Roast The Bad/Ugly v Geelong, Round 8, 2016

[NTRabbit]

Yes somewhat agree actually.

And there go Sydney, high quality midfield and a strong forward line, but a weak defence susceptible to fast ball. Nobody is a real deal yet.

 

[Rear Admiral]

I don't think we are that far off the mark and will probably come good after a game or two against some easier competition.

No offence meant, but what's mentioned above is the very problem. We'll most likely do well against some lesser teams, but this doesn't mean we're getting any better. Nor will it improve our chances in Finals (should we make it that far). It just shows that lesser opponents allow you to perform better. There are a number of teams we need to beat this year, and so far we've only beaten one of them out of:
North Melbourne
Sydney
Hawthorn
Geelong

Until we can beat a couple of them away from home, we may as well chuck in the towel as far as Finals are concerned - that's what it boils down to.

Where I am hopeful is in our dealings off-field. In particular, list management. This is the first time in years that we've made serious changes in the trade period - something we've previously been either unwilling or unable to do. And no, I don't consider trading to get one (or maybe two) new players into the club serious trading. When all our veterans are finally gone, then we can be considered serious contenders.

 

[GreyCrow]

And there go Sydney, high quality midfield and a strong forward line, but a weak defence susceptible to fast ball. Nobody is a real deal yet.

I said this on the game day thread but at 6-2 this argument cant be sustained

 

[F_therest]

Eddie Betts

I guess the extensive trauma led my brain to suppress that memory

 

[NTRabbit]

I said this on the game day thread but at 6-2 this argument cant be sustained

So what's your theory behind why their only two losses this season have been to teams with unremarkable midfields, but lightning fast counterattacks?

 

[GreyCrow]

So what's your theory behind why their only two losses this season have been to teams with unremarkable midfields, but lightning fast counterattacks?

Tonight there was a poor decision in the heat of the moment which lead to a turnover. Against Adelaide it was Adelaide and its determination to win that got the win

 

[Rear Admiral]

Given we have drafted so many defenders we need to make either Laird or Luke Brown a mid. Brown was actually good last night but a bit like Tyson Edwards used to be goes unnoticed. He has grown this yr. We need their speed and lateral movement in the Middle. When u watch the crows train everything is done through Thommo. We gotta change that. As for Sauce has been over rated for long time, when has he really dominated a game ..... really never. Is the same type of ruckman as Clarke gets some pointless taps and never takes a mark

Very well said. So many of our wins are dictated by whether Thommo wins or loses the clearances, and this simply must change. Sure, he's strong and he often gets first hands on the Pill, but he's pushing retirement soon and is clearly on a downward slide, so we're not going to improve clearing the ball out of the middle. And if we bring in some young talent to replace him, then we'll drop off in the short term. But as well all know, the Crows will never accept this approach - we just cannot give rookies game time to improve their skills. Perish the thought.

 

[Kane McGoodwin]

On the plus side I thought Atkins, Cameron and Milera were all very good.

Geelong are a super team though.

Still think Danger allows us Crows fans to think the move was for family so as not to break our hearts. Really, they're a far greater premiership chance than us for the foreseeable future. Selwood, Guthrie, Motlop, Caddy, Taylor, Hawkins, Lonergan, Henderson, Smith, Stanley, Blicavs even Kersten, Lang, Gregson, Ruggles, Cockatoo, Vardy, Thurlow and Kersten if they all pan out. Yikes

Milera?

He looked lost on the field most of the night.

 

[Kraven]

Sloane was huge. Outplayed Danger all night.

Charlie was exciting too. His speed was good to watch. And when he came sprinting into the middle laying crunching tackles.

 

[Wright Away]

If we got smashed in the midfield, how did we end up with 5 more centre clearances? Puzzling.

Not all centre clearances are equal.

 

[Wright Away]

If I could spell ludicrous I'd say this is ludicrous.

Yes lets continue with the mid table finishes that have worked so well to bring us Grandfinal appearences and premierships!!!

 

[Wright Away]

See I could never think like this. I want to win every game I am in. I want to make sure that I give everything I possibly could and see where I end up. If , after all that I finish bottom , then so be it. What I wont accept is not even trying. That's loser talk.

If the Crows are good enough to finish 8th then that's where we finish. If we are good enough to finish 4th then that's where we finish. Teams can always access elite talent no matter where you are on the ladder , you can develop elite talent no matter where you are.

I think the bigger problem is our talent identification in the football program. There are people sitting in offices getting fat off the Crows and that irks me more.

Mate the only game worth winning is the Grandfinal, if you're not working towards that you're not doing anything. Also as for trying, I don't know what team you have been watching but the Crows have shown an inability to try in big games for over a decade.

 

[Roo Lives Again]

Look I basically view Roochi as a newspaper troll, I have honestly stopped reading his articles for a long time now. Given the access we have to various previews, reviews all over Australia there is much better sports journalists out there that give a better unbiased view than what he does. I actually do the same when it comes to Crows articles praising them, for a similar reason is that it is biased. Since 3/4 time against the Hawks our formline is very very poor and there are some worrying signs at the Crows, a 4th quarter capitulation to the Hawks, a poor game against the current wooden spooner and two back to back performances against the Dogs and Cats. We have struggled for a while now, but before last nights game a lot of sporting journalist were singing our praise.

I also use the term Sports journalist view loosely for the campaigner.

Listened to triple M during the game last nite and somebody said 'danger looks off his game' and Ruc immediately chimed in with 'but he looks like he's about to get have a big impact' or something very similar to those words. I just thought my god Rucci you flog you aren't even trying to disguise your hatred for the AFC. He's an absolute Port fan boy who uses his position to constantly troll the Crows.

 

[GreyCrow]

Mate the only game worth winning is the Grandfinal, if you're not working towards that you're not doing anything.

Have to agree. And we have to work towards it every year. Not sit here and say '' ok if we do this and this we will be a chance in 2019. '' Why not this year?

Also as for trying, I don't know what team you have been watching but the Crows have shown an inability to try in big games for over a decade.

Then our definition of trying must be different then. Maybe yours is the Port Adelaide version where they send people off for surgery 2 months before the season ends. Mine is ,as I posted, having a crack right till the end. I don't think any Crows team in the time period you stated has done that.

 

[Tex200]

Firstly I'm glad I waited 24 hours to post.

To be honest I think Friday night showed we are (temporarily) cooked. It's difficilt for any team to stay "up" week in week out, and I believe the fixture has definitely worked against us this year.

Week in week out we have had "big" games and it should be no surprise that the last 3 weeks have seen us fall away a bit after scintillating football got us to 4-2 which should really have been 5-1.

So I think GCS is a very welcome game which we will win comfortably without the pressure of playing a contender. Re load and be ready for GWS.

I really wanted us to be 5-3 at the end of this horror run, but 4-4 still keeps us on track.

In terms of the game, well it was ridiculous we were still in during the last, and I'm sure everyone has commented on Seeds horror effort. The crowd was desperate for something to explode about and a contested mark/go ahead goal would have lifted the roof. A really shameful effort from a professional. Really shameful.

I see the midfield failure has captured plenty of attention as it should - no easy answers as we are relying on sub 50 game players to carry us. Thommo, Douglas and Smith really need the blow torch applied and both Crouches particularly disappointing. We're probably caught having to persevere now, but as I said last week, someone has to pay a price at selection - probably Douglas.

In high pressure games particular moments can just suck the life out of a side, and even if it's only a few minutes, top sides exploit it. The Smith turnover against Hawks which set off a 3 goal run, the McGovern miss v Dogs which set off a 4 goal run and now Seedsman launching a 4 goal run.

Not too many changes for mine, I think the side has earned a trip to Surfers and to enjoy a good old fashioned rogering of the opposition.

 

[Long Shanks]

No offence meant, but what's mentioned above is the very problem. We'll most likely do well against some lesser teams, but this doesn't mean we're getting any better. Nor will it improve our chances in Finals (should we make it that far). It just shows that lesser opponents allow you to perform better. There are a number of teams we need to beat this year, and so far we've only beaten one of them out of:
North Melbourne
Sydney
Hawthorn
Geelong

Until we can beat a couple of them away from home, we may as well chuck in the towel as far as Finals are concerned - that's what it boils down to.

Where I am hopeful is in our dealings off-field. In particular, list management. This is the first time in years that we've made serious changes in the trade period - something we've previously been either unwilling or unable to do. And no, I don't consider trading to get one (or maybe two) new players into the club serious trading. When all our veterans are finally gone, then we can be considered serious contenders.

I meant we are down on confidence after a few tough games and getting a win or two on the board against easier opposition will go along way to getting that back.

The teams we have lost against so far are the likely top four at this stage.

Everything taken in to account we have done reasonably well so far this season. Yes it is extremely frustrating to loose a few games by so little but we have taken a lot of steps forward.

Lever
Hartigan
B Crouch
M Crouch
Milera
Cameron
McGovern
Atkins

These guys from Fridays team have played less than 50 games for us and are all showing good signs of becoming good players.

It may seem like it's taking forever but our list is heading in the right direction and given what we have had to work with they have done a good job. Let's just be patient and not go to pieces after every loss.

 

[Paladin]

I meant we are down on confidence after a few tough games and getting a win or two on the board against easier opposition will go along way to getting that back.

The teams we have lost against so far are the likely top four at this stage.

Everything taken in to account we have done reasonably well so far this season. Yes it is extremely frustrating to loose a few games by so little but we have taken a lot of steps forward.

Lever
Hartigan
B Crouch
M Crouch
Milera
Cameron
McGovern
Atkins

These guys from Fridays team have played less than 50 games for us and are all showing good signs of becoming good players.

It may seem like it's taking forever but our list is heading in the right direction and given what we have had to work with they have done a good job. Let's just be patient and not go to pieces after every loss.

Yep you play that many inexperienced guys you are going to get some inconsistentcy.

The big plus is they are a talented group and have some serious weapons. If we snatched one of those close losses it would have been a great start to the year.

Pyke will keep backing them and they will come through.

 

[FR0GGY]

Listened to triple M during the game last nite and somebody said 'danger looks off his game' and Ruc immediately chimed in with 'but he looks like he's about to get have a big impact' or something very similar to those words. I just thought my god Rucci you flog you aren't even trying to disguise your hatred for the AFC. He's an absolute Port fan boy who uses his position to constantly troll the Crows.

He's still having nightmares from the port geelong game

 

[footy4ever]

He's still having nightmares from the port geelong game

I hope it keeps him sleepless forever.

 

[JP Sauce]

Probably already been discussed somewhere, but what's up with the crowd figure?

It definitely said 54,000+ on the big screen because I remember the crowd going nuts. But since then it's been corrected/lowered?

 

[Sam_Malone]

Probably already been discussed somewhere, but what's up with the crowd figure?

It definitely said 54,000+ on the big screen because I remember the crowd going nuts. But since then it's been corrected/lowered?

The SMA have this historical reason to add the stadium employees to the overall figure. Then the AFL will revise and remove them before releasing the exact figure.

 

[Redleg Crow]

Lever
Hartigan
B Crouch
M Crouch
Milera
Cameron
McGovern
Atkins

Add in Riley Knight when healthy.

 

[relapse]

Listened to triple M during the game last nite and somebody said 'danger looks off his game' and Ruc immediately chimed in with 'but he looks like he's about to get have a big impact' or something very similar to those words. I just thought my god Rucci you flog you aren't even trying to disguise your hatred for the AFC. He's an absolute Port fan boy who uses his position to constantly troll the Crows.

Wait I'm confused, Rucci is on MMM ? Isn't he contracted to FiveAA ?

 

[Paladin]

So we now have the biggest non showdown crowd at AO. That must please the deluded tealsters.

 

[Rear Admiral]

Not all centre clearances are equal.

The AFC will play Thompson until he's beyond cooked, just like Van Berlo, Porplyzia, Reilly and to a lesser extent Rutten. Douglas won't be dropped because he's played 150+ games. CEY won't be brought in until we cop midfield injuries. Cameron will stay planted in the forward line with midfield cameos.

Bookmark this post. It will happen unless Pyke can shake the pressure from everyone else to do exactly the above.

Absolutely spot on. In my opinion these are absolutely the best posts made in this thread. Take a bow .

Teams tend to move the ball forward and do well when they link up a number of clean handballs from stoppages/bounces to someone in space, unhindered, who can then effect a clean kick to a leading target somewhere on the ground. Not talking about the Neil Craig era handball-happy hot potato, but a number of clean effective handpasses. We do manage to get some clean handball chains at times, but more often than not our clearances involve a panicked kick on the boot without even looking who's downfield. Have we won the clearance? Technically yes, but more often than not it goes straight back to the opposition who just runs it out with ease, and then our defence gets blamed.

This whole problem starts with the quality of our in-and-under Mids going for the ball. Sauce/Thommo may or may not get first possession, but when they do they don't have the pace/agility/skills to get it out of the congestion cleanly. At least not against the better sides. We're relying wholly and solely on Sauce and Thommo to achieve this, and against the lesser sides, sure....they look great. But the moment we're up against Finals contenders, we look worse than ordinary.

Until we're prepared to start throwing the likes of Betts/Cameron/Smith/Laird/Milera in the Midfield mix (when we're so clearly getting beaten in some games), we're not going to take the next step. I have absolutely no problem with starting Thommo & Co. in the middle, but when we're just getting smashed in clearance after clearance after clearance, for f*ck's sake....we have to make a change . Like I said, no "Plan B".