Review Dreamtime Game

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After watching last weeks game and walking away feeling pretty good about our progress I walked away tonight feeling pretty lousy. The reason being, last week our intensity and desire was the best it had been for a long time, this week it was nowhere near good enough. Now before the excuse makers come in and offer up the excuse but we're a young team and these ups and downs are going to happen, I'm sorry but thats just taking the easy way out. Haven't read/heard anything from Dimma since the game, but I doubt he would have been overly pleased with what was served up tonight so why should we be.

There is no excuse for not chasing, there is no excuse for tackles not sticking, there is no excuse for giving away stupid free kicks when you're getting a bit of momentum up. Some people will look at the scoreboard and say gee we didn't get belted, well truth be told we did. We were 27 points down at 1/4 time and lost by 35 and the only reason that happened is because the Dons put the cue in the rack at 3/4 time. This allowed us to get some respectability on the scoreboard and thats about it. To put it another way the Bombers scored 9.10 in the second half to our 9.4, add another 6 goals that the Bombers should have converted and we get blown away by 12 goals.

The only players who should walk off the ground happy with their performance are: Jack Martin Tuck Foley Edwards(beat Stanton) McGuane Thursfield & Graham. No-one else should be pleased with what they put up tonight. The only ones I would cut some slack to are the first year players, after all you can't expect them to be leading the way when you've got more experienced players out there failing to do so.

 

[the ranger]

Agree that we were nowhere near at last week's level with regard to intensity. However, I doubt the Bombers put the cue in the rack. They're gonna be right around the middle of the ladder and need all the % they can get. It was one positive that we fought it out, especially after a nightmare start to the game. Could have got very ugly.

 

[richoatthedisco]

RT is right. We got belted by a shit-awful team. It was a bad night.

 

[RichosGuns]

Morton has to come.

You can't tell me that Farmer (who started up foward) offers more to the side then Mitch does. Yes Mitch may not be in great form, but he can take a mark and he can kick a goal. Other then Riewoldt noone else in the side can offer this.

Play Mitch and Jack together with Astbury. Astbury will get a 3rd defender and will benefit with confidence.

Farmer has yet to show why he is playing AFL - he has no pace, no height, no real strength, average skills. He's a goer, and thats all from what I've seen. Very similar to Jake King who also needs to go.

Vickery is playing with no confidence and for the first time I have really having some doubts about the kid. I am prepared to give him more time, but let him have some time in the two's and bring that much stronger Browne in

 

[_RT_]

Agree that we were nowhere near at last week's level with regard to intensity. However, I doubt the Bombers put the cue in the rack. They're gonna be right around the middle of the ladder and need all the % they can get. It was one positive that we fought it out, especially after a nightmare start to the game. Could have got very ugly.

They did what they had to which was win the game, had they converted a little better in the second half they would have won by 9-12 goals rather than the 6. Don't forget they were coming of a game against the Saints last Sunday evening as well and were carrying 2 injuries in the last quarter. Safe to say they decided to ease up rather than us fighting it out. On a positive though at least we made the most of the chances they gave us in the last quarter.

 

[_RT_]

RT is right. We got belted by a shit-awful team. It was a bad night.

The one smallish positive I took out of tonight was our KPF in Jack showed a lot more than the Bombers supposed saviours in Hurley and Gumbleton. The Dons kicked 19 goals with only 2 coming from their true KPFs, 5 came from their 2 rucks while resting up/pushing forward, the other 12 came from midfielder/flanker types. If you're relying on those types to win you games of footy you're not going to go far when the heat is on come September.

 

[richoatthedisco]

Junk time RT. Meaningless. When the game was alive we were crap.

 

[_RT_]

Junk time RT. Meaningless. When the game was alive we were crap.

Yep agree with you on that. As I said only found 1 smallish positive tonight and that was Jack.

 

[TigerTime88]

They also got a dream umpire run, however I agree.

So many times Essendon transferred the ball from our back half with 4 uncontested posessions by chipping it over the top even into our forward line.

Our bottom 5 players are killing us:

Farmer is not up to it and we are going to piss Morton off so bad he will leave even though he is one of our most talented players.

Rance I think you have to play but is a liability.

Vickery is clearly a liability atm. 6 disposals and 7 hitouts means he is currently VFL standard and should be developing there not at the MCG. He not only gets killed in the HO but doesn't stcik with his opponent around the ground.

 

[Spluff]

I was absolutely frothing at the mouth. It was a shocking showing, and the first game this season in which I have been genuinely appalled with the showing we gave. Players were running into each other, taking a break half way through a quarter, running to the wrong places. The only players who can hold their head high are our tall defenders and Riewoldt.

 

[the ranger]

They did what they had to which was win the game, had they converted a little better in the second half they would have won by 9-12 goals rather than the 6. Don't forget they were coming of a game against the Saints last Sunday evening as well and were carrying 2 injuries in the last quarter. Safe to say they decided to ease up rather than us fighting it out. On a positive though at least we made the most of the chances they gave us in the last quarter.

They needed more than just a win. Their % was well under 100 and they are playing "the worst team ever". The fact they were coming off a tough game and had injuries doesn't mean anything. We were also coming off a tough Sunday game and have a team full of players who are playing their way back to full fitness (Cousins, Cotchin, Foley) or have only had one or two pre-seasons (Martin, Astbury, Nason, Webberley, Vickery). And we also messed up some chances (not that that is relevent...poor kicking, poor football etc)

 

[the ranger]

Rance I think you have to play but is a liability

I don't get this at all. Committed one turnover, which was easily negated by several one percenters (5 according to the stat sheet). Kicked two goals from limited opportunities. I thought he was solid.

 

[Vitriol]

i think our forward pressure was pretty disappointing, with nahas having a poor game and jack only laying one tackle it comes out of our forward fifty too easily

rance needs to make his tackles stick better...i like his move to the forward line but he has to tackle better

 

[Peel Supporter]

From a distance:
Your backline was not bad, but King is not up to it. Do you have an option there?
They were under pressure from a midfield that didn't do enough. Cousins is not part of the future and his disposal was not good enough.
Deledio is a gun and I can't quite understand the way he was used. He can't rebound when the ball is going over his head at half-back.
Farmer is a nuffie, his decisions were bad, but he will improve-I hope.


But physically both rucks, Edwards, Webberly, Nason, White and Nahas are not going to get there. It looked like the Colts vs the seniors at times.

Martin will be very good, Cotchin will be good-the kid is 20(?), Riewoldt is good, but is not a key forward. Shane Tuck is underrated and Foley will be better for the run.

 

[TFLUA-Tiger]

Lack of communication, lack of desire, lack of hunger, and our guys with suspect decision making all went back to their old habits and panicked themselves out of taking the game on.

How many times did multiple defenders go up to spoil the same ball, or forwards lead to the same space and add an extra defender for JR/Astbury?

That was the worst we've been - and if they kicked straight when they were on fire in the 3rd, that would have been 70+.

We just got belted. Tall defenders and JR the obvious standouts.

Thought Webberley did some nice things. Looks to kick it long when possible - is a good mover, just needs to work on making those hands a little stickier.

White and Nahas and Rance all showed there is enough to work with there, but some of the basics - decision making, clean hands, etc all went out the window at different points.

Hille pantsed everyone - too big for our Key Backs, and most in the league, too built for Tyrone and too quick for Graham.

Stamina still clearly isn't good enough - mind you I'm coming along to the line of thought that it's more they just aren't willing to do the work. Whip 'em on the track over the summer Hardwick - and if they won't bleed for that jumper - get them out of here - no matter how good they are.

Make them earn it.

 

[the ranger]

But physically both rucks, Edwards, Webberly, Nason, White and Nahas are not going to get there. It looked like the Colts vs the seniors at times.

Disagree on most of that, especially the rucks. They are kids. Graham is already built like a brick shithouse. Vickery needs time to fill out.

Martin will be very good, Cotchin will be good-the kid is 20(?), Riewoldt is good, but is not a key forward. Shane Tuck is underrated and Foley will be better for the run.

Riewoldt not a key forward? He just kicked 6 on Fletcher and Pears with limited opportunity and support. Has kicked 25 in 9 floggings. He can be a key forward, no doubt about it.

 

[jko'neal]

Unhappy about the first half tonight but I'm not going into meltdown. We played ordinary and still scored close to 100 points. Essendon are Jekyll and Hyde, unfortunately the good side turned up tonight. A lot of our senior players had not poor, but quiet nights.

My biggest beef apart from our mistakes and endless goal gifts to the opposition, has anyone this year seen Hardwick bench someone for a stupid free kick or silly error?

 

[Bazzar]

Still dont like Lids on the HBF. When he went into the guts in the first qtr we played our best footy. We are excelent in center clearances, but they go to no one, and its rebounded back to Lids to get us out of trouble. Our center clearances would be nice to go to him in the first place. Its like robbing Peter to pay Paul.

 

[Macca18]

Chins up, guys...

Your first win really is just around the corner. I was really impressed with your endeavour after Quarter Time and despite Pears looking clearly underdone coming back from a broken arm, I thought Riewoldt was outstanding. He will be an even more difficult prospect once the delivery from the midfield improves. I can definitely see what Hardwick is trying to do with this side - it will just take a little more patience and some more pain, but you'll get there...

I'll be a little self-indulgent for a moment (and I'm sure some of you won't agree purely because you don't like Essendon, and that's fine) and just say you run into an improving side tonight who I think after a shaky start is now finding their feet in 2010... pretty good effort to stick it out for the second half and as I said before you will definitely be tasting victory in the next few weeks...

Good Luck.

 

[Mario Speedwagon]

A young team like ours will be up and down. It's an entirely relevent reason.

As for all this "IF they kicked straight it would've been a flogging" bollocks...well candy and nuts-they didn't have a merry christmas did they...so what....you could dissect most games differently if you applied that criteria....you can't predict what would've panned out from the resulting centre bounces as opposed to the kick-ins....it's all speculation...

 

[the ranger]

.you can't predict what would've panned out from the resulting centre bounces as opposed to the kick-ins....it's all speculation...

So true. With our kick-in problems, a missed shot is basically just plus one point and then another possession inside 50 for our opponent. We don't punish teams who kick poorly for goal. I really hope we get that sorted by season's end. Seems to have been a problem since forever.

 

[Barnzy]

Same old story. Too small (height and weight wise), too many turnovers, too many talentless no skilled hacks getting games. We won't improve until this changes and this won't change for awhile while we continue to rip through this rubbish list.

I can name some if you want...

Farmer rubbish.

King has no future.

White has no future.

Rance has no future. Too many deficiencies. A tall Jake King.

McGuane is probably our best option right now but clearly not up to it in the disposal/decison making department and not a long-term solution.

Nahas was very poor. Starting to be shown up. Question marks starting to creep into his game after a good start to his career. Way too small and slight for someone with average disposal/decision making at best.

Vickery was poor for the 2nd week in a row. Rest or drop him. Nason needs a rest.

Riewoldt a lone hand up forward, been like that all year. Needs help not only from other talls but from mid-sized options (Morton, Taylor, etc). Not enough goal kicking options in the side to kick a winning score.

 

[Mayneman]

May be on the outer here, but Matt White has some pretty good traits.

Pacey mid, can kick it well on occassion, in the better half of that side I would have thought.

Thought Mcgaune, Moore and Thursfield were ok in the face of a barrage.

Mcgaune just needs to make better decisons.

 

[the ranger]

Rance has no future. Too many deficiencies. A tall Jake King.

A tall Jake King doesn't sound so terrible lol. But I think you're being harsh on Rance. Had a pretty good game.

Nahas was very poor. Starting to be shown up. Question marks starting to creep into his game after a good start to his career. Way too small and slight for someone with average disposal/decision making at best.

He's inconsistent but I don't think he's been shown up. It's just a matter of bringing the same level of intensity every week.

 

[beaver's army]

Can we please get rid of mcguane. He can't kick! For all the goals he may save he gives them a chance to kick one the way he kicks it.