Autopsy Rnd 6: ANZAC Day loss to the Magpies

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I think the problem with HTB is that the game is already so overumpired that if every free that was there was paid wed have the 50 free kick debacle of the Melbourne game every time.

Its the strangest and most un-spirit of the game thing to let go but it has to be that way, particularly due to congestion.
The thing is, HTB stops the game turning into a rolling scrum. If they stop paying it, then players will just possess the ball, take on the tackler(s), drop it to the advantage of a team mate - rinse and repeat until within kicking distance of goal. That won't end well for the spectacle of the game imo.

The umpires are giving players more time to dispose of the ball when tackled - which I think is good, and reduces congestion. But allowing a player to be tackled to the ground / ball to hit the ground and not calling HTB will increase congestion, as the only way the opposition can win the ball at that point is to jump on top of the player and lock it in.

I tend to think the officiating of the game yesterday was effected by the occasion - the umpires didn't do great in a high pressure environment. It happens, no one is perfect. I'd only be concerned if yesterdays interpretation of HTB was actually the new normal.
 

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Mercurial89

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The thing is, HTB stops the game turning into a rolling scrum. If they stop paying it, then players will just possess the ball, take on the tackler(s), drop it to the advantage of a team mate - rinse and repeat until within kicking distance of goal. That won't end well for the spectacle of the game imo.

The umpires are giving players more time to dispose of the ball when tackled - which I think is good, and reduces congestion. But allowing a player to be tackled to the ground / ball to hit the ground and not calling HTB will increase congestion, as the only way the opposition can win the ball at that point is to jump on top of the player and lock it in.

I tend to think the officiating of the game yesterday was effected by the occasion - the umpires didn't do great in a high pressure environment. It happens, no one is perfect. I'd only be concerned if yesterdays interpretation of HTB was actually the new normal.
We are seeing that move the ball forward at all costs attitude already. The tigers are masters of it.

Take on the tackler make them commit to the tackle and then run in waves. Eventually as long as you keep moving the ball forward your numbers overwhelm the players that are there and they run out of bodies to make the tackle.

The frustration is that the high octane tackling is good when it gets rewarded but when it doesn't it sucks more and more players into the contest. If tackles were rewarded you spread the ground as players are forced to hang back and it opens up.

This all flows into the most frustrating parts of our game.
-too many players around the ball
-poor umpiring because they miss things with so much going on
-lack of one on ones
- low scoring football

You tidy up the umpiring of holding the ball and the game will change for the better. They did so much research on new rules etc when if they just stuck with rules there and enforced them we would have a better product.
 

VelvetSledge

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Just wait until HQ come out and say everything was perfectly umpired
I might lose it if that's the case.

That and the AFL mouthpieces in the Herald Sun, SEN, etc all saying that booing is a bad look for the game. Unbelievable how they're trying to tell passionate, emotional fans how to react, especially after that disgusting performance from their officials.

Get absolutely ******.
 

DapperDon

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I might lose it if that's the case.

That and the AFL mouthpieces in the Herald Sun, SEN, etc all saying that booing is a bad look for the game. Unbelievable how they're trying to tell passionate, emotional fans how to react, especially after that disgusting performance from their officials.

Get absolutely ******.
Booing was the perfect cover story for them, it allows the umpiring to go into the background. The media did their job for HQ perfectly, no media accreditation being taken away this week.
 

tandino

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I might lose it if that's the case.

That and the AFL mouthpieces in the Herald Sun, SEN, etc all saying that booing is a bad look for the game. Unbelievable how they're trying to tell passionate, emotional fans how to react, especially after that disgusting performance from their officials.

Get absolutely ******.
The MCC put 30 people in hospital with some dodgy chicken and we are all worried about a bit of noise.

Where was the ANZAC spirit in the kitchen that day?
 

yodellinhank

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(Taken from the cats preview thread)
I think we showed we can compete with the best teams, that makes us a contender. That was a finals like pressure game.
It was a pressure game that we were never going to win, because when things got tense we reverted to the same habits that have kept us being a side that can't win these sorts of contests.

Mids all sucked into the contest, flankers push in to fill the space vacated by the mids and key players pushed too far up the field to fill the spots vacated by flankers.

Several times we had Saad and McKenna with a chance to break off half back and play "our way", and there was nothing up the field to facilitate it.
 

JayJ20

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We had 87 turnovers to 78. As much as you want to blame umps, even 5 less turnovers could mean 5 more shots on goal to us and 5 less to Collingwood.

That's how you win close games.

We just arent experienced enough in front of big crowds. Losing a close one on ANZAC day is probably the best way to learn if you want to be better under pressure in September.
Yep. As crap as the umpiring was, we made some crucial errors that cost us the game. Still very optimistic about our chances this year. We’ll trouble many teams I think.
 

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Maddogm

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I might lose it if that's the case.

That and the AFL mouthpieces in the Herald Sun, SEN, etc all saying that booing is a bad look for the game. Unbelievable how they're trying to tell passionate, emotional fans how to react, especially after that disgusting performance from their officials.

Get absolutely ******.
How's this weeks rant coming along? :p
 
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Watching the replay (yup!) first ten minutes done and we have our first lot of booing (minor) when a free kick was paid in our forward 50, I think the first or second time we'd had it down there all game since we camped in D50 for a bit first. Not even 2 minutes later there's a fifty paid to Moore against Daniher, who thankfully kicks a behind. Score is now 0-2. They trap it in their fifty, take two more shots to get a goal. Score is now 0-8.

edit:

Apparently the mowed grass strips are 9 metres. So any marks you see paid that's the measure. Another couple of inside 50s repelled by Moore's marking, but we keep forcing the turnovers and sending it back in. Stringer eventually converts one and we have our first goal on the board. 6-9.

Parish handball to Shiel under pressure on the D50 line, who sent it to Treloar led to their next goal, then we won the next clearance only to have it rebounded like lightning down the field, our defence broke down and they basically just ran straight in and kicked it from the square. 6-22

It's not that we aren't trying but the speed and pressure is causing our structures to give way. We're probably pushing up too far and getting it kicked over our zones as well at this point, offensively as soon as we give them a chance they're closing down space and blocking the corridor. Not gonna get through that unless you do it quickly, not this kick and mark slow game. And yet when we go fast, we fumble and put ourselves under pressure probably 40% of the time. Very much playing on Collingwood's terms atm. Saved by the siren at the end of that quarter.


First quarter stats (E-C):
38-43 contested possessions
5-10 clearances
2-3 centre clearances
9-18 inside 50s
100-120 disposals
20-16 tackles
45-55 time in fwd half
(From channel 7 on screen stats)

"All nine first quarter scores were sourced from turnovers. Essendon has allowed its opposition to score from 21 per cent of its turnovers this season, the second-worst percentage conceded by any side."
From the match feed: https://www.afl.com.au/match-centre/2019/6/ess-v-coll
 
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I’m glass half full with this match.
Kids better for the run in a high pressure finals style game (McGrath, Redman, Riddles, Guelfi, Parish).
We pushed a well drilled top 4 side to the very end.
We still have room for improvement.
Years gone by we would have rolled over when we got 5 goals down...they actually showed a bit of mongrel to fight it out to the end.
 
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Should've, could've, didn't. Lots of positives though.
I thought Bellchambers had a good game against the best.
Could be a turning point for Guelfi.
Should learn from playing the last 5 mins as if there was 30 secs left.
Unfortunately we face Geelong next game but I think this game [coll] is our turning point.
 
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Clearances were 14-7 in the second quarter, total is now 19-17.
Free kicks 6-7.
Inside 50s 25-32
Turnovers for the half are 44-39
Our kicking efficiency to half time is 64%.

We started roving off Grundy and it worked for us. Played the game more the way we like to play instead of trying to play it on Collingwood's terms. More of a shoot out style of game, we kicked 1, they kicked 3, then we kicked 3. Cut the margin from 23 points to 15. Joe's goal after that siren certainly eased the scoreboard pressure just enough. We look more composed, but the pressure still shows. We look un-necessarily rushed at times, affects our decision making, though not as bad as in the first quarter.
 
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