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

[Doctor Feel]

Josh Binn

 

[Launchpad McQuack]

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

These are one of the most brain-dead comparisons to make.

We had the same forward 50 entries that have not worked for the best part of a decade.

Our players failed to execute simple skills effectively.

 

[PJ Power]

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.

Reckon it’ll be a win-loss-loss-win type of season with scrappy, hollow wins and depressing hopeless losses. I’ve been thinking for a while that our lack of meaningful depth is an issue and with another injury or two it will show out. I know it was a preseason game, but we had a pretty full list out there except for the injured talls. The mids and flankers on show are essentially what we have. One or two go down, even someone like Burgoyne, Evans or Farrell, and the cupboard will look bare.

 

[Willsy10]

I didn’t think it was that bad. Has no one watched any of the other trials, they’ve all been pretty poor.

Crows looked pretty good as far as trial games go and were ultra efficient and always seem to beat us, especially in the pre season. They’d be pretty pleased with what they put up.

But in the regular game time there wasn’t that much in it, goal kicking efficiency the main difference. They looked much cleaner going forward but there forward line seemed so much more open than ours, looked like the crows were flooding in defence. And on the other hand we definitely do look undersized in defence against forward lines like the crows.

Round 1 is interesting because Collingwood aren’t as tall up forward, and there talls like cox and mcstay aren’t that good. It’s there small and medium sized forwards that are the concern, so maybe not having BZT or Esava in round 1 won’t hurt us too much.

Round 2 we should win no matter who we have on the park, and hopefully by a decent margin.

I don’t expect to win round 1, but we should definitely be 1 and 1 with a 100 plus percentage. With winnable games against Essendon and saints to follow and hopefully our talls are back by then.


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[Alberton Proud]

Turned it off and enjoyed my glass of wine.

I bet you had more than one

 

[Byrons Firen]

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.

It's been horrendous for years, Ollie has gone from Brownlow to steak knives. When Carlton were sniffing around years ago

many on here, myself included thought see ya mate all the best. You'd think personal pride would see him and Trav

work on it but... nah

 

[RossFC]

Bergman, Byrne-Jones, Barrett, Lai and Watkins stood out to me.

Sinn, Mead and Boak were terrible. Wines needs to clean up his disposal.

 

[Scodges]

He only played right at the end with the SANFL players, I would have thought he'd of gone out with a bit of a point to prove. He probably should have really stood out and been a lot better than just "ok"

The whole team played like shite that last quarter, apart from a few. He & Watkins seemed ok.


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[Us against the rest]

It's going to be a long season, oh well at least we get to see Ken squirm as he goes out as the biggest failure.

 

[tribey]

Definitely have this sick feeling that we've dumped future assets and paid Luko the big bucks to average just a goal a game.

How did we end up eating Rory Atkins’ contract for the Suns’ benefit and not get 2 x firsts for Houston btw lol.

Houston will be akin to Shaun Burgoyne over there.

He’ll do more or less what he always did at Port, but now he’s in a HeArTLaNd GuErNsEy his reputation will go through the roof and the deal will look even worse.

 

[tribey]

Josh Binn

 

[JUSTWORK]

How did we end up eating Rory Atkins’ contract for the Suns’ benefit and not get 2 x firsts for Houston btw lol.

Houston will be akin to Shaun Burgoyne over there.

He’ll do more or less what he always did at Port, but now he’s in a HeArTLaNd GuErNsEy his reputation will go through the roof and the deal will look even worse.

It really was an atrocious trade, all because the club was to piss weak to tell "Dan (and Collingwood) stiff shit you are contracted, we get what we want or you stay here" we had absolutely no obligation to trade him for for effectively a couple of average players and a block who shouldn't get a game all year.

 

[JimmyBC]

Nah I don't see Houston playing until he's 38 and snagging three flags somehow.

 

[VineValerian]

Yah. Boo. Sux to all youse doomsday naysayers.
So confident we can grab that flag this year after last night.
Ports looking like a well oiled machine.

Changes looking definitely an improvement on previous years.

I'm pumped!
Get on board.

 

[Launchpad McQuack]

goal kicking efficiency the main difference.

Good thing that this new occurrence has been noted and can no doubt be quickly addressed.

 

[Ford Fairlane]

Nah I don't see Houston playing until he's 38 and snagging three flags somehow.

He won't achieve what Shaun did, but tribey is absolutely right, the commentators will carry on as if it's the first time they've seen him play if he even so much as looks at the ball.

 

[Rowd072]

This match had all the usual Hinkley traits. Down by 6 goals in the first half but make a fight of it in the second and but for a few missed shots on goal, might have won it.

The after match is that the hierarchy are happy with the fightback and proud of the group.

Seen it all before. A decade of it. Even that preliminary against Hawthorn in 13 was the same. Go missing when it counts.

I know it was only a trial but absolutely nothing is gonna change this year. Sorry to be so negative and I usually only post when I have something constructive to say. Been on Bigfooty since 2009 and just wanted to have a rant.

 

[Willsy10]

There were some positives.

I thought a few of the first year players showed a bit. Berry, Whitlock, Barrett, Moraes, Lai all showed some nice stuff.

Luko was okay, not sure what people were expecting, he has never been a contested marking key forward. His nice long goal is what we need though. He probably should’ve had a couple more.


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[Willsy10]

At least it looks like we got some decent players in the draft from trading Houston unlike Burgoyne. Berry, Whitlock and Moraes > butcher, Moore and pittard.

And yes I know there were other trades and picks involved but essentially we don’t get that draft haul without Houston leaving.

I still think we looked reasonably stacked in half back flankers too. I think Jones has huge potential if he gets his confidence up.


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[Powerade 08]

Luko was okay

I still think we looked reasonably stacked in half back flankers too.

That is some unbelievable, next level happy clapping. Well done.

 

[Scodges]

Apart from Rankine, the crows fielded their best team. We had too many talls out. The crows went in harder, we sat back bruise free. Hoping to see us ramping it up next week.


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[PJ Power]

Bergman, Byrne-Jones, Barrett, Lai and Watkins stood out to me.

Sinn, Mead and Boak were terrible. Wines needs to clean up his disposal.

Yeah, I liked DBJ too and appreciate his reliability around goals. Barrett looked really energetic and quick with both feet, hands and mind. Hopefully he can be a David Rodan type asset rather than Jake Neade.

 

[PeacefulWarrior]

Our coaches are very dumb.

But at least none of them have suggested Vis to fullback flipping lol

wtf are you guys smoking

 

[PJ Power]

It really was an atrocious trade, all because the club was to piss weak to tell "Dan (and Collingwood) stiff shit you are contracted, we get what we want or you stay here" we had absolutely no obligation to trade him for for effectively a couple of average players and a block who shouldn't get a game all year.

And tbh Houston hasn’t really conducted himself in an appreciative way since leaving, so I don’t know what we were scared of. He’s behaved like he’s desperate to forget he was ever a Port player and expectedly, has bought into the Collingwood limelight. Hopefully, they do drop down that cliff as their older players retire but I suspect Nick Daicos and the lure of free agents galore will keep them near the top.

 

[Port 2004]

.

Our coaches are very dumb.

But at least none of them have suggested Vis to fullback flipping lol

wtf are you guys smoking

It all falls on the cheap arse football committee who refuse to pay decent coin for some decent assistant coaches but rather appoint from within to save some money. I really hope Carr has some decent assistants in mind for 2026.