Review R22: The Good, Bad and Ugly vs. Footscray

[Southerntakeover]

Really just bad luck, everything is actually pretty perfect we just had injuries

 

[Mostyn]

Matt Crouch

5

Matt Crouch

Age

29

Ht

183cm

Wt

85kg

Pos.

Mid

Career

Season

Last 5

D

28.4

5star

K

12.0

4star

HB

16.4

5star

M

3.3

3star

T

3.9

5star

CL

4.8

5star

D

24.9

5star

K

9.7

4star

HB

15.1

5star

M

2.4

3star

T

2.4

3star

CL

4.4

5star

D

21.2

5star

K

10.4

4star

HB

10.8

5star

M

4.4

4star

T

3.4

5star

CL

2.0

4star

32 Disposals 18 contested (easily the best by any midfielder out there), 7 clearances (5 Centre clearances again easily the best midfielder out there). 7 inside 50's (our best again), 9 score involvements the same as Fog.

And he looked fantastic with his disposal!

 

[Mostyn]

Good game from the boys, fwd line way too good for their defenders.

Laird to HB has forced Hinge to a wing and Dowling in the 2s. At some point are we going to prioritise the future Nicks?

I would give Dowling a go inside over Berry

Lol, we were 35 games per player less experienced than the Bulldogs, and one of the youngest sides to run out there this week.

That's NOT prioritising the future??

 

[Mostyn]

6 goals from centre square clearances surely means ROB and the mids did OK.

ROB was absolutely dominant.

20 hit outs to advantage must be the best result by a ruckman this year?

 

[Mostyn]

We all know what happened. Nicks changed the attacking style of play from last year to try to shore up our poor defensive efforts. We’d lost a lot of close games last year and they were working on a definite weakness. However, in so doing, he buggered us up until it was too late to fix. Since those first four weeks though, we’ve won 8, drawn 1 and lost 8. We were only blown away in two of those 17 matches against Hawthorn who are on fire and Sydney the ladder leaders. We’ve won by 2, 57, 30, 99, 16, 32, 2 and 39 - including 3 games away. We’ve lost by 3, 4, 27, 8, 42, 11, 66, and 5 - including 4 home games. We’ve beaten Carlton, Essendon, Port, GWS and WB, and lost by 3 to Essendon, drew with Brisbane and then lost to them by 11, lost by 4 to Collingwood, - all were either in the 8 or vying for a position. We aren’t that far off it.

I’ve been saying all year, we are there and there abouts. And it is very clear, we’ve got the structure of a very nice footy team in place. Our forward line will be as elite as Port’s midfield (if they aren’t already). Our defenders are a work in progress but will be better for the massive learning curve they’ve had this year. Our midfield has some real gems developing now (Soligo, Taylor, Rankine, Dawson and Crouch with a smattering of Curtin and Rachele). What would be ideal, is to bring in an experienced big body mid.

I don’t think Nicks is the one to take us forward, but he has been extended so we will be lumped with him for a while yet. But I’m telling you this, if he can turn the corner, like our team has done, and he starts winning games with them next year, I’ll be cheering him on just as loudly as our lads.

I agree with most of this.

I always had us in the 7 to 12 range, and I still think that's actually about where we're at.

I think, at the start of the year, Nicks was trying to increase the pressure around the ball to get some rebound footy (which is happening now), and his error was thinking that was best done with mature bodies. Those bodies were a step or two off the pace and we looked BAD.

He realized you needed more speed if you wanted pressure, and the changes seem positive.

 

[Mostyn]

I forgot did we have a massive injury crisis the first month of footy?

Taylor Walker and Thilthorpe injured in the forward line; Nick Murray in the defense; Soligo, Jones, Schoenberg, Curtin, Sloane in the mids.

I guess whether that impacted or not is hard to know.

 

[Mostyn]

Jake Soligo was our sub Round 1, it's pretty obvious what the issue has been this year.

Because he had been injured and was still getting kms into his legs.

Unless you're trying to make the point that the injuries did matter?

 

[FR0GGY]

Taylor Walker and Thilthorpe injured in the forward line; Nick Murray in the defense; Soligo, Jones, Schoenberg, Curtin, Sloane in the mids.

I guess whether that impacted or not is hard to know.

Soligo missed half a game,
Jones and Schoenberg have been nowhere this year
Sloane was never having an impact
Walker played 3/4 of the first month
Curtin wasn’t being played as a mid.
Will give you Murray and Thilthorpe, however Keane well and truly filled Murray’s hole though in 3 out of the first 4 games.
Blaming injuries for the first month is a massive cop out.

 

[AFC979810]

Amazing how much TT helps us. Great thing is that all preseason many were saying he was ready to explode and his first 5 games back indicate they were right.

In his first 5 games back he has kicked 11 goals

Whats been great is that we have a real even spread the past two weeks:

FOG: 6
Rachele: 5
TT: 5
Keays: 4
Walker: 3.

Throw in Rankine and this is incredibly tough to stop / gameplan against.

 

[FR0GGY]

Amazing how much TT helps us. Great thing is that all preseason many were saying he was ready to explode and his first 5 games back indicate they were right.

In his first 5 games back he has kicked 11 goals

Whats been great is that we have a real even spread the past two weeks:

FOG: 6
Rachele: 5
TT: 5
Keays: 4
Walker: 3.

Throw in Rankine and this is incredibly tough to stop / gameplan against.

Which makes the shitty game plan at the start of the year all the more baffling
Get it in quick to these monsters.

 

[rubbers0ul]

How about why did it take so long for Nicks to finally get them playing the way they finished 2023?

Last year was all out attack, this year started off with entitlement and a defense first game plan. next year they'll get it right.

Just the lazy 25 kicks for Sholl...

was great all day. presented as a target for the 25m outlet release kick all day down the line. so silly chompers didn't run a tighter wingman on sholl.

 

[WaynesWorld19]

Soligo missed half a game,
Jones and Schoenberg have been nowhere this year
Sloane was never having an impact
Walker played 3/4 of the first month
Curtin wasn’t being played as a mid.
Will give you Murray and Thilthorpe, however Keane well and truly filled Murray’s hole though in 3 out of the first 4 games.
Blaming injuries for the first month is a massive cop out.

You're correct, injuries weren't the reason for the first 4 games .....however, this AFL season has seen most teams have runs of losses

BRIS the first 5 games
CARL explosive to start .....can't win a chook raffle now
ESS ...looking top 4 material ...now doing what ESS do best
PORT ....done & dusted 4-5 weeks ago .....doing a Jekyll and Hyde performance now

So, it doesn't take much for teams to have a poor run

 

[WaynesWorld19]

And he looked fantastic with his disposal!

There's a definite difference in how Crouch plays .....yesterday it was kick first, get the ball fwd .....usually, his first action has been to look sideways and shape to handball

The former is good ....the latter an anchor on our ball movement speed

 

[Burtonsgottago]

Keeps digging a bigger hole...

A smart coach would have corrected his misjudgement a very long time ago!

Lack of humility

 

[Burtonsgottago]

FOG started the season slow but has finished strongly

Maybe the weight of a leadership role played on his mind early, but wow he is growing asa player and as a leader

2025 - needs to put a full season together


On iPhone using BigFooty.com mobile app

Maybe our slow ball movement early as instructed by the coach had a part to play in that?

 

[CrowBloke]

I’ve yet to come across one either at the footy, gym or the streets after a game in Melbourne.

Even today, he had the opportunity to handball it off (I forgot who) but instead had a shot for goal and what came as a little surprise missed.

It's taken years, but Nicks has finally seen that McHenry's try-hard huff'n'puff has very litttle actual effect which has been obvious to most of us for at least a couple years. Nicks also seems to have woken up re: (alas!) Smith and Jones.
Yet he perseveres with Murphy and I'm damned if I know why. Early on in his career, I liked Murphy's bravery and toughness --- he does not shirk a contest --- but eventually it became clear that those traits are just not enough and do not add up to actual game impact.
Nicks' faith in Murphy is only one of several factors that have made me give up on him as senior Coach.

 

[AFC979810]

You're correct, injuries weren't the reason for the first 4 games .....however, this AFL season has seen most teams have runs of losses

BRIS the first 5 games
CARL explosive to start .....can't win a chook raffle now
ESS ...looking top 4 material ...now doing what ESS do best
PORT ....done & dusted 4-5 weeks ago .....doing a Jekyll and Hyde performance now

So, it doesn't take much for teams to have a poor run

And whats the difference between these teams and us Wayne?

These teams also had a really good run of good form which we haven't had.

I would be less concerned about the 0-4 start if we had a stretch of quality games and were in finals contention. Our biggest win streak this year is 2 wins.

 

[steve9798]

The most fun I have had at the footy in a long time. Loved watching the Crows B team before the main game.

Had most of the ingredients you love seeing in your team. Dominant power key forwards at the peak of their powers. That kick from Fogarty to Rachele was Walker-like. It had flashes of brilliance from two small forwards in Rachele and the wonderful Rankine. And it had aggression, skill and toughness from a top-class defense. The midfield is still our greatest weakness. Berry showed some really good signs but his lack of polish will prevent him from becoming an A grader. Recruit two A grade midfielders over the next two years and who knows what could happen.

The kids in Bond, Nankervis, Dowling (didn't play) are all coming along nicely.

I was wrong about Sholl. He's had a really good year.

Curtin, looks like a potential A grader. A FU game to the coaching group.

I have been a critic of Keays but credit where credit is due, as long as he stays in the forward line, he is becoming a real weapon.

Our defense is a quality KPP away from being an A grade defense. Courageous, skillful, aggressive and tough group. Love it.

 

[Jarman3]

There's a definite difference in how Crouch plays .....yesterday it was kick first, get the ball fwd .....usually, his first action has been to look sideways and shape to handball

The former is good ....the latter an anchor on our ball movement speed

I actually mentioned this to the guy next to me at the game yesterday. Crouch marked it in front of us out there near the wing. Hi natural reflex was to stop, slow, down, have a look around, then a fraction of a second later you could actually see him consciously check that instinct and wheel around and kick it forward quickly instead. That's where you really have to give him credit for how he's turned his game around from a year or two back. He's not just playing the way he's always played, he's put a lot of work into actually changing his game to make himself relevant as a player again.

 

[Mutineer]

Much much better performance today with some real one on one wins. And we'll take it. But again the numbers are still very worrying. 43 inside 50s vs 59. You aren't winning too many games with so few. +37 hitouts and yet again we lost clearance -3. -18 tackles. Won contested possessions by +7 which was good to see. Truth is our numbers this year have been really poor. Anyway I will still enjoy the win in a season there haven't been many.

Centre clearances was 14 - 11 the Crows way against one of the better midfields in the AFL resulting in 6 goals from centre square bounces. Think people should watch Bevo's presser because the way he saw the game is poles apart from what some saw out there yesterday.

 

[Cap]

it's nice to see a mix in there (p.s follow this guy throws out some good numbers)

 

[jackster83]

Really just bad luck, everything is actually pretty perfect we just had injuries

Injury.*

The Thilthorpe injury is being used to brush away criticism of a bottom four season.

 

[Mutineer]

He only gets it off the Wheelo website, that and more is available for every game.

AFL Match Stats

AFL Match Stats

www.wheeloratings.com

 

[Vader]

Which makes the shitty game plan at the start of the year all the more baffling
Get it in quick to these monsters.

The presence of TT makes a huge difference to that structure though... and he simply wasn't available early in the season.

** I'm not using the TT injury as an excuse. There was a lot more going on in those first 4 weeks than just TT missing from the forward line. Having said that, anyone who thinks it didn't have a significant impact has rocks in their heads.

 

[Bazz_27]

That was probably the best 23 we've had on the park at once this year. First time they've all played together this year too:


Biggest impact on our season is the games missed by Thilthorpe, Worrell, Murray & Rankine IMO