Slaps and Sledges QF v Geelong

[dogwatch]

Slaps:

• Gilbee - just about his best game all year. His dad would have been proud this Father's Day
• Two not so popular players gutsed it out today -

• Welsh won some good contested footy in defence and was a trier all day.
• Eagleton proved he isn't a downhill skier. Not brilliant but worked his ring off

• We fought it out for 4 quarters (well the last three anyway) instead of chucking it in
• Boyd and Cooney were good. Surprised by the posts that say Boyd didn't do much.
• Higgins wasn't overawed like some of his team mates.
• Aker - 3 goals and always trying to be constructive. This bloke is always great value week after week. Hope the young blokes are watching and learning.
• Hudson's chase

Sledges:

• Missing in Action : Harbrow, Hargrave, Johnno (esp first half), Gia, Griffen, Hahn, Hill and maybe Ward for some of the game
• Hill has got to be harder at it - enough said about this on other threads
• Kicking for goal - apart from Cooney and Johnno in the fourth quarter there were at least 4 OOB on the full (Hahn had 2 of them)
• Passing straight to Geelong defenders on too many occasions (Murphy, Cooney and many more)
• Whole team - lack of pressure and intensity all over the ground, especially first quarter
• Coaches - allowing Geelong's half backs to rack up a squillion possessions - was this really the game plan?

 

[shaolinmastah]

Agree with pretty much all of it although I'd give a slap to Ward for his attack on the ball and a major sledge to Hill for not having a pair, Hahn also continues to disappoint.

I can not stop thinking about this game for some reason I guess I just feel really let down by a pretty lackadaisical approach for extended periods of time especially the whole 1st quarter.

 

[StringyDog]

• Boyd and Cooney were good. Surprised by the posts that say Boyd didn't do much.

While he wasn't amoung the worst players he was pretty ordinary compared to what he has produced throughout the year. Only 2 clearances, only 6 posessions were contessted (well down on usual), 22 of them handballs (lots of dinky ones), only 1 inside 50 and his defensive game particularly in centre was very poor. Lots of ball but no effect on game whatsoever. He is our best midfielder this year and to win finals we need him to produce better than that.

 

[dogwatch]

While he wasn't amoung the worst players he was pretty ordinary compared to what he has produced throughout the year. Only 2 clearances, only 6 posessions were contessted (well down on usual), 22 of them handballs (lots of dinky ones), only 1 inside 50 and his defensive game particularly in centre was very poor. Lots of ball but no effect on game whatsoever. He is our best midfielder this year and to win finals we need him to produce better than that.

Fair points, GR, except that "no effect ... whatsoever" is a bit harsh. We have just come to expect him to star every week. Although he wasn't outstanding against the Cats I thought he put in an honest game and was doing lots of stuff in and around the action that doesn't always get on the stats sheet.

To make the GF, let alone win it we do need him at his best. All 22 of them at their best in fact.

 

[Tassie Bulldog]

SLAPS

Callan Ward - didn't have a great game stats wise but was one of very few who showed the endeavour necessary in finals. Played on Selwood too and he didn't do a lot


SLEDGES - just some individual things that annoyed me during the game

Brian Lake - should never, ever be allowed to kick the ball out after a behind unless its a quick play on option. Looks like a deer in the headlights and should be a directive from the coaches to take it off him

Lindsay Gilbee - running free towards goal 55m out and kicking the ball sideways to a 50/50 contest in the pocket. Even if the mark was taken the shot at goal would have been a 20% chance at best whilst Gilbs would have drilled it 90% of the time

Brad Johnson - thought he was in an Olympic diving contest in first half instead of a finals game, poor example from the skipper

 

[Hotdog60]

I agree with the first post but what Tassie Bulldog said about Johnson is interesting, this was Johno at the start of the season.
When he is off his game he tends to go down that path, when his last couple of months his been attacking the ball and not looking for the easy free kick.
I hate to think what the old boys of '54 were thinking about the game.

 

[Jean Claude Vas Deferens]

Sledge. Slow starts. This has been an issue for us all year. How many times do we let teams get the jump on us early in the game? Our first quarters have been average this year (Hawthorn game an exception) and whilst our ability to string together a flurry of goals and run teams down is admirable, I'd prefer we didn't have to rely on that as often as we do. Switch on from the start boys!

 

[always right]

Slaps:
Gilbee: Only bloke who took the game on.
Ward: Nothing fazes this bloke. Put many others to shane with his attack on the ball and the man
Hudson: Our ruckmen had zero impact on the game but that chase of Hudson on Byrnes should have inspired his team-mates

Sledges:
Hargrave: He's had an unbelievable season but his efforts yesterday were nothing short of deplorable. When he isn't switched on it's horrible to watch.
Johnno: Missing in action the first half when we needed his leadership
Murphy: Most important forward in our side. He gave us nothing.
Our forwardline in general: Their refusal to put pressure on the Geelong forwards was a major reason for the first quarter debacle

 

[fellah]

For those who were at the game, Ch7 organised a "viewing" of the '54 Premiership with the surviving members of the team and most of the leadership group at the Sun theatre and played it prior to the start of the game yesterday! Is the club off its tree? The same players struggled yesterday. That sort of emotion and expectation can wait until the flag is waiving on the pole at Whitten Oval.

 

[always right]

For those who were at the game, Ch7 organised a "viewing" of the '54 Premiership with the surviving members of the team and most of the leadership group at the Sun theatre and played it prior to the start of the game yesterday! Is the club off its tree? The same players struggled yesterday. That sort of emotion and expectation can wait until the flag is waiving on the pole at Whitten Oval.

I have no problem with the club trying to raise the expectations of our players..either should you. If they had won yesterday, some will have pointed to this as an inspired and inspiring move.

 

[Hotdog60]

''There's only a couple of individuals, and it seems to be a constant with them. I don't know if maybe we need to have some extra memory we can put in there that would make their attention span a bit greater,'' Eade said.
''That would be great, but I've spoken to a couple of individuals after the game and said, 'We're sick of actually telling you every week what you need to do in that situation', because most of them were pretty good.
''It was just a concentration thing. One of them was just running around in loose space, then he manned up and his player kicked the ball, then he ran away from him and went 30 metres into space. Crazy. But that didn't cost us the game. At that stage, we weren't going to win it with two minutes left.''

A quote from Eade, I'd like to know who's not following instruction on a regular basis, maybe interesting out of the senior players who gets the chop.

 

[Hard Ball Get]

Slaps

- Gilbee: Easily our best. Used it well, made good decisions and tried all day.

- Lake: Great again.

- Hudson: Effort after effort. The stuff out on the wing was fantastic in the second.

- Ward: Tough, hard and great first final.

Sledges

- Minson: Needs to do around the ground.

- First quarter intensity: Non existent.

- Decision making going forward. Many culprits.

- Some fans on here. You would think we missed the finals with the reaction.

 

[Dogs Rule]

For those who were at the game, Ch7 organised a "viewing" of the '54 Premiership with the surviving members of the team and most of the leadership group at the Sun theatre and played it prior to the start of the game yesterday! Is the club off its tree? The same players struggled yesterday. That sort of emotion and expectation can wait until the flag is waiving on the pole at Whitten Oval.

Higgins was there and he was alright and kicked that important goal in the final term.

Compare that to Johnson who missed another set shot at an important time in the same quarter.

There are times when a captain has to stand up and be counted and that was his time.

 

[Coooooooneyyyyyyyy]

Sledges
The Innacuracy in the last qtr