Review R19: The Good, Bad and Ugly vs. Essendon

[Dirty Bird]

Feel like winning a Friday Night game on the road against a big Vic club in the 8 is big for this group, and the younger players development.

Was the biggest stage available to us for the rest of the year.

Plenty of big stages still to come

 

[Southerntakeover]

Plenty of big stages still to come

View attachment 2055086

Do you feel like you're getting a return on investment for the time you keep putting into this?

 

[CrowBloke]

It worked so well that we came out flat, barely touched the ball and were three goals down after 10 minutes, and allowed him a set shot that should have iced the game. Masterful coach.

There are posters in here who want to absolve Nicks of a long list of failures, because:
--- team-plagued-by-injuries,
--- needs better assistants
--- players not following instructions,
--- selections which rewarded the mediocrity of senior players were fair,
--- built team from bottom up ie after our first wooden spoon under Nicks etc,
and expect Nicks to be praised after a win like Friday night's. (post edited)

OK, let's call this a turning point. How about we make the Essendon win the benchmark against which we measure future results, because that win negates nearly all of the points above?
The didn't lose because of "injuries" (we all know who was out and who was injured on the day), they won.
They won with the assistants Nicks has got.
If Nicks is to be given credit, it means the players did follow his instructions.
They won with Murphy and Smith (two of his faves) in the side and I'd say it was in spite of their presence, not because of it.
They won with a bunch of newbies in the side.
Crucially, they won without any of the team's stars being one of their best three players (no Tex, no Rankine, not Dawson, nor Murray, Butts off, Laird sore). On the night, Keays, Fog, Hinge lifted the team over the line.

For all AFL Clubs, the buck stops with the Coach.
OK, if we're going to praise Nicks and his assistants for the win, we must be able to criticize them for the losses, all TEN of them after 18 games this year.

 

[CrowBloke]

So I had a nap and missed the fun

I've tried to send you a summary in a new Conversation, but it says you cannot be found ...??

Could you please send me the link to the Changes thread for this Sunday?
Cheers.

 

[skam85]

It worked so well that we came out flat, barely touched the ball and were three goals down after 10 minutes, and allowed him a set shot that should have iced the game. Masterful coach.

The reverse power stance, genius

 

[Brookster]

On the other hand, we also won while having a far less experienced side with less to play for, away from home against a finals-bound side we haven't beaten in 7 years. Surely Nicks deserves some credit for the result.

In terms of actual good coaching, I liked the move to put Keays into the middle in the last term. Hasn't played there all season and they easily could have easily used someone else. The coaching group correctly judged that he would have an impact there, and he had a dominant last quarter.

Reckon he went middle in the last when players are tired because of his 110% work rate. The guy is like an unchained kelpie. Not the perfect operator but does not waste a minute of on field.

 

[Carn The Texan]

I just saw that Dawson out with concussion.

How come the Nate Caddy not suspended?

The hit was high and he elected to bump.

I thought once you went the bump and a concussion occurs automatic suspension.



That is what happened to Rankine.

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Stringer pushed Dawson into the contest (the AFL have said this in their own explanation) which apparently makes it all totally fine!

 

[BACCS]

They highlighted ROB’s last 7 minutes on First Crack last night, he was immense.

5 disposals, 4 contested possessions, 3 intercepts (2 were contested marks) and 2 clearances. He was just as important as Keays and Fog in that last quarter to win us the game.

 

[WetCrow1991]

Stringer pushed Dawson into the contest (the AFL have said this in their own explanation) which apparently makes it all totally fine!

Stringer is a piece of shit.

 

[jackster83]

They highlighted ROB’s last 7 minutes on First Crack last night, he was immense.

5 disposals, 4 contested possessions, 3 intercepts (2 were contested marks) and 2 clearances. He was just as important as Keays and Fog in that last quarter to win us the game.

Did they show his first seven minutes of the third term where he missed a regulation set shot, dropped an uncontested mark on the wing, gave away a free kick in front of goal and then tapped the next centre bounce straight to Merrett, which led to another Essendon goal?

He was very good at the end but that little patch pretty much single handedly got them back into the game.

 

[Mr_Moogle]

Did they show his first seven minutes of the third term where he missed a regulation set shot, dropped an uncontested mark on the wing, gave away a free kick in front of goal and then tapped the next centre bounce straight to Merrett, which led to another Essendon goal?

He was very good at the end but that little patch pretty much single handedly got them back into the game.

O'Brien nearly handed the game back to them when he lost the tap to Draper in the final minute. We badly needed to just hold it in there and it was the cleanest tap to advantage all night. ROB choked. Essendon just weren't good enough to capitalise on it.

 

[BACCS]

Did they show his first seven minutes of the third term where he missed a regulation set shot, dropped an uncontested mark on the wing, gave away a free kick in front of goal and then tapped the next centre bounce straight to Merrett, which led to another Essendon goal?

He was very good at the end but that little patch pretty much single handedly got them back into the game.

You can also win a game for your team with a good patch at a critical moment too. His 2nd quarter was important in getting our ascendency in stoppages, so it's not like his entire game should be defined by that poor patch in the 3rd. Was it the perfect game like Keays? No, but it was still very important to our win.

This is coming from someone completed nonbiased btw and with zero agenda other than just highlighting good play.

Losing two key defenders is what helped get Essendon back into the game, do you think Nik Cox is taking contested marks if we have our two key pillars there to help keep our structure? Nankervis, Sholl and Cook were forced to play like key defenders at times, which is always fraught with danger.

 

[BACCS]

This goal took 30 seconds btw

 

[jackster83]

This goal took 30 seconds btw

That was nearly as sexy as the Hinge set play.

 

[BACCS]

 

[BACCS]

That was nearly as sexy as the Hinge set play.

How on earth did RT not get the free in that marking contest btw?

 

[jackster83]

How on earth did RT not get the free in that marking contest btw?

Surprised they didn't award another free kick to Caddy lol.

Was nice of Jake Kelly to get a goal assist for us though.

 

[Carn The Texan]

This goal took 30 seconds btw

And how about Fog on the left - should have been Thilthorpe's shot from a mark or a free but either way we made it happen. One of our best pieces of play for the year and all about we had the ball in the hands of skilled users who didnt think twice about moving the ball on ASAP

 

[ABAB]

And how about Fog on the left - should have been Thilthorpe's shot from a mark or a free but either way we made it happen. One of our best pieces of play for the year and all about we had the ball in the hands of skilled users who didnt think twice about moving the ball on ASAP

I thought Rachele doesn't apply "pressure" lol.

 

[Carn The Texan]

I thought Rachele doesn't apply "pressure" lol.

I'm staying out of all that discussion. It's become another Crows BigFooty culture war I'm not interested in joining

 

[Brookster]

Dawson got pushed into the contact by Stringer. Maybe he should have got cited instead? Bloody unfortunate for Dawson to sit out a week, but an accident. Sanity has prevailed after all the BS last week.

Those pushes which propel a player uncontrollably into the body tangle of a contest are dangerous but they are rarely pinged by umpires. Injuries almost always result. They should be scrutinised as careless, etc with the ‘potential to cause injury’.

 

[1970crow]

Hmmmm ok

It was a bump though.

In the scheme of things probably ok. I guess Rankine off the ball the difference.

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I don't think he was bumping at all. Was running through to soccer the ball, which he did.

 

[Mutineer]

Coaches' votes, R19: Blues star closes gap, only two 10s

The coaches' votes are in for the round 19 games

www.afl.com.au

​

​

​

Essendon v Adelaide​

10 Ben Keays

2

Ben Keays

Age

27

Ht

186cm

Wt

86kg

Pos.

Fwd

Career

Season

Last 5

D

13.1

3star

K

5.8

2star

HB

7.3

5star

M

2.3

2star

T

3.9

5star

G

0.4

3star

D

13.7

3star

K

8.7

3star

HB

5.0

3star

M

2.8

3star

T

3.7

4star

G

0.3

3star

D

13.0

4star

K

4.8

2star

HB

8.2

5star

M

1.4

2star

T

4.4

5star

G

0.4

3star

(ADEL)
8 Darcy Fogarty

32

Darcy Fogarty

Age

25

Ht

194cm

Wt

100kg

Pos.

Fwd

Career

Season

Last 5

D

8.5

2star

K

5.7

2star

HB

2.8

2star

M

3.7

4star

T

1.7

4star

G

1.2

4star

D

6.3

1star

K

4.0

1star

HB

2.3

2star

M

3.0

3star

T

2.3

3star

G

1.0

4star

D

8.0

2star

K

5.4

2star

HB

2.6

3star

M

3.4

4star

T

2.6

4star

G

1.0

4star

(ADEL)
5 Zach Merrett (ESS)
5 Samuel Durham (ESS)
1 Max Michalanney (ADEL)
1 Sam Berry (ADEL)

 

[Scorpus]

So both coaches agree that Hugh Bond wasn't very effective tagging Merrett

 

[Eagleboy2011]

Coaches' votes, R19: Blues star closes gap, only two 10s

The coaches' votes are in for the round 19 games

www.afl.com.au

​

​

​

Essendon v Adelaide​

10 Ben Keays (ADEL)
8 Darcy Fogarty (ADEL)
5 Zach Merrett (ESS)
5 Samuel Durham (ESS)
1 Max Michalanney (ADEL)
1 Sam Berry (ADEL)

Don't see much wrong with those votes.