The bye week retrospective

Well we're at a rough midpoint of the season and with no preview thread this week here's an alternate one to eat up your time.

lioninthesand did a good job comparing where we are this year to last year so this is more about just where we are this year, how the rest of the season looks, highs and lows so far.

For me...

Highs:
  • Obviously the Hawthorn win.
  • Harris Andrews.
  • Actually being competitive in games instead of getting blown out.
Lows:
  • The other 11 games.
  • The fact that so many of our "senior" players can't crack our best 22.
  • Fagan tearing his hamstring for charity.
 

Kevvo

Premium Platinum
Oct 17, 2013
2,568
4,985
Brisbane
AFL Club
Brisbane Lions
Highs
Andrews and Gardiner
Charlie Cameron
More consistent competitiveness

Lows
Numerous blown opportunities
Set shots
A year of experienced players in the NEAFL giving us very little
 

M Malice

Hall of Famer
Aug 31, 2015
31,433
72,022
By the Gabba.
AFL Club
Brisbane Lions
Other Teams
Valleys. Chelsea.
Highs.
1) Hawthorn win.
2) v Collingwood, fantastic game, oh so close.
3) v Port, my son and I went to this one for our annual footy trip, we were terrific, Christensen should have kicked that one at the end.
4) Gardner cementing a spot, he is closing in on A grade standard. Andrews is already there.
5) Rayner, Bailey, Berry McCluggage, Witherden, Cameron. The future is bright.

Lows.
1) Our senior first 22 core can't seem to all play well on the same day.
2) Injuries to Charlie and Mitch.

Looking forward to the 2nd half of the year.
1) Sam Skinner getting back on the field.
2) A surprise win or 2.
3) Hipwood or McStay kicking a bag.
4) Harris Andrews being named All Australian.
5) The super draft and a surprise A grade mature age recruit traded in.
 
Highs

The United nature of our backline
The emergence of our future (McCluggage, Berry, Bailey, Rayner)
The Hawthorn win
The competitive nature of our team
The excitement of Charlie Cameron
Luke Hodge
Hitting strong membership numbers
20k + at our last few home games
Good coaches
Beams selfless nature
A very strong spine in the making
Good percentage

Lows
The initial feeling after close losses
The frustrating nature of being a much improved, but not there yet type of team
The Richmond game
Losing Charlie for the year
Overreactions on Big Footy
 
Highs.
1) Hawthorn win.
2) v Collingwood, fantastic game, oh so close.
3) v Port, my son and I went to this one for our annual footy trip, we were terrific, Christensen should have kicked that one at the end.
4) Gardner cementing a spot, he is closing in on A grade standard. Andrews is already there.
5) Rayner, Bailey, Berry McCluggage, Witherden, Cameron. The future is bright.

Lows.
1) Our senior first 22 core can't seem to all play well on the same day.
2) Injuries to Charlie and Mitch.

Looking forward to the 2nd half of the year.
1) Sam Skinner getting back on the field.
2) A surprise win or 2.
3) Hipwood or McStay kicking a bag.
4) Harris Andrews being named All Australian.
5) The super draft and a surprise A grade mature age recruit traded in.

Dizzy's ability to rebound this year has been a very surprising part of his game. He's so willing to take the game on now and you can just see he's full of belief in his ability.
 
Nov 26, 2012
7,646
8,553
AFL Club
Brisbane Lions
Highs
The Hawthorn win - just great to finally see a big win that we dont just scrap over the line. Was great to see what we can do when the confidence is high
Andrews - Is definitely in the conversation for AA squad and maybe more. The media is really starting to take notice of him and he is also still so young.
Gardiner - Great to see him nail down a spot and turn into a very good player. The backline is clearly coming together really well
Young mids - Berry McClugg and Rayner are looking great. Really cant wait to see them continue this development for another 30 plus games. That should see them really being at the start of their prime.
Good percentage - Its annoying to have lost so many games but its clear that we are improving as a team and just been frustratingly unlucky a few times

Lows - I dont really want to focus on them too much but have one
Goal kicking - its such a mental part of the game but just so important. Just wish we would spend some serious effort improving this for the back half of the year. A couple of extra goals would have improved our confidence and we could be a few spots higher on the ladder very quickly
 
Well we're at a rough midpoint of the season and with no preview thread this week here's an alternate one to eat up your time.

lioninthesand did a good job comparing where we are this year to last year so this is more about just where we are this year, how the rest of the season looks, highs and lows so far.

For me...

Highs:
  • Obviously the Hawthorn win.
  • Harris Andrews.
  • Actually being competitive in games instead of getting blown out.
Lows:
  • The other 11 games.
  • The fact that so many of our "senior" players can't crack our best 22.
  • Fagan tearing his hamstring for charity.

Being competitive in games has been great but I also question where that places is in terms of consistency.

I would like to say we are more consistent in our performance but that consistency seems to be relative to the opposition we are playing. Maybe that is the next stepping stone to winning.

Also didn’t realise you weren’t a fan of charities. Would you prefer he did his hammy for a publicly listed company???
 
Being competitive in games has been great but I also question where that places is in terms of consistency.

I would like to say we are more consistent in our performance but that consistency seems to be relative to the opposition we are playing. Maybe that is the next stepping stone to winning.

Also didn’t realise you weren’t a fan of charities. Would you prefer he did his hammy for a publicly listed company???

I read that last comment and thought "Leemas is back?" Then I realised it was just a tyranic moderator.

Carry on.
 

Stevo7

Rookie
Apr 20, 2018
34
73
AFL Club
Brisbane Lions
Highs
The club administration esp the coakroach
Harris goes without saying
Lewy used to go round in circles but now is damaging when he gets the ball.
Re signing the kids and each of them is showing nice growth
Being in contention in most games. We were all disappointed with the narrowish loss to the Bombers....who throttled Geelong remember!
Hodgy has played well, mentors well, and gives are club credibility.
The fact that some blokes who are playing in the NEAFL, would have been playing in seniors in past years.

Lows
Not many really...reckon we knew the path the club is taking is the right one, but was going to be frustratingly slow.
With the notable exception of Mitch and Stef (Hodge, Beams, Charlie and Christiansen came for other reasons), none of the players we have recruited from other clubs can get regular game time...Bastinac, Barrett, Bell, Frost, Walker plus others who have been delisted. A lesson there. Don’t recruit B graders.
 

Sausages

HIGH PRIEST IN THE TEMPLE OF GG/SNSD
Feb 27, 2007
6,397
9,189
AFL Club
Brisbane Lions
Other Teams
Luton Town
Channeling Matthews’ philosophy that things are never as good as they seem nor as bad as they seem.....

There are no highs and no lows :p
 

Len S

Club Legend
Jun 29, 2015
1,592
1,682
AFL Club
Brisbane Lions
Cutler reinventing himself as a solid winger is a win
He was poor on the weekend.....atrocious kicking ,poor in contested situations....all the old flaws on display.Cant ever see some of these guys like Cutler ,Mayes ancd Lester,playing like those young Maggies...my god did they attack,run and play with fanatical and fierce abandon.
 
May 20, 2015
1,657
3,976
Maleny, Queensland
AFL Club
Brisbane Lions
Call me the Grinch

Highs - our defence has improved 12% from last year, were averaging 116 point against now averaging 101. Younger player showing potential (Baggs, Berry, Witho, Rayner, Taylor, Beast, Andrews, Gardnier, Baily etc)

Lows - our attack was averaging 73 points a game now averaging less at 71 points a game. 12 games into last year we had 2 wins this year only 1. Mid range players continue to plateau (Mayes, Paperone, Mcstay, Robertson, Rich) and older player just put the queue in the rack (Bell, Bastinac, Walker, Frost).

You can pull lots of data and stats are make patterns of improvement but the reality is debatable if we have made any improvement if we don't stop the plateau effect our club has on these potentially brilliant youngsters so 2 or 3 of them break through to become elite players we will just continue to spin our wheels. To me I'm looking at the 22 to 28 age bracket and looking for the elite players there - old mother Hubbard at this stage.
 

lioninthesand

Norm Smith Medallist
Feb 22, 2016
6,048
12,213
AFL Club
Brisbane Lions
Highs
Hawks game
Charlie Cameron
Fagen - love him
The fact you can go into most games thinking we are a chance
Genuine statistical improvement in almost all areas

Lows
Sam mayes (highest low)
Senior players up and down
Not many players in NEAFL knocking the door down
Dayne beams struggling off field
On track for the worst win / loss since clubs inception means Fagen going into third year will start copping the blow torch if we are 0-10 next year which sadly, is very possible. We say wins arnt everything but a few more over the second half of his first contract will keep the wolves at bay.

The f***ing yips.
 
Positives
- Hugh
- Harro
- Charlie
- Fagan / administration
- improvement and more consistent performance

Negatives
- Hipwood
- Mature players can't crack 22
- McStay

We could have snagged 4 or 5 wins this season so far, but in reality, that wouldn't have made us any better of a team then what we are. Would have helped morale and confidence no doubt, but not getting those wins doesn't take away the improvement we have made. We need to find a way to get our forwards in the game more. McStay can't kick for goal, complete confidence crusher up forward. Hipwood struggling being the #1 man, doesn't have the body to play deep and hit heaps of contests. He is a majestic gazelle on the run and using his athletic ability. Need to get him freed up a bit more, but we need a bigger body key forward to take over that deeper role crashing contests. Both players still very young, with heaps of development ahead.
 
https://www.theage.com.au/sport/afl...lions-close-but-no-cigar-20180613-p4zl7g.html

I tend to agree with this review in The Age today.

I think it is a sign of how inured we are to losing, that people are looking at moderate improvements in some of our stats as some sign that this year hasn’t been another complete washout. Hard to argue with the most important statistic - we have won one game and lost eleven.

D - minus at best.
 

jackess

Cancelled
30k Posts 10k Posts
Aug 10, 2005
46,545
42,486
AFL Club
Brisbane Lions
https://www.theage.com.au/sport/afl...lions-close-but-no-cigar-20180613-p4zl7g.html

I tend to agree with this review in The Age today.

I think it is a sign of how inured we are to losing, that people are looking at moderate improvements in some of our stats as some sign that this year hasn’t been another complete washout. Hard to argue with the most important statistic - we have won one game and lost eleven.

D - minus at best.

Who the * is Ronny Lerner?
 
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