Dogs Owned By Cats Yet Again - 94-66 Loss

[hutchy31]

Dangerfield has been putrid this season. What an embarrassing comment. We couldn’t go with a trio of Selwood, Danger and Guthrie.
Danger was amazing because he was ruthless and worked his backside off. We didn’t.

What a joke and a s**t excuse.

The GF embarrassment was due to strong, powerful mids streaking straight out of centre.

So Bevo is saying after that debacle, and a full preseason, and other teams doing it to us earlier in the season, that we don’t know what to do and have no plan to stop it?

If so then I don’t know how you can claim to be a competent head coach.

 

[Bulldog in Kiev]

Hate bagging anyone who wears the RWB, but If only others got the gifted run that McComb ha…... Brings zilch to the team yet in every week.
No hard edge bar Libba, not much leadership when chips are down. Don’t get me started on selection policy.
Bevo is never wrong though, just listen to his presser re Keath being dropped.
Long time member, feeling very Disillusioned with the club, direction and onfield performance as much as the game in general in 22, more disappointing than we we sucked as we should be much better with the squad we have.

 

[King Harold]

Big positive was Marra backing up with a solid game after all the hype during the week.
Against good opposition thought he held his own.
Richards is now heading to star status.
Libba , tried his heart out as usual.

Not a lot of joy except for the above.

 

[grassman75]

I truly believe we need a midfield coach who after 2-3 centre bounce losses needs to run the message that all our centre bounce mids just need to tag for 1-3 stoppages. Just to make sure we at very worst force a repeat stoppage and take the heat away from our defence.

Too often you see opposition marching the ball out the front of the centre bounce causing maximum pressure. And once they get a roll in there is basically nothing we can do to stop it until the qtr is over.

It makes me want to vomit seeing Gary Rohan walking into goal from 2 metres after he's been let drift forward with no opposition...it's worse when he does it twice

 

[Norm De Guerre]

Couple of observations.

Bruce is still miles off. A couple of times he got the ball and had zero confidence in his ability to shake off his opponent. He pretty much conceded the contest and accepted that he was going to get tackled rather than breaking it.

Caleb is not above playing reserves after comig back from injury. Was putrid.

Naughton's form is a bit of a worry

Hannan's hands are not reliable enough for a defender. Too fumbly when under pressure.

Bruce has the look of a guy with zero confidence in his lateral movement. He literally stops and awaits the tackle instead of looking to move left or right.

Its not really surprising given he's coming off an ACL. Its a lot to ask of a guy that we are essentially playing as a wood duck for defenders to shoot in the hope of distracting from our other tall birds in the forward line. It worked swell against a Melbourne side without Lever. Not so much against a well drilled Geelong defensive outfit that had the benefit of a dominant midfield for the entire second half.

 

[grassman75]

Anyone else ever feel like when we play Geelong, it's that image of an older brother holding his hand on the younger brothers forehead while the younger brother just keeps swinging punches that don't land?

Always just close, but never really a threat.

 

[Chalky White]

No shame in losing to a better side, and you could forgive it if it was a one off, but there is now plenty of evidence of sides putting on big scores in bursts. Good sides don’t allow that to happen.

Yet Geelong allowed us to do it in the first quarter

 

[hutchy31]

I see a lot of posts that this loss wasn’t due to Hannan, McComb or any other whipping boys so criticism directed at them is unwarranted.

That’s true, in that the loss was predominantly due (imo at least) to poor coaching, failed on-field leadership and a pathetic performance from our vaunted midfield who yet again went missing when the heat came.

However, you can recognise that as being true while still lamenting the continued poor team selection. McComb is nowhere near an AFL quality player, and Hannan is nowhere near an AFL quality defender. They might be in the future (although I doubt that), but right now they’re not. That Bevo and the MC would continue to pick the former at all and continue to pick the latter in defence is not putting the team in the best position to succeed. Gardner and Cordy at KPD is a function of poor list management so is understandable to a degree, but we have multiple other options in the positions Hannan and McComb are playing and it’s baffling they are being persisted with.

It is not the fault of those individuals who are being selected, they are trying their best. The fault lies with the MC and coaching group for continuing with this approach.

 

[TiAn_]

Yet Geelong allowed us to do it in the first quarter

They stopped our run at 4 goals then turned the tide before the quarter was out. Would have been a very different game if we did the same in the third quarter.

 

[Dogs Rule]

Dangerfield has been putrid this season. What an embarrassing comment. We couldn’t go with a trio of Selwood, Danger and Guthrie.
Danger was amazing because he was ruthless and worked his backside off. We didn’t.

What a joke and a s**t excuse.

Agreed. For a team that has focused on the midfield (arguably to the detriment of other areas) and where this is seen as a major strength, the Dangerfield comment is a cop out. Simple fact is Dangerfield is very strong at contests and we simply don't have enough of those types (Bont excepted). Basically, we're too weak. That's on the players, the strength coaches and recruiters.

 

[The Inbetweener]

Yet Geelong allowed us to do it in the first quarter

Bit of difference between 4 goals to 8.

Their 8 goals were over a 24 minute period. That’s a good every 3 minutes.

 

[Boof09]

Both Gardner and Cordy were good. Any hate coming their way is from those trying to confirm their own preconceptions.

Our midfield and half backs (minus Ed) own that loss. No fight.

Can you define what makes a good game?

 

[stefcep]

Lou Richards used to say the third quarter was the premiership quarter. Wonder what our third quarter stats are this season?

 

[adogsfan5]

Agreed. For a team that has focused on the midfield (arguably to the detriment of other areas) and where this is seen as a major strength, the Dangerfield comment is a cop out. Simple fact is Dangerfield is very strong at contests and we simply don't have enough of those types (Bont excepted). Basically, we're too weak. That's on the players, the strength coaches and recruiters.

If we are both too weak and too slow, I am concerned. How could a midfield be both? Bont, Libba, dunks - too weak?

 

[NBates]

For all my detractors (and why not, I know nothing about footy, but those dogs are in my blood), I was the one who recognised the rise of Ed Richards

20

Ed Richards

Age

25

Ht

188cm

Wt

89kg

Pos.

D/M

Career

Season

Last 5

D

12.4

3star

K

7.2

3star

HB

5.2

4star

M

2.5

3star

T

2.4

4star

MG

201.4

3star

D

11.3

3star

K

6.0

2star

HB

5.3

3star

M

1.5

2star

T

2.5

3star

MG

198.3

3star

D

14.6

4star

K

9.8

4star

HB

4.8

4star

M

4.8

5star

T

2.6

4star

MG

232.4

4star

first as a gun and predicted our demise last night when we were still winning.

PS: Ed now on footy handball with Crozier Ch9

 

[bullish23]

Midfield and ruck very poor after half time.

Ed Richards

20

Ed Richards

Age

25

Ht

188cm

Wt

89kg

Pos.

D/M

Career

Season

Last 5

D

12.4

3star

K

7.2

3star

HB

5.2

4star

M

2.5

3star

T

2.4

4star

MG

201.4

3star

D

11.3

3star

K

6.0

2star

HB

5.3

3star

M

1.5

2star

T

2.5

3star

MG

198.3

3star

D

14.6

4star

K

9.8

4star

HB

4.8

4star

M

4.8

5star

T

2.6

4star

MG

232.4

4star

was so good again. He brings aggression, skill and pace. Just love him, and wonder if he could eventually play in the centre square as that bigger bodied mid, but that would leave the defence even more exposed I guess.

This year is done. Next year is Top 4 or bust for the coach. No more excuses. The board needs to make this crystal clear at year end review time.

 

[flipper83]

The issue seems to be that when we're on top in the middle opposition mids switch to a completely defensive mindset where they find their man and stick to them and scrag and harass and stop us getting clean possession. (Probably could have had a few holding the man free kicks paid but that seems to be something that's not frequently paid these days so we need to adapt)
The problem is that once our midfield is shut down and the opposition is on top we don't seem to have the desire or ability to put the clamps on them.
We just keep trying to play our offensive game and get obliterated the other way.

 

[dergert]

Mixed game from Buku.

I don't know whether it's our zone, a mismatch or what. He's been leaking some goals.

 

[Dogs Rule]

If we are both too weak and too slow, I am concerned. How could a midfield be both? Bont, Libba, dunks - too weak?

We're not strong enough. Do we have a Petracca/Dangerfield midfield bull? We have Bont, but is he really a bull? Not really.

 

[_Mike_]

What lessons were learnt from what happened in the GF ?

We’re not as good as we think/hoped we are

 

[BrisDog]

The GF embarrassment was due to strong, powerful mids streaking straight out of centre.

So Bevo is saying after that debacle, and a full preseason, and other teams doing it to us earlier in the season, that we don’t know what to do and have no plan to stop it?

If so then I don’t know how you can claim to be a competent head coach.

How about we put a strong meat
axe sweeper, say Dunkley, at the back of the stoppage when it starts to happen? Footy is not rocket science.

The other alternative is to play a second ruck who comes in when English drops his bundle and makes sure the ball is not tapped to that position. Sweet has that ability. I would take Sweet’s 5 possession and 10 taps over McComb’s 20 kicks/14 clangers per game.

 

[_Mike_]

The other alternative is to play a second ruck who comes in when English drops his bundle

Plays like Jekyll and Hyde. Good one week average the next

 

[Dogs_R_Us]

I'm convinced when Geelong see the fixture each year they arrogantly chalk up the 1-2 games against us as 100% certainties and mark them down in the book..

And we gutlessly and timidly play along with it being their little bitches.. Like the schoolyard wimp who gets bullied and doesn't stand up and do anything about it..

Always two, aren't there? It's deliberate.

 

[Dogs_R_Us]

Richards a smokey for the BnF? He will def finish top 5. Chris Scott presser was interesting he clearly rates us but what was more telling was he discussion on close, miers and stengle. The running power they have to get back to help the D out then stream forward and be dangerous. We dont have that in our team as weightman is more a stay at home small forward. Garcia and west can maybe do that for us but? Overall the first half was very good but we couldnt turn the tide. Dont think its as doom and gloom as others think it was Selwoods 350th at the Cattery = recipe for disaster

Incredible how many of these types of games fall our way

 

[W W Biscuit]

The biggest concern for me is Smith. His training and preparation has always been so highly rated, so it is concerning that his disposal - particularly by foot - has never really improved. Let's face it - he massacres the ball a lot of the time, and he is one of the last players you'd want with ball in hand going into offensive 50. Where is the improvement going to come from? Of all our players, I think he is our biggest conundrum. He is talented, quick, apparently fanatical and does offer our midfield a point of difference. Yet there are very surprising weaknesses in his game - disposal by foot, defensive running and, reasonably often, decision making. I really have no idea how his career is going to turn out - it feels as though he could be one of the very best players in the game, if it 'clicks' (it's Mabo, it's the vibe). But equally so, I can envisage something a lot less.