Review Round 23, 2022 - Brisbane Lions vs. Melbourne

[3KZ is Football]

Brisbane Lions- mulligans all round.

I started watching Fagan’s presser but only lasted less than 2 minutes. Fagan’s ability to find the meaningless statistical positives when we have just had our pants pulled down on national television is astonishing. He is the AFL coaching fraternity’s Scott Morrison

 

[Thomasno]

Just got back from the game - WOW! What an absolute demolishment, right from the first bounce when Brayshaw was 10 meters clear at the front of the bounce.

A few simple things stood out for me when we are talking about matching it with the top 3-4 sides >

1- We do not run hard enough for long enough.
2- We have too many players sucked to the contest, consistently the Demons would have free players on the outside, our set ups around stoppages are abysmal when matched against the better sides.
3- We do not have enough good ball users.

I genuinely don’t know what the **** happened to our midfield, but I’m inclined to blame Cam Bruce as he’s the one that changed.

Remember the last few years how it was US that would always have a man at the back of the stoppage that would end up with a clearance forward? That’s not happened at all this year, no idea what the **** our midfield strategy has been but it’s not one to use again

 

[martinson]

Very interested to see how we respond. Almost feels like season over after tonight, I have to remind myself we need to back up and play a final.

I'm wondering whether we'll ring some changes ,try something different.

Unlikely now that we've come this far.

 

[Jeremiah001]

In my opinion way too much is made of the after match press conferences. If you need confirmation of how poorly we played just watch the match again.

 

[Section 5]

We improved from our last encounter with Melbourne by 1 goal. Must have been the home ground advantage we had this time

How can you lose a game by 58 points but win these stats
Inside 50's - 58 to 50
Kicks
Handballs
Disposals
Free Kicks 16-10
Centre clearances 16-9
Uncontested possession
Marks
Marks inside 50 were a draw at 13 each
Tackles inside 50
One percenters
Surprised that we even won intercepts by 2
.........
Only lost tackle count by 1
Lost contested marks by 2
Lost contested possession by 10

 

[beardancer]

Because whenever we got the ball we just bombed it long and hoped for the best.

I know we’re bad about that at the best of times, but it was quite literally all we did tonight

there's nothing wrong with bombing long IF you've got big men trying to contest/ attempting to mark. Look at the marks taken by THEIR big men. Gawn, Brown, Jackson, May, Lever absolutely murdered our guys. Our big men don't mark.....hell, some of them don't even want to contest.

 

[Thomasno]

That was the most surprising feature tonight. I thought we'd come out full of purpose and breathing fire.

Something's not right somewhere.

Right? I can take a big loss if the team looks like they’re trying, but they looked like they’d rather be at the broncos game or something.

Despite our various shortcomings the last two weeks, the team looked like they were finally starting to hum and were building intensity.

And then in the first 30 seconds tonight they decide they can’t be bothered anymore?

Something isn’t right

 

[scoman]

Regardless we get another chance in 2 weeks .

Surely this will bring about a do or die effort.

This is some elite level optimism.

 

[Thomasno]

I stayed out of the game day thread once the game got under way, so this has no doubt been mentioned, but how hopeless was the centre square restart when McStay simply didn’t compete and Gawn cleared it and Melbourne kicked a goal?

That’s a “off to Collingwood you go, we’re not even going to offer you a contract” moment right there.

Might be one of the most embarrassing things I’ve ever seen on a field.

 

[Elixuh]

I thought last year that we would switch up the captaincy for this year because it was becoming apparent that Zorko is not the man. I have been of the firm belief all of this season that Zorko shouldn't be captain. His style of on-field leadership is awful and he is, by a country mile, our most ill-disciplined player. Almost zero chance he is captain next year. Tonight was just embarrassing.

 

[Thomasno]

Even a casual AFL follower knew what would happen if we did this before the game.

Can the players not carry out instructions or are they not told ? Or both.

Melbourne annihilated us twice before this the same way. This time we overdosed on it.

Here’s a thought, and I’m asking this dead seriously. At a certain point we have to realise that sometimes (like tonight) our forwards can’t read the incoming ball to save themselves. The Melbourne defenders obviously can.

So why don’t we just get our forwards to man up on their defenders instead of trying to lead? Would at least make every contest a 50/50 instead of kicking it straight to a defender

 

[Sproj]

They were crazily accurate s they often are. 13-3 could have easily been 8-8 and we are much more in it. Hey I’m trying to be positive here alright?

 

[Zacs_Magic_Tooth]

That’s a “off to Collingwood you go, we’re not even going to offer you a contract” moment right there.

Might be one of the most embarrassing things I’ve ever seen on a field.

Honestly thought at the game the ump threw it straight to Gawn it was that lopsided. But no, Mcstay just left it. Summed our attitude up tonight

 

[Big Sauce 21]

Who gut punched Neal-Bullen ?

 

[McIvor]

I stayed out of the game day thread once the game got under way, so this has no doubt been mentioned, but how hopeless was the centre square restart when McStay simply didn’t compete and Gawn cleared it and Melbourne kicked a goal?

Laughable that we continue to select McStay when he is playing in self-preservation mode because he's more interested in joining an opposition club. He's checked out weeks ago, so be done with him, play anyone who wants to be at the club and leaves nothing out there. The fact Fagan continues to play him and many others such as Lyons sys to me we are conceding before we've even started.

 

[scoman]

Here’s a thought, and I’m asking this dead seriously. At a certain point we have to realise that sometimes (like tonight) our forwards can’t read the incoming ball to save themselves. The Melbourne defenders obviously can.

So why don’t we just get our forwards to man up on their defenders instead of trying to lead? Would at least make every contest a 50/50 instead of kicking it straight to a defender

Unfortunately its not just our forwards who seem to lack that ability to position themselves/ read the play. Melbourne seem to anticipate what is going to happen, before it does. I'm sure it has more to do with coaching/ structures, discipline and aptitude than just natural ability. Its a huge concern how poor we are in this regard. I think we get by on individual brilliance much of the time (Neale, Clugga, Daniher, Cameron, Bailey), which is all that is required 90% of the time, but its not enough when it really matters.

 

[briztoon]

Who gut punched Neal-Bullen ?

Bailey.

 

[briztoon]

Apparently Petty’s mum is terminally ill.

 

[MacMum]

Ok, just been on the scandal board....being mentioned on there what was supposedly said and why....wow if true.

Petty's sister was supposedly engaged to one of our players, but she allegedly got very friendly with several of our other players and got pregnant. Said players put money in for an abortion.....they are a very strong catholic family apparently.

Supposedly that came from Dees board.

Wowee as BT would say.... It will probably stay on the rumour board too if that's what it was. Neither club would want that to get out in the public arena I guess.

 

[Jeremiah001]

I thought last year that we would switch up the captaincy for this year because it was becoming apparent that Zorko is not the man. I have been of the firm belief all of this season that Zorko shouldn't be captain. His style of on-field leadership is awful and he is, by a country mile, our most ill-disciplined player. Almost zero chance he is captain next year. Tonight was just embarrassing.

It is hard to say this considering he has been our captain through our rise into the upper echelons of the table but with the talent we have coming up and our need for an attitude adjustment from the playing list, i would go one step further and say that it may be time for him to hang up the boots.

 

[Thomasno]

They were crazily accurate s they often are. 13-3 could have easily been 8-8 and we are much more in it. Hey I’m trying to be positive here alright?

At a certain point it just became comical how every random snap or grubbed towards their goals perfectly snuck in

Sometimes it’s just your opponents night

 

[McIvor]

Ok, just been on the scandal board....being mentioned on there what was supposedly said and why....wow if true.

Petty's sister was supposedly engaged to one of our players, but she allegedly got very friendly with several of our other players and got pregnant. Said players put money in for an abortion..

Geez, pretty rich of Zorkp given the glass house he lives in with his track record of extra-marital stuff to be throwing stones. He's a filthy grub and can't stand the site of him.

 

[Mazza44]

I can't see us taking the next step with the current group on the field tonight. Time to step back for 2 years and get some games into our proming youngsters before they leave for more opportunities. Then we can have another crack. Our under 26 brigade look good and we will still have the likes of Neale, Big O, Charlie, Linc and Daniher.

 

[Elixuh]

It is hard to say this considering he has been our captain through our rise into the upper echelons of the table but with the talent we have coming up and our need for an attitude adjustment from the playing list, i would go one step further and say that it may be time for him to hang up the boots.

I thought it might appear too reactionary for some, but taking into account this season as a whole, I tend to agree. I don't think it'll happen though and he will get another year.

 

[scoman]

At a certain point it just became comical how every random snap or grubbed towards their goals perfectly snuck in

Sometimes it’s just your opponents night

There was a bit of that tbh. They managed two behinds in the first minute or two of the game and then kicked 10 straight?