AFL Autopsy RND 19: Beaten by the Giants

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Lack of flexibility in the squad seriously hurt us today. Nearly every single week a club sends a tagger to one of parish/merrret, yet we don't respond at all. Whitfield carved us up today, with how ineffectual our mids were, thought sending someone to him in a negating role would've been a good move.
Our reluctance to play one is puzzling
 
Sep 29, 2016
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That was our worst loss for the year, hands down.
Absolutely zero care for the contest and putting in the hard yards defensively in the second half.

Got away with it vs Norf, but GWS' midfield just took the inch and ran for miles around us.

I expect the younger guys to fluctuate this late in the year, thats fine, but the collective effort of the senior players outside of - Heppell, Ridley and Merrett - were incredibly disappointing.
 

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Zaka wasn’t awful but when you promote blokes who haven’t earned it whilst dropping guys who don’t deserve to be dropped, it has a flow on effect to the team mentality.
 
Oct 6, 2020
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We won't win another game for the rest of the year and will get absolutely belted by Sydney next week.

Devon Smith should never play again.
 
Oct 1, 2006
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Fundamentally our midfield doesn’t have enough tricks and the flanks lack xfactor and movement to offer anything if the mids don’t fire.

It also looks like we are trying to develop a less risky ball movement game off half back that we don’t have the forwards to execute.
 
The better team certainly won. GWS did an excellent job of exposing us, especially through the midfield.
Another very flat performance, especially for a side fighting for a place in the 8. Would like to see Truck send a message with selection for next week, effort like that cannot be tolerated. Second to the contest far too often, and a lot of guys looking like they were going through the motions. It wasn’t like GWS were applying great pressure either, they just played a tactical game and did what they needed to do. We never even looked close to it after half time.

Hooker, Smith, Zaka and AMT gave us about the output of 1 player between them. We must start changing up the forward line.
Stringer, Parish and Merrett are our matchwinners and they were all beaten.
The backline at least looked functional but didn’t have a ton to work with up the ground and made poor decisions at times.

Probably a pretty good reality check for how far away we are from playing a competitive final
 
I blame Cale Hooker.
 

DeezNuts

Team Captain
Mar 24, 2016
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Is anyone concerned that our star midfield of Merrett Parish Stringer and Shiel don’t know how to defend?

They just let Whitfield do whatever he wants in that second half
 

Petrify

Premiership Player
Mar 1, 2021
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Lost the game at the selection table. Literally the worst side we've fielded all year. Zaharakis, Ham, Cutler & Hooker are not AFL level. The fact that Guelfi who puts in 100% every week didn't get selected over any of them actually makes me sick.
 

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Apr 30, 2006
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Just can't keep winning with Merrett and Parish going bezerk and Stringer chipping in.

Tippa can barely move. Must be carrying something.

Shiel straight in for me but to add Zaka to that mix kills our run and adds to the number of cooked players.
 
May 6, 2007
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I get all the anger and frustration. But for a side tipped to be bottom 4 this year id say we are going ok.

Get around them

Was just thinking that. Many tipped us to finish near the bottom instead we are / were fighting for a finals position with one of the youngest lists in the comp


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DeezNuts

Team Captain
Mar 24, 2016
486
783
AFL Club
Essendon
Lost the game at the selection table. Literally the worst side we've fielded all year. Zaharakis, Ham, Cutler & Hooker are not AFL level. The fact that Guelfi who puts in 100% every week didn't get selected over any of them actually makes me sick.
How does Ham actually play AFL footy? It feels like a cruel joke watching him play against men
 
Aug 21, 2016
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At least we won’t be playing finals, would just be another unwanted demolition job for whoever we played. Our transitional defence needs to be fixed ASAP it’s deplorable. So many weak efforts over the ball today that I hope get called out in review. Shining lights Durham who is something special, Ridley and Cox.
 
Outcoached badly, no stoppers at all put on their prime ball movers in Kelly and Whitfield.

- Zero desire for the contest or man.
- Can’t keep carrying so many flakey types, Zacka, Ham, Cutler etc

Stewart isn’t up to it and never will be
Hooker still has the desire but he just can’t do it anymore
Tippa was deplorable
Smith too slow and bar the lucky snap can’t finish
Redman had his worst game of the year
 
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