even up our run from the middle.

Cerra/Cunners/Fog all roll through to give our midfield more balance.

Nobody holding Rankine accountable.
Kudos to Cripps he made an effort to follow Rankine around the forward line.

However, George merely gave him a bump at a stoppage then literally ran the opposite way to Rankine.
 
Funny thing is if Cotters had nailed his second set shot, he'd look like our most dangerous small "forward"..
Set shot, though. I agree he looked good but even he on the ground doesn't look likely around goal.

I don't think I've seen another forwardline with so few guys who actually want to kick a goal in live play. Once the ball hits the ground inside 50 it's just little handball after little handball with no one kicking the thing towards the sticks. It's infuriating, someone just take the responsibility. I'd rather see an extra few misses a game than the constant dishing off to another guy who dishes it off again until eventually there's a tackle and a ball up.
 

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I'm starting to fear that we're simply not that good, certainly not where we hoped to be after last season. Sure we've banked some wins but we've been lucky. And looking at the fixture it could be a while before we win again considering our form and injuries.

Obviously our clearance work has been a major drop off. So frustrating to see us get first hands on the ball but not manage to execute cleanly so often this season. I don't blame anyone (including myself) for dreaming of a 2024 flag but we just haven't looked like it thus far. Sometimes it takes a loss to admit it. TBH even if we limped over the line I'd be pretty irritated by this performance. Dropping this game in the light of our next 5 weeks is brutal.
It’s early mate - breath.

Our injuries won’t last forever - this list is capable of winning it this year.

But nobody said it would be easy!
 
Set shot, though. I agree he looked good but even he on the ground doesn't look likely around goal.

I don't think I've seen another forwardline with so few guys who actually want to kick a goal in live play. Once the ball hits the ground inside 50 it's just little handball after little handball with no one kicking the thing towards the sticks. It's infuriating, someone just take the responsibility. I'd rather see an extra few misses a game than the constant dishing off to another guy who dishes it off again until eventually there's a tackle and a ball up.
Extra frustrating when you get glimpses from someone like Durdin who's capable of brushing someone aside and snapping truly at pace. It's just that though, always glimpses.
 
Guys, don't get too disheartened at the result on Saturday night. To be honest the fix was in on the Freo game let alone against Adelaide.
You'd be ignorant to not realise the AFL is a business. Who they select to umpire the game and what they have been "told" to do for the day massively effects the outcome of the game. I know this first hand speaking to ex AFL umpires.
So much so that certain AFL figures would often visit the umpires rooms prior to the match to make sure they know.
But in reality we all still love the game and realise that in order to win unless you have been chosen you need to be that much better.
There is a saying nowadays.
"We'll have to win by 5 goals in order to win by a point."
Meaning we have to be that much better than them in order to win. Unfortunately this weekend we couldn't get there.
I know some people will swear that this doesn't happen... It does.

4 and 1 and now the AFL owes us 1. Make sure everyone makes big deal about the Owies ARC review.

"Squeaky wheel gets the oil."

On SM-A515F using BigFooty.com mobile app
 
Just watched First crack and they showed some last few minutes footage of our mistakes that cost us the game, the most glaring though and to my surprise, was Hewett manning Rankine at a ball up about 35m out from Adelaides goal, the ball goes up with the two side by side, with George following the ball and ignoring Rankine heading goalwards, the Crows get possession, kick forward and Rankine marks in the goal square, with not one player going near him since Hewett left him at the stoppage.

The other stuff they showed were small things, but the Hewett one to me, was a real lack of game awareness and a lack of respect for a real dangerous opponent who had already played a great game.

It was an ugly watch.

Kemp, for all his decent work on Fogarty, had his usual brain fade - bit like the captain obvious dragging the ball in last week - he dropped a sitter which resulted in Crows goal and shifted the momentum.

Gov & Saad out and Weitering having a poor game - Crows simply took advantage of their opportunities and when we had ours, we didn't.
 
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Firstly, I don’t doubt the effort of anyone on our list - our boys always have a massive crack.

Though from my perspective, and as a collective, we’d be one of the lowest football IQ teams out there.

Not posting this after a loss, I’m just consistently amazed at some of the dumb s**t our guys manage week in, week out.

Not sure it’s not biased viewing on my behalf, but bloody hell, Im stumped at some of the stuff we bring to the table.
It probably is biased due to viewing and emotional investment, dumb stuff happens across the League.

That said, we make a number of moronic mistakes that should not be happening.
 
Count the number of teams who have had a key forward who while walking into an open goal has dropped the ball and fallen over their own feet?
Count the number of teams who have had a key forward take a mark in the goal square - play on, get tackled and drop the ball?
Count the number of team who have had a forward 15 m out from goal, in space, stub their toe and damn near miss the ball?

Honestly these are like blue mooners and yet each has happened so far this year to 1 team.
 
It probably is biased due to viewing and emotional investment, dumb stuff happens across the League.

That said, we make a number of moronic mistakes that should not be happening.
I think most of the low IQ comes in the final third.

Defence through to about 70 from goal I don't see many issues (though Kemp gives me some real Liam Jones vibes with ball in hand), but that final approach into attack any nuance or thought seems to leave the play and we just boot it as long as they can and hope Charlie or Harry mark it.

Even Weiters fell into the trap, probably the smartest guy on the list kicks 50m flat pass to about 45m out from goal. That's got to be one of the least effective kicks in footy and even our smartest player does it when going inside 50.
 
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1. Good users forward of centre who were absent yesterday: Martin, Cuningham, Motlop, Cerra.
2. Durdin, Owies, Fantasia, don’t demand the ball. Cottrell is playing half forward defensive role.
3. TDK as the third tall forward option had one mark yesterday.

Good points.

Martin in particular as a marking/goal kicking option and tbh i'd prefer TDK playing a kick behind the play once the contest is done with, just seems to cause havoc for Charlie/Harry when forward.

Haven't liked the three smalls ever and would only go with two if everyone was available, Mots and one of Owies/Durds.

As I mentioned in a post Cunners is not a big stat man but is almost always clean with his disposal either in or out of traffic and has some tow. The importance of being clean in and around the forward 50 cannot be under estimated.
 
He has been a disappointment. Doesn't tackle or apply pressure as a forward. Not sure where he is at tbh.

Flatter than a pancake this morning. Our cloke of invincibility has been pierced. I was enjoying the ride on the crest of the wave. Now I've been dumped.

I guess that's footy. We robbed Freo last week whilst most of the stats this week would suggest we should have won and being 16 points up well into the last quarter we should have.

We just contrived to do things all game that kept them in it and they were clinical when they got their chance. Too much space afforded to them all over the ground. As per usual our entries into fifty bar a few kicks from Chugga, Boydy and E Hollands were the usual hope and a prayer stuff. I'd love to attend a forwards strategy meeting. We have the tall forwards capable of getting separation on their opponent but they don't seem to want to do this consistently. Our pressure on their defence without ball in hand was sub par.

The reference to Benny Hill moments is so apt. Some comical things in the last five minutes really cost us.

Fantastic return by Sam Wow. Our clearance work was much better but the disposal thereafter was questionable. Harry and Charlie's goal kicking was off. We just seemed a bit off all game. Now some further injuries. All of this happened and we only lose by two pints. Upside is we can play a lot better but it will be a challenge with personnel missing.

Gonna be an interesting five weeks or so ahead. We've all just gotta be up for it.
Hey mate,don't forget. You owe me two pints, haha.
 

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He has been a disappointment. Doesn't tackle or apply pressure as a forward. Not sure where he is at tbh.
Seems his magic touch has left him a bit. He was never really a pressure forward, but he was always fairly electric around goal. He could still be building into his season but as it is right now he doesn't have the same flair.
 
Good points.

Martin in particular as a marking/goal kicking option and tbh i'd prefer TDK playing a kick behind the play once the contest is done with, just seems to cause havoc for Charlie/Harry when forward.

Haven't liked the three smalls ever and would only go with two if everyone was available, Mots and one of Owies/Durds.

As I mentioned in a post Cunners is not a big stat man but is almost always clean with his disposal either in or out of traffic and has some tow. The importance of being clean in and around the forward 50 cannot be under estimated.
1 Cunners is worth 2 Fanta's.
He is still a work in progress, but until we've got some other mid/small options, we are going to struggle to select a potent forward line.
I'd prefer to see only Fog and Motlop (if form warrents it) as the only smalls. Then Martin, Cotts, maybe Eli(even though I haven't seen anything to be convinced about him either)
supporting Charlie and Harry.
Or just add Kemp along with Martin and go with a taller but still mobile forward line.
If the smalls aren't getting crumbing goals or providing pressure, then don't feel obliged to select them.
 
Count the number of teams who have had a key forward who while walking into an open goal has dropped the ball and fallen over their own feet?
Count the number of teams who have had a key forward take a mark in the goal square - play on, get tackled and drop the ball?
Count the number of team who have had a forward 15 m out from goal, in space, stub their toe and damn near miss the ball?

Honestly these are like blue mooners and yet each has happened so far this year to 1 team.
Count the number of teams that would kill to have Harry OR Charlie - let alone both together. A couple stuff ups are gonna happen over the course of a season - can and do happen to anyone.
 
Coaches' Votes

9 - Sam Walsh (CARL)
9 -
Izak Rankine (ADEL)
5 - Taylor Walker (ADEL)
3 - Jake Soligo (ADEL)
2 - Ben Keays (ADEL)
1 - Mitchell Hinge (ADEL)
1 - Charlie Curnow (CARL)
 
1 Cunners is worth 2 Fanta's.
He is still a work in progress, but until we've got some other mid/small options, we are going to struggle to select a potent forward line.
I'd prefer to see only Fog and Motlop (if form warrents it) as the only smalls. Then Martin, Cotts, maybe Eli(even though I haven't seen anything to be convinced about him either)
supporting Charlie and Harry.
Or just add Kemp along with Martin and go with a taller but still mobile forward line.
If the smalls aren't getting crumbing goals or providing pressure, then don't feel obliged to select them.

Yeah forgot about Fog but agree, him and Mots at this point.

Martin plays taller and I think Kemp should be persisted with down back at this stage, just not sure we need three talls in the F50 when all are fit. Also found it strange that Harry seemed to stay closer to goal this game when opening up the forward line for Charlie and using Harry as a connector was working well.

My ideal forward line would be Harry, Charlie, Martin, Fog, Mots and two of either Cotts/E Hollands/Cunners (one on the bench).
 
Seems his magic touch has left him a bit. He was never really a pressure forward, but he was always fairly electric around goal. He could still be building into his season but as it is right now he doesn't have the same flair.


I reckon he would have nailed that goal Owies missed - but then at least Owies was in position to get it.
 
If his knees aren't up to allowing him to chase - or even really leap or get any burst acceleration, which he's struggled with a bit this year - why is he playing?
he’s leaping just fine, I also think it’s a little overstated that he doesn’t chase or help defensively. He still helps defensively but it looks different to the way Harry helps defensively. Harry helps defend our front half while Charlie will help defend our back half.
 
If you call the score 'overall', then sure.
But not really overall.
We beat them in most statistics, and should have won reasonably comfortably, despite not playing well.

We beat them in:
Kicks
Efficiency
Contested
Marks (both contested and uncontested)
Clearances
Tackles (and tackles inside 50)
Shots
Inside 50s
Inside 50s Efficiency
Clangers (they had way more)

They beat us in
Handballs
Uncontested possessions
Marks inside 50
Hitouts
Shooting Accuracy (this was the big one in the game, 80% to 50%)

And if it wasn't for multiple horror mistakes in the last 5 minutes, we still would have won.
When's the last time a team has scored 3 goals in the final 7 mins of a game against us? Reckon Vossy will be extremely unhappy with how the game panned out as we gave up a 16 point lead. The game should've and would've been over...but it seems everything which needed to happen for the Crows to win did happen.
 
The stats tell the story bad kicking and poor execution in decisive moments - should have won that game - easily with just average conversion it would have been 4-5 goal win.

All this Weitering this and Weitering that included. All teh Pittone it's this and that included.

At teh end of the day - it was a couple of decisive contests /moments and bad conversion- simple as that and that is what would grind Voss's gears.

This game was decided exactly how you put it. Moments and kicking. There is still room for the other discussions because lets face it, Adelaide are a horrow show right now and beat us. They arent close to a top 8 side the way they are currently playing.

For 2 of those 4 qtrs Adelaide kept turning the ball over with poor kicking.

With us having a full list, we are a very good side with some minor issues to deal with. Without those players, we are also bog average.
 
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