Determinant
Moderator
- Jan 9, 2012
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Land of the Giants Preview:
It’s just unacceptable, to be honest.
Thursday night was, without doubt, one of the club’s top three “Hall of Shame” performances. Round 7 against the Cats in 2018, and Round 21 last year against the Hawks would be the other main contenders.
Fingers are pointing everywhere, but given the talent we have available, and the fact this sort of thing keeps happening, indicates there’s an absence of authority somewhere.
Why does this team often appear to lack motivation? I’m no expert on team dynamics but when so many otherwise good players are sub-par there’s got to be a reason. Something for Dave Matthews and Tony Shepherd to dwell on, which they probably are.
I’m unsure whether the problem lies with Leon Cameron or within the team itself. Leon has taken us to three prelims and a grand final, and his overall win-loss ratio is quite good, but nothing he said or did on Thursday seemed to work, and that was after barely getting over the line against Essendon the week before. Is he losing his connection to individual players and the team collectively? It’s a legitimate question.
Whatever the source of the problem, it will take a monumental change in attitude to avoid a pre-2016 style flogging against the Eagles next Sunday. History suggests it’s going to happen; we got hammered the week after the other two embarrassments.
Toby and Phil Davis will almost certainly be back at the expense of Tom Hutchesson and Lachie Keeffe. Mumford will probably replace Jacobs – again – and he could hardly be any more ineffectual. But so many good players were way down against the Swans; Taranto, Himmelberg, Cameron, Shaw, Whitfield, Hopper, even Nick Haynes. We can’t drop all of them. And the line-up this week is almost irrelevant anyway; what matters more is looking like they actually want to be out there.
We now face the real prospect of not winning any games in the Perth hub, and should that happen, that would just about be the end of 2020. Sorry I can’t be more positive with this preview but Thursday might have been season-defining for all the wrong reasons.
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From The Mongrel Punt
Eagles V GWS, 4.10wst Optus
A terrible time to lose whatever form you had is the week before you come up against the Eagles at their home. The Giants were building nicely and have undone it all with something that can only be described as insipid.
The Eagles are off to the unknown in a week or so, so need to capitalise their wins at home. Queensland offers no guarantees for them, though their mindset will be better than it was on their first trip over. But they will be determined to not disturb the momentum that they have so rapidly built.
It’s a poor time to meet the Eagles at the best of times and this is not the best of times for the Giants. A team who doesn’t like feeling hot under the collar need to bring their A game to save their season, against a team who will definitely make them feel hot under the collar.
I can’t see the Giants winning this.
Eagles by 21.
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Seems generous to me
