Review Grand Final, 2023 - Collingwood vs. Brisbane Lions

[Quested]

Just need to unload so apologies...

It was fantastic to be part of a grand final, but it stings oh so much to lose by such a small margin.

Unfortunately it didn't 'click' like it did last week and many players went missing when Collingwood's stepped up.

Most of us agreed a pass mark for the season was making the GF and we achieved that.

Collingwood definitely had the rub of the green, I mean literally even the weird bounces and toe pokes off the deck seemed to favour them. But they constantly had an overlap and made many easy entries into fwd50. They were the better team on the night.

We seem to do well on teams with tall timber in their forward line, but struggle against small forwards like Bobbie Hill.

Whoever we lose or gain in the off season, I think our window is most definitely still open, and we will be battle hardened for this experience.

Thank you to all of the contributors on here, it is so enjoyable getting to share my passion with so many much more knowledgeable than I, and I can't wait for 2024.

Great job Lions on the season, just fell short but very proud still.

 

[3KZ is Football]

That was a critical mistake and obviously a preconceived tactic that totally backfired.

We virtually gave them the clearance but Rayner coughed it up 3 times as I recall for late goals.

Whether it was the wrong man or the wrong tactic I don't know but Rayner should've been around the stoppage where who knows he might've turned it our way.

The problem with Rayner keeps coming back to the same thing, his lack of running ability. If he had greater running capacity, Fagan wouldn’t need to keep finding him these dinky little assignments, because he would be playing as a ‘pure midfielder’. Rayner needs to have a massive pre-season. I honestly feel that career wise, 2024 is make or break for Rayner. He needs to go up a notch and repay the faith shown in him.

 

[brutus76]

Still love ya Fages - class act. Lovely bloke

So proud.

Just not quite.

Need a couple more soldiers and one that can shut down the smalls.

Harris was IMMENSE. Kiddy was ON FIRE in the first half. Joe did everything but kick straight. Suitcase is a stud.

Hope Dev stays. Bezza had a shocker and maybe might want to go home to VIC

Will be definitely sponsoring Kiddy next year (previous years T.Berry, Z.Bailey, J. Berry, B.Stsrcevich and C.Rayner this year)

 

[Checksider]

Commiserations Lions fans. I know it is probably cold comfort but that’s the best Grand Final in a long time and your boys can hold their heads very high.

Hope you get your flag soon.

 

[Pacman82]

We've lost the last two, which means we should win the next one, 3rd time lucky!

 

[Happy_Neale]

So basically, Hipwood also lost his direct opponent early, he really should have been a difference between the teams and while he certainly was, unfortunately it was for the other team. He really did have an all time shocker and I don't really know if a player can come back from that. To me, this is the real worry.

Howe went onto Hipwood at that point and they shifted Hoskin-Elliot back. Rayner should have been too much for him honestly. Their ability to cover Murphy was the difference in the end

 

[Paul Mac]

It doesn't tell much, five points the other way and the judges would have just switched all those ones and twos to Lions.

Being at the game though i thought our midfield got beaten so not sure any switching would have happened IMO

 

[Happy_Neale]

As many others have said not too disappointed, we got way closer than we deserved at the end there, so tense and tight all day. Really feel for the guys though, would be absolutely shattering. Liked Andrews post game interview too, very well spoken after such a tough loss.

 

[Happy_Neale]

Also would seriously consider shifting Andrews forward if we get Doedee as rumoured.

 

[western royboy]

As many others have said not too disappointed, we got way closer than we deserved at the end there, so tense and tight all day. Really feel for the guys though, would be absolutely shattering. Liked Andrews post game interview too, very well spoken after such a tough loss.

Both Fagan and he spoke well - Fagan spoke of our boys stopped taking risks, whi was pretty evident.

If that was the case…why didn’t we throw Lyons in earlier?

 

[Tom14]

Also would seriously consider shifting Andrews forward if we get Doedee as rumoured.

Harris does not have the athleticism or off the mark speed to play forward. He's brilliant at zoning off and marking, and spoiling the high ball but he would not create space for himself.

Eric had a quiet game but wasn't the only one. I'd put a few others well below him (poor Starce and Bez).

 

[Happy_Neale]

Harris does not have the athleticism or off the mark speed to play forward. He's brilliant at zoning off and marking, and spoiling the high ball but he would not create space for himself.

Eric had a quiet game but wasn't the only one. I'd put a few others well below him (poor Starce and Bez).

I disagree, he was originally drafted as a forward and he has all the tricks IMO. I guess my broader point is we need another contested marking forward to ease the load on Joe. Hipwood is a great third tall/flanker but we simply can’t rely on him as our second KPF

 

[Spamburger]

Heartbroken right now, not sure what else to say. Can't process anything

As a Swans fan with 2014, 2016 and 2022 under the belt, I know where you're at. There's so much upside to your team. Be proud. April will be on us before you know it.

 

[Sandor Ferenczi]

Pies earned the home ground advantage for this GF anyways though. Congratulations premiers.

But it is an advantage that 14 other teams in the AFL will never get, no matter how well they perform. This includes the Melbourne teams that play at Marvel. One of those 14 can win every game in the home and away season, finish top of the ladder and yet have the disadvantage of playing on another team's home ground in the Grand Final.

 

[Tom14]

I disagree, he was originally drafted as a forward and he has all the tricks IMO. I guess my broader point is we need another contested marking forward to ease the load on Joe. Hipwood is a great third tall/flanker but we simply can’t rely on him as our second KPF

Even if Harris did have the tricks as a forward it would make our defence miles worse. We create so much from his intercept marking, we'd be worse off offensively if we moved him out of the backline (and far worse defensively).

 

[Happy_Neale]

Even if Harris did have the tricks as a forward it would make our defence miles worse. We create so much from his intercept marking, we'd be worse off offensively if we moved him out of the backline (and far worse defensively).

I think Payne has the ability to be as good down back and would only do this if Doedee came in as well as he is a genuinely good defender

 

[Berrygood]

Also would seriously consider shifting Andrews forward if we get Doedee as rumoured.

This old chestnut, move Andrew fwd, ridiculous suggestion. Let's weaken a strength to strengthen a perceived weakness. Always a wonderful idea, can't see anything wrong with that. We definitely missed a 3rd tall fwd or even an extra ruck today but the answer is not to move Andrews fwd.

 

[martinson]

Even if Harris did have the tricks as a forward it would make our defence miles worse. We create so much from his intercept marking, we'd be worse off offensively if we moved him out of the backline (and far worse defensively).

Our forward line is fine when they get adequate supply.

Today the m/f struggled to get it in there often enough easily.

 

[Happy_Neale]

This old chestnut, move Andrew fwd, ridiculous suggestion. Let's weaken a strength to strengthen a perceived weakness. Always a wonderful idea, can't see anything wrong with that. We definitely missed a 3rd tall fwd or even an extra ruck today but the answer is not to move Andrews fwd.

Ok

 

[dlanod]

Being at the game though i thought our midfield got beaten so not sure any switching would have happened IMO

I was there too and I agree on the midfield, but if we'd win you'd see Coleman bumped up to take the full votes and the lower values given to guys like Andrews or Daniher, and Bobby getting the 2s. The Norm Smith favours the winning team, whether it's by 4 points or 40.

 

[Viceregal]

They say you need to lose a granny to win one ... hopefully that is the case for us.

• I never felt out of it but I never felt we were actually in control.
• I am sooooo glad we didn't do a Port capitulation and fought it to the end.
• We are too reliant on individual brilliance and when enough of us don't fire on the day there is a critical mass of fail which sadly we engaged with on the biggest stage.
• Despite all we were so close that a couple of bounces or kicks (or decisions) would have gotten us over the line
• Would I have taken the win - hell yeah!
• I never like Collingwood ... my opinion of them has not risen
• I wish we had someone (anyone) on our team that could do not wrong / were considered untouchable by the umps (you know like a Dusty or a Bont or a Naicos) ...

I hope the falling sort is a pain in the guts and fire in the belly for our guys and they hit the off and pre-season like men on a mission as the rest of the comp are not going to stay still if/while we do.

All in all I would rather have been there than watching two other teams play and after 19 years it was great to revisit it again.

 

[martinson]

I was there too and I agree on the midfield, but if we'd win you'd see Coleman bumped up to take the full votes and the lower values given to guys like Andrews or Daniher, and Bobby getting the 2s. The Norm Smith favours the winning team, whether it's by 4 points or 40.

Except when Buckley won it.

 

[Ceebee]

Dodongo's report card

Robertson - E
Daniher - A+
Ah Chee - F
Dunkley - B
McCluggagge - B
Berry - F
Neale - C
McCarthy - B
Zorko - E
Rayner - F
Lyons - A (fact is he had a better game than a few players in only half a quarter)
Coleman - A
Cameron - B
McKenna - E
Gardiner - E
Fletcher - E
Hipwood - F F
Andrews - B
Bailey - A
Lester - E
Starcevich - F
Wilmott - F
McInerney - E

Bit harsh there mate .

 

[dlanod]

I disagree, he was originally drafted as a forward and he has all the tricks IMO. I guess my broader point is we need another contested marking forward to ease the load on Joe. Hipwood is a great third tall/flanker but we simply can’t rely on him as our second KPF

He was drafted as a defender and the club listed and played him as that from day one (well, defender/ruck). He played a bit forward prior to his draft year but that was when he was shifted back and played defender in his draft year.

 

[dlanod]

Except when Buckley won it.

And they changed the system after that happened to avoid it ever happening again