Review Good, bad, the gallant shat loss - R4 vs Melbourne 2024

[adelaidecrows]

Please remove if my post is not welcome but seriously you guys are frustrating to watch this year. Really enjoyed the way you played in 2023.

What is it with your side and only turning up to play in the last quarter for an 'almost' comeback this year?

Preaching to the choir. Its not unwelcome if its true.

 

[morris086]

It annoys me because in 2013/2014 he was a bulldog of a small defender who threw himself at the competition. He also had the talent to be really damn good getting the ball out of the back 50 with skill as a rookie.

I hate him in the midfield, even in 2013 when we sucked as a high school kid I could see potential in our future players. I want him back in defence, he is so one way as a midfielder now and he used to be my fav player. The moment he got smacked in the face with a ball in the goal square against Freo in 2013 at footy Park to successfully deny a goal, I knew he was gonna be a star.

He should be playing better but Lairds stay in the midfield is solely a result of our diabolical list management. We should have several players in the 24-27 year old range leading our midfield. Instead we find ourselves this far into a rebuild with a small defender, an accumulator who was done and dusted 12 months ago and a bloke we had to trade in.

 

[AFC979810]

He should be playing better but Lairds stay in the midfield is solely a result of our diabolical list management. We should have several players in the 24-27 year old range leading our midfield. Instead we find ourselves this far into a rebuild with a small defender, an accumulator who was done and dusted 12 months ago and a bloke we had to trade in.

Or we could use the 20 year old top 5 pick Josh Rachele instead of Laird?

You know the same guy who as a 19 year old attended 48 centre bounces in the first 4 rounds of 2023?

 

[moogerfooger]

Disagree, with respect.
He showed last year that he can AFL, but whatever has afflicted most of the team over the pre-season has also got him.

Something, something serious, has happened in between end last year and the start of this year.
Some kind of disconnect between the players and/or
Burns as forwards Coach, seems to have stuffed them up, and/or
Nicks has lost them.

Given AFC's history of transparency and accountability, I doubt we'll ever find out except maybe a few years later via some tell-all player books.

Is it just coincidence that last year we had Rahilly as forwards coach and this year without him we've totally lost our structure and connection forward of centre?

 

[AFC979810]

Is it just coincidence that last year we had Rahilly as forwards coach and this year without him we've totally lost our structure and connection forward of centre?

Its a tough one.

Its either:

1. Burns has changed it and it sucks.
2. Burns has kept it the same and we aren't executing.
3. Burns has kept it and after the offseason hype the AFL has figured us out and Nicks isn't smart enough to adjust.

Without access to the inner sanctum, we wont ever know.

My guess is #3.

 

[Jars458]

My first and only game for this year. Our skills and decision making are just nowhere near good enough.

 

[George Kramer]

Its a tough one.

Its either:

1. Burns has changed it and it sucks.
2. Burns has kept it the same and we aren't executing.
3. Burns has kept it and after the offseason hype the AFL has figured us out and Nicks isn't smart enough to adjust.

Without access to the inner sanctum, we wont ever know.

My guess is #3.

Nah, it’s 1. Our slow passing game was evident from our first trial game. Players don’t play on, they stop, go behind the mark and look for a player.

 

[Hell Boy6669]

Is the nicks special wait until the game is lost then catch the oppo napping and get it back to a respectable margin?

“Honourable losses” have happened time and time again under his tenure

 

[adelaidecrows]

Is the nicks special wait until the game is lost then catch the oppo napping and get it back to a respectable margin?

“Honourable losses” have happened time and time again under his tenure

isn't the definition of an honourable loss being you had a chance of winning it. I argue this has not been the case at all. Scorelines not of our own making contributed to some of our closer results.

 

[Sanders]

Player development is the job of the development coaches. It's right there in their name.

You think Melbourne have been developing Windsor really well in the ... four games he's played for them?

Well, they’re not playing him in a SANFL forward pocket

 

[Rotayjay]

Time to play the kids and go for a top 3 draft pick

Which we'll waste on some bloke who tries hard but is too short and too slow to be useful in any position on the ground

 

[George Kramer]

Well, they’re not playing him in a SANFL forward pocket

Yep, no way Windsor would be playing and as well for us

 

[earlsta]

Nano looks good.. real good. Looks like he has loads of time out there with the ball.. he hasn’t even played 5 games.

It’ll take a couple more years to build his body but he’s going to make a pretty damn good wingman for us.

 

[AFC979810]

Isn’t player development part of the head coach’s role?

Did you like Caleb Windsor on the wing for Melbourne? That’s player development.

Did you like seeing kosi Pickett in centre bounces? That’s player development.

How about an afc coach back the kids in for once

Spot on.

The Kosi Pickett vs Chayce Jones comparison is damning.

Kosi - pick 12 -2019 - small forward. Has managed to attend 148 Centre Bounces during his 89 games at Melbourne (during which time Melbourne's midfield was one of the best)

Chayce Jones - Pick 9 - 2019 - MIDFIELDER. Has managed to attend 98 Centre bounces during his 80 games at Adelaide. 90 of these Centre Bounces were during 2020 with him attending 8 over the next 3.15 seasons.

Player development is the job of the development coaches. It's right there in their name.

You think Melbourne have been developing Windsor really well in the ... four games he's played for them?

Yes and its now 5 games.

And there were 7 other players taken before Curtin. 5 of those will have played 4+ games at the end of this round. 1 will have played 2 games and our guy has played 0.

 

[Samcro24]

If Nicks cant see the type of player and person Rash is by now, he doesn't understand people. Why he doesn't run him in bursts through the middle has got me stuffed. The kid is an ego driven matchwinner... but not on the half forward flank.

He’ll bail then.

That’s not a knock on him. If you have ego and ambition this is not the club for you.

 

[Disco Fox]

Yep, no way Windsor would be playing and as well for us

Every draftee taken before Dan Curtin in last year's draft(7 players) has already played at least 1 senior game. If you have natural talent & are thrown in off the deep end you'll most often ultimately succeed. Gangly giants are the obvious exception, but not always - Hardwick is giving Ethan Read(202cm) his first game this weekend!!!
Curtin has shown himself to be a big game player, both in WAFL, Colts & U18 Championships, Charlie Edwards has great midfield speed(we are crying out for that) & Oscar Ryan has real speed out of defence - & he is tough!!! Also, try Billy Dowling instead of again & again rotating the same group of vanilla players in the vain hope that one of them will surprise us.

 

[thebirdman 24]

Jones an 80 game nothing burger, gee we’re good at tuning them out.
3 disposals in the last half (all in the last qtr)

Him getting less of the ball in the second half actually helped our fightback.

On SM-A325F using BigFooty.com mobile app

 

[AFC979810]

He’ll bail then.

That’s not a knock on him. If you have ego and ambition this is not the club for you.

Gonna be a miserable checks contract status 6 seasons for Josh.

 

[thebirdman 24]

Give Laird a crack as a dour small defender. Focus on nothing but tackling the small forward

Laird can't seem to tackle anymore and he was never a lockdown defender. More of an accumulator with poor disposal.

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[Redline]

To play who thou? We are already playing Burgess who is clear not it.

Would have thought there is a long list before Tex and actually players we have in the two to replace them.

There are but I don't want to hear the excuse next season that we are experimenting with our forward line without Tex. We should know by the end of 2024 what that looks like.

Otherwise it's just another excuse.

 

[thebirdman 24]

Can't be bothered with a massive list of negatives. I think that is well covered now.

Good

• Soligo was great again in the midfield. He moves with the ball and isn't stationary like Laird and Crouch.
• Nank looked comfortable. He fluffed one left foot kick, then got it back and nailed the next pass. Loved to see it.
• Cook looked okay. Time to give him a long stretch to finally see what he has got.
• Berry had an impact as sub. I don't see a future for him with Laird and Crouch around, but he could make it elsewhere.
• Few classy moments from Rankine
• Keane looks like a seasoned veteran. He is our best available KPD at the moment. He is way better than Butts.
• Smith finally had a passable game.

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[WaynesWorld19]

From my perspective

1. Crows are structuring up around players Crouch and Laird ....both 67% TOG shows we are trying to accommodate both, knowing both on field is detrimental to both team and Dawson

2. Dawson, your best player, your Bontempelli equivalent .....and you don't play him as first receive in that midfield, is disgusting .....only to have him play FWD at a crucial time ....is vomit worthy

3. Pressers saying the players are out of form, making wrong decisions ....that all falls on the Coaches role ....to read the room

4. Nank showed all his supporters, why he deserved to play earlier than he did

5. 3 x weeks in a row now, we have played into the hands of the oppositions key backman's strength .....Stewart, Ryan, and tonight May .....that's some sort of stupid

6. Tex has lost any leap he had last year ....can hardly get off the ground

7. Saying Rachele has "X-Factor" is the biggest fraud of all time

 

[1970crow]

Time to tank for draft picks

Tank? We're 0-4, soon to be 0-5, going full throttle at finals.

 

[Bearded Clam]

If I was tex walker I would be telling the young Josh who got in his way in the last 4 minutes you do it again I will run through you.

Absolutely killed your momentum there

Walker should've called him out of it..

But it would be wrong of tex to, after it, give the kid a slapdown for it..

Rachele was courageously going back with the flight of the ball not know what was about to hit him in an attempt to provide a contest…

You simply cannot discourage that type of behaviour from one of your youngsters even if the outcome wasn't the best..

 

[FullyBigKPro]

From my perspective

1. Crows are structuring up around players Crouch and Laird ....both 67% TOG shows we are trying to accommodate both, knowing both on field is detrimental to both team and Dawson

2. Dawson, your best player, your Bontempelli equivalent .....and you don't play him as first receive in that midfield, is disgusting .....only to have him play FWD at a crucial time ....is vomit worthy

3. Pressers saying the players are out of form, making wrong decisions ....that all falls on the Coaches role ....to read the room

4. Nank showed all his supporters, why he deserved to play earlier than he did

5. 3 x weeks in a row now, we have played into the hands of the oppositions key backman's strength .....Stewart, Ryan, and tonight May .....that's some sort of stupid

6. Tex has lost any leap he had last year ....can hardly get off the ground

7. Saying Rachele has "X-Factor" is the biggest fraud of all time

Are you finally seeing that Nicks is a fraud mate?

Finally gives Soligo Midfield minutes and he looks very good. Finally plays Nank (only after injuries) and looks good.

Imagine what a REAL coach could do to this group.