Post Match Discussion - Round 8

[Dr. Gonzo 24,215]

WOW!

I've never seen replays of him and I'm too young to have seen him play.

That reel is ridiculous. I know the game was rougher back then but that stuff is outright wrong. He hunted players and took them out, sometimes behind play.

Absolutely dirty as hell. You're right, I can't see him being allowed to play today.

The worst/funniest part is at the start

"Reported 3 times - 5 weeks"

Considering at least a couple of those were directly in front of the umpy you have to think what the hell was going on.

[titan_uranus 25,016]

I guess it says a lot about our past eight years and depths of despair to which we sank.

We are so pumped up ( me included ) after that good win yesterday that we easily forget that it was against a team

dwelling in the same bottom half of the competition as ourselves.

It is a good sign that we were able to beat the dogs but it is still a win against a lower ranked team.

The next two weeks will be interesting

We are playing two sides who have resided in the upper half of the competition over the last few years.

A win against one or both of them would really prove we are on the way out of the irrelevance camp.

I would love to beat the pies that would make my year.

Have you forgotten this post already:

If you look at the results they are twice as good as us.

Four wins to two and two against the better sides in the comp.

We have beaten also rands.

The are deservedly favourites and will win by 6+ goals.

So they are 'twice as good as us' until we beat them, at which point they are a 'team dwelling in the same bottom of the competition as ourselves'.

You were either wrong to be so pessimistic about our chances, or wrong to dismiss the value of this win.

Or, actually, wrong about both.

[Akum 2,660]

Paul Roos only tells a small portion as well.

Lumumba can't get near it in the midfield. Isn't using the ball well and wasn't great (but not terrible) at half back. We need all the run we can get at half back/wing so he's not going anywhere but he needs to find some form again.

On the other hand ...

My only reservation about getting HL was that he was a bit one-dimensional. Great when he had the ball in space, but not good defensively, and great when it was tight, and could only really play HBF, maybe the easiest spot on the ground. Still worth getting, because we needed his strengths, and because of his great leadership, which was stifled (to say the least) where he was. But I was worried about whether we could get the ball to him in space as well as the Pies did.

But with us, he had a great running game against Suns, a good game against Tiges as a sweeper & "mopper-upper", and a very good defensive game against Dogs. I'm amazed how often either him or Cross are in the right spot for a tackle to stop a breakaway, or at the right spot to take a bandpass and give it quickly to clear a pack. You can't teach that, it just comes with experience & intelligence, both of which we've lacked for far too long. That, incidentally, was one of Bruce's strengths, for all his failings - just being in the right place at the right time, again and again.

I've been frankly surprised, after 200 games, that he's been willing to take on new & unaccustomed roles for the sake of the team. Same goes for Bernie, by the way. Roos has really stretched them & challenged them, and they've both stepped up from being bit-players in their former clubs to being leaders and core players who have had to adapt to new demands.

I also wonder whether Grimes played so well, and was back to the decisive and direct Grimes we haven't seen for so long, because he didn't have to worry about being the main small defender who had to hold the defence together, because Cross & Lumumba were there for that. All he had to worry about was beating his man & generating drive.

[Adam The God 30,243]

So I watched the replay for a second time last night and I owe Jack Grimes an apology. He made one or two errors, but he played a very solid game. Well done, Jack.

[Demon_JB 1,385]

You watch HL play, whenever he has the ball and gets tackled he throws his weight and body around like a fish out of water and majority of the time gets his arms free to fire off a handball to a team mate. Very good stuff.

[old dee 23,790]

Have you forgotten this post already:

So they are 'twice as good as us' until we beat them, at which point they are a 'team dwelling in the same bottom of the competition as ourselves'.

You were either wrong to be so pessimistic about our chances, or wrong to dismiss the value of this win.

Or, actually, wrong about both.

I did say the results show they are twice as good as us.

Only opinions and If you never make a comment you will never be wrong.

On the day the Dees played better of which I am happy.

And my prediction was wrong.

Did not see any prediction from you or did I miss it.

[Demonated 252]

Just watched the reply. VANDENBERG was IMMENSE!!!!

Did so well with the ball, but what he did off the ball: pressure, tackling, harassing, blocking etc. was HUMONGOUS too.

What a pick up.

http://www.afl.com.au/video/smart-replay

His off the ball stuff was amazing. Not only his tackles but his pressuring and blocking, when he does miss a tackle or the player gives it off he continues to hunt with ferocity, even if he is only able to get a touch to the player he ensures that pressure is always applied. Played an amazing all-round game.

Grimes did some stuff I haven't seen in a while. He did a couple of kicks off his left I didn't know he was capable of, one in particular out of defence onto the wing was absolutely brilliant.

[jnrmac 20,060]

Always like to see what the other team does in terms of dropping players after we beat them (hasn't happened too often in recent times!) but the dogs have reacted savagely dropping

Cordy, Talia, Jong and Hunter. Boyd somehow gets through,...Goodes and Crameri are out injured/suspended

Cordy looks a real bust for them. Was touted very highly...

[rpfc 28,410]

Always like to see what the other team does in terms of dropping players after we beat them (hasn't happened too often in recent times!) but the dogs have reacted savagely dropping

Cordy, Talia, Jong and Hunter. Boyd somehow gets through,...Goodes and Crameri are out injured/suspended

Cordy looks a real bust for them. Was touted very highly...

Pick 14 in 2008 when their hand was forced by St Kilda (IIRC) in the F/S bidding process. That was one where there were whispers that the Dogs promised the Cordy's that they will take him wherever and were made to pay a high price by a competitor.

Honestly, if you draft an 18 year old ruck in the first round, you are kidding yourself, your fans, and the kid you have just doomed.

7 years just to find out whether he is good enough...

[hardtack 10,537]

Always like to see what the other team does in terms of dropping players after we beat them (hasn't happened too often in recent times!) but the dogs have reacted savagely dropping

Cordy, Talia, Jong and Hunter. Boyd somehow gets through,...Goodes and Crameri are out injured/suspended

Cordy looks a real bust for them. Was touted very highly...

Yeah, I think Jong is a bit stiff... before he was injured he had been one of their better mids,