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

[tommy2011]

Harsh…

Very hard for Melbourne based people to get there with the 7:10 start on a Friday.

It was a pretty poor crowd, but I wouldn't be surprised if just under 30,000 at K Park netted more for the club than the big crowd against Blues. What do we get from MCC/Afl members? How many Cats members just went to general admission at the G? Not to mention catering deals, etc. Whatever the final figures, I wouldn't expect a huge difference.

 

[feelinfeline]

That is a fact. Was even commented on by Krock. Think it was Neeld. Lambasted for being good offensively but being nowhere near Rioli defensively.

Easy mistake as Holmes was often 50-100m off him and other players covering him. But make no mistake when the ball was bounced he kept standing next to Rioli. Something a TV screen won't show. Then after Stanley was subbed Henry was switched onto him.

As for the rest hardly worth a response. Every midfielder Friday night was garbage that first half. Including the ruck Stanley. Mullin cracked in when he came on but still had no real meaningful influence. We were 8 good also down 10 minutes into the 2nd quarter and tactically subbed before HT. To then accrue a lowly 13 touches is not a good performance at all.

Holmes’s main role is to start our attack from defence. It’s a crucial role.

Also, it doesn’t matter where they’re standing when the ball is bounced. If Zuthrie is closest to Rioli when the ball comes in, it’s up to him to stop him getting the ball, and he failed to do that.

No comment on blaming Parfitt for JHF. ‘Hardly worth a response.’ Hilarious!

 

[Hello Kitty]

I thought I'd watched a different game to you until I watched the replay. Now I'm sure I watched a different game.

You claim that Parfitt was terrible because he was killed by Horne-Francis. Except he mostly wasn't on Horne-Francis. He started the game on Butters. At other times he was on Wines. Blicavs started on JHF and was on him for most of the first quarter. When he drifted forwards briefly, it was up to the backmen to pick him up (and twice they didn't).

At the start of the second quarter, Blicavs was on Butters and Cuthrie was on JHF. Parfitt was moved onto JHF early in the second quarter and was on him for a brief period (maybe 5 mins). He was beaten by him, as everyone else was in the first half. Later, Clark and Atkins seemed to spend time on him. But most of the damage was done in the first half when Blicavs was on him. It was only when Mullin was moved onto him that he was kept quiet.

You claim that Holmes was terrible because he was killed by Rioli. Except he was hardly on him. Zuthrie was on him for most of the first quarter, at the start of the second and later in the second. For the goal he kicked when Dixon knocked the back into play, it wasn't clear he was on him. But regardless, De Koning should have spoiled it through for a point. Holmes seemed to be on him for a very brief period at the end of the first quarter. For a short time, Henry was on Rioli. Holmes was was moved onto him late in the second. Rioli had a shot from the boundary line, which was touched by Henry.

Just because you say something is true doesn't make it so. If you don't believe me, go back and watch the replay.

Regardless, it's very rare these days for one player to play on another player for a whole half, let alone a whole game, so blaming one player for another player's dominance is mostly pointless. But if you want do do so, blame Blicavs for JHF (in the first quarter, when he was at his best) and Zuthrie for Rioli.

The idea that Parfitt has regressed is laughable. Until two weeks ago you'd been (grudgingly) praising him. He had a very quiet game against Melbourne and a quiet first half against Port. No doubt he does need to eliminate these quiet periods. But he was poor last year, which was why he spent most of the time in the VFL. He'll probably always be borderline best 22 because, as everyone knows, his skills aren't great.

You're entitled to your opinions but simply making stuff up, such as blaming Holmes for Rioli and Parfitt for JHF, does you no credit.

 

[Footy Smarts]

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I've still got no idea what SDK or Holmes were doing there. At least Henry bodies Dixon a bit. Just calamitous defending overall.

 

[standupand]

He has the speed but doesn't know how to use it yet.

That is still much better than not having it all together.

He isn't that type that runs past and gets handball receives like Holmes does and then uses his speed/agility to explode forward or get him or the team out of a tight situation.

I'd say he is just about as fast as Holmes (and that is lightning)... Hopefully he learns to use it sooner rather than later.

Having speed and using it are two different things, IMO.

Long term, I'd love Mullin to become that explosive power mid and Humphries to play the small-back distributor... Humpa doesn't have that speed though.

It's almost a fork-in-the-road moment for Geelong & Mullin position wise... I look forward to seeing out what direction they go.

Agree he can learn to use the speed on the offence. That will come I'm sure. He's got the speed which is the main thing. The question for me right now is who do we go with to play on those small forwards. I'm not sold somehow on O'Connor or Atkins for those jobs.

 

[cats_09]

SEN go with Mullin as the sub in their team of the week

 

[cats_09]

I've still got no idea what SDK or Holmes were doing there. At least Henry bodies Dixon a bit. Just calamitous defending overall.

Looks like SDK was trying to track the ball coming in & he was coming in with it from the side - would have preferred he was the one standing with Dixon though, as he would have been a slightly bigger body for him to compete against

I can see what Henry is trying to do, but he's also standing behind Dixon - needed someone in front of Dixon to take the space from him being able to run & jump. Instead it looks like Henry got pushed off it a bit too easily when the ball was dropping in front of them

Holmes just looks to be spectating - in neither of the first two screenshots does he seem to even be looking at the ball, and he then looks surprised by the contest on the line

It's then really disappointing that the player to run at Rioli is Henry who just moments before was at the back of the contest - disappointing from the the point of no one else showing that urgency

We just didn't set up well at all during that shot and it would also suggest a lack of talking from our defenders that no one even thought to pick up Rioli until it was too late

 

[cats_09]

 

[cats_09]

 

[Strange Cat]

Ohhh the tigers flogs are going to be squealing

 

[Pollywaffle]

One one of the talk shows they highlighted McEtee niggling Stewart
Correct me if I'm wrong but if you bump more than 5m off the ball isn't it a free kick? Not to mention the holding behind play?
Then Stewart retaliates and 50m is paid

What exactly are the non officiating umpires looking at

Absolutely-see my previous post.
If some of the treatment dished out to Stewart happened in the stoppage scenario it would be a free almost certainly. A lot of it went way beyond just ‘blocking’ as a previous poster claimed. Not to mention way off the ball.

 

[cats_09]

Who knew that Jack & Ollie were French...

 

[catempire]

It is understood Scott explained the rules to the two.

 

[Hello Kitty]

I agree. And the other thing that was very evident at the game was that Port were just 'on'. They made no skill errors, their handpassing through traffic was subime and their forwards timed their movement so well that there were no pauses or even head swivels when midfielders kicked into the 50. It was just a training drill.

You could say - oh Geelong's intensity wasnt great, but honestly, Port played out of their skins in the first half.

And Rioli was just playing clutch.

Sometimes, things go there way.

Credit to the Cats to change things around and then start doing their own (although much more clumsy) version in the second half.

The only real issue I saw the JHF was that when he was drifting into the forward line, there was just no communication between our players to pick him up. I don't think our team knew who was playing on him - and it definitely wasnt Parfitt, he was hardly near him - he was picking up other players.

I think his freedom was a team issue TBH.

It seems Geelong thought it was an automatic win. Whereas Port arrived with a nothing to lose attitude, kicking a burst of four goals, which saw our players shocked + confused.

Port beat Geelong in clearances, took risks, moved the ball around quickly, to get the Geelong defenders out of position. It was the highest Q1 score against Geelong since Scott became coach.

Even during times when Geelong had more scoring shots + a higher conversion rate, Port took opportunities when Geelong made mistakes, + scored.

During the Showdown, Port had their third worst performance ever, wasting many chances to score.
Power were terribly inaccurate in front of goal with their inability to score against Crows. Despite being ranked second in I50s against (48.3), they are 14th in opposition score per I50 percentage (45%), leaking scores when the opposition gets into their I50.

Not for our game.

Stewart was shutdown by McEntee, whose only focus was keeping Tom away from his forwards, yet little interest in getting the ball himself.

Rioli was given a 50m penalty for wrestling with Zuthrie after a mark, which became 100m, when he blocked Zuthrie, running forward, handing Geelong a goal, kicked by Zuthrie.

Now my laptop has frozen, fortunately I took screenshots:


Cuthrie - 7 Clearances



While it wasn't the win many expected, we did claw back to lose by only one goal.

We're second on the ladder + are 7 - 2.

On to Sir Doug Nicholls Round against the Suns in Darwin.

 

[Hello Kitty]

I've still got no idea what SDK or Holmes were doing there. At least Henry bodies Dixon a bit. Just calamitous defending overall.

I'm rewatching the game atm. There are a few times our defenders just stand there + watch the ball land on a Port player's chest. Were they expecting someone else to go for the ball?

 

[Hello Kitty]

 

[Finknottle]

Port Adelaide were on fire against Geelong. We got them on the rebound from a shocker against Adelaide. Geelong were lethargic and shellshocked by Port's intensity. Everything that could go wrong went wrong in the first half. But The strange thing is Geelong lost by only a goal. I don't think we should worry too much.

 

[And_ROOS]

Melbourne looked as worn out against Carlton initially in their game too, maybe the Cats/Demons match was more taxing then we gave it credit for.

 

[Generalissimo]

I have always pushed "Mullin to play as a mid in the VFL", so I can't say I don't want to see in the AFL.

But gee it's a weird way to go about it.

One benefit is that when he's tagging someone his opponent will take him to where the ball is. That's handy for someone still learning how to read the play at the highest level.

 

[CatToTheFuture]

I have always pushed "Mullin to play as a mid in the VFL", so I can't say I don't want to see in the AFL.

But gee it's a weird way to go about it.

We basically never play him as a mid in the VFL or AFL.

He has been trained up as a small back and then due to Stanley being a spud, all of a sudden he's a tagger in the AFL.

I assume that would completely flip what we have been "working on" as a midfield.

Our mids have been so lacklustre that I won't complain if it happens... It's not like we risk getting worse as a midfield.

But I'm just scratching my head as to why they weren't doing this more in the VFL in the past, so he could've been fast-tracked, getting more minutes in the guts.

Playing him as a small back and then giving him some sub minutes here and there seems a little odd to me.

Maybe he is just ready to go now though, and we pull the trigger.

I do think Mullin will turn into a pretty good dynamic and power player in the future, so it's potentially exciting to see... But he still could be a liability in there (but almost all our mids are liabilities anyway).

Well he has passed the first test for a good young player - getting criticised by Kane Cornes in a podcast

 

[ShaunWDT]

Blitz is fine tbh and playing his role. And tbh when all four of bruhn , Bowes, Clark and Parf are playing we haven't struggled too much. It's when one or two of those cogs are missing or an underdone Guthrie we've been exposed.

Midfields been smashed most of the season really our defence has just held up well enough to keep us in games, felt inevitable sooner or later a team was really going to get hold of us.

Bit of a reality check that we arent as good as the win loss tally would suggest I reckon.

 

[supahoops]

Gws are good but if we cant get up for the record game we cant get up for anything.

We didn’t get up vs Poort. Or for Boris. To think we have anything in reserve to ‘get up’ is fanciful, if anything they take away our focus.

 

[supahoops]

Jack Henry as a forward is not the answer. Rohan is a much better option. He's quick and a great set shot. JH is a good honest medium defender but is one paced and has lost a yard or two over the years. If we don't care about winning the game, sure, give him a run in the forward line.

I’d be inclined to go small in the forward line, lower the eyes, cut out the dump kicks or at least go high with them where Neale, Henry and Rohan can at least get the ball to ground and then lock it in.

 

[cats_09]