Review Round 8, 2018 - Western Bulldogs vs. Brisbane Lions

[Hirsty23]

They way I see it, there are three young, promising teams in the comp at the moment. Bulldogs, Suns and us. How's that working out for us? "We are older and more experienced" means that your argument of gameplans and being better drilled than us doesn't work. They played poorly because they're a younger and more inexperienced team. We are not as young, and not as promising. Sorry - simple fact - I'd rather have the bulldogs list than ours. Pretty obvious really - theyre 4-4 with a younger team than us. You can't use excuses of youth in this one.

Nobody is going to remember this game in a few years. This was just two young sides playing against each other and you know what? To me it gave zero indication of who has the more promising future. We couldn't have played much worse than we did last night and we lost by 14 points. They are 4-4 having grinded out wins against the teams around them, fair play to them but to say they are considerably better than us or even that their performances have been considerably better than ours is nonsense in my opinion.

 

[jackess]

They way I see it, there are three young, promising teams in the comp at the moment. Bulldogs, Suns and us. How's that working out for us? "We are older and more experienced" means that your argument of gameplans and being better drilled than us doesn't work. They played poorly because they're a younger and more inexperienced team. We are not as young, and not as promising. Sorry - simple fact - I'd rather have the bulldogs list than ours. Pretty obvious really - theyre 4-4 with a younger team than us. You can't use excuses of youth in this one.

The Bulldogs young gun midfielders are older Bont, MacRae, etc. While ours are teenagers. That being said their young KPPs haven't done much.

 

[lioninthesand]

They way I see it, there are three young, promising teams in the comp at the moment. Bulldogs, Suns and us. How's that working out for us? "We are older and more experienced" means that your argument of gameplans and being better drilled than us doesn't work. They played poorly because they're a younger and more inexperienced team. We are not as young, and not as promising. Sorry - simple fact - I'd rather have the bulldogs list than ours. Pretty obvious really - theyre 4-4 with a younger team than us. You can't use excuses of youth in this one.

I dont get it? We are both young promising teams and we narrowly lost on their home deck. If we lost by 80 points id get it. What are you saying? We are terrible? We should be totally unforgiving of the loss yesterday? We should be angry? We are promising but slightly more experienced so that makes us doubly as bad?.

They have more injuries and have been young all year, but they have an established, learnt system and a culture of confidence to step into that we are yet to build. Same as the Cats young backline performimg above expectation, I don't think there's any guarentee they are significantly better than us in 5 years time.

Im a bit lost with your point, we challanged, we played poorly, we lost.

 

[Clarkythelion]

In defence of our backline and I know there are stats, stats and more stats then bloody lies. 2017 we had 1 win and an average loosing margin after 8 rounds of 45 points. 2018 we have 8 losses and an average loosing margin of 26 points. Desperate to find positives I'm claiming that as a marked improvement.

 

[lioninthesand]

Have to agree here, it's interesting to read the comments here. People are allowed to be dissapointed and upset especially with how we have been tracking for years. I suppose it comes down to the delivery.

I agree you can be angry, I was and posted accordingly. But then people go too far with the 'we are going no where', '10 years same stuff', 'mcstay is a spud', 'drop lewey', 'beams needs to step down', 'witho is a bust', 'trade rich'... stuff.

The one that gets me most is because we have been waiting for a decade or so in one way or the other, this totally new rebuild, should be ready NOW, because its been like this for years so we WONT except it anymore.

 

[CarterS]

I think the bottom end of the comp isn't as low as it used to be, and that partially explains why we have improved but not yet won a game.

 

[Clarkythelion]

NEAFL site working a bit better - Brisbane Best Players: R. Lester, J. Walker, R. Bewick, R. Bastinac, S. Mayes, C. Ballenden

Pretty much the senior guys impressing, top NEAFL players but just short of AFL players.

 

[Gadzorks]

In last week’s interview with Lewy it was clear he was devastated. The multiple showing of his brain fart handball this week is going to be really tough on him and I think he’s going to need a lot of fagan’s calm, honest support. Yes it was stupid, but I hope he doesn’t cop to much crap.

 

[lioninthesand]

Threw my laptop across the room in frustration when Lewy made that handball but geez I'm enjoying supporting a competitive side for the first time in a long time rather than just watching us get pumped every other week.

Excited with what we're building but it'll take time.

Was it one of those laptop throws where you pick it up with force, grit your teeth and go to throw, but in that spilt second you remember the laptop is worth $1200 so you sort of look out of the corner of your eye whilst in the rage and make sure you throw it but also guide it down on to a couch or a bean bag when you actually launch it? Haha

 

[lioninthesand]

Someone mentioned it earlier on here as did Fages. It feels like we are also trying too hard and there is some psychological stuff at play. We need to loosen up a bit and enjoy the game a bit more, not sure you can coach that though. They defs want it, maybe a bit too much.

 

[Nunez]

NEAFL site working a bit better - Brisbane Best Players: R. Lester, J. Walker, R. Bewick, R. Bastinac, S. Mayes, C. Ballenden

Pretty much the senior guys impressing, top NEAFL players but just short of AFL players.

How could Paparone not be listed in the best? Lol

 

[marooned]

Composure is what lost the game for us.It will only come with experience.Hipwood taking a touch more time,McStay looking before handballing,Clugga not fumbling and getting the snap away.This will come but with so many young players extremely frustrating to watch.Think we could be in for a couple of horror weeks now but dont want those 2nd tier players we have with more than 4 yrs under their belt brought in.Lester,Bell,Bastinac etc wont make any difference to our season but the young players will benefit from these losses and will come out the otherside as hardened AFL standard players.

 

[Plat]

In last week’s interview with Lewy it was clear he was devastated. The multiple showing of his brain fart handball this week is going to be really tough on him and I think he’s going to need a lot of fagan’s calm, honest support. Yes it was stupid, but I hope he doesn’t cop to much crap.

It is his 5th year playing AFL. Perhaps he needs to be read the riot act.

 

[Hollow Knight]

It is his 5th year playing AFL. Perhaps he needs to be read the riot act.

There’s nothing you could say to him that would make him feel worse than he would have felt when he turned it over. He was busting his arse to try and make something happen and it backfired badly.

It’s natural to want to blame individuals for that, but sometimes when you hang the guys who try to take the game on when that is exactly what is required, you implicitly encourage them to just keep their head down and not bother next time. There were probably a few players last night who were too anxious and terrified to try and grab the game by the horns when it was needed and could potentially have presented as running handball options for Lewy, yet he becomes the complete poster boy for why we lost.

There is a reason why they call coaching an “art”. So many nuances to manage in coaching a team to win games of football consistently. You can’t just rant and rave a team of boys into winners. You have to build them up. Reading Lewy the riot act last night would just be rubbing salt and vinegar chips into a fresh wound.

 

[lions27]

It is his 5th year playing AFL. Perhaps he needs to be read the riot act.

For making a mistake?

 

[Len S]

Beams has been in our best the last 2 weeks, he had an off night, Witho has played about 20 games and has also been very good the last 2 weeks also. Just both down IMO.

Beames has had two good games,McCrae,on our team and we win.Our mids are among the worst in the comp,and much of the problem is Beames.

Watched the pressor this morning. Very impressed, would love to have Fagan as a 10 year coach.

We can only focus on what we can do better.

Sometimes no matter how hard you try, it doesn't work. And the harder you try the worse it gets.

I believe once we start winning we will be unstoppable. The guys they are picking each week are the ones who are going to do it.

Fagan is very plausible in everything, except selection and match day.Eagles at Etihad !!! And every game starts disorganised, poor in the centre square...Beames,and giving starts we cannot overcome.We will be serious inmmy book,When Beames is not captain and not in the square Richand Christenson are dropped,and we stop wasting time on list cloggers...Lester back next

It is great to have young players with great potential, but as the commentators were saying on the ABC today as I was driving around, you need an established, disciplined core of senior players at a club to nurture these players or you run the very real risk that they will not fulfil their potential. The point was made that Sydney is so good at bringing on young players because of their culture and the quality of their senior players. The question was asked, how good might Jack Watts have been if he started at Hawthorn or Sydney, both clubs who have been able to stay at the top for extended periods of time.

This is the problem we have, because almost all of our “senior” players are either cooked or just not very good anymore.
Beams looks shot, Lester is washed up, Bewick hasn’t lived up to anyone’s expectations, Rich looks tired and his deficiencies are starting to outweigh his positives and while Hodge may still be playing he is, to all intents and purposes, finished. Zorko is still a solid player, but he is not a great role model in terms of temperament and struggles to break a tag. Then we have a very suspect second tier of experience players who should be stepping up but aren’t. Mayes, Bastinac, Walker and Bell are in the Reserves, Tayor is a very dumb footballer who would struggle to get a regular game at any other club, Christensen is a lazy footballer who struggles to run both ways, McStayke is very week in the air and makes very very bad judgements on the ground and only Harris Andrews, Gardiner and Cameron look like they are able to lead by example.

As I said, we have plenty of talented players, but we are not supporting them the way a club like Sydney, Hawthorn or Geelong for that matter would. At this stage they are the only thing we have to pin our hopes on. As for Fagan ... well the clock is ticking. His win / loss percentage is 16.7% and that sort of number just doesn’t cut it for long. I would be much happier if we could throw everything at getting John Blakey to Brisbane as a game day coach and possibly keep Fagan in a role within the football department, using whatever money we can get the AFL to throw at us.

How do you know Blakey is a good game day coach....lots of this stuff is loose,Agree totally on mid tier group ,a . introverted ,lacklustre group would be hard to find.The sooner Hodge takes over the better

 

[Len S]

I haven't felt so down heartened after a Brissie loss for many years. There has been very little improvement over the last year or so. WE have finished last two years in a row(I disregard the Essendon anomaly ) and now we are firmly, and I mean firmly, ensconced at number 18.

Let's go through it.

Harris Andrews: several games this year, early on, he was towelled up. He will play 150 games but be another Merrett, a handy player in a poor team. Gets comprehensively beaten far too often to be a good key back

Hipwood : At this stage he is simply not up to a key forward position. No where near. He is a future star and tonight he got his hands on the ball a few more times than his average, but butchered the ball. At this stage of his development he is a liability at CHF.

Christensen : Not a league footballer

Cutler : Battler at best but his long kicks cause some people to rate him

Hodge : The game has passed him by. Ditto Eagles

McStay : Last week he had one disposal up to couple of minutes before half time. A lucky free kick and a goal just before half time, other wise he had a shocker half. He cannot be called a player when he has so few runs on the board and goes comprehensively missing for quarters

Lewis Taylor : Has there ever been a player that applies less physical pressure than Lewis? Skills, well he snuffed out any chance of us winning tonight.

Beams : When he wins a few frees from hard tackles I will be a fan. I do not think he is fit enough to play the way he did at Collingwood.

We have a full list with no injuries, but still suck. To further depress everyone here is my ins for next week

Lester
Bell
Bastinac
Bewick
Walker
Mathierson

Drop who you like, we will be still last. Our list stinks and will require a few more years to revamp it.

The funniest list of ins Ive ever seen.List cloggers all,none would get a game anywhere else .

 

[wantok]

Was very frustrated during and after this game. It really was winnable. On reflection the positives were the continuing improvement of Clugga and JB and the emergence of Oscar. The negatives were the disappointment with Daniel Rich’s commitment and the failure of our coaching staff to do the obvious and contain Macrae’s creativity. That plus allowing their loose midfielders at the back of throw ins and centre bounces. If you shut down their run they there’s not a lot more to their game plan yet we let it go unhindered.


On iPhone using BigFooty.com mobile app

 

[lioninthesand]

Beames has had two good games,McCrae,on our team and we win.Our mids are among the worst in the comp,and much of the problem is Beames.

Fagan is very plausible in everything, except selection and match day.Eagles at Etihad !!! And every game starts disorganised, poor in the centre square...Beames,and giving starts we cannot overcome.We will be serious inmmy book,When Beames is not captain and not in the square Richand Christenson are dropped,and we stop wasting time on list cloggers...Lester back next

How do you know Blakey is a good game day coach....lots of this stuff is loose,Agree totally on mid tier group ,a . introverted ,lacklustre group would be hard to find.The sooner Hodge takes over the better

Our midfield was always going to struggle this year, slow, no Rocky, kids shouldering the load and it is an issue. Our organisation was vad at times last night, they sharked us all night and walked it out of there.

Dayne Beams is an A grade gun, struggling a little bit with form, we are very lucky to have him as our leader. He is not part of some systemic issue, or the cause of our woes, that's just making a 'big call' for the sake of it and looking for a shock reaction, which you got.. from me. Lol

 

[Nunez]

Our midfield was always going to struggle this year, slow, no Rocky, kids shouldering the load and it is an issue. Our organisation was vad at times last night, they sharked us all night and walked it out of there.

Dayne Beams is an A grade gun, struggling a little bit with form, we are very lucky to have him as our leader. He is not part of some systemic issue, or the cause of our woes, that's just making a 'big call' for the sake of it and looking for a shock reaction, which you got.. from me. Lol

Goes to show how disappointing it is guys like Bell and Bastinac aren't best 22.

 

[Lions Flag 2020]

I like to look at our improvement in areas rather than individuals.
Backline - we have definitely improved a lot this year but have just inserted a new player back there (Eagles) who is going to make mistakes and give up a few goals (just like harris did and they all do when starting out). Also, will take a few games for them to gel with him and trust him.
Forward line - I feel much better about our improvement here with big O and mcstay there providing more tall support for hippy. Both big O and mcstay improving every week. Charlie has added another dimension and baileys pace is great. We need to stick with this set up so they build cohesion and stop all three talls jumping for same mark.
Midfield - Area of most concern as far as improvement is concerned. Berry and Hugh continue to improve which is great and Rayner will be good when he develops a tank but Majority of midfield at peak now or in decline.
Attitude - marked improvement. Young ones setting the standard.
Match Winner - we don't have one. Buddy, Fyfe, Martin, lynch, Dangerfield, .... we really need to snare one in this draft and/or hope Rayner becomes one.

 

[SizeMatters]

haven't seen the game, not sure if I would want to after reading some of the posts here...

 

[bato]

Imagine playing poorly but only losing by 14. They'd be kicking themselves for not playing their best when it counted most. Can it only go downhill from here after so many close losses? Almost feel like some players will eventually lose all hope of winning a game.

 

[Paul Mac]

Andrews in AA form. Didn't concede a goal all night. Too bad the guys around him are somewhat 'not gifted'.

And people want him moved forward. Heaven forbid what we would be losing by if he wasn't playing back.

 

[Comeback Lions]

There’s nothing you could say to him that would make him feel worse than he would have felt when he turned it over. He was busting his arse to try and make something happen and it backfired badly.

It’s natural to want to blame individuals for that, but sometimes when you hang the guys who try to take the game on when that is exactly what is required, you implicitly encourage them to just keep their head down and not bother next time. There were probably a few players last night who were too anxious and terrified to try and grab the game by the horns when it was needed and could potentially have presented as running handball options for Lewy, yet he becomes the complete poster boy for why we lost.

There is a reason why they call coaching an “art”. So many nuances to manage in coaching a team to win games of football consistently. You can’t just rant and rave a team of boys into winners. You have to build them up. Reading Lewy the riot act last night would just be rubbing salt and vinegar chips into a fresh wound.

Rich appeared to be standing still and only a metre or two clear from opposing players. It's much more effective to handball to running players. Sure it wasn't a great decision by Taylor, but he can only deal with the options he's given. As Fagan has said before you're not going to be hard on mistakes when players are trying to take the game on.