THE DROUGHT IS OVER by George on the Outer - POST MATCH DISCUSSION

[Guest]

1 hour ago, Bitter but optimistic said:

Just back at the Manor after a wonderful day at the footy as a guest of a premium Saints member. Must say they have a nice set up at Darklands.

Anyway, contained myself quite well and did not get chucked out. However, I went close in the last few moments.

I started chanting "Rooey's done an ACL, haha ha!!" Distasteful - yes but [censored] enjoyable!!

No shirt removal this year Uncle Bitters? 

[Robbie57 2,001]

We should have won by a lot more. Thrilled there were no joyous celebrations by the players our approach is to get the job done. Oscar war terrible in the first half but kept at it and looked ok in the second. It's going to be hard to break in next week. 

Most of all I love the feeling that we can expect that sort of effort each week.

[Hellaintabadplacetobe 4,284]

2 hours ago, Nasher said:

Plan B: "start playing good"?  

Hard to tell on TV of course, but I didn't see any amazing tactical or structural changes.  We just turned up the dial. 

I agree Nasher. I`m sure Goodwin had some harsh words to the players at qtr time but the only thing that really changed was we started winning the centre bounce clearances (led by Clarry), and we also did not get reamed by the umps for the rest of the game like we did in the first qtr (8 to 2!). I actually was not worried at qtr time strangely.

[thesleepinggiant 160]

Nev Jetta..... best sidestep in the game. 

[Forest Demon 4,681]

10 minutes ago, thesleepinggiant said:

Nev Jetta..... best sidestep in the game. 

Great lateral movement. He may not be lightning quick, but good luck tackling him.

[whatwhat say what 22,165]

One of the things that really struck me was just the pure contest from all players right across the ground.

There were mistakes made but it was the second, third and fourth efforts and the one-percenters that players were prepared to do.

Some who were down early really came into their own as the game wore on - thinking particularly here of Salem, Brayshaw, and O Mac who I thought were all impressive as the game wore on, rather than showing a heap early like others.

Sat right at ground level at that hotbox of a stadium - for god's sake, OPEN THE FREAKING ROOF!!

Individual player comments:

1. Hogan - I thought he was immense, his movement around the ground was so (dare I compare?) Riewoldt-like when he was about the same level of development, and he really relished in tackling today which he doesn't always do

2. Jones - superb with his ability to change direction when in possession, and then use it well; not going sideways and backwards but instead punching it forward and to advantage

3. Salem - really quiet early, it looked like it was going to be another game where he wasn't getting involved enough but was it a case of the team improving and thus he improved or was his ability to win the ball the catalyst for the form turnaround midway through the second term? I lean towards the latter

4. Watts - I thought he was okay overall and 'did his job', yet at the same time he gave a lot of spark when he was in the ruck and again like Salem he improved as the team improved in that second quarter period when we started to get on top

5. Petracca - how funny was it when he had the set shot and dropped the ball, casually picked it up and dobbed it from around the 50m mark? He has an incredible arrogance but fortunately backs it up

6. Lewis - thanks Hawthorn, he is so classy, has such a calming influence on play, and will be massive for us for the length of his contract I think

7. Viney - wasn't massively influential when compared to others, but still did his part and his fierceness at the contest is brilliant to watch, plus that ability to accelerate out of the contest 

10. Brayshaw - bugbear of mine is his short field kicking, but for the most part I didn't really notice him going short, and if he did he wasn't muffing it up, and I'd say he was about as good as Viney on the day

11. Gawn - Maximus Gawnius is just a collusus in the ruck, and the way that he got on top of Hickey (who from my spot right by the bench looked very sore in the lower back before Gawn went off for treatment on the same) was fantastic to see after last year; he kept giving his rovers first use

13. Oliver - I just watch him and marvel; I don't think I've ever been so excited for a player in the red and blue as I am Oliver - he's even more exciting than Hogan

15. Stretch - SOS is a pearler, his contested work is getting better and better all the time, and his run and carry has always been so encouraging, and now he's really starting to get heaps of damaging ball

18. Melksham - was a bit rusty and slow to dispose of the ball at times, but like others he contests and fights and works hard to retain the ball and brings strong defensive accountability to the back half, freeing up other players like Vince to be more creative

19. Hannan - a really super debut I thought, the way that he kept bobbing up and doing something creative - be it an outstanding goal or a strong mark - was a really bright sign that he'll be an excellent contributor

23. Vince - that's the Bernie we know and love! Sure he stuffed up once or twice but I'm personally okay with that when he's doing so much so very, very right

25. T McDonald - stopped Riewoldt completely once Roo pushed forward permanently, was creative when he got the ball, didn't take the wrong option very often and was a rock down back

26 Weideman - another player who did his job I thought, love the way he flies at the contest, and his field kicking and goal kicking  are both really, really good; I love the way he gets involved at ground level to stay involved in the contest

28 O McDonald - I actually thought he was pretty good - sure, he made some mistakes, arguably more than others, but his ability to get to and impact the contests was good and I think he's tracking as well as his brother was at the same age / experience

29 Hunt - those kamikaze crazy runs are contagious; what's great is that he's also comfortable leaping at the ball and impacting the contest, tackling, getting down and dirty and is not afraid to use his surprising strength one-on-one

30 Neal-Bullen - another like Viney and Salem and Watts who got better as the game went on, and his ball use was great; you'd like to think he can build on that sort of game going forward

36 Garlett - the tackling and defensive pressure exhibited all game was the best thing, but his goalkicking and speed was also fantastic to watch

39 Jetta - thatta boy Jets, I was so worried when he didn't play a game in the preseason as I think he adds so much to the backline; much like his game today where he was just so good defensively and even got on the scoreboard!

44 Smith - such a shame to see him go down like that as I thought he was looking good; was it when he went off that the Saints started to get on top? That's my glow-of-a-win memory of it all

[deespicable me 1,467]

19 minutes ago, Robbie57 said:

We should have won by a lot more. Thrilled there were no joyous celebrations by the players our approach is to get the job done. Oscar war terrible in the first half but kept at it and looked ok in the second. It's going to be hard to break in next week. 

Most of all I love the feeling that we can expect that sort of effort each week.

Put Oscar on Casboult next week. What a match-up.

Worth the price of admission alone.

[Forest Demon 4,681]

Clayton Oliver grabbed that game by the balls in the second quarter and swung it in our direction. He is already some player.

[sisso 2,555]

Finally got home from the match, what a feeling!

The boys played amazingly well after qtr time, where did we find a beast like Maximus!? Did his back, went off for treatment and came back to deliver the mother of all hidings to Hickey....so bad I almost felt embarrassed for him!

[Adam The God 29,392]

4 hours ago, Wiseblood said:

I'll just leave this here:

Oliver - 35 possessions, 14 contested, 9 clearances and 8 tackles.  What a player.

Yeah, that's what I originally read too, but Clarry actually had 36 to go with the game high tackles.

[Macca 16,627]

A few numbers ...

 

Possessions ... Oliver 36,  Jones 35,  Lewis 32,  Vince 30,  Stretch 26,  T-Mac 24,  Neal-Bullen 23,  Petracca 23,  Viney 23,  Hogan 21,  Brayshaw 21,  Jetta 20,  Salem 20 (13 players with 20 or more)

 

Clearances .... Oliver 9,  Viney 8,  Jones 4,  Neal-Bullen 4,  Lewis 4,  Hogan 3,  Brayshaw 3,  Stretch 3

 

Contested ..... Oliver 14,  Viney 12,  Petracca 11,  Neal-Bullen 10,  Jones 10,  Lewis 9,  Brayshaw 9,  Oscar 9,  Stretch 8,  Jetta 8

 

Tackles ......... Oliver 7,  Neal-Bullen 6,  Viney 5,  Hunt 5,  Jones 4,  Hogan 4,  Gawn 4,  Hannan 4,  Garlett 4

 

• Hogan took 4 contested marks (the most by any player on the ground) & took 5 marks inside 50 (again, the most on the ground)
• T-Mac took a total of 13 marks of which many were intercept marks
• Gawn had 49 hit-outs - I'd say at least a dozen to advantage (?)

 

 

.

Edited March 25, 2017 by Macca

[What 18,810]

Nathna Jones just gets better with age and will once again push for the Bluey.

[bandicoot 1,395]

3 hours ago, bing181 said:

Plan B? More like executing Plan A properly.

"As I said to the boys at quarter-time, it was just about getting back to what we trained for all summer and getting back to the style of play that we know has been really successful for us."

He also said that they "moved around a few things structurally after qtr time" 

Goodwin out-coached Richardson today 

[spirit of norm smith 15,238]

Great win today. Must back it up next week.  Thought of competitive edge around the footy was the difference.

[What 18,810]

Just noticed we are back at Etihad in 14 days to play the Cats, again highlighting the importance of todays win at that stadium. 

[bandicoot 1,395]

16 minutes ago, Macca said:

A few numbers ...

 

Possessions ... Oliver 36,  Jones 35,  Lewis 32,  Vince 30,  Stretch 26,  T-Mac 24,  Neal-Bullen 23,  Petracca 23,  Viney 23,  Hogan 21,  Brayshaw 21,  Jetta 20,  Salem 20 (13 players with 20 or more)

 

Clearances .... Oliver 9,  Viney 8,  Jones 4,  Neal-Bullen 4,  Lewis 4,  Hogan 3,  Brayshaw 3,  Stretch 3

 

Contested ..... Oliver 14,  Viney 12,  Petracca 11,  Neal-Bullen 10,  Jones 10,  Lewis 9,  Brayshaw 9,  Oscar 9,  Stretch 8,  Jetta 8

 

Tackles ......... Oliver 7,  Neal-Bullen 6,  Viney 5,  Hunt 5,  Jones 4,  Hogan 4,  Gawn 4,  Hannan 4,  Garlett 4

 

• Hogan took 4 contested marks (the most by an player on the ground) & 5 marks inside 50 (again, the most on the ground)
• T-Mac took a total of 13 marks of which many were intercept marks
• Gawn had 49 hit-outs - I'd say at least a dozen to advantage (?)

 

 

.

And still with the third youngest and inexperienced side this weekend 

[Macca 16,627]

1 minute ago, bandicoot said:

And still with the third youngest and inexperienced side this weekend 

Talent is talent regardless of age bc ... that '87 team of ours was awfully young and inexperienced too.  There are other such examples including the '93 Bombers.  Oliver is 19 years old and already has the head of a veteran.

I didn't think we'd win today and I'm more than happy with being wrong.  The way we bridged the gap in that 2nd quarter was ultra-impressive.  The team looks hungry for wins. 

Bring on Carlton.

[Dr.D 1,771]

we need to give Jason taylor the plaudits he deserves. we talk about Goodwin a lot but much needs to be said about Jason Taylor and his recruitment of players. since he started he has brought in: 

petracca, brayshaw, oliver, weideman with high picks

hunt with a pick in the50's.

vandenberg and Harmes as successful rookie picks.

vince, bugg, Hibberd, Lewis as trade targets.

Kennedy Harris, stretch, neal-bullen, Oscar McDonald and Salem (considering the talent behind him) are all speculation at this point and haven't proven yet to be anything more than fringe players. 

all competitors in that batch.

[Adam The God 29,392]

I'll probably get pummelled for this, but I felt Vince continued to make some real rookie errors. He's far too fancy at times.

He did some good things, but his position in the best 22 remains one of the most intriguing subplots of 2017 for me.

[Adam The God 29,392]

5 hours ago, Demonsterative said:

Lots of guys played well today and played an Etihad style of game today. Therefore Goodwin was as influencial as a 23 man. 

But what gets lost in every game and for the last too many years is the the progression and now influence of our Caprian Jones. He is now a complete player. Great decision maker, great skills, gets the ball consistently week in week out. 

He is an AA grade player. The work he had done on his game is MASSIVE. In now good times and in extremely bad times he continues to perform and is so much better now he has good support around him. 

when others have floundered he has excelled due to dedication. 

He deserves to lift the cup for what he does now and for what did in an environment that killed more talented individuals 

Jonesy is probably A grade now, but I wouldn't call him AA/A+ personally.

5 hours ago, Danelska said:

I want to flag Weidemans attack on the ball in the air - quite frankly he isn't delivering on the outcomes consistently as yet , my word though, he will. He glides, yet attacks with oomph - the sure hands will develop.

That goal on the run was a cracker too. Nice poise.

5 hours ago, Danelska said:

Absolutely Dazzle - I only saw the first and the last qrt (yep missed all the free flowing goals) but jeez he can spoil and out position for a small/mid size back

He's still got that great little side-step. Amazingly, the opposition is often fooled by it. It's a lack of respect or it's a bloody good side-step.

[Macca 16,627]

2 minutes ago, Dr.D said:

we need to give Jason taylor the plaudits he deserves. we talk about Goodwin a lot but much needs to be said about Jason Taylor and his recruitment of players. since he started he has brought in: 

petracca, brayshaw, oliver, weideman with high picks

hunt with a pick in the50's.

vandenberg and Harmes as successful rookie picks.

vince, bugg, Hibberd, Lewis as trade targets.

Kennedy Harris, stretch, neal-bullen, Oscar McDonald and Salem (considering the talent behind him) are all speculation at this point and haven't proven yet to be anything more than fringe players. 

all competitors in that batch.

Taylor wasn't officially with us for the 2012 off-season but it stands to reason that he would have been consulted for his opinion.  That's my guess anyway. 

In the 2012 draft we swapped a top-end pick for Hogan which meant we had to wait a year for Jesse to become available - an inspired choice.  We also somehow managed to only spend a 2nd round draft pick for Viney.  Pick 48 delivered us Dean Kent.

We've whiffed on a few picks but again, that's always going to happen given the nature of drafting & recruitment in general.

On an overall basis our recruiting and list management has been top-notch over the past 4 off-seasons - and we're now starting to see the results.

 

[Adam The God 29,392]

5 hours ago, McQueen said:

First half was underwhelming for me but he finished the game well.

Glad for him.

Yeah, panicked under pressure really badly quite a few times and that snap he had was ridiculous. He had a team mate at the top of the square all alone.

I'm waiting up to watch the replay in halfa. I'll be interested to see how he looks on the replay. 

I still don't think he's good enough to be a mid. Whenever the heat was on he crumbled, but if he can make it as a half forward, that's his go. Otherwise, no deal for mine.

[ILLDieADemon 804]

I'm so happy!!!

[Adam The God 29,392]

5 hours ago, stevethemanjordan said:

Loved our grit.

Goodwin also a smart operator clearly. 

Oscar McDonald. Out. Now.

I would have Pedo in ahead of him in a heartbeat.

Nah. He was ordinary early on, but worked himself into the game. Amazing what a bit of midfield and half forward pressure will do for one-on-ones inside defensive 50.

4 hours ago, Danelska said:

Out of curiosity for the doubters of ANB - (which i have always had a soft spot) Does anyone think he'd lose his spot for anyone next week based on output today?

I think he goes out for Kent if he's fit. 

4 hours ago, Nasher said:

Plan B: "start playing good"?  

Hard to tell on TV of course, but I didn't see any amazing tactical or structural changes.  We just turned up the dial. 

I thought our spread after quarter time was superb. We spread hard and fast. That was one of the main differences IMO. Move the ball fiercely and quickly and you get results. That's our brand - Goody Footy.

4 hours ago, poita said:

Outstanding result today, well done to the boys. Our play in the second and third quarters, in an important game, was as good as we have seen for a decade. To bounce back after a horrible first quarter was really pleasing. Our senior players really led the way in keeping a steady ship, and the others followed. It would be nice to see that kind of resilience on a regular basis.

Oliver and Petracca were fantastic. Jones superb. Max had a great last three quarters. Oscar and Vince were very good after poor starts. Hogan and Garlett did a great job of taking their chances when they came. Hannan looked right at home at that level. Really everyone made a contribution, with the likely exception of Melksham who was very poor. A tough way for Smith to start his career, but he will be back, no doubt at all.

Next week will be a good test, to not only beat Carlton, but to beat them well. I have no doubt we are ten goal better side than the Blues if we play properly throughout.

And finally, to see Nick Riewoldt go down like that, particularly with the game decided, was very sad. He is a true champion, and I hope his career isn't over.

I've read this a bit now. I thought Melksham was pretty good. And I certainly wasn't for his recruitment at the time, but he was okay today. Offered some great run and attack and defended reasonably. Goody'd be happy with his performance I'd think.

[bing181 8,951]

1 hour ago, Petraccattack said:

Nathna Jones just gets better with age and will once again push for the Bluey.

Really think bringing Lewis in will be the making of Jones (and Vince). Everyone walks a little taller, and pushes themselves a little harder. Lewis is (still) elite in the way he goes about it, on field and off.