Review Good/Bad v St Kilda, Round 12

[rocket18]

What I think separates Lever's kicking is his fearlessness and absolute conviction in going for his (difficult) options.

A lot of guys have great kicks, but fail to execute as the fear of failure and missing turns their legs into jelly. They often end up kicking straight to the opposition standing 5 metres in front of their target.

I think his mental aptitude is actually what allows the rest of his game to flourish and be the gun he is.

Seems to be one of these guys who are born with an unshakeable confidence.

Must be our next Captain.[/QUOTE]

Great point, he doesn't shy away from taking the risky or difficult kick. Occasionally will turn it over but the rewards outway the risk of a turnover.

 

[marvin]

I think Talia might be injured, given the number of times he was spelled and replaced down back by Otten; either that or we were spelling Talia to find a place to stick Otten at times, which is just a whole other worry.

Maybe Otten was being road-tested in his most natural role in the side - back up tall defender - in a game we had under control?


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[huludicidal]

I think Talia might be injured, given the number of times he was spelled and replaced down back by Otten; either that or we were spelling Talia to find a place to stick Otten at times, which is just a whole other worry.

Talia definitely appeared to be injured against Geelong. Was running on the spot and had some oddly positioned strapping on his shin / calf.

Wasn't as noticeable against the Saints and the strapping was gone. My guess is he copped a kick or knee to the lower leg in the first quarter against the Cats.

In addition to this, his confidence appears to be lower than it's been in years. Unsure why that is, but it may well relate to confidence in his own body.


As for Otten, it did appear as though Pyke was trying to hide him to me. I don't think we'll see much of Andy after the bye. Solid depth player to cover any of Talia, Hartigan, Lever, McGovern, Walker or Jenkins when they're unavailable.

 

[Scorpus]

As for Otten, it did appear as though Pyke was trying to hide him to me. I don't think we'll see much of Andy after the bye. Solid depth player to cover any of Talia, Hartigan, Lever, McGovern, Walker or Jenkins when they're unavailable.

I literally didn't see Otten at all (on the TV) for the second and third quarters

 

[huludicidal]

I literally didn't see Otten at all (on the TV) for the second and third quarters

Someone spilled some tar in the forward pocket. Poor bugger was stuck there for a good 50 mins.

 

[Damp Squarie]

Good
Dmac dropped
4 points
The arrival of the bye
Lynchy
Lever ...unbelievable

Bad
Lairising
Goalkicking accuracy

Ugly
Our brand of football was deplorable at times...fugly

 

[GreyCrow]

Say what?
2005 is hardly "recent" and has NO bearing or relevance to this season (different players/coach/opposition).

Has anyone considered this: Pyke is being smart by playing the kind of game that will get us into the Top-4 with strong %, maybe enough to get us 2 home Finals? He's been around long enough to know that a final is rarely a shoot-out and he m-i-g-h-t be prepping us for after the bye to play a tougher, more defensive game ie
Step One: be Top 2 before the bye
Step Two: try our best to be Top 4, preferably Top 2, after the bye + minor round, with an emphasis on a refined/improved tougher game plan
Step Three: Win the Flag (might mean winning only 3 consecutive games and if they're ALL one-point wins, I'd take that).
Time will tell. We gotta dream/hope.

I think this is fine but it doesn't address finals football. If you and Don truly believe the football we will be playing against in Finals is going to be similar to what we are facing today you need a re-think

Geelong, GWS, Bulldogs, Port etc are the sides we need to beat in Finals. They have very clever people who will assess our losses, not our wins but losses.

This is what frustrates us on here as fans who bring ideas here. If we are dominating as we did, why not move Sloane off the tag or away from the centre? Why not try Talia on the bench for a whole quarter, let others step up. Why not rest an Eddie for a 1/4 and see how it looks. Run others through the midfield for longer ( this has happened in very short bursts already) take Sloane, Douglas, Matt and Brad away and play Knight, Cameron, Brown and Laird for a while

Its not the flatness or the meh-ness its the lack of alternative thinking in games we are winning easy

 

[TheLeftFist8]

I think Talia might be injured, given the number of times he was spelled and replaced down back by Otten; either that or we were spelling Talia to find a place to stick Otten at times, which is just a whole other worry.



He spent a good deal of time off the ground getting the busted nose plugged.

Almost certain Talia is injured just watching the way he moves and occassionally grimaces

 

[CrowBloke]

I think this is fine but it doesn't address finals football. If you and Don truly believe the football we will be playing against in Finals is going to be similar to what we are facing today you need a re-think

Seems like you missed my point entirely. I actually said:
"He's been around long enough to know that a final is rarely a shoot-out and he m-i-g-h-t be prepping us for after the bye to play a tougher, more defensive game"
(TRANSLATION: Don believes/knows that Finals footy is NOT going to be similar to what we're facing today, and he might have a long term plan for the Crows leading to the finals). I said "might" --- it's speculation. I'm not going to re-think that.

 

[GreyCrow]

Seems like you missed my point entirely. I actually said:
"He's been around long enough to know that a final is rarely a shoot-out and he m-i-g-h-t be prepping us for after the bye to play a tougher, more defensive game"
(TRANSLATION: Don believes/knows that Finals footy is NOT going to be similar to what we're facing today, and he might have a long term plan for the Crows leading to the finals). I said "might" --- it's speculation. I'm not going to re-think that.

Yes, and I think you missed my point. Why wait till after the Bye?

Oh and long term plan? No he doesn't. He believes in one way , otherwise there would have been a different set-up v Geelong last year and this year

 

[CrowBloke]

Oh and long term plan? No he doesn't. He believes in one way

I don't know what Pyke believes. Nor do you, unless you're a close friend and confidant.
That's why it's speculation, and why I said "maybe" and "might".
Being certain rarely pays off.
It looks like I am one of not many Crows fans in here who is happy that they won on Friday night, got the 4 points and increased their % (currently BEST, thanks to Essendon's demolition of PA which I LOOOVED), and are sitting Top 2 at 9-3.
Did you think, or would you only be happy if we were 12-0 with 160+% ?
Has that ever happened?

C'mon, it's the bye, we're really well-placed but not perfect, and we have a chance to learn from our losses (AND wins) and get even better.
EDIT: do you think the Crows can win the Flag this year? I do.

 

[Geoffa32]

Just watching our game now.

Hard to assess the last three quarters. But the first the Saints brought the heat early and we stood up.





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[Bicks]

 

[Jeffcrowe]

What concerns me about Brad Crouch isn't his ability, workrate or skills - it's his decision making.

When we look at players like Pendlebury, Bontompelli, Haneberry, Cripps etc they don't possess elite speed or ball skills, but they make great decisions most of the time. Brad seems to see two options - whether it be a kick, handball, spoil - and goes half-arsed for both options at the same time rather than picking one and doing it well, quickly. If his options are a 20m stab pass to a lead or a 40m floater over the top, he often picks out the opposition defender in the middle.

He doesn't have a problem getting the ball, it's the decisions he's making. Whether that comes with time, or playing longer stretches uninterrupted, who knows. It's holding him back.

I think the word your looking for is composure . He currently has next to none of it and rushes himself when he gets it

 

[Murray2503]

Main observation from rewatching the game. Cameron Ling is an absolute halfwit. Listening to his purile trite nonsense is mind-numbing. Channel 7 please get rid of this idiot!

 

[kingyubbo]

Odd game to criticise Matt Crouch's kicking. Thought it was very good last night and he was one of our best.

Wasn't doubting his performances this year nor his performance on Friday night. He's a ball magnet and a collector. But I still do question his ability to use the ball dangerously, much like his brother but probably not on that level. It was only earlier this year were people doubting his kicking ability but it's definitely improved this year. My point and query is - will he get be able to continually improve on that, possibly a prime Matt Priddis like impact?

 

[Golumless]

He's certainly better than Mackay, Menzel & Knight. Probably B Crouch too who is currently a major disappointment

Definitely better than most, but you'd hope so from the get go seeing they are both mature age players. Knight is quite unlucky to be put in this group as he's shown he has something to offer though.

I'm getting to the point it's just worth cutting our losses with B.Crouch and getting a draft pick for him, but he's the elephant in the room right now for us (well, one of).

 

[Golumless]

That was the first of three soft weeks but that is followed by a genuinely testing 5 week block

WB
Melb away
Geel
Coll away
Port

Will get a really good picture of if we're the genuine article from that period.

Those are the only games that matter in that block, as we should beat Collingwood and Port comfortably.

 

[arsene wenger1]

Brad burns it almost every time he puts it on the boot. Some of his kicks I swear he doesn't even look to see if there's a crows player in the vicinity or where he is kicking it.

Yep, it's amazing how often his kicks are marked by the opposition

 

[Golumless]

The Gibbs decision is going to come back and bite us squarely on the arse if Sloane can't get back to what he gets paid for

I truly can't believe the board hasn't talked how or why he is so far down on form

Is the board not aware without him we are basically screwed in the big games

There isn't much to discuss really.

This issue stems down to someone else needs to step up and be demanding attention which will in turn allow Sloane off the leash. Maybe this is where the Gibbs decision is a mistake, but that was a damned if you do, damned if you don't moment seeing that was a ridiculous price.

Beyond that, there isn't much you can do outside of just hoping Sloane works it out.

 

[Elite Crow]

I don't know what Pyke believes. Nor do you, unless you're a close friend and confidant.
That's why it's speculation, and why I said "maybe" and "might".
Being certain rarely pays off.
It looks like I am one of not many Crows fans in here who is happy that they won on Friday night, got the 4 points and increased their % (currently BEST, thanks to Essendon's demolition of PA which I LOOOVED), and are sitting Top 2 at 9-3.
Did you think, or would you only be happy if we were 12-0 with 160+% ?
Has that ever happened?

C'mon, it's the bye, we're really well-placed but not perfect, and we have a chance to learn from our losses (AND wins) and get even better.
EDIT: do you think the Crows can win the Flag this year? I do.

He said during the week he prefers consistency and all the successful sides around the world do. Was he being a trickster?

 

[marty36]

There isn't much to discuss really.

This issue stems down to someone else needs to step up and be demanding attention which will in turn allow Sloane off the leash. Maybe this is where the Gibbs decision is a mistake, but that was a damned if you do, damned if you don't moment seeing that was a ridiculous price.

Beyond that, there isn't much you can do outside of just hoping Sloane works it out.

I don't think anyone on this board thinks it was a fair price

But a lot thought Gibbs was the price to the puzzle that could win a flag and even if the price was high it was worth the punt

It wasn't just Gibbs it was the fact he wanted to come to Adelaide Rocky would have been better but he was out of reach and as for Barlow we would have been better paying an extra 50k and keeping Lyons


No one was saying Gibbs was the best player out there but he was definetly the best player that wanted to come here


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[Mike Smyth]

If we are crying out for big bodied, aggression in the midfield why aren't we giving Doedee a run? Greenwood has been a revelation why no Doedee? It is clear that we don't have the cattle or size to match it with big bodied teams like Geelong so why are we sitting on our hands. let's get Doedee in asap.

 

[Mike Smyth]

I don't think anyone on this board thinks it was a fair price

But a lot thought Gibbs was the price to the puzzle that could win a flag and even if the price was high it was worth the punt

It wasn't just Gibbs it was the fact he wanted to come to Adelaide Rocky would have been better but he was out of reach and as for Barlow we would have been better paying an extra 50k and keeping Lyons


No one was saying Gibbs was the best player out there but he was definetly the best player that wanted to come here


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So what's changed for Carlton in 12 months? Why does Trigg think a deal will get done this time? Gibbs will be 29 next year - I wouldn't go trading anything other than a high second rounder. Definitely not our 1st, unless we win the premiership - lol

 

[kirky]

If we are crying out for big bodied, aggression in the midfield why aren't we giving Doedee a run? Greenwood has been a revelation why no Doedee? It is clear that we don't have the cattle or size to match it with big bodied teams like Geelong so why are we sitting on our hands. let's get Doedee in asap.

I'm going to call it now, if we play Geelong on the G we will win.

They don't like wide open grounds - their form at the G is average at best and well below their Simounds Stadium form.