Review Preliminary Final, 2024 - Geelong vs. Brisbane Lions

[McIvor]

 

[McIvor]

Enjoy my Lions brethren

 

[McIvor]

 

[Tom14]

Geelong v Brisbane​

VOTES	PLAYER	TEAM
9	Lachie Neale	BRIS
5	Ryan Lester	BRIS
4	Zac Bailey	BRIS
4	Ollie Henry	GEEL
3	Gryan Miers	GEEL
3	Josh Dunkley	BRIS
1	Hugh McCluggage	BRIS
1	Dayne Zorko	BRIS

Coaches Votes are interesting. You could have just as easily included Rayner and Ah Chee for their impact on the result. I thought Starcevich was excellent throughout, as was Wilmot. No problems with Neale at the top. His twelve clearances were massive. Lester was outstanding.

So interesting that Lester got 5 (I'm guessing from Fages) and nothing from the Cats coaches.

 

[Happy_Neale]

Actually I felt we did lock up a bit in the early stages of the last quarter. Geelong finally got their spare defender looking the way they wanted it, we had ours around the ball but didn't have the preparedness to overlap run to make proper use of it. This meant we ran out of options and on several occasions kicked it straight down the throat of their spare(s). Ultimately the thing that saved us and snapped us out of our early-last-quarter malaise was when Geelong leveled the scores at 70-70.

I'd like to think we would learn something from this and play the same way when we're in front as when we're behind. Particularly when the game opens up (both ways) due to fatigue in the 2nd half. Geelong were there for the taking coming out of 3 quarter time but I felt we lacked that killer instinct. The game could have been over long before Rhys Stanley hit the post inside the last 30 seconds.

At the start of the game I was sitting next to a Cats fan. Front row, Q34. Anyway Geelong's first set shot of the game (kicking to our end), I booed, as per standard operating procedure.

Anyway this lady goes to me "Gee I'm glad you're not my 11 year old son. We teach him not to boo. It's not really very sportsmanlike is it?"

My response?

"I don't give a stuff!"

After booing their next set shot (which also missed), she shuffled along a couple of seats.

Goodbye

(Certainly not judging anyone who doesn't boo... I don't boo specific players whenever they get the ball... Couldn't quite work out why we were booing Tom Stewart all night for example. Set shots tho, open slather, don't care who it is, the lid comes right off!)

To be fair, unlike in the Collingwood game, I actually think he chose the best option on this occasion. Charlie was well marked ahead of the ball, Zac already had one man beaten, he beats Stewart and he has a clear shot at goal. It was just a bloody great tackle.

Kingy is a dog person??

What about Zac Bailey's spoil out of bounds during the third quarter when he was isolated one on one inside Geelong's forward 50. Saved a certain goal. Never seen that from Zac before.

Must admit part of me still questions whether it was the right call to fly home after the game. Grand Final week is hectic enough as it is, without the additional impact of 4+ hours on a plane and probably more than 8 hours in total when you consider the associated logistics. Can't help but think it can only hinder their recovery.

On the flipside I acknowledge many players have family commitments etc.

I guess time will be the best judge of whether it was a good idea or not.

Think it's definitely a good decision to fly down on the Wednesday this year anyway.

I think the criteria is it simply has to have an adverse impact on the disposal, ie it doesn't go to a team mate.

Hmmmm... That should probably count as a tackle then...

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One thing not touched on here thus far is the amount of times in our defensive 50 we spoiled rather indiscriminately such that the ball went into the corridor. Happened a few times against the Giants as well. It just invites trouble and often enough in both games it cost us goals.

Anyway I know it's been identified because Zorks voluntarily brought it up in his weekly chat with Pat and Heals on SENQ on Monday morning, and these chats are hardly the cutting edge of footy strategy let me tell you.

Hopefully we are able to rectify our general positioning in aerial contests between now and Saturday, so that we are able to spoil boundary side when in defence.

Really positive I think that even though our back line was outstanding for most of the night on Saturday, as a club we've still been able to identify at least this area of potential improvement.

+Quote button will do this and put all your quotes into one post FYI

 

[dlanod]

+Quote button will do this and put all your quotes into one post FYI

Limits your likes to one post though.