AFL Toast Round 18 - Gold Coast Sent Packing

[Godzke]

Credit to Guelfi. 10 tackles, 8 inside 50. Next highest Ti50 was 2.

We've struggled trying to replace that pressure AMT brought. Snelling did well for a while, Smith in bursts but not consistent enough, Ham just doesn't have the smarts, but Guelfi has really stood up recently. He's the first small fwd getting selected on the team sheet at the moment.

 

[srobbo]

Back 6 are becoming rock solid now & continually give us drive for repeated i50’s. Zerk, Bull & Pidge have given us some really good flexibility back there past few weeks.

 

[srobbo]

Credit where credit is due. Guelfi has been great the past month.

Was arguably our best today. Is starting to use his head more & think his way through games, rather than just being a bull out of a gate & running b/w contests.

 

[ghostdog]

Just finished watching the replay, and what an impressive win. A good contrast with the circle work of last week, with better forward ball movement.

Merrett, Shiel and Caldwell were brilliant. Kelly, Hind, Ridley, Redman, Laverde and BZT were a friggin' wall.

A pleasure to watch. Bring on the Pies!

 

[sameolds33]

Great game from Redman. Was seemingly everywhere.

 

[JayJ20]

Regarding the poor start to the year, we played all of the current top 5 teams in the first 6 rounds. Also played the 6th team away and the reigning grand finalists in the first 9 games.

Geelong (1st), Brisbane (3rd), Melbourne (2nd), Adelaide (16th - a win), Fremantle (4th), Collingwood (5th), Bulldogs (9th - reigning grand finalists), Hawthorn (13th - a win), Sydney away (6th).

There aren't many teams that survive that start, let alone a young and inexperienced team. For some perspective, Melbourne's record against these teams (Geelong - L, Brisbane - W, Adelaide - W, Fremantle at home - L, Collingwood, L, Bulldogs - W, Hawthorn - W, Sydney at home - L). The reigning premiers went 4-4. We went 2-6. Given the injuries, the only unexpectedly disappointing games were Geelong (first half), Fremantle (second half) and Sydney all game, but those 3 have done that to many teams this year. The rest went as expected given the experience and age demographic of the group.

I'm disappointed with the start of the year, but also recognise that turning up for the first half of the season likely wouldn't have given them many more wins than the current win-loss record. Collingwood is probably the only possible win there and they won because they kicked 15.3. Maybe the percentage would have been a little better, but I don't see many wins even with a fit and healthy list playing the way we currently do.

I can see why people have their eyes firmly on the first 5 rounds next year, but I'm looking at the off-season. Do they finally address the midfield imbalance? Or are they seduced by the second half of the year and completely forget the first half? We'll see.

 

[Yoda_]

Regarding the poor start to the year, we played all of the current top 5 teams in the first 6 rounds. Also played the 6th team away and the reigning grand finalists in the first 9 games.

Geelong (1st), Brisbane (3rd), Melbourne (2nd), Adelaide (16th - a win), Fremantle (4th), Collingwood (5th), Bulldogs (9th - reigning grand finalists), Hawthorn (13th - a win), Sydney away (6th).

There aren't many teams that survive that start, let alone a young and inexperienced team. For some perspective, Melbourne's record against these teams (Geelong - L, Brisbane - W, Adelaide - W, Fremantle at home - L, Collingwood, L, Bulldogs - W, Hawthorn - W, Sydney at home - L). The reigning premiers went 4-4. We went 2-6. Given the injuries, the only unexpectedly disappointing games were Geelong (first half), Fremantle (second half) and Sydney all game, but those 3 have done that to many teams this year. The rest went as expected given the experience and age demographic of the group.

I'm disappointed with the start of the year, but also recognise that turning up for the first half of the season likely wouldn't have given them many more wins than the current win-loss record. Collingwood is probably the only possible win there and they won because they kicked 15.3. Maybe the percentage would have been a little better, but I don't see many wins even with a fit and healthy list playing the way we currently do.

I can see why people have their eyes firmly on the first 5 rounds next year, but I'm looking at the off-season. Do they finally address the midfield imbalance? Or are they seduced by the second half of the year and completely forget the first half? We'll see.

This really does show what the second year of a "rebuild" can do. If year one (2023 for us) has anything to do with our future success, the weighted fixturing will give us a better opportunity for success in 2023, then should we take advantage of this and finish 6 - 12 and the weighted fixture works against us, then 2024 will see us required to beat sides around us and better from the get go IF we are to genuinely push to be a top side.

 

[Yoda_]

What has stood out the last few weeks has bee that team first mentality. Hobbs had an opportunity to blaze at goal but hit up Martin. Langford was spotted up inside 50 when a shot on goal could have been had. Those small blocks are becoming autonomous amongst the group now. It really is easy to see why the good teams are good when we start to do those small things well.

 

[JayJ20]

This really does show what the second year of a "rebuild" can do. If year one (2023 for us) has anything to do with our future success, the weighted fixturing will give us a better opportunity for success in 2023, then should we take advantage of this and finish 6 - 12 and the weighted fixture works against us, then 2024 will see us required to beat sides around us and better from the get go IF we are to genuinely push to be a top side.

If I'm honest, I'd rather win as many games as possible and finish with a tougher fixture for 2023. The reason for that is because I don't want to make finals on the back of smashing bottom sides like last year. I'd rather finish top 8 because the team is genuinely one of the best 8 teams. If it means missing finals next year, then the team isn't ready to make finals anyway. I personally think we've learned more this year playing good teams than we did making finals last year by beating up on bottom teams. I don't think we'd be using Caldwell to tag the best mids if not for the difficult fixture.

Though unlikely (but surprisingly doable), winning all remaining games (Collingwood, North, GWS away, Port in Melbourne and Richmond) is worth more than draft picks or an easier fixture because that would mean winning the last 8 games (and 9 of 10 games), which is difficult to do for even the best team in the competition. I think it's worth more than an easier fixture. It's more likely that the players are motivated to give everything over the off-season with that type of finish to the season.

 

[Yoda_]

If I'm honest, I'd rather win as many games as possible and finish with a tougher fixture for 2023. The reason for that is because I don't want to make finals on the back of smashing bottom sides like last year. I'd rather finish top 8 because the team is genuinely one of the best 8 teams. If it means missing finals next year, then the team isn't ready to make finals anyway. I personally think we've learned more this year playing good teams than we did making finals last year by beating up on bottom teams. I don't think we'd be using Caldwell to tag the best mids if not for the difficult fixture.

Though unlikely (but surprisingly doable), winning all remaining games (Collingwood, North, GWS away, Port in Melbourne and Richmond) is worth more than draft picks or an easier fixture because that would mean winning the last 8 games (and 9 of 10 games), which is difficult to do for even the best team in the competition. I think it's worth more than an easier fixture. It's more likely that the players are motivated to give everything over the off-season with that type of finish to the season.

Have maintained that losing games for draft picks is worth significantly less than the culture one wants its football club to stand for. Melbourne in those lean years may have got Trengove / Scully but was it really worth the decade of poor results? (not knowing the fact they went on to win premiership last year). Of course not.

I am firmly in the same thinking as you, I want us to win and genuinely be one of the best 8 teams in the comp.

 

[carnthedons]

Good win, can see what we’re building but at the same time we beat the only side that can currently rival us for mental fragility. Good that this was our week to kick poorly for goal.

Like many others in here I’ll take the wins over the draft position, especially when you consider we got a player better than you’d think at p13 in Hobbs and Nic Martin is like a bonus first round pick.

Redman is just a gun, I don’t care if he makes the AA squad but he should as a two way star.

Sam Draper is the most watchable player in history, don’t @ me, he just is.

Shiel playing great even if he has horrible depth perception with his kicking.

Ben Hobbs looking more and more like the least Essendon of the past 20 years player I can imagine.

Langers been great since coming back in, not giving the handball to a rampaging Red Dog notwithstanding.

Phillips, just competes, love that for him.

Was a fun game to watch as a bomber but would’ve been terrible for a neutral. Think the pies will be a much tougher test this week.

 

[TheUnicorn]

 

[Zephyr Effekt]

View attachment 1449639

 

[Squeaky]

Good to get a win but that was the fast food of footy wins.
Good at the time and sated us for a week but there is no long term good in it.

The fast free flowing footy is OK except we still do not use the ball anywhere near well enough and the Suns were just having so poor a day they didn't hurt us on rebound.
Don't get me wrong - it was exciting and great to win and all run hard forward - but a better team would punish some of the poor ball use we got away with.
I don't want to see bad habits set in.
That balls and all running forward footy will not win finals IMO...

 

[silk]

Have not seen the game but no surprise that the more the young blokes play and the fact we have players key players back from injury has meant better footy is being played.

The forward line functions so much better with Jones, Langford and Stringer in. It has also let Guelfi play a more defensive game. We still lack pace in the forward line, though, which will need to be addressed at some point.

I've been a basher, but Shiel has been much better in the last 5 weeks too.

 

[bacon buster]

You know I should be happy but instead I'm frustrated. Where was this when it actually mattered? Once again the same things are happening again, we do nothing for 2/3rd's of the game/season, get a run on towards the end and we learn NOTHING! Then we gather up all our hope that maybe, just MAYBE next season will be the year we get. JUST FOR DODORO TO * IT UP AGAIN!

We are the AFL's definition of Insanity.

this

i'm enjoying the wins at the moment. it's been a tough year to get my kids into the footy, so it's great to see them have something to cheer about.

however all of this is a bit meaningless. apart from getting games into the young kids, i think it's disappointing that, once again, we only play the right brand of footy when the pressure is completely off.

i want to see this kind of effort and brand from round 1 next year.

 

[kleanr]

View attachment 1449313

even the AFL and Umpire STIFFS cracked a smile!

 

[kleanr]

On top of that:
27 to 17 frees.

We got the rub of the green.

have to disagree here, free kicks aren't 'good guy credits'. so many of the frees were legitimate HTB decisions.
agree, the rub of the green was more like umpires didn't make too many howlers and influence the game

 

[Zephyr Effekt]

The fast free flowing footy is OK except we still do not use the ball anywhere near well enough and the Suns were just having so poor a day they didn't hurt us on rebound.

They didn't hurt us on the rebound because our defensive structures were solid.

Don't get me wrong - it was exciting and great to win and all run hard forward - but a better team would punish some of the poor ball use we got away with.

They also ran hard back or did you miss that part.

That balls and all running forward footy will not win finals IMO...

This isn't the worsfold let the opposition transition the ball uncontested so we can cause a turnover then run and gun from half-back game-plan.

We were actually trying to make it as difficult for them to transition the ball and even held them scoreless for a quarter where the ball lived in our forward half for most of it.

 

[Mr Mojo Risin]

Happy to see wins built of good defensive running, pressure and team work, then dare on transition.

Suns weren’t great but we also could have beaten them by a lot more.

 

[citizen-erased]

What has stood out the last few weeks has bee that team first mentality. Hobbs had an opportunity to blaze at goal but hit up Martin. Langford was spotted up inside 50 when a shot on goal could have been had. Those small blocks are becoming autonomous amongst the group now. It really is easy to see why the good teams are good when we start to do those small things well.

I noticed some nice blocking through the game. brings a tear to the eye, it's been that long.

I know this one might feel stupid, but even when we get a free, there's less of the player awarded going to get their own ball. they can set themselves and a teammate gets it for them instead of streaming to their spot.

I feel the "team" side of things is there now. not sure what Truck did to get it back, but kudos to him. it's there

 

[Zach Package]

I don’t think that brand of footy gets us all that far but you can’t blame us for going Super Saiyan when the Suns gave us our one wood and a big bucket of balls.

There’s good elements in there though, we’re getting really strong play on both wings, we’re shielding the backline from some of that horror turnover stuff, we’re making better decisions without the ball and more importantly a bit of pressure inside 50 to stop the game and allow the back half to set itself. All good stuff to carry on with.