Autopsy Round 18, 2025: Positives and Negatives vs Port

[Obeanie1]

Pos:
We were slick and efficient early, got scoreboard pressure on them.
Harley was good when you look at the possessions but they did look for him a lot more.
J Williams solid
Shanahan - glimpses, but definitely quality
Baker was fantastic early on esp ground balls
H Edwards - Elite intercepting, very very happy with how he has developed - eat shit Simmo
Ginbey excellent just so reliable
Hutch kept trying
Malakai was good in patches - can def see the potential
Dewar was good I thought

Neg
Need more out of Hough (Was he tagging?), Hewitt, Hall
what happened to Brockman (and Ryan earlier) rolling through the midfield?
Hutch was a momentum killer
Cripps horrible
Flynn apart from that Goal didn't do much

Maric invisible after half time
Bailey Williams a total waste of space after the first goal

Flynn didnt do much?

Thought it was 9ne of his better games. Especially 1st quarter.

Sweet didnt do much at all.

 

[Obeanie1]

Maybe Duggan needs to play midfield as a bigger body-tagger to hand pass out to our young blokes.
Hough could return to his best position - in defence.

Duggan IMO doesnt have a great inside handball game. His first instinct is to look for a kick, not a lighting handball.

 

[kranky al]

I just loved Duggans dump kicks straight to the opposition too forgot to mention….

 

[stallon]

Hough needs to go back to defence. He's not a mid. Gross in , Cole out, Hough down back.
Cripps is cooked, he's trying but the game is slowly pulling away from him
Hutch is a forward that takes hangers, why do we persist in playing him on the wing?
Legs.... either too old, or not old enough. Don't have enough in between.

We arent taking Hough out of the middle to put Gross in lol, thats only going to make our midfield worse. Gross cant even run out a game, he'd just get thrown around

 

[Cuzz09]

think Gross needs to be in the side.

I'd rather Gross than Long.

*sex lyfe

 

[Mulldogg]

Negative - which one of you campaigners mozzed us by saying Joe Richards would be the no name that put us to the sword?

23 disposals, 7 tackles, 8 score involvements and 2 goals 3 behinds.

Bastard went full Jason Davenport

Jason Davenport

Age

40

Ht

185cm

Wt

82kg

Pos.

M/F

Career

Season

Last 5

D

14.0

4star

K

7.0

3star

HB

7.0

4star

M

3.9

4star

T

4.0

5star

CL

0.6

3star

No current season stats available

D

16.6

4star

K

8.0

3star

HB

8.6

5star

M

5.0

5star

T

3.0

5star

on us.

 

[DorothyG]

Look, I love Gross as much as the next WCE BigFooty nuff, but come on...
A small, 6 game rookie ain't the Messiah, and if he plays, he ain't changing the outcome of that game.

For sure, play him, get games in to him. But the way some of you lads are glazing him, I think you need to seriously lower your expectations

 

[Wce17]

Good call, Caro. I thought he did well, considering - worth sticking with.

He looked a little off pace at times which is understandable but a lot to like. Hopefully he’s get another year.

 

[Marlin01]

McCarthy’s stats are trending down toward the middle of the road 20 per game.

We need to get the ball in his hands 2 or 3 more times per quarter to get him back up to the 30ish mark.

 

[DanWCE]

McCarthy’s stats are trending down toward the middle of the road 20 per game.

We need to get the ball in his hands 2 or 3 more times per quarter to get him back up to the 30ish mark.

Might be copping a bit more oppo attention after his blistering start. Port seemed to shut down a lot of his space to get the one two, which left us stuck with the dinky kick into the pocket.

A lot of those smaller set play things will be thrashed out once the basic foundations of the game plan are understood. Really hope we maintain this run of mass availability next season because we're set for it to click in a big way and make some media pundits look silly.

 

[squashface]

Might be copping a bit more oppo attention after his blistering start. Port seemed to shut down a lot of his space to get the one two, which left us stuck with the dinky kick into the pocket.

A lot of those smaller set play things will be thrashed out once the basic foundations of the game plan are understood. Really hope we maintain this run of mass availability next season because we're set for it to click in a big way and make some media pundits look silly.

The only way it clicks is if the players have a collective elite preseason in terms of fitness building imo. Can't afford any Harley Blimps returning from offseason because then it will be over before it starts.

 

[Cuzz09]

McCarthy’s stats are trending down toward the middle of the road 20 per game.

We need to get the ball in his hands 2 or 3 more times per quarter to get him back up to the 30ish mark.

Prob need Maric to get into it a bit more when McCarthy is being swamped.

A sweeper

 

[Marlin01]

Might be copping a bit more oppo attention after his blistering start. Port seemed to shut down a lot of his space to get the one two, which left us stuck with the dinky kick into the pocket.

No doubt that’s happening, but it doesn’t take a huge amount of restructuring to free up a half-back from a stoppage for example.

We played an entirely different game-style against Port.

 

[Marlin01]

Prob need Maric to get into it a bit more when McCarthy is being swamped.

A sweeper

Even just have players looking to block rather than providing a handball option.

Lots of basic ways it can be done.

 

[Cuzz09]

problem is they look a million bucks every year in pre season and we get told they're the fittest they've ever been yet every year they're levels behind the other sides.

 

[Dark Sharks]

Jobe officially equals A.Reids goal contribution for the season (4)... In 3 games.

Archer played 11.

 

[kranky al]

Flynn didnt do much?

Thought it was 9ne of his better games. Especially 1st quarter.

Sweet didnt do much at all.

Flynn is ok round the ground but lost 32-40 in the ruck to sweet whilst attending 8 more hit outs

Meanwhile we are getting flogged at the clearances…

 

[DanWCE]

The only way it clicks is if the players have a collective elite preseason in terms of fitness building imo. Can't afford any Harley Blimps returning from offseason because then it will be over before it starts.

It's beyond the realms of possibility that Harley comes back in poor nick next preseason. I reckon he would be his harshest critic and he will have a hug point to prove in year three. He, Ginbey, Hewett need to set the standard and make sure these other young boys fire up to control their own destiny a bit more.

 

[Cuzz09]

Even just have players looking to block rather than providing a handball option.

Lots of basic ways it can be done.

Yeah

It's beyond the realms of possibility that Harley comes back in poor nick next preseason. I reckon he would be his harshest critic and he will have a hug point to prove in year three. He, Ginbey, Hewett need to set the standard and make sure these other young boys fire up to control their own destiny a bit more.

And a young bull Sharp learning too

 

[FKASC]

Would like to see Hewett's first half touches this year vs his second half. I reckon he's had a lot of fade outs. Fingers crossed for a full pre season and launch into next season.

In fact in many of his earlier games he’s quieter in the first half and then gets lots of the ball late. I don’t think it’s just fitness related tbh. I just don’t think he’s that good as an on-baller (yet).

He reminds me a bit of Kelly as an inside midfielder. He’s so keen to get on the end of an attacking chain that he doesn’t seem to know when to get first hands on it or when to defend. So he ends up ball watching and going missing a bit.
Looks a million bucks on the outside and in stoppages close to the forward 50.

Hopefully I’m wrong and better fitness will allow him to impact contests for longer.

Wouldn’t mind seeing him have to fight Gross for one of the on-ball positions next year rather than assuming he’s entitled to it. Given he was always the standout talent in a weak WA junior midfield pool having to fight for his position might do him good.

 

[Magnum27]

We lost again, with another terrible fade out in the last quarter, where we failed to kick a goal, yes we have some small improvement, but it's pretty much the same things every week for the last 3 years. Only good thing is we are doing it with young players now, so that is positive hopefully.

Cripps has to retire at the end of the year, he is cooked, but knowing our list management he will be gifted another 2 years.

After seeing Jobe and Jack out their together, i would be letting Oscar go, he is superfluous to our needs, he certainly won't be part of our next premiership , it seems his body is giving up on him, and is not worth a long term deal at big coin, these two youngsters look like our future JK & JD once they get some game time together, plus add in Waterman, and we have our key forwards set. Would rather see them week to week, than Oscar who just cannot go as his body/knee is shot.

Baker has to be captain next year if we are being serious.

I would love to see Harley just worry about getting the ball, rather than engaging with the morons and umps. He should sit down and watch some of Juddy and Cuzzy footage in their early days, they never bothered with that garbage.

 

[squashface]

It's beyond the realms of possibility that Harley comes back in poor nick next preseason. I reckon he would be his harshest critic and he will have a hug point to prove in year three. He, Ginbey, Hewett need to set the standard and make sure these other young boys fire up to control their own destiny a bit more.

Yeah hoping we don't see him as the "Victorian Races Ambassador" again tbh

 

[Obeanie1]

Flynn is ok round the ground but lost 32-40 in the ruck to sweet whilst attending 8 more hit outs

Meanwhile we are getting flogged at the clearances…

And Sweet had two possessions in the 3rd quarter.

We weren't flogged in the ruck v Port.

JHF, Rosee, Wines and Butters did the damage.

Against Harley, Hough Hall and Hewett.

Let's just stop and think anlbout that.

Hmmmm. Alot of H's on ball for us.

 

[Total_Juddshanks]

I would love to see Harley just worry about getting the ball, rather than engaging with the morons and umps. He should sit down and watch some of Juddy and Cuzzy footage in their early days, they never bothered with that gagarbage.

I think you just have to accept it's part of his football dna, and it comes from the exact same part of his personality that makes him want to don't argue petracca and back himself to kick goal of the year out of the centre. Basically he's an arrogant campaigner who believes he can beat anyone and every time he steps onto the football field he lets that show.

Which is totally fine, there are plenty of players, including some of the greatest of all time who played with that sort of attitude, and if it works for him it works. Some people take the cousins or judd route, some take the toby greene route, either works.

At the moment we are seeing Harley as a second year player, largely unsupported, basically fighting a one man war against far bigger and stronger midfields. I have no doubt he's copping far more attention off camera and under packs than anyone knows, and he's clearly made a conscious decision that he's going to refuse to accept standard young talented midfielder treatment, pre-empt that and go after whoever he's playing on. I have no issues at all with that, particularly in games like this one where as well as yapping at Horne-Francis, Butters, the umpires and the crowd he pretty much carried our entire midfield for the full game. As he gets older he'll get smarter and also the number of opposition players inclined to start shit with him once hes fully grown will drop exponentially- he's already a big boy who likes to fight, once he's fully developed people will steer clear.

And honestly just enjoy having a midfielder whose first instinct when they line up next to the likes of Tom Green or Butters is to fight them rather than ask for a selfie. Its a good thing.

The only constructive suggestion I'd make is when it comes to the umps he'd do well to learn to be polite and respectful to them at all times- he can fight the whole other team and the crowd and the commentary box for all I care but AFL umpires are both human and petty as shit, and will generally look after stars who have a nice word for them- and conversely they can and do target particular players who they decide are pricks- so whatever else he does, if he's smart he'll learn to not yap at them. Basically polite behaviour to umpires is probably worth 2-3 touches a game for someone who plays like he does.

 

[Big_Birdy]

Flynn is ok round the ground but lost 32-40 in the ruck to sweet whilst attending 8 more hit outs

Meanwhile we are getting flogged at the clearances…

How many of those went to the opposition also? He gifted JHF two goals in the last.