Review R21: The Good, Bad and Ugly vs. Geelong Cats

[Southerntakeover]

For Murphy? This is his second game in a row under 10 possessions.
For Fogarty? This is his second game in a row under 10 possessions.
For Walker? This is his second game in a row under 10 possessions.
For Bond? This is his second game in a row under 10 possessions.

Fogarty last night:

1 goal
2 goal assists
6 total score involvements
2 contested marks

Pretty solid game.

Suspect he doesn't get credited a stat for Keays's goal, which he absolutely caused either.

Wasn't as involved as I like, but trying to act like he wasn't a factor in the game could only come from someone who didn't watch it.

 

[Pugsley]

But you seem to be incapable of acknowledging that the team did well according to your own prediction. You can’t enjoy the good bits, you can only complain.

Would you like some apricot slice?

 

[spenze]

The hardest part of the game to re-watch was that we went on the attack for a quarter and a bit, turned a 22-point deficit into a 2-goal lead and then put the handbrake on.

Why would you stop what is working for a plan that has failed us repeatedly?

 

[TubbsFarquhar]

But you don’t give him any credit when we play well. You only whine about the negatives. If it’s his fault we lost by under a goal then it’s also down to him that we very nearly beat Geelong at Geelong.

We got in front playing attack football and then went conservative. It's been a repeated story under Nicks in close games which is why we have such a poor record in them. We got lucky against Essendon, Merrett will nail that I50 9 times out of 10.

That's on the coach.

 

[tinman]

The hardest part of the game to re-watch was that we went on the attack for a quarter and a bit, turned a 22-point deficit into a 2-goal lead and then put the handbrake on.

Why would you stop what is working for a plan that has failed us repeatedly?

This is why we're actually better off being a goal down with 5-6 minutes to go. Because when you are behind you must attack, you have no other option.

When you are in front you make a choice to keep attacking or go defensive and try to defend the lead. This is a problem for us, and why we can't win close games. All these close losses aren't bad luck.

We're being out coached.

 

[tinman]

We got in front playing attack football and then went conservative. It's been a repeated story under Nicks in close games which is why we have such a poor record in them. We got lucky against Essendon, Merrett will nail that I50 9 times out of 10.

That's on the coach.

This!

 

[George Kramer]

But you don’t give him any credit when we play well. You only whine about the negatives. If it’s his fault we lost by under a goal then it’s also down to him that we very nearly beat Geelong at Geelong.

And you only whinge about posters.

So what do you think about his treatment of Curtin?

 

[cleanhands]

But you don’t give him any credit when we play well. You only whine about the negatives. If it’s his fault we lost by under a goal then it’s also down to him that we very nearly beat Geelong at Geelong.

Nearly…………… I don’t want nearly I want wins

 

[Brett Cummings]

But you seem to be incapable of acknowledging that the team did well according to your own prediction. You can’t enjoy the good bits, you can only complain.

We haven't done well for 7 years. Don't know what what planet you're on but it's definitely not earth.

 

[Burtonsgottago]

Hi guys just a question

Why was there no SANFL this weekend?

Sent from my SM-S908E using BigFooty.com mobile app

Because it’s a micky mouse, half baked, joke of a competition

 

[Scorpus]

Has anyone asked Nicks or any of the coaching staff why Curtin has to work on his negatives in the SANFL and sub bench but Murphy doesn’t?

The answer would be that Murphy plays his role and doesn't have things to work on

 

[Raysboy]

Curtin as sub until 4 minutes to go and the save the game plan overrides most of the good stuff.
We will never be successful with those two club killing initiatives.

It would have been better for Curtin’s development to have played him in the SANFL this week where he would have got no minutes.

 

[Boundryump]

It would have been better for Curtin’s development to have played him in the SANFL this week where he would have got no minutes.

Bot

 

[DJ75]

The hardest part of the game to re-watch was that we went on the attack for a quarter and a bit, turned a 22-point deficit into a 2-goal lead and then put the handbrake on.

Why would you stop what is working for a plan that has failed us repeatedly?

Coaching.
Go back and look at all the close games we have lost under Nicks. Almost all of them are the same - fight back with attacking football. Hit the lead. Stop running, play slow stop start, down the line football.
The close games we win are almost always because we hit the lead so late we can't stuff it up.

It's 100% what we have been coached to do - and yes it is as stupid as it seems.

 

[Crow-eater]

Coaching.
Go back and look at all the close games we have lost under Nicks. Almost all of them are the same - fight back with attacking football. Hit the lead. Stop running, play slow stop start, down the line football.
The close games we win are almost always because we hit the lead so late we can't stuff it up.

It's 100% what we have been coached to do - and yes it is as stupid as it seems.

Wins/Losses under 8 points in the last 2 years

2024
Suns - down by 6 goals, fought back, fell short
Carlton - down by 3 goals, got in front, saved by a Keane mark in the dying seconds
Essendon - up by 20, coughed it up, got up by a goal again, conceded almost straight away, then fell short.
Brisbane - got in front by a couple, conceded the next 5. Kicked 3 to retake the lead, conceded straight away. Barely held on for the draw.
Pies - fought back from 5 goals down, hit the front with 7 minutes to go, conceded again.
Tigers - fought back from 4 goals down, fell short
Essendon - fought back from 3 goals down, conceded a 6 goal lead, came back from 3 goals down again, luckily only give up 2 points from great chances.
Cats - fought back from 22 points down, inevitably concede the lead, fell short.

2023
Hawks - Fog puts us in front with 1:30 to go, barely hold on
Pies - lead all day, lose in last 30 seconds
Pies - down by 6 goals, fight back to lead by a couple, lose
Demons - down by 6 goals, fight back to parity, concede the next 3, fight back again, fall short
Lions - 3 goals down, fight back, fall short
Swans - down by 5 goals, fight back, fall short.

 

[Gtowncrow]

Nicks was smart enough to lose a game by delaying the onset of Curtin and taking Dawson off, knowing that we would like pick 4... or was it just stupidity?, with a chance of beating the cats at Geelong since the last 21 year? A good effort by the boys, regardless. I expected a larger loss.

It's an interesting POV.

If you had asked me at the start of the day....I have asked for a narrow loss with positive signs from our youngsters along with a poor performance from the well known few who should exit the team.

Well what do ya know???

That's almost exactly what happened.

Zooming out at the bigger picture though, I see Nicks making very odd selections and decisions in the past couple of weeks. Even though we bag him on here, these look awfully like trying to "manipulate" a result to help the team more widely. If true, that's very refreshing from the "every 4 points is crucial" mantra we've witnessed up until now.

Finishing in front of St Kilda is simply unacceptable list management.

 

[Apsaalooke]

2009? 2011?

I agree that persisting with Lucas Herbert for 12 years really was a sour note on the 15 seasons under Blight. It really undermined what he achieved in his first 2 seasons. In the end I was glad when he was replaced by Sanderson.

That was in cat years

 

[Apsaalooke]

Losses under 8 points in the last 2 years

2024
Suns - down by 6 goals, fought back, fell short
Carlton - down by 3 goals, got in front, saved by a Keane mark in the dying seconds
Essendon - up by 20, coughed it up, got up by a goal again, conceded almost straight away, then fell short.
Brisbane - got in front by a couple, conceded the next 5. Kicked 3 to retake the lead, conceded straight away. Barely held on for the draw.
Pies - fought back from 5 goals down, hit the front with 7 minutes to go, conceded again.
Tigers - fought back from 4 goals down, fell short
Essendon - fought back from 3 goals down, conceded a 6 goal lead, came back from 3 goals down again, luckily only give up 2 points from great chances.
Cats - fought back from 22 points down, inevitably concede the lead, fell short.

2023
Hawks - Fog puts us in front with 1:30 to go, barely hold on
Pies - lead all day, lose in last 30 seconds
Pies - down by 6 goals, fight back to lead by a couple, lose
Demons - down by 6 goals, fight back to parity, concede the next 3, fight back again, fall short
Lions - 3 goals down, fight back, fall short
Swans - down by 5 goals, fight back, fall short.

Wow. If we win all those 11 losses we'd just about be top 2 each year

 

[WeeBlake]

Good
Rachele
Worrell
Thilthorpe
Keays
Berry’s persistence
Dawson
Laird nil CBAs

Bad
Berry’s first touch. He’s not a clean handler. Fumbles about half the time

Bond getting a run in front of Ryan

Laird, Murphy and Crouch getting a run in front of anyone at this point of the year.

Ugly
Umpiring. The new Htb ‘rule’ sucks. Prior opportunity doesn’t matter at all if you get chicken winged, does matter at random other times, and dropping it is just fine now. It sucks to watch.

Tanner Bruhn - the new Selwood. Throws a big flying heil hitler forearm every time he takes possession in traffic. Crouch was losing it because he kept getting hit in the face by him. 6 frees for.

Curtin 4 mins

 

[maxlilly]

Zooming out at the bigger picture though, I see Nicks making very odd selections and decisions in the past couple of weeks. Even though we bag him on here, these look awfully like trying to "manipulate" a result to help the team more widely. If true, that's very refreshing from the "every 4 points is crucial" mantra we've witnessed up until now.

Finishing in front of St Kilda is simply unacceptable list management.

I feel the same with selection recently.

Last week it was playing 4 talls against a fast Hawks team, which everyone knew wouldn't work

This week playing 4 guys coming back from long term injury
Worrell and Crouch both been out for 10 weeks
Murray, 2nd game for the year
TT 3rd game for the year
Not using your sub.

 

[FR0GGY]

Thilthorpe.

We were robbed of him for the first 17 games.

Going to be an absolute match winner next year.

Can’t believe he’s up to 50 games, I would have said 20-25

 

[Soggy2112]

It's an interesting POV.

If you had asked me at the start of the day....I have asked for a narrow loss with positive signs from our youngsters along with a poor performance from the well known few who should exit the team.

Well what do ya know???

That's almost exactly what happened.

Zooming out at the bigger picture though, I see Nicks making very odd selections and decisions in the past couple of weeks. Even though we bag him on here, these look awfully like trying to "manipulate" a result to help the team more widely. If true, that's very refreshing from the "every 4 points is crucial" mantra we've witnessed up until now.

Finishing in front of St Kilda is simply unacceptable list management.

We have played to win dead rubbers the whole of Nicks’ tenure, I find it hard to believe we’ve all of a sudden had a change of heart.

 

[Dangerousfield]

What instruction does nicks give to our players when the games are close?

We are a club that prides itself in honourable losses, staggering how often we do it.

Nicks keeps getting saved by the kudos of honourable losses, papers over losses like losing to the Wooden Spooner at home, the Hawks debacle etc. Nicks is a moron, must get the arz

 

[GameofSloanes]

The hardest part of the game to re-watch was that we went on the attack for a quarter and a bit, turned a 22-point deficit into a 2-goal lead and then put the handbrake on.

Why would you stop what is working for a plan that has failed us repeatedly?

Is what we do when we're up in a close game every single time. And it always fails

 

[ABAB]

It's an interesting POV.

If you had asked me at the start of the day....I have asked for a narrow loss with positive signs from our youngsters along with a poor performance from the well known few who should exit the team.

Well what do ya know???

That's almost exactly what happened.

Zooming out at the bigger picture though, I see Nicks making very odd selections and decisions in the past couple of weeks. Even though we bag him on here, these look awfully like trying to "manipulate" a result to help the team more widely. If true, that's very refreshing from the "every 4 points is crucial" mantra we've witnessed up until now.

Finishing in front of St Kilda is simply unacceptable list management.

I think you are giving way too much credit to Nicks, he started making very odd selection and decision since last year and has continue if not double down on them this year.