AFL Autopsy Elimination Final: Loss to the Weagles

[Seagrave_Holmes]

Very predictable result

 

[scythe]

Hooker and Hurls are well and truely cooked. Bellchambers too.

Serious questions need to be asked of the fitness crew. It’s like we’re afraid of drawing WADA’s attention again or something.

 

[HirdsTheWord]

FFS, the sky isn’t falling.

Our team has been limping to the line for weeks and we were outplayed by a team that could quite easily still play in the Grand Final this year.

The loss sucks, but far out, this whole mentality is weak is just bulls**t. What is the alternative? Burn the place down and start again?

The reason we lost tonight was poor ball use and not sticking our tackles when we needed too. The ball use is already been addressed for next year with the hire of Caracella and more times than not, our tackling game is quite strong.

We have improved as a side this year. We have had some terrible games, no doubt about that, but we are a much better side.

2020, depending on what happens coaching structure wise, I can see us getting two bites of the cherry to win a final. If we are smart on the trade table with moving on players of value for players that we need, I see the club being a team to beat next year. I really can.

Have we improved though?

2017 - 8th place finish and 60 point loss in elim final
Bring in smith stringer saad
2018 - missed finals
Bring in Shiel
2019 - 8th place finish and 60 point loss in elim final

Cal me crazy but I see zero improvement.

 

[baz_machine]

Better side is better

 

[scythe]

Our team has been limping to the line for years

FTFY

 

[Shane Heard]

Serious questions need to be asked of the fitness crew. It’s like we’re afraid of drawing WADA’s attention again or something.

All three are old, banged up and cooked as league players.

Come the end of the year in a final and they are so far behind the pace it’s not funny.

Sad but true.

 

[BomberBrownyyy]

Time to go Dodo...

 

[The Donners]

FFS, the sky isn’t falling.

Our team has been limping to the line for weeks and we were outplayed by a team that could quite easily still play in the Grand Final this year.

The loss sucks, but far out, this whole mentality is weak is just bulls**t. What is the alternative? Burn the place down and start again?

The reason we lost tonight was poor ball use and not sticking our tackles when we needed too. The ball use is already been addressed for next year with the hire of Caracella and more times than not, our tackling game is quite strong.

We have improved as a side this year. We have had some terrible games, no doubt about that, but we are a much better side.

2020, depending on what happens coaching structure wise, I can see us getting two bites of the cherry to win a final. If we are smart on the trade table with moving on players of value for players that we need, I see the club being a team to beat next year. I really can.

I really do like your attitude.

Not sure about your call on our tackling “most time than not” though. Our tackling is always pathetic but they still count as tackles on the stats sheet.

Also, what players of value would we trade? Guys like Langford, Laverde etc wouldn’t have much value.

Side note, our list depth, as the current generation may say, is “stanky af”... so maybe the sky is falling! Lol

 

[bomberlegend2007]

Have we improved though?

2017 - 8th place finish and 60 point loss in elim final
Bring in smith stringer saad
2018 - missed finals
Bring in Shiel
2019 - 8th place finish and 60 point loss in elim final

On paper, no we haven’t.

But defensively, apart from the loss to the Dogs, we have been much better.

It’s a step by step process I feel. This summer, if Caracella is able to turn around this ball use like he has with Geelong and Richmond, who have been still reaping the rewards from it, then we are not far away from being the side we want.

Some clubs have done quick than us and that’s fine. Seeing Melbourne and Brisbane shoot up and go past is so frustrating which is driving our impatience even further.

 

[Blind Turn]

Can’t help thinking we might have won if Frank Dunnell were playing.

 

[The Donners]

Time to go Dodo...

Never gonna happen.

 

[vast]

Am I wrong in thinking that the entire club needs a re-branding?

New coach, new leaders, new ****ing logo. We STINK of failure right now. We don't accept mediocrity, we embrace it. The club is rotten. Big changes needed this off-season. Another list is going to go to waste.

I knew we'd lose but we barely put up a fight for 3 quarters. Pathetic culture at this club.

Maybe coz the list is mostly shit too.

 

[HirdsTheWord]

On paper, no we haven’t.

But defensively, apart from the loss to the Dogs, we have been much better.

It’s a step by step process I feel. This summer, if Caracella is able to turn around this ball use like he has with Geelong and Richmond, who have been still reaping the rewards from it, then we are not far away from being the side we want.

Some clubs have done quick than us and that’s fine. Seeing Melbourne and Brisbane shoot up and go past is so frustrating which is driving our impatience even further.

The better defensively we get the worse offensivley we get

There has been no improvement across the board which I would say makes us a better team over the last 3 years. We have had some injury issues this year to key players so I guess that’s a factor but good teams cover for injuries...we are just not a good team I feel.

 

[Xavier Menzies]

bzt should of played

 

[Espe]

Surely this has to be the worst decade in the clubs history. Start fresh next year. Clean it out. Dodo first out the door.

 

[Darealrath]

Looked like it was going to be a 100 point loss early in the second. At least they turned it around long enough to avoid that, before falling away again.

WC clearly a class above. Big off season coming up but not panic stations.

 

[brutus76]

Some 50+ gamers must be looked at for moving on.
I'd sacrifice and have a year like 2016 if we brought in players with balls who are committed and run both ways.
Pay half or a quarter of their salaries if need be.
Hooker and Hurley were cooked. Hooksy needs to go.
BZT and Cody Brand (after we draft him) can be lynchpins in defence with Paddy for years to come in the future.
If Franga, Raz and Joe wanna go let them at least get something ******* good in return.

Where is this club going? Rudderless. Where is the passion? The direction. The leadership? The aggression? The intensity?

 

[BomberTime]

Time to go Dodo...

Dodo picks them sure. But poor development of players and poor coaching is more to blame here.

 

[MightyDon]

FFS, the sky isn’t falling.

Our team has been limping to the line for weeks and we were outplayed by a team that could quite easily still play in the Grand Final this year.

The loss sucks, but far out, this whole mentality is weak is just bulls**t. What is the alternative? Burn the place down and start again?

The reason we lost tonight was poor ball use and not sticking our tackles when we needed too. The ball use is already been addressed for next year with the hire of Caracella and more times than not, our tackling game is quite strong.

We have improved as a side this year. We have had some terrible games, no doubt about that, but we are a much better side.

2020, depending on what happens coaching structure wise, I can see us getting two bites of the cherry to win a final. If we are smart on the trade table with moving on players of value for players that we need, I see the club being a team to beat next year. I really can.

We played better in the 2nd half of last year, didn’t show up at all this year. We got smashed with close to a full list at the start of the year, there is nothing in what we are doing on the footy field that is building towards anything

 

[bomberlegend2007]

I really do like your attitude.

Not sure about your call on our tackling “most time than not” though. Our tackling is always pathetic but they still count as tackles on the stats sheet.

Also, what players of value would we trade? Guys like Langford, Laverde etc wouldn’t have much value.

Side note, our list depth, as the current generation may say, is “stanky af”... so maybe the sky is falling! Lol

I think our the loss of Smith has hurt us more than we realise. His pressure in 2018 was top notch which really improved the team in that second half of the year. Having him back around in the midfield will be extremely beneficial for us next year.

I think you need to have a listen to what clubs will offer. If Sydney are willing to throw some first rounders at Joe, we need to at least have a look at it. Would I take it? Most likely not, but you need to at least have a look. If Port are sniffing around Fantasia, why don’t we ask the question of Wines? Or SPP?

On the depth, personally, I think we are in a good spot. The media look at Richmond’s or Collingwood’s depth as a benchmark. We are not quite at that level yet, but I would argue that to make finals on the amount of injuries to key players, like we have had, we do have good depth.

 

[BrunoV]

I almost admire the people who are such passionate fans that they can trick themselves into having hope. That part of me is dead.

It's the second 100 point loss to the side which finished 5th we were saved from due to inaccuracy. WCE destroyed us around the ball, sweating on the clean break in the first half when the pressure was on to take any semblance of effectiveness from our clearance work and draw us into a scrap.

They're not even a good contested side.

It's not a problem though, big Dev Smith will come back into the side next year. And big Darce Parish will be an even better expert pick the ball up of the ground guy and Zachy and Snello and Tippa and Dyse and Langers will all get us there next year. We just need to get Stringer up to 2 novelty clearances a game.

Not one of those guys is a bad player, well maybe one or two is/are, but you would have to be a ****ing idiot to: 1) build that midfield; and 2) play it every week.

 

[Milanista28]

And people would trade Joe. Brown and Mckernan will never perform in a final.

 

[Shane Heard]

Can’t help thinking we might have won if Frank Dunnell were playing.

A Garry Foulds at half back taking contested marks would’ve been handy too .

 

[srobbo]

We’re just so far short of the required level it’s not funny & I’m glad it’s been shown up.

Woosha thanks for your contributions, but you’re not taking this group fwd.

 

[Cup_o_Jobe]

If nothing else, hopefully we've settled the debate on Langford not being AFL level. Looked disinterested for most of the game and when he did get his hands on the pill, it was an unthinking punt around the corner to grass or to an unmarked Eagles player. Almost Z Clarke level liability.

In what is the story of his career, Laverde looked good for 10 minutes then went missing, Smack and Brown were exposed as 3rd tier forwards, and fanta just hasn't looked right since coming back from injury.

It's easy to say "Dev and Joe will help" but the forward line mix is still a big worry for mine and the priority to fix in off-season. Of course, having the midfield actually try to hit targets instead of bombing it long will help, but we need to find a better balance and calibre of player down there to compete in September.