Rod Spooky Galt wrote:
What a waste of a day.
The main thing that stood out to me was how many players we had finger pointing at teammates to pick up a man, while not being anywhere near one themselves. I reckon you'd find the fingers being pointed were asking blokes to cover their man while they went off chasing cheap kicks. Cripps, Newman, Saad, Docherty all at the same stoppages pointing fingers nowhere near a man. Meanwhile I barely saw a Collingwood player do it all game - Daicos was probably the only one and fair enough really.
Selections were bizarre on Thursday, and possibly even worse after the fact. Elevate Ed to the starting 22, OK, benefit of the doubt, there's a role in mind. There wasn't. 21 (6 contested) touches at an average of 13 metres gained per disposal with 70% efficiency, 7 pressure acts, 2 tackles, not a single one-percenter despite being on the ground for all but 15 minutes of the game.
Sub Holland off at half time for tactical reasons, two weeks running. Certainly wasn't form related, if it's fitness, we had almost a full complement of senior listed players in the reserves today instead?
Jordan Boyd looked short of a gallop to say the least, but possibly carrying such a big head would do that to peak Steve Moneghetti. I don't understand the unfounded arrogance from a bloke who has played eight fairly middling at best AFL games. The undisciplined play, the shit talk to players who've achieved a lot more. The sort of fella I suspect will leave "AFL player" on his Tinder bio months after Doutta Stars decide to spend their $2k match payments on a newly delisted AFL player instead.
Well and truly over Jack Silvagni. I'd go as far as to say the only reason he's in the team is because rusted-on nuffies care too much about players smiling and joking with the opposition after the game. Perhaps even speculate that he sells for the hard camera a bit in this regard, that he goes out of his way to really put on the OTT histronics when defending teammates, or looking sad after the game, because you don't drop "heart and soul" players. The only heart and soul aspect of his game is how often he rips them out because he's the least reliable set shot in the league. 33% career set shot conversion rate is woeful. 63% from set shots under 25m (worse than Levi Casboult). 10th season, horrible fundamentals, and the closest to a position he's nailed down is makeshift undersized second ruck.
Similar thoughts on Adam Saad. Third club, leaves every time he gets given duties he doesn't want to do, and what he does want to do isn't enough. Plenty of players who don't want to play on an opponent, do all the kick-ins, and run forward of the footy. I want to see a game from him where he sacrifices his own game for the betterment of the team. I know his best footy is running and creating through the middle, so does anyone who watches twenty minutes of footy a week. He's playing very one-dimensional footy and it's for selfish reasons.
I'm not sure Docherty is necessarily in our best 22 at the moment on form either. Another misleading stats sheet. 34 touches - 24 uncontested and still 10 turnovers. Less than 20 metres gained per possession. 8 CBAs for 1 centre clearance. Another finger pointer who doesn't play accountable footy, and at least he has the reason of being bloody woeful one out. If we were realistic - the midfield minutes are a waste, and we don't need another Saad chasing kick-in stats. He should play as a the defensive half-forward role Ed's failed to make any impact at.
I'd prefer to keep Voss and attempt to try and find some solidarity/consistency in the role rather than expose the list to yet another game plan/philosophy, but he really should be held accountable for having ruined Sam Walsh as an AFL footballer. Remember when he nearly won the Brownlow three years ago, and now just another Andrew McGrath clone racking up cheap kicks off halfback, because Voss's game around high half-forwards pressing up to the centre got unravelled about 8 weeks into last year? In fairness - 14 CBAs for 0 clearances if we're being consistent. Just a shell of his former self that shows no capacity to, and at times no interest on impacting the game.
I'd seriously consider playing Cripps as the backup ruck for the next few weeks. We're yet to find an answer to how to counter teams running off him, and given the makeup of our starting four at the centre bounces, we don't look to be that interested in solving it either. May as well try to counter by having the additional midfielder (and less inclined to squeeze out one of Walsh or Cerra onto a half-back flank), and trying to keep their ruckman accountable around the grounds instead. I don't think there was a clear winner in the De Goey match-up, but De Goey certainly outworked him today.
Back six had a wall-to-wall shocker today, which was really disappointing as I thought they had a really great game the week before. Too many piss-poor efforts against a team that just doesn't do piss-poor efforts, short steps, not going hard enough at a contest, second to the ball. Lewis Young, Mitch McGovern and Nic Newman wouldn't want to watch the replay as there's double figures in this regard from them. It set the tone in the first quarter that we didn't want it as much as Collingwood did. No physical presence from serial offenders is becoming a concern. I thought we set up relatively well in the back half, the ball use out of half back was marginally improved, but the effort was as bad as its been all year.
I think we'll beat Sydney and comfortably - they struggled massively with Hawkins and Cameron without the McCartin brothers and Rampe, and it will happen here too on a small ground where we should comfortably control the clearances. Wallpapering over the cracks doesn't even begin to describe it however.
Great stuff Galty. I can't agree on Saad. But the rest, spot on imo.
Saad was tagged hard, and his run was interupted by a group defence with him their objective....imo
Boyd isnt ready but worth pursuing with in a lost season, if it is that.
Crippa. Is he coachable? If so, he's fixable.
Walsh? He's a player who can make things happen. He is our best mid, if not, 2md besy, if not 3rd. He's one of the best fkn AFL mids, if allowed to be.
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