Review Rnd9 : Review/Rant/Roast megathread

[doggies ftw]

I think the problem with Jones and Rougheads kicking is I knew they were going to miss those shots, and they probably did too!

They just need confidence, sink their first goal with their first kick and you never know what could happen!

 

[Dogs_r_barking]

Wow so much negativity. We got smashed by Geelong by a 100 points a few years ago and made top 4. I know which way side of the ledger I would rather be.

Anyway I haven't bothered to read through all of this thread because I can't believe the negativity. Macca is coaching for the future and that is where I am looking.

Some points to consider:

- Mitch Wallis lead the disposals for three quarters of the game - a kid
- Most disposals for Geelong Johnson and Chapman - their old players
- With 10 minutes to go we were 3 points down - after the Geelong kicked the first three or four goals and we didn't score - great effort
- Our kids were the highlight, Dahl set up 7 scoring shots - 7, Liam Jones took some incredible marks, WAllis and Libba are just class (I seriously think Wallis might win the NAB Rising Star), Roughy did well and Dickson is a smart player, watch him turn Scarlett inside out at one point.
- Skinner kicked an incredible goal, and is such a big mobile unit
- Minson played a really good game, and was even playing as a ruck rover at one point.
- Geelong won three premierships based on their contested possession - our kids SMASHED them in that area
- Pods has killed most of the other teams, he was kept quiet until the last few minutes by Austin - great effort
- Any team that comes up against us, knows that they are going to have to work hard for their 4 points

Finally, we are still in the running for the Mason Shaw pick, a full forward who can fill that empty spot we so desperately need. Look to the future dogs fans the sun is gonna shine on us

 

[DognBones]

Player Reviews

Sherman - no impact. He's a one trick pony i.e scoring goals and being a greedy bastard. If he's not doing that he's not good for much else.

This is the guy I think needs more scrutiny. Seems to find a 'hole' to hide in in most games. Is he a loafer, a cruiser or just an ordinary player that in hindsight we may have tried too hard to get?

 

[VogonProsthetnic]

This is the guy I think needs more scrutiny. Seems to find a 'hole' to hide in in most games. Is he a loafer, a cruiser or just an ordinary player that in hindsight we may have tried too hard to get?

I went to the NM game 2 weeks ago and Sherman was instrumental in getting us ahead in the third quarter. He tackled really well and set up goals with his speed.

Don't think we can condemn him on one bad performance.

 

[cleveland]

Please don't talk up Skinner. Don't want to see him in the line up again. Is so far off leauge footy.

 

[Spiritof82]

Wow so much negativity. We got smashed by Geelong by a 100 points a few years ago and made top 4. I know which way side of the ledger I would rather be.

Anyway I haven't bothered to read through all of this thread because I can't believe the negativity. Macca is coaching for the future and that is where I am looking.

Some points to consider:

- Mitch Wallis lead the disposals for three quarters of the game - a kid
- Most disposals for Geelong Johnson and Chapman - their old players
- With 10 minutes to go we were 3 points down - after the Geelong kicked the first three or four goals and we didn't score - great effort
- Our kids were the highlight, Dahl set up 7 scoring shots - 7, Liam Jones took some incredible marks, WAllis and Libba are just class (I seriously think Wallis might win the NAB Rising Star), Roughy did well and Dickson is a smart player, watch him turn Scarlett inside out at one point.
- Skinner kicked an incredible goal, and is such a big mobile unit- Minson played a really good game, and was even playing as a ruck rover at one point.
- Geelong won three premierships based on their contested possession - our kids SMASHED them in that area
- Pods has killed most of the other teams, he was kept quiet until the last few minutes by Austin - great effort
- Any team that comes up against us, knows that they are going to have to work hard for their 4 points

Finally, we are still in the running for the Mason Shaw pick, a full forward who can fill that empty spot we so desperately need. Look to the future dogs fans the sun is gonna shine on us

Incredible goal not likely, it was a wild rain maker that managed to bounce the right way and was sheparded through by Jones.

 

[LondonBulldog]

On the Gia / Higgens debate.

Both are smart / opportunist type forwards. Both are good set shots.

Yet... Higgens is often lead to the ball hoping for an easy one over the back.

Gia is not strong one and one and goes to ground too easy.

Opposition re-bounds are through their opposition players.

Depends what Macca wants in his side, there are advantages and disadvantages. I dont think you need both up forward. If your could get a first rounder for Higgens take it.

Jones is not a good set shot full stop so no point saying if he had of kicked straight because he never does. Outside 40 rarely ever is it a goal. Needs to be inside 30 and either straight or within 45 degrees.

I would play him CHB for the rest of the year, give him a job to do each week. May not work as he is not a smart footballer.
I just persist and hope it improves but I currently dont expect him to convert unless its a gimme.

 

[ttomred17]

As was mentioned by my brother last night, we take more out of that game than Geelong would. That's saying something.

I remember at the start of the year one of Macca's quotes was he wants other teams to say after playing us "man those blokes are hard at it" or something along those lines. I reackon most teams we have played would be saying this.

One thing that really pissed me off last night was a Geelong supporter turning around and saying to me after they missed a goal "Its the opposition that is making us play bad, they are bringing us down"

I wanted to punch the arrogant pr@#k in the jaw!

 

[doggies ftw]

As was mentioned by my brother last night, we take more out of that game than Geelong would. That's saying something.

I remember at the start of the year one of Macca's quotes was he wants other teams to say after playing us "man those blokes are hard at it" or something along those lines. I reackon most teams we have played would be saying this.

One thing that really pissed me off last night was a Geelong supporter turning around and saying to me after they missed a goal "Its the opposition that is making us play bad, they are bringing us down"

I wanted to punch the arrogant pr@#k in the jaw!

Shoulda tried sitting up on level 3, geelong cheersquad side.

Bogans galore

 

[Shemp 54]

Incredible goal not likely, it was a wild rain maker that managed to bounce the right way and was sheparded through by Jones.

I thought it was incredible too - not a huge amount of skill in it I guess but it was incredible it took the crazy bounce and went through giving us a sniff of victory.
At least he had the goal sense to put in the hot spot or score. Not a bad result 1 goal and a poster in a quarter of footy though he could have made better use of his opportunities like several others.....

 

[_Mike_]

Some have been quick to blame the defense for last night's loss which couldn't be further from the truth. Had our backline been bad, a lot more goals would have been kicked. Lake, Austin, Murphy, Shaggy did the best they could do considering. Stevie Johnson was playing loose which was killing us through the middle, and with Griffen and Dahlhaus being fairly quiet we lost a lot of drive through the middle.

Cooney did try last night and was good considering but playing a lone hand to some extent. It's sheer frustrating to see the extent of how badly Cooney's injury has effected his game.

As for our ruck stocks I think Minson showed us last night why it would be ridiculous to get rid of him. His around the ground work was terrific.

The ball kept rebounding far too easily out of the forward line and in the first half Jones and Roughie were very unsettled (and Higgins/Gia were both struggling on their opponents)

Of anything last night was just another example of the experience and leadership we're lacking on the forward line. I'm not sure if Grant would have done better, but over the last few weeks he has started to improve his work rate, so was dropping him for last night's game the right choice?

 

[boydsno1]

I think ppl are being harsh on Gia. It's clear he is playing through injury as he seems to be struggling to run but his smart in the forward 50 and is kicking goals. Take him out and we will struggle to get any.

 

[_Mike_]

I think ppl are being harsh on Gia. It's clear he is playing through injury as he seems to be struggling to run but his smart in the forward 50 and is kicking goals. Take him out and we will struggle to get any.

I'd rather have a fit Gia making a contest than an injured Gia who can't make a contest.

I'm not calling for him to be dropped, who else could we use in his place? Skinner isn't there yet and our small zippy forward stocks are severely depleted

 

[Igloo]

I'd love to see a picture of Picken's eye today. Swelled up like a bitch last night.

 

[MrChristo]

ok, firstly I do apologise for jumping in and rubbing people up the wrong way.

It was stupid, we all want the same thing.


I've watched the replay this morning, and I am standing 100% to my guns, esp. re: Higgins.
He finished the night with 13 possessions...he had 8 in the first 1/4...although 3 of those were literally within 5 seconds after he dropped an easy mark he casually went for one handed, and quick, pressured handballs resulted.
In the last 6 weeks he's av'd 13.5 touches per game.

His 2nd goal was unbelievably lucky as both he and Gia were 15m behind their opponents, not working any near hard enough to push up the ground, when a quick kick (Boyd?) landed right between Enright and Bartel, beat them both and landed in Gia's lap.
In the following minute he was outmarked by Mackie trying to play from behind.
He simply doesn't work hard enough.
2 of his 5 post-1/4 touches were aimless kicks at (?) goal when there could have been better options...one dribbled straight to Johnson and one went further up than along and was easily cleared.

I have no idea at all where his 4 tackles came from...must have been in packs/stoppages. There were none in open play...


...which leads me to Gia. 6 tackles??!! Again, I only saw 2. One was when Chapman simply ran into him early which resulted in Higgins' first goal (which he converted nicely)...and the other was a skied ball, touched off the boot which he allowed Scarlett to 'mark' before tackling him to the ground...
...except Scarlett sprung back up with the ball and ran away, winning the contest comprehensively as Gia laid on the ground.

Look, he was better than I thought in the last, but still...11 touches for the night...av'ing just 12 in the last 6 games!!!
He's getting big man forward numbers but is completely unable to play a big man role.
He's too slow to play a defensive forward role...he's too slow to play the St. Kilda [Milne, Milera]/Kangaroos [Thomas ] fast break style.
He's not a good enough mark to play the Josh Hill/Eddie Betts role.

He just gets beaten far too often. Outmarked 2 or 3 times by Mackie. Once by Selwood...
Had an absolutely armchair sit to amrk over Mackie early 3rd but barely got off the ground as Mackie pushed back and spoiled easily.
Gave away 4 free kicks too, all due to lack of speed and/or strength.

Interesting that the people who judge their games purely by scores (ie. 3 goals each last night...Higgins av'ing just over 1 per game tho on the season), must have thought both Dickson and Dahlhaus both played poorly...
...and, fwiw, I thought Dahlhaus esp. was very good after HT...(as was Jones...and even Roughead).

I personally would rather have a Clay Smith running around than at least one of them hovering in the forward line.


Couple of other quick notes...I'm not sure Pearce was responsible for motlop's 2nd goal, as he may have been on Stokes at that stage. Either way, he did get beaten pretty badly a couple of times. Looked ok with the ball tho.

As did Vez. I genuinely like his composure **, but did have a bad 5 minutes were Chapman beat him too easily to kick a couple of goals in the 3rd.

(** I really like how our backline are going. I didn't at any stage have my heart in my mouth when the ball was in Geelong's forward line. We were winning just about every stoppage, and using the ball well on the way out.
I notice there is an Austin v. Markovic thread which I haven't looked at, but I think Austin has been a solid 7/10)

Oh, the other thing with Gia and Higgins both playing forward is that they got in each others way completely twice!! (with both pulling out and letting the ball drop)...and were in the same fall of the ball another 2 or 3 times again.
Just not smart play at all.

Last thing I'll mention, just to back up LondonBulldog's point about opposition rebounding...Mackie and Enright (who was Gia's direct opponent all night from what I could see) had 43 touches and 9 rebound 50's between them. Enright at 90%.
Not a hell of a lot of pressure there...


[Yep, I do love the ... ]

 

[bullish23]

Did anyone think at 75-73 in the last qtr that Lake could have gone fwd? Pods/Hawkins weren't that influential and there was a real opportunity to pinch the game?

 

[Morris Major]

Did anyone think at 75-73 in the last qtr that Lake could have gone fwd? Pods/Hawkins weren't that influential and there was a real opportunity to pinch the game?

that's coz Lake was on him, pushing Lake forward would've been too risky I reckon

 

[Contador]

I get the feeling Macca isn't all that interested in trying things like that at this stage. He wants to develop this young forwardline into one that can stand up and win games, not one that relies on the full back to come forward and save the game with 10mins left.

 

[granny]

TO LEON/DOGNBONESsherman is a normal person and i know he has a father so is not a bastardhe has been ok since coming back inhad a few good moments last night and had more tackles than was accredited for but if you had looked carefully was trying to man up on more than one player in our forward line i was unhappy that we lost but since justin came back we are 4/1 not bad for someone that is greedy

 

[100action]

TO LEON/DOGNBONESsherman is a normal person and i know he has a father so is not a bastardhe has been ok since coming back inhad a few good moments last night and had more tackles than was accredited for but if you had looked carefully was trying to man up on more than one player in our forward line i was unhappy that we lost but since justin came back we are 4/1 not bad for someone that is greedy

hahahahaha

poor granny, I'll agree with you Sherman cops some unfair flack but at least he is trying to subscribe to McCartney's directions when he usually doesnt take advice on board.

 

[Curly5]

Gia is on he wrong side of his career and barely has any knees left and is as slower than my mum. We are expecting this bloke to run and chase like Dalhaus, it's never gonna happen, we just need to get over this already. Our kids need to pick us his slack and chop him out.

What you cannot deny is that this bloke continues to kick goals, until our big galoots get the footy consistantly and kick the f***** thing straight, Gia stays in the side. His footy smarts alone get us at least 3 -4 goals a game, his body work and postioning is first class and with a forwardline as dysfunctional as ours, we simply cannot afford to drop this guy for another inexperinced kid.

Very true. Just appreciate his value for what it is.

On the Gia / Higgins debate. Both are smart / opportunist type forwards. Both are good set shots. Yet... Higgins is often led to the ball hoping for an easy one over the back.
Gia is not strong one on one and goes to ground too easy. Opposition re-bounds are through their opposition players.

Depends what Macca wants in his side, there are advantages and disadvantages. I dont think you need both up forward. If you could get a first rounder for Higgins take it.

You may have noticed that every week, Macca pays tribute to the work of the senior players directing, teaching and setting the example for the young players. For getting them back on track when things start to get wobbly. Gia (or "Gian" as Bruce likes to call him ) and Higgins are 2 of the leaders he's referring to. Macca has also come out with pretty strong support of Higgins and displeasure at the flack he cops. No one should delude themselves that Higgins will be going anywhere anytime soon.

The plans for the construction of Rome are off the drafting table and in the hands of the engineers. Steel is being placed and concrete being poured into the foundations. Should be out of the ground by the end of this year or early next year. Due for completion 2015/16.

Haha, that's great. Why don't you make it your sig?

 

[True Dog]

Look, it wasn't that long ago that Geelong would have smashed us given the start they had… We've all seen it, we've all been there, we give ourselves half a chance and BANG we're 10 goals down by half time. Last night could have easily been another St Kilda game (Rd3), we were a little startled by Geelongs spread and run through the middle, the ease in which they split us open but this time we didn't panic under their pressure, we regrouped and got ourselves back in the game…

Not only did we get back in the game but gave ourselves every chance to win, sure we missed some easy goals (the two before 3 qtr time killed us), and played them on a 6 day break coming back from DARWIN but we aren't their whipping boys anymore. Our tackles stuck, we beat them in the clearances and hard ball gets and gained confidence the longer the game went….

I agree, Gia isn't perfect but he's smart and dangerous, it's not his fault he's our go to forward at 30 years of age and is expected to be super man and as for Higgins how many of you were screaming for him to have one position and now that he has you want him to be an All Australian in it….. He's getting better and will continue to do so, he'll start reading the ball better, playing from in front more and get more belief in his body and abilities…..

Everybody is trying and everyone at one stage or another will make mistakes, God knows even the coaches make a few blews yesterday….
I was disappointed like most that we didn’t get the 4 points but walked away knowing we are on the right track and that our next tilt will be a fairdinkum one.

Each week Macca (and us for that matter) learn a little more, the players develop a little more and the blank canvas that is our team looks like it will be a work of art, one that we can all be proud of, one that will rival the 1954 masterpiece….

 

[_Mike_]

that's coz Lake was on him, pushing Lake forward would've been too risky I reckon

Early in the last quarter when the game was in the balance, a number of times Geelong were coming apart through the middle.

I think the risk was worth trying to push Lake forward when the momentum was going our way.

 

[wian]

...which leads me to Gia. 6 tackles??!! Again, I only saw 2. One was when Chapman simply ran into him early which resulted in Higgins' first goal (which he converted nicely)...and the other was a skied ball, touched off the boot which he allowed Scarlett to 'mark' before tackling him to the ground...
...except Scarlett sprung back up with the ball and ran away, winning the contest comprehensively as Gia laid on the ground.

Look, he was better than I thought in the last, but still...11 touches for the night...av'ing just 12 in the last 6 games!!!
He's getting big man forward numbers but is completely unable to play a big man role.
He's too slow to play a defensive forward role...he's too slow to play the St. Kilda [Milne, Milera]/Kangaroos [Thomas ] fast break style.
He's not a good enough mark to play the Josh Hill/Eddie Betts role.

He just gets beaten far too often. Outmarked 2 or 3 times by Mackie. Once by Selwood...
Had an absolutely armchair sit to amrk over Mackie early 3rd but barely got off the ground as Mackie pushed back and spoiled easily.
Gave away 4 free kicks too, all due to lack of speed and/or strength.

Oh, the other thing with Gia and Higgins both playing forward is that they got in each others way completely twice!! (with both pulling out and letting the ball drop)...and were in the same fall of the ball another 2 or 3 times again.
Just not smart play at all.

Last thing I'll mention, just to back up LondonBulldog's point about opposition rebounding...Mackie and Enright (who was Gia's direct opponent all night from what I could see) had 43 touches and 9 rebound 50's between them. Enright at 90%.
Not a hell of a lot of pressure there...


[Yep, I do love the ... ]

I agree with you and your comments mate.. However, I think the fact is, Gia's best is behind him and he cant do what he used to do, and in a dysfunctional forward line, its even harder for blokes like Gia to have an influence on the game... Macca obviously wants him there as a leader and a mentor for the youngsters. I would be surprised if he gets another gig in 2013. He has been a good servant, but his best years are gone, so lets just enjoy the kids this year.

 

[Dazb86]

Thought we played quite well. The game went pretty much how I thought it was going to pan out.

Would have preffered Grant>>Skinner though.