Autopsy Sydney Legacy in Grand Finals continues 10 goal loss to the Lions

[Heeney2Franklin]

Great memories. Just one of the many superstars we have run into on GF day.

Tom Boyd. Up until that point was known primarily for being probably the worst number 1 pick this century and his ridiculous contract, suddenly turns into Max Gawn when he sees the 'men' in red and white take the field.

Rhys Stanley will be remembered for two things at the end of his career. Being subbed off in the second quarter of a game and making Tom Hickey look like an U18s player in the 2022 GF.

I think Lohman will end up having a decent career, but yer its quite unbelieveable how bottom 6 players of each respective teams play some of the best games ever against us.

 

[tombomb]

I think Lohman will end up having a decent career, but yer its quite unbelieveable how bottom 6 players of each respective teams play some of the best games ever against us.

I think Lohman is going to be a very good player, if he isn't already, but I still think it is ridiculous that he and Ah Chee and others were just doing what every they wanted in the forward 50 against supposedly good defenders.

 

[swanssince2002]

I know Rayner is a solid player (slow burner but he developed okay), but I cant get him taking speccies on our backline out of my head. If there was one passage of play I still remember that was the one. Summed up the day as well.

Even Lohmann and Ah Chee looked like world beaters. Ah Chee was beating our backline in a 1 on 1 sprint. LOL

 

[Heeney2Franklin]

I know Rayner is a solid player (slow burner but he developed okay), but I cant get him taking speccies on our backline out of my head. If there was one passage of play I still remember that was the one. Summed up the day as well.

Even Lohmann and Ah Chee looked like world beaters. Ah Chee was beating our backline in a 1 on 1 sprint. LOL

Thats will/determination every player is able to do that.

Only one team did it for 2hrs.

Rayner is a inconsistent B grader certainly has the potential for more however just 2 weeks prior played one of the worst finals game i have ever seen.

 

[Jeffers]

Almost the one month anniversary of the game that won't define us.

 

[caesar88]

Our game plan is about scoring from turnovers with either an open, free-flowing, running game or using our elite foot skills to possess the ball and transition via those kicks.

Problem is... when has a grand final ever been about outside run or elite kicking? Not being hyperbolic, you can go back through every grand final in recent memory and they're crazy congested, highly defensive, highly pressured scraps where players have to make something out of nothing. Hell, go back to 2012 GF and the reason two of the standout moments were Jetta's run and Reid's goal is because they were pretty much the only moments in the whole game where someone could carry the ball about 50m with speed, or where a team could go end to end with uncontested kicks and marks.

Clearance dominance in the contest, elite pressure inside 50, and strong team defence are things that hold up a lot more in GFs than the ball movement and precision kicking we love, that looks great but is incredibly flimsy under pressure/against any decent opposition defensive structure. The entire way we play is exciting and can flog teams but is just fundamentally not suited to grand finals.

This also plays into team selection though. Pretty much everyone who has ever played in a GF, from Luke Hodge to Leigh Montagna

Leigh Montagna

Age

40

Ht

178cm

Wt

76kg

Pos.

Def

Career

Season

Last 5

D

23.9

5star

K

14.8

5star

HB

9.0

5star

M

4.7

4star

T

4.0

5star

MG

482.3

5star

No current season stats available

D

5.0

1star

K

3.8

2star

HB

1.2

2star

M

2.4

3star

T

1.4

4star

, has said that it's unlike any other game or final you'll play in. The time and space you have is noticeably different in grand finals. It's therefore not a stretch to assume that players who are used to having time and space may struggle to adjust to the intensity of a grand final.

When you pick almost half the team - Warner, Hayward, Florent, Campbell, Jordon, Gulden, Blakey, McInerney, Roberts and Lloyd - with players mainly suited to having that time and space, it is not surprising they struggle. They could turn up to the MCG in the perfect frame of mind for a grand final and they would still get whacked in the face by the intensity of the game. That's when panic sets in and becomes infectious, and once one team is panicking and their opposition knows it, it's good night Irene.

Look at the types of players who've performed well in our GF beltings over the years... JPK in 2014, Fox in 2022, Rowbottom this year...

 

[SeanM]

I think what is also frustrating is that things went our way initially. Lions missed a lot of chances at the start of both quarters. And yet we end up kicking the first two goals of the game.

I was hoping if we could kick the third goal, then Lions might start to question themselves mentally. That it would be one of those days where they keep missing easy shots at goal and it plays on their mind.

But it was frustrating to give them their first two easy goals to settle them. And then that goal before quarter time with multiple uncontested marks down the wing.

We were terrible. But I will probably always wonder if certain players had stood up better in key moments in the 1st and 2nd quarter. Whether it could have shifted the trajectory of the game.

 

[rustycrate]

Our game plan is about scoring from turnovers with either an open, free-flowing, running game or using our elite foot skills to possess the ball and transition via those kicks.

Problem is... when has a grand final ever been about outside run or elite kicking? Not being hyperbolic, you can go back through every grand final in recent memory and they're crazy congested, highly defensive, highly pressured scraps where players have to make something out of nothing. Hell, go back to 2012 GF and the reason two of the standout moments were Jetta's run and Reid's goal is because they were pretty much the only moments in the whole game where someone could carry the ball about 50m with speed, or where a team could go end to end with uncontested kicks and marks.

Clearance dominance in the contest, elite pressure inside 50, and strong team defence are things that hold up a lot more in GFs than the ball movement and precision kicking we love, that looks great but is incredibly flimsy under pressure/against any decent opposition defensive structure. The entire way we play is exciting and can flog teams but is just fundamentally not suited to grand finals.

This also plays into team selection though. Pretty much everyone who has ever played in a GF, from Luke Hodge to Leigh Montagna, has said that it's unlike any other game or final you'll play in. The time and space you have is noticeably different in grand finals. It's therefore not a stretch to assume that players who are used to having time and space may struggle to adjust to the intensity of a grand final.

When you pick almost half the team - Warner, Hayward, Florent, Campbell, Jordon, Gulden, Blakey, McInerney, Roberts and Lloyd - with players mainly suited to having that time and space, it is not surprising they struggle. They could turn up to the MCG in the perfect frame of mind for a grand final and they would still get whacked in the face by the intensity of the game. That's when panic sets in and becomes infectious, and once one team is panicking and their opposition knows it, it's good night Irene.

Look at the types of players who've performed well in our GF beltings over the years... JPK in 2014, Fox in 2022, Rowbottom this year...

Add Buddy in 2014.

 

[bedford]

I will never forget the embarrassment on the day and it was , even how good they were .
But time to move forward

 

[Bandit55]

I know Rayner is a solid player (slow burner but he developed okay), but I cant get him taking speccies on our backline out of my head. If there was one passage of play I still remember that was the one. Summed up the day as well.

Even Lohmann and Ah Chee looked like world beaters. Ah Chee was beating our backline in a 1 on 1 sprint. LOL

Lohmann outworked our defence.


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