Autopsy Adelaide d Geelong by 15 points

[Gogeelong]

Too many dumb mistakes in general and lack of skill and composure from our bottom six or so cost us a chance at the win there. Menzel and Buzza were shocking tonight. Backline apart from Blics was poor. Hawkins was fantastic though. Gaz, Joel, Scooter and Danger all tried hard we just were not clean enough or as hard at the ball as Adelaide. Even more annoying is we smashed them in the centre clearances and beat them in contested possessions too. Another wasted effort resulting in a another close loss.

We are really cutting the margin fine now to make the 8. Better start playing ruthless, clean hard footy from next week onwards. Anything less and we are gone.

The only saving grace is that flog Walker will get at least 2 weeks on the sidelines for his dirty hit on Tuohy.

And sadly this helps the teams they play

 

[Cursed Cat]

Here’s three more words: down hill skier. He’ll star against rubbish (pencil in 25+ touches and 2 goals against Brisbane and/or Gold Coast) but will turn to garbage when the pressure goes up. When the heat is on he isn’t.

For sure; even more worrying that he's not in the minority in that regard.

He's annoying though, imo. Lazy with the ball, and I was just about to quote someone else's post about his defensive pressure, which is laughable.

Had a happy knack of taking the odd contested mark which I quite enjoyed, but that seems to have deserted him of late too.

Like you say; he'll fill his boots against Brisbane/Gold Coast, but until I see him standing up in a tight, high-pressure game I will have reservations, to put it mildly.

 

[Art Vandelay_]

I blame the club and their insane gerbil-faced optimism of what happens to injured players far more than Menzel personally. But the cold brutal reality (i.e. the opposite of what the club sees) is that injury-prone players continue to break down. Acting like every subsequent injury or setback is unexpected is ridiculously naive.

Nah. That's just looking to have a crack at a player in your sights.

Facts: He returned from his 4th knee reco late in 2015 having had 6 VFL games prior. In 2016 he played 17 games in 18 weeks before succumbing to a groin. 2017 missed 3 games via a rest. 2 via knee soreness and one via being dropped. This year he has been out due to a medical mishap and that cannot be blamed on his, or used against him in the "injury prone argument".

Since returning to senior football in 2015 for those VFL games he has played 47 matches, mostly at AFL level, been rested for 5, injured for 5 and dropped for 1. That FYI is playing football 81% of matches in that time frame.

To use a needle mishap against him and in doing so disregard the drastic improvement in availability is highly mischievous.

 

[kickazz]

I blame the club and their insane gerbil-faced optimism of what happens to injured players far more than Menzel personally. But the cold brutal reality (i.e. the opposite of what the club sees) is that injury-prone players continue to break down. Acting like every subsequent injury or setback is unexpected is ridiculously naive.

Yeah, at least in Menzel's case he came back and strung together quite a bit of good footy. With trajectory a cut above. I think he was (hope still is) with that punt.

Vardy, Cockatoo, McCarthy types, as much as i love em, what are their records for consecutive games played?

 

[Chinacats]

Laird had no pressure on his touches because no one applied any pressure to him. He did as he pleased and was a reason why they destroyed us on the rebound so badly.

Drag Menzel and buzza away from the forward 30 and they become a liability. Crows smashed us through the middle with their transition.

 

[Kingsfoil]

The players' skills and lack of defensive efforts lost it tonight. So many dumb dump kicks, so many handballs to team mates' boots, so many dropped marks, so many disposals to team mates under pressure, so much standing by watching while opponents waltzed away with the ball. Stupid football.

Our midfield, for all its 'stars', is one of the worst in the comp, and don't play as a team at all. What was meant to be our greatest strength - the star power of our midfield - is our greatest liability. 'Stars' who are too good to work on team aspects of their game.

Like everyone has already said, Buzza, Menzel and Simpson were awful. Parfitt was poor too, and has been since returning from injury. Joel needs to either learn how to slip a tag or deal with it, knowing it's leaving his team mates freer, without getting petulant.

I see the teams performing well, and consistently, and their players are no more talented. They just play as a team, and ours don't. For some, like the fringe rotating players in the forward line, it's probably lack of familiarity. For some, like our 'star' midfielders, it just seems like arrogance. They're the main event and everyone else can just be the support cast. And it doesn't work.

We have the talent in the team to play finals and play well. But I think some egos need to come down a few pegs to get there, and for some to lower themselves to do some defensive work and some of the 'little things' that help the team out rather than make themselves look good. See many shepherds from our midfield tonight? Or at all over the past month?

Our defence has been good, our forward line has been poor due to instability which should improve with more players available, the big problems start and end in our midfield.

Good to see Stanley have another great game, slowly the haters are getting quieter, even though some can't quite give the vitriol up.

Top 4 is out of reach, which may not be a bad thing as we could risk getting another bye if we ended up to high

On to the Demons. If our pattern repeats, which it frustratingly seems to be, we'll smash them.

 

[Live in hope]

Am I the only one who thinks that Menegola was really poor tonight?
Some nice kicks late in the game but barely did a thing for much of the time. Seemed a bit shell shocked by the Crows intensity.

 

[Chinacats]

The commentators finally picked up on it tonight, but our ball movement from midfield to forward is woeful

static

 

[frggr]

Am I the only one who thinks that Menegola was really poor tonight?
Some nice kicks late in the game but barely did a thing for much of the time. Seemed a bit shell shocked by the Crows intensity.

High pressure game = Menegola playing poorly.

Tries to do too much and be the hero. Too many of those types in the team at the moment, not enough 'team first' thinking.

 

[kickazz]

Am I the only one who thinks that Menegola was really poor tonight?
Some nice kicks late in the game but barely did a thing for much of the time. Seemed a bit shell shocked by the Crows intensity.

Fast, open games are not his go.

 

[Partridge]

Am I the only one who thinks that Menegola was really poor tonight?
Some nice kicks late in the game but barely did a thing for much of the time. Seemed a bit shell shocked by the Crows intensity.

Nope.

 

[STPer18]

Atrocious skills across the board. Simple kicks and handballs not hitting targets time and time again is unforgivable at this level.

The thirty centimetre handballs to a bloke under more pressure were also back in fashion this week unfortunately. Can't believe we got as close as we did considering how poorly we played.

 

[And_ROOS]

Out: Simpson, Buzza, Scooter, Jones

- Dangerfield was very good tonight.
- Hawkins is our most important player. Brilliant again, our best.
- Joel well held.
- just cannot find a mix that can consistently give us forward pressure.
- Narkle really has some special traits and one to watch for the future.
- Guthrie bad tonight. Just some truly shocking turnovers.
- Bews bitched Betts once more.

End of the day, merely making up the numbers this season.

Just like the last few seasons. Just like the next few seasons.

 

[frggr]

Atrocious skills across the board. Simple kicks and handballs not hitting targets time and time again is unforgivable at this level.

The thirty centimetre handballs to a bloke under more pressure were also back in fashion this week unfortunately. Can't believe we got as close as we did considering how poorly we played.

There's some positives in that last sentence in that if we played well, we'd beat anyone, but there's something NQR in the team - I reckon it's between the ears.

 

[Chinacats]

To get that close, kicking 97, playing that badly is something of a positive. Can’t remember so many dropped marks and missed kicks by a Geelong side. How often did we miss targets trying to kick off one step??

Have you watched the finals series the last few years? Last year's prelim vs Adelaide. pressure Geelong deep and they'll cough it up!

 

[strauchnyy]

Our biggest problem is our complete lack of COHESION

It’s been our biggest weakness for years

It remains unfixed = evidence for how bad our coaching is

 

[ReebusMaximus]

As much as i love menzel 9 years in the system .. his best is behind him. It’s time sadly. Wrecked from injury.

I’m happy to give him more time to get back the form he showed at the start of the year. It wasn’t that long ago!

 

[Chappycats]

The commentators finally picked up on it tonight, but our ball movement from midfield to forward is woeful

Has been for a number of years!
And yet still nothing is done to correct it.
Oh wait, when we move the ball quickly and directly (usually when we have fallen 5 goals or so behind and have to play catch up) we look like a bloody dangerous team but then we go back to slow play once we have caught up again.
The yo-yo that is this Geelong teams effort and intensity from week to week, or even quarter to quarter, under Chris Scott continues!

 

[Art Vandelay_]

Just like the last few seasons. Just like the next few seasons.

Won't change until we learn to stand up to the heat.
Many ways to do it, a good start would be to apply good pressure ourselves, it however is our weakest area personnel wise.

 

[caitsith01]

It's on him as much as anyone. Guy needs to get out of self-preservation mode and start chasing and tackling. As a senior player, he's setting a poor standard for the younger players and if he can't commit to the defensive side of his game, then he shouldn't be in the side.

I was at the game, he worked as hard as anyone defensively, and I include our defence in that. I'd be delighted if our younger players worked that hard.

 

[kickazz]

Atrocious skills across the board. Simple kicks and handballs not hitting targets time and time again is unforgivable at this level.

The thirty centimetre handballs to a bloke under more pressure were also back in fashion this week unfortunately. Can't believe we got as close as we did considering how poorly we played.

Yeah **** it, this is it.

Shit delivery forward, shit skills in close. Handballs in particular are bad.

Hit a target chaps.

 

[Chinacats]

We have too many one paced midfielders and we got cut up on transition. We need to change it up, and he atm is the weakest link.

Tigers speedy forward line that run, chase, harass, tackle and work and make sure they don't get caught in transition. Geelong play slow Menzel & Buzza who get dragged out of the 30m zone and theyre serious liabilities. Can't anyone else see this?

 

[caitsith01]

Stanley our best apart from Danger, matched sauce all night

Let's not go crazy here.

Danger, Kelly, Ablett all way better, for starters.

 

[you pick one]

On this note I'm going to bed,Hawkins is in career best form we need to exploit that form.

 

[TEDDY24INC]

He’s into his ninth season of football. We all know about the injuries, but that time has passed; he has to deliver.

He has to receive perfect service to be dangerous. He can barely jump. He can’t chase. He doesn’t tackle. To justify that long list of weaknesses you have to be exceptional in output. He isn’t. And he’s already missed 10 games this season. The club can’t afford to have part time footballers.

You talk utter shite at times.. stats show he is one of the best one on one forwards in the comp. He carves up the first 5 games, talked up by all and sundry, gets injured and then has an off 1st game back after 12 weeks off and you trout this crap. Plz