Review Our selection panel needs to be reviewed

[living_in_syd]

Normally I wouldn’t say selection cos a game, but yesterday's game I think it potentially did influence it.

We lost it by being too desperate at the selection table when we didn’t have to be.

Leaving hungry in form players like Lennon and Loyd really cost us by bringing in underdone grith and conca who both added nothing or in some cases both gave away goals. All week we said we wouldn’t flirt with form but in the end on Friday night we did. I just can't get my head around why we did.

However on the flip side we also decided to keep a clearly underdone Chaplin who trained under a cloud all week. And it showed. We should have brought in someone else like Astbury who I think would have done a lot better yesterday than the underdone Chaplin.

The problem is the selection table is never made accountable. All year there has been funny selections not playing certain players or keeping players but it has been masked over all year because we ended up winning (and somehow it ends up being justified).

Also, the week before, we arguably used a better selected side against an B grade north. Clearly that should have been the only avenue for Conca/Grifth if they were ready to play that game first before an elimination final. If not, then don’t play them. Simple. We probably could have rested a 1 or 2 like Maric and Deledio that round but choose not to.

What do you think? Do we need to get smarter in this area? What else frustrated you?

 

[Infamy]

I still want to know how Griffiths & Conca playing had anything to do with Cotchin, Edwards, Ellis & Lambert barely touching the ball and doing nothing with it when they did. It was contested ball where we were beaten. I agree that Griff should have kicked those two goals, but that's not why we lost.
At least Griffiths kept Hansen busy and out of Jack's way, as soon as he was subbed Hansen came back into the game

 

[theflea]

We don't know what is discussed in MC so we only have an outsiders view. I didn't mind the selections, but Griffiths just didn't keep Hanson busy enough. If he just kicked that goal first up his confidence would have soared. He is a worry this bloke. Conca I can accept even with his howler of a turnover. All our supposed good players did that.

 

[Infamy]

I didn't mind the selections, but Griffiths just didn't keep Hanson busy enough.

I don't think there is any way that Jack would have kicked his 4 goals if Griffiths wasn't keeping Hansen from cutting off his leads. I guess the question is would Lennon have kept him busier, however in Round 23 Hansen was doing his standard role against us doing exactly that even though Lennon was in the side.

 

[Danog]

I still want to know how Griffiths & Conca playing had anything to do with Cotchin, Edwards, Ellis & Lambert barely touching the ball and doing nothing with it when they did. It was contested ball where we were beaten. I agree that Griff should have kicked those two goals, but that's not why we lost.
At least Griffiths kept Hansen busy and out of Jack's way, as soon as he was subbed Hansen came back into the game

For about a quarter. He was completely out of gas after that. He couldn't break out of a jog.

 

[tigerisland]

I did not have an issue conca for Lloyd. Finals is about tackling, pressure and contested ball. Conca is far better at that than Lloyd.
Griff they did not just to keep Hanson busy but also as someone else to work over Goldstein. It was a mistake from the outset in my view. Lennon is a classy finisher

 

[TimorTiger]

It didn't help but we will never know. Lennon unfortunately doesn't tackle and have a tank in H&A games so you can understand why they didn't pick him for a final. Ultimately the onus is on him to show that he can do this and make the selectors job easy.

Sometimes I do think we get a little too obsessed with the opposition's strengths and select based on this rather than the best team - ie. selecting hampson and maric against jacobs (the old selecting 2 limited players -love maric but limited as pure ruck- believing that this equals one great player mistake) . We have had success bringing in players (morris) to do a negating job on stars, but not when we try and go match up like for like. Sometimes you have to go with your own strengths and try and hurt the opposition the other way.

 

[Mr Magic]

I still want to know how Griffiths & Conca playing had anything to do with Cotchin, Edwards, Ellis & Lambert barely touching the ball and doing nothing with it when they did. It was contested ball where we were beaten. I agree that Griff should have kicked those two goals, but that's not why we lost.
At least Griffiths kept Hansen busy and out of Jack's way, as soon as he was subbed Hansen came back into the game

Still want to know why Lambert was not put on Harvey. Would have been a full role he could have totally owned for the game!

 

[living_in_syd]

I hope there are no repucusions for not playing Lennon. I would feel fustrated and bemused, espcially if my contract was up for renewal.

 

[TimorTiger]

I hope there are no repucusions for not playing Lennon. I would feel fustrated and bemused, espcially if my contract was up for renewal.

Agree, although you can't select players just because they are out of contract. Lennon has said in numerous interviews that his defensive pressure is lacking and so he can be in no doubt why they didn't select him - but obviously it turned out to be a mistake.

 

[CoggaRules]

Didnt know this but listening to SEN it was suggested that the reason Taylor Hunt was let go by the cats was they came to the realisation that he couldnt tag after being torn a new one by Boomer at Etihad back when...so what do we do? yep we try and prove them wrong...stupids!!

 

[living_in_syd]

Agree, although you can't select players just because they are out of contract. Lennon has said in numerous interviews that his defensive pressure is lacking and so he can be in no doubt why they didn't select him - but obviously it turned out to be a mistake.

Yeah it was more so he had performed for a good month on average. That should have counted for something. Bringing in a two guys that hadnt played for month out of nowhere would have bemused me.

What was funny was the fitness guy said earlier in the week he thought grifth was still a week away. Clearly he was overuled.

 

[Punt Road Feral]

Who is actually on our selection committee?

 

[blaisee]

Didnt know this but listening to SEN it was suggested that the reason Taylor Hunt was let go by the cats was they came to the realisation that he couldnt tag after being torn a new one by Boomer at Etihad back when...so what do we do? yep we try and prove them wrong...stupids!!

McIntosh should of tagged boomer, if not him then trent cotchin

He was the only one along with Waite that could take the game away from us, and we played our two worst players on there two most dangerous players.

Dimma needs a kick in the ar$e for that performance.

 

[CoggaRules]

McIntosh should of tagged boomer, if not him then trent cotchin

He was the only one along with Waite that could take the game away from us, and we played our two worst players on there two most dangerous players.

Dimma needs a kick in the ar$e for that performance.

OK so we have Cotch not seeing any of the ball in the middle, so what does Dimma do? 0, SFA, leaves him there instead of putting him on the HB line or doing something to get him into the game...this has happened to many times now...Dimma does not change it up when shit aint happening...

 

[have a RHG]

I still want to know how Griffiths & Conca playing had anything to do with Cotchin, Edwards, Ellis & Lambert barely touching the ball and doing nothing with it when they did. It was contested ball where we were beaten. I agree that Griff should have kicked those two goals, but that's not why we lost.
At least Griffiths kept Hansen busy and out of Jack's way, as soon as he was subbed Hansen came back into the game

whole heartidly agree. The buck stops with Cotchin Ellis Titch and to a degree Lids on this one. these guys improve their output by 5% each we win the game.

 

[blaisee]

OK so we have Cotch not seeing any of the ball in the middle, so what does Dimma do? 0, SFA, leaves him there instead of putting him on the HB line or doing something to get him into the game...this has happened to many times now...Dimma does not change it up when shit aint happening...

Its a big problem

He doesn't have the ability to think on his feet and make moves. Its Plan A or bust, and it has now cost us 2 elimination finals

 

[Boston tiger]

I thought we panicked. 5th playing 8th. Just steady as she goes.. Should have smashed them. I think Dimma said they took a risk but why?

 

[WATiger86]

We lost the game at the coal face, contested ball. Griff had no impact on that. Our straight kicking kept us in the game longer than we should have been.

HOWEVER, the extra tall probably contributed to the ease that norf rebounded out of our backline, time after time. Always had an extra number around the ball and walked it out with ease.

 

[have a RHG]

Its a big problem

He doesn't have the ability to think on his feet and make moves. Its Plan A or bust, and it has now cost us 2 elimination finals

in saying that.. when the chips are down you look to your captain to do whatever it takes to lift the side. Cotchin needed to change his approach and get after the footy as oppose to waiting to receive it. I understand the point of view of moving him but also understand the position the coaching staff took.

 

[Infamy]

Its a big problem

He doesn't have the ability to think on his feet and make moves. Its Plan A or bust, and it has now cost us 2 elimination finals

Is it really a problem? We haven't lost too many close games this year
The games we've lost we've been off for the whole game, except perhaps the Freo loss at the G and that was a player going against team orders

 

[Neen]

We lost the game for a number of reasons. The selection of two underdone players in a cuthroat final is the single dumbest selection blunder of the year. I called it on selection night. Leaving Lennon out for the softness of Griffiths to "stretch" their backline. We owned the first 15 minutes of the game, and potentially should have setup a win with 5 easy goals. Newie missed his sitter, and Griffiths missed 2 easy shots. I wanted him subbed at 1/4 time. What he did in the second quarter made Chaplin's error with Nahas look pedestrian. On the member's wing, Griffiths went third man up, thumping the ball to the Norf end of the ground where a norf player ran on to the ground and kicked a goal. He tapped the ball into open space where there were no tigers players.

Conca added spark, but was short on AFL intensity. Nice goal, but he turned the ball over twice - once was a 12 point play.

dimma goes on about "what we can control" - Yes our leaders went missing again. The umpire made many mistakes but THAT dropping the ball cost us a 12 point play (not under our control). But on Thursday night, leaving Lennon and Lloyd in the side may have given us a different result.

Should someone be sacked - hell yea. That was a blunder that we had control over.

 

[tigerz18]

while i agree with why Griff was selected, he was underdone and shouldnt have come in. if they had used him better, McBean could have and should have come in and done a better job. He wouldnt have needed to be subbed out either. Once Griff was subbed, the reason he was brought into the team (to make Hansen accountable) went out the window and Hansen started taking marks. It was baffling to see the selection and the reason be subbed.
Also, dropping an inform Lennon for Conca who has played 2 gmes this year was a brain fade. Lennon should have been starting and someone like Titch (who is still underdone as well) starting as the sub.
But to then sub Griff for a small was just dumb.

 

[Roachy8]

Conca is not a sub (thank God that was our last green vested player...)
He is not an 'impact' type and his real value is grinding it out in the clinches (where we got smashed yesterday)
If he really was deemed fit then we needed him in the guts from the start.

Unfortunately the match committee's thinking was exposed in Dimma's press conference afterwards.
They thought they could get 2 and half quarters out of Griff before subbing him for Conca for the final one and half quarters.
So a query on both of them playing 4 quarters? In an Elimination final?

Risky tactic....

 

[CoggaRules]

Conca is not a sub (thank God that was our last green vested player...)
He is not an 'impact' type and his real value is grinding it out in the clinches (where we got smashed yesterday)
If he really was deemed fit then we needed him in the guts from the start.

Unfortunately the match committee's thinking was exposed in Dimma's press conference afterwards.
They thought they could get 2 and half quarters out of Griff before subbing him for Conca for the final one and half quarters.
So a query on both of them playing 4 quarters? In an Elimination final?

Risky tactic....

??...ummm in hindsight it wasnt risky, it was totally f***ed!!