Autopsy Cats lose to Port by 6 points after being down by 10 goals

[Catman]

The amount of times Port were able to run forward of the contest at stoppages under no pressure was a killer. Parfitt, Atkins and Clark being chief culprits in allowing this in the 1st half. So flat footed at times. Combine that with an ineffective ruck and a half back line who were ill disciplined and turning it over constantly, we were on a hiding to nothing.

Absolutely. And it's not as if they were getting silver service from the tap either.

 

[Pure_Ownage]

Two of Clark, Parfitt and Atkins need to make way or perhaps all three. Not managed, dropped.

Clark still isn’t ready, Parfitt goes missing (even if he fought back well) and Atkins is way off his best.

C Guthrie and Duncan need to be made aware that they also aren’t undroppable. I hope they can get back to near their best, but they’re both struggling atm.

Time for the MC to stop playing favourites.

Clark shows glimpses hes not ready but will be A grade eventually. But i agree he needs a couple in the 2s.
Parfitt is not what we need.
Duncan is cooked and guthrie probably needs to be at half back while he sorts himself out.
Atkins is off his best but at least brings much needed pressure.

For now while danger is out the midfield should be bruhn bowes atkins and hardie mainly. I dont mind running mullin through there.
I would be playing knevitt and mannagh off both wings as we need more transition run.

 

[CatToTheFuture]

We don't want to fall into the trap of Hawthorn or even North Melbourne over the last decade, though.

"We must always be competitive" so they topped up with older guys, didn't bring the kids on as well as they should, tried for One Last Flag, papered over the cracks for years and years......And then the rebuild was so much more brutal when it finally came.

I'd rather drop back just a little for a couple of years while pumping games into the kids, instead of going down the Hawthorn route.

Difference is we've been adding kids like a rebuilding team for years. We need to use the kids we've got effectively not add new ones.

They just need need players that will take the heat off them and give them space to be effective on ground and learn.

I would say trading in elite talent and out of the draft would be a key plank in a rebuild for us.

 

[Pure_Ownage]

Might be an interesting interesting few weeks coming up.

Hawkins rested - can Neale perform?

Duncan surely rested for Suns. I think he’s cooked anyway. Becoming a liability - it’s a young man’s game (his role) and he’s getting burnt for leg speed.

Cameron - very good chance he’s got concussion. Club will be fined - he refused to come off when the doctor grabbed him to go to the bench for assessment. Vision is damning

Holmes looked very sore at the end of the game

How will the playing group perform after attending Stanley’s memorial service during the week and scattering his ashes?

Bruhn was passed fit to play but they managed him - Bowes managed - and we were coming up against a very good midfield. Match committee can take some heat for last night - it was either arrogant or misguided. Either way, it was absurd considering both are younger players and we were already missing Dangerfield, and Guthrie is starting a long way back.


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I agree managing bowes when bruhn was out was stupid. Both of them will come back as might tuohy.

Duncan hawkins and stanley will all go out.
Ill be interested to see if we pick neale-if its hot in darwin id be tempted to just pick cameron rohan and ollie plus a fleet of smalls-mannagh is bashing on the door.

We have to try hardie this week surely. Parfitt is not the answer and cuthrie doesnt look right.

Plus our ruck issue.

 

[CatToTheFuture]

We just need an experienced consistent midfielder who can get the ball and make sensible decisions. Sure I would take a Gary Ablett jnr but a Joel Corey would also do the trick.


How is Atkins off his best? This is what he is, a super plucky defensive midfielder who is too good for VFL but not good enough for AFL. Obviously you can point to quarters he played in games years ago and say "if he played like that he would be a champion", but at this point we have to realize it's just not going to happen. Same with Parfitt.

Atkins did the team thing last night and fell back into d50 because we were getting torched at ground level. You just can't buy his mindset to both push himself as far as he can and do the team thing at all costs.

 

[FootyLad0]

If stewarts going to be tagged should we try him in the midfield?

I’m honestly down for this.

Zach Guthrie can play Stewy’s role down back and we need someone who can win footy in there.
Outside Bruhn, Bowes and Danger when he comes back

 

[CatToTheFuture]

All the off season angst about extending Hawkins' contract- pretty sure they were hoping he would retire, as many of us did, but Demons started sniffing around, forcing us to give him this contract. I doubt that Hawkins will pull the pin now during this season, even if he is cooked, which is how it appears. He is facing the biggest hurdle of his career, one which does not have a solution- AGE. Happens to all and the best. Equalling Selwood's tally would be a nice gesture- retire now- but that will not happen. We can only hope that we are expert at managing him , and that he can get out of this rut often enough to be of value.

I doubt very strongly Hawk would've gone to the dees. He's not giving up the farm and moving to Melbourne and he's not commuting for every training

 

[Pure_Ownage]

Someone could retire before the mid season draft??

Bews the obvious one followed by rhys.

 

[Vdubs]

Might be an interesting interesting few weeks coming up.

Hawkins rested - can Neale perform?

Duncan surely rested for Suns. I think he’s cooked anyway. Becoming a liability - it’s a young man’s game (his role) and he’s getting burnt for leg speed.

Cameron - very good chance he’s got concussion. Club will be fined - he refused to come off when the doctor grabbed him to go to the bench for assessment. Vision is damning

Holmes looked very sore at the end of the game

How will the playing group perform after attending Stanley’s memorial service during the week and scattering his ashes?

Bruhn was passed fit to play but they managed him - Bowes managed - and we were coming up against a very good midfield. Match committee can take some heat for last night - it was either arrogant or misguided. Either way, it was absurd considering both are younger players and we were already missing Dangerfield, and Guthrie is starting a long way back.


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Surely you've got to trust the MC decision making. The Port rucks were meant to be depleted, their MF was missing captain and MVP, the end result is as good as I would have expected. MOC and Parfitt are capable in and under players, Atkins, CGuthrie capable mids, Bowes is evolving as a mid, despite his age, Bruhn's management was planned. Port is underrated on this board it seems. We did amazingly well in the second half. Gives hope, but next week in Darwin, our mids will be sorely tested again.

 

[Vdubs]

I doubt very strongly Hawk would've gone to the dees. He's not giving up the farm and moving to Melbourne and he's not commuting for every training

No, but there was conjecture. Do you see Danger going to Crows next year?

 

[Ratcat]

I’m honestly down for this.

Zach Guthrie can play Stewy’s role down back and we need someone who can win footy in there.
Outside Bruhn, Bowes and Danger when he comes back

Stewie in the midfield would be insane, as long as we can find the ideal guy to replace him backline!!!..What a thought!

 

[Vdubs]

Bews the obvious one followed by rhys.

Bews still may return to the seniors this year. We need a small back with his skill set. Still 14 weeks left.
Duncan misses goals he usually would have got with eyes shut; maybe he also can turn it around, but when all these oldies are stagnant at the same time- Stanley, Hawkins, Duncan- it's adding up.

 

[Pollywaffle]

‘Tagging’ such as was happening to Stewart off the ball is a blight and should be policed more vigorously
Aren’t we supposedly all about cleaning up the game?
The free against Stewart last night as he reacted to the treatment he was getting was ridiculous. 3rd umpires need to do more .

 

[fpm84]

Mullin did some nice things in the midfield after he was subbed on but I am wondering whether we need to put Holmes back in the middle and try Mullin at half back with the instructions to just take off every time he gets the ball.

 

[Generalissimo]

The free against Stewart last night as he reacted to the treatment he was getting was ridiculous.

Those were legitimate off-the-ball blocks but of course the umps pretend not to see.

 

[Vdubs]

‘Tagging’ such as was happening to Stewart off the ball is a blight and should be policed more vigorously
Aren’t we supposedly all about cleaning up the game?
The free against Stewart last night as he reacted to the treatment he was getting was ridiculous. 3rd umpires need to do more .

Totally to be expected, and will happen more often. Will test Stewart's mental fragility. He's a brilliant player when allowed to do as he wants, but GAJ, Lachie Neale, NDaicos, Cripps, Bont, etc... all these absolute guns get tagged mercilessly on and off the ball, which is the only way sometimes to put them off their games.

 

[feelinfeline]

We just need an experienced consistent midfielder who can get the ball and make sensible decisions. Sure I would take a Gary Ablett jnr but a Joel Corey would also do the trick.


How is Atkins off his best? This is what he is, a super plucky defensive midfielder who is too good for VFL but not good enough for AFL. Obviously you can point to quarters he played in games years ago and say "if he played like that he would be a champion", but at this point we have to realize it's just not going to happen. Same with Parfitt.

Atkins finished second in the B&F last year. He would be nowhere near it this year.

That's how he's off his best.

 

[terry_bright]

Mullin did some nice things in the midfield after he was subbed on but I am wondering whether we need to put Holmes back in the middle and try Mullin at half back with the instructions to just take off every time he gets the ball.

Why not both in there?
Mullin as a tagger as it’s a great way to expose him to the midfield while building his game, and Holmes as a line-breaking mid who can rotate to the half back line.

 

[Vdubs]

Atkins finished second in the B&F last year. He would be nowhere near it this year.

That's how he's off his best.

Our season was so poor last year. Injuries reigned supreme. Last man standing, and he rarely missed a game. Atkins has a great heart, but certainly not an elite mid and is quite limited. He is not at his 2023 level, as many have seen.

 

[Pure_Ownage]

No, but there was conjecture. Do you see Danger going to Crows next year?

Danger wouldnt go back to the crows unless hes getting divorced so no.

 

[BORIS332]

Clark shows glimpses hes not ready but will be A grade eventually. But i agree he needs a couple in the 2s.
Parfitt is not what we need.
Duncan is cooked and guthrie probably needs to be at half back while he sorts himself out.
Atkins is off his best but at least brings much needed pressure.

For now while danger is out the midfield should be bruhn bowes atkins and hardie mainly. I dont mind running mullin through there.
I would be playing knevitt and mannagh off both wings as we need more transition run.

Guthrie was fine last night. One of our better mids with 16 disposals, 5 tackles and 7 clearances in just over 50% TOG.

 

[Pure_Ownage]

Bews still may return to the seniors this year. We need a small back with his skill set. Still 14 weeks left.
Duncan misses goals he usually would have got with eyes shut; maybe he also can turn it around, but when al these oldies are stagnant at the same time- Stanley, Hawkins, Duncan- it's adding up.

Bews is no chance. The fact that they are picking duncan on a zimmer frame and even mullin instead means hes done.

Rhys would be in the same boat if conway was actually ready.

 

[Pure_Ownage]

Guthrie was fine last night. One of our better mids with 16 disposals, 5 tackles and 7 clearances in just over 50% TOG.

Workrate was ok but he doesnt seem to have the burst and the go forward that he had pre injury.

Excluding the sub players he was 6th lowest for metres gained which says a lot. Even clark had more metres gained despite fumbling half his touches

And you hit the nail on the head re 57 % why is guthrie playing that low TOG. Our midfield is poor enough it cant carry one of our more experienced guys basically only playing half the game.
If its a fitness issue then they need to put him in the back pocket (where hes played before) or pull him out and not bring him back until theyve got more conditioning work into him.

 

[Catman]

‘Tagging’ such as was happening to Stewart off the ball is a blight and should be policed more vigorously
Aren’t we supposedly all about cleaning up the game?
The free against Stewart last night as he reacted to the treatment he was getting was ridiculous. 3rd umpires need to do more .

That type of stuff is what the fourth umpire was introduced to look out for but never do.

 

[CatToTheFuture]

No, but there was conjecture. Do you see Danger going to Crows next year?

Yeah but demons making enquiries doesn't add any pressure to negotiations if you know the answer is no.

I think the sticking point was likely how many games he would be expected to be rested for and how much was performance based