Autopsy Round 17, 2024: Positives and Negatives vs Melbourne

[Matera92]

You at the age when it's now 2 days for a hangover?

Horrendously yes,

Add in two young kids and its borderline masochistic at this stage.

 

[GoEaglesGoSGIO]

P.S. I don’t think we were as bad as the scoreboard reflected !

I dont think Melbourne were any good was my main take away

Thats the worst midfield we played against all year and we still lost by 50+ .

Rivers, Oliver, Sparrow, Langdon, Windsor, Tholstrup, Neal-Bullen isnt much of a midfield but it beat ours

Dont pretend we lost to a top 4 side. From what we saw of Demons today they wont make the finals themselves

 

[daddy_4_eyes]

Took my 4 year old along to his first game ever today. Fair to say he has no interest in going again because "the bad guys (dees) keep winning. Why do our guys keep finishing last (he means conceding goals all the time)?"

Bloody good question! Why do we keep sucking when the players own their performances and Simmo keeps learning a lot after every loss?

 

[BandF]

Positive: With a performance like that surely Simmo and the match committee realise that JJones isn't an AFL footballers bum hole.

Negative: We're such a shambolic basket case of a football club JJones will probably play every remaining game and win West Coast's Best and Fairest :-(

 

[KERRPOW]

Took my 4 year old along to his first game ever today. Fair to say he has no interest in going again because "the bad guys (dees) keep winning. Why do our guys keep finishing last (he means conceding goals all the time)?"

Bloody good question! Why do we keep sucking when the players own their performances and Simmo keeps learning a lot after every loss?

My 4yo daughter asked me why do i go for the eagles "they are so bad daddy, i dont want to go for them like you...i only want to go for the winner not the loser".

She may as well have gotten a 20cm kitchen knife and drive it through my chest.

Ive never been so crushed in my life.

 

[Bender_]

My 4yo daughter asked me why do i go for the eagles "they are so bad daddy, i dont want to go for them like you...i only want to go for the winner not the loser".

She may as well have gotten a 20cm kitchen knife and drive it through my chest.

Ive never been so crushed in my life.

When my wife and I first started getting serious I said to her I don't care if our kids follow footy or not, but if they do they go for the Eagles or they sleep outside.

I've made it abundantly clear to my boy that he goes for the Eagles and that's the end of the topic.

 

[Pwani Magharibi]

Another bitterly disappointing day at the footy. After last week's debacle you'd have hoped we'd have come out in the first quarter and made a real statement. Actually we did, the statement was "we're not that good and we couldn't be bothered trying". If anything the margin flattered us.

Positives:

• Gov. Our best, again. Also injured sadly. He's saved us from some even bigger floggings this year.
• Oscar clunking marks again. Now we just need him to rediscover the accurate kicking for goal he used to have.
• Harley did some nice things, particularly in the second half. Copping plenty of attention and he'll learn to deal with that.
• Moments here and there from Ryan, Duggan, Yeo and Barrass.
• Hutchinson's tackling and effort. Yes he may have been selected prematurely, but let's persist with him for a while.

Negatives:

• First quarter: being outrun and outplayed so comprehensively from the beginning is damning.
• Nearly the whole Eagles team fumbling the ball like it was a cake of wet soap.
• The ease with which teams run the ball out of our backline.
• Playing as if our gameplan was "kick it to Max Gawn
  11

  Max Gawn

  Age

  32

  Ht

  209cm

  Wt

  110kg

  Pos.

  Ruck

  Career

  Season

  Last 5

  D

  14.1

  4star

  K

  7.4

  3star

  HB

  6.7

  4star

  CL

  2.8

  4star

  HO

  35.3

  5star

  D

  18.5

  4star

  K

  11.5

  4star

  HB

  7.0

  4star

  CL

  3.5

  4star

  HO

  29.2

  5star

  D

  8.4

  3star

  K

  3.6

  2star

  HB

  4.8

  4star

  CL

  1.0

  3star

  HO

  15.6

  5star

  at all costs".
• The number of Melbourne players who found themselves nowhere near an opponent, all over the ground, all day.
• Not playing the sub until into the last quarter, yet again.
• Multiple players going to a contest, failing to impact and leaving opponents free to waltz towards goal.
• Turnovers due to appalling disposal.
• Kicking for goal.
• Umpiring - we're bad enough as it is without copping the worst of the umpiring week after week. The "insufficient intent" call against Ryan was shocking and (I'm ashamed to say) some nearby kids got to hear a few bad words immediately afterwards. I suppose they did give him one back with a soft free in the goal square though.
• Entitled, annoying af Melbourne supporters carrying on like they're the best team of all time when they're belting easybeats and their club has won one flag in the last 60 years.

Normally I don't like the idea of sacking coaches mid-season as I think it reeks of desperation as a club. However, the last two weeks have changed my mind. I simply can't see any compelling reason to keep Simmo for the last seven games. Let one of the assistants boost their resume, hopefully we get a little circuit breaker boost, and more importantly signal to the players and the fans that a new era is starting. Then start the search for the best possible replacement for 2025 onwards.

 

[Hoskin300]

Why does everyone think Hutch is a tall?

See people questioning the inclusion everywhere as if he's adding to the height problem or competing with the other tall forwards.

He does fly in every marking pack which I guess makes him a tall. Who is down at ground level if he is going up.

 

[ziad]

Slow start and couldn't handle the pressure and team attack. Gifted them a few and destroyed a few of our opportunities with poor disposal. Other than that about as expected away playing a contender. Some positive stats shows effort and coaching even if it doesn't look like it..

About ten out there today will never be AFL competitive, some here have their favourites and demons. Most are slow and lacking skill/talent. The pace of Ryan, although patchy, in the midfield showed how much better we would be with a quicker list who can kick.

The rebuild will be slow because the system only allows so many to be effectively replaced with talent each year. Don't think a change in coach will make much difference with 10 passengers. What it may do is send a message - you may be next which can be damaging.

 

[GoEaglesGoSGIO]

He does fly in every marking pack which I guess makes him a tall. Who is down at ground level if he is going up.

You have tall forwards, medium forwards and small forwards

Hutchison is a medium forward

 

[EdCurnowRules]

P.S. I don’t think we were as bad as the scoreboard reflected !

Mate I really think we were much worse than the scoreboard suggested. Not deliberately being a negative Nancy, and the boys stuck fat and did a pretty good job, but Melbourne honestly ****ed with us after half time

 

[Luuuc]

I dont think Melbourne were any good was my main take away

Thats the worst midfield we played against all year and we still lost by 50+

Yeah, we got thrashed by a side so bad that they got comprehensively beaten by the Eagles not long ago. What does that say about us!?!?

 

[GoEaglesGoSGIO]

Yeah, we got thrashed by a side so bad that they got comprehensively beaten by the Eagles not long ago. What does that say about us!?!?

That we are terribly inconsistent team who have quit on there coach

 

[southcoast]

Yeah, we got thrashed by a side so bad that they got comprehensively beaten by the Eagles not long ago. What does that say about us!?!?

Other Eagles better than these Eagles?


On iPad using BigFooty.com mobile app

 

[Hoskin300]

You have tall forwards, medium forwards and small forwards

Hutchison is a medium forward

He certainly isn’t a key forward and he applies a lot of pressure at ground level. You could easily get away with him as your ‘fourth tall’.

 

[Barrybran]

After last week's debacle you'd have hoped we'd have come out in the first quarter and made a real statement. Actually we did, the statement was "we're not that good and we couldn't be bothered trying".

• First quarter: being outrun and outplayed so comprehensively from the beginning is damning.

The effort was there but our decision making, skills and general awareness of the opposition were terrible in that first quarter.

 

[Smithy06]

A new coach will need longer than a year to convince Harley to stay. For that reason alone it’s time for Simmo to go as soon as possible.

 

[Seadog]

Positive: With a performance like that surely Simmo and the match committee realise that JJones isn't an AFL footballers bum hole.

Negative: We're such a shambolic basket case of a football club JJones will probably play every remaining game and win West Coast's Best and Fairest :-(

In the first half a dozen games people were complaining because Jones wasn't getting a game, now they are complaining he is getting a game.
The coaches were right the first time.

 

[Ambrose Burnside]

In the first half a dozen games people were complaining because Jones wasn't getting a game, now they are complaining he is getting a game.
The coaches were right the first time.

It'll be the same with Trew.

 

[KERRPOW]

It'll be the same with Trew.

But atleast we'll know one way or the other.

 

[GoEaglesGoSGIO]

In the first half a dozen games people were complaining because Jones wasn't getting a game, now they are complaining he is getting a game.
The coaches were right the first time.

Not really. He was abysmal in the first few weeks and most gave up

In saying that though, the people who wanted him brought in certainly did not dream of him playing heavy midfield minutes when they thought of bringing him in....

 

[GoEaglesGoSGIO]

It'll be the same with Trew.

At least he will have earnt his spot via hard work in the WAFL

He could get 1 handball and I'd still be happy he was picked. Setting standards is a good start

 

[DRK_13]

Positive : Surely after being rinsed in the media last week, they surely cant reuse the same excuse and script as last week. Will be interesting to see if accountability is taken, now the same excuses have been beaten like dead horse.

Negative : Got married in 2020, and the Mrs has slowly seen a steady decline in my sanity in the last 4 years watching this same rabble play every week................... Im beginning to question it too.

 

[CountryLad]

Unfortunately we have no guarantee we are any closer to the end of Simpson




Meanwhile basic efforts like above seem to be rewarded with games week after week…


Sent from my iPhone using BigFooty.com

I picked up on this during the game, then he got pulled to the bench and had his arms out asking why…..

 

[UseR2006]

As a long time member here in Melbourne, today was the final straw for on whether i renew next year, and that is a big no. Today i choose football over a game of golf hoping i would see some effort and all the talk from the players on how they own it after last weeks poor effort, they owned nothing in the first quarter with how easy Melbourne moved the ball, it has been 3 years of absolute tripe, and it ain't going to get better in the next few years. I am done supporting the club financially. I fully understand the club will not give a crap as they have plenty of money, but it will give me choices as to whether i turn up on game day, much like the players do.


As i posted in the game day thread, i was behind the goals at the Ponsford stand end, and our game plan is ****ing terrible, the backs work their asses of to win the ball back, and when they look up the ground we all run to the one side and stand there, some might raise their hand, but that is the end of it, the creativity has been coached out of them by Simmo and his co horts, what coach in any sporting event keeps his job after 8 wins in 3 years.


Our list is terrible, and a 5 yr rebuild is a pipe dream IMO, watching today's game the only players that could possibly be part of our next finals run, could be Reid ( if he still at the club, i doubt he will ) - Ginbey- Hough- Waterman - Allan - J Williams.

The rest will either be retired or delisted/moved on. That is how much turnover i believe is still to go to build a competitive list.

100%

Was also down at the Ponsford end on the second tier so had a good view of most of the ground.
We do not work hard enough to provide options for outlets from the 50 arc onwards when get have the ball in d50.
Players are like statues, they don't move and when they do, tend to get ignored for contests down the line.
The amount of times we dump kicked it to Gawn was just annoying.

In contrast the Dees had a clear instruction to take the kick out as quick as possible, move it quickly as we sit off our direct opposition too far to impact all the damn time. This then results in easy shots for them because our forwards are pushed so far up the ground that they end up in no mans land all the time.


example: What the F are Barrass and Gov doing all the way out here.

Another issue (among the many) is our mids do not work anywhere near hard enough.
From stoppages if they don't win the clearance they act as though "oh well our bit is done, time for the backs" They'll jog, throw out token arms, chase for a second or two then deem it not worth the effort, palm off responsibility to another player, etc. You get the drift.
Here's an example of what I mean.


It doesn't take much, this is from the first quarter when it's nil all and the game should be at its hottest. Shameful.

The other way our work-rate hurts us is when we do have the ball on transition. when we hit targets and have plenty of space we look OK, but that's never gonna happen all the time. often we get the ball look up and no one is working to make space so handballs and kicks go to players under pressure or worse direct to the opposition.

It's not all work-rate though. It's hard to be enthused when the coaches pull out amazing thoughts like "Why not have a developing key forward/ruck as our Sub" or "Let's have darling help with cbd ruck work". If Darling isn't doing well enough as a forward then he should be out of the squad until he performs. The post match presser explanation for these two moves was infuriating. "We just wanted to try it out".
I'm all for experimenting but he never explains what he was hoping to achieve with the moves. What did you hope to gain Simmo by having a key fwd as a sub and Darling as a ruck?

The saddest thing for me is a lot of the smaller things that we were doing really well with in our wins have gone out the window since the earlier Melbourne game. Things like the team getting amped for smothers/tackles/pressure acts, celebrating goals and the preceding plays leading to goals. The closest we got today was with Reid having a crack at Gawn and Ginbey getting into Tholstrup when he was roughing up Hough. Outside of those two instances we were pretty limp.

All of the above things have been persistent not just in todays game but pretty much consistently in every loss this year. This is on the coach as it's not a once off, it's not just something that will improve in the next week or two. We may have flashes of awesome when our opposition let us but until things change at the top these things will continue.