Review Adelaide v Sydney - The Good, The Bad & The Ugly

[Mattrox]

Yeh, Reilly and Vb contracts have been stirling.

No doubt the buck stops with Pyke but it wouldn't help having two stooges pissing in your ear how good these blokes are cos the have signed them on to long term deals. It would make their list management look even worse if Mackay played the year in the sanfl.

All good you think the club can do no wrong and we have the right guys in the right jobs - I continue to expect better.

I didn't say the club can do no wrong, but being completely irrational about everything is a poor poor effort.

How do you know what plays out in selection? People pissing in people's ear. That was suggested under Sando when there were inexplicable selections, but TMS assured us it was Sando's decision.

I'd expect it to be no different now. List management and selection did not lose us the game. We played poor football in the 1st quarter across the board. No use blaming list management for Atkins kicking into the man and turning over or shitting his pant infront of open goal. That is just composure and no amount of good list management will fix that.

 

[Rory Walkerfield]

Just things that spring to mind from early in the game:
- Atkins kicking into the man on the mark - goal Sydney
- Talia with a handful of buddy's jumper despite him never being a good contested mark and a 2 on 1 contest anyway - Sydney goal
- am sure there were two other unforced turnovers in their first five goals

We as much shot ourselves in the foot in the first 10 minutes as much as their intense pressure.

 

[Sanders]

That's on Reid. Noble isn't list manager anymore.

That you Reid decides contracts in a vacuum is staggering. Not only does noble need to sign off but contracts of a certain value & length need board approval

 

[happy_knackers]

Replay on now

Swans three goals up before we'd barely had a possession

Seriously why do it ro yourself?

 

[SydCrow]

We are three quality midfielders away from contention. Brouch could turn out to be one them.

 

[AdvancedCrowbot]

Ugly: Port Campaigners on Facebook and idiots on Bigfooty who have obviously made accounts in advanced, rubbing in the Crows loss with standard one liners.

It's like there is some form of underdevelopment of the frontal lobe component of their brains, which inhibits their logical reasoning. Or maybe it's the lack of neuron connections that allow memories to form. For some reason, they have all forgotten how horrible their club was this season. Or they haven't forgotten how horrible their club was this season, but their logical reasoning is so horrible, they believe that it is not relevant. If my club didn't even make the 8 I wouldn't be saying a thing.

Pot/Kettle
Glass house/Stones
There's probably more of these.

I really hope these port supporters get their alt accounts banned via a nice IP address search. Please tell me our mods can do that.

Flogs.

 

[skoobydoo]

Unfortunate to say this, but there does seem to be a group of players on the team that put everything on the line and a group of players that looked very much out of their depth. Once positive to take away was Charlie's game, you could see he was really trying to lift the team which is a massive positive to have him for our future.

It was heart breaking to see us not be able to match it with Sydney in the first half of the first quarter. Forced us to play catch up for the rest of the night and unfortunately the only way we were going to get it done was to have luck on our side and to have every player doing their part.

I hate to say this and I never have before, but I have so little faith in Jenkins that I completely wrote him off before the game started. He goes missing in the high pressure games, it's as simple as that.

Our future rests with the Crouch brothers. Those two will have to become high quality midfielders for this team to succeed deep into September.

Thompson looked cooked. I don't know what else to say, he would be doing the club a favour retiring, but apparently there is a 1 year offer on the table for him to play on. I get the feeling he'll play on and our club will be too afraid to drop him and the simple, cold, hard truth is we can't go far into September with him in our midfield.

The coaching does have to be questioned. Considering our inability to match it with teams when they bring the heat, why wouldn't you choke the defensive end? Our backs aren't good enough to withstand the free running rebound football that Sydney did to us too often, might as well let the game be played in our defensive half, choke the fifty up for at least a quarter and let everyone get a feel for the in close hard stuff. The game always opens up after half time, that was our best chance of winning, but we gave them too much of a head start. Just my opinion.

I presume the September you mention re Thommo is 2016.

 

[Sanders]

If he meddles in Reid's job, what's the point of having Reid?

Oh dear.

Perhaps you can relate: you might be in charge of making the Big Mac, but you don't get to decide on the recipe.

And yes i'all have fries with that

 

[Rory Walkerfield]

Ugly: Port Campaigners on Facebook and idiots on Bigfooty who have obviously made accounts in advanced, rubbing in the Crows loss with standard one liners.

It's like there is some form of underdevelopment of the frontal lobe component of their brains, which inhibits their logical reasoning. Or maybe it's the lack of neuron connections that allow memories to form. For some reason, they have all forgotten how horrible their club was this season. Or they haven't forgotten how horrible their club was this season, but their logical reasoning is so horrible, they believe that it is not relevant. If my club didn't even make the 8 I wouldn't be saying a thing.

Pot/Kettle
Glass house/Stones
There's probably more of these.

I really hope these port supporters get their alt accounts banned via a nice IP address search. Please tell me our mods can do that.

Flogs.

They need to get some joy out of footy. And that certainly doesn't come from watching their own side.

 

[RodnyDangrfield]

Just things that spring to mind from early in the game:
- Atkins kicking into the man on the mark - goal Sydney
- Talia with a handful of buddy's jumper despite him never being a good contested mark and a 2 on 1 contest anyway - Sydney goal
- am sure there were two other unforced turnovers in their first five goals

We as much shot ourselves in the foot in the first 10 minutes as much as their intense pressure.

Not to mention Cheneys kick when it should of been a handpass and then mackay kicking it directly to the guts with a 3 on 1. Suddenly we are 30 points down and sydney are running around erect. Some dumb dumb football by our 'Senior' Players. Its been a trend of this year, only have one speed, flat out risky. No possession holding or chip chip. Just run, play on and if theres nothing in the guts either kick there anyway or to a 3 on 1 against us. OUr only response to being shutdown is to do it faster and riskier. Bit of Hinkley about the way we play sometimes. Pigheadedness.

 

[Tex200]

The acid comparison here is with the Dogs.

This time last year we were ahead of them. This year they've had a shocking injury run with key players still out, yet they have now gone past us. We have stood still.

This is the comparison and from that flows the questions which need to be answered

 

[StonesThrow]

Agree with midfield comments. All the clearance, taps to advantage etc etc stats just do nothing to change my conviction that our ball movement out of congestion together with a non-existent outside game plan, provides anything like a positive function. We just don't generate the winning pressure movement from our midfield. Just don't give me stats people......I can see very well how minuscule our midfield positives are.

Yep. I can think to maybe 4 games this year where our midfield brought the right pressure, intensity and set up. The swans game early in the year, the GWS game, Hawthorn and one more that escapes me.

That was the same group that played tonight so we know it exists at least. The Bulldogs have it at the moment and are bringing it every week. The swans had it tonight. I feel this is the hardest thing for a coaching group to try and achieve.

 

[Mattrox]

You don't think Reid acts autonomously do you?

Reid: Hey pykey, I just signed jj for another 5
Pyke: wtf?

I think that that people above back in the decisions of those that are charged with making them. That's why they freaking hire people to do those jobs. Of course there are meetings but in the end it's the person in charge. How many posts have there been that speculate that Reid opens with a lowball offer. This extreme low balling has been blamed for not getting contracts done sooner and on better terms. We haven't seen this when Noble was in charge of lists.

Noble is just getting blamed for things particular individual posters don't like. Oh that's shit, blame Noble he's in charge of everything so let's blame everything on him.

If we can't get a top operator if Noble should go to Brisbane, we'll miss him.

 

[GreyCrow]

Havent bothered with the previous 7 pages. Too scared to.

Looking at Heeney line up on Mackay my heart sank. That was a win for Longmire. I would not have played Jenkins. Said it yesterday ( along with many) so its not hindsight. It was unfortunate that both Talia and Lever both went down together. When Talia came back on I would have moved him forward and McGovern back.

I guess my bad was Pyke was outcoached.

 

[Ramify]

Been injured for a month, selectors fault not his.

Special coincidence that his form drops the day pen gets put to paper. Smacks of Dmac.
Thought Psychological profiling was a big part of recruitment these days.

 

[Roo Lives Again]

Just things that spring to mind from early in the game:
- Atkins kicking into the man on the mark - goal Sydney
- Talia with a handful of buddy's jumper despite him never being a good contested mark and a 2 on 1 contest anyway - Sydney goal
- am sure there were two other unforced turnovers in their first five goals

We as much shot ourselves in the foot in the first 10 minutes as much as their intense pressure.

McKay kicking straight to a Sydney player who then goaled....

 

[CrowsB4hoes]

And they he goes - suspended

What'd we miss?

 

[Rory Walkerfield]

Not to mention Cheneys kick when it should of been a handpass and then mackay kicking it directly to the guts with a 3 on 1. Suddenly we are 30 points down and sydney are running around erect. Some dumb dumb football by our 'Senior' Players. Its been a trend of this year, only have one speed, flat out risky. No possession holding or chip chip. Just run, play on and if theres nothing in the guts either kick there anyway or to a 3 on 1 against us. OUr only response to being shutdown is to do it faster and riskier. Bit of Hinkley about the way we play sometimes. Pigheadedness.

Yeah, this is where Mackay was good last week lowering the eyes and spotting up targets. He was back to bombing it again tonight or missing targets.

 

[Mattrox]

The acid comparison here is with the Dogs.

This time last year we were ahead of them. This year they've had a shocking injury run with key players still out, yet they have now gone past us. We have stood still.

This is the comparison and from that flows the questions which need to be answered

We stood still because we lost the best midfielder in the comp behind Fyfe. And said midfielder is just hitting his straps. And no amount of slagging him off will hide the fact that he has helped Geelong get to where they are.

 

[CrowsB4hoes]

Oh dear.

Perhaps you can relate: you might be in charge of making the Big Mac, but you don't get to decide on the recipe.

And yes i'all have fries with that

I just saw that KFC now do chips and gravy. As they say, every cloud ...

 

[SydCrow]

What'd we miss?

Typical shit Port trolling

 

[Ramify]

When a true genius appears, you can know him by this sign: that all the dunces are in a confederacy against him. - Jonathan Swift

Ease up turbo. Even a broken clock ring twice once a year ( or some shit like that,too drunk to even speell my name right now).

Nah kudos. I knew it, just didnt want to sully my image by hanging with the wrong crowd.

 

[thecavman]

Can't deny that was ugly but I'm proud of what we've achieved this year, can only be optimistic about the future. A few quality players through the draft or trades and I think we'll be there.

 

[huludicidal]

It's easy to overreact to a finals loss, but this wasn't just any finals loss. This was EXACTLY the same as last year's pathetic effort against the Hawks. It was EXACTLY the same as the Round 23 loss to West Coast this year which may as well have been a final (it effectively was our double chance). The same players aren't going hard enough in the big games. They look scared. They look pathetic. They don't look like it matters enough to them. They are costing the club any chance of making a grand final.

Mackay
Thompson
Smith
Brown
Jenkins
Jacobs

As much as I like him and still think he has a strong future at AFL level, I've got some serious doubts over Atkins in an intense final against a contested ball side too. Has the intensity of a garden snail at times. He's younger than the others mentioned so there's still hope.

I don't want to include him, but it must be said, when the chips are down, E Betts seems to go missing too. His first 2.5 quarters tonight (you know, when it actually mattered) were deplorable.

Do we ship all of these blokes off and start again? Of course not, I'm not even close to suggesting that. But something needs to be done. I suspect it's psychological for several of them, most notably Smith, Atkins and Brown. Their intensity is just pathetic out there once the team is under the pump. The "attempts" to tackle are farcical. Show them film of it. Challenge them. Tell them this isn't acceptable and if it is seen again in ANY game they will be dropped. Tell them they're embarrassing the club. Tell them efforts like this are a BIG part of the reason why Adelaide are one of only 3 clubs to not make a GF since 1998 (one of the others is the Dogs, who may well erase themselves from that list this year, leaving Adelaide and Richmond as the only 2 non-expansion clubs on it. Stunning company).

The selection of Jenkins, Brown and even Jacobs has obviously been questioned - it's funny, I didn't see anyone calling for Jacobs or Brown to be dropped after the North game, and they certainly didn't "get injured" in that game. Jacobs broke even with Goldstein last week, with 40 hitouts and plenty of touches. He certainly didn't look injured in that game. It's far too convenient to label him as "injured" tonight. He was just shit.

Brown has been "carrying a niggle" for a while now. Guess what? So have approximately 10 Western Bulldogs and 10 Sydney players who played better than Luke Brown this weekend! It's ****ing September, every second player is carrying something (possibly more than every second player). A 100% fit Josh Kennedy might have set the all time disposal record tonight! The club doctors passed him fit, he's run over the white line, therefore he's fit. His performance was nothing short of pathetic, and I'm not copping an "injury" as an excuse.

Jenkins I'll admit was a questionable selection. He actually did roll the ankle last week, so it would have been line ball as to whether he came up or not. The fact is, players in all positions play finals footy with slight ankle sprains all the ****ing time. The doctors passed him fit, he declared himself fit to play, so thats the end of using his ankle or the argument that "it's not his fault, he's injured, it's the selectors fault for picking him" as an excuse. He was certainly fitter than Daniel Talia was after half time and didn't look restricted in his movement at all early in the game when he was running around doing nothing. It doesn't make you shank your only set shot for goal, or not even compete on the ground either. He's quite simply one of the softest players I've ever seen and I'm not sure this will never change. Would likely go missing if he broke a fingernail.

Thompson is obviously finished (well it's obvious to anyone not employed by the AFC), but let's be brutally honest, he has never been a finals performer. NEVER. Go back and look at his finals record, it's frighteningly bad (and spare me the raw stats, I'm talking about how well he actually plays, not the number of garbage 40m kicks and under the pump handballs to contests he has). If he gets a new contract on the cusp of turning 34 we are dead set taking the piss.


I didn't expect to win tonight. I expected to compete. We didn't. We were shown up as complete pretenders. Again.

The more things change, the more they stay the same.

 

[Brentmeister]

Think people are getting a bit carried away. Yes, tonight was disappointing and yes, the usual suspects played ordinarily tonight, but to finish in a Semi-Final after the draw we got and losing the best player in the competition is a fantastic effort.