AFL Autopsy RND 15: Loss to the Dockers

[MiguelM]

Sometimes i wonder if our supporters truly know our side

If serong and brayshaw pantsed us last night, imagine the butters, jhf and rozee show.

End of the day, freo wanted it more.

Serong has always pantsed us!

 

[Squeaky]

Switch off halfway through the first for your own sanity.

And if you can tell us all wtf the umpires were doing that'd be appreciated!

 

[Squeaky]

You'd think after the 2nd centre clearance leading to a goal the mids might play man on and backs might get in the opposition shirts ... Def need at least one slightly defensively orientated mid in the centre bounces.

BZT looked hurt and Weid went back to cover him. Hope Scott leaves him there and brings in Jaiden Hunter as our 2nd KPF next week

Snelling competes hard can't kick over a jam tin so the move is Menzies in for him and Mass/Hind/Kelly to sub.

Hunter is gone for the year

 

[MiguelM]

For me, this was the worst we have played all year, yet we still got within striking distance.

Our team defence was poor but I still think we have improved defence this year. Some saying no but there have been games where we have been very good.

Turnovers (as others have posted) are still killing momentum, inside 50s & tackles were well down. Marking too is a big issue. Doesn't help that Weed was horrendous, there was no link at CHF.

I thought selection was poor too. Menzie should have started, 1 or Hind or Mass as well. I like Kelly but we always seem stagnant in the back half when he plays.

Anyway, we get to live another week. Forgettable game.

 

[Squeaky]

For me, this was the worst we have played all year, yet we still got within striking distance.

Our team defence was poor but I still think we have improved defence this year. Some saying no but there have been games where we have been very good.

Turnovers (as others have posted) are still killing momentum, inside 50s & tackles were well down. Marking too is a big issue. Doesn't help that Weed was horrendous, there was no link at CHF.

I thought selection was poor too. Menzie should have started, 1 or Hind or Mass as well. I like Kelly but we always seem stagnant in the back half when he plays.

Anyway, we get to live another week. Forgettable game.

Good summation

 

[Squeaky]

For me, this was the worst we have played all year, yet we still got within striking distance.

Our team defence was poor but I still think we have improved defence this year. Some saying no but there have been games where we have been very good.

Turnovers (as others have posted) are still killing momentum, inside 50s & tackles were well down. Marking too is a big issue. Doesn't help that Weed was horrendous, there was no link at CHF.

I thought selection was poor too. Menzie should have started, 1 or Hind or Mass as well. I like Kelly but we always seem stagnant in the back half when he plays.

Anyway, we get to live another week. Forgettable game.

Re: getting back to striking distance, in the last I started to think maybe... which was then immediately followed up by that horrible centre clearance and goal to Frederick in about 7 seconds. Purely forgettable game, as you said.

 

[MiguelM]

Re: getting back to striking distance, in the last I started to think maybe... which was then immediately followed up by that horrible centre clearance and goal to Frederick in about 7 seconds. Purely forgettable game, as you said.

Yeah, was always going to be tough to come back but Freo should have been 60 up by then.

The only highlights were some of Martins passes through the centre, he is going to own the game soon.

Definitely forgettable for the rest. every team has those games. Normally we have had 3-4 of those by now, that is my glass half full take!

 

[joey_jo_jo]

Re: getting back to striking distance, in the last I started to think maybe... which was then immediately followed up by that horrible centre clearance and goal to Frederick in about 7 seconds. Purely forgettable game, as you said.

Centre clearance was an issue for most of the game when its usually one of our weapons.
We were missing draper and introducing parish into a unit that had just started to find its groove last week. Happy to mark this down as an off night in that regard and hopefully the addition of parish, then setters/shiel will make us stronger for remainder of season.

 

[Squeaky]

Centre clearance was an issue for most of the game when its usually one of our weapons.
We were missing draper and introducing parish into a unit that had just started to find its groove last week. Happy to mark this down as an off night in that regard and hopefully the addition of parish, then setters/shiel will make us stronger for remainder of season.

Maybe. But as has been written previously, I think the guys that have been playing in the mid roles recently do have a more defensive mindset and it showed. We may have to spin the magnets a bit to get the best mix with all the returning players etc.

 

[windyhill]

Sometimes i wonder if our supporters truly know our side

If serong and brayshaw pantsed us last night, imagine the butters, jhf and rozee show.

End of the day, freo wanted it more.

Even this bloke could see that.

 

[windyhill]

Sometimes i wonder if our supporters truly know our side

If serong and brayshaw pantsed us last night, imagine the butters, jhf and rozee show.

End of the day, freo wanted it more.

Sometimes I wonder if our supporters truly know football
This comp is so even, they beat us by five points last time, back in Melbourne, think we’re a good chance.

 

[mike14]

A lot went wrong across the ground all night, but jeez those back to back misses half way through the first by Stringer were costly. Both very getable and Freo would have been 4 goals early (yeah, I know the ball goes back to the middle and everything changes). From that point forwards the Dockers were able to reorganise and start slowing us down.
They did a very good job of exploiting our midfield, as well as making sure our link guys at either end (Redmond and Langford) went basically unsighted.

Ridley was huge all game.

 

[mike ross]

Sometimes I wonder if our supporters truly know football
This comp is so even, they beat us by five points last time, back in Melbourne, think we’re a good chance.

Only if we are switched on. You've been around long enough to know the game is mostly played upstairs. And agree the comp is even, well except for West Coast.

 

[Call Me Cake]

Think you guys are reading waaay too much into this game.

An hour before the match people were flabbergasted at the odds being in Freo's favour, nek minit the same people are going on about where we're actually at.

Yes we've overachieved based on predictions before the season, but I see it as a side that's beaten Melbourne with a four quarter effort, and managed to take it up to and almost beat Collingwood and Port.

To take that away from them is disingenious and we've been spoiled with the four game run. Not every team wins every game, and they showed grit to make it a contest in the last.

On the right track. Onto next week.

 

[eth-dog]

We're not as good as them. They're probably the best team outside the 4 IMO.

 

[sameolds33]

A lot went wrong across the ground all night, but jeez those back to back misses half way through the first by Stringer were costly. Both very getable and Freo would have been 4 goals early (yeah, I know the ball goes back to the middle and everything changes). From that point forwards the Dockers were able to reorganise and start slowing us down.
They did a very good job of exploiting our midfield, as well as making sure our link guys at either end (Redmond and Langford) went basically unsighted.

Ridley was huge all game.

Also that first set shot by 2MP. Indicated we weren't in the goal kicking zone.

 

[Run and carry]

Agreed. They were shocking last week and were always going to hit back whoever they played. I’m expecting Essendon to respond hard next week.

Much is made of the evenness of the competition as if its a good thing. it makes the game exciting and always gives your team a chance to win each week but the downside is that there are no genuine blockbusters and no genuine upsets anymore.

Its not unusual for two powerhouse clubs to play one week and both clubs get well beaten by bottom six clubs the next week. It takes the tarnish off a bit.

It's hazy but I remember about 30 odd years ago watching Steven Kolyniuk sidestep a Collingwood opponent to get the Bulldogs over the line in a thriller at the MCG.

It was a big deal back then that a struggling club could pull off this upset win whereas these days you see the Gold Coast Suns beat Geelong and even the Lions get soundly beaten last week by a Hawthorn rabble and no one even flinches.

 

[Happyskeret]

I still don’t think we have gone full blown Essington yet.

 

[Godzke]

I think our coaches are genuinely worried about the lack of class down back after Ridley and Redman. McGrath has had a good season but had a poor night, but Kelly was putrid, Laverde has been off for a while now and BZT has been forgetable after a promising start to the season. It's a cliche, but you need to build a quality team from the back and I think we need to go after 2x KPDs during the off-season. BZT is a decent back up option, whilst Laverde and Kelly should be competing for the same spot.

That then impacts the ball movement, which looked slow, safe and long down the line. We loved chipping it wide to the boundary from a kick-in. That was very Woosha-like in the coaching. Play it safe so we can set up to defend any rebound entry. You do that because you don't trust your backline.

Amazingly, we were so predictable going wide which made it easy for Freo to defend but we were hopelessly caught out when Freo constantly went wide with their ball movement. As if we were happy with conceding a forward entry from a defensive half chain because it came via the wings and not through the guts. That is poor.

Forward line looked lost at sea. Credit to Pearce for his game and Ryan did a number as well, but really I think the impact of not having a proper forward coach is showing.

Can't help but think the lack of gut running was because players were concerned of doing a soft-tissue injury on the harder surface the week after having a bye. Not the right mindset, but I couldn't ignore it. It's as if it was a strategy to be careful not to over-exert too early.

Whilst it looks (and is) poor by the midfield, it actually looks worse by Redman, Kelly and McGrath who just failed to adequately mark or body their opponent in a 1-1.

 

[Call Me Cake]

Are you kidding me McGrath was the one keeping us in it in the last. The guy doesn't cause clangers even on a dump kick.

In fact it was our defense that made Freo less damaging than they could have been, and it was our mids having an off night that got us into the mess and our forwards having f all to work with. To put it on McGrath or blame the class of our defense is clutching at straws IMO. Redman, Ridley and McGrath are doing their part, it's the next rung that need to improve or ideally have either Reid or Cox come good.

 

[Happyskeret]

Are you kidding me McGrath was the one keeping us in it in the last. The guy doesn't cause clangers even on a dump kick.

In fact it was our defense that made it less damage than it could have been, it was lack of ownership in the ruck and our mids having an off night that got us into the mess and our forwards having f all to work with sealed the deal. To put it on McGrath or blame the class of our defense is clutching at straws imo. Redman, Ridley and McGrath are doing their part, it's the next rung that need to improve or ideally have either Reid or Cox come good.

I thought he had a mixed game. Did some very good things and some bad things as well. Even Ridley who I thought played a very good game made some uncharacteristic mistakes at times.

 

[MiguelM]

A lot went wrong across the ground all night, but jeez those back to back misses half way through the first by Stringer were costly. Both very getable and Freo would have been 4 goals early (yeah, I know the ball goes back to the middle and everything changes). From that point forwards the Dockers were able to reorganise and start slowing us down.
They did a very good job of exploiting our midfield, as well as making sure our link guys at either end (Redmond and Langford) went basically unsighted.

Ridley was huge all game.

Plus our forward line exerted zero pressure. Menzie as the sub was dumb.

Allowed Henry to have his best game ever. They ran the ball out of our forward line at will.

Freo are a very quick side and we selected a very slow one.

Snelling constantly got run down and Kelly must be the slowest player at our club.

 

[supportyourteam]

Menzie in. Kelly sub. Weideman shuffled back. May have helped
Weideman has an Essendon look in his eye when behind the ball.

 

[Saintsone]

Yeah, was always going to be tough to come back but Freo should have been 60 up by then.

The only highlights were some of Martins passes through the centre, he is going to own the game soon.

Definitely forgettable for the rest. every team has those games. Normally we have had 3-4 of those by now, that is my glass half full take!

Martin has been good but I find that he is a bit of a kick chaser. Henry was a lot better than him. Good sides have wingers that are prepared to hold their space and stay wide. It might not get the glory but it is the best thing for the team. Brisbane is the best example. Watch Berry, doesn’t always get big stats but he protects the outlet kick. Until we have midfielders that sacrifice for the team we will go no where. I feel that Martin is starting to believe his own hype

 

[Wahooti Fandango]

I just watched the replay. We weren't that bad. But maybe that's just relative to the garbage that I have gotten used to over the past 20 years.