Autopsy The Good (lol!) The Bad and the Beveridge.

[Proffessor]

But that's just how it is. Buku isn't a taller or stronger player than what he is. Physical attributes make up a portion of the value that you are as a player. It's not an attitude, it's the reality of the components of what makes a good footy player, well, good.

Irrespective of how Buku approached the game, his intent, his mentality, his execution of skill, etc., he was fundamentally too light for Brown. He was unable to use core strength and weight to hold positions in marking contests. We can look at the video replays if you want but I think everyone on this board (even those who abuse me!) can agree that's what happened on the field.

Of course it would stamp his delisting. But that's just how it is - the world is filled with talented six-foot-one basketballers who never made it to the NBA because they're six-foot-one. Doesn't mean that they're bad basketball players, just that they're six-foot-one.

My point is that there is too much focus on his weaknesses not enough on his strengths.

Sure he is smaller than Brown and isn’t going to win in a wrestling or push and shove contest, but he would be faster and more agile. He also has a pretty good leap. He needed to adjust his approach to use those strengths to his advantage. He didn’t.

Players like Dale Morris, Steven Kretiuk, etc. were physically over matched almost every game they played but they were able to overcome their physical disadvantages by playing to their strengths.

That is what Buku needs to learn to do. And it shouldn’t be considered too much to ask.

He also needed to be more attacking. It’s ok if he’s going to lose a few marking contests if he is going to give us some offensive drive by leaving his larger opponent in his wake running out of defence.

 

[wayniac]

We can definitely do with a tackling coach for technique but how do you deal with making sure your intensity, work ethic and intent matches technique which is just as if not more important

Tackling is one of the most physically demanding parts of any game. Yesterday we perhaps had the lowest tackle count of any team. I just looked and West Coast had one less tackle than us. So in terms of a benchmark for workrate, we suck. It appears that tackle count is correlated with success this round. So in some respects it has to lead to a turnover that helps in scoring. You could be chasing and tackling all game, not a good picture.

In our case we were just lazy and clearly being early season, not as match fit. I call bullshit on the 0 round advantage theory. The game has evolved into a game for endurance runners. Endurance runners who couldn't run up a hill with a sack of coal on their back without getting tired.

We're unfit, physically weak too and also slow. Macrae has always done my head in, just way too slow. We might do a Matthew Boyd with him, stick him at half back and put Dale back in the forward line, he shirks too much coal face work. He can kick goals and hit targets.

 

[Freshwater]

Honestly, it’s hard to take AFL seriously anymore, we play this lot every year opening round for the past three years. How about rotating home games AFL? The same as the Good Friday game, no rotation, even though we brought the crowd.

This rubbish round 0, gave them a leg up, when god knows Melbourne Football Club has had more leg ups, than any club outside GWS and GC. We are playing against how many priority picks, how many paid senior coaches, how many MCG members, even the umpires got into the spirit helping them out with some dinky frees.

As I walked out of the MCG yesterday, past the smirking, the cheering and usual examples of a club with little humility, or the ability for self reflection on their AFL manufactured success, I thought why does it feel we are being set up.

So my anger is not at Bevo, the players, or even Melbourne, it is squarely at the slide and the demise of us, we are getting kicked around like a tin can by the AFL and not a squeak from our President, we seem to be just taking anything the AFL dishes out including:

1. Being bent over taking Marra and Darcy in the draft, while Collingwood and Brisbane skip away with arguably better players
2. The AFLW and the way we were pillaged from the new clubs.
3. The whole 2021 finals fiasco, including Brisbane’s timekeeping that cost us top 4, the players not allowed to train, or even go for a walk after plane trips or after games - come on would Richmond or Collingwood have accepted this situation, no way.
4. The way the Good Friday game was handled, not hard to see the AFL only wanted Carlton
5. St Kilda for instance is hosting Collingwood at the MCG if we have to play this mob every year, why can’t we host it?
6. Less games at the MCG than interstate clubs.

There is more I could list, but you get the gist, finally I can’t help but feel that this is a backlash, this would not have been accepted under Gordon. Bevo is on the nose because he won’t play ball with the media, and is even targeted by the AFL’s own media in Barrett. We are on the nose with the AFL, who don’t even pretend to want equalisation, if anything it feels like they are back to only supporting the big and rich to get a bigger slice of the pie.

Can we bring back Gordon, good things seem to happen under him.

#rant over##rant

100% agree with everything said here. This new CEO just wants bigger ratings and crowds to show he is better than Gil, just his ego really, so that is at the expense of us and a couple of smaller Melbourne clubs (we aren’t small in a national or world standard). He’ll add even more rounds of footy if he has to. We really should have 17 games, so if you played that team at home one year, away the next, easy. Properly never been over the West Gate in his life?
We desperately need a president or CEO to stand up to the AFL and articulate these ideas in and to the media.

 

[threenewpadlocks]

Players like Dale Morris, Steven Kretiuk, etc. were physically over matched almost every game they played but they were able to overcome their physical disadvantages by playing to their strengths.

That is what Buku needs to learn to do. And it shouldn’t be considered too much to ask.

I think you have too much faith in the expectation that a 24-year-old who has spent six years on an AFL list can be a completely different type of player that he isn't. It isn't as if what you're suggesting isn't desirable for Khamis. What's more likely - that it is possible yet they haven't thought to try to achieve that, or simply it's not possible for Khamis to be that player?

 

[Proffessor]

I think you have too much faith in the expectation that a 24-year-old who has spent six years on an AFL list can be a completely different type of player that he isn't. It isn't as if what you're suggesting isn't desirable for Khamis. What's more likely - that it is possible yet they haven't thought to try to achieve that, or simply it's not possible for Khamis to be that player?

I think we are actually in agreement. I was responding to posters who thought it was unfair to put Buku in the role he found himself in on the weekend.

I don’t think it was unfair.

A difficult assignment for him, sure, but not an unreasonable one.

 

[Munnez]

We don't work hard enough when we don't have the pill. Our poor skills do us in getting into good attacking positions either fumble or out right butcher the ball letting them get out the back before we can recover

 

[MrChristo]

I haven't read the entire 20 pages, so forgive me if I'm on the wrong page completely.

This was the first game I've seen live in a while (since the 2016 GF in fact... ).

I was bottom tier just best the cheer squad, so not the best place to be analytical.
But, I didn't think Baku was bad at all. Caught out twice by a much taller Brown when playing in front (once very late), but generally I thought he did OK.
In fact for the most part our defensive zone was pretty good.

Our problem is definitely going forward. And maybe that is an over-reliance on defending?...but it looked to me at ground level that it was almost completely down to fitness/workrate.

When they got a turnover they were off. Got 3 or 4 gifts as they moved forward with more numbers than us. Sure...
...but when we got the ball at half back the initial release was generally a good option, but then whoever had it on the wing looked up and saw 4-5 Demons to 1-2 Dogs.
That was consistent from late in Q1.

Random thoughts...
The softest 'effort' of the day was JUH. Quarter 3, the ball landed 15m or do out from goal, 3 Dees around it...he probably wasn't going to get it, but it was definitely a statement moment. He had to go. Didn't. And it was a clear decision by him not to. Really poor look. He was in our top 5-6 players on the day, but that was a huge moment, imo.
Sanders being subbed wasn't as bad as most here are making out. He was clearly tiring. Made a couple of horrible decisions/skill errors leading up to it. So I think the exact opposite of what a few have said here, I don't for one second believe it was "planned" [bloody, inflexible Bevo], I think it was a decent call at a good time...
...It just so happened that McNeil had a stinker (not unexpected of course) and then had an absolute howler of a fumble basically at our last chance.

He and VDM should never play again. I think we just about all agree there.

One anti-Bev thought there tho, is that he did ok as a crumbing forward pre-season, then went totally away from that in this game.

Fitness. From the 20 minute mark of Q1, Melbourne were consistently a step ahead. I mean literally, always in front. The vision early in this thread of Treloar being outrun by Oliver is absolutely consistent of the day. More numbers, better spread.

I'm willing to forget the last 10 minutes when we'd clearly given up and run completely out of ideas (yeah, awful analysis in itself I know), so based on that, as I said, I don't mind our defensive structure at all, but ball movement is terrible.

Oh, anti-Bev 2, wtf did he think we'd gain be moving English forward for a couple of centre bounces? He missed a sitter at a bad time but that was nothing Astro/JUH would have done.
Gawn dominating, do you; a) challenge your ruckman to go with him (baring in mind Tim was being relatively influential himself) or do you effectively give up and try to gain an advantage elsewhere??
Not a terrible idea, apart from the fact the people he replaced are better at their role than English is! If anything, throw him to full back on Brown and give him some leeway run mark and create...


Edit: I just read the post in in front of me and the quote of wayniac. He's 100% spot on correct.

 

[Biggyd81]

Tackling is one of the most physically demanding parts of any game. Yesterday we perhaps had the lowest tackle count of any team. I just looked and West Coast had one less tackle than us. So in terms of a benchmark for workrate, we suck. It appears that tackle count is correlated with success this round. So in some respects it has to lead to a turnover that helps in scoring. You could be chasing and tackling all game, not a good picture.

In our case we were just lazy and clearly being early season, not as match fit. I call bullshit on the 0 round advantage theory. The game has evolved into a game for endurance runners. Endurance runners who couldn't run up a hill with a sack of coal on their back without getting tired.

We're unfit, physically weak too and also slow. Macrae has always done my head in, just way too slow. We might do a Matthew Boyd with him, stick him at half back and put Dale back in the forward line, he shirks too much coal face work. He can kick goals and hit targets.

Macrae shirks the coalface work? In what dimension? Blokes been on the bottom of the pack more than anyone in his tenure.

 

[Dogs 13]

I haven't read the entire 20 pages, so forgive me if I'm on the wrong page completely.

You haven't earned the right to comment unless you've done the hard, painful yards like the rest of us gluttons for punishment

 

[Pocket Terrace]

Macrae shirks the coalface work? In what dimension? Blokes been on the bottom of the pack more than anyone in his tenure.

I believe the shirking was in reference to Dale.

 

[hatescaptcha]

I liked Coff’s intensity. Think he should stay in and keep building his offensive game.



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[MrChristo]

I liked Coff’s intensity. Think he should stay in and keep building his offensive game.



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He tried, but I think he was the one who physically struggled the most. Bit slow, zero leap.

 

[The City Boyz]

Thanks, I've masochistically worked my way through this to say the same thing.

After that humiliating loss to the Eagles last year that was the end of the line for Bevo as far as I was concerned.
Yesterday proves he can't, won't or doesn't know how to change. He still thinks he has the answers, the smartest man in the room.

To further compound this he has a bunch of soft introverts playing for him who refuse to tough it out, show desperation, aggression, confidence, assertiveness, or even pride.

They're making it hard to be too invested in my, sorry I mean their, club at the moment !!

Makes you miss the “rat pack” who were a bunch of assholes on and off the field, they either all retired or were moved on because they were “too difficult” to deal with.

Redpath, Biggs, Smith, Dalh, Boyd, Hunter, Stringer, Jong & Libba, the only remaining one from the group.

Young Clarke has a LOT of mongrel, plays with a similar mindset to a lot of the boys you mentioned

 

[Biggyd81]

I believe the shirking was in reference to Dale.

oh my bad poor comprehension - apologies wayniac!

 

[Libba39]

Considering we got the ball into our attacking fifty more than Melbourne for at least three quarters, this is where we lost the game. Marra and Weightman the two prime offenders.

Sorry but inside 50s simply don't translate into winning or being the better team. It was the way we went in there. When we repeatedly kick it to May and Lever off a slow build-up its meaningless.

The writing was on the wall about two thirds into the first qtr.

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[adammonerz]

Robbo just said Melbourne appear a more professional football club then us, considering their off season we must just be a shambles

 

[Proffessor]

Robbo just said Melbourne appear a more professional football club then us, considering their off season we must just be a shambles

Why on earth would you give any credence to a Robbo opinion?

 

[Doggy Dan]

Sorry but inside 50s simply don't translate into winning or being the better team. It was the way we went in there. When we repeatedly kick it to May and Lever off a slow build-up its meaningless.

The writing was on the wall about two thirds into the first qtr.

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Correct, when you push an extra up to the contest and they keep a player back that is a strategic decision the opposition is taking to give up territory knowing they’ll more then offset that with easy mop-ups and rebound.

 

[Proffessor]

Robbo just said Melbourne appear a more professional football club then us, considering their off season we must just be a shambles

Why on earth would you give any credence to a Robbo opinion?

Robbo still thinks James Hird should get another AFL coaching gig, doesn't he?

 

[Dogs Rule]

Robbo just said Melbourne appear a more professional football club then us, considering their off season we must just be a shambles

To be honest, most of what he says is just rambling noise.

 

[BIG_BONTS]

I'm giving him three rounds. Lose all three I'll join the growing chorus for Bevo's head

 

[flyingfishdang]

my biggest issue and I’m sure many of us are the same, is that so many of the issues have been staring us in the face and we haven’t fixed them. Even more so some of the answers are right in front of our eyes for even the amateur to see…
here’s a few from that game alone

• send a defensive forward to May or lever to quell the influence they were having
• Harmes to tag/defend first on which ever of Oliver or Petracca is running hot
• get naughton running his ass off getting high up the ground
• Daniel should never be a sub. He’s an AA best and fairest winning premiership player
• sanders should never be a sub

The list could go on and on and it was one game.


A lot of other coaches would also see the obvious answer to the issue regarding our lack of a dominant CHB.
Naughton back and Darcy in.. I mean at least it worth a try.

We will win some games because of talent, but until bevo goes we will be out coached in the important games.

 

[Munnez]

It’s gotta be a 2nd tall and one of Coffield or buku

Buku is only a 3rd tall not a KPD made Ben Brown who is cooked look competent as Buku was out of his weight division. 3rd tall or he has to make way

 

[Libba39]

I think we are actually in agreement. I was responding to posters who thought it was unfair to put Buku in the role he found himself in on the weekend.

I don’t think it was unfair.

A difficult assignment for him, sure, but not an unreasonable one.

Not unreasonable?

About a 3rd of the goals we conceded were from poor play, and another 3rd was avoidable because we put too much pressure on players to overcome size differences.

Buku and Richards were both victims of this. How can it be reasonable to play A WHOLE GAME, not just a few minutes here or there, against opponents who are 4inches taller.

FFS!

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[Claudonious]

Makes you miss the “rat pack” who were a bunch of assholes on and off the field, they either all retired or were moved on because they were “too difficult” to deal with.

Redpath, Biggs, Smith, Dalh, Boyd, Hunter, Stringer, Jong & Libba, the only remaining one from the group.

You can throw in picko too - lovely bloke off the ground, but ruthless on it. Won us a flag - forever grateful.


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