AFL Autopsy Essendon v Melbourne, Melbourne by 1 point

[Runk]

And then 30 seconds later Hurley lets a tackle slip on McKenzie.

2 senior players, 2 diabolical mistakes in the last minute. Game over.

I know! McKenzie of all players. He is undoubtedly the biggest ******* playting the game and Hurley did that. Absolutely shitful.

 

[hotkorma]

This is one of the worst losses I have ever seen

 

[ghostdog]

You can't blame it solely on the inaccuracy. We were up by 5 goals. You can NOT lose games from there and expect to be a good side.

We have a lot of issues and they run a lot deeper than shooting for goal.

Yea, but we should have been up by 9 goals. The incline of that hill changes the context of the game. That's not to say that we don't have other issues, but you've got to capitalise on the opportunities you have. Missing 4 sitters is glaring.

 

[Bombermania]

How does inaccuracy explain conceding 5 goals in a quarter in a low scoring affair?

Lost by a point, if Goddard or Bellchambers had kicked straight in the last term we would have won by five points, if they both kicked straight we would have won by 11 points.

If we kicked 17 goals instead of 17 behinds we would have won by a good margin and good boost to the percentage.

We won all the important stats from hit-outs, scoring shots, forward 50 entries, clearances yet lost.

 

[Ben the Gooner]

Lost by a point, if Goddard or Bellchambers had kicked straight in the last term we would have won by five points, if they both kicked straight we would have won by 11 points.

If we kicked 17 goals instead of 17 behinds we would have won by a good margin and good boost to the percentage.

I don't think you're quite grasping the concept. We'd kept them to 7 in 3 quarters, then conceded 5.0 - what does our inaccuracy have to do with the way they absolutely carved us open on the rebound?

 

[yodellinhank]

Except Kommer doesn't hit the scoreboard enough for a forward.

Name a forward we have that does

 

[Bombermania]

I don't think you're quite grasping the concept. We'd kept them to 7 in 3 quarters, then conceded 5.0 - what does our inaccuracy have to do with the way they absolutely carved us open on the rebound?

It is true that Melbourne lifted in that last term and went in much harder than we did but still we should have been good enough to hang on particularly considering we had our chances.

 

[Amen Corner]

I seldom post after a game, simple fact is, I'm just too caught up in it one way or another. Tonight is different. Normally, I'd be absolutely seething at that game tonight. We dominated every area, except the scoreboard. I put tonight's loss down to a couple of things but my two grievances tonight are mental application & our general kicking level. We had a massive amount of inside 50's yet refuse to kick to our forwards advantage. All of Ryder, Bellchambers, Ambrose & Daniher had space to move in (when Melb) weren't flooding & so many times we kicked the ball over their heads or behind them, allowing their defender the easy spoil & the overlap run into their forward half. They were much smarter going forward, generally in transition, they had numbers goal side, allowing a less precise, over the back kick advantaged their teammates. Our guys continually tried pinpointing passes & continually missed the target.

In the third quarter we were 33pts up & instead of getting ruthless as the good sides do, a few of our guys stopped working hard, ran forward, tried to get on the end of the chain. They went into millionaire mode. You'd think a team that's been as trampled on as we have been in the recent past would wanna start dishing some of their own back, but no, not this group. There's no killer punch. We've accepted mediocrity for so long now & the worst thing is, I doubt this really hurts anyone anymore. Notwithstanding the off field crap which has to have some sort of impact, but basic skill execution should be a non negotiable in the professional age. Yes, Baguley made a monumental f**k up in front of goal by kicking into the man on the mark but every player made kicking blunders in some area of the ground. Hibberd to Dawes? Winderlich, Bellchambers, Goddard, Daniher, Chappy all missed gimme goals by AFL standards & Heppell, Myers, Howlett, Carlisle, Dempsey & Melksham all missed targets in play by considerable margins. It's just not good enough.

Finally, Bomber's presser really hammered home points about accountability, preparedness to stick to game plan & accepting when teammates stray from
The plan. Aren't YOU the coach Bomber? You can control that at selection. We're clearly not up to making up the numbers in the finals anyway, make some tough calls. Drop those who let their standards fall below those acceptable yet he's been banging on about how he's not concerned & we're on the right track. Stop it! Enough talk. Actions are what's required. Two years ago Port were a rabble, a laughing stock. Look at them now. They don't talk. They play hard, each & every week for each other around a core set of values & Hinkley's mantra is absolute effort by each player is the standard. They live it. They enforce it. I don't see that in our team. We're too accepting & willing to excuse too much and have been for too long. This group as a collective need to stand up & show that they won't accept this any longer. Tonight can be a positive, line in the sand moment. But will it be? I have serious doubts.

 

[rines]

Go back a few years and we were seen as a seriously speedy side.. now we are just plodders..

Looking at tonights 22.. considering TOP LINE speed only (not endurance) in comparison to others in their positions across the league and I would rate our players as follows:
Slow
Hocking
Myers
Bellchambers
Chapman (for a small forward)

Below Average
Carlisle
Chapman
Winderlich (on current form)
Howlett
Hurley
Baguley

Average
Goddard
Zahakis
Heppell
Hibberd
Ambrose
Stanton
Ryder
Melksham
Carlisle
Hooker
Daniher

Above Average
Z Merrett
Dempsey
Kavanagh (didn't get to show it tonight)

Elite
N/A

So I would put most of our list in the average to slow range.. with no elite speed at all in the team in any position.. even Dempsey looks slow at the moment.. I believe this is why we aren't breaking lines with quick play through the middle.. we are simply being outrun AND outworked..

 

[Tassieboy]

At least for me Italy won their first match in the World Cup

FORZA ITALIA

And England lost. Doesn't matter if it's soccer, it's a good thing, right?

 

[jaguaress]

Cooked.

Dont you mean charred?

 

[gillon]

Our ability to defend against them on the rebound was absolutely pathetic.

 

[Ben the Gooner]

It is true that Melbourne lifted in that last term and went in much harder than we did but still we should have been good enough to hang on particularly considering we had our chances.

I'm not denying that we would have won if we'd kicked straight, but to say that's the only reason is remarkably reductionist.

Even if we'd hung on, 5 ****ing easy, uncontested goals would have been a big concern.

 

[Runk]

Dont you mean charred?

Completely.

 

[JohnnyDrama1]

Everyone saying we missed Jobe. Yes he was missed, but our midfield was one of very few shining light's today. Goddard was superb, relished in the captaincy role, was everywhere. Heppell and Zaharakis continued their good form. Though the lack of depth killed us, we relied too much on these players. Our defense (for probably the first time this season) was shaky. Hooker wasn't great, Baguley's mistake ended up costing us the match, Hibberd was woeful (There was a stage when I counted 5 consecutive Hibberd kicks which were marked my Melbourne players), Melksham needs to go to the VFL, give someone like Kavanagh a real shot at consolidating a spot. Daniher's hands were no-where near as good as last week. Bellchambers needs to pull his head in and learn to kick. Players like Myers, Hocking, Howlett, Stanton and Melksham were all given the chance to lift today and take a step up, yet all failed. Have to question some players endeavour now, not playing with anywhere near the passion of last year in similar circumstances.

 

[rines]

I seldom post after a game, simple fact is, I'm just too caught up in it one way or another. Tonight is different. Normally, I'd be absolutely seething at that game tonight. We dominated every area, except the scoreboard. I put tonight's loss down to a couple of things but my two grievances tonight are mental application & our general kicking level. We had a massive amount of inside 50's yet refuse to kick to our forwards advantage. All of Ryder, Bellchambers, Ambrose & Daniher had space to move in (when Melb) weren't flooding & so many times we kicked the ball over their heads or behind them, allowing their defender the easy spoil & the overlap run into their forward half. They were much smarter going forward, generally in transition, they had numbers goal side, allowing a less precise, over the back kick advantaged their teammates. Our guys continually tried pinpointing passes & continually missed the target.

In the third quarter we were 33pts up & instead of getting ruthless as the good sides do, a few of our guys stopped working hard, ran forward, tried to get on the end of the chain. They went into millionaire mode. You'd think a team that's been as trampled on as we have been in the recent past would wanna start dishing some of their own back, but no, not this group. There's no killer punch. We've accepted mediocrity for so long now & the worst thing is, I doubt this really hurts anyone anymore. Notwithstanding the off field crap which has to have some sort of impact, but basic skill execution should be a non negotiable in the professional age. Yes, Baguley made a monumental f**k up in front of goal by kicking into the man on the mark but every player made kicking blunders in some area of the ground. Hibberd to Dawes? Winderlich, Bellchambers, Goddard, Daniher, Chappy all missed gimme goals by AFL standards & Heppell, Myers, Howlett, Carlisle, Dempsey & Melksham all missed targets in play by considerable margins. It's just not good enough.

Finally, Bomber's presser really hammered home points about accountability, preparedness to stick to game plan & accepting when teammates stray from
The plan. Aren't YOU the coach Bomber? You can control that at selection. We're clearly not up to making up the numbers in the finals anyway, make some tough calls. Drop those who let their standards fall below those acceptable yet he's been banging on about how he's not concerned & we're on the right track. Stop it! Enough talk. Actions are what's required. Two years ago Port were a rabble, a laughing stock. Look at them now. They don't talk. They play hard, each & every week for each other around a core set of values & Hinkley's mantra is absolute effort by each player is the standard. They live it. They enforce it. I don't see that in our team. We're too accepting & willing to excuse too much and have been for too long. This group as a collective need to stand up & show that they won't accept this any longer. Tonight can be a positive, line in the sand moment. But will it be? I have serious doubts.

Great post.. great post.

I believe the ASADA crap has given too many players a 'get out of jail free card' for some pretty poor play. The dempsey debacle sums it up.. out of the team to make a point and back into the team without even playing a full VFL game or training with the main group once!

I also think this 'conserve energy' mantra has been drilled into players and they are trying to switch on and off during the game.. like we are farking Hawthorn or Geelong.. instead of going hard at the ball till you puke.. and then go hard at the ball some more.

The rot starts at the top and seems to go all the way down. I'm not sure this group will ever produce because of all the crap that has gone down.. are we better to clear it out and start again or can we do a Port?

Not sure.. but this season has been ugly.. just ugly. And I don't want to hear anymore about 'take the points and move on'.. pathetic attitude to have. We should be at the stage of development that we turn up EXPECTING to win every week because the team plays consistent, hard and high level footy.. and we back that up by solid wins.. not scrappy 1 goal wins against poor opposition..

 

[Nifft]

Really shit game... really shit.

However I feel for the guys. We can't even begin to comprehend how 17 months of this ASADA shit will be ****ing with their heads. They're just not in the right headspace now, they're mentally cooked.

Last year we rode the emotion, now they're mentally worn out from it.

 

[rines]

Really shit game... really shit.

However I feel for the guys. We can't even begin to comprehend how 17 months of this ASADA shit will be ******* with their heads. They're just not in the right headspace now, they're mentally cooked.

Last year we rode the emotion, now they're mentally worn out from it.

You don't give up a lead with 60 seconds to go because of ASADA... you do that because you have continual mental lapses and no structure or set play.

We have been inaccurate in front of goals for the last five years.. I see no improvement at all.. so either we are picking the wrong guys or they are working on it at training.

Fix our goal kicking and we would have won at least 20 extra games in the last five years..

 

[Nifft]

Great post.. great post.

I believe the ASADA crap has given too many players a 'get out of jail free card' for some pretty poor play. The dempsey debacle sums it up.. out of the team to make a point and back into the team without even playing a full VFL game or training with the main group once!

I also think this 'conserve energy' mantra has been drilled into players and they are trying to switch on and off during the game.. like we are farking Hawthorn or Geelong.. instead of going hard at the ball till you puke.. and then go hard at the ball some more.

The rot starts at the top and seems to go all the way down. I'm not sure this group will ever produce because of all the crap that has gone down.. are we better to clear it out and start again or can we do a Port?

Not sure.. but this season has been ugly.. just ugly. And I don't want to hear anymore about 'take the points and move on'.. pathetic attitude to have. We should be at the stage of development that we turn up EXPECTING to win every week because the team plays consistent, hard and high level footy.. and we back that up by solid wins.. not scrappy 1 goal wins against poor opposition..

I don't agree rines.

Stress can have a massive effect on people's performance in any occupation, much less a top level athlete. Long term stress, uncertainty, constant accusations, sleep deprivation... these things would totally kill the players mentally.

 

[Amen Corner]

There seems to be some sort of denial at the club re our mental fragility. I remember Hird saying when he took over as coach, he wanted to change the outside perception that EFC is mentally soft. We showed it at times last season but it's the only time it's been shown since the early 2000's. It must stop now.

 

[Bombermania]

I'm not denying that we would have won if we'd kicked straight, but to say that's the only reason is remarkably reductionist.

Even if we'd hung on, 5 ******* easy, uncontested goals would have been a big concern.

Yes falling over the line would have still been a questionable result but at least we would have won.

We do seem to lack the killer instinct.

 

[rines]

Champion Data shows that Melksham turnovers contributed in 50% of Melbournes scoring chains.. truly phenomenal effort considering he was subbed at 3 qtr time...

Not if it was 50% up to that point or across the whole game.. but still a huge stat.

Should have been subbed much much earlier. Didn't just butcher it.. he cooked it too.

 

[BRANXDON]

At least for me Italy won their first match in the World Cup

FORZA ITALIA

yeah my croatia didn't after the ref F...... us big time...cro + bombers = same

 

[rines]

There seems to be some sort of denial at the club re our mental fragility. I remember Hird saying when he took over as coach, he wanted to change the outside perception that EFC is mentally soft. We showed it at times last season but it's the only time it's been shown since the early 2000's. It must stop now.

Ya... last year was the first time you saw the Bombers of old.. maybe why we all got so excited.. passion, come from behind wins.. heart.. continual effort siren to siren.

Last year you could be proud of the team on field.. this year is worse than Knights. Soft, pea hearted effort.. no commitment to each other.. barely any celebrations after goals.. looks very ho hum and boring.. just like their play. No energy or spark anywhere on the field.

 

[Loonerty]

How does inaccuracy explain conceding 5 goals in a quarter in a low scoring affair?

And most of all how does inaccuracy explain shit disposals?