Review Crows vs Port Adelaide - Trial Match 1 @ Mt Barker, Friday 21 Feb

[240volt]

Scratch match or not, it highlighted that two of our better rated players over the past decade (Boak & Wines) still struggle to execute basic football skills.

Lacking basic skills has been a massive downfall, also the goal kicking has been a big problem.
You can’t do these basics well your not winning jack.

 

[rogerjames]

Are we having the 8th identical season in a row?

Wishful thinking

 

[JimmyBC]

Scratch match or not, it highlighted that two of our better rated players over the past decade (Boak & Wines) still struggle to execute basic football skills.

We have 3 high profile piss blasters I hope Carr realizes you cant win flags with three or more.

 

[rogerjames]

Mead is not even a B grader.

He's very disappointing.

 

[rogerjames]

Peps is the shittest kick on the run. Memories flooding back on that.

His best kick is a snap from the pocket on goal. Rest are shit.

 

[Byrons Firen]

It's only a practice game, but i was very unimpressed. You'd think you'd want to show a little something in your first outing for your new club.

Yeah what I saw of Luko was much like his mate our Skipper.

Both are talented soft and lazy, no doubt gearing up for lucrative careers sucking on the PAFC teat.

The so called meaningless game yesterday exposed the coaching gap between the sides.

One played fast, play on, organised footy, the other a constipated hotchpotch

 

[EskimoPAFC]

It was a trial game to prepare for the trial games… chill.

It was a trial game failure immediately after 12 years of real season failures. Just one more data point

 

[rogerjames]

We never look well drilled, do we

We look a complete shambles

 

[Nelso]

His best kick is a snap from the pocket on goal. Rest are shit.

What happened to SPP's kicking for goal?

I still remember that drop punt he kicked from outside 50 in his first game against Sydney at the SCG when it sailed through easily.

Each year from then on it has got worse.

 

[Launchpad McQuack]

Spot on. I went to have a look and stood behind the road end goal. We should have been level with the Crom at the end of period three but as usual missed at least five very gettable goals. Clearly goal kicking practice is not working. But all in all just a bloody scratch match with little intensity. That said, I think there were some things to like ie Berry, Lord and Richard’s.

So we just had to watch it from behind the goals? Okay, Chad.

 

[PowerLil]

What happened to SPP's kicking for goal?

I still remember that drop punt he kicked from outside 50 in his first game against Sydney at the SCG when it sailed through easily.

Each year from then on it has got worse.

This. Was sitting behind him and saw it sail through. Thought this guy could be anything. Hinkley stench of stagnation.

 

[rogerjames]

The GOOD:

• Bergman is a beast and has the potential to become a Tom Stewart/James Sicily medium sized defender with the flexibility to lock down as well as intercept. We seriously need to throw as much money at him as we can.
• JHF was good and although didn't have much impact up forward, was strong at getting back to take a few intercepts and read the ball well, only mid that really impressed me today.
• Jones has the energy and build to become one of our top defenders, albeit I'm still nervous about his decision making and cleanliness
• DBJ showed that even with the influx of new small forward additions plus SPP coming back that he can still be a reliable source of goals.
• Both Joes (Berry & Richards) didn't get much of the ball but had some clean moments and showed signs.
• Whitlock had some strong 1v1 contest wins and I am hoping he can get a surprise AFL debut at some stage this year

The BAD:

• Wines had plenty of it and helped a bit defensively, but was so scrappy and messy that he simply couldn't impact.
• Rozee and Butters lacked their usual pace and transition ability, not their usual selves at all.
• Key forwards were largely unimpactful and while issues up the ground certainly didn't help, at least ONE of them needs to be capable of crunching packs. I suspect it will take a bit of time for the new forward structure to kick into gear but hopefully shouldn't be too far away.
• SPP looked fit coming off of an ACL which was good, but his goal kicking is atrocious and i don't expect that trend to change anytime this year.
• Sweet looked sluggish, and obviously with our other rucks injured he hasn't had much to train against and had to play extra tog, but we can't afford him to regress.

The UGLY:

• I already just KNOW Boak is going to have a Westhoff2020/Hartlett2021/ Jonas2023 type of year where I just KNOW that he's going to be complete sh!t early on and it will take the coaches WAY longer than it should to finally drop him even if he becomes a liability in consecutive weeks. I love Boak, in all seriousness I do, but 25 is not looking good for him.
• Transition out of defense was absolutely unacceptably horrendous and the hole created by Houston doesn't even look close to being filled. Especially when it puts extra pressure on our injury hit KPD stocks.
• Finlayson as a defender is a firm no for me, I understand they had to try it, but his mind is not in the right place for AFL anymore. No secret why they only gave him a 1 year extension instead of more.
• I was a fair defender of Jackson Mead last year but he was awful at supporting the mids tonight, and while Lorenz wasn't much better, at least he looked sharper once the SANFL boys came on, Mead was consistently crap. Yet another case like McEntee in 23 when you sign a contract extension and stop caring just because you have security
• I already just KNOW Boak is going to have a Westhoff2020/Hartlett2021/ Jonas2023 type of year where I just KNOW that he's going to be complete sh!t early on and it will take the coaches WAY longer than it should to finally drop him even if he becomes a liability in consecutive weeks. I love Boak, in all seriousness I do, but 2025 is not looking good for him. I think he probably just wanted the extra year for a formal retirement chair off or something.

Also Atkins apparently played... I think, I didn't see him

The first 2 Atkins posessions I saw were turnovers. Not excited.

 

[Port 2004]

So we just had to watch it from behind the goals? Okay, Chad.

What are on about dickhead. Were you there? Did you bother to show up?

 

[Launchpad McQuack]

This. Was sitting behind him and saw it sail through. Thought this guy could be anything. Hinkley stench of stagnation.

Even worse, it's regression.

 

[rogerjames]

Is Ken still actively coaching or is he just collecting a pay cheque?

Do you all think things will be vastly different under Carr? Is it just a player mindset that will change under him or an entire change in structure?

Has he spoken much about if he'll get to implement any of his plans going forward this season?

Nothing much has been said from the club other than damage control. Was he actively coaching last year. From my observations its a No.

 

[Launchpad McQuack]

What are on about dickhead

 

[Ford Fairlane]

Is Ken still actively coaching or is he just collecting a pay cheque?

Do you all think things will be vastly different under Carr? Is it just a player mindset that will change under him or an entire change in structure?

Has he spoken much about if he'll get to implement any of his plans going forward this season?

I don't know about vastly different, but I expect him to bring in different structures and team organisation.

And I would expect a tougher mindset, Carr was a competitive beast.

 

[240volt]

Wishful thinking

No problems this year about a preliminary final exit.
Will be sometime before we’ll see that again.

 

[TeeKray]

The decisions that were/weren't taken last September have condemned us to what is looking like a long and uninteresting season. There is a real lethargy about this group and the whole thing has the feel of a cockroach you've just sprayed that is sort of rolling around on its back waiting to die.

I expect us to still win our 10-12 games as the midfield has too much individual talent to not dominate the occasional game but there's not going to be much to get excited about.

 

[SureBuddy]

Crows played it like it was their grand final in the first 2 quarters. We barely got out of second gear. Especially our mids. That’s my copium anyway….

Let’s just hope it was due to them being 4-5 weeks ahead of us because they didn’t play finals.

Trying my hardest to not be critical as it was only a match sim, not even a proper preseason game. With that being said, the gameplan looked exactly the same, Crows just flooded our D50 and counter attacked. Our defence is in huge trouble. No BZT and Esava is horrendous. Aliir is a terrible one on one defender and Bergman is way undersized. Both just give up lots of free kicks due to this. Bergman did look great when intercepting, but he just can’t be our 2nd key defender.

 

[PowerLil]

Lost count how many times we finger -tipped the ball or got clean bowled. Wines disposal by hand is horrendous but that's nothing new.

 

[raptalia]

Trial game = a simulation of footballers. Millennial speak.

 

[Schulzenfest]

Trial game = a simulation of footballers. Millennial speak.

A) wtf are you talking about
B) millennials are like 40 years old now, update your references

 

[Eling3]

Alarm bells ringing loud!!
Years ago Carlton did win the pre season NAB cup & ended up with the Wooden spoon in the regular season!

 

[raptalia]

Let’s just hope it was due to them being 4-5 weeks ahead of us because they didn’t play finals.

I think that is drawing a long bow. It is not that the Cows looked good it is more that we looked ****ing awful for a good part of the first two periods. Nothing much has changed a few new faces but from what I saw it was more of the same tired old game plan. Why move the ball from defence to attack in two or three disposals when you can do it in fifteen?

2024 the year of marking time.