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

[Bovo]

How is our club a great club?

You don’t think so? It’s the best club in the comp in my opinion

 

[Hell Boy6669]

Anyone got a gif or snippet of Max deleting Gresham?

 

[Mostyn]

The irony of Nicks policy of experience over youth, our younger guys are far more likely to win us games.




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Have we consistently been amongst the absolute youngest and most inexperienced teams throughout Nicks' tenure?

 

[BucketsNj]

Amazing: Keays, Fog, Hinge

Good: Taylor, Laird, Berry, Dawson, Rachele, Dowling, Michalanney
Okish: Nank, ROB, Cook, Bond, Keane, Soligo, Filthy, Smith
Waked under a ladder unlucky: Murray, Butts
Ugly: Murphy
Hit every branch on the Ugly tree: Himmelburg

Amazing: Keays, Fog, Hinge

Good: Taylor, Laird, Berry, Dawson, Rachele, Dowling, Michalanney
Okish: Nank, ROB, Cook, Bond, Keane, Soligo, Filthy, Smith
Waked under a ladder unlucky: Murray, Butts
Ugly: Murphy
Hit every branch on the Ugly tree: Himmelburg

Tacky

 

[Billy Cart]

Definitely need to leave this here

Enjoy

I had to listen to the ABC commentary and Mick Malhouse said that is the best coast to coast goal he had ever seen.

 

[MRB37]

I'll cut the team some slack for that. Bond and Taylor were in that centre bounce. Merrett towelled up Bond

Watching it again, Bond put hand on Merrett for contact to feel his position, but was ball watching and Merrett used that split second to peel past Bond and into the open space.

 

[CrowToon]

The only bit of credit I'll give Nicks is keeping Rachele in the forward line. Has to be full time. No more midfield time unless he brings a renewed aggression to the contest. Let him work his magic up forward where he can be the front and centre we desperately lack

 

[garlic munchers]

Good - fantastic victory for the good guys.

Bad - disappointing your boys had too much class to replicate the post match Draper lay on the ground with arms outstretched.

 

[arrowman]

Not just you. I would have thrown my mouth guard at those umpires.

I don't completely blame the umpires. The AFL has tinkered with the interpretation and right now it's broken.

 

[CrowBloke]

I also don’t think Nicks coached the team to be defensive last night

Firstly, I loved the win vs GWS (on the back of that brilliant 7-goal second quarter ).
I'm happy they beat the dour, boring Saints.
I loved that they won last night, I loved the footy they played to kick those 9 goals and I really, really loved the comeback for 15 points down to win a close one , for which Nicks has Fog and Keays to thank.
I was ecstatic.
I love when they win well, win hard. I think Fog and Keays are playing the kind of footy we've always wanted from them and I hope like Hell they continue. To win Away like that without Tex or Rankine was exceptional.
Yippee! Hot-diggety, dog-diggety!!

As happy as I am about those wins, I am more unhappy about what's happened this year in total.

John, I know what I saw and heard.
A Crow was interviewed after the game. He (whomever it was, Fog? Keays?) said clearly that Nicks had sent them out at the start of the game to play defensively. He didn't elaborate, but that would account for the 3-goals-down start.
It's bad Coaching. Defensive mindset = "After the opposition gets the ball, we defend".
It's garbage.
After quarter time if you think it was Nicks put them onto the 9-goal spree, you're dreamin'.
It's NOT in Nicks' DNA.
After 1/4 time, I'd say Hombsch, or Hombsch and VB, or Hombsch + VB + Dawson/Keays/Soligo suggested they go all-out attack.

Furthermore, I heard Nicks say in his presser that they often lose those close ones but they've practised ways to counter them (= "I, The Great Nickso, have now shown them how to win those close ones") and I'm calling bullshit.
Essendon had three clear and clean chances to goal in those last 5 minutes.
1) Did Nicks Coach our bloke to give Merritt room to stream out of centre but fluff his delivery?? Some more practice-scenarios are needed, there! Merrett could have bounced at least once and had a shot, or kicked to a teammate about 30m out, but kicked wildly from the 50m line, inexplicably.
2) Did Nicks Coach Draper to miss that easy shot at goal (hit the post). No, that was Draper's own poor execution and serves him right, the flog.
3) Did Nicks Coach that frosty-haired putz to attempt a checkside from 30m out with a teammate free 20m away straight in front? That's right, NO he didn't .

When they play badly Nicks blames the list, or he needs better Assistants, or it's the players' fault (not doing what Nicks wants), or injuries, or Global Warming, or Inflation, or a hangnail or the Stars etc, anything but Nicks' fault, and I call bullshit on that too.
Have you ever heard Nicks take responsibility for a selection that was poor, or a defensive chip-chip, slow game plan that went awry, or say directly that he was accountable for any shit error/decision/loss?

i have not.

When they play well (the second and fourth quarters were outstanding), Nicks wants to soak up the credit which you starry-eyed Nicks-lovers shower on him.

I suspect Dawson took it on himself to go back in the last before he went off dizzy, as he has done often before, as he has license to do by Nicks' own admission. If that was Nicks' initiative, woop, I'm not gonna get excited if he does something he's paid hugely to do.
I gave Nicks credit for moving Keays to the midfield in the fourth. in my original post.
THAT was a good Coach's move, so maybe he's learning... and ... it's about ****ing time!!

Fellas, I am holding Nicks accountable for what he has done this year, not getting all giddy about what he m-i-g-h-t do by the end of the Season.
Let's speculate that the Crows storm home and win their last 5 games (including Geelong @ Great Hash Brown Shithole and Sydney away).
I will be delighted.
I will never be so happy to be so wrong.

 

[Kane McGoodwin]

I don't completely blame the umpires. The AFL has tinkered with the interpretation and right now it's broken.

I blame some of them as clearly biased.
Nichols, Williamson & 1 of the clowns we had last night.

 

[Southerntakeover]

If someone at the beginning of the season told me we would win against both Essendon & Carlton at Marvel, beat GWS at home and win at least one showdown then I would have thought we would be a sure thing for finals..

Losing at home to Richmond.

The club doesn't handle expectations. This was a free kick.

It's also why the coach shouldn't be excused.

 

[El Doederino]

I think we found a worse club than us with their first round picks

 

[Bearded Clam]

 

[Kane McGoodwin]

Murphy only 7 x pressure acts in 113 minutes of game time - thought that was his one wood?

Well it's not his leadership when the game was on the line.

Compare to Keays, Fogarty & Hinge... & even ROB when the game was on the line... when were down injured players including our captain.

It's absolutely madness we are persisting with an ordinary player with no upside.

 

[Kane McGoodwin]

Checkout guy at Crowmania.

Murphy would fumble the EFTPOS machine...

 

[craig crowing]

Went game last night how good it to play with roof over as was bl--0dy cold wind outside and allowed a fast flowing game ,rather than a slog like last week.
Good
Obviously Keays and Fog. and all been said , except to point how strong Fog grabs the mark and how poorly EH doesn't and Tillthorpe in 2 nd half though should have had couple of frees.
All our kids that had to wait for injuries to get in team did their bit plus.
Berry showed he can actually get clear and deliver rather than Laird like bang it on the boot.
Hinge was huge in keeping backlines together with injuries and creating run out and damaging kicks.
Our seats where Crows come out and where kicked a lot of our goals from including right behind Fogs 50 metre goal.
Milera and Rankine sitting just across enjoyed game especially that burst in 2nd qtr .
Isaac never hesitated when 2 kids asked if could have photo with him.
The number of Crowes supporters was massive as probably saw after game lined up on fences .
Bad
Smith,Keane and Laird and some of Rachelles efforts .
Umpiring
Ugly
The cringeworthy goal celebration of a couple of Bombers players.
Disappointed in Merrett who is a star looking for and pleading every type of free kick.
Injuries and possible suspensions and watching knob Stringer play although loved stuff up which could have won the game

 

[Kane McGoodwin]

Been watching the replay and in the last 5 minutes of the game we absolutely destroyed Essendon

They could not get near it outside of one centre clearance at the end.

Just repeat inside 50 after repeat inside 50 and to be honest we could have kicked even more goals

Apart from early in the game & when the umpires took over in the 3rd, we had control of the game

 

[El Doederino]

Good - fantastic victory for the good guys.

Bad - disappointing your boys had to much class to replicate the post match Draper lay on the ground with arms outstretched.

I would have loved one of our guys after the game pretending a kick for goal then watching as the ball skewed at a right angle

 

[El Doederino]

Went game last night how good it to play with roof over as was bl--0dy cold wind outside and allowed a fast flowing game ,rather than a slog like last week.
Good
Obviously Keays and Fog. and all been said , except to point how strong Fog grabs the mark and how poorly EH doesn't and Tillthorpe in 2 nd half though should have had couple of frees.
All our kids that had to wait for injuries to get in team did their bit plus.
Berry showed he can actually get clear and deliver rather than Laird like bang it on the boot.
Hinge was huge in keeping backlines together with injuries and creating run out and damaging kicks.
Our seats where Crows come out and where kicked a lot of our goals from including right behind Fogs 50 metre goal.
Milera and Rankine sitting just across enjoyed game especially that burst in 2nd qtr .
Isaac never hesitated when 2 kids asked if could have photo with him.
The number of Crowes supporters was massive as probably saw after game lined up on fences .
Bad
Smith,Keane and Laird and some of Rachelles efforts .
Umpiring
Ugly
The cringeworthy goal celebration of a couple of Bombers players.
Disappointed in Merrett who is a star looking for and pleading every type of free kick.
Injuries and possible suspensions and watching knob Stringer play although loved stuff up which could have won the game

I thought Laird was pretty good last night

 

[DJ75]

Just watching the last 1/4. Keay handballs to Laird who is tackled instantly, and umpire No4 calls it HTB almost in a split second of him receiving it. wtf

Funny how sometimes they will blow the whistle immediately to claim it was held or no prior, and others times they will leave it a fraction longer so they can claim they had an opportunity.
The rules have made it a complete shitshow.

 

[Carn The Texan]

Just watching the last 1/4. Keay handballs to Laird who is tackled instantly, and umpire No4 calls it HTB almost in a split second of him receiving it. wtf

It was crazy especially as Essendon got away with plenty worse in the last.

Does anyone have a free kick count from the last quarter? I feel like we started the last at approx 15 each and finished 20-15 but I could be wrong.

 

[BACCS]

Another ugly:

Rachele scores, 52 seconds on the clock.

1. We let Merrett waltz out of the centre square unopposed
2. They have spare men at the fall of the ball
3. We are fortunate enough to rush the behind and have possession. 30 odd left on the clock.
4. We go long.

WHY? Find a kick in the pocket. Make that option. Kill time!

5. They win back possession.
6. We are fortunate to rush through another behind. 15 odd seconds left.
7. We go long.

WHYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYY????

We've seen from our numerous close games this year and last that that is our game plan in that situation. Nobody tries to make the short option. Drives me bonkers. Nearly cost us the Carlton game and nearly cost us last night.

I understand the want to clear the area ASAP, but our poor contested marking as a team means it very often comes straight back in. We need to work on that.

Could also equally say that both were rushed shots at goal due to our good pressure and we had setup well behind the ball to ensure they went through for rushed behinds. No team gets everything perfect in a close finish, even the teams that win.

 

[Maddogmetro]

View attachment 2053161

Zero prior, both arms pinned. Htb. Lol

 

[BACCS]

Watching it again, Bond put hand on Merrett for contact to feel his position, but was ball watching and Merrett used that split second to peel past Bond and into the open space.

Happy they were given such a crucial centre clearance though, plenty to learn from that for Bond and Taylor