Review Round 1 v Geelong

[freofandom]

I swear 90% of our fans are clinically insane. When was the last time we got talked up in the media and we came out that same week and performed up to that standard? Combine that with key injuries and our experience demographic playing away and I'm not sure why anyone doesn't think retrospectively "yeah that was probably always going to happen". The capitulation in the last 10 minutes was mind blowing though, for a team wanting to win a first premiership... wtf?

We sucked ass. On to next week to turn things around at home.

 

[FreoRicci]

I'll admit I was very wrong about Reidy, I thought structure was the right way to go but we would have been better in the middle with Jackson as #1 and Voss as a pinch hitter.

Simpson over Banfield too would have been better, ideally Sturt is in but he's injured. Simpson or Narkle need to come in next week.

Both will happen. Rather Simpson having a go and develop with Reid if that’s the crap we put up.
Switta and Banfield did nothing for 6 quarters (until Switta did his groin). Reid and Simpson surely will do more.

Voss offers more versatility and grunt. Plus he can take a grab up forward

 

[Flour bag punter]

Two things missing from the side and they are able to be coached or improved through selection.
1 - hard desperate footy when we don’t have the ball, stick bone crunching tackles and don’t let the ball out. When we have the ball don’t go all deer in the headlights just because there is tackling pressure, expect/anticipate it.
2. Play on and move the ball quickly at all times. This way every player on our side knows what’s coming. This mosh mash of stalling and fast movement would be impossible to play to. Watch the Hawks, every single player knows to move it quickly and because they know that can anticipate and be in position.

Selection demands that anyone not beelining the football is dropped immediately. No passengers or soft targets should be rewarded.

Get tough JLo and be tough at the selection table too, set some standards

 

[DocT]

It wasn't Chapman, had nothing to do with that, it was Reid going into Switkowski's role.

And the 4th Q????

 

[freo1]

Positive: Murphy Reid

Negatives: Literally everything else

Positive: Murphy Reid

Negative: Murphy Reid likely wanting a trade already

 

[freo1]

Two things missing from the side and they are able to be coached or improved through selection.
1 - hard desperate footy when we don’t have the ball, stick bone crunching tackles and don’t let the ball out. When we have the ball don’t go all deer in the headlights just because there is tackling pressure, expect/anticipate it.
2. Play on and move the ball quickly at all times. This way every player on our side knows what’s coming. This mosh mash of stalling and fast movement would be impossible to play to. Watch the Hawks, every single player knows to move it quickly and because they know that can anticipate and be in position.

Selection demands that anyone not beelining the football is dropped immediately. No passengers or soft targets should be rewarded.

Get tough JLo and be tough at the selection table too, set some standards

But we know this won’t happen. JLo and the word tough are polar opposites. He’s far too conservative

 

[eastfreo75]

I swear 90% of our fans are clinically insane. When was the last time we got talked up in the media and we came out that same week and performed up to that standard? Combine that with key injuries and our experience demographic playing away and I'm not sure why anyone doesn't think retrospectively "yeah that was probably always going to happen". The capitulation in the last 10 minutes was mind blowing though, for a team wanting to win a first premiership... wtf?

We sucked ass. On to next week to turn things around at home.

13 goals.

 

[s_wd6]

I swear 90% of our fans are clinically insane. When was the last time we got talked up in the media and we came out that same week and performed up to that standard? Combine that with key injuries and our experience demographic playing away and I'm not sure why anyone doesn't think retrospectively "yeah that was probably always going to happen". The capitulation in the last 10 minutes was mind blowing though, for a team wanting to win a first premiership... wtf?

We sucked ass. On to next week to turn things around at home.

It's the 20 points to 80 points in 20 minutes that had me ripping my hair out. I expected a loss. I expected us to start poorly like all of the 10am games. I expected us to bring the margin back in the second half. And when we cut it to 20 points at three quarter time I expected an arm wrestle goal for goal last quarter where Cats would win, but keep it at 4-5 goals. There's zero excuse for the way the entire team just decided to pack it up after the Atkin's goal. Downright embarrassing.

 

[Sir Deadly]

Had anyone figured out why Serong spent so little time in the guts yet?

 

[DocT]

I'll admit I was very wrong about Reidy, I thought structure was the right way to go but we would have been better in the middle with Jackson as #1 and Voss as a pinch hitter.

Simpson over Banfield too would have been better, ideally Sturt is in but he's injured. Simpson or Narkle need to come in next week.

Thx for your honesty WRT Reidy. I haven't heard much from all the critcs who have bagged out JLo in the past for not selecting him.

 

[Cesoir]

Had anyone figured out why Serong spent so little time in the guys yet?

He's straight?

 

[s_wd6]

Thx for your honesty WRT Reidy. I haven't heard much from all the critcs who have bagged out JLo in the past for not selecting him.

Mind you the alternative was Taberner. JL was rightfully criticised for not bringing him in at that point.

 

[Bicco]

Still waiting for a refund for that game against Melbourne at the MCG where we coughed up a huge half time lead tbh

I was there too. Horrific loss.

 

[freofandom]

There's zero excuse for the way the entire team just decided to pack it up after the Atkin's goal. Downright embarrassing.

Exactly. I personally didn't actually mind the rest - including the shit start. But we certainly did not look "the fittest we've ever been" in the 4th. Regardless the effort was putrid and inexcusable as you say. The only positive is I do think that is something that coaches and players can fix quickly.

 

[Randomizor]

Had anyone figured out why Serong spent so little time in the guys yet?

That’s not what we mean by dominating the players

 

[Jezzitizle]

The fact had to play JOM and Banfield in a ‘contending’ team is scary.

No we misheard, we thought the club were telling us we were contenders, but they actually said pretenders.

Easy mistake to make.

 

[DocT]

Terribly disappointing and given that virtually the whole team were under-par the responsibiity must sit at JLo's feet.

We were consistently more fumbly/slower/dumb mistakes. Are we overthinking? I think so.

Geelong were a slick machine - obviously a TON better prepared/coached.

Mid-forward connection?? What mid-forward connection? Why on earth do our tall forwards keep spoiling each other?

Positives:
Reid's late 3Q 3 minutes. I suspect he will be matched up more closely from here on in.
Treacy did a lot although he missed two he'd normally slot. He's a tough competitor and lots of our goals are due to his hard physical labour. We love your work Big Josh.
JOM was good.
NODDY was good.
Jackson was great in the clearances.

Particular Concerns:
JLo - sameoldsameoldsameoldsameold. It's only the first game of the season but to see such little progress is soul destroying.
Nev's been off for a long while now.
We are supposed to be a very good defensive team. WTF today????? And with 9(!!) defenders.
Walker and Jonno still make a lot of mistakes (they do a lot of good too). They look destined to max out as B graders which for Johnson in particular is a disappointment.
Freddy - maybe I'm harsh, you kicked 2 goals, but it feels like you are MIA for too long.

THANK GOODNESS
That was one of our toughest games of the year on paper and we were expected to lose. Season still on track.

 

[DocT]

Exactly. I personally didn't actually mind the rest - including the shit start. But we certainly did not look "the fittest we've ever been" in the 4th. Regardless the effort was putrid and inexcusable as you say. The only positive is I do think that is something that coaches and players can fix quickly.

Maybe 'coaches and players can fix (it) quickly' but given this sort of problem has been an issue for years now it is clear that JLo can't fix it quickly. It looks like he can't fix it slowly either.

 

[BREATHLESS_987]

We obviously tried to open up the game to win in the last, but by that point we were so cooked from chasing tail that it just resulted in us getting obliterated, so it is what it is.

But if that's going to be the case, you shouldn't be going into the season saying you're confident we can 'outlast anyone', because that clearly isn't the case.

 

[DocT]

Hey everyone! if you need a cheer up WA just got 3 quick wickets to put them right on top of Victoria in a situation where to make the final two other results need to go our way...and they're on track too.

 

[mattis117]

Being a neutral for moment, that was absolutely clinical from Geelong. They were superb in every way, remarkably clean for round 1 and bringing finals like pressure right from the start. They had a plan to smash Freo right from the get go and they threw them off their game completely. Freo lost their composure and confidence because Geelong punched them in the face repeatedly.

They were sick of Freo winning at GMHBA and made it a mission to make a statement.

Bad losses happen and Freo aren't the first, nor the last team to get smashed at Kardinia. The performance sucks, but what happens next week matters more. Fans will jump off real quick, and player confidence will fall through the floor if the response next week is not emphatic.

They need us next week. Get behind them and help them turn this around.

 

[Joao]

Being a neutral for moment, that was absolutely clinical from Geelong. They were superb in every way, remarkably clean for round 1 and bringing finals like pressure right from the start. They had a plan to smash Freo right from the get go and they threw them off their game completely. Freo lost their composure and confidence because Geelong punched them in the face repeatedly.

They were sick of Freo winning at GMHBA and made it a mission to make a statement.

Bad losses happen and Freo aren't the first, nor the last team to get smashed at Kardinia. The performance sucks, but what happens next week matters more. Fans will jump off real quick, and player confidence will fall through the floor if the response next week is not emphatic.

They need us next week. Get behind them and help them turn this around.

Swans are going to be rampant too, as they are likely 0-2 heading west.

 

[s_wd6]

Feels like you can't talk about it after an 80 point loss but that umpiring in the first half especially was deploarable.

There were so many times where we stuck the tackle and the Geelong player just dropped or threw the ball (looking at you Bailey Smith) and they were all good. Meanwhile we were getting pinged where the players had no prior at all. One of Jezza's goals came from a htb that Geelong had gotten away with just seconds earlier.

And then the not 15 calls every time we were trying to move the ball out of our back half early that were just not there the other way. Had no impact on the result at the end obviously because of that last quarter, but it definitely helped kill a lot of chances early on.

 

[freofandom]

Maybe 'coaches and players can fix (it) quickly' but given this sort of problem has been an issue for years now it is clear that JLo can't fix it quickly. It looks like he can't fix it slowly either.

Nah I wasn't saying all the problems are quickly fixable. I was just saying the lack of effort/energy in the 4th quarter is. That you should be able to fix quickly. We simply shouldn't be seeing that next week.

It is the same with team selections. Voss instead of Reidy is the only selection I'd have changed (what I wanted before the game and retrospectively obviously as well). Even that probably wouldn't have made a major difference though. Any other changes could have arguably made us even worse. Hopefully we get a couple more back from injury and a few at Peel put their hands up.

 

[DocT]

Nah I wasn't saying all the problems are quickly fixable. I was just saying the lack of effort/energy in the 4th quarter is. That you should be able to fix quickly. We simply shouldn't be seeing that next week.

It is the same with team selections. Voss instead of Reidy is the only selection I'd have changed (what I wanted before the game and retrospectively obviously as well). Even that probably wouldn't have made a major difference though. Any other changes could have arguably made us even worse. Hopefully we get a couple more back from injury and a few at Peel put their hands up.

We are famous for 4thQ fade-outs, were we number 1 in the AFL in 2024 for being ahead at 3Q time and then losing?
Likewise we are famous for conservative, bewildering, imagination-less team selections.
I knew what you meant in your 1st post, I think your reply makes our inability to fix things quickly in these areas even clearer. sameoldsameoldsameoldsameold...