Slow Starts

[Henesey]

The last two weeks have been incredible to watch but if you had to take one negative away from both games you would say we had slow starts. What happens when you come up against a team like Collingwood or St Kilda?

A slow start against either of these teams could really hurt our chances of winning. These guys will not only put on more points if we start slow but both of their defences are better.

We need to score early and not take until the second term to kick into gear because next week it could be too late.

Thoughts?

 

[Sir Vlado]

Definitely. This first quarter problem needs to be sorted out quickly, next week it could well be our downfall against either the Pies or Saints.

 

[jo172]

I disagree with this premise that we're starting slowly.

I think it's more like Carlton, Hawthorn and Essendon who did have something to play for but didn't have the quality to keep with us were only able to give one quarter of effort.

 

[Symesy15]

The slow starts give the opposition a false sense of security.
The Crows like to make the other team feel they actually have a chance at winning, then at quarter time if we're just behind or just in front, the players say 'stuff them, we've tried to help them, but now we're going to kick it up a gear and see how they go'.
Although, I don't think I'll be able to handle another slow start - actually, my TV might not survive as my remote may be thrown through it.

 

[WALL-e]

Been talking about the same thing with the old man.

I'm loving the fact that we can come back from a defecit, but really good teams can protect leads well and punish you hard.

 

[Bacon8]

teams will always have more in the tank in the first, so they can keep running to keep up with us. Once they start falling away, we punish them.

I'm not concerned by any perceived slow starts, cos we have the tank to keep going.

You could see in the 1st against the Bombres that we were always gonna blow them away, they just had a bit more to give at that stage.

 

[spexau]

So what you're worried about is Hawthorn a team playing for a spot in the top 8, Carlton playing for a home final, and Essendon playing in an Elimination Final tried their asses off in the first quarter and actually got somewhere against us? Only to fall behind and be over run? Worrying about nothing. The start against Essendon wasn't even a slow start anyway, we were leading at quarter time!

 

[sbenno]

I disagree with this premise that we're starting slowly.

I think it's more like Carlton, Hawthorn and Essendon who did have something to play for but didn't have the quality to keep with us were only able to give one quarter of effort.

I reckon you're right jo. I didn't see the hawthorn match, but carlton played out of their skins in the first quarter, it wasn't us staring slowly. I reckon Essendon were a similar thing. They came out fired up to beat us, but could only keep it up for 1 quarter, much like us vs the Saints this year.

 

[crowsarethebest]

Been talking about the same thing with the old man.

I'm loving the fact that we can come back from a defecit, but really good teams can protect leads well and punish you hard.

Yep. Has happened all year, regardless of the quality of the side. We always, always seem to start slowly. We always work our way back into it but against Collingwood for example where we screwed we started slowly yet again we had to play catch up and in the end it was the first quarter which killed us.

 

[SugarShane]

I don't think we're slow starters as such, the way i see it is more that the opposition puts up with our pressure for a quarter or so, but by then we manage to break them and run away with it.

 

[Drugs Are Bad Mackay?]

I don't think we're slow starters as such, the way i see it is more that the opposition puts up with our pressure for a quarter or so, but by then we manage to break them and run away with it.

This.

We saw it when we played St Kilda in Round 16 too. Kept up with them for the first quarter, and then when the game settled into its rhythm...

Thing is though that against the best teams we are not going to dominate long periods of games against them. So you simply cannot fall 3-4 goals behind and expect to win. What usually happens is that even if you do catch up you use up all your petrol tickets getting there and get blown apart at the end of the game.

 

[King Elvis]

Bloody ridiculous.

 

[big78sam]

Since round 2 in every game bar one we have let the opposition get out to an early lead. Inexcusable.

 

[relapse]

I made a thread a few weeks ago that our 1st quarters were killing us.

Every week we put ourselves into a position where we have to play catch up footy by letting our opponent kick multiple unanswered goals in the first quarter.

It seems to happen against whoever we play irrespective of the opponent.

 

[Drugs Are Bad Mackay?]

I made a thread a few weeks ago that our 1st quarters are killing us.

Every week we put ourselves into a position where we have to play catch up footy by letting our opponent kick multiple unanswered goals in the first quarter.

Walsh has tried a bunch of things at the start of games since our crappy starts kicked in - Betts off the back of the square, experienced players in the guts, kids in the guts, extra players back... we've tried everything except getting our hands on the ball first and using it well.

 

[relapse]

Walsh has tried a bunch of things at the start of games since our crappy starts kicked in - Betts off the back of the square, experienced players in the guts, kids in the guts, extra players back... we've tried everything except getting our hands on the ball first and using it well.

It's almost like we are so slow that we are unable to compete against the speed of opposition clubs so we just try and weather the storm until the game begins to slow down halfway through the first quarter.

I noticed that Walsh went with a loose man in the defence on Saturday to start the game, but that didn't work either.

 

[Pdub]

Watching the game live on the weekend, the problem behind our slow starts became clearer. Our game plan relies on strong bodies getting the ball first and keeping our hands on that ball, we can not shut down teams who move the ball quickly with run and carry and the first half of the first quarter is when the opposition runs the fastest. We catch up as they slow down and stop hurting us for making turn overs.

 

[relapse]

This was from the thread a made a few weeks ago

Round 3 VS Melbourne
Melbourne kick the first 3 goals

Round 4 V Bulldogs
Bulldogs kick 5 consecutive goals.

Round 5 V Port
Port kick 5 consecutive goals

Round 7 V St Kilda
St Kilda kick the first 3 goals of the game

Round 8 VS GWS
GWS kick the first 5 goals

Round 9 VS Freo
Freo kick the first 3 goals

Round 10 VS Carlton
Carlton kick the first 3 goals

Round 11 VS Hawthorn
Hawthorn kick 4 consecutive goals

Round 13 VS Brisbane
Brisbane kick the first 4 goals

Honestly I cannot remember a season before where we've consistently bled goals in the first quarter like we have this year. Every week we're essentially putting ourselves in a position where we have to play catch up football.

You can pretty much bookmark that at some point early in the first quarter that Geelong will kick at least 3 unanswered goals.

 

[Crow_Magnon]

Personally I'd keep Thommo out of the middle for the first 10 minutes. It's probably coincidental that weeks 1 and 2 were different....though we did bleed a lot of unanswered goals against North and Collingwood too, but this was the third and fourth quarters respectively. I'd go with CEY, Danger and either Dougie or Smith from the first bounce. MCrouch on the pine to start with and Thommo HFF.

 

[Ramify]

Personally I'd keep Thommo out of the middle for the first 10 minutes. It's probably coincidental that weeks 1 and 2 were different....though we did bleed a lot of unanswered goals against North and Collingwood too, but this was the third and fourth quarters respectively. I'd go with CEY, Danger and either Dougie or Smith from the first bounce. MCrouch on the pine to start with and Thommo HFF.

Was just about to write something quite similar. Surprised the coaches haven't picked up on this yet.

 

[Pdub]

Personally I'd keep Thommo out of the middle for the first 10 minutes. It's probably coincidental that weeks 1 and 2 were different....though we did bleed a lot of unanswered goals against North and Collingwood too, but this was the third and fourth quarters respectively. I'd go with CEY, Danger and either Dougie or Smith from the first bounce. MCrouch on the pine to start with and Thommo HFF.

Against brisbane the centre clearances weren't the issue, we won the ball, took it into our 50, turned it over and they took it the length of the field.

Although I would change 1 thing for the centre bounce, I'd stop putting eddie at the back of my the square and put Charlie there, he's a former rugby league player so would have no problem tackling players running straight at him. Eddie always tries to get the ball at full pace, put cc there to tackle.

 

[spexau]

That does beg the question. Has Smith been in the middle for a bounce yet? If he has I can't remember seeing it.

Wouldn't mind seeing Smith, Danger and CEY for a bounce.

 

[beartoo]

15 men in the back half to start the game?
There are a few good ideas above. Charlie off the back of the square instead of Eddie. Thommo HFF. I'd send Smith to the backline and have Brodie Martin take his wing. Hendo if not Martin.

 

[twodoor monarch]

It's almost like we are so slow that we are unable to compete against the speed of opposition clubs so we just try and weather the storm until the game begins to slow down halfway through the first quarter.

I noticed that Walsh went with a loose man in the defence on Saturday to start the game, but that didn't work either.

Spot on. I reckon man for man, we are the slowest team in the comp. Go through our starting line up and see how many slowmos we have compared to the general competition standard of pace for each position, and by pace I mean off the line and closing speed. I hate to say it, but for example, Cheney ticks every box but the speed option, and I suspect that's why he couldn't break into Hawthon's first choice team.

Other teams come out pumped and use their speed to run us ragged for the opening 10-15 minutes, then as the game progresses, our gritty style slowly pegs lesser teams back over the course of the game. Wont work against good sides. Our slow starts and aforesaid gritty style do not for attractive football make.

 

[Drugs Are Bad Mackay?]

Need to water the ground heavily before our home games

Would St Kilda want to play a one off home game at Moorabbin?