You go back a week and the Pies lost a backman and one of their Premier midfielders with in the first quarter caused them to restructure and we rolled them - Ball may have been able to provide a chop out for Pendlebury
Ben Reid was a critical part of their defence which allowed our big blokes to chime in with a few

Fast forward a week to the Essendon* game and the roles are reversed - Our back half sweeper is on one leg our number one tagger is out of the game - A run with player rolls his ankle - we looked on top at 1/4 time but when the rotations start to come in the 2nd quarter we are found wanting - Made worse because Gibbs was shifted into Laidlers roll on half back and we were trying to swing Bower and Jamo forward . Add to this we were getting smashed in the ruck and had a chance to put some real score board pressure on but missed 3 easy goals in the first

Dont under estimate the importance of having fit players on the park - Loose one early you can cover loose 2 and have another limping and you will struggle big time against the better sides

Still think it was lonegans swinging arm that caused the damage - Well done Bombers you have blown the top 8 wide apart this result could make this one of the most tightly contested years for places in the 8 this year because I didn't have the bombers in mine and now you have at least 10-12 teams fighting for a spot

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I just don't think you get a view of the whole game from where he sits and I think it makes him look powerless on match days. I can't see how he can speak to the players with real authority when he can't properly see what is happening all over the ground. And I think it compromises his authority if he relies totally on subordinates to run the tactics on game day. Sure, there is lots of pre planning, but things don't always go to plan.

For instance Lucas put in a poor marking effort of the sounthern defnsive flank in the third, no doubt it was seen from the box but I doubt Ratts would have seen it clearly, so his response to Lucas would have been second hand or from a subordinate. Ratts wouldn't be able to clearly describe the incident to the player.

The collective coaching is an interesting idea but personally I would like ratts to be in the box and seeing everything on match day. And yes I have thought that from day one, win or lose. Ag the Woods everything went perfectly to plan. Its when it doesn't go to plan that the head coach needs to assert full authority over what is happening.

What was wrong with Ratten being on the bench the week before?

Think Ratten said he gets a better read of their body language from the bench.

Thank God the supporters don't have their hands on the tiller.

So many cop outs and nervous nellies.

Don't forget the colour of the players boots and their haircuts Gerry, these factors plus Ratts sitting at the back of the bench = disaster

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I bow to the pressure. The MC are beyond criticism and the loss to Essendon* is utterly acceptable.

If you look carefully he is in constant contact with "upstairs" with the headphones and mike. He will be getting as much information he needs from those with the broader view. Maybe the info he gets from upstairs isn't up to snuff. That is something we will never know.

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"our electorate seeks less to be informed and more to be validated." Sad times.

I personally prefer by far watching a game from the stands than from ground level.

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No ones listening till you make a mistake.

So now we lost because of our haircuts, our boot colours and where our coach sits?

Come on guys

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#GUILTY

Not at all.

But saying coaching from ground level is to blame or just flat out isn't working doesn't reflect our win/loss ratio over the last year or two.

The coaching staff are open to criticism for a number of things, but you're just reacting to something that has proven to have little merit.

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The players were off. It happens.
And if Lucas and Waite kicked straight (let alone all the others), we would have won.

I'm pretty convinced someone put a hex on us on Saturday.

We were flogging them by the time Reid and Ball went off. It was more about attitude than personnel.
The same as Saturday V Essendon*.

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Looking forward to seeing our potential realised.

Even though we were in front at 1/4 time Saturday I don't think we looked like we were going to win. The players looked flat and uncommitted.

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Reid and Ball were gone in the 1st quarter they got back to with in 9 points in the second 1/4 and ran out of puff - We came out of the blocks but they did come back and kicked 4 unanswered goals we kicked the last two to put us 3 and a bit goals up at half time
You lose key people and you struggle especially if you can't cover them

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Don't forget Twitter. If Murphy and Gibbs spent less time tweeting what they had for lunch and more time focusing the Bombers we wouldn't be having this conversation

I missed the first 10 mins of the telecast here, but after 5 mins of watching I was really worried cos it was obvious we hadn't turned up to play. No spread, no pressure running the other way, some sloppy tackling and loose marking in the transitions.

I was hoping the players had hardened up in these areas, they were claiming they had, but that remains to be seen now.

Technically you are correct, but only at the very end of the first quarter and both came back onto the ground - Ball for most of the second quarter before doing his knee again: https://www.afl.com.au/News/NEWSARTICLE/tabid/208/newsId/133039/Default.aspx

As BV said, we were flogging them in nearly every area before they left the ground anyway.

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"If everyone is moving forward together, then success takes care of itself" - Henry Ford

We were 9 points up when Ball went off for the 2nd time
Thats not exactly flogging them

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Astonishing, 44 scoring shots to us 22 to them. It is a real indictment that on Saturday it was 34 them, 24 us. In effect, a scoring shots turnaround of 32

Think of Rd 3 2010, this is about where this pathetic performance ranks. Just hope we do what we did in Rd 4 2010 - thumped Crows @ AAMI by 48 pts. That's why I like the fact that we are going interstate this week, especially at a ground where we play so well.