Review R12: Port v Bulldogs review

[edgie]

Also, if we could please stop giving teams their first away win/first AO win, that'd be great.

 

[Schulzenfest]

If Dixon took every mark that he got his hands to, he'd kick 250 goals. He's a 200cm, 110kg, super mobile pack crashing brute of a man. He arguably drops more marks than we'd like, but most KPF's in the league (Schulz included) wouldn't even get their hands to a lot of those marks. I'd rather have Dixon dropping it at the feet of our crumbers than have opposition KPD's marking it.

 

[Chokito]

 

[Killer Power]

An hour later and I'm still shattered. We had it there for the taking and we just couldn't get it over the line. I was so proud of how we played the game but in the end, the last of composure by key players and key moments really hurt us. Our senior players need to perform better when under the pump. They all let us down a bit today with stupid decision making or bad skill errors at crucial times. Eberts kick at the start of the 4th, Hammer hand balling into an umpire, Boak's rushed snap, Gray did about 10 things which were un-Robbie like.

That was the difference between the two teams. I was incredibly proud of how hard we attacked the ball and the opposition. I've never seen us tackle as hard and be so manic in our pressure before. We were like rabid dogs out there. The pressure we put on especially in their back line was incredible. Unfortunately we couldn't make the most of it.

Again it was some of the lesser guys that played well. Young was great again under significantly more pressure. Neade had a great first half. Austin was impressive once again. Howard had some key moments and DBJ ran through half a dozen people. Was good to see.

At least we know where we sit now. No excuses. We had our chances. Couldn't take them.

PLAYER REVIEWS
Boak - I thought Boaky was great today, played really well under a lot of physical pressure and was able to work hard into space. I'm not too disappointed about his rushed shot at the end, he made the correct decision, just didn't execute it properly. Not sure more time would have solved that. Still, despite that he played well again. He's now in some consistent form.

Neade - Had a great first half and had a real impact with his chasing and finding plenty of space up forward. Just seemed to be alone numerous times and made the most of it. Whilst he was quieter after half time, I still thought he impacted well. Was a good game. Its great to see him play some consistent football now.

Broadbent - Not a fan of his day. Thought he was sloppy with the ball, fell over a bit, was a bit slow with his disposal and couldn't keep track of his opponent.

Ebert - Quite possibly the best game he's played in the last 18 months. Thought he was great all day, provided a real marking target through the middle, used the ball well and was more creative than he usually is. Was a good day out for Brad.

Hartlett - Had a big impact in the first half for mine but after his poor handball, he really went out of the game. Disappointing as he was having a big impact with his disposals, even though he wasn't getting many.

R Gray - I thought that was close to the worst game he's played since he's become elite for mine. I know statistically it was a big day - 30 odd touches, 10 score involvements, 8 clearances. But, I thought he held onto the ball too long, made poor decisions when he did dispose of it, was caught numerous times which put himself and his teammates under pressure and seemed to lack some awareness of what was around him. I've never been more frustrated at a game from him for 6-7 years.

Trengove - Well it was bound to happen at some point. Competed well but we were absolutely smacked in the midfield, especially in the last quarter. Was good around the ground and his follow up work was decent again.

O'Shea - Had a poor first half but really came into it after half time and would have been one of the keys to the win had we got over the line. Was good on Dickson and Campbell, and took Redpath out of it for a while in the second quarter.

Stewart - Was exposed today and played one of his worst games of his career. Couldn't keep up with Redpath in the first quarter, moved off him and made some mistakes with the ball, then had a 'mare of a last quarter. Not his fault that he's had to play above his weight class but just nothing went right for him.

Wines - Like Robbie, I thought he was real poor in the first half. Slow, poor skills, missed tackles. After half time he was good though and really worked into the game. Laid some crunching tackles and was able to get first hands on the ball. Not his best day.

Wingard - 1 mercurial minute doesn't make a good game. Was nowhere for most of the game, came alive for 30 seconds then did nothing again after that. Well held.

Polec - I don't know how it happened that he was manning Stringer at the start of the last quarter, but it was a match up that cost us the match. I don't know if this was a conscious decision we made, or whether we just found Stringer move to the wing for the first bounce and Polec was just the player that was playing that position. But, if you have an incredible talent like Stringer next to you, you must be accountable. Jared wasn't. 3 minutes, all the air goes out of our lungs and they take control. A couple of teammates let him know about it too.

Dixon - There are two ways to read his game today. I loved his competitiveness and how he was able to win the ball despite not marking it, having an impact and able to keep his arms free and dish off the ball. Then theres the fact he just doesn't take enough marks. We can come up with all the stats we want to determine that he's actually marking an amount that he should, but quite simply, he isn't. With the amount of times we kick to him he should be taking significantly more marks than what he does. And its the same story every week. First half he gets in good position but misses the marks. Then he starts holding them after half time. He played well, he kicked 2 great goals and nearly won us the game. But he can, and should be doing more.

Impey - Was a step back from last week and was a game in spits and spurts. Just couldn't get into a regular rhythm despite being around the footy. Had some good moments - a good goal, some good runs and some decent defensive pressure, but ultimately he went missing for large periods of the game.

Austin - He looks a lot more mature out there compared to his age and experience. Thought he was good on Redpath and Roughead throughout the game and made good decisions with the ball. Will be a long term player for sure.

Pittard - Thought defensively he was a let down this week but was great with the ball. Daniel got away from him a bit, especially late in the game. But, in terms of his attacking work, it was good as its been.

Howard - Had a quiet first half but that third quarter was out of the box. He's growing in confidence and he had a number of key moments in that third quarter. A big grab on the wing. Found space inside 50 a couple times and of course that pressure goal after the siren. And how about the doooooooogs that went around the ground! A cult hero is born!

Byrne-Jones - On the negative side, I thought he lacked awareness on a few occasions, which let to him getting caught or making skill errors which caused goals. On the plus side, it was a strong performance defensively, with a number of crunching bumps and he was as clean as ever with the ball.

Westhoff - Did he play?

Young - Really impressed with his game today. Was under a lot more physical pressure than normal, was given next to no room to move with the ball and was constantly tackled as soon as he got it. But he was able to keep arms free and was able to dish off handballs whilst under pressure. Still kicked 2 goals. Was a really impressive performance and was good to see him put under that pressure and still play to a high standard.

S Gray - Defensively was great, arguably as good as he's ever been but thought he just didn't do enough at the stoppages. Couldn't win the ball this week.

Krakouer - I must admit, when I saw Krak lining up on Stringer in the first quarter I thought he was in trouble. But what an impressive defensive job he did on him. Barely gave him any space and made some great spoils. Was a bit lazy with the ball at times, but overall I thought he was high in our best players. Has really grown over the last few weeks and is now playing to the level we know he can.

POTY Votes
10
9
8 - Ebert, Krakouer
7 - Neade, Young
6 - Boak, Austin, DBJ
5 - O'Shea, Wines, Dixon, Pittard
4 - Hartlett, Trengove, Polec
3 - Impey, Broadbent, R Gray, Howard, S Gray
2 - Wingard, Impey
1 - Stewart, Westhoff
0

Thought Ollie and Robbie were better than that and Krak's game overrated.

 

[Papa G]

dafaq?

There is zero point playing him now. Season over. Career over.

 

[edgie]

I think this is fair. On a greasy day like last week, when the small forwards are running amok, it works ok. But we got badly out crumbed from his dropped marks today. There was not enough synchrony between him and Wingard and Impey, and he spilled marks against a much smaller opponent.

It didn't help that Westhoff had a stinker.

Dixon and Westhoff were no different really to how they went against Carlton a month ago.

Redpath was a bigger player in this result. Loved (hated) his excellent leading. Why can't we have one forward who actually leads straight and into space.

I've been wondering this since 2012.

 

[PJ Power]

Krak, Neade and Young were all very good for the positions and roles they played.

 

[edgie]

I'm so disappointed I'm drinking Fosters and eating ANZAC biscuits.

 

[FrankDrebin]

Nah, thought he was ordinary aside from a few moments.

Krak was playing as a lockdown defender on one of the most talented forwards in the AFL and beat him hands down. If Hombsch did that people would be lauding him. As we saw in the first 5 mins of the last qtr when Stringer went to the wing and didnt have someone negating on him he kicked 2 of the Bulldogs 3 goals in that 5 mins and that was the game. For someone who was only known as a rebound defender i thought Krak was superb shutting Stringer out of the game and did some nice things offensively as well. not sure what more he could have done hence i thought he was our BOG.

Also think people being a bit harsh on Ebert. His last 3 weeks since moved to a shutdown role have been superb. Yes his disposal is questionable but the last 3 weeks he has played on and beat Viney, Sidebottom and MaCrae. I will live with a couple of dodgy kicks if he can continue beating those caliber of opponents.

 

[TeeKray]

Thought we put in a pretty spirited four quarter performance but got outdone by a strong team with superior skill and poise.

Our defence was obviously undersized due to injury/suspension. Thought Stewart, Austin and O'Shea really battled at times. Redpath is a very ordinary player and we let him kick 4 (again) which separated the contest.

Two other more general things disappoint me.

The first is the close game thing. Yet again we lost when the game went to the wire. We've won 5 of our past 21 decided by 10 points or less. Our last three losses have been by 2, 8 and 3 points. People can applaud a gallant effort all they like but it's these losses that just kill your season - they did last year and they have again this year.

The second is our home ground advantage, or lack thereof. It's staggering how little advantage we seem to derive out of playing at Adelaide Oval. We are routinely beaten there and teams appear confident and at ease playing at our home ground. We need to get back to the point where teams are half beaten before they even step off the plane ala 2014. Until we do that we will not compete for finals let alone greater honours.

 

[ab56452001]

I'm running out of patience with Dixon's marking I was in the 'they'll start to stick at some stage" crew but he drops far too many.. the rest of his game is very good but he's costing himself 3 to 4 shots a game not clunking marks he should swallow

he should've ******* rucked at stages today jacko was cooked

Yes and even Ned Flanders would have anticipated JT would be buggered by 3 qtr time.

 

[raman]

In better news, the Club 1870 jacket I picked up before the game is awesome!

 

[Killer Power]

Thought we put in a pretty spirited four quarter performance but got outdone by a strong team with superior skill and poise.

Our defence was obviously undersized due to injury/suspension. Thought Stewart, Austin and O'Shea really battled at times. Redpath is a very ordinary player and we let him kick 4 (again) which separated the contest.

Two other more general things disappoint me.

The first is the close game thing. Yet again we lost when the game went to the wire. We've won 5 of our past 21 decided by 10 points or less. Our last three losses have been by 2, 8 and 3 points. People can applaud a gallant effort all they like but it's these losses that just kill your season - they did last year and they have again this year.

The second is our home ground advantage, or lack thereof. It's staggering how little advantage we seem to derive out of playing at Adelaide Oval. We are routinely beaten there and teams appear confident and at ease playing at our home ground. We need to get back to the point where teams are half beaten before they even step off the plane ala 2014. Until we do that we will not compete for finals let alone greater honours.

Redpath FFS. Time to ressurect the spuds that tear us apart thread.

 

[bacharach]

Jesus christ you mother******* are depressing, we lost by three points to a side that is playing good football, yes we were 9 points up at 3QT but at that stage it was still anyone's game.

If this game were played a few weeks back we would have been creamed by over 50 points and to only lose by 3, i haven't lost any respect for them and i just hope they haven't lost any confidence in themselves.

This is too true.

If we're gonna get angry, get angry with our shit form at the beginning of the season. They're the losses that have kept us out of the 8. Not today. Play like we do today and we'll put it up to most sides... It was 3 points..yes we made crucial errors but so did they. Either side would have deserved to win. Sadly, we didn't.

Love that we're blooding the youngsters and we see potential. Love that we're competitive even thought we literally don't have a ruckman, were missing our leading goal kicker and that the average age of our back 6 today (inc. Krak) was under 23 yrs old (albeit we probably did miss an experienced head or two). Still hurts tho.

 

[Doctor Feel]

Jesus christ you mother******* are depressing, we lost by three points to a side that is playing good football, yes we were 9 points up at 3QT but at that stage it was still anyone's game.

If this game were played a few weeks back we would have been creamed by over 50 points and to only lose by 3, i haven't lost any respect for them and i just hope they haven't lost any confidence in themselves.

Or you could realise this entire year has been a huge disappointment and realise we should be thrashing a young bulldogs side at home at this stage. Injuries or not, we should rightfully be frustrated by our performances this year. We can't just sit by and accept this mediocre bullshit, and claim we tried hard. Trying hard is not enough we need some ****ing premierships, end of story. The group went backwards and we performed above expectations today but thats a damning position to be in where we are happy that we performed above expectations yet still lost.

This is not good enough and we need to be ruthless come the end of the year, club wide.

 

[edgie]

If Dixon took every mark that he got his hands to, he'd kick 250 goals. He's a 200cm, 110kg, super mobile pack crashing brute of a man. He arguably drops more marks than we'd like, but most KPF's in the league (Schulz included) wouldn't even get their hands to a lot of those marks. I'd rather have Dixon dropping it at the feet of our crumbers than have opposition KPD's marking it.

There's nothing arguable it. We rip on Butch for missing goals, it's only fair to rip on Dix for dropping marks.

Can't we just transplant John's hands to Charlie?

 

[edgie]

View attachment 255806

Someone in the top right just stole the shop.

 

[edgie]

There is zero point playing him now. Season over. Career over.

Ah, that's your angle.

Well, that's fair to say. If Jay wants to go again for the right price I still reckon we snap him up. Butcher won't be back. Hoff is unreliable. The rest are all raw. We need a reliable KPF in the reserves.

 

[Killer Power]

If Dixon took every mark that he got his hands to, he'd kick 250 goals. He's a 200cm, 110kg, super mobile pack crashing brute of a man. He arguably drops more marks than we'd like, but most KPF's in the league (Schulz included) wouldn't even get their hands to a lot of those marks. I'd rather have Dixon dropping it at the feet of our crumbers than have opposition KPD's marking it.

Last week given the conditions and opponents yes absolutley. Today he was against undersized opponents in dry, calm conditions and got two clean hands to a ton of ball and only held one. His poorest game for the club in my opinion.

 

[PeacefulWarrior]

The captain needs to perform. He's barely fired a shot all year.

I agree but keyboard warriors who are probably 100kg over their playing weight and eating a kg of chicken wings on the couch calling him "spud" is shit form.

Travis can have a crap year and still have credits in the bank.

What's people solution, have VC Hartlett step up to the number 1 based on his stellar form?

 

[JohnHinckleyJr]

A couple of drops yes but dixs looks like he goes for the tap more then rhe mark is that coached into him ??

 

[Arthur Dunger]

A win would have been nice but being realistic based on our performances this season we played well above how we have for most of the year and just happened to lose against a better skilled team. We should never be content with a loss but plenty of positives are to be taken rather than all of this false posturing about finals as we are simply not a good enough team at the moment.

 

[Dalphonso]

I thought it was a very good quality game from two good sides.Their position on the ladder shows that they are that class above us and it showed when the heat was on today.
Charlie was the sole focal point all day and no one was there to help him.The crumbers were near non existent today.Against average sides the lack of a ruckman can be covered but we were smashed out of the middle too easily when the pressure was on.Blokes like O'shea and Stewart aren't going to improve and they were outpointed today. Almost time to put the cue in the rack and give young blokes more game time.The Bulldogs skill level was also superior and overall we have mor B grade quality players than them.They will be lucky to make the top 4 but I doubt we will make the top 8.No point really if we do.

 

[JohnHinckleyJr]

Not a spud im not overweight im actually slim but even i no the bloke should have nailed that goal come on he was virtually on the goal line

I agree but keyboard warriors who are probably 100kg over their playing weight and eating a kg of chicken wings on the couch calling him "spud" is shit form.

Travis can have a crap year and still have credits in the bank.

What's people solution, have VC Hartlett step up to the number 1 based on his stellar form?

 

[Prison bar Pete]

Those cannons gave me a fright: though the southern stand was about to come down!