Review R20: The Good, Bad and Ugly vs. Hawthorn

[Milo Cyrus]

thank **** the olympics are on!

 

[Southerntakeover]

I can't remember attending a game I've enjoyed less than yesterday.

Sure, we've had some shockers away from home over the years that have been brutal to sit through but we usually have put something up at home, even in poor years.

To go the best part of three quarters kicking one goal (from a soft free kick) was about as pitiful as I've ever seen us.

Nicks might have been spruiking the 0.6% but the players looked done. Either too young to front up and impact week-in, week-out or simply not good enough except as passengers when better players do the heavy lifting.

Yep, absolutely bleak.

It always being the same teams owning us, for like 20 consecutive years, and we get to stand there taking more shit from them knowing we'll basically never have the upper hand.

 

[Bazz_27]

I'm not for making excuses or anything but yesterday does seem to be uncharacteristic for us to just not compete. Wonder if there is a flu or something going through the club given Smith & Crouch were both out ill. Could explain the effort levels being low. Kind of feel like it might've been touched on post game by Nicks if it was the case though?

 

[Dc9798]

Good: First quarter intent
Straight to Ugly: Everything else from halfway through the second quarter, insipid, zero leadership. Had R22 2019 home game vs Collingwood vibes which, if anyone remembers that game, is not good at all.

 

[weekend at bernies]

Because he gets into a better position than those who should be receiving the handballs.

It's a coaching/structural problem, not an ROB problem.

or the opposition want him ball in hand so allowing him to be free.

 

[MarcusP2]

Pedlar the only first round draft pick since 2018 draft. (Prior to last season)

First round picks traded for Rankine and Dawson who are both playing midfield.

Curtin played mid most of his junior career and is playing mid in the SANFL.

Taylor, Dowling playing midfield.

Brought in Keays to play mid (finally shunted out).

Extended Crouch.

Moved Laird there and trying Rachele (though this is coaching).

We've got a lot of spots tied to the midfielders list-wise, basically everything except 'draft Serong, Young or Day instead of McAsey'.

Getting absolutely nothing out of 2018 and 2019 which were good mid drafts has crippled us for years as we try and catch up.

If we had Butters and Serong playing for us instead of Jones and nobody, every draft from then on might've been different.

 

[Geoffa32]

I think our coaches have specific boxes players need to fit into.

Curtin is a 197 cm guy who has played in defence. Therefore he is a key defender. Hence why he spent half a season playing that role.

Thilthorpe is a 200 cm forward. So lets turn him into a 200 cm key forward. Let's ignore that he rarely takes pack marks. Let's ignore that he has great endurance, great kicking skills and covers the ground well. Key forward it is.

IMHO Thilthorpe should be getting developed into a Blicavs type role. On ball, ruck, wing and forward. Instead we've built his body to be a gorilla forward - completely wasting half of his unique traits.

Bottom line is, our coaches are dumb. Too simple minded to be able to move outside the square. I fear they will find the same with Curtin. They thinks he's a key defender. Only to find he's actually not good in that role. Now they have no clue what to do with him.

Many here have wanted Thilthorpe to be a "gorilla " key forward as well.....

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[GreyCrow]

Can anyone explain why, with four key forwards in the team, we've still got ROB flying for marks against them in our forward 50?

Because he is being challenged to take more marks

And either the coach said take more marks and forgot to add but dont spoil our markers or RoB is stupid

 

[GreyCrow]

My big issue is that even if we do have a natural small forward, our coaches try to turn them into pseudo midfielders by having them spend most of their time on the wing.

What's wrong with having a small forward hang around the feet of a tall forward?

If you saw Murphys goal that is textbook crumber play

It was exactly what was needed with 4 talls. There will be plenty of loose ball for clever crumbers to snack on

 

[DJ75]

Many here have wanted Thilthorpe to be a "gorilla " key forward as well.....

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[DJ75]

If you saw Murphys goal that is textbook crumber play

It was exactly what was needed with 4 talls. There will be plenty of loose ball for clever crumbers to snack on

It was. Unfortunately, one swallow does not a summer make.

 

[DJ75]

Because he is being challenged to take more marks

And either the coach said take more marks and forgot to add but dont spoil our markers or RoB is stupid

Sh!t coaching. He should have been positioning himself out to the side so that the opposition ruck has to go with him. Him sprinting forward so he can collide with one of our key forwards and convert a 5 % chance of a mark into a 0% chance is just stupid.

 

[rabidcrow]

In one breath he said experience cost us while also mentioning we had similar issues last week... which we won

Chalk and Cheese in terms of opponents and form. I think “same issue last week” was inconsistency during the game - giving up big runs of goals. Last week against an ordinary side we were able to turn it around

This week… ugh


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[AmericanCrow]

Good leadership equates to not having the ball kicked on top of your head while outnumbered?

Its not the forwards fault, the ball was camped in Hawthorns F50 for most of the 2nd half.

It isn’t just one game

 

[AmericanCrow]

With Dawson out, I guess they had to pick somebody from the leadership group, and that's slim pickings. Would you rather it have been Murphy?

Doesn’t that also speak volumes?

 

[CrowBloke]

The Good:

Not much. The first quarter was a good contest - we laughed about how high-scoring it was (famous last words)

Soligo put up a good fight. Max literally put up a good fight. Nank showed a lot of guts and heart coming back from that injury.

We're a step closer to securing pick four and staying ahead of the Saints on the draft table. One step closer to the end of this torture that is the AFC season 2024.

The bad:

Pretty much everything else. Today was the rubber stamp that the Hawks have moved ahead of us in their rebuild in less time - over 10 goals in front of us.

Going in overly stacked with talls was a fatal mistake. It was a shock just to see how much faster they were and how much harder they worked on the spread, cutting us apart with ease. After the first quarter, we were noncompetitive, full stop. Sometimes you get what you deserve... and we deserved that belting.

The Ugly:

Our treatment of Curtin is nothing short of a disgrace. I don't know what the hell they hope to achieve by having him sit on the bench for the vast majority of his three AFL games.

Very good post.
Re: Curtin: having the fresh sub bench-warming for nine minutes when you're getting belted and need fresh legs is beyond ridiculous. A disgrace.
My take?
Nicks (the absolute mug) holds Curtin in such little regard that he forgot he was there.

 

[rabidcrow]

I don't get why they are playing RT if he isn't fit to ruck or they are scared to play him there?

He looked gassed at half time against Essendon. So I suspect he doesn’t have the tank at the moment
I think that’s why we are playing 4 bigs - not because we like the structure but we want Thilthorpe getting some AFL games this year and don’t want to ruck him.

Having said that - Borlase could have picked up the slack yesterday for the 10% or so time ROB doesn’t go in


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[CrowBloke]

Curtin played 31 minutes.

7 disposals 2 clearances 2 pressure acts and a tackle.

7 CBAs

He needs to play every game full time in the middle.

He moves like a mid, pack to pack hunting the ball.

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I agree, but you've forgotten one crucial thing.

Nicks.

 

[Bearded Clam]

Matthew Nicks officially become the 2nd longest serving AFC coach yesterday

No AFC coach has survived without making the finals two seasons in a row..

This bald cockroach has missed how many now..

The fxxkwit needs to be fired out of a cannon.

 

[Momacca23]

Sign the petition!!! We need change! Yesterday was embarrassing. Nicks to be sacked. https://chng.it/LTzfzQwQ8W

 

[Crow-eater]

The peak Laird moment for me was when Dowling won the ball at a centre clearance coming in off the wing. Under pressure, got tackled, was able to get his hands free. Had Laird in support and fed him the handball in space for him to run onto and be away on the burst.

Instead Laird was hovering back, stationary, hoping that he'd receive a backwards handball so that he could kick a moon ball around the corner off one step. His one wood.

Dowling's handball lands on grass. Turnover. Probably looked bad on TV for Dowling. 100% Laird.

Midfield handover needs to occur as first order of business.

The other peak Laird moment was just before Impey's goal in the 3rd. His "effort" to chase was barely a jog. It was actually disgusting.

 

[n4sir]

Can tell who radio caller Lindy is now

Does she have an American accent?

 

[Jarman3]

Doesn’t that also speak volumes?

Sure does.

 

[1970crow]

I thought he was referring to recruiting experienced players

Can see us loading up with 3 mediocre fringe types who will keep the Dowlings, Taylors etc in the 2s.

 

[1970crow]

It does sound like bullshit but I can also guarantee you that Nicks used words to that effect.

Everyone here was shocked. Nicks basically saying he had selected his squad for the year and those guys weren’t in his plans.

Can't think of many things less shocking than that.