Game Day West Coast V Adelaide Friday March 3rd 4.40PM @ MRP

[Free Agent]

Be careful they will come after you fior bagging waterman .

I don't care anymore. It's another season of us being mediocre. I want blood now in the pre season dam it lol.

 

[Goroyals22]

I don't care anymore. It's another season of us being mediocre. I want blood now in the pre season dam it lol.

Well I would have turfed the coach out last night.. something in there needs a shake up and then he doesn’t even front the pressor. After a show like that it’s his gig to answer for not poor Luke Webster

 

[RanaNaved]

I've only been watching him for 5 ******* years dickhead.

And yet you're so wrong, again

 

[wirra44]

I watched this to make me feel better knowing we got pumped by more against freo in 2018 and went on to win the prem. In that year we also beat Port in the first preseason game

 

[Deplorable trumpster]

Well I would have turfed the coach out last night.. something in there needs a shake up and then he doesn’t even front the pressor. After a show like that it’s his gig to answer for not poor Luke Webster

Did he not front the pressor?

I think the club did Simpson no favours with their lines at the end of last year about how we are still a top 8 side. Set the bar way to high and it has and will put pressure on Simpson, even though he wasn't the one who said it.

 

[Deplorable trumpster]

And yet you're so wrong, again

Maybe you don't like what WCE_phil says and hope it isn't so, but it is fairly clear that he has worked in the inner sanctum of the club and the footy industry and looks at things in an analytical way and honest way (which is the way you would have to think and see if you worked at a club) as opposed to looking at things through the eyes of a fanboi.

A bloke who is experienced at assessing footballers strengths and weaknesses and what they will need to work on to make it at AFL (because he did it for a living), and then speaking about it in relation to our recent draftees, and who is clearly a supporter of the club and wants those players to succeed, is totally fine with me. Unless you want to live in La La land and believe that every player we draft is perfect and the finished article and there is nothing they need to work on ever.

 

[RanaNaved]

Maybe you don't like what WCE_phil says and hope it isn't so, but it is fairly clear that he has worked in the inner sanctum of the club and the footy industry and looks at things in an analytical way and honest way (which is the way you would have to think and see if you worked at a club) as opposed to looking at things through the eyes of a fanboi.

A bloke who is experienced at assessing footballers strengths and weaknesses and what they will need to work on to make it at AFL (because he did it for a living), and then speaking about it in relation to our recent draftees, and who is clearly a supporter of the club and wants those players to succeed, is totally fine with me. Unless you want to live in La La land and believe that every player we draft is perfect and the finished article and there is nothing they need to work on ever.

He'd be good at selling snake oil, and you'd be buying it no doubt

 

[EaglesVille]

Too many player's were in preservation mode. Ginbey, Jamo, Hunt,Gov, Petch and Barass the only players that had a crack. Barrass got crunched and was hurt but still throws himself into it after that. The sort of stuff that should inspire his teammates. I don't know how some of them can look him in the eye in the changerooms after the game. Mostly the seasoned players going through the motions

 

[Into The Black]

Too many player's were in preservation mode. Ginbey, Jamo, Hunt,Gov, Petch and Barass the only players that had a crack. Barrass got crunched and was hurt but still throws himself into it after that. The sort of stuff that should inspire his teammates. I don't know how some of them can look him in the eye in the changerooms after the game. Mostly the seasoned players going through the motions

Almost like a pre season game

 

[kranky al]

Ginbey already our best player

Sad thing is, you arent far off the mark.

Hell play r1 barring injury.

Hopefully he’ll be like judd and barely get a look in at wafl level

 

[The wily weagle]

Short of him being injured, i just cannot see the rationale of not playing Culley at all

Was anything said at the post match press conference?

 

[mitchzz]

The only thing that worries me is our gameplan. We look a little lost out there and it was all a massive struggle when he had the ball in the back half. Chip, chip, chip turnover... or chip, chip, chip, bomb it down the line. If you compare that to Adelaide, everything looked easy.

On the other hand, our senior players I believe should lift come regular season, along with our overall intensity. As a poster highlighted above, just look at what happened in 2018.

I actually thought besides being super quiet by his standards, Gaff looked fine and covered the ground well. I do agree the ball movement just stops when it gets to him but, so he'll need to work on that.

Ginbey looks a jet and will turn into an absolute beast one day. Can't wait to see him develop.

Will be interesting to see how/if we change things up come round 1, when we can get a better gauge on where we're really at.

 

[squashface]

Missed the game. Just caught up on the thread.

The melts did not disappoint

 

[Obeanie1]

Missed the game. Just caught up on the thread.

The melts did not disappoint

Not even close.

You want melts, go check out the Port board Freo game.

Preseason melts, the sequel v Freo was better than the original, lol. They should be up there with the better teams but just...........aren't.

 

[Evil Eagle]

Not even close.

You want melts, go check out the Port board Freo game.

Preseason melts, the sequel v Freo was better than the original, lol. They should be up there with the better teams but just...........aren't.

I don't like Freo, but the Port melts are too entertaining to miss. For our board, in my opinion the worst was the 2015 derby loss.

 

[ziad]

I don't like Freo, but the Port melts are too entertaining to miss. For our board, in my opinion the worst was the 2015 derby loss.

I must say Port look to be in trouble as a team, they made us look ok. The Crows are emerging as a quality team which may put our performance into some sort of perspective. The Crows have a game that will stand up in finals.

 

[Bleedblueandgold]

View attachment 1620882

This is so true lol. Culley seemingly fell out of favour so quickly (just like with some on this board). If Simmo simply wanted to rest him, he wouldn't have played in the 2nd game.

 

[BeornJ]

Good viewing. Highlighting the great game Petch had.

Also pretty clear one of the reasons we got smashed was trying risky plays through the middle. Looks a million bucks when it works, leads to easy oppo goals when it doesnt.

 

[Keys]

Just for anyone wondering Luke Webster

Luke Webster

Age

42

Ht

186cm

Wt

91kg

Pos.

Mid

Career

Season

Last 5

D

11.2

3star

K

7.0

3star

HB

4.2

3star

M

4.0

4star

T

2.1

4star

No current season stats available

D

9.8

3star

K

6.6

3star

HB

3.2

3star

M

3.4

4star

T

2.0

4star

did do the post game press conference. Last week it was Daniel Pratt

Daniel Pratt

Age

41

Ht

185cm

Wt

89kg

Pos.

Def

Career

Season

Last 5

D

15.6

4star

K

10.3

4star

HB

5.3

4star

M

5.1

5star

T

1.8

4star

No current season stats available

D

8.6

3star

K

6.4

3star

HB

2.2

2star

M

4.0

4star

T

1.8

4star

A quick look at some of the other games and plenty (most) of the post game interviews were assistant coaches

So it’s just a preseason thing and not Simpson hiding

 

[Dugg]

Petch still doesn't get enough of the ball, but he was directly involved in the two passages of play that actually reflect what our new gameplan is supposed to achieve...only player apart from Ginbey that I was actually somewhat happy with (excluding the old reliables McGovern and Barrass)

Hurn, Duggan, Yeo, Sheed, Hunt and Shuey put in a better effort than the rest, but their skills were poor.

Kelly...enough said.

 

[bzparkes]

How about we have already seen 3 years of steaming performances and have at least another 3 to go?

No one would complain if we could see a) some sort of game plan different to those 3 years and b) it being executed by young guys learning the game rather than hurn killing momentum, our non existent midfield group and lazy forwards.

You can cop Chesser missing handball or kick targets but you shouldn’t be copping Shuey doing it twice in ten mins in a quarter trying to kick to 15 metre targets or blokes hand balling to their opponents after ignoring two blokes running by.

As for look at last week we played just as badly for most of the game, Port just couldn’t kill us off. It wasn’t our brilliance that won it that’s for sure.

Last year doesn't count.

Did you chuck the towel in back in 2018 when we got flogged by Freo?

 

[Farang83150]

Just for anyone wondering Luke Webster did do the post game press conference. Last week it was Daniel Pratt

A quick look at some of the other games and plenty (most) of the post game interviews were assistant coaches

So it’s just a preseason thing and not Simpson hiding

Conspiracy theorists won't be happy!

 

[Farang83150]

Petch still doesn't get enough of the ball, but he was directly involved in the two passages of play that actually reflect what our new gameplan is supposed to achieve...only player apart from Ginbey that I was actually somewhat happy with (excluding the old reliables McGovern and Barrass)

Hurn, Duggan, Yeo, Sheed, Hunt and Shuey put in a better effort than the rest, but their skills were poor.

Kelly...enough said.

Didn't think much of Hurn, Duggan or Sheeds efforts at all.

 

[Dugg]

Didn't think much of Hurn, Duggan or Sheeds efforts at all.

The bar was very low

 

[ziad]

On the team in general

As was the case last week, and last year, we lost the territory battle (37-65 inside 50s). It’s unsustainable because ultimately it relies on the opposition squandering opportunities like Port did whilst maximising our own.

It puts the defence under constant pressure and allows the opponent to set up behind the ball defensively to create repeat forward entries because there’s no clear path out. Defenders become conservative with their decision making resulting in long kicks down the line to a contest or a series of short go nowhere passes that inevitably result in a turnover when one misses the target

There’s a lack of dare with our passing. Switch kicks to get to the open side are fine but unlike what Adelaide did by still taking some forward ground when switching (even if only a few metres) to a player on the move, ours go back to a stationary player

There’s a lack of genuine aggression when attacking a loose ball and our better players tonight like Ginbey and somewhat surprisingly Petruccelle made a genuine beeline at the footy

I’d forgotten that Burgess had gone to the Crows last off season and they showed the benefit of a second season under him tonight. We’ve had a good off season but Adelaide look to have had a great one - fit, strong, fast

To me it also showed our focus this off season was getting healthy again after our problems last year and work on the game plan has come late. Adelaide with a better fitness base have worked on their plans more and looked far more cohesive

Tonight was a reality check and as I said in my post you quoted we looked like a side just wanting to get game time under our belt. The scars from last years preseason are still there imo and there’s an unspoken fear of getting injured throughout the club that to a degree explains some of the hesitancy. Hopefully that disappears once we get to round 1

Individually

• Ryan was subdued and didn’t have the same influence as last week. Seemed more interested in flying more marks than getting after ground balls
• Waterman missed an opportunity to secure a best 22 position partly due to a lack of supply but also some slow thinking when he did get the ball
• Gaff was the 2022 version unfortunately. Based on form I don’t think he should be picked round 1 but I expect he will be. He looks slow and ineffectual- at least he was kept out of centre bounces but played on a wing he had no impact. Unless he improves rapidly it’s going to be a test of Simpson’s coaching to see if he has the minerals to drop him
• Sheed was rusty but not as bad as some posters have made out. We need more pace around him though and given his lack of pace his disposal by foot needs to be cleaner
• Hunt was one of our best and a rare shining light. Defended pretty well but more importantly was one player willing to run off half back to create
• Yeo did some good things but wasn’t the angry Yeo we know and love. Think he played within himself for reasons better known to him
• Ginbey was our best player in the first half before fading. Showed why he was so highly rated and gave good cause for optimism
• Hewett was put into the game too late and wasn’t given much chance to show his wares
• Kelly had one of THOSE Kelly games where he went missing. Be nice if he can find a way to still contribute something when he’s having an off game
• Allen had limited opportunity and maybe had one or two instances where he could compete 1 on 1 with his direct opponent. Is going to need Darling to help share the load
• Shuey looked like someone who hasn’t been playing match sim minutes. Was rustier than honey badgers hair and cost at least 2 or 3 goals with poor disposal in the back half. On the plus side he looked to be moving ok and showed glimpses that his pace and power were returning
• Duggan went ok and did at least attack the footy. Too careless with his disposal though
• Cripps had a mare and in a team display of fumbleitis he was the worst culprit
• Chesser had the effort but not the polish and I think the pace of the game caught him out a bit. Another step in his learning phase that he’ll be better for. Not sure if he’s ready for round 1. Maybe
• McGovern had plenty of intercept marks but had mixed success with his disposal. He’s a bit careless at times although he does at least try to take attacking options
• Petruccelle I thought played well and had more influence than his stats might otherwise indicate. As I alluded to earlier his attack on the footy was good and on a couple of occasions when he found himself down back he backed himself to run it out. For the most part good things happened when the ball went through his hands
• Witherden has to be better by foot and smarter with his positioning to cover for his near terminal lack of pace
• O’Neill is another one who I think was better than some have suggested. That said he’s depth as a mid who can come in and play a role rather than best 22
• Hurn is a crafty *er that can get in the road and hold up opposition forward entries but he gets exposed if his opponent gets goal side of him. His kicking isn’t nearly as penetrating or reliable as it used to be. At some point we’re going to have to make a decision on whether we can carry him due to his lack of pace
• Cole didn’t have a big possession game but given he played on Rankine as far as I could tell and kept him pretty quiet he gets a pass. Does need to tidy up his dump kicks out of defence though
• Jones looked pretty disinterested to me. Had a poor game when he could have cemented a spot
• Rotham had a decent crack and unfortunately sounds like he got one in his elbow. Not sure where he fits though
• Barrass had his hands full with Fogarty and Walker and did ok considering the weight of supply. Dropped some marks he either should have taken or should have fisted instead
• Clark had a couple of good minutes when he first came on but struggled thereafter. Lack of pace is going to be an issue for him
• Jamieson has all the endeavour but not the ability just yet. Can see him going ok as 2nd ruck but he’s going to struggle as the main guy. At least he has a dip

If someone told me there was a bug went through the team pregame I’d believe it because they were lethargic and lacked the energy of last week

Reserving judgement for now as I wait to see who and how we rollout for round 1 but there was clear signs tonight that we haven’t advanced as far from last year I thought and hoped

Great points and detail - Burgess has had an impact at every club he has been with. We definitely look fitter but not as fit as the Crows. We will need another good season/preseason to build a strong fitness base. What we lack is muscle toughness - I am not a sports science person but its different and more functional that endurance fitness. I guess players who have been in rehab for a year will take more time to build fitness and can be excused for a few weeks while they regain touch. The young players look better which is interesting