Review Win’s a win: Freo in a grind over the Crows

[Cayman Docker]

Hughes, solid again.

Liked Draper, definitely Johnno Jnr.

Great to have a very fit moose patrolling the back paddock, just got to keep out of the way of a bleached rhino.

Disagree with Hughes being solid. He’s the biggest weakness down back, Draper already looks far better only after a couple of runs. Draper in for Hugh’s (sub), Cox heads back to defense when back, sounds pretty formidable!

 

[gaskin]

Disagree with Hughes being solid. He’s the biggest weakness down back, Draper already looks far better only after a couple of runs. Draper in for Hugh’s (sub), Cox heads back to defense when back, sounds formidable to me….

I'm the president of the anti-Hughes club and even I can admit that he was pretty solid tonight. He might be the biggest weakness down back but he held up well.

 

[theGav56]

Moose on the loose.

Rhyno the albino.

 

[go_the_dockers]

What a time to be a Freo supporter!

35 point win in a game some here were worried about and a heap to be happy about! Some of us called a 5-6 goal win, and boy did we deliver. We did them in so badly we could have won by ten goals. There is something building here that should have us all excited.

Draper is coming along quickly and with Chappy and Cox to come back, I want to find a way to keep him in the team.

Clark - he was lethal by foot tonight. Some dash and dare added in. He was a force tonight.

Pearce and Ryan - both of them came up big on so many occasions tonight. A big challenge next week, but their season so far has been AA discussion worthy.

Amiss finds a way to kick 2 without being in dominating form. Got about three steps to close to the man on the mark for his set shot. He ended up aiming it around the player on the mark. Could also have had a couple more from some non obvious holding the ball calls that were let go.

Treacy continues to grow and his field kicking is sublime. Goals from fifty - Boy oh Boy! That kick was an aphrodisiac.

3 - 0 and finals bound! We are witnessing the beginning of something. What a ride it will be!

The fact we were only 10 points up half way through the 4th, and then kick 5 late is the difference.

If we kicked 4 or 5 goals early, and then held the lead the rest of the game the feeling would be different.

That, and the multitude of skills errors on display, and I think people are right to be nervous.

 

[freo1997]

We looked bloody solid last night. Defensive efforts across the ground and the defence itself was rock solid. Really impressed tbh.

Goal kicking shite but we ended up turning that around last qtr for the most part.

We get a big break and get to play Carlton at a neutral ground! Bring it on.

 

[thistimeforsure]

What the hell do you even make of that abomination of a game ?

Horrific display of skills by both teams and one team sucked a little less than the other and gets 4 points out of it

Massive gap in class when measured against the good teams but we are a very good running team

Suspect we have a big reality check looming on the horizon

 

[BStaff17]

There is a lot of improving to do which isn’t a bad place to be at 3-0. Early wins in the league are vital to provide breathing space for later.

The biggest challenge for this group is consistent clinical scoring. Maybe the slippery ball provides a pass tonight but I’m not so sure… The horrendous missed chances in the 2013 final have defined and haunted this club for over a decade. Premiership winning sides are ruthless in front of the sticks. 5-12 or whatever it was at one point tonight is just coach killing stuff. We were fortunate Adelaide offered nothing much in attack either.
I like all our forwards individually for various traits they are great at, but how many butcher chances they should easily take, far too often?

Kicking goals is the most important skill in AFL footy. Don’t give a s**t what anyone says about literally everything else people do on a football field. Being “afl average” at this skill is not good enough. Fremantle needs to be top 4 or top 2 in this area to win a flag at the MCG.

Projecting forward here a bit but if we make it to a GF in the next 2-3 years and Switta or Frederick or fyfey or Serong or someone is ballooning the ball wide of the posts from a kickable set shot 25 m out early in the piece - it sucks the life out of the entire stadium, the fanbase, the team, everything. We have seen it all before.
I don’t know what the solution is to this problem really. Amiss had a bad night tonight but he’s shown to be generally trustworthy (though he does have an odd bad miss in him), and Walters is the other clutch goalkicker who had a poor night.
The rest of them I don’t trust whatsoever. Actually Jackson is probably the most reliable actually. Tabs with the round the corner left foot snap is usually a banker. Treacy has looked good this year to be fair but doesn’t get many looks at goal in a game, maybe 2-3.
Everyone else - it’s hide behind the sofa and hope for the best stuff.

It’s so hard to win a flag. We will need to kick probably 14 or 15 goals on GF day if we even make it there in the first place.

Serong and Brayshaw are the same all-time great mids kick goals.

If there is one area for both of them to improve is kicking goals.

Serong again last night fluffed one running into 50 and kicked it over the boundary line.

 

[Alfonz]

Imagine having a weak midfield and drafting McAsey over Young and Serong.

 

[BStaff17]

WA clubs record on Good Friday

Freo 1-0
West Coast 0-2

 

[RonnieRaven]

Get bloody excited boys and girls.
Game style has been awesome execution of skills poor.
It’s only March we don’t want to be peaking
we have heaps of high end talent execution will come.
Besides Fyfe our midfield 7 were under 25. Yesterday.
The youngest in crows starting mid 4 was 26 (Dawson)
No more negative s**t with in the four walls, there’s enough surrounding us by oppo supporters and media.
Win a final this year then hold on to your hats for the rest of the decade!

 

[DragoDelph]

I think you're not accounting for the taxing game style that was played. Many of the forward half errors were the result of players being absolutely gassed. Watch the end second half of the second quarter where Amiss has absolutely nothing left from repeat efforts and his disposal is off, see Clark three bounces down the wing and kicking OOTF.
I'm re watching now and into the third quarter. This was a really taxing game played on the back of two 6 day breaks.

Legitimate concerns but also legitimate explanations.

This was a big factor.
The fact they were gassed, had to chase turnover, and still dominated is a good sign.

Was expecting to get to the derby at 2-3. Now we can’t be worse than 3-2.
That’s huge in the context of the whole season

 

[Paracleet]

Even at only 14 points up you got that feeling you always used to get, that Ross feeling; we're going to win and the opposition know it too.

 

[Superkoops]

I'm the president of the anti-Hughes club and even I can admit that he was pretty solid tonight. He might be the biggest weakness down back but he held up well.

Hughes was solid and deserves his spot whilst we have a number of injuries. He is definitely getting the ball on quicker but still a little too slowly at times. Needs to look to dish it off to the runner.

He made one mistake that I remember where he fumbled the ball badly around the d50 and led to the Crows 3rd or 4th goal. He fumbled and then didn’t keep the ball in front of him.

His solid enough form means that we can take time with likes of Chapman and Wagner before considering them as they return from injury and disrupted pre-seasons. Worner is one who will put some pressure on but for mine he has done enough to keep his spot and the others will need to push him out through solid consistent form in WAFL.

 

[Joao]

Also I love that because it was low scoring, nobody rates us still.

We're still under the radar.

 

[Superkoops]

This was a big factor.
The fact they were gassed, had to chase turnover, and still dominated is a good sign.

Was expecting to get to the derby at 2-3. Now we can’t be worse than 3-2.
That’s huge in the context of the whole season

That and being a Fri night game on the big stage - very eager to impress and Adrenalin rushing leading to a few turnovers. Composure definitely was a bit of an issue for both side.

Clark bolting down the wing burning off burger got too excited and ran too far with a player coming at him the other direction. Composure would have seen him chip it over earlier as that player started to come at him.

Walker on the right half back flank a good hard running mark with a release kick from d50. He immediately turned and played on to kick straight to Adelaide that led to a goal. For him he needed to turn around quickly but compose himself with a few steps before kicking the ball.

Fyfe’s reluctance to kick at one point where he then hung into the ball too long and executed a bad turnover with a corridor kick.

The goal kicking or options - some in between kicks (ie unsure whether to pass or kick a goal - Emmett, Switta, Serong), some shanks and generally terrible execution in front of the sticks. Banfield the exception with that cool kick at goal under pressure.

The forward connection for the mids going forward is biggest area to improve and I believe we will prob get a decent reality check against Carlton but will hold in good stead going forward and just never know against Port.

 

[poshman]

Get bloody excited boys and girls.
Game style has been awesome execution of skills poor.
It’s only March we don’t want to be peaking
we have heaps of high end talent execution will come.
Besides Fyfe our midfield 7 were under 25. Yesterday.
The youngest in crows starting mid 4 was 26 (Dawson)
No more negative s**t with in the four walls, there’s enough surrounding us by oppo supporters and media.
Win a final this year then hold on to your hats for the rest of the decade!

 

[arsesmart]

It's very noticeable to me that we don't seem to apply enough pressure when our opponents are bringing the ball from defense with short kicks to players under no pressure at all. This happened again tonight on a number of occasions and it's not good. How often did Adelaide have a pass into the 50 that was under no pressure at all. For god's sake at least put some pressure on!

WTF? There was a huge amount of pressure applied by us. You're simply not going to be able to cover off the opposition transitioning 100% of the time and you need to pick your battles. Maybe that's what stuck with you? But great pressure game from forwards, backs and mids.

 

[Cobbler]

WTF? There was a huge amount of pressure applied by us. You're simply not going to be able to cover off the opposition transitioning 100% of the time and you need to pick your battles. Maybe that's what stuck with you? But great pressure game from forwards, backs and mids.

Yeah that was a fingernail deep analysis by that poster.
I think we gave up the short dinky kick to slow them, organise ourselves and defend accordingly. That seemed obvious to me as opposed to poor defense.

What we didn’t want was for them to get out in the open where Rankine and Rachele might expose us.

When they did go long Pearce and Ryan destroyed their forwards. We bounced back through Aish and Clark.

I was impressed with our team defense, but like many have said we just didn’t put the scoreboard pressure on until late.

 

[freo84]

Best draft ever?

 

[Taylor]

Even at only 14 points up you got that feeling you always used to get, that Ross feeling; we're going to win and the opposition know it too.

Having that casual conversation with the person next to you with a half eye on the game, not hanging onto the edge of the seat riding every little contest and fumble because you are right, it felt like we had broken them and it was just a matter of time before the siren went and we won.

Didn't hit until the second half of the 4th but it was definitely noticed

 

[bushchook]

The goal kicking or options - some in between kicks (ie unsure whether to pass or kick a goal - Emmett, Switta, Serong), some shanks and generally terrible execution in front of the sticks. Banfield the exception with that cool kick at goal under pressure.

I wish more of our forwards would take a leaf out of Banfield's book. Him and Walters are the only 2 smalls in our team who seem willing to take the responsibility to have a shot.

 

[freo84]

Having that casual conversation with the person next to you with a half eye on the game, not hanging onto the edge of the seat riding every little contest and fumble because you are right, it felt like we had broken them and it was just a matter of time before the siren went and we won.

Didn't hit until the second half of the 4th but it was definitely noticed

I didn't realise how much i missed watching us break the resolve of another team. It was beautiful.

 

[Piggy Smalls]

Best draft ever?

Crazy. That’s almost a quarter of our best 22 right there.

 

[Taylor]

I didn't realise how much i missed watching us break the resolve of another team. It was beautiful.

Hanz... are we the good team now??

 

[Footskill]

I wish more of our forwards would take a leaf out of Banfield's book. Him and Walters are the only 2 smalls in our team who seem willing to take the responsibility to have a shot.

Not sure..you'll hardly see Frederick's ever dish off