AFL Autopsy Round 4: 65 point loss to Adelaide

[Bombermania]

People have blinkers on - Brown was excellent tonight - Switched onto Lynch when Hurley was struggling - Lynch has his worst game of the year.

I thought he came into the game in the second half after a quiet first half, at HT, I would have been calling for him to be dropped but his second half was good.

 

[BOMBERS 4 LIFE!!!!]

Can see us losing our next 7 games after the 2-0 start to the season.

Not sure how some posters can be 'content' after the performance tonight. The opposition looked great at times (as they have so often done in many home & away campaigns since their last flag in 1998 but fail to deliver against quality opponents when it counts) but to dish that up in the first quarter after we were coming off a disappointing loss last week was pretty unacceptable.

Can handle losing to a better side but 65 points!? Needs more analysis than "typical interstate performance" & "we played the best side" ...

Pies,Demons,Freo,Cats next 4.

Only game I can see us winning is Melbourne.

 

[RedmanWasHere]

Essendon were simply outplayed which is a given.

Couldn't help but marvel at Adelaide's skillage.

We move onto next week.

 

[freddy mercury]

We need to find another small defender.

Dont think so, not many clubs have dangerous small forwards. Crows have 3 of them!

 

[MarkG]

It appeared as though the boys were simply not up for this game. They started like it was a continuation of the Carlton game. Fumbling, rushing, appearing to have no space, the opposition brushing off their tackles... even 18yos like Milera pushed guys like Watson aside.

Crows were the aggressors and we were the hunted. Then when they got the ball, there was little or no pressure on them.

Crows had way too much space on their forward line. Ours was so congested in comparison.

Green was limping for the whole game but tried hard. Kelly played the worst game I have ever seen him play.

Positives were the way that we hung in there and despite not being up for the game early, we gutsed it out. Crows are acting as though they took the foot off the pedal. That is crap. Essendon played a lot better.

McGrath arrived last night. I would have no hesitation putting him onto the opposition best small forward each week now and move to the midfield.

Loved Ambrose game... shut Walker out of the game in 2nd half and Lynch prior to that.

Parish was good, Merrett broke the shackles after quarter time and played well, Colyer, Zaka, Tippa, Daniher... Goddard in patches... even the Laconic Langford looked good for around 20 of the 100 minutes.

 

[rumply]

reckon there might be a bit of tackling practice next week. I see the tackle count did even up somewhat after the lopsided half time numbers, that better continue into the next game, lack of accountability through the middle was infuriating.

Hurley's numbers don't look too bad but how many times in his defensive career has he been taken off players who are ripping him? I'll go ahead & guess none, until last night. He'll be given time to improve but the clock must be ticking. & gotta get Hooker into games, too good of a player to be wasted like he has been so far this season.

Disappointing but not totally unexpected after the wet weather game & running into a locomotive firing on all cylinders, suspect more than a few other sides will leave Adelaide with a bigger % loss.

 

[yodellinhank]

Pies,Demons,Freo,Cats next 4.

Only game I can see us winning is Melbourne.

Nah its a short break we'll get rolled
#AnyExcuse

 

[TheGreatBarryB]

For the 2nd, 3rd and start of 4th quarters I thought we matched them. It got down to 39 pts which was only 3 more that quarter time. We lacked a little polish going forward in the third and kicked 2.7 to nil. Green missed some very gettable targets.

Thought Langford was ok but a couple of times he just needed to go harder, especially one he went for a mark between two Crows, took one bite and then seemed to pull back from the second. I actually think he'll be a good forward one day. We have to look at his development as a young tall forward and they take time.

Tippa has just stepped up another level, just a little bit more poise on occasion and he could've kicked 6+. Ambrose was good but he got out marked a few times as well. Still scratching my head with Hartley, what's wrong with a negative defender anyway? Needs to come back, although much prefer Hooker back which would make Hartley redundant.

Next four weeks will tell how we're going and I'm feeling confident we can do ok.

Btw yes we're coming off a short Anzac week when we play Dees but Dees play day before Anzac so not that big an advantage

 

[Yoda_]

Have to look atthebigger picture. Adelaide are one of the premiership favorites and a lock at home. We had many an opportunity to strike in that third quarter (2.7) but failed to do so.a little bit more time together for th young guys and an upgrade on some passengers and we'll be ok.

 

[mayhem20202]

Yeah was rubbish in the 1st half when it counted and came alive in the 2nd when the heat was out.

We had a few in that boat


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[boncer34]

I think anyone knocking the defense last night is being a little harsh.

They got absolute silver service from their midfield. I could've kicked 6 with that delivery.

 

[ezard15]

Disappointed in the coaching.

Hartley not playing and persisting with our best defender playing forward when we are down by 39 in the first quarter.

 

[ezard15]

Yeah, they slotted a goal from 50 with tired legs, and nailed a goal from the pocket for the last couple. F-you type goals when you're 10 goals up. Very happy with the effort post half.

My girlfriend made me edit this post because of poor punctuation. Bloody teachers.

It's very cute that your girlfriend edits your posts.

My wife doesn't know everything I do on the internet but definitely wants me to watch less pornography. pffffft, yeah right!!!!!

 

[srobbo]

Hooker project is over. Get him back immediately. We need to develop our side around a strength & that is to play two AA backman to together. Get Francis in with Stewart & throw them forward.

Crabs like Stanton are finished. Honestly we can't have him with Heppell & Watson plodding in the same side.

 

[Howard Moon]

How's McKenna cutting through traffic then hitting a Stevie j style no look pass on the 45 degree between 3 defenders to hit a teammate on the 50

80% of players in the comp couldht or wouldn't dare pull this off..

That's why he needs to play.

 

[Yoda_]

Essendon were simply outplayed which is a given.

Couldn't help but marvel at Adelaide's skillage.

We move onto next week.

Have a number of poorly skills guys in our team last night or out of position guys. Parish as a 1st/2nd possession guy with Jobe a 3rd/4th possession guy was bewildering.

Change them around and we look infinitely better.

 

[Yoda_]

Hooker project is over. Get him back immediately. We need to develop our side around a strength & that is to play two AA backman to together. Get Francis in with Stewart & throw them forward.

Crabs like Stanton are finished. Honestly we can't have him with Heppell & Watson plodding in the same side.

Must agree that the whole sick sorry state of affair that we have got ourselves in is going to effect us in the medium > long term. Giving guys like Stanton, Hocking, Howlett contracts just to appease for last year is poor list management but morally just.

Stanton is not a HBF, if he is not a running link man, get him the * out of the side

 

[Yoda_]

I think anyone knocking the defense last night is being a little harsh.

They got absolute silver service from their midfield. I could've kicked 6 with that delivery.

Have to agree. Our midfield has been free wheeling for a number of years now. Show some two way running and we improve out of sight

 

[Red Black and Blue]

Hooker is clearly underdone and would be a massive liability down back right now. It's forward or VFL for another month before he gets his edge back.

 

[foj1]

Have a number of poorly skills guys in our team last night or out of position guys. Parish as a 1st/2nd possession guy with Jobe a 3rd/4th possession guy was bewildering.

Change them around and we look infinitely better.

I think the problem is Watson can't do it anymore.
I said to my wife last night that I am not sure Watson will last the year.
He has looked slow and frustrated- though to be fair a lot of the returning players have looked the same

 

[ant555]

Fellas
We were alright tonight I reckon we ran in to an opposition who were red hot.
Our midfield is poor- nothing more nothing less. Really slow on the spread.
Luey was exposed today as well.
Watson, Stanton, Baguley and Kelly will all be gone at the end of the year with Hocking and probably Howlett.
We will be younger next year. I just hope we can land a really good 21-23 year old midfielder who has some zip.
Plenty of positives.
We will struggle with Collingwoods midfield I fear.

Agree.
There was good areas and there where some areas of the same old issues.
As you said midfield slow on the spread and i will also add not great team defenders although it has been a little better it is still an issue.
I posted pre season during the JLT about my concern with the midfield as far as run and spread and team defense against a good midfield.
Agree with the players likely to go other than i think Baguley will survive but i am not saying that is the correct decision.
One reason i was hoping Sam Powell-Pepper would last to our second round pick is he is the type i would like to see in our midfield. Hard at it and pretty quick.

The positive for me was it was not the old hands in the second half doing the good stuff. Plenty of really good stuff from the young players.

This was a reality check for all those with visions of top 4 and a deep finals run. Adelaide are currently the bench mark in the comp. We are still in the middle somewhere.

Also want to add Hooker is not fit enough to chase around many KP forwards at the moment so i do not see where he fits in down back.

Given we played a real gut buster in the wet last week and then ran into the red hot side in the comp the result is not really a total surprise.

Heppell and Jobe are struggling a bit.

 

[jmoo wan]

No reports of our supporters racially vilifying Eddie Betts. I'm chalking this one up as a moral victory.

 

[Yoda_]

I think the problem is Watson can't do it anymore.
I said to my wife last night that I am not sure Watson will last the year.
He has looked slow and frustrated- though to be fair a lot of the returning players have looked the same

Won't surprise me to see 2 - 3 of our guys retire by years end when they see the writing on the wall

 

[Wahooti Fandango]

When will Myers be back? Miss his midfield presence.

 

[Wahooti Fandango]

Nine guys returning from a year off, big Hawthorn game that we won, one on the road that we won, one poor game in torrential conditions, and another one on the road, against the premiership favourites and off a shorter break. We shouldn't be expecting perfect game plan execution, form, match conditioning and chemistry this early in the year... they were saying ten weeks to gel. Give them a bit longer before you write them off completely.

Could not have said better myself.