No Oppo Supporters The Melt Thread

[Deathly]

Sutcliffe, D.Pearce, Kersten, McCarthy, Dawson and Johnson need to go. B.Hill even.

Time to go about rebuilds how every other club in existence has and actually play the youth. Would be bearable and ACCEPTABLE to watch them make mistakes (by actually taking the game on and having energy) than how these seasoned idiots commit them.

 

[igon value]

The pressure game plan is obselete. If you swarm/get sucked in to the man with the ball, you're giving the opposition stupid amounts of space as well as all day to cut you up on the outside.

Get with the times Rigid Thinking Ross.

This shits me more than anything else. He's still coaching like it's 2005 and he's the midfield coach at Sydney.

 

[ydraw]

This shits me more than anything else. He's still coaching like it's 2005 and he's the midfield coach at Sydney.

It was painfully obvious in 2015 and 2016 too. That is the really annoying thing. We've known for years that the game plan is obsolete but we've apparently made no effort to do anything about it.

 

[DudleyDocker]

at the half Geelong have scored 7.2.44 from turnovers.... Makes the job of a defender even harder when that's happening up the field.

Most of those turnovers were from the defenders. Johnson had about 5 on his own.

 

[smokingjacket]

Skills predictably fell apart under the Cats press in the first half. Worst offenders were defenders with time on the ball. We've had the same problem for three years now and the problems haven't been addressed. Failure of coaching more than list management I believe.

Worst of all is that a team built for physicality also got out-muscled at the contests at home. Seriously frustrating game.

 

[Unique Name]

Most of those turnovers were from the defenders. Johnson had about 5 on his own.

Yeah, he's so rusty. Ross moved him forward, I assume to limit the damage he was doing

 

[Steinfreo]

Skills predictably fell apart under the Cats press in the first half. Worst offenders were defenders with time on the ball. We've had the same problem for three years now and the problems haven't been addressed. Failure of coaching more than list management I believe.

Worst of all is that a team built for physicality also got out-muscled at the contests at home. Seriously frustrating game.

This team isnt built for physicality anymore, Look at the guys we got rid of. Barlow, Gu and Deboer. Thats phtsicality. Even during JLT I commented our midfield is talented but feels small now.

 

[ydraw]

Mzungu is one of the least physical players in the AFL

 

[rgauci]

Mzungu is one of the least physical players in the AFL

He snapped LeCras forearm in half with a hip and shoulder. He's pretty tanked.

 

[smokingjacket]

This team isnt built for physicality anymore, Look at the guys we got rid of. Barlow, Gu and Deboer. Thats phtsicality. Even during JLT I commented our midfield is talented but feels small now.

The guys we have going through there are still big players, and the game plan still revolves around over-powering out opponents on the inside of clearances. Barlow has arguably been replaced by Blakely. Mzungu-B.Hill. These are similar players. both are upgrades in terms of skill but you could argue that all AFL teams have a preference for smaller body shapes and more agile players these days also the rate that the other teams are improving their ball movement and distribution has left us years behind.

Lot of new players in the team tonight so it might click but I don't think we'll win too many games of footy this year playing bash em down clearances and the super direct counter-attack style that requires players with fast decision making and high skill level in the backline.

 

[Steinfreo]

Mzungu is one of the least physical players in the AFL

Hes a solid unit at least.

 

[Admiral Byng]

Same old.

 

[Steinfreo]

The guys we have going through there are still big players, and the game plan still revolves around over-powering out opponents on the inside of clearances. Barlow has arguably been replaced by Blakely. Mzungu-B.Hill. These are similar players. both are upgrades in terms of skill but you could argue that all AFL teams have a preference for smaller body shapes and more agile players these days also the rate that the other teams are improving their ball movement and distribution has left us years behind.

Lot of new players in the team tonight so it might click but I don't think we'll win too many games of footy this year playing bash em down clearances and the super direct counter-attack style that requires players with fast decision making and high skill level in the backline.

Blakely smaller than Barlow, B.Hill smaller than Gu, hence smaller. I dont think ed (like him) is going to grow much, Tucker is a nice size but he doesnt play to physically, Blakely looks smaller than I remember, Weller looks like he'll get pushed over in a stiff breeze, Neale is a midget, Walters midget, Fyfe and Mundy only real muscle in there. If Ross wants t oplay that way he hasnt got the cattle. I dont know we always looked undersized compared to the combos Geelong were putting up.

 

[igon value]

Lot of new players in the team tonight so it might click but I don't think we'll win too many games of footy this year playing bash em down clearances and the super direct counter-attack style that requires players with fast decision making and high skill level in the backline.

We'll be better by the end of the season, McCarthy and Walters will make a good pairing.

It's going to be a long rebuild though, our backline is still a disaster zone. I thought Johnson coming back would bolster it, but I now struggle to see him finishing the season.

 

[YelloMit]

Suban is so ****ing shit. I wish Ross would realize that.

 

[Admiral Byng]

We had marginally more kicks, more handballs, more marks, lots more hit-outs. But we lost the tackles 71-45. In our heydey we were averaging about 65-70 per game.

Where has our pressure gone?

 

[Sir Deadly]

At least most of you aren't Arsenal fans as well, I am so over pathetic performances from the teams I support!

Freo should get better over the next few weeks as the team clicks, hopefully.

 

[smokingjacket]

We had marginally more kicks, more handballs, more marks, lots more hit-outs. But we lost the tackles 71-45. In our heydey we were averaging about 65-70 per game.

Where has our pressure gone?

We weren't near them most of the time. We tried to condense the play and Geelong kept finding the players in space and they would walk it in.

 

[Admiral Byng]

We weren't near them most of the time. We tried to condense the play and Geelong kept finding the players in space and they would walk it in.

I said earlier today that Geelong seemed to go through 3 or 4 tackles in a row yet somehow still keep the ball moving and eventually get it to someone with time and space to get a clear disposal. Whereas as we seem to cough up the ball on the first tackle.

I wonder if those ineffective tackles count on the stats sheet. If not it means we had lots of tackle attempts but relatively very few effective tackles.

 

[smokingjacket]

We'll be better by the end of the season, McCarthy and Walters will make a good pairing.

It's going to be a long rebuild though, our backline is still a disaster zone. I thought Johnson coming back would bolster it, but I now struggle to see him finishing the season.

McCarthy and Walters did look good, even if the delivery to Walters continues to be appalling. That problem of needing the same player to kick it to himself.

A counterattacking style normally needs "needle" players like Walters with pace, elite decision making and delivery for it to work, I guess they're hoping that Bennell will be that player but that's pretty poor management if we've bet our rebuild on a player who was always and remains a (?)

The backline was cossetted for too long by the style of play IMO. What I don't get about it is that if you're going to "protect" your defence with a reactionary midfield set up to slow the play down, shouldn't they have some sort of ball winning or ball delivering ability? ie. if we're creating a grind up ahead because they're not great defenders, shouldn't they be able to hit targets on the way out? We're getting the worst of both worlds at the moment.

 

[Reynolds Number]

Another premiership for Peel due to the availability of Freo players in September.

 

[igon value]

The backline was cossetted for too long by the style of play IMO. What I don't get about it is that if you're going to "protect" your defence with a reactionary midfield set up to slow the play down, shouldn't they have some sort of ball winning or ball delivering ability? ie. if we're creating a grind up ahead because they're not great defenders, shouldn't they be able to hit targets on the way out? We're getting the worst of both worlds at the moment.

Yeah it's the Dawson problem - fills his role as a pure stopper whose flaws are hidden by the fact the whole team plays defence as first instinct. He's not alone, and it's unfair to scapegoat him, but I just don't get how he has managed to play 9 seasons under Lyon. That's a lot of faith in a severely limited player. Only in a Lyon system would he survive.

 

[believe_it]

At least most of you aren't Arsenal fans as well, I am so over pathetic performances from the teams I support!

Freo should get better over the next few weeks as the team clicks, hopefully.

Lyons tactics are more obsolete than Wengers

 

[Rob]

At least most of you aren't Arsenal fans as well, I am so over pathetic performances from the teams I support!

Freo should get better over the next few weeks as the team clicks, hopefully.

I hope you're right, but i'm not sure you are. Our skills, especially in close, were deplorable. The number of fumbles and general lack of clean possession was ridiculous and I don't think you can fix that in a few weeks.
It was like we got the balls out for pre season training about 2 weeks ago.

 

[smokingjacket]

I said earlier today that Geelong seemed to go through 3 or 4 tackles in a row yet somehow still keep the ball moving and eventually get it to someone with time and space to get a clear disposal. Whereas as we seem to cough up the ball on the first tackle.

I wonder if those ineffective tackles count on the stats sheet. If not it means we had lots of tackle attempts but relatively very few effective tackles.

My take was that in the midfield anyway, they missed many tackles because they were either out of position because they were "tucking in" to crowd the ball or they were wrong footed moving in the opposite direction of the ball because of the same tactical instruction.