sdb4884 said:
We were missing our stars, so were the Cats
Yeah right. Dockers were missing from their prefered backline; Haddril, Polak, Thornton, Hayden, Walker. Pretty happy with how the backline performed considering, and despite the Cats missing three of their prefered forwards (Kingsley, Playfair, Ottens).
I thought the Dockers played reasonably for three quarters, and lost it badly in the fourth. In particular I thought we were out-coached in the fourth with the move of Milburn and Mooney into the forward line, and the Cats dominance of the fourth quarter centre bounce clearances something we failed to counter. Not trying to let the players of the hook. The Carrs played well, but it was their opponents (I think?) that stung us in the fourth.
Just shows the team what is required, and that top teams do not have lapses which allow the opposition to get clear like that.
Lots of positives. How good is Pav's return? Also, while it didn't turn into scores, loved starting with Sandilands at FF, unsettling the opposition and forcing them to become reactive. I also believe that the skill levels generally have improved significantly over the past 2-3 years.