Unofficial Preview Changes v GC17

[Makeshift Park]

Usually I lose my shit after games like that. And to be fair, I was losing my shit during it
But after sitting on it for a bit… I actually don’t think it’s “burn it all down” territory.
We got a rude awakening today. Adelaide changed a few things structurally and tactically from what they’d been doing, and honestly, I think we got outcoached for large chunks of the game. It happens. I’m prepared to give that a pass today — but it should still be acknowledged.
What worried me more was how long it took us to respond once the momentum completely shifted. We still look vulnerable when Plan A gets pulled apart and we have to transition quickly to something else defensively. That’s the next step for this group.
But I’m not throwing the baby out with the bathwater either.
A few years ago that becomes a 120-point bloodbath. Instead, as ugly as it was, the boys at least fought late and dragged it back to something semi-respectable. Tiny positive? Yep. Weak positive? Absolutely But still different to the completely cooked collapses we’ve seen in the past.
Also — and I don’t think this gets spoken about enough — we genuinely seem to struggle on the bigger grounds.
Subiaco exposed us earlier in the year against West Coast too. Even though we only lost that by 10 points, they absolutely dominated us for two quarters. If that had been Adelaide-level quality today, it probably looks exactly like what happened this afternoon.
There’s something there with the wide/open grounds and our defensive setup that needs attention.
And before everyone on here starts launching nukes and demanding we sack everyone, delist half the side and start again… maybe take a breath
We’ve improved. We’re still improving. But we’re also still a young side with holes that good teams will expose from time to time.
Next week will tell us a lot more about where we’re really at.

Agree with much of that, but AO is like 6 metres skinnier than Marvel. It also has less surface area than any regularly used AFL field except Kardinia.
Hence why it’s so baffling how we can’t play decently there.

 

[ChopChopDigDig]

The forward line has no smarts.

They have no system. There’s enough talent, but they dont play as a team. They crash the same packs, they stand next to each other and don’t lead, the small forwards fly with the bigs, there’s no one staying down at the front of the pack, and no one staying down at the back to stop the easy outlet. They don’t block for each other, they don’t sacrifice their game for others, they drag their opponent to others contests, etc. They all fall in a heap and watch their opposition run the ball out instead of being ready to defend.

Our mids are half the problem too though. Every LDU i50 is a sandwedge into the fwd line, X, Harry and George just Ziebull style sky it in and Stephens and Jy just turn it over. Kerch, Spargo & Daniel can kick it but only get the ball a handful per game and in the wrong part of the ground.

It’s purely tactical fixes, but it’s been the same for years and see no improvement.

 

[Boston tiger]

Something has the change with the defence. Zurhaar either back up the ground or vfl, with Pink to replace him.

Don’t see the point in playing Larkey with his current niggle. Unless he gets a free kick, it’s an either an opposition mark (most likely) or a ground ball. Play Dawson, George, Whitlock - anyone in that role.

Konstanty out too - just don’t see it with him. May as well just get Dov a run.

Blamires is okay but defensively just not good enough. So bring Hardeman in for him.

I reckon Comben would appreciate having a proper backman back in the side.

 

[RoyalBlue]

I want to get to the end of the year with Hardeman and Dawson in the side and playing together. I don't care who goes out for him.

We had game after game where we didn't show up last year, and this was the first this year. We don't need to run a half dozen changes. If it happens again next week that's different.

 

[Zondor]

I reckon Comben would appreciate having a proper backman back in the side.

Old Mate has no idea what a proper backman looks like. After all he traded with your mob to pick up Biggie. :stern look

 

[tazaa]

Bring in Hardeman and Cooper.

No one else in the VFL deserves a game. Whitlock for Larkey if he is injured as Clarko said.

**** off Powells, he isn't helping us any time soon.
George and Dovaston are not ready.

 

[Ura]

Only real outs I see is Dawson, JK, Balmiers.

We really need to work on polish going forward.

We have been exceptionally competitive this season to the point we honestly should have won against Giants and Swans. If we attempt massive sweeping changes this week I think it only hurts the club. Give the players an opportunity to play back in.

Hardeman a real chance, I suspect Powell will come back in. Only players I would like to come in from the VFL realistically are players to expose to AFL ie- Whitlock, Goad, Harvey as a back.

 

[roos_fanatic08]

I desperately want Logue out of the side and I desperately want to insert a somewhat of a footballing brain into Comben. The two of them just cough it up so much because of a basic footballing instinct.

McDonald is crap too, so Hardeman should take his spot.

 

[The Talent Scout]

Wow, that crows game just got me, early in that first quarter if we kicked straight and cut out those stupid 50 metre pen and regular silly free kicks we might have been onto something but we missed those shots and then the silly EASY GOALS to the crows was all a waisted effort, to then get smacked by 12 goals while appearing to have given up, that was the worst game I've seen in our whole rebuild, the effort after 1/4 time was very bad, give credit to the crows they played very well but knowing our players, I don't even know what happened. Might not be popular but some changes for next week in my book: in: Hardeman, George, Whitlock, Powell. out: Daniel, Zurhaar, Konstanty, rested: Trembath.

 

[DuckYeah]

Bring on Simmo

No. Look at how he’s left west coast.

Go get a coach like King.

 

[tales129]

Usually I lose my shit after games like that. And to be fair, I was losing my shit during it
But after sitting on it for a bit… I actually don’t think it’s “burn it all down” territory.
We got a rude awakening today. Adelaide changed a few things structurally and tactically from what they’d been doing, and honestly, I think we got outcoached for large chunks of the game. It happens. I’m prepared to give that a pass today — but it should still be acknowledged.
What worried me more was how long it took us to respond once the momentum completely shifted. We still look vulnerable when Plan A gets pulled apart and we have to transition quickly to something else defensively. That’s the next step for this group.
But I’m not throwing the baby out with the bathwater either.
A few years ago that becomes a 120-point bloodbath. Instead, as ugly as it was, the boys at least fought late and dragged it back to something semi-respectable. Tiny positive? Yep. Weak positive? Absolutely But still different to the completely cooked collapses we’ve seen in the past.
Also — and I don’t think this gets spoken about enough — we genuinely seem to struggle on the bigger grounds.
Subiaco exposed us earlier in the year against West Coast too. Even though we only lost that by 10 points, they absolutely dominated us for two quarters. If that had been Adelaide-level quality today, it probably looks exactly like what happened this afternoon.
There’s something there with the wide/open grounds and our defensive setup that needs attention.
And before everyone on here starts launching nukes and demanding we sack everyone, delist half the side and start again… maybe take a breath
We’ve improved. We’re still improving. But we’re also still a young side with holes that good teams will expose from time to time.
Next week will tell us a lot more about where we’re really at.

Mate if you think the crows played anything tactically differently from how they want to routinely, then you haven’t watched much.

They love overlap. And through the corridor and we gave them both. As well as getting out worked and our pants pulled down at the coalface

They’ve been shit all year because you can nullify them and we look like we actively thought we could walk through them than put the required game plan out there to stop them

 

[spurs]

LDU knee, how bad is it?

 

[DuckYeah]

Mate if you think the crows played anything tactically differently from how they want to routinely, then you haven’t watched much.

They love overlap. And through the corridor and we gave them both. As well as getting out worked and our pants pulled down at the coalface

They’ve been shit all year because you can nullify them and we look like we actively thought we could walk through them than put the required game plan out there to stop them

This is because we play a 1v1 defensive structure. The overlap run game was designed to breach that outdated tactic. Then zone defensive structures come in stop overlap.. WTF are we doing?

 

[Only Forwards]

Changes matter to a degree.

However it won’t matter who we bring in if we play with the mindset we did through the crows game.

So much of this is mental it’s not funny.

Who ever is dropped needs to be a senior player.

Dropping a kid does nothing at all.