Autopsy Rd 17 Blues lose to the bottom side after awful first half

[BigBreakfast]

Yeah that rubbed me the wrong way. Had just missed a sitter (again, as he has all year), then kicks a great goal and does a celebration even though we are 4 or 5 goals down. Give it a big fistpump and 'cmon boys' rather than a finger twirl and 'how good am i' to the crowd

Ffs now we are analysing celebrations.

 

[BigBreakfast]

At the game you could see at every single contest the Crows outnumbered us until about halfway through the 3rd when we finally arrived to Carrara Stadium. Up until that Crows players were in space all over the ground as well as outnumbering us at the contest. What was bizarre was even though it was so often 1v3 to the Crows in contests you still couldn't pick out where all our extra players were. With the ball we were missing targets, fumbling and often blazing away without looking.

It wasn't a structural issue, it was an effort issue. No one put in and from what you could see at the ground it was really Cripps who woke everyone up, not just with his goal - he started hitting the contest much harder and playing with more energy. He lifted and once he did a few others came along with him. After that we started hitting up targets and hunting the ball in packs.

What a surprise then that we suddenly started to come back after that.

Crows have been playing an outnumber at the contest all year because it’s the only string on their bow. We should have seen it and responded but, it makes the game ugly and preys on the notion that the numbers will get a hard ball out. We were hoping to capitalise by playing a number behind the contest to get the loose, scrubber kick. Didn’t work, we adjusted mad made a run. Definition of a structural choice.

 

[sosos]

We are at the stage of thinking through each move, rather than it being muscle memory yet.

I agree with this. And I think this is where our midfield and forwards coaches have not done their jobs properly.

Both cohorts have not been drilled well enough and they lack predictability to their team mates.

 

[BigBreakfast]

In the same way that we don’t know what Barker does, we’re also not privy to the tactics and set ups. For all we know they’re being drilled with it very clearly every day.

The fact that we can nail it at times and go to water with it at others points to not being switched on. To put it another way, ‘mentality’.

That’s part of the big picture, they are not being drilled on anything because they don’t have the capacity to train properly due to the nature of the circumstances. That’s why much of the football being played is scrappy and contested, they are playing on instinct rather than strategy, that’s almost every team that doesn’t have a long history of a particular game style. Geelong, WCE, Richmond etc are just replicating an established style.

We are growing our in a circumstances where we can’t train consistently and have no real seconds structure. We will come on in the years to come.

Of bigger concern is why we didn’t get more games into kids in this compromised environment.

 

[BigBreakfast]

Deflecting? Being consistent with structures etc. takes focus and discipline (i.e. mental strength).

The fact that we’re capable at times yet falter in big moments suggests a mental frailty.

Or, they need opportunities to entrench the principles so they are muscle memory in challenging situations. Not sure if anyone can deny that we have had limited opportunity to entrench the desired principles.

Hawthorns Core was graft between 3 and 6 years prior to their ‘surprise flag’ in 2007 and quite a number of years before their generational greatness. Geelong the same, Brisbane the same. Give it time to be established ffs.

 

[BigBreakfast]

If you had offered 7 wins and a percentage of 96% from 17 games at the start of the year I would have taken it, the fact that looking back at some of the games we dropped means where we are seems slightly disappointing is a good thing.

We are definitely making progress, we just need to find our Lachie Neale.

And some Linc McCarthy and Jarrod Berry types (internal or acquired) to support.

 

[BigBreakfast]

Playing for frees, arguing with umpires, head wobble chasing. All forms of mental weakness.

For those that will demand an explanation :

Taking the easy way out, fighting the unchangeable, worrying about what others think. All fall under the mental weakness umbrella.

Sorry dude but, this is a load of tripe if you are trying to apply them to our effort this year. Our execution is poor, our effort is not.

 

[BigBreakfast]

Yep. Instead Teague will give them a nice talking to and make sure their feelings aren’t hurt.

How the hell do you know what is happening behind the scenes?

 

[BigBreakfast]

That is akin to a Father running away from his children because it is too hard.

I have words to describe your ilk but I fear it may get me in trouble. Can someone tell me if I post what I think of this turncoat, is there a filter that will catch the words??

What a f****** ridiculous comparison!

 

[BigBreakfast]

Yes we have to tip toe through the tulip and make sure its all sparkles, rainbows and unicorns for them. We have to look pass the fact that they get paid a absolute butt load to play and play with heart and conviction. But what out lot churn out is def not worth paying for!

GC or GWS are looking for members, jog on.

 

[BigBreakfast]

It’s disingenuous to suggest that we weren’t pretty fortunate in a few of those.

If you’re pleased with our efforts this year, that’s fine. I’m not.

And equally, unfortunate that we lost a couple. Swings and roundabouts. Close games or belting of the past, you choose.

 

[BigBreakfast]

I agree with this. And I think this is where our midfield and forwards coaches have not done their jobs properly.

Both cohorts have not been drilled well enough and they lack predictability to their team mates.

Explain to me how you can drill when you can’t train in a fashion that would entrench a style?

 

[BigBreakfast]

Three peat the three peat! Hard work catching up on this thread...

 

[blue healer]

How the hell do you know what is happening behind the scenes?

It's the vibe.

 

[blue healer]

Three peat the three peat! Hard work catching up on this thread...

Like tiptoeing through sewerage works. I jumped a few bigger ponds.

 

[blue healer]

This BigBreafast guy doesn't mind fighting on multiple fronts.

 

[Eiffel 65]

Time to forget about this game.

 

[BigBreakfast]

This BigBreafast guy doesn't mind fighting on multiple fronts.

When I have time, it’s on! Reckon I’m consistently supporting Carlton.

 

[blue healer]

When I have time, it’s on!

I'm more one of those guys who likes to stand around and yell "fight, fight, fight" these days.

 

[SticksChips]

What a f****** ridiculous comparison!

Depends how important your football team is to you...

Interesting that your knickers are in a knot but the poster I was referring to took it in the jovial manner it was intended. Perhaps stick to those fights in which you have a bone?

 

[SticksChips]

There is no way this was spur of the moment. It would have been discussed beforehand, not necessarily appproved by all, but discussed.

You might not like to accept it, but I have it on very good authority that it came as a total surprise to Teague and everyone in senior positions at the Club. Some people don't care. Others took great exception to it. No need to overstate it - as I understand it the comment was made "this wasn't a good look" from a senior person to the players. Teague also said he found it surprising and it is clear from the press conference he did not agree with it. But no one's career is being ended over it and there is no bad blood. That is internally, externally well a few donors have complained, others have praised it.

My personal view as I said is that it was a bad look and I would have hit the roof if I was in charge. Many others would think that is totally unreasonable and I understand that point of view.

It is done. Everyone moves on.

 

[SticksChips]

This BigBreafast guy doesn't mind fighting on multiple fronts.

Reminds me of a yorkie or a toy poodle....won't stop yapping

Now BigBreakfast before you get all annoyed, I love small yappy dogs.

I've been called a great dane. Big and ugly, looks scary but in reality I just want my belly rubbed...

 

[Earls Smother]

Earls Smother said:
Absolutely you can if you are affected by mental fatigue.

The recent part of the fixture has been our worst. We have played:

Sunday - 4 day break - Thursday - 5 day break - Tuesday - 5 day break - Sunday. The crows on the other hand have played:

Bye - total of 9 days break - Tuesday - 7 day break - Tuesday - 5 day break - Sunday.

Whilst both teams were coming off a 5 day break, the lead up to that was very different. It just added up to us being as flat as a sh*t-carter's hat mentally.

We saw the signs last week of mental fatigue in the first half. Luckily our physical fitness got us out of jail. Again yesterday, our physical fitness saw us run out the game better and win the second half by nearly 5 goals.

Jimmae (how do I tag him?) wrote a post at half time in the Swans game about CNS fatigue which I think he must have deleted later as I can't find it. It's no surprise that guys like Gibbons and Cuners looked sharper than most others, having not played all the games.

We would have seen this coming and staffed the games accordingly. Fyfe has rested forward, loads of players managed, Neale and Pendlebury are freaks with deep midfield support, players have ‘enjoyed’ resting while injured like DeGoey and Treloar, Bryce hasn’t played anything

You cannot tell me that the likes of Murphy can’t have been more effective on Sunday-if they were rested in other games and we trusted some of the young fellas to lift. This was a failure of the MC that I hope they learn from. There is every likelihood that 2021 will be COVID influenced or that the AFL will fall in love with the Footy Festival idea.

Wow that's a fair run of posts you've put together

I assume you meant should rather than would? If so I totally agree. We managed this aspect poorly and it's hard to argue otherwise.

This mental weakness debate was totally twisted around by the usual suspect. His post #947 on page 38 basically said there was no mental aspect to any of our lapses within games - it was all down to coaching and structures.

A number of us debated the issue. My POV was more around mental fatigue (worst part of the fixture, 4 games in 14 days). Others argued that as humans we are all going to have varying levels of mental inconsistency. One poster may have mentioned directly that we were mentally weak.

It then became "You all say we are mentally weak, and I don't", which is of course not what occurred.

We would all agree that the Covid situation has compromised our learnings around set-ups etc. But to say that mental lapses within games has not contributed to the wild scoreboard swings is disingenuous at best.

We need to get better at a lot of things, but one of them is greater consistency in our mental application - both to begin games, and within the game when the tide turns against us.

 

[FRUMPY]

Ffs now we are analysing celebrations.

I do, i hate it when we are down or playing shit and a player kicks a goal and celebrates like his shit dont stink. FFS, you've played shit all day, celebrate with your teammates and try and get the team going rather than twirling your fingers at the fans and telling them how good you are.

 

[Accidental genius]

I don’t see an issue with smurph and simmo carrying Gibbs off the ground. Club should be more concerned about the lack of effort in the first half though. That’s where the real issue is.