Round 13: Geelong vs Essendon

[you_idiot]

I trust my source, and if anyone wants to see what Hird's book says on the matter, PM me. I'm sure we can arrange a meeting place and a public reading. I'll bring the book with me.

I'll stand by what it says-- and even if he did kick something like 2.3 in the Round 16 game last year, my point remains... contain Matthew Lloyd, and the Bombers can be beaten.

OK, as for the teams, since I just got home from work and I haven't seen them posted yet...

From: http://afl.com.au/default.asp?pg=news&spg=display&articleid=101289

ESSENDON
B: McVeigh, Fletcher, Jacobs
HB: Ramanauskas, Lucas, Wellman
C: Solomon, Misiti, McPhee
HF: Hird, Bolton, J.Johnson
F: Cupido, Lloyd, Watson
FOLL: Hille, M.Johnson, Bullen
I/C: Barnard, Reynolds, Peverill, Welsh
EMG: Alessio, Richards, McGrath
IN: Hird, Watson, Reynolds
OUT: Rioli (suspended), Alessio, Mercuri

GEELONG
B: Chambers, Scarlett, Sanderson
HB: Rooke, Harley, Slade
C: Riccardi, Enright, Wojcinski
HF: Spriggs, Graham, Chapman
F: Ablett, McCarthy, Kingsley
FOLL: King, Corey, Ling
I/C: Bartel, S.Johnson, Milburn, Clarke
EMG: Gardiner, Moloney, Rahilly
IN: Clarke, Slade, S.Johnson, Bartel
OUT: Mooney (suspended), Lord (back), D.Johnson, Kelly

Interesting.... four changes for the Cats. I'll plead ignorant on the Lord injury, I thought he was fit as a fiddle. Anyone know what the deal on Kelly is? I'm surprised to see him dropped; I'd think he'd be an automatic selection most weeks.

 

[ScouseCat]

Originally posted by you_idiot
GEELONG
B: Chambers, Scarlett, Sanderson
HB: Rooke, Harley, Slade
C: Riccardi, Enright, Wojcinski
HF: Spriggs, Graham, Chapman
F: Ablett, McCarthy, Kingsley
FOLL: King, Corey, Ling
I/C: Bartel, S.Johnson, Milburn, Clarke
EMG: Gardiner, Moloney, Rahilly
IN: Clarke, Slade, S.Johnson, Bartel
OUT: Mooney (suspended), Lord (back), D.Johnson, Kelly

Interesting.... four changes for the Cats. I'll plead ignorant on the Lord injury, I thought he was fit as a fiddle. Anyone know what the deal on Kelly is? I'm surprised to see him dropped; I'd think he'd be an automatic selection most weeks.

Kelly hasn't been playing all that well of late and could use a couple of weeks back in the VFL. I am pleased to see Bartel back in the side, now if only he and Spriggs could spend most of the time on the ground, we should do ok.

 

[you_idiot]

Originally posted by ScouseCat
I am pleased to see Bartel back in the side, now if only he and Spriggs could spend most of the time on the ground, we should do ok.

I like the potential of that combination, between Bartel and Spriggs, actually.

Could prove to be difficult for Essendon to keep up with their running and flair in and through the middle of the ground.

 

[Brandon Boyd]

For accurate AFL statistics, please visit:

http://stats.rleague.com/afl/stats/stats_idx.html

OR

http://www.prowess.com.au/pro-stats/

 

[mustapha]

Andrew Welsh will easily contain King in the Ruck. I agree that Alessio will stop the run of Bartel. If not Bartel he will probably tag Ablett. Watch out for Hille. He could become the best roving small forward in the business.

 

[Catman]

Originally posted by ScouseCat
I think Lloyd kicked 2.3 in the round 16 game last season. Scarlett did a great job keeping the champion goalkicker quiet last time around, our midfield also helping by putting pressure on their Essendon opponents so the delivery wasn't as good to Lloyd.

He did kick 2 goals in Round 16.

Time to get a new stats man you_idiot.

 

[Brandon Boyd]

If Gavin Exell kicks another bag like he did last week, I give Geelong a chance. Just depends if McKinnon gets the job on Lloyd ala Plugger.

 

[Lethal]

Originally posted by you_idiot
I trust my source, and if anyone wants to see what Hird's book says on the matter, PM me. I'm sure we can arrange a meeting place and a public reading. I'll bring the book with me.

I'll stand by what it says-- and even if he did kick something like 2.3 in the Round 16 game last year, my point remains... contain Matthew Lloyd, and the Bombers can be beaten.

It's not so much Lloyd being contained in the matches we have lost this year because he's been kicking goals even when we lose most weeks. It's more that other players aren't chipping in with goals like when we do win.


PS: Hird's book has got that he kicked 2 goals also. as does AFL 2003.

 

[dougthelegend]

I guess u'r theory's out the door..
Lloyd kicked just one yet the bombers won with cupido kicking 5.

 

[coxon]

Originally posted by you_idiot

I'll stand by what it says-- and even if he did kick something like 2.3 in the Round 16 game last year, my point remains... contain Matthew Lloyd, and the Bombers can be beaten.

was holding off looking at the scores until the replay tonite...

then found out its to be replayed at 5am.. after the frickin tennis...

F F S !!!!!!!!!!!

 

[Lethal]

Originally posted by dougthelegend
I guess u'r theory's out the door..
Lloyd kicked just one yet the bombers won with cupido kicking 5.

Bad luck to the Cats.

Oh and Scousecat........hope you're saving up that money you'll be owing me.

 

[raskolnikov]

Keep telling yourself that - being a bit delusional will help kill the pain when you end up with the spoon.

 

[you_idiot]

Originally posted by Catman
He did kick 2 goals in Round 16.

Time to get a new stats man you_idiot.

True, I do stand corrected. And it's not the stats that were at fault here, it was the thesis. (EDIT: Yes, I just double-checked the Hird book, and it says Lloyd did indeed kick two goals in that game last season. I mis-read it, I'll admit it. I'm going to get me into an optometrist's office, stat, come Monday. Just another clue of growing older...)

My theory was that if Geelong kept Lloyd reasonable quiet, they'd have a good chance to win. And this was based on a comparison of the Essendon win in Round 1 last year (where he kicked six goals) versus the Geelong win in Round 16, where it's now established that he kicked 2.3 (far from a stunning performance, mind you).

Lloyd was hardly even a factor tonight. The Bombers had so many other players that killed us. But man, oh man, that mark he took late in the third term, with Scarlett draped all over him in the goal square, that's lights out, folks.

The emotional impact that had on the match at that point in time, from the Geelong perspective, was immeasurable. IMO, the Cats went from having a fighting chance to just trying to play the string out in the final term.

But kudos to Scarlett for keeping Lloyd quiet for the better part of three quarters. Now if the other defenders would only follow his example on the other players they were covering (or supposed to be covering)....

 

[you_idiot]

OK, now for my general thoughts on the game, after having just arrived home a little while ago...

Once again, another case of Geelong not playing a four-quarter match. Started well, but they allowed the Bombers to play like the "Essendon circa 2000" side that rolled to a Premiership by playing rapid, running, open, skillful, deadly accurate footy all over the park.

The fault there was that Geelong were guilty as sin for not applying enough physical pressure on their players in a consistent manner. The Cats need to play like that from the opening centre bounce until the final siren. Seeing that in spurts and streaks is nowhere good enough.

Throw out that first term, and it's just about even for the remaining three quarters. I think that's one silver lining Geelong can take out of this game tonight, as well as the amount of heart the team showed when it came out following the major break.

Also, some of the ball movement out there tonight was pretty to watch and easy on the eye, with rapidly-taken and pin-point handpasses and chip-kicks going right through the middle of the ground and into the forward 50. Again, something which needs to be seen from start to finish.

As far as the players who did well tonight, I'll nominate six (although it was hard to pick out six from a sub-standard team effort), in no particular order-- Ben Graham, David Spriggs, Matthew Scarlett, Steve Johnson, Joel Corey and Gary Ablett Jr.

And as for the players who played poorly, or even beyond poorly...David Clarke and James Rahilly shouldn't get another game in the seniors for the remainder of the season. And Brenton Sanderson, I wish Mark Thompson would show some cajones and drop him like a hot potato.

If he keeps those three players in, I shudder to think what Port Adelaide will do to Geelong next week-- could carve them up like mincemeat, if they're hitting on all cylinders.

 

[ScouseCat]

Originally posted by Lethal
Oh and Scousecat........hope you're saving up that money you'll be owing me.

Oh, don't remind me!!

The worst thing is, it isn't in our best interests to finish above Essendon now our season is over. We're playing for the scraps now... 4-7 wins at the most.

 

[ScouseCat]

Originally posted by phatandphreaky
The supply was not only regular, but near perfect.

Scarlett still owned him.

Lloyd seemed to struggle with Scarlett's physicality, looked like it put him off him game.

One thing's for sure, Scarlett is the best full back in this competition, and by a long way.

Scarlett killed Lloyd tonight, and as phatandphreaky said, when you consider the supply we allowed Essendon to give him, that was a bloody good effort, keeping him to just one goal.

All Australian full back... I bloody hope so, otherwise it's rigged.

 

[you_idiot]

Originally posted by ScouseCat
Scarlett killed Lloyd tonight, and as phatandphreaky said, when you consider the supply we allowed Essendon to give him, that was a bloody good effort, keeping him to just one goal.

All Australian full back... I bloody hope so, otherwise it's rigged.

I'll echo that. Matthew Scarlett should receive All Australian honours. If he doesn't, the awards of that type should cease and desist immediately thereafter.

Matthew Scarlett's performances, week in and week out, have provided a shining beacon in what has otherwise been a dark season.

 

[ScouseCat]

As for the game tonight, we lost it between the 5 minute mark of the first quarter and the start of the second quarter, where we allowed Essendon to kick 8 goals to 2 in that time. You just can't afford to turn the ball over against any team in the AFL, as they usually take it straight down the other end for a shot on goal.

As for our forward line... what a joke of a structure we have, no wonder we cant even get over the 100 point mark. I know questions have been asked of Norm Dare, (our forward coach) in the past, but someone has to take responsibility for the poor output this season.

Fair enough, the delivery to the forwards at times is woeful, but the reason we stuffed around so much with the ball tonight and continued to kick it short was that our midfield has lost all confidence in having someone to kick long to. For christ sake, why not play Chambers out of the goal square?? What good is he going to do freezing his arse off sitting on the bench?? King was dominating the ruck, therefore we had the chance to try something in a game which Geelong were always going to lose after quarter time, but Thompson decided to stick with the tried and unsuccessful formula which achieves nothing.

And speaking of freezing his arse off, I wouldn't blame James Bartel if he wanted to be traded at the end of the season. Here we have a player who can not only get the ball, but he can actually kick properly to a target in the forward line. I reckon for the brief time he was in the middle, he hardly wasted a possession, and hit the target 4 times with beautiful, long kicks inside 50. However, what do the club do with this player... they sit him on the bloody bench and then wonder why he cant get any form in the seniors.

On a positive note, Spriggs was again given plenty of time on the ground and in the middle, and I thought he did quite well for us, especially in the first half.

Bottom line is I know this season is a total write off, but surely the club has to see the bigger picture and actually start to play the players who are going to take us forward, rather then hold us back. That at least makes sense, rather then what we're doing at the moment.

And one more thing... if Brenton Sanderson ever kicks the ball out again, the coaching staff are dead set stupid.

 

[jim boy]

As for my take, I thought our forward line played reasonably well. Although I don't have the stats in fornt of me, it seemed that there was a pretty good conversion of inside 50's to scoring shots, and at 15.3 and 1 out of bounds, it was possibly our most accurate for the season.

However, with the exception of benny and scarlett, defense played possibly their worst for the year. Could have been tighter, but in the first quarter the defense seemed to think we were playing in the black and red, as they continually found the loose bommber or bomber dominated packs. It was these turnovers that really cost us. The midfield should share some of the blame as well for that matter.

 

[rednugget]

Originally posted by phatandphreaky
The supply was not only regular, but near perfect.

Scarlett still owned him.

Lloyd seemed to struggle with Scarlett's physicality, looked like it put him off him game.

One thing's for sure, Scarlett is the best full back in this competition, and by a long way.

Yes Scarlett was fantastic and will be leading the running for AAFB but I guess it shows how good of a player Lloyd is to have been 'owned' and still take 8 marks.

I actually thought the bombers disposal going forward was pretty ordinary, they kicked over the heads of the leading forwards on several occasions

 

[ScouseCat]

Originally posted by phatandphreaky
Lloyd is a superstar, but as far as i'm concerned, 8 marks, most of which were taken outside the forward 50, are inconsequential.

I would think most of Lloyds marks were taken in the second half after the heat had gone out of the game.

 

[catattack]

Originally posted by ScouseCat
I would think most of Lloyds marks were taken in the second half after the heat had gone out of the game.

Yep, Scarlett did a great job on Lloyd, no doubt about that, and Lloyd did get more of the ball in the second half.

Also, Lloyd was sucked up the ground a lot more, in order to get a touch, because Scarlett had kept him to basically nothing.

 

[carn_the_nmfc]

Great game. Pity that the scores wern't closer.

Geelong failed to capitalise on their great start to the match. Essendon overtook them and won easily.

I reckon Sean Wellman will be up on a charge of kneeing because he got Kent Kingsley in the nuts at the start of the third quarter.

 

[JUBJUB]

Originally posted by goaldrush


I reckon Sean Wellman will be up on a charge of kneeing because he got Kent Kingsley in the nuts at the start of the third quarter.

It would be a joke if he was charged.

 

[carn_the_nmfc]

Originally posted by phatandphreaky
Worth a free kick, nothing more.

Besides, wouldn't it be a charge of unduly rough play?

nope it is a reportable offence and Wellman is up on a charge of kneeing.