Autopsy 2024 Rd 5 Blundering Blues give game away to Crows

[Criptonite]

We have some serious deficiencies to overcome if we are going to be a contender this year.

1). Small forwards are not up to it, more should have been done in the last trade period to address, Fantasia looks past it. C - Durdin is not AFL level, fumbles, doesn't put any pressure on has gone backwards. Owies is a battler but barely AFL level. Not sure on Motlop but probably the only small forward that has the potential to be atleast B grade, if he can get over his constant soft tissues issues. We are going to struggle to contend with such a lack luster small forward brigade.

2) Rucks are a shambles, Dekoning's tap work is atrocious, he pretty much taps it straight down the opposition neck everytime he does win the tap, seems to have no connection at all with the midfield or have any idea what he is doing. What is Matthew Kruezer doing down there because it is not working. If he can't improve then he can't be a number 1 ruck, and if he can't be that what is he as he can't pinch hit foward, he is completely lost up there and just gets in the way. If Geelong come chasing with first round pick might be best to let him go if he can't get his tap work to atleast a break-even contest. Pitto is a backup ruckman fullstop.

3). We need a lockdown defender, the whole back 6 want to attack and get left with their pants down way too often, need some accountability.

4). Midfield is too slow, Can't have Cripps and Hewitt both in there. Hollands is also a worry, too easily pushed off the ball, I would be trying out Binns. We are going to miss Doc.

 

[Arr0w]

If we overcommitted defensively or played too high, we probably could have stemmed their forward entries by not doing that and therefore grant them tougher shots.

We certainly seemed to lose shape out there a lot.

Perhaps, but I'd rather we are taking a more aggressive position as a defensive unit, than sitting back on our heels

 

[Bamboo Harvester]

#1 Owies stoopidity born of hackness born of not having small forward skills and mucking up an easy regulation goal when he was in teh clear and had options to give off anyway..he is a glory hound that isnt skilled enough to do the basics- =- also an awful defender- just awful -

Yup, been saying all along he's a VFL level plodder at best. Nothing against the bloke, but he's just not up to scratch even with the basic skills....got horribly found in the finals series last year to the extent we dropped him for the PF.

And I still have nightmares from that game a few years back where he missed Saad with that simple 20m pass against the Demons that cost us the game and a spot in the finals.

 

[Opium]

Not that many sides have smalls with the aerial ability of Rochelle and Rankine, and their kicking game was on today.

We know we're not fast around and behind the ball. Saad going down compounded this.

Their kicking game was on because we allowed them to.

 

[Beyond Blue]

Tom was okay, but he is better with a clear role as the number 1. Pitto had some moments but 8 touches and a goal (which he won’t get most weeks) is just hurting us in other areas. He isn’t Gawn or Jackson who demand respect around the ground. Adelaide’s run and carry between the arcs killed us today and we were alarmingly slow.

Pitto had 6 clearances (and TDK 4) so he did his bit. I agree with your comment about the run and carry they got between the arcs but that’s on our mids, forwards and backs not defending with any nous…at times too aggressive, at other times without real conviction.

The injury to Saad certainly didn’t help us countering their run - I imagine the plan may have been to sub Pitto for Carroll to inject some run in the second half - it also didn’t help that Carroll offered next time nothing when he came on.

Anyway it’s done. We’ve had our fair share of lucky wins over the last year and a half. Lots of teams lose games they felt they should have won by not playing well. Time to move on to GWS.

 

[Prem17]

We've been average in the midfield all year.
Our ball use was disgusting. We fumble too often and God help us if we don't get first use at the centre bounce because we are very flat footed if we have to react.
This was already known by Voss before today and at least he's acknowledged it but if we play like that over the next few weeks we'll be in trouble.

Binns needs to be given a chance as Saad's replacement, and a few need a spell to work on their ball use but there's too many injuries in the VFL to force changes.
Would like to see Wilson given a go in the midfield but I don't know what his VFL form has been like?

Sam Walsh

18

Sam Walsh

Age

24

Ht

184cm

Wt

84kg

Pos.

Mid

Career

Season

Last 5

D

25.1

5star

K

13.5

5star

HB

11.6

5star

M

5.1

5star

T

3.2

5star

CL

3.4

5star

No current season stats available

D

26.2

5star

K

15.4

5star

HB

10.8

5star

M

6.0

5star

T

3.2

5star

CL

4.8

5star

....... is the man even human?
Beyond brilliant!

 

[The Old Dark Navy's]

Perhaps, but I'd rather we are taking a more aggressive position as a defensive unit, than sitting back on our heels

I'd rather we play the opposition. If they are getting behind us and they are quicker than us, we need to adjust accordingly. I don't know that helping out our team-mates or having a sweeper is sitting on our heels.

We were attacking without the ball a fair bit, and it usually counted against us. Smarter, not harder.

 

[CCurnow3votes]

Oli Hollands will be a good player in time, but right now needs to spend time in the 2s until he gets some size. At the moment he is a liability any time he is 1:1 with an opponent or when a tackle needs to be made.

Unpopular, but true.

 

[The Bighouse]

I know he excites a lot of our posters but I don’t have much hope for Motlop tbh, I would LOVE to be proven wrong, but too oft doesn’t know where to go imo.
what can we do about it though.
Maybe we should have been happy to pay overs for Gresham.
I don’t mind Orazio as he is smart but isn’t getting much of it.
Shoulda gone for ginnvan..hawks fan tho

Could not support Ginnivan in our team, glad he went elsewhere..

 

[PrincesPark]

Glass half full: we went a long way away from how we want to play, or should be playing, but nearly won anyway.

Funny you said this, because Vossy said that how we played was closer to how we want to be playing!! eeek!

 

[katmanblue]

I’m not going near the main board for awhile.

Notifications are out of control.

Turn bigfooty notifications off.

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[katmanblue]

At some stage, we need to get methodical with our kicks to Charlie and Harry; we keep making nothing defenders look like stars cause all we do is bomb it long and hope the big boys do the rest.

Once we have the ball 70m out. Everyone know exactly where the ball is going to go. Every time.

Blokes in space?

Nup, doesn't matter. I'll kick it Harry/Charlie's head even if he's surrounded by 4 opponents.

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[Arr0w]

I'd rather we play the opposition. If they are getting behind us and they are quicker than us, we need to adjust accordingly. I don't know that helping out our team-mates or having a sweeper is sitting on our heels.

We were attacking without the ball a fair bit, and it usually counted against us. Smarter, not harder.

As we all know, it's a fine line between small moments that shape an outcome

Losing Saad may have disrupted that positioning, but being more aggressive is a more desirable stance as a team

 

[katmanblue]

Love Weiters, but you can’t be beaten like that by Walker basically on his last legs.

Be just kept letting him get away and pointing.

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[Beyond Blue]

I know he excites a lot of our posters but I don’t have much hope for Motlop tbh, I would LOVE to be proven wrong, but too oft doesn’t know where to go imo.
what can we do about it though.
Maybe we should have been happy to pay overs for Gresham.
I don’t mind Orazio as he is smart but isn’t getting much of it.
Shoulda gone for ginnvan..hawks fan tho

As much as it pains me to say it, he is exactly what we are lacking. For all his show pony antics he backs it up. Loves kicking goals. Loves the big moment.

 

[Bamboo Harvester]

We've been average in the midfield all year.
Our ball use was disgusting. We fumble too often and God help us if we don't get first use at the centre bounce because we are very flat footed if we have to react.
This was already known by Voss before today and at least he's acknowledged it but if we play like that over the next few weeks we'll be in trouble.

Binns needs to be given a chance as Saad's replacement, and a few need a spell to work on their ball use but there's too many injuries in the VFL to force changes.
Would like to see Wilson given a go in the midfield but I don't know what his VFL form has been like?

Sam Walsh....... is the man even human?
Beyond brilliant!

You've gotta give some of these kids time to develop in the VFL. The fixture is garbage though having 2 byes in 3 weeks so we can't get games into them. There's no need to chuck the kids into the deep end before they're ready like we've done in the past.

Wilson needs time to develop his game, as does Moir and Lemmey, Monahan and O'Keefe....although I reckon Moir will get a call up sometime in the 1st half of the year. Binns is still a skinny kid, and I'm still not convinced he's ready for AFL despite his high disposal numbers last year.

For mine, the only players ready for a call up are Cincotta (if he's fit), Cowan and Young. With the growing injury toll, our back up numbers are getting horribly thin.

 

[katmanblue]

Carroll was off too after being smashed yeah? No wonder we had no legs.

He didn't go off, but should have. Happened in front of us a d he was out for a few seconds. Can't believe he played the game out.


We might get a please explain for that.

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[BlueBlood15]

Few too many similarities to early 2023 for my liking:

2023 - undefeated (with a draw) after four rounds; winning but not playing well; smashed by Adelaide in round 5; tough stretch of games after that where we couldn’t buy a win.

2024 - undefeated after four rounds; winning in unconvincing fashion; a loss to Adelaide in round 5; tough stretch of games upcoming.

We’ll find out what this team is made of in the coming weeks without key players and against quality opposition.

 

[Ald Gardiner]

I just looked at our VFL side for tomorrow.

The cupboard is bare.

Cowan, Young and Binns.

That is literally it.

Cincotta? Could be in next week to replace Saad

 

[teknodeejay]

Could not support Ginnivan in our team, glad he went elsewhere..

Jamie Elliott is the type we need and sorely lack.

 

[kreuze_missile]

Cincotta? Could be in next week to replace Saad

Not even named.

 

[Prem17]

You've gotta give some of these kids time to develop in the VFL. The fixture is garbage though having 2 byes in 3 weeks so we can't get games into them. There's no need to chuck the kids into the deep end before they're ready like we've done in the past.

Wilson needs time to develop his game, as does Moir and Lemmey, Monahan and O'Keefe....although I reckon Moir will get a call up sometime in the 1st half of the year. Binns is still a skinny kid, and I'm still not convinced he's ready for AFL despite his high disposal numbers last year.

For mine, the only players ready for a call up are Cincotta (if he's fit), Cowan and Young. With the growing injury toll, our back up numbers are getting horribly thin.

The last part of that is my point.
We have a lot that aren't doing much at all atm but there's no replacements.
Cincotta would be a great replacement for Saad but it's highly unlikely after missing this week's game.
I guess that leaves Cowan as next up but I'm not convinced he's ready for the level of our next block of games. Happy to be proven wrong.

Most are saying that Binns isn't physically ready but by the same token, neither is Ollie. Great young talent and all but for our physically demanding game style maybe a fit Cincotta would be a better inclusion with Boyd taking Ollie's role?

 

[katmanblue]

Needs 3 kilo more muscle, but you can't doubt the heart and effort.

All in his forearms. Needs some grip strength.

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[Ald Gardiner]

We are too Charlie and Harry conscious.

We lack that third tall that everyone talks about but our delivery inside 50 tonight was horrible.


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He too often doesn’t play, his name is Jack Martin and he’s a gifted third tall. Option B JSOS injured too. When Marchy’s back they must try Kemp. Injuries messing with our third tall options right now

 

[Juddrockz]

Zac/Kemp get that ball over the line and we win… We were 3goals up

Yeah,that was a massive brain fade right there. They teach that stuff in the Little league. Disappointing.