As much as I hate to take anything away from our last couple of stirring victories, which of course now sees us in the top 8, but I also think the past two weeks have again highlighted a problem the team has had all year, and even longer than that. An inibility to play four quarters of football.

A review of the season so far shows that we still lack consistency in this area, even when winning.

Lost after being ahead
Getting smashed early, and clawing back for 'respectable losses'
Won after being behind/giving up a lead
Solid 4 qtr effort

Rd 1: Richmond (Had them on toast, then fell away)
Rd 2: St Kilda (Had them in the first quarter, then fell away)
Rd 3: Scum (Came from behind to get a decent lead, and momentum, then fell away)
Rd 4: Filth (Solid 4 qtr effort)
Rd 5: Melbourne (Started badly, then got way ahead, only to lose momentum again)
Rd 6: Adelaide (Winning comfortably in first quarter, then fell away)
Rd 7: West Coast (Led well, then nearly coughed it all up, only to kick away again)
Rd 8: Brisbane (Started woefully, then kept the margin 'respectable')
Rd 9: Freo (Had to come from behind to win)
Rd 10: Geelong (Solid early, but blown away in the 2nd half)
Rd 11: Port (Had to come from behind to win)
Rd 12: Filth (Had to come from behind to win)

The only difference lately is that despite our inibility to play well for four quarters, we're winning now. Whereas before, we were playing well early, only to get blown away. But for mine, the problem still remains, and needs to be that thing I hope we can accomplish before the year is out. The boys need to learn how to put teams away when they have a lead, or not get smashed early on and have to claw their way back. No doubt Ratts, Cordy and the team are right on it, but work still needs to be done IMO and I hope this is a focus over the pre-season.

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WADA medical director Dr Alan Vernec describes Essendon* FC drug case as biggest scandal in team sport the world of sport has seen. #WC2WB

#GUILTY

I wrote this in the thread previewing this weekend's match:

"I'm not a huge fan of the argument that we can't truly be a good side until we can play four quarters of footy. If you watch footy these days, most teams aren't actually superb in each of the four quarters. Even the top sides often don't actually play four quarters of top quality footy. Look at Geelong for instance: they are a very good side but I would argue they rarely actually play four quarters of great footy in the one particular match. They seem to play in bursts during which they blow the opposition away. If they have two or three periods of dominance throughout a match then usually they will win. But these days they and sides in general don't often produce four-quarter efforts. I think this is down to the fact that momentum plays a bigger role in games than perhaps it used to. On a given day both sides will generally have their periods of ascendancy during games as one team lifts, one team tires etc. There are two teams out on the ground, so you can't just expect to walk all over your opposition for the entire match.

Sure, as we get better we will start to gain control over longer periods of matches on a more consistent basis. And we will perhaps produce more performances like that against Collingwood earlier in the season where we did get a real four-quarter effort. But I think you are misguided if you think that we can't be a good team if we can't play four quarters of quality footy each and every single week."

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Formerly Blues-Back2003.

True, it's not as though teams methodically increase their leads by 2-3 goals every quarter every week. But I'm talking more about the lack of consistency in our games, and the fact that we're either giving up points or scoring them, with only rare times that we actually break even. It would be a different story if our wins came from games which were even up to that point, or our losses for that matter. But we seem to go through stages where we either switch on or switch off, either allowing oppositions to have their way with us or for us to have our way with them. It's like a see-saw every week.

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WADA medical director Dr Alan Vernec describes Essendon* FC drug case as biggest scandal in team sport the world of sport has seen. #WC2WB

#GUILTY

With such a young side, its expected that we will have ups and downs and a bit of inconsistency, but i see it as something we're improving on every week.
Most games do contain shifts of momentum, and even the top sides in Hawthorn, Geelong and Bulldogs have given the opposition momentum during games but its just something that happens, its how they deal with that, (eg turning it back quickly and not letting to much change on the scoreboard) that counts.

Anyway, we are fast becoming a team with a reputation of being able to gain momentum and kick a mountain of goals in a quick amount of time, which we did the last 2 weeks. If we can at least be competitive the rest of the time, we'll win more than we lose.

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Carlton Premiers '10

i know that we do fade out in quarter's or a period of the game, but this is where Ratten has implemented his plan to suit.

early on, we just didn't have the fitness to play the way we were, so it wasn't a case of metal ability, but physical ability and game plan

now we seem to be playing more fitter, which mean any margin between 2-5 goals down at 3 qrt time, the club knows they are still in it. this is the metal part of the game that we have adopted.

i have also notice another area of maturity or mental training, the ability to win back momentum. when our opposition gets on a role, we change the way we play to counter their attack, and it's been working like a charm.

plus when we seem to score a goal now, we seem to always win the next centre clearance, which was the complete opposite to what we did in the past.

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cruise (Kreuze) missile:
a very accurate flying bomb.
SOURCE: http://library.thinkquest.org/3785/glossary.html

What colour the next ten rounds, DS?

Green
Green
Green
Green
Green
Green
Green
Green
Green
Green

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They coud'nt.....could they?

Let's hope so

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WADA medical director Dr Alan Vernec describes Essendon* FC drug case as biggest scandal in team sport the world of sport has seen. #WC2WB

#GUILTY

You can just about highlight any team in the AFL for those attributes. This ain't a science. In the end it is about winning the game and of course winning flags. From where we have come from, we are all excited about our destination. How quick the journey is, is yet to be determined.

The back end of '08 was always going to be better than the front end. Just enjoy the winning feeling guys, lets try to get used to it again. Start winning games that we should. Starting Sunday. Can you smell a 'smashing' in the air?

as DS said!

Carbon copy of round 3.

Rd 13: Scum (Came from behind to get a decent lead, and momentum, then fell away)

Could also be orange too. Considering we got smashed early.

Either way. Another week, another non- 4qtr effort.

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WADA medical director Dr Alan Vernec describes Essendon* FC drug case as biggest scandal in team sport the world of sport has seen. #WC2WB

#GUILTY

We play 20 good minutes of footy a game.

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"You're not gonna believe this. The guy killed 16 czechoslovakians. He was an interior decorator."

"His house looked like shit!"

When we put in 4 solid (if not fantastic) quarters, then we're going to start winning, and will deserve a finals spot.

After today, I think we're not there yet.

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And so while others miserably pledge themselves to the pursuit of ambition and brief power, I will be stretched out in the shade, singing.

Rd 14: Richmond (Behind for most of game, only to win in the end)

The trend continues

_________________
WADA medical director Dr Alan Vernec describes Essendon* FC drug case as biggest scandal in team sport the world of sport has seen. #WC2WB

#GUILTY

We played 4 quarters today . Lets face it , we were never very far behind them , and powered away in the last . They olayed very well in the first half , and would have led a lot a other sides at half time . Last few years they would have kicked away in the second half . Not anymore . Last week Essendon* were better than us all day , and we have to face that fact as embarrasing as that is . wWe will struggle to make the 8 this year , but thats because our list is not up the others above us , not because we don't play 4 quarters anymore . We will get there , but not overnight .

This is a great thread. Thanks Donstuie. Good to have a look at.




I agree

klakker wrote



I agree

We are playing 4 quarter football in the main, and we play a whole match; except the Cats game. But we do have short lapses in parts of many quarters, a bit of bad luck, kick to a congested optioin (Fevcentric) and don't take the better option in the forwardline at important stages in the game...and most of all, we have given away, I mean literally put the ball in the oppositon's hands for, 'gimme goals'.

I think we are not effient enough and getting the ball to better positions directly forward to create shots at goals. This usually comes from a lack of forward traffic through the Corridor footy, or generally not taking better multiple options (to those usually in better positions than Fev). That comes from not making the options happen, and of course executing accurately. Today, it seemed we did play for 4 quarters, gave ourselves options with Edwards, Betts, Fish and from rucks and midfielders.

If we took better options I'm sure we would have gained or continued with the ascendency of a game.

How many times have our forward thrusts been lost at times we could have kept in touch, only to see the ball shoot to the other side and they score a goal?

Is that not 4 quarter football? They're the breaks. We've got to make the most of our opportunities. We have to execute better and run to better positions in space; Scotland, Stevens, Carrazzo and Murphy do that, and (Judd), Walker and Hadley will add. But part from execution issues, they need players making good position downfield and they don't a lot of the time. So imo we do have the makings of a premiership team upfield.

When our skills and stamina improve, I'm sure we will use the corridor better than we do, as well as taking better options than Fev offers at times.

We are putting in, and I'm proud of the kids. They @#$%&! up a lot, in fact too much to be a Top 8 side, but we're getting there, and when we do win, it's easier to see us going forward.

It's the kids that we should be impressed with in their efforts over 120 minutes of footy. Just look at them. Imagine what they'll be like after 2 more preseasons and 30 rounds of footy.

19 yo's Gibbs, Kreuzer
20 yo's Hampson, Bower, Grigg, Anderson, Edwards
21 yo's Murphy, Betts, Jamison, Russell, Armfield, Pfieffer
22 yo's Walker
23 yo's Bentick
24 yo's Simpson, Fisher, Cloke

25 yo's aren't old but they're not kids anymore, they're getting close to their peak over the next 5 tears: Jadd, Waite, Hadley, Thornton, Carrazo, Bannister, Setanta.

As the chart suggests, the kids have room for improvement Donstuie; that's for sure

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Everyone looks good in Navy Blue

Just makes the win that much more enjoyable thou doesn't it?

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"We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, then, is not an act, but a habit"
- Aristotle

Well said Bondiblue . Spot on !!

Oh.....but you are.


Sorry....I've just got home from the game; and I'm in no mood to hear negative and/or "this is what has to be done posts".....I'm happy!!!

Even though we only lost two games, 1995 had many stirring wins we possibly could've lost...but we didn't.

Why? Just like today, WE RULE! Suck it up!