Review Round 2, 2015 - North Melbourne vs Brisbane Lions

[pulpdriver]

Neither of our rucks is a forward. Surely the coaching staff should have twigged to that by now. Further Martin gets smashed every time he is up against a good ruck technician. In games like tonight Leuey should take 70% of the ruck contests and Martin should be given licence to roam. That way we play to their strengths rather than weaknesses.

I would've like to have seen Leuie rucking with Martin as a rover/3rd man up more often. We were getting killed in the ruck and midfield. Could've used two rucks to quell Goldstein's influence as well as Martin's big body around the stoppages to help get first possession. I assume Close going down was what ruled out that option and ensured one was always anchored up forward. With Martin being far more effective in the ruck Leuie spent most of his time up forward. Needed someone up forward although it doesn't really matter if you can't get the ball down there. When it did Leuie didn't look great. I assume he was under instruction to simply create a contest but sometimes he seemed to just try and tap the incoming ball out of air to the detriment of the other forwards rather than try and mark. We really need a key forward. Those guys should be a bonus up forward, not a focal point. Smashed in the ruck, the middle and then an inexperience defense just embarrassed.

 

[SizeMatters]

Whatever he does, he needs to get some presence about him. I find it extremely hard to believe that he's actually the 190cm that he's listed at because he's useless at contesting the ball in the air. I'm not of the mind that he's a bad player but I also don't see what he's really supposed to bring.

Actually to add to this point I can't think of anyone on our team that is decent at contested marks. I wonder how you could improve that area of someone's game? We need someone who can just mark the damn ball when we kick to packs.

 

[Big Sauce 21]

Q1 Lindsay Thomas Goal
Q2 Lindsay Thomas Goal
Q3 I don't remember
Q4 Mason Wood lining up for goal

all pretty much on the siren

 

[Cousin Jed]

Lots of love for Leppa on here but apart from making the place more friendly what has he done on the park? He was given a pass last year despite us winning less games out of what was in essence the same team. This year we have started very badly again. He is supposed to be a defensive coach but our defensive structures have been terrible especially through the midfield. I am not writing him off yet but the pressure has to be on him.

One who I am writing off is our fitness team. Is Burton still there? If so he should be escorted from the premises immediately. Every single year since he arrived we have started the year way behind in the fitness stakes. We are smaller bodied and not as fit (despite recruiting elite runners). Our fitness team need to be replaced with someone with some idea how to prepare a team to play the modern game.

On the players they were terrible. Not a lot more needs to be said. A long visit to the Room of Mirrors is in order for those blokes.

I have concerns about Leppitsch, but To say last year was essentially the same team as the year before? Can't agree

 

[Alan Smithee]

The Lions had a 70/80 odd point loss in round 8, 2001 against Carlton at Optus Oval and things turned out ok after that

 

[mikey127]

Q1 Lindsay Thomas Goal
Q2 Lindsay Thomas Goal
Q3 I don't remember
Q4 Mason Wood lining up for goal

all pretty much on the siren

It was Thomas in the Thrid quarter as well but he missed.

 

[James North]

It was Thomas in the Thrid quarter as well but he missed.

Third "act".

 

[scoman]

I feel our strength is quite often our weakness. The mozzie squad is often the catalyst for our wins and surges during games. Their zip and speed and ability to kick exciting goals is a real feature of our game. However these guys become a liability against the stronger teams with good defensive structures and when the game gets tight and contested.

I remember banging on about this at some point last year. The ability to stand in a tackle and deliver a handball to a teammate is really poor. I know we are young but we are also small.

Not saying we need to drop the mozzie squad but future recruiting and team balance will need to be looked at going forward. Not sure if anything can be done in the short term. Rockliff and Hanley would help restore the balance a little.

 

[mikey127]

Guys I also follow Melbourne Storm. I suggest Leppsitch should spend some time with Craig Bellamy. For anyone that follows NRL tell me the last time that Storm last played with no heart. I have seen us loss and play bad but not heartless.

 

[Quigley]

Another thing which annoyed me on the weekend was our inability to keep our feet in any time of body pressure. It was not just one player it seemed like everyone.

 

[lions27]

Too many mozzies?
Zorko seems to have no impact when he moves into the midfield unless the ball bounces into space and he can pick it up uncontested.

 

[SizeMatters]

Contested marking and creating a contest were some of the things we just can't do. Lack of movement up the ground has been a serious issue now for years. Lost track the amount of times we had someone in our defensive half mark a ball and look up and no one was running. You know you got a problem when even Brereton starts commenting about it.

 

[lionshine]

Too many mozzies?
Zorko seems to have no impact when he moves into the midfield unless the ball bounces into space and he can pick it up uncontested.

You need to re-watch some of Zorko's games in the midfield last year. They were top class.

 

[Sherrinator]

Too many skittles out there.

Papsmear is about as rocksteady as Eeyaw's house of sticks. Some of his efforts made me blush.

 

[piari]

There are a number of specialist coaches in the Lions club - so which coach sent Green to FF?

The backs coach must have been asleep to allow the structures that were evident during the game.

What about the ruck coach? The rucks were beaten all day - no structural changes or methods for at least competing with Goldstein.

They are a part of the problem in my opinion.

 

[John]

Too many skittles out there.

Papsmear is about as rocksteady as Eeyaw's house of sticks. Some of his efforts made me blush.

why the idiotic nickname for him.

 

[lukiuslion]

Woke up with a fresh perspective today.

It is what it is ATM, we were the youngest team fielded on the weekend, playing againts the most experienced team in the AFL. Yes it was upsetting to see the non existent run, but if you have zero confidence and you are literally fearing that you are about to be embarrassed and beaten up, its pretty hard to run around like you mean it.

The only thing that has hurt us is 'hope' leading into the season, if you are to be truly clinical in your assessment of our list and take the D. Beams and Bundy factor, the NAB cup form factor and some good media we got with a grain of salt.. we are really a potential wooden spoon side. I said at the time, going in almost unbackable faves against the Pies was the most laughable odds I had ever seen (thankfully I cleaned up there).

1 established key position player, a new ruck combo learning to work together, already 3 very good players missing through injury and an average of 70 games experience.. it is a seriously laughable position to be in.

We have the kids (hopefully) though I fear we may over rated some of our young players.

Unfortunately, we all need to re-adjust expectations again, yes we won a few games in the back end of last season once the pressure was off, but realistically we have a very long way to go, if we beat the Tigers next week, nothing changes, we are likely to lose the GC the week after so on and so forth.

I don't like our move it down the boundary line, and chip kick in board and run if it's there.. approach, I think it is already outdated (see 2012), but maybe as Leppa is hinting, we haven't actually yet displayed what he want's us to do yet, we can't use the boundary line like we do if we have no one who can mark the ball.

The one thing I am left to ponder is do we, bring in 3-4, B-C grade KPP's at seasons end, even if they are out of favor at the respective clubs or on the nose a bit and not part of the long term plan. Yes spots up for grabs is the key to development, but if in those minutes these young players are getting they are getting absolutely punished when they are out on the field, does this diminish their development?. Beams, Bundy and to a lesser extent Robbo don't really provide protection out there, id like to see a couple of 6 foot 2... 28 year old brought in to help bring these kids on. Same debate different year, I think Leppa will stick to his plan of going through the draft or only going for top end talent, I just hope he can keep morale up over the next 2-3 years while we wait for Dizzy, Paps, Clarke, archie, lester etc to become men.

 

[Hollow Knight]

Whatever he does, he needs to get some presence about him. I find it extremely hard to believe that he's actually the 190cm that he's listed at because he's useless at contesting the ball in the air. I'm not of the mind that he's a bad player but I also don't see what he's really supposed to bring.

Tom Collier syndrome. No point being tall if you don't play tall.

 

[Panthera]

Too many skittles out there.

Papsmear is about as rocksteady as Eeyaw's house of sticks. Some of his efforts made me blush.

I think you need to settle down on Paparone. He's only 20 and was playing around CHB or on the likes of Waite, Petrie and Ben Brown with horrid defensive efforts from our mids.

He's a solid player right now and it was only his 2nd match as a permanent defender. He'll improve with experience and a little more bulk.

There are a lot more positive signs with Marco than negative in my opinion

 

[Eons]

I really can't believe we gave Lester a 3 year contract. Time to send him back to the NEAFL for good, he won't make it unfortunately.

For any NEAFL watchers how has Beasley looked? Was drafted a year older and has some really nice size about him.

Same thing year in year out with Leuey. Has no aggression at all, is completely one dimensional and just doesn't suit the modern game.

Was really evident yesterday we are being told as a team to corral the kicker rather than tackle. As soon as someone laid a tackle instead of corralling, the North player stuffed the kick resulting in a turnover.

 

[Sherrinator]

I think you need to settle down on Paparone. He's only 20 and was playing around CHB or on the likes of Waite, Petrie and Ben Brown with horrid defensive efforts from our mids.

He's a solid player right now and it was only his 2nd match as a permanent defender. He'll improve with experience and a little more bulk.

There are a lot more positive signs with Marco than negative in my opinion

For Christ's sake it is a nickname. Is this forum some sort of strange PC cross section of society?

This place is supposed to represent part of a football club and if you people think that he doesn't get called that or crasser at training, you need your head read.

 

[carnthemlions]

For Christ's sake it is a nickname. Is this forum some sort of strange PC cross section of society?

This place is supposed to represent part of a football club and if you people think that he doesn't get called that or crasser at training, you need your head read.

wat

 

[Happy_Neale]

For Christ's sake it is a nickname. Is this forum some sort of strange PC cross section of society?

This place is supposed to represent part of a football club and if you people think that he doesn't get called that or crasser at training, you need your head read.

The anonymity of the internet sure does bring out an interesting side of people sometimes. Would you call him that at training yourself?

 

[ZoBlitz]

For Christ's sake it is a nickname. Is this forum some sort of strange PC cross section of society?

This place is supposed to represent part of a football club and if you people think that he doesn't get called that or crasser at training, you need your head read.

Just because people give players idiotic nicknames, doesn't mean we want to read it here. So cut it out.

 

[Sherrinator]

The anonymity of the internet sure does bring out an interesting side of people sometimes. Would you call him that at training yourself?

A bloke at work I call Papsmear as a play on words to his surname.