Toast Thoughts On The West Coast Game

[King Elvis]

That's an interesting observation. Often because we know Tippett is there the bail out option to the goal square is always available. Take it away and we are forced to be smarter and more discerning with our ball use.

Can we maintain that sort of decision making while Tippett and Walker are both there? They're both big bodies but if they can get more footy on the lead they will kick some big bags.

Actually thought we fed off of Kurt well today; it seemed, at the ground, that they'd look at Tip, see he was covered and then try and find a free man away from him.

Their zoning player was generally ten meters in front of Kurt, and we didn't get sucked in to still going to him at every contest.

Was very good to see.


Also, I'm convinced WCE throw the footy as a deliberate tactic.

 

[PykeDream]

Is ok! Couldn't believe the negativity, just blew me away. Were you pulling the chain, or were you seriously concerned we'd drop our bundle?

The first time I said something about it not being won yet was when the contest was very tight at the start of the last quarter, and I didn't necessarily think we'd got the result yet. Second time I might just have been 'trolling' a little

 

[Elite Crow]

Sando praised Petrenko for his shut down role on Hurn

 

[OrdinaryJoel]

It was a terrific game today, always in control - even when they gained some ascendency. It was these moments in particular that I enjoyed the most because it showed how we reacted under pressure. Initially, not well it must be said, but then somehow we managed to settle and started this very patient kick and mark game as we moved the ball slowly forward. It wasn't the backwards tempo type of game ala Craig (where we nearly ALWAYS came undone at some stage with a turnover). We did this twice throughout the game, both times eagles had kicked a couple in a row. And both times this slow, forward tempo game resulted in goals to us. Once we did it the second time, it completely broke the eagles back. It was good to see us have a second level when needed. Overall, very happy with the team performance. Thought the only real worries for me was the non-performances of Petrenko and Callinan. Did they have specific roles to play, or were they both shut down?

It was good to see that when the pressure was apparent, we toned down from 5th gear (ala playing the same attacking nature like the start of the game) to 4th or 3rd gear in slowing down the game. The old style of toning down was way to drastic in that we went from 5th gear all the way to 1st gear and going backwards, which took too much sting out of the game and it manifested in the playing group a loss of momentum!

Loving what Sando has deployed into our troops this year and hopefully for many years to come!

 

[MaccasNeighbour]

http://www.afl.com.au/news/newsarticle/tabid/208/newsid/142216/default.aspx

I really hope the Crows rest Tippo for at least 3 weeks. Research has shown it can take a month to recover from a single concussion, let alone 3.

 

[craig crowing]

It was a terrific game today, always in control - even when they gained some ascendency. It was these moments in particular that I enjoyed the most because it showed how we reacted under pressure. Initially, not well it must be said, but then somehow we managed to settle and started this very patient kick and mark game as we moved the ball slowly forward. It wasn't the backwards tempo type of game ala Craig (where we nearly ALWAYS came undone at some stage with a turnover). We did this twice throughout the game, both times eagles had kicked a couple in a row. And both times this slow, forward tempo game resulted in goals to us. Once we did it the second time, it completely broke the eagles back. It was good to see us have a second level when needed. Overall, very happy with the team performance. Thought the only real worries for me was the non-performances of Petrenko and Callinan. Did they have specific roles to play, or were they both shut down?

Yes agree Pets and Callinan had very quiet days when ball was up forward so often.
After great start Stiffy fell out of game and what happened in last was that because had nothing in tank.
Seem harsh for some to pick on Smith turnovers as Doughty in 1st and Thommo had plenty but both did their job.
Many of key players like Danger ,Rory etc had great games but most pleasing was.
Vince --- Porps -- Mackay -- extreme talents hitting top form and adding class.
Jenkins --- Just competes and will grow with confidence.
Wright --- Big improver a fantastic game
Otten -- great to se him back and if keep form will be important.
Rielly --- Added something extra back there
Tackling -- tackling --- tackling ------ ---- ---
Only bad was to see Tippett go down again.
Great game with great result .

 

[Crow-eater]

Brilliant game! Our first qtr really set the tone and after that, I felt the game was never really in doubt. The fab four were fantastic, Rory and Danger are our future captains. You can't split them, so I'd have them both. Bernie, great to see him get back to his best, when he's on song, we are a much better side.

Porps is finally back to the player we all knew he was. Jenkins is a revelation, so much better than Smack it's not funny.

Our ability to read the taps of NicNat and Cox was instrumental to our win as well.

Negatives are Tippo going down again, and the w***er behind me who was telling him to "get up you softie", "get on with it" and "welcome to the real world" crowd around us rightly got stuck into the prick.

 

[PrideOf]

Another thought ... the woman behind me in Bay 132 who insists on calling Graham Johncock 'Johnny'. Drop it. It just shits me. Don't know why, but it just shits me.

 

[OrdinaryJoel]

Another thought ... the woman behind me in Bay 132 who insists on calling Graham Johncock 'Johnny'. Drop it. It just shits me. Don't know why, but it just shits me.

A disgrace that she did not say STIFFY!!! Must be fairweather fans

 

[cammo6556]

Gees I need to watch the replay because I thought Smith was okay.

Sloane is a gun, flipping love him.

Awesome win, crucial win, one of the best for the year.

he made a couple bad errors but was otherwise serviceable. Personally I think he was below par without being poor.

 

[PrideOf]

A disgrace that she did not say STIFFY!!! Must be fairweather fans

Yep. Had her choice of about a dozen dick-related nicknames and goes with Johnny. Just shat me the whole game today.

 

[mulz]

good win, solid day out from the boys!! we needed that scalp.


shoot me down but i dont think we were at our best still today. we still have another gear.

 

[spenze]

Is ok! Couldn't believe the negativity, just blew me away. Were you pulling the chain, or were you seriously concerned we'd drop our bundle?

I just thought he was doing a Dwayne call for those who were missing his commentary

 

[Emperoar]

Not sure if it was a coaching directive. Seemed more like the boys were catching their breathe. Didn't leak to many goals IIRC, so not too worried.

'05 and '06 memories may have resurfaced but I'm sure today's game should give Thommo51 peace of mind

 

[Emperoar]

good win, solid day out from the boys!! we needed that scalp.


shoot me down but i dont think we were at our best still today. we still have another gear.

I get that feeling too... I'd be happy if we waited until September before we unleash it.

 

[Footypie32]

good win, solid day out from the boys!! we needed that scalp.


shoot me down but i dont think we were at our best still today. we still have another gear.

We had some pretty ordinary games after the bye, but are starting to find form again. Reckon last weeks game was a good chance to practice our structures. If we keep winning the contested ball and our ball movement stays that precise, we will be very hard to beat.

 

[King Elvis]

One thing I noticed - WCE tried to do to us what NM and Hawthorn did; they'd deliberately go sideways froma contest and then try and break forward.

Worked a few times, but not as easily and consistently as before.

 

[Godallblighty]

What happened to Tippett?

I've gathered it was a clash of heads. Ugly? Blood? Helped off or ran off? Subbed straight away?

When he was on the ground, he wasn't moving except for one foot twitching. Didn't look good at all.

 

[Tex200]

Great game to be at. Excellent crowd over 40,000, perfect conditions.

Another day at the office for the usual suspects. Special mentions for Andy Otten who started too look his old self ...good run and disposal. Pets, vb and wright for their defensive jobs. JJ....my goodness he gave plenty.

Thing that was most pleasing on a collective note was tackling. It was clear that we were tackling hard and often ...and making them stick!!!

Some harsh calls on smith....how about nutter???? Looked to me to have had a poor one, but plenty of points in the bank. Doughty our only defender who was soundly beaten.

Selection interesting now. As we move toward finals can we play sauce, jj, tex and tippett all in same team? Jj doing his best to keep pressure on selectors.

Best thing about today is loss really hurts eagles top 4 chances. We owe them big time

 

[Footypie32]

Yep. Had her choice of about a dozen dick-related nicknames and goes with Johnny. Just shat me the whole game today.

If you're in that situation again, just reply with "come on Erection Boy!"

 

[BigLefty]

Yes agree Pets and Callinan had very quiet days when ball was up forward so often.
After great start Stiffy fell out of game and what happened in last was that because had nothing in tank.
Seem harsh for some to pick on Smith turnovers as Doughty in 1st and Thommo had plenty but both did their job.
Many of key players like Danger ,Rory etc had great games but most pleasing was.
Vince --- Porps -- Mackay -- extreme talents hitting top form and adding class.
Jenkins --- Just competes and will grow with confidence.
Wright --- Big improver a fantastic game
Otten -- great to se him back and if keep form will be important.
Rielly --- Added something extra back there
Tackling -- tackling --- tackling ------ ---- ---
Only bad was to see Tippett go down again.
Great game with great result .

i assume you mean the dropped mark? seemed like a classic sun in eyes moment to me. where he lost it in the air, and was then dazed and couldnt see it on the deck either.

 

[TheLeftFist8]

Selection interesting now. As we move toward finals can we play sauce, jj, tex and tippett all in same team? Jj doing his best to keep pressure on selectors.

Very interesting question...Jenkins has certainly done himself no harm today. I think there is room if they are all contributing, but i wouldn't do it simply for structures sake if Jenkins drops off.

Down the other end is there room in the 22 for Rutten, Talia, Shaw and Otten? Shaw will be fit again and imo should play.

In any given week we need a back 7. From today Rutten, Talia, Reilly, Doughty, Mackay, Smith and Otten. If Shaw comes back is he agile enough to replace Smith who wasn't too flash? (Not to mention the Doughty v Johncock debate).

Symes also did nothing wrong, but the axe will always loom for him.

 

[Vader]

I thought the first quarter was as good as we've played at any stage this year - the same brand of contested, attacking, tackling, harassing football that saw us smash Geelong & Carlton earlier in the season. It was the first time we've seen that brand of football since the break - a good indicator that Adelaide have an extra gear for use when playing the better clubs, leaving it in 2nd against the "also rans". The end result of this was a 6.5 to 1.2 scoreline at quarter time - 11 scoring shots to 3. To be honest, I thought we our lead was about 2 goals less than it should have been at quarter time given our dominance - largely due to missing some very gettable set shots.

West Coast weren't going to play that badly all day - and Adelaide were unlikely to maintain that level of intensity. What impressed me about our 2nd quarter was that we never let them get any momentum, even when large parts of the game were played in their forward half. We matched them goal for goal, losing the quarter by just 2 points. I think this is what SP refers to as "winning dirty".

The 3rd quarter was arguably our most disappointing. We book-ended it with pairs of goals, but in between there was a lengthy drought. The reason for that drought was twofold - our forwards weren't working hard enough and our midfielders kept bombing it in, rather than looking for a leading target. Most glaring of all was Jenkins' stuff up.. he marked the ball 70m out and initially did the right thing, waiting for our players to stream into the F50 to give him a target.. only to kick it straight to a nest of Eagles, some 20m away from the nearest Adelaide player. That said, this was only one blemish in what was easily the best game of Jenkins' short career.

The final quarter was mostly Adelaide's, other than a short flurry in which West Coast kicked 3 consecutive goals. In doing so they reduced our lead to 42pts, so we were never seriously threatened. It was nice to see Adelaide finishing the game in style, adding a few more points to our percentage - and making a massive dent in West Coast's in the process. West Coast's percentage has dropped from 140 to 125 in two weeks, with consecutive large losses to Sydney and Adelaide.

Most of our players had really good games, though some were quiet and/or disappointing. Forgive me if I focus on the negatives here, but it's quicker than focussing on the positives in a game like this..
Petrenko - just 8 disposals and no score, but he did a fantastic job in keeping Hurn quiet. I don't want to be too harsh on Pets, because his lack of disposals was largely the result of doing the job he was instructed to do.
Callinan - Did a few good things in the first quarter, then went MIA for the rest of the game. His only other appearance was wrestling with Dangerfield for the ball, just before Dangerfield kicked his second goal. With 4 goals last week, I'll forgive him for a quiet one this week.
Johncock - Seemed to be everywhere in the first quarter and West Coast had no answer, resulting in him kicking 2 goals. Almost completely unsighted after quarter time.
Doughty - This has to be his last season. No question about it. I just wish that his likely replacements were ready to roll & close to his (slowly deteriorating) standard, but Jaensch & Brown are both way off it at this stage and nobody else looks likely to fill his shoes either.

The one player I would like to single out for praise is Andy Otten. I wrote before the game that his selection effectively left us a player down, a voluntary act of self-sabotage (given his lack of SANFL form). I was wrong. Otten played a really good game, easily his best since the knee injury. Well done Otten - it's good to see signs that you will get back to your best when many (including me) were starting to write you off.

As for Symes, at least he's taken Clint Eastwood's words to heart - "a man's got to know his limitations".

 

[Tex200]

Very interesting question...Jenkins has certainly done himself no harm today. I think there is room if they are all contributing, but i wouldn't do it simply for structures sake if Jenkins drops off.

Down the other end is there room in the 22 for Rutten, Talia, Shaw and Otten? Shaw will be fit again and imo should play.

In any given week we need a back 7. From today Rutten, Talia, Reilly, Doughty, Mackay, Smith and Otten. If Shaw comes back is he agile enough to replace Smith who wasn't too flash? (Not to mention the Doughty v Johncock debate).

Symes also did nothing wrong, but the axe will always loom for him.

Yep both ends now throwing up dilemmas. Otten would be stiff to be dropped after his performance today. Glimpses of 09.

Is shaw versatile enough to take a small? I agree shaw must come back in.

 

[Elite Crow]

Vader we've got Doughtys replacement playing in the forward line. Stiffy isn't a forward so it's harsh to judge his game. How would Doughty go up forward?