It's over 2 hours later and I am sitting in my recliner in the same position as when it ended.
. . Same $hit, same inept bucket.
You've been around for a while and seen a bit.
Even when we hit the front you just knew we were going to lose. What is it now, 3 wins in the last 11 games decided by less than a goal. A team that is poorly skilled and has minimal composure will always lose the close ones.
This. 100%
I checked out of this season sitting at Adelaide Oval losing to Essendon.
Crouch & Laird are consistently our lowest TOG players excluding subs and injured players.
And keeps going back to the same empty well again and again.
The 5th is only just now falling again ...
Nope. They are too busy blaming the umpires.
GoodIf Brisbane, Saints, Hawks all win, we will go bottom 4.....
Sholl has been good since his return to the side. Shouldn't have been subbed today imo.
Take note of the last column... & the rest of his stats.
You reckon any player in the 2s would’ve made a difference? It’s embedded into our club
Best game I've seen from Hamill at AFL level, great performance. Whole defensive six again held up today.
He didn't start the game on the field, first midfield rotation was Soligo, Rankine and Laird.
Hamill did a great job on the dangerous Hill...Good:
Hinge - was pushed further up ground and was great especially in the last quarter. Was playing more that outlet ball use role with no real direct opponent today and played it well, thought he was unfairly ignored at times to. That goal he kicked was fantastic, kicked it from 55 and cleared the fence easy.
Rankine - especially the 2nd half, didn’t start the best but worked his arse off to keep on coming at the opposition, such a mature performance, the ability to control that ball and dribble it through was one of the more epic goals in our club’s history yet it is wasted in a loss.
Dawson - as usual lifted the team and was a hard matchup all day, it’s a hard call because you can argue when he’s afforded space like he is when moved out of the middle it is nice and has time to try to spot up inside 50s but it just hurts the midfield especially at CBA’s. Him being moved out of the middle to accommodate Laird is still a s**t Nicks move and impacts the team negatively.
Crouch - Thought he was bloody tough today, fought a one man battle a lot of the time with little support from Soligo or Laird down in the trenches today. Rightly criticised him last week for leaving his direct opponent open at stoppages last week but thought he tried a bit harder to tighten up on that today.
Defence was good again, Butts continued his strong form since his return, Keane, Nankervis & Michalanney probably weren’t against much at times but held up pretty well. Ridiculous Nank was sub last week.
Murphy’s 1st half was ok
Bad:
O’Brien - horrendous footballer, he should not be a professional sportsman simple as that. Darcy Cameron was laughing as his opponent today. Why do his teammates give him the ball?
Jones - he’s just not a good AFL footballer, tried hard today more than the last few weeks but whether it’s to do with poor coaching or bad development he is just untrustworthy with ball in hand, like Ned everything seems to happen at 100 miles per hour to him.
Laird - he deserves to be dropped, it’s sad to see but he’s just a horrible handbrake and liability going the other way in the midfield. It is incredibly frustrating watching him out there, that turnover kick into 50 in the 3rd was vomit inducing.
Walker/Fogarty/Himmelberg - just got nothing much from them at all, thought their last quarter was putrid, all of them fumbling balls below their knees, Fogarty kept slipping over, thought all the time one of them had a mismatch and never could really take advantage of it. Thought Walker’s decision making was so bad today, especially late that underground handball straight back to Collingwood was a killer, scary if his last 2 weeks are a preview of what’s to come in the future for the club.
This Impact Sub garbage ‘innovation’ by Nicks - take a good long hard look at yourself Nicks and give yourself a punch in your bald scone, taking Sholl off at that stage when you need run was stupidity, Smith, Cook, Laird, Jones or ROB all should’ve been off before butter boy Sholl.
Murphy’s 2nd half where he showed his true colours yet again.
Ugly:
Corpse of Brodie Smith - not even he knows how to pretend to be playing football out there anymore, showed his experience today by sprinting hard for a couple of kick-ins today. The next horse he buys with the money he’s stolen from this club better be better than his last one.
Pretty sure Cook and Rachele left the MCG and got a Açai bowl and kombucha down the road at halftime and only got back at 3qtr time. Some shall we say ‘interesting’ displays by both of these talented individuals.
Keays - was at his absolute worst with ball in hand today, like ROB it should get to the point like today when his teammates should ignore him and only used as a last resort like he himself seems to be doing. Kicking has totally regressed again from when it was borderline ok to start the season. Again we see the lowly peasant trying to be the hero and failing.
Needing run on the MCG and Ned ‘f-ing’ McHenry is your sub
Nicks choosing to tag for the first time this year and it being a 35 year old Pendlebury
Nicks backing in his ‘System’ at stoppages in that first half, Daicos would love Nicks’ system.
Holding a lead late in the last quarter 2 weeks in a row against teams who are missing a chunk of players through injury and not being able to find a way to win.
Like last week trying to shut the game down too early after hitting the lead instead of continuing to try to move the ball quickly which had got them the lead.
Only coming alive yet again after conceding 5+ goals straight.
Random thoughts:
Honestly why are they playing Will Hamill? is it just a in game Brodie Smith contingency plan? Literally no long term planning at all.
When Ned did 2 don’t argues, made me laugh.
Nicks bingo going off in the post-game presser with the “you’re never as good or never as bad as you think you are” line being rolled out, dude has no idea. He did look angry today but of course it didn’t translate to anything remotely interesting, he’s such a bland individual and coach both on-field and off-field.
