Two Positives From Tonight

[Slippery Pete]

1. Clearly NAB Cup Form is no indicator of real season form. We were poor in the preseason, looked lethargic and stagnant, displayed poor skills and got opened up at the back. You compare that to tonight - like chalk and cheese.

Didn't we win our last pre-season game? Against the pre-season cup Grand Finalist, no less..... That's pretty good form....

Not that I don't appreciate your whole AFGM thing you've got goin on here......

 

[PykeDream]

The way we held the ball until called to play on (and beyond) was excruciating. That is not our game plan. Not once did the safe chipping rubbish work. Wright, Jenkins, Henderson and Rutten were the worst offenders.

 

[Footypie32]

I'd laugh... if it weren't so true!

We claim we like quick ball movement, yet we push our forwards so far up the ground, if we win the footy in the D50 we have to wait for our forwards to push back up the ground just so we have something to kick to.

To have effective quick ball movement, you can't have all 17 other players within kicking distance of the kicker.

In fact, we have so many people pushing into our opponents D50 that we effectively flood ourselves on the rebound. There's no room for our options up the ground to lead into, so we just have to bomb to a pack. Newsflash: we don't have any pack marks any more, Walker and Jenkins are good one on one and Jacobs is Matthew Clark Mark II!

We have become a side that unless we win the centre clearance is absolutely impotent. We have no genuine system coming out of defense, it's just kick and pray! Our only answer to this is to select more outside running types, quality Sando, not quantity!

Very true. Just watching the replay, I noticed the same thing. Whenever the ball enters our forward 50, it seems like there are 20 players in there. At the other end there was a lot more 1 on 1, giving essendon's smalls room to move.

We CANNOT bomb the ball into our forward line. To get away with this you need two things: 1) A big forward that can take a pack mark. 2) Small forwards that read the fall of the ball and mop up. We have neither. We need to start taking our time and lowering our eyes. The only time we should be aiming for the goal-square is if we are going for goal.

In the end though, I'm still convinced if we had won the clearances we would've won the game. I believe Sando has built our whole game plan around the fact that we can get more clearances than our opponent, then hold it in our forward line until we kick a goal. Rinse and repeat. If we lose the centre clearances we look horrible. We need Riley, Crouch and Callinan back for our next game.

 

[Paladin]

The way we held the ball until called to play on (and beyond) was excruciating. That is not our game plan. Not once did the safe chipping rubbish work. Wright, Jenkins, Henderson and Rutten were the worst offenders.

Yep it seemed we had no idea (or plan) how to get the ball from one end to the other. Mackay was the only player i trusted to do anything creative with the ball.

 

[Footypie32]

Yep it seemed we had no idea (or plan) how to get the ball from one end to the other. Mackay was the only player i trusted to do anything creative with the ball.

My heart sunk when he slipped over. Thought he'd done another hammy. Was so disappointed for him as well. He was really trying to create something and didn't get rewarded for his effort. Summed up our night beautifully.

 

[Schulzycrow]

Thought Truck's game was solid last night a real contributor.

 

[OrdinaryJoel]

My heart sunk when he slipped over. Thought he'd done another hammy. Was so disappointed for him as well. He was really trying to create something and didn't get rewarded for his effort. Summed up our night beautifully.

All you can do is laugh...

I swear, at that exact moment, I was lost for words. Like a gazelle running he was, then he fell over. Just like our team did after quarter time...

 

[Footypie32]

As a little positive: I think Porplyzia and Walker is the first time since probably DJ and Roo that I can think of two players were I think, "yeah, He'll probably kick this" in the side. Not sure if that makes sense , just a strange thought I had...

 

[Footypie32]

All you can do is laugh...

I swear, at that exact moment, I was lost for words. Like a gazelle running he was, then he fell over. Just like our team did after quarter time...

I laughed a lot last night.

 

[OrdinaryJoel]

I laughed a lot last night.

I did, solemnly by myself...

 

[Lawrst]

I cried.

 

[radiojake]

I was in a pub full of Essendon supporters and when Mackay slipped over there was the biggest bronx cheers of the whole night - It was like, at that moment, everyone in the pub knew for certain what the result was going to be -

 

[Drugs Are Bad Mackay?]

Didn't we win our last pre-season game? Against the pre-season cup Grand Finalist, no less..... That's pretty good form....

At home... narrowly. Against a team that strengthened their team for a home final the week after and were spanked by a bottom 8 team.

Not that I don't appreciate your whole AFGM thing you've got goin on here......

 

[Drugs Are Bad Mackay?]

I was in a pub full of Essendon supporters and when Mackay slipped over there was the biggest bronx cheers of the whole night - It was like, at that moment, everyone in the pub knew for certain what the result was going to be -

You don't win games when you have uncontested fall downs.

 

[Bicks]

Thought Truck's game was solid last night a real contributor.

Your taking the piss like the OP right????

 

[JP Sauce]

You don't win games when you have uncontested fall downs.

You win B&Fs though.

 

[Schulzycrow]

Your taking the piss like the OP right????

Yes very much so. One of the worst games I seen him play.

 

[Mattrox]

My heart sunk when he slipped over. Thought he'd done another hammy. Was so disappointed for him as well. He was really trying to create something and didn't get rewarded for his effort. Summed up our night beautifully.

At first I thought he tripped over his own feet and I wanted to yell at him. But the reply clearly showed the turf give way under his boot. If even the turf is against, I don't know what else could go wrong. Stiffy not shepherding the goal through was hard to take.... The back line errors... OMG Then this...

 

[Geoffa32]

The main positive is that Brad Crouch will come in next week and solve everything

 

[Apsaalooke]

We lost all the key indicators, couldn't have played much worse and yet had the same number of scoring shots, with a few cheap goals at the end to pad out the losing margin. If we'd kicked straight we would have (undeservedly) been a chance.

Imagine if we'd actually showed up.

 

[moogerfooger]

We just need a strong third option.

a second one wouldn't be bad either . . .

 

[Mr_Moogle]

We have become a side that unless we win the centre clearance is absolutely impotent. We have no genuine system coming out of defense, it's just kick and pray! Our only answer to this is to select more outside running types, quality Sando, not quantity!

Totally agree with you. Securing quality players is a nice thought but the Crows piss weak administration with all their cluster ****ing have made it that much harder for Sando to secure quality draft picks.

 

[footy4ever]

You don't win games when you have uncontested fall downs.

That should become a stat criteria - UFD (reserved for AFC only)

 

[Cap]

a second one wouldn't be bad either . . .

lets not start talking about plan b again.

 

[Slippery Pete]

At home... narrowly. Against a team that strengthened their team for a home final the week after and were spanked by a bottom 8 team.)

So..... Pre season form doesn't mean much then..... Glad we arrived at that.

I want Spackler back.