Review Pr(O)logue Round, 2024 - Brisbane Lions vs. Carlton

[lionsrules]

In 2023 i scoffed at suggestions that an 18 year old Ashcroft wouldn’t be the difference in us winning a premiership and how wrong I was.
I think kiddy is also the difference.

 

[Balony_pony16]

Fagan teams always sleep on a lead

 

[Elixuh]

Joe's second shot at goal was some of the most selfish football I can remember seeing in a Lions game. Lohmann was 35 m out and unchecked. Rayner had a one on one ahead. He looked at both and took a shot instead. Absolutely selfish by Joe.

I know what you're saying, I just think with Joe he plays best on instinct. If his instinct is to kick the goal then he should do that. He would pass if he sees the obvious option (I think). I don't want Joe second guessing himself, just play on instinct.

 

[Catsace]

Who was the last team to give up a lead of 40 odd points

Miracle on grass still rankles, and that was in just one quarter too.

 

[Berrygood]

Dam, what a disappointment. Started like world beaters, finished like also rans. So many players out of touch. It's easy to pick out individuals for a blast, most deserve it. I thought some looked underdone. Payne, Berry and Neale had limited preseasons with injury and it showed. The whole team looked spent after the first qtr, are they fit enough? And then team selection. Like last year, the coaches get some idea in their heads, play it out, then realise it's not worth it. Last year it was, let's play Rayner at hb, this year it's let's play Gardiner fwd. Mind boggling. Players and coaching staff need to have a good look in the mirror and remember what works. Give this 3 tall fwd notion the flick, it's a fantasy. I hope it's out of their systems.

Kicking at goal an issue again. Missing easy shots does my head in. Losing Kiddy is heart breaking. And I don't think we got an even shake with the umpires. It all adds up to a shambles of a game. I however don't think this leads to a shamble of a season.

Changes will need to be made for next week. Hopefully McKenna and Dev are good to go. Answerth or Prior need to be considered. Neale might cop a week for his gut punch but I hope a fine is the result. All need a cup of cement and an attitude adjustment.

 

[beardancer]

“Team would be improved if we had literally the best forward in the league since Buddy Franklin” is certainly a take mate

Every team we play has better tall forwards than us. Our coaching group accepts this fact. It's the reason Gardiner played forward tonight......to make a contest. Our other tall forwards are non competitive.

 

[dizzysquizz]

Lyons had 19 Disposals and an equal team high 9 Tackles. He was our equal fourth highest ball winner and he was moving really well on the outside tonight. He was also prepared to cop the big hits. Tunstill brings next to zero physical pressure or presence and like Lohmann, he runs around in the Seniors looking a mile out of his depth.

Was surprised JL wasn't the sub, but thought he played a good game tonight.

 

[Elixuh]

Was surprised JL wasn't the sub, but thought he played a good game tonight.

I presume it was to help manage Lachie's minutes after an interrupted preseason. Not sure what choc's TOG was tho

 

[beardancer]

Also, Starcevich will one day make a good VFL player.

 

[PattyKwasagun]

I'm gutted about Kiddy along with everybody else, and am desperately hoping for that rare miracle to come through with the scan - but hope & emotion aside, I can think of at least six players who I'd be more desolate about losing for our flag chances. Namely Harris, Joe, Lachie, Charlie, Hugh, and Dunkley. Eric (for depth & structural reasons) and Cam (for spirit) wouldn't be far off either.

He has a super career ahead of him, but we can do it without him if we have to.

Tonight was bizarre. We've now got a history of being bizarre in the first game of the season. No clue what it's about, but it's an undeniable trend.

Still feel more confident about this season than I have any of the last five. Significantly so.

 

[McIvor]

Every team we play has better tall forwards than us. Our coaching group accepts this fact. It's the reason Gardiner played forward tonight......to make a contest. Our other tall forwards are non competitive.

I have always maintained that more should’ve been done to keep McStay. Pretty shortsighted that more $ weren’t offered given how hard decent KPF are to find.

 

[Elixuh]

I'm gutted about Kiddy along with everybody else, and am desperately hoping for that rare miracle to come through with the scan - but hope & emotion aside, I can think of at least six players who I'd be more desolate about losing for our flag chances. Namely Harris, Joe, Lachie, Charlie, Hugh, and Dunkley. Eric (for depth & structural reasons) and Cam (for spirit) wouldn't be far off either.

He has a super career ahead of him, but we can do it without him if we have to.

Tonight was bizarre. We've now got a history of being bizarre in the first game of the season. No clue what it's about, but it's an undeniable trend.

Still feel more confident about this season than I have any of the last five. Significantly so.

Early in the season. Out to a shockingly big lead early against very good opposition. I think the players concentration lapsed en masse. The hallmarks of it were lots of double grabs, fumbles and losing structure. We went from super sharp and switched on to the opposite.

 

[Bucking Beads]

Disastrous start to the season particularly with the Kiddy injury chucked in. Full credit to the Blues though. Looks like Vossy is turning into a ripper coach

 

[Jivlain]

According to AFL.com, Payne LITERALLY (in the correct sense of the word) had NEGATIVE metres for the game. I've never seen that before.

The 780th time a player has recorded negative metres gained since 2012.

 

[3KZ is Football]

Ah come on man, Payne was in AA contention at the bye last year. Had a stinker tonight, but don’t discount that he has shown he can be good enough.

In fact I seem to recall you specifically saying that Gardiner wasn’t an AFL calibre defender when it was him and Lester vying for the 3rd tall spot last year? Change of tune?

I have said Lester is a better defender than Gardiner because he has more versatility, but I don’t recall ever saying Gardiner wasn’t AFL calibre. He tries his guts out and battles hard, unlike Payne.

 

[M Malice]

Still stunned at what happened last night WTF.

Haven't read over this thread so probably been said... FWIW IMO we slackened off just a tad, only has to be 5% and the momentum shifted to the Blues and we couldn't turn it in that 3rd quarter, it was a Blue Tsunami.

Eric and Charlie missed a few absolute soda goals in the 2nd that would have put us 10 goals up, that was the moment it turned.

Positive>
1- The first quarter and most of the 2nd we looked so switched on and clean, pressure fantastic for so early in the season.
2- Still early season, you can still make top 4 with 5-6 losses in the large majority of seasons, so not dire straights here guys.

Negatives>
1- Keidean, devastating.
2- The team as a whole getting cocky and just expecting the win to unfold.
3- Could not beat a Blues team on our home deck without Weitering/Walsh/Martin.
____________________________________
I was saying before the game that the only thing that could stop us finishing top 4 at the end of the H&A season was a bad injury run, with Keidean out for the season not a good start... we would not want to lose another top liner or 2 or our chances could be gone.

You never know, flags are hard to win, looking back in hindsight in a decade 2023 might end up being the best chance this core group ever had.

 

[Squizz89]

_________
I was saying before the game that the only thing that could stop us finishing top 4 at the end of the H&A season was a bad injury run, with Keidean out for the season not a good start... we would not want to lose another top liner or 2 or our chances could be gone.

This has been the nagging thought for me all pre season tbh. It’s no secret we’ve had the best injury run over the last number of years, and our fitness department has been rightfully praised for that, but let’s be honest a lot of it is luck at the end of the day.

Personally, I think on paper this is our best chance at winning it all, it would suck to have that ruined because our luck on the injury front changes. Hopefully last night wasn’t an omen of things to come. Our depth hasn’t been tested to show if they’re up to it or not.

 

[M Malice]

This has been the nagging thought for me all pre season tbh. It’s no secret we’ve had the best injury run over the last number of years, and our fitness department has been rightfully praised for that, but let’s be honest a lot of it is luck at the end of the day.

Personally, I think on paper this is our best chance at winning it all, it would suck to have that ruined because our luck on the injury front changes. Hopefully last night wasn’t an omen of things to come. Our depth hasn’t been tested to show if they’re up to it or not.

The team that we could end up being likened to is the 2009-10 St Kilda sides, they were such good bloody sides but never got the ultimate prize.

 

[rye]

This has been the nagging thought for me all pre season tbh. It’s no secret we’ve had the best injury run over the last number of years, and our fitness department has been rightfully praised for that, but let’s be honest a lot of it is luck at the end of the day.

Personally, I think on paper this is our best chance at winning it all, it would suck to have that ruined because our luck on the injury front changes. Hopefully last night wasn’t an omen of things to come. Our depth hasn’t been tested to show if they’re up to it or not.

ive always thought that a lot of it potentially comes down to the club spending more of the soft cap on strength and conditioning and the medical team through the soft cap.

we probably lose out in other areas, but likely see the compromise as having players more often fit and available as the worthy trade off

obviously nothing you can do about an ACL. just rotten luck more than anything else, especially the way it happened to coleman.

 

[briztoon]

Still our biggest problem.

Our midfield doesn’t/can’t run, and we get outnumbered at the contest the longer the game goes on.

That and repeatedly kicking to 1 on 3 is plain dumb.

 

[3KZ is Football]

This is Fagan’s last season. His presser last night was pathetic.

 

[SizeMatters]

Pathetic performance. One of the most disgraceful efforts in Q2 I have seen since the Loopy Leppa days.

Lost the contest. Got burnt on the outside. No mobility. Lions looked like they had a 5kg weight pack attached to them.

Been banging on about this for years… if Lions lose or break even on the inside opposition are a very very strong chance of winning. Need to develop something to stop the bleeding once that shift starts to occur in game.

At the game and can see it all unfold. Told my partner after the second blues goal in a row in q2 that they will come back such is the Brisbane way. Could see a MASSIVE shift in the way Lions were playing.

centre ball up we just don’t have the right mix of have the urgency in there. Second to the ball drop almost every time. Blues on the move and Lions players just standing still under the ruck contest. Couldn’t react quick enough. Having that lumbering BIG o bloke doesn’t help at all. He was awful.

 

[twhowler]

Okay my post at #190 is literally talking about these terrible posts.

WE WON A QUALIFYING FINAL BY 48 POINTS AND WON A PRELIM FINAL BOTH AT HOME AFTER THESE THREE GAMES.

Why does everything positive about this side get ignored when things don’t work out?! Did we not crush Port at home?! Cats, Saints and Crows were also very decent sides who played very well on those days and I feel like not enough credit goes to the opposition when they manage not to lose by 50 points at the Gabba.

We got up for the finals - no surprise there

The other 3 games showed we had started to coast at home.

All 3 we got decent leads where normally we would put sides to sword. We went in to our shells and barely won.

Same tonight but a loss.

I believe my point about home games in home and away is a salient one and highlights there was a bit more going on than ‘14 in a row’.

But by all means declare me unworthy if you must!

 

[briztoon]

I thought Gardiner was good in the first half last night.

Kept competing for and winning the ball. However he looked to dish the ball off every time, and not take a shot himself.


You could see Lohman second guessing himself almost every time he got the ball. Like he wanted to do something, then paused as he thought “what should I do as part of the game plan or in this situation”.

 

[Chezzalenko Reborn]

I've never seen a team forget how to play footy in the space of a quarter so quickly. Carlton sufficated them around the ball. Skills went out the window. I take no comfort in saying that, but the 2nd and 3rd terms were just awful to watch. I thought at times we looked like statues out there at times.

Full credit to Carlton to fight back the way they did.