Autopsy After a tight😶 half of football we steamroll Essendon by 39

[Ticky009]

 

[Adnico26Parker]

Posted in the media thread, but Heeney's had the flu all week...

 

[caesar88]

That was definitely our best game since the GWS win nearly two months ago (sigh...) but there are still red flags everywhere.

Horse seemingly has no answers for our slow starts, which is a massive concern as you have to wonder where that change is going to come from. We still look lost whenever our corridor game plan gets shut down. And a lot of our players look like shells of their best selves from earlier in the year. So I'm not yet convinced the coaches and conditioning staff haven't bungled this season.

On a more positive note...

It really did feel like a win built on our quote-unquote bottom six/whipping boys. Cleary & Campbell's workrate and intensity early on arguably kept us in it; Mills looking comfortable in defence; Parker taking marks and kicking goals; Florent elevating as the game went on; McDonald being an absolute workhorse up the ground; Roberts with an awesome two-way game in defence. I like these kinds of wins so much more than when it's just the usual suspects dominating.

Although Heeney is just endlessly watchable when he's in the kind of form he was in last night.

 

[MF]

Oh... Big thankyou to the AFL and Marvel for forcing away members to pay to upgrade to a reserved seat for a game with a ****ing 33k crowd in a 55k capacity stadium.

 

[Bloods86]

That was definitely our best game since the GWS win nearly two months ago (sigh...) but there are still red flags everywhere.

Reckon the Lions game was better. Quality of opponent and the form they were in, two down.

 

[melbournehammer]

Someone should start a thread with all the players we should be resting.

Judging off horses comments in presser we will only rest if we have to, but at a minimum we should rest; Grundy, Hayward, Warner.

Speaking as someone still embittered with Micky o injury in the last round against Melbourne in 2003 I’m all for resting players that you absolutely don’t want to lose for finals

 

[melbournehammer]

Oh... Big thankyou to the AFL and Marvel for forcing away members to pay to upgrade to a reserved seat for a game with a ****ing 33k crowd in a 55k capacity stadium.

And for giving seats in the gods when empty seats abound at level 1 and 2

 

[Dubai Quacker]

Just rest the whole team and bring in the VFL side!

In all seriousness, I don't think we want to rest players. If we have faith in ourselves, we win round 1 of finals and get another week off. If that's the case, any player who doesn't play in the final round, plays two games in 5 weeks. Probably not great.

We have more players get hurt at training, in pubs, near chain link fences or in the VFL.

On an AFL field is the safest place for them to be.

 

[Ticky009]

Crowd; 33,830 - most of which left before the end.

Guess its not just Sydney people who leave early when you're getting flogged. Who knew!

 

[Kbroome]

Crowd; 33,830 - most of which left before the end.

Guess its not just Sydney people who leave early when you're getting flogged. Who knew!

Most of the crowd apparently bought tickets and then didn't turn up when Heppell wasn't named, atleast thats what ive seen on socials

 

[Dan87]

History suggests says horse on players playing lol

Like Warner last night or Amartey the week before?

Already been said Grundy made the choice

 

[Punts]

Like Warner last night or Amartey the week before?

Already been said Grundy made the choice

Let’s not forget the rest

 

[caesar88]

Reckon the Lions game was better. Quality of opponent and the form they were in, two down.

We were terrible against Brisbane (although at least the effort was there.)

 

[Bloods86]

We were terrible against Brisbane (although at least the effort was there.)

Some of our composure and skills yeah, but effort was better. We still managed to take it up to them. More difficult circumstances, the opposition playing way better than what we faced last night.

I do think you have to take the quality of the opponent into account. It's why I see the Saints loss as bad as the Dogs. If the Saints had the talent of the Dogs they would have made us pay more.

 

[RedBloodBlackSwan]

I can't believe some of you guys! You're going to bitch and whinge about your team not being good enough all the way to a flag!!! You should stop listening to the commentators and start watching the game! We won that game by 6+ goals, secured the minor premiership and two home finals, and you're still not happy!

It was a brilliant effort tonight! We never let them get more than two goals out, and that only in the first. We defended and pressured well, and while they had a lot of early entries, they weren't good entries and they couldn't score from them. While we as usual, got less clearances and entries, but made the most of those we got. Stop listening to those telling you that's not how it should be done, because should've, could've would've don't mean crap! Winning is what counts!

Mills continues to build, and so does Parker! McDonald and McLean had excellent nights, and Amartey played his role without shining! Florent was back, and Heen's was Heen's, Melican looked good all night...

Brilliant game! Great coaching and great implementation! Carn the BLOODS!!!

100%.

People are also forgetting that we had the first gettable shot on goal (a near behind).

Also, maybe just maybe Essendon played well and pressured well at the start of the game. There was reasonable pressure out there.

Of course this doesn’t mean that we don’t have to lift for finals, but if any coach could objectively choose which team that wanted heading into finals, they would choose Sydney.

Also, Mills is just starting to fire up. He and Parker are both fresh as daisies will go beast mode in the finals, one in the forwards and one in defence. Those two and Heeney, who is also firing again, make an incredible hard bodied leadership spine.

As Parked yelled after one of his many goals, let’s go!!

 

[The King!]

Haven't read whole thread.
But.
Lel.

That poor bastard has seen nothing but misery

 

[caesar88]

Some of our composure and skills yeah, but effort was better. We still managed to take it up to them.

I do think you have to take the quality of the opponent into account. It's why I see the Saints loss as bad as the Dogs. If the Saints had the talent of the Dogs they would have made us pay more.

I thought Brisbane were average that day. We couldn't even handball to teammates two metres away and our goalkicking accuracy was lousy and we were two men down, and Brisbane only managed a single digit win.

 

[The King!]

We were terrible against Brisbane (although at least the effort was there.)

I thought we were great for most of that game, in a slog of a tough old game

 

[Bloods86]

I thought we were great for most of that game, in a slog of a tough old game

I reckon the Swans team from the Brisbane game would have blown us out of the water last night in the 2nd quarter, matched us from then on at least.

 

[Glenn_]

Against better quality sides Sydney would've found themselves in a bigger hole than 7 points down at HT, but whether it was a spray from Horse at HT , or the "Essendon edge" being about as sharp as a butter knife Sydney found their mojo in the second half.
All but locked up the minor premiership , players coming back into form, and the fringe players putting pressure on the established players all points to a run deep in to September.

 

[swanssince2002]

Funny old game footy, one superstar lifts the whole team and suddenly the other players follow his lead... it all trickles down.

Heeney took over, then everyone else lifts one by one. Then you see Parker involved, Florent with the block steal in the midfield leading to a goal, Gulden hitting darts lace out. And then Amartey and Hayward kicks crazy goals at the end when it was showtime.

 

[The King!]

Heeneys ability to turn the game is next level , he is having a fantastic year. He just needs another version of himself to kick too.

 

[RedBloodBlackSwan]

But if he’s not quick enough as a mid he’s surely not fast enough to play as a small forward. you have to play him like a tall forward because he’s simply the opposite of a bobby hill or a cam Rayner or Stengel etc. he’s has to be surrounded with fast agile players not be the small crumbing player.

Anyway I really only came back to have a crack at umpiring. The first half was diabolical on holding the ball and out of bounds. I’ve been one of the resisters of last touch. I’m a convert - it’s just too random when things are paid and when they’re not and when forwards can just whack the ball into a pocket but defenders can’t just makes the game at whim of blithering idiots. This is compounded by illegal disposal versus holding the ball. It’s just too impossible to believe that umpires cannot tell when someone tackled and has the ball in one hand that if it comes out it’s dropped or thrown. How is it that hard ?

Agree that the deliberate rule is only heading one way. I’d like to see trialled last player to “play at the ball” with a rugby league style interpretation, with the following exceptions leading to throw ins:

1. Non-plays at the ball (e.g.!deflections, tackling arm hitting the ball, etc)
2. Spoils and smothers - players need to maintain the right to defensive smash the ball out, otherwise the game to resort to kicks for territory.
3. Plays where an opposition player could have reasonably be expected to collect the ball before it went out (eg. we don’t want players to shepherd kicks down the line out because the kicker got a bad bounce)
4. Balls going out inside attacking 50 - unless it was blatant deliberate as under the old rulings (essentially to remove free reign for teams to kick for territory and reset, but any other occasion the attacking team wants the ball to stay in play). One of the most exciting times in AFL, especially near the end of tight games, is the forward 50 throw in. It would be a shame to lose this.

 

[SBD Gonzalez]

History suggests says horse on players playing lol

I don’t understand your syntax.

 

[Kirkswan]

We can’t rest everyone. Top spot isn’t totally wrapped up if we lose by a huge margin to the Crows next week. Though I’m hoping Port and the Crows bash each other up in the Showdown so we get a relatively bruise free encounter next week. I think the team is already collectively carrying enough bruises.

Re Grundy, I know it can seem convenient to attribute a drop in form of a player to injury, but I suspect it's almost always the case with experienced, quality players. There are lots of things he was doing in the first half of the season that he's not doing now. It could be a back issue. It could be a groin issue. He doesn't seem to have any power in his core, which is allowing him to be pushed out of contests. And he's not getting down to scrap at ground level the way he was.

Pretty sure this isn't right... think we're talking a 300 point differential for anyone to get us...

 

[The King!]

Pretty sure this isn't right... think we're talking a 300 point differential for anyone to get us...

I guess if we send like you and I out there maybe it's a risk .