AFL Autopsy RND 4: Dons Demolished

[ghostdog]

Scott genuinely seemed at a loss for words over it in the presser.

Guelfi with a minor calf injury (that he didn’t even know was injured until after a scan) that hasn’t gotten better at all in 3 weeks.

What the hell is going on there?

Oh, is it a 'calf injury' ?

 

[windyhill]

Poor bastards who went over for this. I’d suggest to them that they get on the wine tours and not to drink for pleasure but to drink to forget

 

[Mercurial89]

Probably the reality check that again this midfield (and team really) does not have, as currently constructed, the right mix or the top end talent to challenge.

No one on the list aside from a Perkins has the attributes to do what a Rozee does.
You get them by nailing your top picks, not getting just ok AFL footballers.
We have no pace forward or across the ground.

Pressure was good early, so system worked.
But so many fundamentals we just can't do:
Spacing around contest (our mids)
Staying with your dangerous small forward at the dangerous areas of a marking pack (McGrath)
Tackling (everyone)
Disposal both kicking and hand passes (everyone)
Kicking it to advantage, not even just hitting a target, just putting it to an area to give him a chance.
Holding or taking your marks.

Parish and Redman skills and touch wise are both off to start this year. Parish is actually better than what he was previous years defensively but his touch has been bad.
Setters looked rusty as hell and it stuck out early.
Draper, the perfect example of a guy that does flashy things but no fundamentals. Can't kick, doesn't do the basic football rules.

Our hopeful "top liners" youth wise are either playing vfl because we can't fit them in their spots in the seniors or are continuously injured.

And all that's focused on media wise is that we are playing with an edge instead of the horribly imbalanced and lacking talent roster.
At least the soft injury microscope appears to maybe be in the public space, hopefully that's run with more.

 

[ghostdog]

Strange and reactionary.

Hobbs basically didn’t play any midfield time tonight, took a couple of nice overhead marks and tackled well but wasn’t in and under, probably should have been.

Perkins 16 touches 3 clearances, 2 tackles and a goal in less than 50% game time. Was building into another big game and firmly looks a midfielder.

Duursma and Kelly ran their guts out on the wings and got back to support an under siege defensive group. No issues with those two.

Parish still hasn’t hit his stride, maybe a little undercooked but the cupboard is pretty bare so I can understand picking him.

Caldwell I had only behind Merrett, had a pretty good game.

Lost the game in the ruck and by letting them careen out of the front of stoppages at pace. Few arm tackles I didn’t like but I reckon if we play like that against a bottom 8 side it’s close and we could well win, just a simple case of consistently losing the ball at the source and not being able to get any kind of field position for 80 of the 120 minutes.

Defended the ground tremendously well in the first quarter, dominated field position for the first 10 minutes of the second and then the dam wall didn’t break, if ****ing exploded.

I thought the midfielders got done last night. At the CBAs their mid at the front of the stoppage would take off to one side of the bounce, our defensive side mid would track him but that was the decoy. One of their others would attack the tap at pace that we didn't have, and because our defensive mid had gone we provided the exit. Not sure who we had sitting the back of the square but the leg speed out of Rozee and JHF was so quick we may have gotten done anyway.

So yeah, it's on the rucks, but we were slower and reactionary in the centre as well. Anyone know who we had at the back of the square?

 

[ghostdog]

Probably the reality check that again this midfield (and team really) does not have, as currently constructed, the right mix or the top end talent to challenge.

No one on the list aside from a Perkins has the attributes to do what a Rozee does.
You get them by nailing your top picks, not getting just ok AFL footballers.
We have no pace forward or across the ground.

Pressure was good early, so system worked.
But so many fundamentals we just can't do:
Spacing around contest (our mids)
Staying with your dangerous small forward at the dangerous areas of a marking pack (McGrath)
Tackling (everyone)
Disposal both kicking and hand passes (everyone)
Kicking it to advantage, not even just hitting a target, just putting it to an area to give him a chance.
Holding or taking your marks.

Parish and Redman skills and touch wise are both off to start this year. Parish is actually better than what he was previous years defensively but his touch has been bad.
Setters looked rusty as hell and it stuck out early.
Draper, the perfect example of a guy that does flashy things but no fundamentals. Can't kick, doesn't do the basic football rules.

Our hopeful "top liners" youth wise are either playing vfl because we can't fit them in their spots in the seniors or are continuously injured.

And all that's focused on media wise is that we are playing with an edge instead of the horribly imbalanced and lacking talent roster.
At least the soft injury microscope appears to maybe be in the public space, hopefully that's run with more.

100% agree. This is why I posited trading Hobbs last night. The sooner Tsatas is up to playing and we bring in another mid with some pace, the better.

I thought we really missed Duz coming through from the defensive side of stoppages last night and Setters might still have been nervous about his knee.

 

[ghostdog]

First poor performance of the year and we won't be the only side they get a hold of at home.

That said team defense still a real concern - apparently Hodge named names and Parish was mentioned which was hardly a surprise. A return of blue collar Essendon for next Friday please.

Who else did Hodge identify?

 

[Zach Package]

I thought the midfielders got done last night. At the CBAs their mid at the front of the stoppage would take off to one side of the bounce, our defensive side mid would track him but that was the decoy. One of their others would attack the tap at pace that we didn't have, and because our defensive mid had gone we provided the exit. Not sure who we had sitting the back of the square but the leg speed out of Rozee and JHF was so quick we may have gotten done anyway.

So yeah, it's on the rucks, but we were slower and reactionary in the centre as well. Anyone know who we had at the back of the square?

Yeah for 3 quarters they got done, firmly, almost to the point where you throw your hands up and yield if you’re in the back 6 or the front 6.

I’ve seen us play far, far worse but the almost untouchable dominance out of the centre killed the game, I wouldn’t say we were noticeably soft in the contest or we stopped working, we just got squashed.

I’m very disappointed that Scott didn’t make alterations on the fly to try and stop some of the bleeding coming out of stoppage but then again he’s Brad Scott and he doesn’t ever do anything on the fly.

He should be copping well deserved heat this week.

 

[ghostdog]

Until we somehow find a genuine modern day mid who is a leg driver from stoppages, explosive and kick goals, we will never do anything. Every good team has one.

Port have 3 of those guys, and tonight showed the difference what they do. Our best player by far is Merrett, and he just doesn't damage the same way as those guys.

We have to draft well before Tassie comes in or we are in big trouble

We have two; Tsatas who's apparently not ready, and Shiel who's nearing the end.

 

[ghostdog]

This was me when BT was in our rooms before the game and said they were trying to get the players in a happy place before the game.

A happy place? What's up with that?

 

[CBombers17]

Who else did Hodge identify?

I don't know a mate told me he focussed on it and Parish was mentioned. Here's the text message in full

..."Our players won't defend. Post game luke hodge talked through an example in the third quarter, called it laziness and said it happened the whole quarter. Not manning up and parish was one of the players pinpointed."

 

[Milanista28]

Effort - poor after Q1
Skills - poor
Speed - few 2 way runners
Execution - poor
Negating - who the fruit was on Rozee?
Defence - deplorable
Offense - looked lost
Now - what happens next?

Same as last year, some good wins, some poor losses, finish mid table, talk about how we want to take the next step to sell memberships.

Also grab another couple mid table players as FA.

 

[JT_the_Man]

Well that sucked.

 

[MiguelM]

Probably the reality check that again this midfield (and team really) does not have, as currently constructed, the right mix or the top end talent to challenge.

No one on the list aside from a Perkins has the attributes to do what a Rozee does.
You get them by nailing your top picks, not getting just ok AFL footballers.
We have no pace forward or across the ground.

Pressure was good early, so system worked.
But so many fundamentals we just can't do:
Spacing around contest (our mids)
Staying with your dangerous small forward at the dangerous areas of a marking pack (McGrath)
Tackling (everyone)
Disposal both kicking and hand passes (everyone)
Kicking it to advantage, not even just hitting a target, just putting it to an area to give him a chance.
Holding or taking your marks.

Parish and Redman skills and touch wise are both off to start this year. Parish is actually better than what he was previous years defensively but his touch has been bad.
Setters looked rusty as hell and it stuck out early.
Draper, the perfect example of a guy that does flashy things but no fundamentals. Can't kick, doesn't do the basic football rules.

Our hopeful "top liners" youth wise are either playing vfl because we can't fit them in their spots in the seniors or are continuously injured.

And all that's focused on media wise is that we are playing with an edge instead of the horribly imbalanced and lacking talent roster.
At least the soft injury microscope appears to maybe be in the public space, hopefully that's run with more.

Thing is Perk is not even close to the speed needed. Couldn't get close to running down Butters or Rozee last night.

 

[JT_the_Man]

Positives - Gresham, Duursma, Jones improving.

There were a few others who can hold their head up (Merrett, McKay, Caldwell, Martin I guess) but jeez that was bad.

 

[Mercurial89]

Thing is Perk is not even close to the speed needed. Couldn't get close to running down Butters or Rozee last night.

More the attributes, wants the moment, power, size and strength through contact.

He is the only young player who has that on the list.

 

[Milanista28]

Thing is Perk is not even close to the speed needed. Couldn't get close to running down Butters or Rozee last night.

He's a lot slower than I thought he'd be after year 1.

 

[ghostdog]

Not sure playing under done young blokes is really good for development . Just my view.

Dunno ant. It seems to have worked okay for Port with Rozee and Butters etc.

Rozee played 22 games as a 19 year old.
Butters played 19 as a 19 year old.

 

[Happyskeret]

A happy place? What's up with that?

I don’t know? Personally I thought you would want to feel a little bit of intensity before you went out. Then again they did start well.

 

[MiguelM]

More the attributes, wants the moment, power, size and strength through contact.

He is the only young player who has that on the list.

I like what he has done this year but need to recruit speed at the ball to compliment him.

It is one sugar hit we do need, an experienced line breaker.

 

[ghostdog]

Yeah for 3 quarters they got done, firmly, almost to the point where you throw your hands up and yield if you’re in the back 6 or the front 6.

I’ve seen us play far, far worse but the almost untouchable dominance out of the centre killed the game, I wouldn’t say we were noticeably soft in the contest or we stopped working, we just got squashed.

I’m very disappointed that Scott didn’t make alterations on the fly to try and stop some of the bleeding coming out of stoppage but then again he’s Brad Scott and he doesn’t ever do anything on the fly.

He should be copping well deserved heat this week.

The cliche you often hear about is 'playing the way we want to play.' I don't know anything about coaching, but it was clear we couldn't play 1 on 1, and I guess we didn't want to play that way. I'd be interested to know what moves were made to try to force them to play how we wanted to.

 

[Mootsy]

One thing also, people underestimate how good Port's list is and how well it's been constructed and planned out, they show glimpses of a multitude of A-grade players and look to be right up there in the premiership hunt. We clearly don't have that synthesis, but we have shown it during some games. Consistency isn't quite there. The ability to play 4 quarter and to adapt to a gameplan is also a failure not only by the leadership group, but also the coaches, to not realise over 3 quarters that the style isn't working, is kind of funny in some ways in an AFL league, it's comical. But it may also show that the natural intuitive skill level is not there either.

 

[The Donners]

And inexperience.

I don't know what to say anymore. I kind of expected that result last night but was hoping I'd be wrong. I feel for the fans especially the ones who travelled to go see that crap.

Brad must be wondering what the hell he was thinking taking over the coaching role. Gee he has a mountain of work to do. Goodluck mate you're really going to need it.

Biggest frustration for me is that we cannot ever field our strongest side. Injuries are haunting us year after year.

Calling it, season over.

We’re all frustrated given the last 20 years however we need to be patient.

I think there have been plenty of good signs. I think every 3rd or 4th week against the good sides there will be blowouts. As Scott has said we need to bridge that gaps. Clearly this season it’s a bridge too far.

All clubs have injuries. There are definitely players that shouldn’t be playing senior AFL or are playing out of position at Essendon because of injury and a lack of depth in certain positions. With better list management and once our “system” is set we will overcome this. I think we’re at best 2 years away from being in a position to win a final. That’s with turning over 25% of the list.

 

[HirdsTheWord]

Essendon has a dead set ****in curse of making below avg Port players look like starting All Australians

last year it was Finlayson, this year its Ivan soldo

13

Ivan Soldo

Age

28

Ht

204cm

Wt

110kg

Pos.

Ruck

Career

Season

Last 5

D

8.0

2star

K

3.9

2star

HB

4.1

3star

CL

2.4

4star

HO

24.2

5star

D

7.3

2star

K

3.1

1star

HB

4.1

3star

CL

2.4

4star

HO

23.0

5star

D

6.4

2star

K

3.0

1star

HB

3.4

3star

CL

1.6

4star

HO

21.4

5star

ffs.

jesus utter christ.

 

[Yoda_]

One thing also, people underestimate how good Port's list is and how well it's been constructed and planned out, they show glimpses of a multitude of A-grade players and look to be right up there in the premiership hunt. We clearly don't have that synthesis, but we have shown it during some games. Consistency isn't quite there. The ability to play 4 quarter and to adapt to a gameplan is also a failure not only by the leadership group, but also the coaches, to not realise over 3 quarters that the style isn't working, is kind of funny in some ways in an AFL league, it's comical. But it may also show that the natural intuitive skill level is not there either.

I expected us to lose, Port should finish top 4, go deep in September but the manner in which we stopped was horse shit.

 

[ant555]

Dunno ant. It seems to have worked okay for Port with Rozee and Butters etc.

Rozee played 22 games as a 19 year old.
Butters played 19 as a 19 year old.

There is a difference when they are actually ready to play to decent level early.