Review Round 7 (Part 2) - v GWS @ Henson Park

[brucetiki]

GWS v Adelaide
Sunday 13 October
5:05pm Sydney time (4:35pm Adelaide time)

One good thing about the condensed fixture - you can quickly redeem yourself from last night's debacle.

We've had a great record against GWS recently - last season we kicked our highest ever score against GWS, while GWS failed to score a goal in either match against us in 2022. But, as we saw last night, write your opponent off at your peril.

 

[cmndstab]

This is likely to be a comfortable win which will wallpaper over a few cracks.

Hopefully we use it to freshen up some players, and try some new things.

 

[Firewalker]

This is likely to be a comfortable win which will wallpaper over a few cracks.

Hopefully we use it to freshen up some players, and try some new things.

This is Clarke ‘try some new things’ is playing Prowse up forward for all of 10 minutes before going nah need to go back to normal proceedings and not do anything different for the next 3 quarters.

Like you said wallpaper some cracks, Gould and Ponter might not miss as much this game so there will be a few more goals on the board, Ponter proving again she’s the ultimate flat track bully.

Given there’s hardly a breath of selection integrity for all bar 4 members of the team I expect similar performances again except when senior players like Hatchard and S.Allan pick and choose when to go for contests and half the team misses every target by hand it won’t prove that costly this match, but don’t worry Clarke will bring Waterhouse back to fix things up again

Here’s a question without notice, I want India Rasheed at the draft (obviously) I think she’s generational, she scores goals and actually scans the field to get teammates into better positions on field, she’ll go top 3, would you trade Ponter to Collingwood (currently pick 2) for her? I would in a heartbeat - I think they’ve got the best out of Ponter and she’s hit her ceiling and is becoming way to easy for opponents to play on especially up forward with her lazy leads. It might hurt immediately but would help in the medium-long term.

The team desperately needs more big talent, the last 3 seasons have shown you can get deep in finals carrying some low skilled team oriented individuals and relying on a few big performers but like last night, against Brisbane and in big finals under pressure they crack and the only 2 I see filling that big talent need are Lauren Young or India Rasheed. So either pressure Young to demand a trade out of Port and hope the knees can hold up or find a way to get Rasheed.

 

[Firewalker]

By the way anyone wondering why I’ve been harsh on Ponter this year and specifically the last 3 games, here’s an example from last night:

View attachment vcompress_9.mov

She takes possession then puts the absolute blinkers on (something she does far too much of the time) and just ignores Marinoff running totally free into the 50 and proceeds to kick it straight to the Melbourne defender in Gillard in the opposite direction to where Gould was moving to. Cost the game.

 

[dplggr47]

By the way anyone wondering why I’ve been harsh on Ponter this year and specifically the last 3 games, here’s an example from last night:

View attachment 2137214

She takes possession then puts the absolute blinkers on (something she does far too much of the time) and just ignores Marinoff running totally free into the 50 and proceeds to kick it straight to the Melbourne defender in Gillard in the opposite direction to where Gould was moving to. Cost the game.

So many of them kicking it directly to an opponent. Are they just bad kicks, or they're not looking at all?

 

[Firewalker]

Squad for Sunday has Charlton, Munyard, Tonon and of course Waterhouse back in, also the ‘usuals’ are the ones that will be dropped with Varnhagen, Mueller, Levy, Boileau and Kustermann listed on the bench, Boyle-Carr rested.

So many of them kicking it directly to an opponent. Are they just bad kicks, or they're not looking at all?

Fundamentally most are still just poor kicks under any slight pressure but players also seem to not know where teammates want the ball/where they are trying to lead to.

Also like I said they just fluff them and they float off in the wrong direction to which the player upfield is moving too or high above the players head which means they either have the ball go through their hands/over their head to their immediate opponent or they have to stop and prop and just invite that opponent to spoil it.

 

[Scorpus]

I see a certain player is not playing for "personal reasons" in pride round again

 

[Firewalker]

I see a certain player is not playing for "personal reasons" in pride round again

That was a given

 

[Cromulant]

I see a certain player is not playing for "personal reasons" in pride round again

Wait who ??

 

[cmndstab]

I'd rather hold onto Ponter, to be honest. Yes, when she's bad she's bad, but her best is match-winning. She was the difference between winning and losing in our most recent premiership. She's still super young, could get ten more years of football out of her. And honestly, we need her. She's about the only natural forward on our list.

That being said, her performance last night was woeful.


I'd rather back ourselves to get Rasheed back in a few years.

 

[cmndstab]

Wait who ??

Without even looking it up, I'm going to assume Zreika again.

 

[dplggr47]

Wait who ??

Zreika (GWS). Goes against her Muslim beliefs.

 

[cmndstab]

This is Clarke ‘try some new things’ is playing Prowse up forward for all of 10 minutes before going nah need to go back to normal proceedings and not do anything different for the next 3 quarters.

That was a bit odd. The ball barely got into our forward line before Clarke gave up on Prowse as a forward. That being said, I'd rather she stay down back. As strange as it sounds, if we're determined to move a defender forward I'd go with Sarah Allan. I think Prowse and Biddell are crucial down back at the moment. Sarah Allan down back is a luxury and not one that is paying huge dividends at the moment.

Tarlinton in the ruck probably didn't work. Jess Allan became invisible as soon as she moved out of there, and she offered more than Tarlinton did. That being said, Tarlinton was okay for a debutant, livelier than I expected her to be. At this point, I'd just tell her, you're going to play forward for the rest of the season, make it work and you get a contract extension.

 

[cmndstab]

I'll say this for Zreika, at least she's prepared to sit herself out rather than expecting anyone else to change what they're doing. It still feels kind of shitty considering half the league is LGBTQ but whatever. I won't miss seeing her on Sunday.

 

[dplggr47]

I'll say this for Zreika, at least she's prepared to sit herself out rather than expecting anyone else to change what they're doing. It still feels kind of shitty considering half the league is LGBTQ but whatever. I won't miss seeing her on Sunday.

She did originally requested the AFLW allow her to wear the regular guernsey while her teammates wore the pride guernsey, which was rightly rejected. She said she was shocked by the decision, so now she sits out during the round.

 

[cmndstab]

She did originally requested the AFLW allow her to wear the regular guernsey while her teammates wore the pride guernsey, which was rightly rejected. She said she was shocked by the decision, so now she sits out during the round.

I'd forgotten about that. Can you imagine how ludicrous that would be? One player on the field in a different guernsey to everyone else.

 

[dplggr47]

I'd forgotten about that. Can you imagine how ludicrous that would be? One player on the field in a different guernsey to everyone else.

Hence I was shocked by her shocked response.

 

[cmndstab]

So Hawthorn are now a game ahead of us on the ladder, and could feasibly win all of their remaining games (West Coast, GWS, Melbourne, Richmond). Meanwhile we've still got a match against North to come up.

Richmond are also ahead of us on percentage, with Geelong, Melbourne, Essendon and Hawthorn to play. At least one of Hawthorn and Richmond will lose (or draw) in the last round.

Still, it's going to be tough to finish top 4. Can't afford any more slip-ups. With a likely loss to North coming up, we need to start burying a few opponents. GWS and Collingwood should be two fairly easy beats, hopefully Geelong as well.

 

[Firewalker]

I'd rather hold onto Ponter, to be honest. Yes, when she's bad she's bad, but her best is match-winning. She was the difference between winning and losing in our most recent premiership. She's still super young, could get ten more years of football out of her. And honestly, we need her. She's about the only natural forward on our list.

That being said, her performance last night was woeful.


I'd rather back ourselves to get Rasheed back in a few years.

If Rasheed gets drafted interstate & comes back it’s not going to be to the Crows, the only chance Crows get her is if she’s drafted by them, even if she wanted to go to Port instead and kicked up a fuss if the Crows had the pick they would at least be able to demand Lauren Young and some other high talents from Port in exchange for access to her.

I would hope that they are getting past the point where they are just accepting a few moments of brilliance every 3-4 games from Ponter but it doesn’t seem that way - Clarke seems far too accepting of a lot of things especially in recent seasons. No doubt she’s been the difference maker in the past and kicked important finals goals but looks happy resting on her laurels like a few other players at the moment. I know she’s young-ish still and there could theoretically be improvement there as a player but I fear we’ve seen her at her peak and probably a bit like with Rachele in the AFL can you accept the faults with some head over the ball/standing under the ball stuff & also when she puts the blinkers on she starts hindering and not helping things on field.

With it being a full national draft now if they are going to finish consistently in the top 5 the only way to ever get access to that top generational talent that might change the current cycle & take them to a flag is by giving up something good and she for mine is still a bit more icing on top of substance and maybe the only one of the top players on the club’s list that you could lose & get access to that top pick without totally compromising the team.

 

[brucetiki]

I'll say this for Zreika, at least she's prepared to sit herself out rather than expecting anyone else to change what they're doing. It still feels kind of shitty considering half the league is LGBTQ but whatever. I won't miss seeing her on Sunday.

I’d like to see GWS respond by not putting her straight back in the side after this week. It would be easy to say that she made herself unavailable and she has to work her way back in/not living up to team standards (which she isn’t by sitting out this week for her own selfish reasons).

 

[Firewalker]

That was a bit odd. The ball barely got into our forward line before Clarke gave up on Prowse as a forward. That being said, I'd rather she stay down back. As strange as it sounds, if we're determined to move a defender forward I'd go with Sarah Allan. I think Prowse and Biddell are crucial down back at the moment. Sarah Allan down back is a luxury and not one that is paying huge dividends at the moment.

Tarlinton in the ruck probably didn't work. Jess Allan became invisible as soon as she moved out of there, and she offered more than Tarlinton did. That being said, Tarlinton was okay for a debutant, livelier than I expected her to be. At this point, I'd just tell her, you're going to play forward for the rest of the season, make it work and you get a contract extension.

Like I said yesterday Sarah Allan has become role-less since she came back from her hamstring last year. Biddell & Prowse became comfortable as the main players down back and so Clarke instead tried to wedge Allan back there by playing her as a roaming spare behind the ball but she seems to get lost and drift out wide of the play and doesn’t have the impact on stopping opposition attacks and gets exposed with balls that get out the back as she seems to have lost a yard of pace since that injury.

All while that’s happening the opposition spare is having an absolute field day while Clarke continues running with whatever this setup they’re running with is supposed to achieve.

I did slightly admire what Tarlinton did or at least tried to do, she tried to show some intensity, a lot more than I’d seen from her previously and I don’t think it was coincidence Jess Allan played one of her better games in recent weeks with her lending a slight chop-out in the ruck. Unfortunately she seems lost when up forward or trying to compete aerially.

 

[jenny61_99]

By the way anyone wondering why I’ve been harsh on Ponter this year and specifically the last 3 games, here’s an example from last night:

View attachment 2137214

She takes possession then puts the absolute blinkers on (something she does far too much of the time) and just ignores Marinoff running totally free into the 50 and proceeds to kick it straight to the Melbourne defender in Gillard in the opposite direction to where Gould was moving to. Cost the game.

Now show the clip of her bursting from the middle with possession and clearance from a centre bounce. Her best is brilliant - heads and shoulders above. I’d give Hatchy before i gave Ponter.

 

[Chief]

I’d like to see GWS respond by not putting her straight back in the side after this week. It would be easy to say that she made herself unavailable and she has to work her way back in/not living up to team standards (which she isn’t by sitting out this week for her own selfish reasons).

Cheeky Google search results:

 

[Firewalker]

Now show the clip of her bursting from the middle with possession and clearance from a centre bounce. Her best is brilliant - heads and shoulders above. I’d give Hatchy before i gave Ponter.

Do you mean the one to start the game where it looked real pretty but she didn’t take all the space that was available to run into in front of her and ended up kicking a loopy ball that just made it inside 50 which was spoiled & she followed up by turning it over by hand? Ok;

View attachment vcompress_10.mov

I mean this is what I’m getting at when she gets that clean ball it looks pretty and flashy but a fair amount of it doesn’t actually lead to substance, I’m not saying she isn’t a brilliantly spectacular player, far from it but the over reliance the Crows do seem to have on her recently to be the one that gets a centre clearance to get them inside 50 and then also needing her to kick most of their score for them to win is a very low percentage play and more specifically lately proving quite unproductive.

I may be on my own in thinking it but I just think Clarke and the other coaches are stretching what her capabilities are as a footballer and need to bring it back and simplify it, if they want her to be the main forward then play her there permanently & tell her she needs to work specifically on her leading patterns and contested marking as it’s currently letting her down massively or if they want her to be a midfielder play her there for the majority but tell her she actually has to go for a hard ground ball once in a while and actually track an opponent at a stoppage not just let them roam free.

Look and your right the team & the far majority of fans most definitely believe they can’t afford to lose her because of that ridiculous over reliance on her scoring for the team to win games, but when you look at the nitty gritty of it all that’s actually probably the main issue they’ve continued to have over the past 3 seasons; that inability to spread the goal scoring load away from Ponter, the team of course only kicked 4 goals in that losing prelim last year and she kicked 3 of them.

 

[cmndstab]

I'd be more prepared to lose Ponter if we had anyone else that can do what she can (sometimes) do. But we don't really have a player who bursts out of stoppages (Marinoff maybe, but she's more of a blunt force object) and likewise don't have a creative forward who can score goals. And she's still only 24 years old. What we need to do is find a way to maximise her talents, rather than getting rid of her.

I get the argument that it could let us access Rasheed. But honestly, it sounds like Rasheed could be a flight risk anyway. And Ponter is a very popular member of the squad. I don't know, I wouldn't complain if it happened but I certainly wouldn't be looking to engineer it.

It's easy to forget that she was in our best few players for the first few rounds this year. She's just in a bad patch of form at the moment, which unfortunately (hopefully coincidentally) has coincided with a more difficult part of our fixture.