Opinion Lessons learnt from the past five weeks

[Live in hope]

Interested in observed lessons or "themes" from the Lions game onwards.

Some thoughts from me -

- Cats advantage/ability to finish stronger second halves in first ten rounds seems to have gone. Have they been loading up on training, particularly prior to games against "weaker" teams ? potential issue for finals?
- really need Christensen and Johnston in team, fit and focused on playing ball
- Horlin-Smith and (fit) T Hunt vitally important
- question marks on Smets, Murdoch for finals
- can Varcoe recover fitness/form sufficiently
- positive 1 - Simpson
- positive 2 - good game plan B - shut down/lock in to 50 at least in Freo game.

Ironically best to have some losses like this to find out where the problems are rather than cruise into a GF a la 2008 and for it all to go wrong.

 

[The Casey Cat]

Stop picking sides with players we hope will play well. Fair enough TV needs game time. But to attempt to carry him with Stringer and Smedts doing #### all while Murdoch (who had finally hit some form) watched from the bench while GHS who had played very well watched from interstate is just not smart.

Oh and SJ needs/needed a club sanction or at least an indication that what he's doing is wrong and will no longer be tolerated. As opposed to ignorant head in the sand bull shit.

 

[i_need_a_pencil]

Selwood has regained some incredible form after a slow patch.

Caddy will be handy depth.

 

[i_need_a_pencil]

- Cats advantage/ability to finish stronger second halves in first ten rounds seems to have gone. Have they been loading up on training, particularly prior to games against "weaker" teams ? potential issue for finals?

Yeah this annoyed me today... coming into the 4th quarter I was pretty confident we would hold them off, due to the wind and also because we had been really really strong finishers.

Whilst I think at times we cling to strongly to 'higher training loads' to justify poor results (H&A losses at the end of last year), we definitely aren't running games like at the start of the season. Either concentration, dropping of work-rate or potentially training loads, it is a simple fact the club needs to mindful of.

 

[AlterRob]

When we lose we are in a 'heavy training load'.

 

[Cursed Cat]

When we ramp up the forward pressure we're as good as anyone in the comp, but that sustained effort is hard to maintain for weeks on end it would seem; teams like St Kilda and Collingwood have tried versions of our A-game in the past; we ourselves probably did it best in 2011.

When that pressure is relaxed it becomes a crapshoot, we come right back to the field.

We are a club that is blessed with relatively solid depth, this has been further confirmed in recent weeks, with the teams ability to replace West with an in-form Simpson and the midfield forced to cover for an absent Steve Johnson every other week.

 

[joe444]

Interesting thoughts about 'depth'. Is that a code word for "lots of players who would be on the bench for any other team"? I don't think so, but it's worth thinking about whether our depth is masking problems.

Generally, Chris Scott's press conferences strike me as correct and honest. I was certainly with him earlier this year when he claimed we weren't that good.

But to surrender such a lead and end up with a coach telling us all is well? I have trouble conjuring with that.

I really believe this year's flag is up for grabs. I also believe - and maybe naively - that we need old troopers back to win it.

PS: At times yesterday, I thought Caddy looked like he could blow the game apart. I don't think we made a mistake there.

 

[CF]

I trust CS a helluva lot more than anyone in this forum so I'll leave it to him and the Coaching group to work out the issues. We played well in patches today and was done by 2 points by a team that played in the prelim final last year. We have lost 3 games for the season by under a goal.

We have the game plan that can win the flag and maybe they were being a bit cute in selections today but they need to play the guys that they think will play finals. At least they need to see if guys rule themselves out with form. There's still 6 rounds to go and we still have a better than average chance of being in the top 2.

Good teams get unexpectedly beaten every now and then, especially at this stage of the season. We had two kicks at goal in the last minute of the game and could have won it. Then you'd all be back with your head in the clouds thinking that all is well at the Cattery if that had of happened.

These guys have shown again and again they can fight it out and dish it up to the best. One day when things don't go our way and all you morons are screaming bloody murder. There are times in a game or a season when we have to take a few hits. But the mark of a champion team is how they respond and our boys will respond well.

 

[Live in hope]

I trust CS a helluva lot more than anyone in this forum so I'll leave it to him and the Coaching group to work out the issues. We played well in patches today and was done by 2 points by a team that played in the prelim final last year. We have lost 3 games for the season by under a goal.

We have the game plan that can win the flag and maybe they were being a bit cute in selections today but they need to play the guys that they think will play finals. At least they need to see if guys rule themselves out with form. There's still 6 rounds to go and we still have a better than average chance of being in the top 2.

Good teams get unexpectedly beaten every now and then, especially at this stage of the season. We had two kicks at goal in the last minute of the game and could have won it. Then you'd all be back with your head in the clouds thinking that all is well at the Cattery if that had of happened.

These guys have shown again and again they can fight it out and dish it up to the best. One day when things don't go our way and all you morons are screaming bloody murder. There are times in a game or a season when we have to take a few hits. But the mark of a champion team is how they respond and our boys will respond well.

Don't think anyone on this thread has screamed murder or written the side off. Think most believe we have a great chance this year but there are always things to look to improve or address.

Bit rough with reference to "Morons" in this regard. Think it goes without saying Chris scott and MC are best placed to assess and address the issues but surely it is okay to make observations about where there seems to be problems or areas to improve just as it is okay to praise your team - otherwise why bother with this site at all.

Further to my and other posters contributions-
- think I was little tough on Murdoch given previous 2 weeks. Know he is still " green" but given his pace, kicking assets and potential as a run with, would be ideal to find a way to settle him prior to finals
- agree with others on Caddy. Seems to have gone up a level with confidence

 

[Senatorguesty]

Stop picking sides with players we hope will play well. Fair enough TV needs game time. But to attempt to carry him with Stringer and Smedts doing #### all while Murdoch (who had finally hit some form) watched from the bench while GHS who had played very well watched from interstate is just not smart.

Oh and SJ needs/needed a club sanction or at least an indication that what he's doing is wrong and will no longer be tolerated. As opposed to ignorant head in the sand bull shit.

He isn't in high school.
He is an adult.
I have no doubt he knows exactly what the club thinks and what he himself thinks. To smack him on the bum and shake their collective fingers at him saying "bad boy" will do absolutely nothing.

 

[Pivo]

We don't like playing interstate on Sundays.

I don't know if there is much point speculating as I have zero idea what is going on internally at the club.

But that defeats the purpose of the Interwebz.

We play high risk-high reward footy. We contiually play through the corridor and we do appear to freewheel a bit at times. All these things can conspire against us if we aren't "on".

Against both Brisbane and Adelaide we got caught out because of the way we play. We seemingly weren't able to slow the tempo when both opponents got on a run. That inability to swing the momentum back is a bit of a concern but I'm hoping it is possibly due to some factors (trying to run some players into form, high intensity training load, *gulp* complacency etc) but sometimes you just have to tip your hat to the oppositiion.

Adelaide played pretty well. They were inaccuarte early and they could have been 2 or 3 goals up at quarter time. Considering they were missing their prime mover in Dangerfield (and subbed off Thompson) they did a pretty good job.

However, we have displayed an ability to lock sides down and have done it against good opposition (Hawthorn and Fremantle).

Rather than dwell on the games against Brisbane and Adelaide, I look to the games against Hawthorn and Fremantle.

Just like after the Brisbane match, I'll wait and see how we respond in the next couple of games before deciding if there is a serious issue.

 

[Sttew]

But to surrender such a lead and end up with a coach telling us all is well? I have trouble conjuring with that.

.

'That' lead was flattering. Had the Crows been accurate (and Geelong less uncharacteristically efficient) scores may have been much closer during 3Q.

 

[FredLeDeux]

We don't like playing interstate on Sundays.

I don't know if there is much point speculating as I have zero idea what is going on internally at the club.

But that defeats the purpose of the Interwebz.

We play high risk-high reward footy. We contiually play through the corridor and we do appear to freewheel a bit at times. All these things can conspire against us if we aren't "on".

(1) Against both Brisbane and Adelaide we got caught out because of the way we play. We seemingly weren't able to slow the tempo when both opponents got on a run. That inability to swing the momentum back is a bit of a concern but I'm hoping it is possibly due to some factors (trying to run some players into form, high intensity training load, *gulp* complacency etc) but sometimes you just have to tip your hat to the oppositiion.

Adelaide played pretty well. They were inaccuarte early and they could have been 2 or 3 goals up at quarter time. Considering they were missing their prime mover in Dangerfield (and subbed off Thompson) they did a pretty good job.

However, we have displayed an ability to lock sides down and have done it against good opposition (Hawthorn and Fremantle).

Rather than dwell on the games against Brisbane and Adelaide, I look to the games against Hawthorn and Fremantle.

(2) Just like after the Brisbane match, I'll wait and see how we respond in the next couple of games before deciding if there is a serious issue.

You raise 2 key issues, Pivot.
We depend heavily upon our main scoring source, turnovers at half-back, with sometimes 8 players behind the ball and, eg, Hunt/Mackie/Bartel/Enright concentrating at least as much on attack as defence. If it keeps coming in fast and clean because we're getting whacked in the middle, they can get caught out on both positioning and attitude.
(2) After Brisbane we got ourselves up for the 2 biggies in Hawthorn and Freo.
Will the older players - still the ones who drive the team - be able to get themselves up to the highest pitch for sides their subconscious assesses as weaker?

 

[Hoffy95]

We have the most over-reactive supporters in the AFL.

One week we're inked in as premiers, next week can't make the finals.

Other teams must laugh at us the way some of us carry on when we're 14-3. Most clubs would give anything to have that record.

 

[Senatorguesty]

We have the most over-reactive supporters in the AFL.

One week we're inked in as premiers, next week can't make the finals.

Other teams must laugh at us the way some of us carry on when we're 14-3. Most clubs would give anything to have that record.

Although I agree I think a few other clubs have that over us, Tigers and Roos for a start

 

[Partridge]

We have the most over-reactive supporters in the AFL.

One week we're inked in as premiers, next week can't make the finals.

Other teams must laugh at us the way some of us carry on when we're 14-3. Most clubs would give anything to have that record.

They would laugh - we're not 14-3 for starters. We're 13-3.

 

[rocker_oz33]

I thought the crows game was close even though the cats were 4-5 goals up.They played really good footy and stuck to there guns and played liked it was there last match.Pity jimmy Or harry missed those goals.

 

[Partridge]

He isn't in high school.
He is an adult.
I have no doubt he knows exactly what the club thinks and what he himself thinks. To smack him on the bum and shake their collective fingers at him saying "bad boy" will do absolutely nothing.

Like the club imposed sanction in 2007 did nothing?

 

[FredLeDeux]

They would laugh - we're not 14-3 for starters. We're 13-3.

Been waiting for you, where were you the last 15 times 14-3 has been cited?

 

[Senatorguesty]

Like the club imposed sanction in 2007 did nothing?

Well he WAS a kid back then.
Completely different situation.

 

[Partridge]

When we lose we are in a 'heavy training load'.

First option is always to look for excuses. Anything to avoid unpleasant truths - namely that they aren't so great they can flick the switch whenever we want, we do take lower sides too easily, and there is definitely a slackness and arrogance within the group at times.

 

[topic97]

When we lose we are in a 'heavy training load'.

Yeah but look at the way the boys ran the game out - their ability to get to the contest towards the end of the 3rd and last quarter wasnt there.
They all looked physically spent!

Couple that with Hawks & Freo well below their own output too and its a pretty compelling case to say that all 3 clubs are well into finals preparation!!

 

[topic97]

First option is always to look for excuses. Anything to avoid unpleasant truths - namely that they aren't so great they can flick the switch whenever we want, we do take lower sides too easily, and there is definitely a slackness and arrogance within the group at times.

I dont know if its an arrogance so much.
Its easy to forget sometimes in losses like this that this team has been up and bloody dominant for over half a decade now - itd be pretty hard to remain in that "kill" state game after game.

I have faith that they will be in the right frame of mind come september!

 

[Partridge]

I dont know if its an arrogance so much.
Its easy to forget sometimes in losses like this that this team has been up and bloody dominant for over half a decade now - itd be pretty hard to remain in that "kill" state game after game.

I have faith that they will be in the right frame of mind come september!

But that isn't true. It just isn't. They aren't on top now - they finished 7th last year and were bundled out in the first week of the finals. Half the guys who played in 2007 aren't there now. That's far too simple an excuse.

 

[topic97]

But that isn't true. It just isn't. They aren't on top now - they finished 7th last year and were bundled out in the first week of the finals. Half the guys who played in 2007 aren't there now. That's far too simple an excuse.

Yeah but when you think that our best 10 or so are all our seniors that have played in all or most of our flag wins, it does factor into it surely.

Im not saying that its solely an excuse, but majority of sides struggle to mentally get up again after winning 1 flag let alone winning 3.

It takes a bloody incredible club & group of players to be able to get up & dominate game after game after game.
And we have that incredible group of players & club, but at the end of the day they are still all human.