Autopsy Adelaide d Geelong by 15 points

[Frappe]

for the millionth time (and this applies to GHS and Henderson too) they all played a full game with a 4 day break. That pretty much ruled them out for tonight.

Maybe they could have taken Crameri off the ground at half time?

 

[thegerman]

Would love to see the footage of where his tackles were. Can't remember him tackling all that much out of the stoppages. On transition I don't recall him being less dire than the rest with two way running and defensive efforts.

Well he got 8 tackles. Most were around the ball. So at least he's got a defensive bone in his body. The others?

There were far worse tonight.

But if you were to replace him, who with?

 

[frggr]

Reckon we'll lose to the Lions. Hugh pressure team - should be higher on the ladder.

 

[catempire]

Hadn’t Crameri missed a few weeks with the eye thing? He was never going to be promoted ahead of Menzel. Just folly.

 

[maryjames]

Murdoch would have been handy tonight, he is hard and has pace. Not a great user of the ball, but neither are a couple of other slow mids.

Gaz going ok, but would be really good if he was prepared to take a hit or two. Scared of doing the shoulder again? Not sure. But there is no exploding out of packs.

Hawkins amazing.

Menzel just not moving well, just like Harry Taylor can take a grab and kick a goal, but really a liability when ball hits the deck. Maybe Crameri or Hendo as the other tall forward?

Our delivery to the forward line is still shit though. It really is.

In regards of the Gazza comment he is 34 and doing plenty for the team. One of our best players

 

[kickazz]

Sorry, didnt get passed the first one liner of your comment about murdoch being hard. Kidding me

Nah he had upped his game in that department last couple of years.

 

[kickazz]

In regards of the Gazza comment he is 34 and doing plenty for the team. One of our best players

He is, but just recon he is going at 80%

 

[ReebusMaximus]

Danger was great but he aint breaking lines anymore. Kelly is.

Good. Prefer Kelly breaking lines and delivering.

 

[PatrickBateman]

How the F--k could the coaching staff keep allowing Guthrie to take the kick ins

They're not very bright... just saying. We have better decision makers and better kickers in defence. It makes no sense at all. None.

 

[The Bandwagon]

Maybe they could have taken Crameri off the ground at half time?

And he'd have prevented our lack of defensive pressure?

It's time to warrant from so you you could be right. **** off Menzel, Guthrie, Simpson and Buzza would be an improvement.

 

[Art Vandelay_]

Maybe they could have taken Crameri off the ground at half time?

Keep reading.

Well he got 8 tackles. Most were around the ball. So at least he's got a defensive bone in his body. The others?

There were far worse tonight.

But if you were to replace him, who with?

He's down in almost all areas this season. Just doesn't look right.
I'd like someone that provides outside speed and/or spread from the contest. So Cunico or Murdoch and possibly Cockatoo later on if he plays well.

 

[BlakeyNoFlakey]

I think a lot of players let the occasion, the crowd, and the pressure get to them tonight. Many guys had bad nights out there, a few had absolute shockers. I thought they showed several times they had the talent to take it to the home team. The stats were not all that bad, despite us losing. Yet what I saw out there at times was guys backing off the contest, choosing to corral when they should've gone for the ball, losing structure, watching the ball, not reading the play at all, and allowing the Crows to outnumber them at the ball many times.

A few guys had good games: TBone, Joel, Paddy, Stanley, Kelly, & Stewart were OK.

Guthrie was being praised last week, this week he's being canned. He did have a bad game.

Menzel had no impact. Buzza was hopeless. Simpson's not ready.

The rest had too many brain fades, too many moments where they fumbled or were outplayed to consider good. Too much chasing and not winning.

I know the naysayers will be going hard to criticise everyone and everything after tonight. The team probably shat the bed in terms of finals too. So many negatives to chew over, but for me, the truth is while this team has the ability in the side to challenge for a flag, they don't have the confidence and self-belief to make it happen. That's what often separates the the greats from the also rans. These guys in the first quarter faced that inner demon, a hostile crowd and an aggressive opposition intent on taking it to them. The cats had a choice. To stand and deliver confident in their ability to win, or to shrink from the contest. We all know what they chose. They shrank, and only the work of the likes of Joel, Paddy, Duncan, Kelly, & TBone got us back in the game a few times.

Tonight was a reality check. The reason why we won't win a flag this is year is because we're not ready to, mentally. This is a side that's not mentally tough, and our opposition know that. When Tuohy went down there was no remonstration from the players, no push & shove to Tex to show they support their guy. That was a good a sign as any of the lack of metal toughness out there in the group overall. Some individuals have it, but as a group/team they don't.

 

[maryjames]

He is, but just recon he is going at 80%

That shoulder injury changed his career no doubts,

 

[Baudolino]

Picking the 3 worst performing players from our VFL team to play tonight says a lot about where Scott's head is at, he just doesnt get it. Pumping games into Buzza and Simpson, or Zuthrie and Fogarty doesnt mean much when we once again get demolished out of another finals series. When you are ignoring players like Thurlow, Hendo, Crameri, Gardener, Abbott, and even Smith who have shown better form in the VFL you arent making decisions that reflect where the expectation of this team is. You cant go out and recruit the way we have over the last 3-4 years and then continue to "blood the youth" like it's 2014 still.

Nail. On. Head.

 

[Turbocat]

We've made a bad habit of playing out of form teams back into touch this year, now it will cost us, with top 4 unlikely.

Our system seemed to completely break down and we relied on individual brilliance (Hawkins/Dangerfield/Selwood/Ablett) and a rare supremacy in clearances (Ablett 10 clearances, Dangerfield 8) to keep us in the game.

Mark Blicavs will have nightmares about this game, as will Dan Menzel.
Blicavs was beaten, sure, but he was routinely exposed in one-out contests, all alone in the D50, more times than some key defenders would face in a month.
It was horrible to witness.

After winning an early free kick and calmly converting a tightly-angled goal, Menzel was barely seen - or rather, he was seen, but it wasn't the Menzel that I remember. His lateral movement is all but gone, and there were a couple of occasions tonight when it was evident that his vertical leap has disappeared too (rather than just being 'reduced'). He spilled a sitter in the last quarter which underlined his lack of match fitness, confidence and touch.
Sometimes he's gotten by just on confidence and touch; not so tonight ...

He was far from being the Lone Ranger in making horrible mistakes though, as a procession of players contrived to bungle things at the worst possible moment, in the worst possible way. Guthrie was going ok but then made two howlers by foot in the 2nd half.
Parfitt's oobotf in the last quarter was a spirit-sapper. Those are just a couple of examples, barely any player was exempt.
I can cop mistakes and turnovers when there is genuine opposition pressure, but some of the stuff we saw tonight was unacceptable.

We bring a few players in next week, change things up, hopefully get on the winners list again.
The example of the Bulldogs in 2016 and Richmond last year gives that glimmer of hope that we can put together a really solid late run of form.
But I'm not sure what that run of form would even look like, or even who I'd prefer to be in the 22.

Rhys Stanley's unforseen run of good form went up another notch tonight I thought; played smart, diligent football, even saved a couple of goals with work rate and a cool head. Fought a good battle with Sam Jacobs; I definitely gave Stanley the edge though - dare I say he actually showed a bit of leadership out there tonight.

Quinton Narkle's 15 disposals were generally sharp and decisive, liked his game a lot tonight.

Bews did a reasonable job on a menacing Betts I thought; gave more drive than he has for most of this year, too. Earned his pay.

Tom Hawkins a one-man forward line at present, obviously our main marking target but also one of our more creative players, worked really hard for his 18 touches and 4 goals.

I did not see the Blitz thing that way to be honest. His short kicking is starting to be of concern.. I think id prefer him to be less cute.

What really looks bad when we are playing poorly is poor fundamentals.. Blitz and Guthrie kicking off one step in the backline. Buzz going up with one hand for a mark. .etc.. Letting tackle break. missing goals. The pressure forwardline didnt work ..and our game plan of chipping was ripped to shreads.

DanM's game really was such a long way off standard. Looked WAY off.

Buzza's game is hard to defend apart form saying he is young.. but a player his size who can mark by himself under the ball.. its like the judges hammer coming down on him a couple of times. Im not sure why so many are so hard on him.. god help any R1 CHF kid we draft.... Buzza is a late pick tall and is playing as about 3rd or 4th choice. He looks like he lacks natural confidence. When he fails he continues to fail.
Simpson was ineffectual
Guthrie was really poor for an experienced player
Menegola is what he is. An addendum
Even Stewart had a poor night.

Over all I felt there were a lot of occasions where it looked close tonight. If only here or there. Thats the temptation of "we are so close if only etc." Where as the truth is you really are not that close. To me says we are short of the required standard. Not bad , or anyones fault we just have to continue to add Narkles and Parfitt's and more talented players.. slowly weed out the guys who are not a part of the future.

 

[The Bandwagon]

Keep reading.

He's down in almost all areas this season. Just doesn't look right.
I'd like someone that provides outside speed and/or spread from the contest. So Cunico or Murdoch and possibly Cockatoo later on if he plays well.

Murdoch and Cunico can stay put.

 

[Squiba]

Narkle has it. Great speed, balance and awareness. Long term will be a very good player.

 

[cats_09]

Menzel with probably his worse return since the Crows match Round 18 (also at the Adelaide Oval) last year where he had 4 disposals, 2 marks, 1 goal & 1 tackle - tonight it was 6 disposals, 1 goal & 1 tackle, plus for the first time in his 66 game career, he didn't take a mark. He lacked any influence on the contest; no doubt he will want to bounce back & we know the type of influence he can have in matches, but he won't want a repeat of tonight's performance.

Jones was also down on his efforts of last week - over his first 5 matches he has shown that he isn't going to be a ball magnet (at this stage - and thats ok because not everyone is going to average 15/20 disposals) and that his strength is in the defensive side of his game. I know he is a youngster only starting out, but a return of 7 disposals, 2 tackles & 0 goals could see a question mark beside his name for next week depending on the availability of other small forwards. Not saying that we should expect 11 tackles each week (like he produced last week), but that he probably needs to get the number up to around 4 tackles a game and provide some more pressure once the ball hit the ground.

Not sure the final numbers tonight but at one stage in the last quarter the Crows had had 22 tackles in their forward 50 while we allowed the ball out of our forward 50 with ease - Parfitt, Jones & Simpson had 8 tackles between them tonight, last week Parfitt, Jones & Fogart had17 tackles between themselves; that pressure made a big difference last week once the ball hit the deck. We need to find the intensity & hunger we had last week, we also need to find small forwards who are willing to get front & centre to contests because too often the ball is spilled in our forward line & the first player there is from the opposition and we are trailing them in which is crap.

Ultimately we had too many players who didn't do enough tonight - both from some of the younger guys who struggled with the pressure of the match, but there was also more senior players who struggled and were poor at times tonight with their disposal & decision making. With 6 games to go before finals it's not exactly the need to throw the baby out with the bathwater, but rather needing to consolidate the team and work out which players realistically have a spot in the side come the business end of the season versus those just filling gaps.

 

[terry_bright]

Buzza played vfl last week and afl a couple of weeks ago.

That must explain his constant inability too take a contested mark let alone compete at times in a contest. Even struggles with uncontested marks.

His ruck work at times tonight was pretty good, but up forward he's a liabilty.

 

[JackFlash]

So disappointed to see what Cam Guthrie was become. I'd go so far as to argue his career trajectory is the most disappointing player development failure of the last 10 years. The inability to harness the potential he showed at a young age is an indictment on our system.

How on earth did they re-sign him? He should be traded and must be traded!

 

[you pick one]

for the millionth time (and this applies to GHS and Henderson too) they all played a full game with a 4 day break. That pretty much ruled them out for tonight.

They simply iced the wrong two Menzel was looking like an old man and Buzza was just being Buzza.Two poor selections.

 

[catempire]

Early in the game I think we were three 3 goals to 1 up and Hawkins took a mark 15 metres out on a slight angle. The crowd was really hushed at that point and had he kicked it I felt wed really got them by the balls. Such a costly miss.

 

[maryjames]

cats had some close loses this year. lower tier players lack of composure

 

[ReebusMaximus]

It’s not ideal but we are devoid of other options at CHF.

Gardiner, Crameri

 

[Art Vandelay_]

Murdoch and Cunico can stay put.

Yep. Pretty much confirms it, hi Nakia.