Reality Bites

[blynd_freddie]

Ok a couple of games dropped, yeah I’m p!ssed off like most supporters but give the guys, coaches, club some credit.

We are in the 8 for goodness sake, we still have the chance, a bloody good chance of making the finals. The AFL have got a fair bit right so far as an even competition is concerned with currently 11 teams, no throw Essendon into the mix as well, 12 teams thinking they are good enough to continue playing in September.

So enough of the let’s make wholesale changes and call up most of the sunnycoast to see if they’ve got what it takes. Enough of the sack Leigh, nah bring in the toe-cutters and also sack all the assistants. Sheesh…. Really. Again we are currently in the eight!!

So why are in eighth position? [sorry, stats time]

1.We’ve won more than we’ve lost, 54.94% [equal sixth]
2.We are 5th. in the amount of scoring attempts. [goals, behinds and misses] with only Geelong, Dogs, Pies and Hawthorn with more.
3.We are 6th. in goals scored.
4.We are 2nd. in behinds scored
5.And sadly, 13th with a 50.4% conversion rate!!

With that said,
Melb vs LIONS – 23 vs 27 scoring kicks – defeated by 1 point.
Tiges vs LIONS – 27 vs 34 scoring kicks – defeated by 3 points.

Inside 50’s… LIONS 925 vs Rest 885 we have gone inside 50 forty more times than our opponents, we ARE a better than average team but due to poor kicking will struggle to finish in the top four.

If we can rectify this fault we WILL play finals.

Again, STOP dwelling on the negatives FFS and look at the positives, this is a good team and depending on their ability to improve on their current faults should be optimistically looking forward to September.

 

[Hollow Knight]

A brilliant (and surprisingly coherent) post from Freddie.

 

[tysonp]

Totally agree with you freddie. Top shelve work.

 

[Cousin Jed]

Sack the statisticians.

We stink!

 

[blynd_freddie]

Sack the statisticians.

We stink!

To cut another 2,000 word essay short, just for you cuz...

 

[luthor]

Essentiallly agree with what the Blynd one has posted.

We have the firepower up forward, even if they have been collectively erratic with their conversion.

If only we could get our fair share of possession and if only we didn't have those horrible 10/15 minute periods where we can't win a centre square clearance to save ourselves.

This is the root of our problems, I believe.

The onballers get so little of it, that when they do have it, they seem like rabbits in the spotlight....
'
"Oh shit, we've got it for a change....better do something clever....where's Browny???"....there's a better option!!!!.....but no ....better kick it to Browny"

"OOPS...............clanger!!.....turnover............DAMN!!"

I found watching the last quarter of Carlton/Bulldogs yesterday most instructive.

The Blues were getting well beaten at the center square for 2 and a half quarters and for 2 and a half quarters, when they did have it, they inevitably "overkicked" it to Fevola, despite the fact that most of the time he was well out of position and/or double teamed..............result??????....well behind on the scoreboard and not looking like seriously challenging the Dogs who were having a ball generating counter-attacks from their back half.

I'm not a good enough analyst of the game to understand what changed from mid way through the third quarter but I do know that the Blues started dominating the center square clearances, got more than their fair share of the pill from the clearances and suddenly started finding multiple scoring options in their forward half.....suddenly Betts, Fisher and even Wiggins were presenting as scoring threats and what do you know??.....Fev starts getting time and space to lead into, takes numerous marks and kicks 4 goals in the last quarter.

Now ,as I said I'm no tactical genius but what I do know, is that once the on-ballers get on top, the forwards get an armchair ride and if they are good enough forwards (and Fev is good enough) they can tear the defence to shreds.

Brown and Bradshaw together have at least as much scoring firepower as any forwards in the comp so if only the midfield could generate enough decent supply, I believe we could go far.

Find a way to win some center square clearances!!!.....if that involves experimenting with the midfield setup, then so be it!!!!

 

[notting18]

Im not a fan of those threads where people just agree with the OP...but sometimes it is required

 

[blynd_freddie]

Find a way to win some center square clearances!!!.....if that involves experimenting with the midfield setup, then so be it!!!!

Luthor, are you suggesting the Grant Thomas school of thought re ruckman are not worth a pinch of the proverbial and that mids should only seek anchor points and only go with the flow of the ball and or opponents?


You would not be on your own, the great Bobby–triple brownlow–Skilton who when playing for South Melbourne, rarely had a dominant tapper, so he perfected the roving to the opponents knocks. One might argue that there were no taggers back then but conversely there was also no centre square therefore more crowding.
Many non dominate ruck taps these days seem to go straight to ground hoping for their mids to get the better of a fifty fifty comp at the fall of the ball.


Going back to my original point, I will acknowledge our 539 vs 589 deficit of 50 clearances to opponents but we STILL eventually have sent it forward an overall season total of 40 times more than the opposition.

Again, for me the problem is not getting it there but what we do with it when we do.

 

[Grimreepah]

Fred, your post does make some sense, but are you sure this is better than the panic and change everything philosophy?

 

[blynd_freddie]

hahaha, I'm just offering a "balanced"? alternative opinion... for what it's worth.

PS - so what's worse, giving or taking a rats tossbag?

 

[Chasing the Dream]

Sometimes you don't need to be Blynde Freddie to see the things in the OP.

This time it helped

 

[PaddleFoot]

If you want to engage in a scoring shoot-out - as all the TD games seem to have become - you sure as hell better win the centre clearances. We don't and the backline get buried in leather. All other clubs have looked at the Cats and gone with the high possession skill-based game - except maybe the Hawks who have a jazzy defensive setup AND a gun small forward ! We have the power forwards .. that's about it. Ball goes in, ball comes out at velocity esp. on kick-ins. No Plan B.

 

[lionbear]

Great Post BF

I believe as long as we keep improving nature will take its course

 

[choco123]

I think that at the Dome we need to be more defensive and try to flood more when we're ahead. Almost inevitably whenever we get into a shootout at the Dome we lose.

Simple thoughts from a simple guy

 

[xplo]

Luv ya work, Fred.

I remember the "Would you take 5th position now?" post from around round 6-7 and the general consensus was no, we can do better. I doubt that would be the position now.

There was a reason we finished bottom half for the last 3 years, so any jump to 5th was always a big win in my books. I remember POBT saying something similar.

Unfortunately it's always tempting to look at the good games as brilliant and the bad games is abysmal. Fact is, a couple of kicks different against the Tigers and Dees and we're 2 points clear in 4th.

In the end, we're both brilliant AND abysmal -- like all developing teams are.

 

[acuguy]

I think the Reality is that we have been carried all year by Patfull, Brown, Bradshaw, Black and Power, the reality is that these blokes are tiring, they can no longer carry us, the lack of input of others is now seriously an issue. Our stars are getting older and there is a distinct lack of youngsters willing to assert themselves as senior footballers.

 

[_Gin]

I disagree acuguy.

Brennan has consolidated this season, Razzle's started off brilliantly, Merret is the number 1 spoiler in the comp, Clark's coming good, Roe's looking good, same with Joel Mac when playing, and now that Drummond is no longer being forced to play defence (because of no one else available) he's able to show his true worth bringing it forward.

How old is Patful? I think he's got a fair number of games left in him.

We've got a good crop, but they do get outshown by the guys you mentioned.

Reality isn't as gloomy as you like to make out it is.

 

[lionbear]

Good call Gin. I think Brennans Maturity has realy started to shine through this year, I think he really will start to pay big dividends for our patience over the next 2 years.

 

[choco123]

This may seem overly negative, but when we were flying and about $1.02 to make the eight, I remember thinking that if I supported anyone other than the Lions I would've put at least $50 on them not making the eight taking into account their previous three seasons. Looks like I may've lost a little bit of cash by not taking that bet (hopefully I will be proved wrong though ).