Okay final edition of my ripped- off segment that nobody cares about except me.
THE GOOD
WE HUNG IN THERE - didn't always play well but even when pies had momentum and incredible crowd noise we kept coming back. we had a long period of being on top in the last quarter after looking out to it early.
WE WERE SKILLED UNDER PRESSURE - some of those goals were just phenomenal. Bailey. Linc. Clugga's pass to Daniher at the end and evasiveness before. Cameron's 45m left foot snap.
REPUTATIONS WERE ENHANCED - Clugga was excellent after a poor first quarter. Daniher apart from one bad miss was very good, competed hard, great presence of mind to bang that one in at the end. Coleman until he was gassed. Harris' last quarter was phenomenal. I thought Neale was really good late as well - our two skippers lifting to give us a chance to win.
LOSING A CLOSE ONE - so many examples of getting smacked in a granny and the damage it does. this will hurt but it keeps us confident that we are good enough, which i think is important for this group
THE BAD
OUTRUN - so much for 29 degrees helping us - i just think collingwood ran harder when it mattered. Chopping off options to swtich, and always being within a metre for players on a lead. We so often give a player that crucial 2-3m. Allowing it to happen when they played 2 rucks as well. A big part was...
THE WINGS - thoroughly outplayed here. It wasn't that either of their wings destroyed us but we got very little from ours while Sidebottom and J Daicos both played key roles for them. Fletcher better for the run, no pre-season. Berry... more to say later
SOME OF THE BIG MOMENTS - this has been a theme according to players. Some of the worst one - misses in the last quarter from Daniher / Hipwood / Coleman. We were well on top at this stage. The Berry 50m. The Cameron downfield (gave them breathing space when we were hemming them in). Berry taking too long to kick deep in to forward line and getting half caught. About 10 moments in that centre clearance after Cameron's last goal. Both sides had moments all day but so many critical moments we fluffed in the last quarter, it was too much too overcome
COMMENTARY ON HOW GOOD THE PIES ARE IN CLOSE GAMES INCLUDING GF Sure they shut down the game well against GWS. Very well. Against us when they tried to shut down with 4 minutes to go, we managed multiple entries, a goal to daniher, and then 2 more entries in the last 90 seconds, one of which should have been a free kick from a legging 55m out. We created good opportunities. The pies could not shut us down.
THE UGLY
SOME OF THE UMPIRING clugga got a very dodgy 50m which helped us stay in touch. Mistakes happen. But that advantage call was rubbish and totally against the earlier time we were not allowed to take advantage. And the too high frees to daicos were a daicos. blatant ducking and arm flicking which was supposed to be targeted. Mistakes happen from all but those were just blatant errors the umpires should not have made
RED TIME this is ugly not bad because it was such a similar situation to the Mebourne game - blindly kicking it long to collingwood ruckmen. The last few minutes of the first quarter was just so bad. We looked bereft of ideas. Nobody taking responsibility to short-pass and hang on to the ball.
OUR USE OF THE SUB pies were down a sub already. How could we not do something earlier given how hot it was? Okay Lyons is not a runner. But get him in the guts, he was fresh on such a hot day. We continue to be the most conservative and worst user of the sub in the league. Once the pies had gone tall i would have had Fort as sub. Could have made such a difference in the last quarter - give him some centre bounces, stretch the pies by popping oscar in the goal square.
INABILITY TO EVER CHANGE THINGS UP again such a bugbear. Berry was doing nothing at half time. So give him a tagging job on one of the wingers and at least get a draw there. Rayner couldn't get in the game - isolate him at full forward for 10 minutes. Bailey had been brilliant in the first 35 mins then gone quiet, so what could we do with him? McKenna very quiet could he get a go on the wing? Shift ah chee back who is quiet in the forward line / wing? We just don't throw around the magnets. We never try to wrongfoot the opposition.
WHERE TO FROM HERE
Get Ashcroft back - that will help.
Doedee - i think he could be perfect, good disposal and intercept mark. Payne and Andrews the true tall timber.
Get a good early fixture - given they are both coming off knees!
Get McQualter - or someone of that ilk. Not throwing the baby out with the bathwater but we need to get better in our match-day coaching. My maxim on assistant coaches is: if no opposition side would ever consider one of your assistants as a senior coach, you need a senior 2IC.
Maximise our assets - Rayner get fitter. Bailey figure out how to get him involved more. Coleman get fitter. If these 3 players are involved in any given play it's highly likely to result in a score. It just doesn't happen enough.
Get fitter as a side - we need to inject that relentless running in to our running players. Sharp could be a real weapon too. I think he showed good signs.
GLASS IS HALF FULL
Way better to have made it than another year of no GF.
Pies have a lot of 30+ veterans who were key to winning. They should not scare us too much.
Giants and blues could be dangerous - it's also hard for them now with a top 6 draw and having to start all over again
Dees still don't really have a forward line
Some sides will improve and top 2 won't be easy.
But our finals record over the past 2 years is now 4-2. Won one at the mcg and lost another there by 4 points. We have built belief. Need some luck, especially on the injury front which has been kind to us lately.
Biggest looming issue is no gabba. But a jammed full brighton homes arena might be pretty hard to win at for opposition too
THE GOOD
WE HUNG IN THERE - didn't always play well but even when pies had momentum and incredible crowd noise we kept coming back. we had a long period of being on top in the last quarter after looking out to it early.
WE WERE SKILLED UNDER PRESSURE - some of those goals were just phenomenal. Bailey. Linc. Clugga's pass to Daniher at the end and evasiveness before. Cameron's 45m left foot snap.
REPUTATIONS WERE ENHANCED - Clugga was excellent after a poor first quarter. Daniher apart from one bad miss was very good, competed hard, great presence of mind to bang that one in at the end. Coleman until he was gassed. Harris' last quarter was phenomenal. I thought Neale was really good late as well - our two skippers lifting to give us a chance to win.
LOSING A CLOSE ONE - so many examples of getting smacked in a granny and the damage it does. this will hurt but it keeps us confident that we are good enough, which i think is important for this group
THE BAD
OUTRUN - so much for 29 degrees helping us - i just think collingwood ran harder when it mattered. Chopping off options to swtich, and always being within a metre for players on a lead. We so often give a player that crucial 2-3m. Allowing it to happen when they played 2 rucks as well. A big part was...
THE WINGS - thoroughly outplayed here. It wasn't that either of their wings destroyed us but we got very little from ours while Sidebottom and J Daicos both played key roles for them. Fletcher better for the run, no pre-season. Berry... more to say later
SOME OF THE BIG MOMENTS - this has been a theme according to players. Some of the worst one - misses in the last quarter from Daniher / Hipwood / Coleman. We were well on top at this stage. The Berry 50m. The Cameron downfield (gave them breathing space when we were hemming them in). Berry taking too long to kick deep in to forward line and getting half caught. About 10 moments in that centre clearance after Cameron's last goal. Both sides had moments all day but so many critical moments we fluffed in the last quarter, it was too much too overcome
COMMENTARY ON HOW GOOD THE PIES ARE IN CLOSE GAMES INCLUDING GF Sure they shut down the game well against GWS. Very well. Against us when they tried to shut down with 4 minutes to go, we managed multiple entries, a goal to daniher, and then 2 more entries in the last 90 seconds, one of which should have been a free kick from a legging 55m out. We created good opportunities. The pies could not shut us down.
THE UGLY
SOME OF THE UMPIRING clugga got a very dodgy 50m which helped us stay in touch. Mistakes happen. But that advantage call was rubbish and totally against the earlier time we were not allowed to take advantage. And the too high frees to daicos were a daicos. blatant ducking and arm flicking which was supposed to be targeted. Mistakes happen from all but those were just blatant errors the umpires should not have made
RED TIME this is ugly not bad because it was such a similar situation to the Mebourne game - blindly kicking it long to collingwood ruckmen. The last few minutes of the first quarter was just so bad. We looked bereft of ideas. Nobody taking responsibility to short-pass and hang on to the ball.
OUR USE OF THE SUB pies were down a sub already. How could we not do something earlier given how hot it was? Okay Lyons is not a runner. But get him in the guts, he was fresh on such a hot day. We continue to be the most conservative and worst user of the sub in the league. Once the pies had gone tall i would have had Fort as sub. Could have made such a difference in the last quarter - give him some centre bounces, stretch the pies by popping oscar in the goal square.
INABILITY TO EVER CHANGE THINGS UP again such a bugbear. Berry was doing nothing at half time. So give him a tagging job on one of the wingers and at least get a draw there. Rayner couldn't get in the game - isolate him at full forward for 10 minutes. Bailey had been brilliant in the first 35 mins then gone quiet, so what could we do with him? McKenna very quiet could he get a go on the wing? Shift ah chee back who is quiet in the forward line / wing? We just don't throw around the magnets. We never try to wrongfoot the opposition.
WHERE TO FROM HERE
Get Ashcroft back - that will help.
Doedee - i think he could be perfect, good disposal and intercept mark. Payne and Andrews the true tall timber.
Get a good early fixture - given they are both coming off knees!
Get McQualter - or someone of that ilk. Not throwing the baby out with the bathwater but we need to get better in our match-day coaching. My maxim on assistant coaches is: if no opposition side would ever consider one of your assistants as a senior coach, you need a senior 2IC.
Maximise our assets - Rayner get fitter. Bailey figure out how to get him involved more. Coleman get fitter. If these 3 players are involved in any given play it's highly likely to result in a score. It just doesn't happen enough.
Get fitter as a side - we need to inject that relentless running in to our running players. Sharp could be a real weapon too. I think he showed good signs.
GLASS IS HALF FULL
Way better to have made it than another year of no GF.
Pies have a lot of 30+ veterans who were key to winning. They should not scare us too much.
Giants and blues could be dangerous - it's also hard for them now with a top 6 draw and having to start all over again
Dees still don't really have a forward line
Some sides will improve and top 2 won't be easy.
But our finals record over the past 2 years is now 4-2. Won one at the mcg and lost another there by 4 points. We have built belief. Need some luck, especially on the injury front which has been kind to us lately.
Biggest looming issue is no gabba. But a jammed full brighton homes arena might be pretty hard to win at for opposition too
