AFL Autopsy RND 10: Down to the Giants

[eth-dog]

Gown and Jones, just get them in when we can, I'd rather lose with them than lose watching Mackernan give frees away for fun.

s**t, I was going to post this soon. Damn

 

[Milanista28]

sh*t, I was going to post this soon. Damn

I know you've been on the get Smack out train for a long time and his last 2 3 games has got me on board, Absolutely no way Gown can be worse, I refuse to believe that.

 

[MiguelM]

I heard a stat that tackles inside 50 were GWS 22, Ess 4

WTF. that is the game right there.

 

[eth-dog]

I know you've been on the get Smack out train for a long time and his last 2 3 games has got me on board, Absolutely no way Gown can be worse, I refuse to believe that.

Finally, someone else awake to it. Last 4 games have resulted in an average of 8.75 touches, 3.5 marks, 1.5 tackles and totals of 9 FA, 18 clangers and 0 goals 5 behinds.

That being said Stewart hasn't really done a lot either

 

[ant555]

Yes that happens in a starving us sense but it doesn't explain the opposition reeling in 30 point leads while we try to play a possession game with questionable pinpointing skills...

Well actually it does as strangle our options as far as moving the ball. That results in large periods of time being spent in our back half. It is that pressure that builds and builds. If we had a couple of players who could hang onto a mark it changes the play as we get to control the footy.

 

[ant555]

Dude, not matter which way ya spin is everyone is still going to be angry every week. Under rate or over rate.

There is angry and there is angry. I was pissed we lost but when you accept we are not a great side then you do not need to ask 1000 questions .

 

[ant555]

Finally, someone else awake to it. Last 4 games have resulted in an average of 8.75 touches, 3.5 marks, 1.5 tackles and totals of 9 FA, 18 clangers and 0 goals 5 behinds.

That being said Stewart hasn't really done a lot either

I said a few weeks ago he needed to be out of the side because his dumb free kicks where hurting us. However he does get to play until someone else is ready to fill his role. Bellchambers may not give away the free kicks but proved to be totally useless in other ways. We could hardly play with no KPF. It is what it is. Everyone knows he is a C grade player.

 

[ant555]

Nurse Daniher back carefully and lure Cameron in for a change of scenery.

Drop Zaharakis.

Give McKenna his passport.

Tell Tippa to not pass it off anymore.

Work on bringing in another clearance Mid and search for another big body defender.

Not going to happen.

 

[eth-dog]

I said a few weeks ago he needed to be out of the side because his dumb free kicks where hurting us. However he does get to play until someone else is ready to fill his role. Bellchambers may not give away the free kicks but proved to be totally useless in other ways. We could hardly play with no KPF. It is what it is. Everyone knows he is a C grade player.

Give the kids a go. They might be liabilities as well but McKernan is 30 in 24 days, at least they're young and might have a future.

 

[ant555]

Give the kids a go. They might be liabilities as well but McKernan is 30 in 24 days, at least they're young and might have a future.

It is okay to say that now although they have not been 100% happy with Gown so far as far as for goes coming back from his injury. That changes as the season goes on and they play more scratch matches. I would not be against looking at Crauford. Jones has only just come back. Bryan is not physically ready so the only other option is Phillips. With the back 6 doing okay without Hooker then he could be an option when he gets back.

 

[Knighta21]

If the AFL doesn't come out and fine Ward for staging or say the free kick was incorrect after doing so for Papley, it 100% confirms a bias against Essendon and I'll be done with the AFL. So many games thus year (not just Essendon) have had abysmal umpiring. What sort of organisation changes the interpretation of rules not only from round to round but quarter to quarter. No wonder this sport hasn't taken off overseas because no one understands what makes one incident a free kick but the same thing happening 5 minutes later is not.
Rant over.

 

[eth-dog]

It is okay to say that now although they have not been 100% happy with Gown so far as far as for goes coming back from his injury. That changes as the season goes on and they play more scratch matches. I would not be against looking at Crauford. Jones has only just come back. Bryan is not physically ready so the only other option is Phillips. With the back 6 doing okay without Hooker then he could be an option when he gets back.

I do think Hooker is the answer when he gets back but let's have a look at Crauford. We know what we'll get from Phillips and it isn't very hot, but 2 games into Crauford against Collins or Ballard then Carlisle or Howard would be a good test for him IMO.

 

[CBombers17]

There is angry and there is angry. I was pissed we lost but when you accept we are not a great side then you do not need to ask 1000 questions .

I makes watching the games more enjoyable too.

We are a very ordinary side. Why, how and who's responsible are all important factors but when i watch that 22 play GWS i am only looking for consistent effort and maybe some signs of a game plan being embraced by the group.

Are you seeing a group that's starting to get a new game plan? It looked like it in the first half but then again it's hard to tell if that was GWS in second gear.

 

[ant555]

I makes watching the games more enjoyable too.

We are a very ordinary side. Why, how and who's responsible are all important factors but when i watch that 22 play GWS i am only looking for consistent effort and maybe some signs of a game plan being embraced by the group.

Are you seeing a group that's starting to get a new game plan? It looked like it in the first half but then again it's hard to tell if that was GWS in second gear.

It has been there . Some games for longer periods than others. Even with Merritt last night, I noticed a couple of Zak specials on the long shot where his pressure was zero but he also did some really good two way work at other times. They just need to find the personal and a plan to be able to control the game when sides zone the corridor and hold us up. I think the back 6 actually do a super job given the pressure they adsorb week in and week out.
It is the little things like Walla letting Shaw to get forward and kick his first goal.

 

[Milanista28]

We have no quality talls forward so go small and over kick to space and aim for boundary throw ins, I'd even be happy to enter the forward 50 by kicking scrubbers purposely along the ground

 

[Mercurial89]

I'm not saying it's a conspiracy, but making it out to be like it's no different to other sides is also ignoring the truth. By that, I don't mean the other sides don't cop bad calls, but interpretation seems to go against us most of the time. Townsend was concussed and that wasn't a free kick in front of goal. Ward's incident is a free. That's what makes this sport unprofessional.

I don't think the Townsend one was a free. Townsend leant in to collect the ball and Shaw stayed high and eyes only for the ball.

Happy for that not to be a freekick or a reportable offence. It was just unfortunate

 

[Stopher]

s**t, reading through this I'd actually forgotten the Shiel deliberate that went over the heads of 2 Essendon players. FFS

Done with Mckernan too. At least in the past he'd have the occasional great game to balance out his other efforts. This season though? Nothing but free kick against.

 

[Bombermania]

Good teams win those ones! Zakka says Lloyd was wrong to question the club's culture but in Lloydy's day that would have been a solid win.

 

[FlyingV]

This team cannot run out games. If anyone has the stats on how many 4th quarters we’ve won I’d be interested...

 

[Halftimehero]

Free kicks are doing my head in, are we just bad at giving them away? Is there something we are/aren’t doing? We can’t keep being on the wrong end every single bloody week without a reason.

We were even in disposals with GWS and win the contested ball by 6, yet the free kick count is still lopsided against us? Why?

We are at the bottom of the chain for free kicks received, that’s a fact, but why?

 

[Halftimehero]

This team cannot run out games. If anyone has the stats on how many 4th quarters we’ve won I’d be interested...

2-7 in last quarters and the two we’ve won have been by 1 and 2 points.

 

[eth-dog]

This team cannot run out games. If anyone has the stats on how many 4th quarters we’ve won I’d be interested...

We won against the Bulldogs 3.3 to 3.2 in the last...

 

[Lore]

 

[FlyingV]

2-7 in last quarters and the two we’ve won have been by 1 and 2 points.

Not surprised at all. And one of those was the dogs as mentioned above... they would have parked the bus by that point.

 

[JayJ20]

I don't think the Townsend one was a free. Townsend leant in to collect the ball and Shaw stayed high and eyes only for the ball.

Happy for that not to be a freekick or a reportable offence. It was just unfortunate

I agree with that. I don't have an issue with Townsend's non-free, but that calls Ward's free kick into question. Ward after the game said he knew the contact was coming so he definitely played for that. Not much McKernan can do about it. The umpire close to the contest didn't pay the free. It was the central umpire who essentially guessed. My point is, we can have a healthy discussion about the state of umpiring without detracting from our woeful performance after half time. In the last quarter, GWS were paid 8 free kicks + a 50 to our 1 free. We were undisciplined (eg McKenna's and McKernan's stupid free kicks), but GWS weren't playing perfect disciplined football. I don't believe the gap was that much. I don't blame the umpires as the AFL is making it very difficult to umpire the game.

How will the AFL explain Townsend's non-free and Ward's free? My guess is they won't comment. If they have to comment, they'll call Ward's free a technical free kick and ignore Townsend's non-free because it's easier to explain it that way.