Review Elimination final: Collingwood v Western Bulldogs at Victoria Park, Sun. Nov 6th 3.10pm

[Arbiter]

James had a great game and is an exciting talent. But we are not chasing glory with Frederick as our main key forward.
The 3 best teams all have great key forwards.

Brisbane has an arsenal to work with. Melbourne ditto same as Adelaide. But at the core what do they have that works? A good midfield that knows how to win the clearances. We don't have that because our list manager decided that all our ruck problems could be solved by a 38-year-old woman. Hence the midfield falls apart likewise with our forwards. They don't enough supply in the season which starves them to the point where they lose all purpose. Do they need a season of VFLW? Hell yes, but our issues in the midfield seem to far out-way our problems up forward.

 

[NonPhixion]

Brisbane has an arsenal to work with. Melbourne ditto same as Adelaide. But at the core what do they have that works? A good midfield that knows how to win the clearances. We don't have that because our list manager decided that all our ruck problems could be solved by a 38-year-old woman. Hence the midfield falls apart likewise with our forwards. They don't enough supply in the season which starves them to the point where they lose all purpose. Do they need a season of VFLW? Hell yes, but our issues in the midfield seem to far out-way our problems up forward.

Our 2 best midfielders will be back next year so obviously it has hurt not having them this season. Slot them back in and it's as good as any.

 

[Tarkyn_24]

There is talent in our forward line, but it doesn't get down there enough. We need a ruck more than anything even though Imogen Barnett has been outstanding. But at 175cm, she has limits. Drop Downie, bring in Barber and maybe we can keep the match close.

Downie’s only trick is her ruckwork but I would class all of Barnett, Frederick and Downie as rucks with the first two having the capability to go forward somewhat effectively.

I personally think Downie is the worst of that trio as a ruck too now. Evident last week when Barnett stood in and seemed to create the only area of improvement for us.

Agreed, and I’ve come around to your line of thinking that Moloney represents an improvement on Frederick, at least on the back of today’s performance.

Downie can’t be selected ahead of either of the other two again. Barnett was great against a really good ruck combination today. Hopefully we get Barber up forward at Downie’s expense and either run Barnett alone and bring another runner in for Frederick or play the pair with Frederick splitting her time in the ruck and the bullocking anchor role forward (in tandem with Moloney) while Barber and Brazill play as leading talls.

I stand by Brazill is a difference maker up forward, she really should’ve kicked two or three today and complements James. The inaccuracy is killer though, 0.5 in the last two weeks from her

 

[Vicky Park]

i'm surprised sometimes about how little effect molloy has.... she just doesnt seem to be in the area of the ball a lot of the times..

Was watching her today and I think she’s carrying an injury. Seems to have lost her ability to explode away, and is getting caught. Her impact and influence on the game is definitely down on previous seasons.

 

[Vicky Park]

Stacey Livingstone. How good is she?

 

[kalex6251]

an interrupted viewing today but on what i saw

schleicher moving back into defence is a no-brainer

saw the best and worst of livingstone today .... not great at ground level and needlessly controls the ball when all she has to do is paddle/kick off the ground to relieve pressure .... still, she controlled the air and saved us at times - all up a good game from her

butler has been quiet recently so it was good to see a serviceable game from her today .... not at all convinced about casey

jordyn allens game has seriously improved this year .... can see her spending more time in the middle .... speed, endurance, good delivery and game smarts - very underrated ....... would like to see her and brazzil patrol the centre square during general play .... offering lead up options when exiting our D50 - and building that defensive wall when weve locked it in our F50 .... would offer usual midfielder rotations more flexibility to go hunt

maybe im missing something but the midfield lacks influence on the game .... canns gone very quiet lately and lambert looks like a season of injury has finally caught up with her .... lin has also had a couple of quiet games but her endeavour is always on - that goal save typical of her gut running game style

the ruck is an ongoing problem .... we really do lack aerial influence .... frederick had one of those games where the less said the better (to be fair - there were a couple of nice taps from contests but not sure thats enough to warrant a spot in the side)

 

[barrackers]

and They Can't Kick Straight Enough when they get it

At least some of that is on where we take our kicks from. Set shots are often on the limit of distance or from the pocket. While others are from ground level contests. Need a marking forward to straighten up our structure.

 

[Dynamics]

Wasn't able to watch the game but just watched the highlights. Was there someone yelling the Collingwood chant through the ENTIRE game?

I love the chant at the right time but 4 quarters of one clown yelling it would really test my patience!

 

[Markfs]

Stacey Livingstone. How good is she?

I thought that she was gone two years ago.......absolutely too slow.. and she still wants to hold on to the ball but she was in my best players and she has been good all season..

 

[Markfs]

Can't see us even getting Close to the Crows next week

TD.... do you ever take a moment or two to enjoy the win before you plunge back?

 

[Markfs]

i've got a few positive things to say about the team and I'm looking for that thread where I can post those comments.....anyone know where it is?

 

[Markfs]

Was watching her today and I think she’s carrying an injury. Seems to have lost her ability to explode away, and is getting caught. Her impact and influence on the game is definitely down on previous seasons.

Another one is sarah rowe...who i worship of course...but the game may be a bit too physical for her... and from what i've seen this year, she's not fast enough to stick with opponents who can run. They seem to be using her as a forward and there are ridiculous situations where she's sitting underneath the ball in marking situations, and she gets clobbered a little. Maybe she should transfer to Fremantle and take fitness classes...

 

[mblack42]

Another one is sarah rowe...who i worship of course...but the game may be a bit too physical for her... and from what i've seen this year, she's not fast enough to stick with opponents who can run. They seem to be using her as a forward and there are ridiculous situations where she's sitting underneath the ball in marking situations, and she gets clobbered a little. Maybe she should transfer to Fremantle and take fitness classes...

You could probably argue she's a victim off not having Davey and Bonnici, much like the rest of the team. They've had to shift soany magnets to cover those two.

When we get Bri and Brit back, I think Rowe, Tarni and probably Sheridan could be the big winners.

On another note, the addition of Brazill cannot be underestimated. If she can tighten up her kicking, she could be a big weapon up forward.

 

[Maggie5]

Didn't get my tickets but decided to go anyway. Fortunately there was a ticket box there and they gave me tickets. Seems I wasn't the only one impacted by the stuff up.

I really don't think we can afford to carry Frederick any more. Nor is the forward coach doing her any favours. If she can't mark, play below the knees at least she should take her opponent away from the contest. No leads at all so players had to kick to a contest which she lost. Her opponent (N0.3) was much shorter and often beat her one on one and just ran off her.

Molloy seems to be carrying an injury, she was a waste at FF in the last quarter and often playing the loose person in defence.
1st quarter, ball hardly went into opposition area, we should have put the game to bed then.

Quite liked Barnett's work in the ruck, Livingstone, Lambert early in the game and of course James.

Stats:

 

[TheVillageIdiot7]

Sheridan was amazing IMO. She did the job and directly contributed to a goal via an awesome handball. She really stuck to the task. For someone not from this game, she was fantastic in close.

Barnett, second week running, was great in the ruck. Her follow up was outstanding.
Lambert is crazy skilled and so underrated by the comp.

Don’t get why Downie plays ahead of Barber?!?!? Much prefer to get games into the 19/20 year old. Would love to know why she isn’t playing.

That’s the best we’ve looked all year. We just kept missing.
Can’t fix that now, but something to focus on in pre season next ywar

Ps. How good was EJ? She breaks tackles and just gets dangerous all the time!!
PPS. Ash braz is a fwd. she has an unbelievable Step and speed. She could have kicked multiple goals over the past few weeks. Insane how athletic and quick she is. Plus being a left footer she gets away with more!!

 

[Markfs]

You could probably argue she's a victim off not having Davey and Bonnici, much like the rest of the team. They've had to shift soany magnets to cover those two.

When we get Bri and Brit back, I think Rowe, Tarni and probably Sheridan could be the big winners.

On another note, the addition of Brazill cannot be underestimated. If she can tighten up her kicking, she could be a big weapon up forward.

I think brazill is one of the most talented footballers in the league. I wonder how much she has invested in her skills, because she has spent most of her history training for netball...and most of this year. And yet she pops back into footy and she is just instinctively good.

Tarni looks like she never played footy before being drafted.

 

[Mollythedolly]

Brisbane has an arsenal to work with. Melbourne ditto same as Adelaide. But at the core what do they have that works? A good midfield that knows how to win the clearances. We don't have that because our list manager decided that all our ruck problems could be solved by a 38-year-old woman. Hence the midfield falls apart likewise with our forwards. They don't enough supply in the season which starves them to the point where they lose all purpose. Do they need a season of VFLW? Hell yes, but our issues in the midfield seem to far out-way our problems up forward.

Did they? Sharni Norder was always going to be tough to replace but I think they've been looking to find her replacement through players like Green, Barber and Barnett. I've never thought Downie was anything more than a stopgap. I'd add that I think given her age she's provided very good service.

 

[NonPhixion]

i think we should try Allen in the forward line again, she can provide a good target, obviously you would like to have her anywhere but we need to try something forward of the ball

 

[Mollythedolly]

I really don't think we can afford to carry Frederick any more. Nor is the forward coach doing her any favours. If she can't mark, play below the knees at least she should take her opponent away from the contest. No leads at all so players had to kick to a contest which she lost. Her opponent (N0.3) was much shorter and often beat her one on one and just ran off her.

I'm a bit on the fence with Frederick. Didn't have a great game but I don't think we did much as a team to help her. She's not quick so don't pit in a foot race against quicker opponents. Don't kick to her when she's 1-out against multiple opponents. Couldn't believe Allen did it in the last when she appeared to have runners escorting her, it was such a poor decision. Kick the footy to her advantage (when she is not 1-out v multiple opponents), give her a half decent chance in the air which is her strength. If she's struggling to impact forward throw her into the ruck for a quick burst. She's a limited role player, use her as such.

 

[Markfs]

I'm a bit on the fence with Frederick. Didn't have a great game but I don't think we did much as a team to help her. She's not quick so don't pit in a foot race against quicker opponents. Don't kick to her when she's 1-out against multiple opponents. Couldn't believe Allen did it in the last when she appeared to have runners escorting her, it was such a poor decision. Kick the footy to her advantage (when she is not 1-out v multiple opponents), give her a half decent chance in the air which is her strength. If she's struggling to impact forward throw her into the ruck for a quick burst. She's a limited role player, use her as such.

i thought she did ok today. in the past i thought she didnt stay engaged... we cant drop her or ruby and livingston will be the only players who can take a mark.

its a shame we cant move will kelly across. I think he'd fit right in...

 

[Maggie5]

I'm a bit on the fence with Frederick. Didn't have a great game but I don't think we did much as a team to help her. She's not quick so don't pit in a foot race against quicker opponents. Don't kick to her when she's 1-out against multiple opponents. Couldn't believe Allen did it in the last when she appeared to have runners escorting her, it was such a poor decision. Kick the footy to her advantage (when she is not 1-out v multiple opponents), give her a half decent chance in the air which is her strength. If she's struggling to impact forward throw her into the ruck for a quick burst. She's a limited role player, use her as such.

My problem with her is she doesn't make position for players to kick to her. Further, she tends to come up the ground when not necessary as when we do have the ball, there is no-one there.

Agree with throwing her in for centre bounces and ask her to use her body there as isn't really the answer at FF.

 

[Markfs]

My problem with her is she doesn't make position for players to kick to her. Further, she tends to come up the ground when not necessary as when we do have the ball, there is no-one there.

Agree with throwing her in for centre bounces and ask her to use her body there as isn't really the answer at FF.

She's a strong woman and could flatten opponents if she wanted to but umpires are allergic to anything too physical....and i think she has contained her aggression over her career. And I agree with the positioning, she should be the long option into the forward line and she's not in the right position. She should be at least bringing the ball to ground regularly. She wont be dropped because we have so few that have the body size for marking contests. Downie has no physical presence. We need another 2 Rubys. The bulldogs were noticeably better marks...when ruby went off the ground, they did like they wanted in marking contests. I reminds me of the "collingwood 6 footers" tradition.....lots of undersized players playing above their height.

 

[lyfsux]

i thought she did ok today. in the past i thought she didnt stay engaged... we cant drop her or ruby and livingston will be the only players who can take a mark.

its a shame we cant move will kelly across. I think he'd fit right in...

Even with her in it's still only those 2 that can take a mark

 

[Markfs]

I've just spent 5 minutes looking at the AFLW draft history with an eye on adelaide, melb and brisbane. We know about the zones for interstaters. However, the number of picks that these clubs made during the last few years stands out. They would draft right to the bottom of the picks. The other noticeable thing is 2018 and we drafted....and we picked great players in allen and butler... I understand that we gave away a ton of picks for davey but I cant equate our lack of presence in all these drafts with the other three teams...especially with the current connections being made with junior footy and the more athletic girls coming through. Now I know some guru will pick holes in this post and I admit that dont spend hours being an expert on aflw...

 

[Markfs]

interesting graphs regarding fantasy points