Autopsy Round 6, 2025: Positives and Negatives vs Essendon

[Broken_Chairs]

With almond milk.

And no sugars because they're sweet enough

 

[DorothyG]

Typical piss poor joke from generation whatever you are.

Apologies if my joke upset you.

It was an attempted light hearted joke at the stereotypical age demographic of a WC fan, and those who loose their shit over players chatting after games.

I was well aware that it was Archers brother he was talking too.

I'm an aging Millennial btw

 

[Cuzz09]

who drinks beer out of paper cups

I assumed that how u do it in WA

 

[AsterixTheGaul]

Unfortunately the Optus stadium cups are paper/cardboard. Part of the eco changes.

My complaint is now that you have to scan and pay yourself, they don’t offer staff discounts

 

[Cuzz09]

Unfortunately the Optus stadium cups are paper/cardboard. Part of the eco changes.

My complaint is now that you have to scan and pay yourself, they don’t offer staff discounts

Really?

I was joking lol

But yeah green and all that... as long as they don't go soggy like maccas straws.

Would hate to be drinking a beer and the lip is all mushed... gotta rotate that bad boy per sip

 

[Monocle]

looks like coffee

who drinks beer out of paper cups

Some frothy caramel lattes

With almond milk.

Keys AsterixTheGaul These kents are on to us.

Beers at Optus in paper cups, taste almost as bad as XXXX.

 

[AsterixTheGaul]

Really?

I was joking lol

But yeah green and all that... as long as they don't go soggy like maccas straws.

Would hate to be drinking a beer and the lip is all mushed... gotta rotate that bad boy per sip

They don’t fill them as much - it’s the Optus margin.

Least we avoided that QLD sh1te but we did toast the pages we have minus that Kent Who Shall Not Be Named

 

[jdisc]

flint and steel

 

[Ruben Grubarb]

looks like coffee

Tastes like wee.

 

[Kegs15]

Had a very late watch of the replay after being at the game, excuse the crappy phone recordings of these moments just wanted to highlight a few things that stood out.

By and large our younger players were the ones I was happy with. It's such a different game now to how it was 5-8 years ago, even ignoring all the rule changes, just the pacing and motion of how to work your way through a contest feels different.

You do notice it in our players who've developed as teens post stand-rule. Even later picks like Davis, Gross, Dewar, Maric, Long, Johnston, (not all out there obviously) who all have their flaws at least just give you confidence they understand the natural timing of the game in how they dispose/move. On the flip side, older players like Duggan and Hunt just don't give me that feeling, they each lost it multiple times not through an inherently horrible decision or lack of execution but just not reading the momentum and flow of the game.

These are two handballs from Davis that won't end up on any highlights reels but I just thought were exactly that - they're not requiring a ridiculous skill ceiling to pull off or even picking the right decision from that many options. They're excellent because of that composure and timing to hold for a split second and release at the perfect moment.

Fairly unexciting 'highlights' but in many ways they do excite me, reckon he'll be a player.

View attachment 20250418_165213_1.mp4

View attachment 20250418_165554_1.mp4

 

[Kegs15]

And separately, while Kelly played a better game it still didn't look like his head was right. Think there's a version of him that still has a good second half of the year for us (ideally after our young players take charge of the midfield, Yeo comes back and Kelly gets to float a bit more and try to kick some goals/set some stuff up). Big job for the welfare side of the club and our senior players.

This little patch of play I really didn't like. Hewett had a full head of steam at this stage and needed to be treated like the man by his teammates.




^ Hewett's taken the mark and decided to play on. Martin (#37) half starts to follow Kelly before switching focus to Hewett and start coming for him. Kelly is then by himself and unmanned.



Rather than make space to the top right of screen (potential offensive handball receive but also could draw away Martin), or just block Martin, he runs across and in front of the line of Hewett's kick. He then semi-turns, maybe for a handball receive in a terrible position to do so, and Hewett gets caught HTB.

If he didn't have the awareness of how close Martin was then sure, but running across the line of a young player who's just played on in the centre square, about to take their kick I50 and clearly not having a thought of "how can I assist him" is just bad IMO.

The play unfolds quickly, sure, but it really pissed me off. You can see Hewett give Kelly a bake at the end, don't know if it's for his running or for a lack of voice and talk (could just see Kelly being silent out there lately) but either way warranted IMO.

Jack Darling

28

Jack Darling

Age

33

Ht

191cm

Wt

95kg

Pos.

Fwd

Career

Season

Last 5

D

12.1

3star

K

7.9

3star

HB

4.2

3star

M

5.0

5star

T

3.0

5star

G

1.9

5star

D

8.0

2star

K

4.3

2star

HB

3.7

3star

M

2.7

3star

T

2.4

3star

G

1.3

5star

D

14.6

4star

K

7.6

3star

HB

7.0

5star

M

6.0

5star

T

4.0

5star

G

1.4

5star

throughout 3/4 of his career was playing half to make someone else better every game. Little things to help Kennedy, Allen, Waterman etc. Get him on the phone to TK and chatting through making that the standout feature of Tim's games late in his career. Taking the 30 posession games and 15 posession games as they come but always, always making players like Hewett and Reid better through little things. Massively important IMO and something that hasn't been done.

View attachment 20250418_172414_1.mp4

 

[Bender_]

And separately, while Kelly played a better game it still didn't look like his head was right. Think there's a version of him that still has a good second half of the year for us (ideally after our young players take charge of the midfield, Yeo comes back and Kelly gets to float a bit more and try to kick some goals/set some stuff up). Big job for the welfare side of the club and our senior players.

This little patch of play I really didn't like. Hewett had a full head of steam at this stage and needed to be treated like the man by his teammates.

View attachment 2291005
View attachment 2290984

^ Hewett's taken the mark and decided to play on. Martin (#37) half starts to follow Kelly before switching focus to Hewett and start coming for him. Kelly is then by himself and unmanned.

View attachment 2290987

Rather than make space to the top right of screen (potential offensive handball receive but also could draw away Martin), or just block Martin, he runs across and in front of the line of Hewett's kick. He then semi-turns, maybe for a handball receive in a terrible position to do so, and Hewett gets caught HTB.

If he didn't have the awareness of how close Martin was then sure, but running across the line of a young player who's just played on in the centre square, about to take their kick I50 and clearly not having a thought of "how can I assist him" is just bad IMO.

The play unfolds quickly, sure, but it really pissed me off. You can see Hewett give Kelly a bake at the end, don't know if it's for his running or for a lack of voice and talk (could just see Kelly being silent out there lately) but either way warranted IMO.

Jack Darling throughout 3/4 of his career was playing half to make someone else better every game. Little things to help Kennedy, Allen, Waterman etc. Get him on the phone to TK and chatting through making that the standout feature of Tim's games late in his career. Taking the 30 posession games and 15 posession games as they come but always, always making players like Hewett and Reid better through little things. Massively important IMO and something that hasn't been done.

View attachment 2290989

Sacrificing your own game to block/shepherd and create more space and time is a lost art in the AFL, and has been almost completely non-existant in our team since around the time Simpson became our coach (not playing the blame game, just an observation). It is junior level basic shit that every kid should know - and anyone that wants to be a team player should do. Our players will run down the wing in tandem with one opponent in between and automatically look for the overlap handball when the shepherd is just as viable if not better option. Putting body pressure on and creating space is what champion teams do. Give your teammate half a second more to dispose of it without any pressure and they are more likely to hit a target, but most of our guys will just stand there and watch.

SANTA MARIA it infuriates me!

 

[TY24]

who drinks beer out of paper cups

If you want it on tap then there’s no choice at Optus anymore unfortunately.

 

[DorothyG]

If you want it on tap then there’s no choice at Optus anymore unfortunately.

Only for us plebs.

I'm told the corpos get real glasses

 

[TY24]

Only for us plebs.

I'm told the corpos get real glasses

Can confirm you get stubbies/wine glasses in the boxes, I was fortunate enough to get in one a few years ago

My seat is in the Blue & Gold terrace which is like the very very very lowest level of ‘premium seating’ and I still get my almond lattes beers in a paper cup

 

[Bender_]

They used to serve Little Dove stubbies in the River Room. Wouldn't be surprised if Woke Gepp banned them.

 

[Kegs15]

Sacrificing your own game to block/shepherd and create more space and time is a lost art in the AFL, and has been almost completely non-existant in our team since around the time Simpson became our coach (not playing the blame game, just an observation). It is junior level basic shit that every kid should know - and anyone that wants to be a team player should do. Our players will run down the wing in tandem with one opponent in between and automatically look for the overlap handball when the shepherd is just as viable if not better option. Putting body pressure on and creating space is what champion teams do. Give your teammate half a second more to dispose of it without any pressure and they are more likely to hit a target, but most of our guys will just stand there and watch.

SANTA MARIA it infuriates me!

Deadset agree. Doesn't need to be a Beau Waters shepherd you've perfectly lined up (though jeez I miss those), you just need to run through the opposition's line, make some contact or don't even need to touch them sometimes. As you say buying that half second is often worth more than a handball.

It's not that the overlap handball option is bad, it's more that half the time IMO our players are running in patterns that are noncommittal to either the shepherd or overlap, or worse, not thinking about it at all like in this Kelly case.

Get that the modern game is about running to the next spot you're supposed to be, but as you say champion teams make that movement count. Either commit to giving your teammate space through blocking, commit to being an overlap, hell I'd take commit to conserving energy and stop if you absolutely have to.

Our players too often just cover ground without thinking and don't achieve anything by their transition, or worse get in the way like this Kelly example.

 

[ioppolo]

Sounds like there's only one saviour out there who can rectify this. Both the hero we want and desperately need. Not even a star studded midfield could exist without him. A former premiership captain has said as much.

I'm talking about this man of course;

 

[Cuzz09]

And separately, while Kelly played a better game it still didn't look like his head was right. Think there's a version of him that still has a good second half of the year for us (ideally after our young players take charge of the midfield, Yeo comes back and Kelly gets to float a bit more and try to kick some goals/set some stuff up). Big job for the welfare side of the club and our senior players.

This little patch of play I really didn't like. Hewett had a full head of steam at this stage and needed to be treated like the man by his teammates.

View attachment 2291005
View attachment 2290984

^ Hewett's taken the mark and decided to play on. Martin (#37) half starts to follow Kelly before switching focus to Hewett and start coming for him. Kelly is then by himself and unmanned.

View attachment 2290987

Rather than make space to the top right of screen (potential offensive handball receive but also could draw away Martin), or just block Martin, he runs across and in front of the line of Hewett's kick. He then semi-turns, maybe for a handball receive in a terrible position to do so, and Hewett gets caught HTB.

If he didn't have the awareness of how close Martin was then sure, but running across the line of a young player who's just played on in the centre square, about to take their kick I50 and clearly not having a thought of "how can I assist him" is just bad IMO.

The play unfolds quickly, sure, but it really pissed me off. You can see Hewett give Kelly a bake at the end, don't know if it's for his running or for a lack of voice and talk (could just see Kelly being silent out there lately) but either way warranted IMO.

Jack Darling throughout 3/4 of his career was playing half to make someone else better every game. Little things to help Kennedy, Allen, Waterman etc. Get him on the phone to TK and chatting through making that the standout feature of Tim's games late in his career. Taking the 30 posession games and 15 posession games as they come but always, always making players like Hewett and Reid better through little things. Massively important IMO and something that hasn't been done.

View attachment 2290989

that was the 2nd qtr and they went down and got a goal then 2 quick others, changed momentum of game.

At the time I could feel it was about to happen.

Hewett could've pumped it i50 or had a shot. Very frustrating moment

 

[THE A5]

Is it me or is Tk’s kicking becoming very much like Gaff in the back end of his career. He seems to have lost a good 10m and is very loopy. I actually get nervous when he win clearance and doesn’t get wnough space where he can run and kick as he just doesn’t have the penetration to pump into 50. Multiple i’ve seen him win a clearance but due to the lack of penetration it falls between the arc and inside the centre square and the oppo win the ground ball and rebound.

 

[SAweagle]

They used to serve Little Dove stubbies in the River Room. Wouldn't be surprised if Woke Gepp banned them.

mods??????

 

[We_The_West]

Positives:

• Jack Williams - 3 goals from 5 shots - probably nails the snap most other games. From our backup ruck that is a great return. His ruck work is quite impressive and it looks like he is covering the ground well. I am super bullish on this bloke I think he has a big future. Can nail goals from 50m which is a huge plus for a player playing 2nd ruck.
• We've seen Harley, Gross and now Hewett all kick goals from 50m+ which for young players is a great sign. I think adding in Hutch/Grego/Allan as a more defensively minded mid and we have the foundation of a promising midfield rotation which will only get better with time and additional personnel.

 

[Bender_]

mods??????

What's the issue? If people want to drink Little Dove I hardly think you need to report it to the mods.

 

[RookiePick]

Positives:

• Jack Williams - 3 goals from 5 shots - probably nails the snap most other games. From our backup ruck that is a great return. His ruck work is quite impressive and it looks like he is covering the ground well. I am super bullish on this bloke I think he has a big future. Can nail goals from 50m which is a huge plus for a player playing 2nd ruck.

I was surprised to see someone low on Jack Williams since the game. I think he has a lot of upside. He has looked a little slow at times this season but I think that's part of trying to add bulk to a still young frame. He showed some signs that he is getting comfortable with the extra mass against Essendon and he looked a pretty good mover for his size last year.

Keep him in and he'll keep showing more IMO.

 

[flyinghi64]

Unfortunately the Optus stadium cups are paper/cardboard. Part of the eco changes.

My complaint is now that you have to scan and pay yourself, they don’t offer staff discounts

Last year they trialed some aluminium cups that were re-usable and they were really good. Kept the beer cold and weren't paper.
Unfortunately the company providing them were in charge of them, not the stadium, so it was never taken up.
Actually got to speak to the guy who was providing them and they were getting really good feed back so he was really hoping they would use them going forward.
Seems like unless the stadium owned the rights they didn't want to continue.

Typical, small company comes up with a good idea but big company wants everything so small company doesn't get the gig.
BTW, still have 4 of them at home. Paying $12 for a beer I'm keeping a few cups.