Review Dees v Swans - the Good, bad and Fugly

[The Dr]

Bad signs:

• Exactly same issues as 2023. Forwards just congregate at the top of the goalsquare and we bomb it on their head. It's only the young blokes, like McVee and Windsor who try anything different. I can't imagine we're coached to play this way, but I also don't understand how it hasn't been fixed in 3 years.
• Overly dependent on big name players. If Petracca, Gawn, Oliver, May and Viney don't pull us over the line, no-one else will.

Worse signs:

We might actually start wishing for our season to resemble 2023 more. Things which seem to have gotten worse:

• Our last quarter capitulation is something new. Even when we played like crap in '23, we never got rolled that easily.
• Zero faith in the depth players compared to previous years. Laurie isn't going to make it, Schache is taking up space, Chandler can't get near it. These guys should be playing seconds, but we just don't have anything else in the cupboard.
• Guys who have been in the system for a few years just aren't taking the next step. Sparrow, Spargo, Salem: guys like this need to be making a consistent contribution and they aren't.
• Beaten in the clearances and contested possessions despite the fact that they were missing arguably their three best inside midfielders. Genuinely pathetic, especially if that's supposed to be advantage over other teams.

Gonna be a long year. I've found this team difficult to watch over the past two years even when we're winning, so I'm not sure how I'm gonna stay invested when we're losing. I don't even feel angry or disappointed, just... exhausted. I can't think of a better word for it. Watching us feels like watching a man running up a sand dune. Like yeah, I admire the effort, but what's the point?

Excellent post. The sand dune running analogy is so on point.


Sent from my iPhone using BigFooty.com

 

[melbun]

If things don't change, they stay the same.

 

[melbun]

Howes was alright for a first game. A tough day at the office for the defence.

Windsor did a lot of running for few benefits.

 

[Dory_77]

Not an unexpected result but still frustrating. For a side with a lot of experience we are bloody panicky and make so many dumb decisions with and without the ball.

 

[A11dAtP0w3R]

Goody mentioning that Tom McDonald

25

Tom Mcdonald

Age

32

Ht

195cm

Wt

101kg

Pos.

D/F

Career

Season

Last 5

D

16.4

4star

K

9.7

4star

HB

6.7

4star

M

5.6

5star

T

1.9

4star

MG

261.8

4star

D

8.0

2star

K

5.0

2star

HB

3.0

2star

M

3.4

3star

T

0.6

1star

MG

135.6

2star

D

13.8

4star

K

6.8

3star

HB

7.0

5star

M

4.4

4star

T

1.4

4star

and Ben Brown

50

Ben Brown

Age

32

Ht

200cm

Wt

100kg

Pos.

Fwd

Career

Season

Last 5

D

10.7

3star

K

7.7

3star

HB

3.0

3star

M

4.8

5star

T

1.2

3star

G

2.2

5star

D

7.9

2star

K

6.3

3star

HB

1.6

1star

M

3.7

4star

T

0.9

2star

G

1.0

4star

D

8.0

2star

K

4.6

2star

HB

3.4

3star

M

4.4

4star

T

1.4

4star

G

1.2

4star

are ready to play as a positive in his press conference

 

[Topkent]

Not an unexpected result but still frustrating. For a side with a lot of experience we are bloody panicky and make so many dumb decisions with and without the ball.

In a nut shell Petracca played like a cat on a hot tin roof, Oliver played like he went out the night before, Gawn played like he has no fight left, May played like he was alone in defence and Lever played like he doesn't actually exist.

Without those 5 firing we are not a good team and there's gotta be concerns over that long term not just next week

 

[dazzledavey36]

Just a side note, Chad Warner

1

Chad Warner

Age

23

Ht

185cm

Wt

82kg

Pos.

Mid

Career

Season

Last 5

D

7.0

2star

K

4.5

2star

HB

2.5

2star

M

1.5

2star

T

1.5

3star

CL

0.0

1star

D

7.0

1star

K

4.5

2star

HB

2.5

2star

M

1.5

2star

T

1.5

2star

CL

0.0

1star

D

7.0

2star

K

4.5

2star

HB

2.5

3star

M

1.5

2star

T

1.5

4star

CL

0.0

1star

is a dead set star. How I wish we'd have someone of his ilk playing for us.

 

[Topkent]

Assuming Bowey has a broken collar bone after that hit.

 

[melbun]

Rivers, Lever: Sell them, they were awful.
The rest of the defence had no chance with a trash midfield and these two having a day off.

Viney: was at his best.
Langdon and Windsor: a bare pass (D+).
ALL of our forwards were a atrocious.

And I hope that is Max's one bad game for the year.

 

[sammm]

Who the * decided to play Billings as a sub behind Spargo and Laurie.

He came to the Dees to build confidence and then someone decides to pull that s**t.

sorry, to intrude, but on our board, we were saying something similar. Billings is not a sub. He should have been in the 22.

 

[A11dAtP0w3R]

Rivers, Lever: Sell them, they were awful.
The rest of the defence had no chance with a trash midfield and these two having a day off.

Viney: was at his best.
Langdon and Windsor: a bare pass (D+).
ALL of our forwards were a atrocious.

And I hope that is Max's one bad game for the year.

Would rather we "sold" one of our many inside mids and used Rivers in there, could be our Chad Warner lite. But na, we wouldnt want a line breaker in our midfield rotation. Silly talk.

 

[markm106]

Very disappointing effort. We did not adjust to the conditions. We reverted back to bombing. We showed basically zero dare and once Bowey went off there was little creativity. I’ll be keen to see us in less humid conditions on a drier deck.
Schache and Laurie possibly played their last games. Neither seem up to it. Schache look ok v blues but just lack’s the physicality when the heat is on.
Billings into starting 22 also.

 

[Toump Ass]

… so what is the expected score? Same as actual score?

 

[Lord Nev]

… so what is the expected score? Same as actual score?

Pretty much. Just to show our issue wasn't goal kicking. If I'm gonna bring it up when it is, then seems fair to mention it when it's not.

 

[Demon Attack]

Good: Viney played well. Howes improved. Fritsch came good.

Bad: Lever was terrible. Gawn let himself get bullied. Clarry was not a factor. Salem was pretty ineffective in the middle imo. No joy in the way we play.

Fugly: Where to begin. Nothing has changed except everyone is closer to being over the hill. Forward line is a joke, no movement. Midfield on top first quarter for no reward, then got smashed rest of the game. Final quarter was amazingly bad. Backline finally fell apart under the non-stop pressure. Goodwin extension was a blunder at the time and is looking like a disaster now. I didn't think we'd make finals and this confirmed it. Veil is on.

 

[melbun]

Out: Salem, Lever, Spargo, Laurie, Bowey(inj.), Schache, Rivers, Fritsch, Sparrow, Chandler.
In: Fullarton, Hore, Jefferson, Pickett, Sestan, Tholstrup, Woewodin, K. Brown. Moniz-Wajefield, McDonald

Tell me it's worse.

Five of those outs, would spend the rest of their career in the VFL.

 

[danster168]

Whilst I agree that our game style is still the same our inability to do the basics was laughable. Not only couldn't hit a target by foot but couldn't even kick a drop punt. Couldn't pick up a ball cleanly off the deck all night. it's 10am the next morning and I think Petracca is still trying to pick up that ground ball. Too many players with low footy IQs too. Was it Lever and Tomlinson that both overran a footy deep in d50. Or Spargo hitting a guy high when we were streaming forward. Or someone giving a 50m penalty away resulting in a goal.

Also no-one standing up for McVee was an absolute disgrace. We have no leaders that I trust beyond Viney.

 

[melbun]

Did I mention fumbles?

 

[danster168]

Out: Salem, Lever, Spargo, Laurie, Bowey(inj.), Schache, Rivers, Fritsch, Sparrow, Chandler.
In: Fullarton, Hore, Jefferson, Pickett, Sestan, Tholstrup, Woewodin, K. Brown. Moniz-Wajefield, McDonald

Tell me it's worse.

Five I those outs, would spend the rest of their career in the VFL.

harsh on Fritsch. For a team that doesn't kick goals, Fritsch kicks them. i don't care how he kicks them, he kicks them. W me need more of him.

Strongly agree on Lever. happy to see him dropped. How can you bark instructions at team-mates only to turn the ball over yourself and cost us about 5 goals.

 

[melbun]

harsh on Fritsch

I know it's tough, but someone has to be. Watch his first half again.

 

[Charlie_s123]

That game may as well have been written by ChatGPT. Gawn smashed by Grundy, shite skills, predictably bad ball movement going forward, 2.8 at halftime and the sleepy time where we don’t touch the ball for the first 10 minutes of the last.

Viney, Windsor and Howes get a pass but the rest of them were largely rotten.

And the reason those guys were ok, Viney is a grunt who would follow a game plan of hard work and no reward without question, and the other 2 were first gamers who haven’t had the positivity beaten out of them yet.

The rest look like they’re sick of playing the hard labour game plan. We’ve got a talented list (albeit lacking in sone areas) but we play a game plan you would expect a coach of a bottom side to implement to mitigate losses.

 

[Mich0]

Goodwin continues to have **** all creativity.

Seriously why do we persist with Oliver, Petracca, Viney and Sparrow being our key midfield group. It’s 4 of the same player who all love to bomb it, handball to team mates feet or to no-one at all.

They used to look good when Gawn dominated but with him now dropping off they better learn quick how to actually play without first serve.

 

[Proper Gander]

Thank crap it isn’t round one yet

 

[Scythe94]

In our last three games, we've had 173 inside 50s for 25 goals #connection

 

[stEdy]

God, where to start.

Even when we did lace out a forward they dropped it.

Of course it was humid and slippery conditions, but when has a Goodwin team ever 'adapted to the conditions'? Our abysmal record in wet and slippery games continues