AFL Autopsy RND 19: Beaten by the Giants

bombreys

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May 8, 2015
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Bad day just couldn't get rolling, people need to temper expectations though we are in a similar spot to bottom 4 rebuilding teams and are 8 and 10, plenty of development still to come.

The thing is though, it’s not the kids that are hurting us (bar Ham, who is exactly the same as Zakka - an absolutely terrible player in close games/if there’s even a chance of physical contact) - it’s the same old senior players that continue to get games. We don’t select players based on form, it’s based on name and name only. We have Dyl Clarke running around in the 2’s getting 30 stats every week - while Zakka and Cutler jog around scared of physical contact in the 1’s. Smith is another.

The whole ‘rebuilding/developing’ team stuff is overstated - we’re not that young at all.
 
Sep 12, 2003
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Genuinely unsurprised. Have not been playing well for a while now. GWS weren’t great and when you can’t beat them as badly as they played that should give you some idea of where we are at. Some players simply are way off the boil. Great to see Shiel back even if underdone.
 
The thing is though, it’s not the kids that are hurting us (bar Ham, who is exactly the same as Zakka - an absolutely terrible player in close games/if there’s even a chance of physical contact) - it’s the same old senior players that continue to get games. We don’t select players based on form, it’s based on name and name only. We have Dyl Clarke running around in the 2’s getting 30 stats every week - while Zakka and Cutler jog around scared of physical contact in the 1’s. Smith is another.

The whole ‘rebuilding/developing’ team stuff is overstated - we’re not that young at all.
2nd youngest team last week. No idea this week.
 

TheWeapon

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May 20, 2012
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Second week in a row that teams have played keepings off with us, not tight enough with our defensive zone
No one on whitfield who is key to their drive was a constant problem

After half time got pantsed in the centre, some young tiring players shown up in the contest. Draper has athletic ability but is still needing a proper footy education

Need to build depth in the squad for players to come up and take the spots of zaharakis, cutler, smith, hooker, stewart
 
Feb 4, 2001
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Lol

Greene yes. I’ll give you Hill and De Boer at a stretch.

I’m across most AFL lists and the other 6 are not
Best 22 at the Giants. Period.

McGrath, Hurley/Francis, Langford, Caldwell, Hardy Jones are at Essendon.


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Hurley will be lucky to play again.
 

fairbump_playon

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Jun 27, 2014
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Sticking tackles

Clean hands, not fumbling

Kicking the ball 39 meters so it reaches the goals

These things would have helped

But really the way we let teams progress the ball by foot is the main problem. Not good at all.
 

Squeaky

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Oct 4, 2005
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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.
Spot on.
He ran past contests with no one around him.
What a woeful performance that was. Did not work hard enough. Let them do whatever they wanted.
That was not blue collar at all! Piss poor
 
Last edited:
Jun 11, 2007
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Sticking tackles

Clean hands, not fumbling

Kicking the ball 39 meters so it reaches the goals

These things would have helped

But really the way we let teams progress the ball by foot is the main problem. Not good at all.
kinda feel we're happy for teams to carry the ball up until they enter our defensive zone, then we try to close up and rebound
problem there is we don't have the defensive discipline yet to stop marks inside 50 or spilled balls lead to a shot on goal.

Last two wins came from 2 teams who were useless up forward.

next 2 weeks will be tough, but i'm hoping we're more reactive to those games and just play on instinct.
 
Apr 6, 2008
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This forum needs a slap head reaction
If you mean people are unrealistic in being disappointed we didn't seize the chance to jump in the top 8 then I agree. Realistically we are a 10-15 level side. Even with our best 22 available we are presently unable to rate above the top 6 sides. Dropping a couple of slots and getting a pick inside top 8 will serve us better going forward.
 
Jul 23, 2018
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Archie, Durham and Ridley get a pass. Maybe Stewart. No one else seemed interested. Any decent side would've put GWS to the sword today. They played terrible football. We were worse though and all it took was for GWS to realise that and get a free walk into the 8. We had absolutely no desire to get stuck in and make a game of it. Just an all round mentally and physically weak effort. Not sure what was said at half time but the signs were all pointing to a meek loss even though we were up. Hands down the worst game ive seen the great man Tippa play. Will be interesting to see if we can get up for any of our remaining games this year. We look shot. Zaka risk backfired. Guelfi would've offered more. Now that Clarkes back from injury id probably throw him a few games to finish the year. Cutler is an obvious delist in my opinion. Just doesn't use his frame to the teams advantage and his decision making has always been random. Ham has too many of these nothing games. Maybe he'd go ok at another club but he is not what we need. We need physicality and commitment to the contest. He has no presence on the field. Waterman hasn't been great but id have him in instead.
 
If you mean people are unrealistic in being disappointed we didn't seize the chance to jump in the top 8 then I agree. Realistically we are a 10-15 level side. Even with our best 22 available we are presently unable to rate above the top 6 sides. Dropping a couple of slots and getting a pick inside top 8 will serve us better going forward.
It's sorta a thing I've wanted for awhile now but you raise a good point.
 
Yeah felt like they really missed Stone tonight.

Us not having Baldwin hurt too.
If only Ross McQuillan was in the country, really could’ve made a difference tonight.
 
Apr 6, 2008
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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.
You've highlighted an area that needs attention. Somewhere between a porous zone and an outdated hard man on man lies the solution to us letting other teams stroll out of our forward 50. I dont know the answer but them no one is paying me a 6 figure salary to work out footy tactics. We find the answer or wallow mid table.
 
Apr 6, 2008
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If that is the case they are never going to be winners
they are professional footballers-not sure we have a father in our squad
excuse culture 101
Yes and the Swans have been on the road for 6 weeks and haven't missed a beat. If we are going to make excuses like this, we are opening the door to mediocrity.
 

the PILL

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Jul 29, 2007
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Not here to doom and gloom but that is our achillies heel right there on display, if our little sports car midfield is off the other holes we have become exposed, 1. No damaging player tags. 2. The zone gets shredded. 3. The aggressive press gets exploited. 4. We play players unsuitable for certain roles and the opposition uses it as a mainline because we don't adapt.

It's worrying as it's an old old problem that never translates well for finals football.

Everyone loves our pretty football but it is easily counter attacked if our selection and or personnel is off...

I'm not angry, I'm just a tencey bit dissapoint.
 
Aug 24, 2007
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Umpires where all over GWS early u wud have to be blind to not see it, wanted to watch more of the match tho was busy. Not many times have I seen a team beat the umpires 2 goals to Zip until the pro GWS umpiring arrived in full swing.
 
Apr 6, 2008
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It's been a regular theme here to slag off our mids for kicking the hall on Tippa's head against taller defenders. But watching closely the last few weeks, it seems he tends to park himself quite often under where a kick from a set play is likely to go rather than moving either
away from or to the fringe of the marking contest. And at least 3 times tonight he ended up on a 1 on1 aerial duel with Nick Haynes- how does that even happen with any sort of a forward structure.?
 

ghostdog

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Oct 18, 2008
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We have been flat for 3 weeks.

No pressure today. GWS got to space too easily, we didn't push up enough defensively.

Roos & GWS stifled our run through the middle. stop start possession game not our thing.
There was one particular play a few weeks ago to which I responded that our ball movement was shocking, even though we'd won, and that a better team would not let us get away with the same. It was typical of the kind of thing we had been doing against both Adelaide and North. Rutten pretty much implied the same last week - happy with the result, disappointed with the performance. A few hours in retrospect, the players need to reset and have a good look at themselves. Our intensity to start the game was excellent. There's work to do.
 

fairbump_playon

Premiership Player
Jun 27, 2014
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kinda feel we're happy for teams to carry the ball up until they enter our defensive zone, then we try to close up and rebound
problem there is we don't have the defensive discipline yet to stop marks inside 50 or spilled balls lead to a shot on goal.

Last two wins came from 2 teams who were useless up forward.

next 2 weeks will be tough, but i'm hoping we're more reactive to those games and just play on instinct.
I wondered about this too... whether they were happy to concede a lot of uncontested marks (because why else is it happening) but a lot of those chains are ending in marks inside 50. That can’t be the plan.
 

avignon

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Oct 8, 2004
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I just think we are mentally drained. 3 weeks ago looking forward to a string of home games, then bang, back in the hub, while other teams stay in Melb who were supposed to be away.

It is well known that Tippa struggled big time last year & looks flat as ever, but we haven't be "on" for 3 weeks. No dare, no dash.

If we play flat next week, Swans will have a big win.
So typical of a pampered football side. All clubs are being challenged. Harden up, Essendon!
 
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