5 hours ago, Dappa Dan said:

Run the sums... assuming we beat Dogs and Suns, and lose to Swans and WC... Then we'll basically need to beat two of the other games... Cats, Crows and GWS to make the finals.

According to my predictor we'll be playing GWS in the last round to decide 8th and 9th, and our percentage won't help us as they already have a draw.

Was a solid win, showing where we're at today, but we've learned nothing really about where we'll end up this year.

Haven't seen any games for a month (OS). Are the Swans all that flash? I reckon they play Etihad well. They rarely play on the 'G. Yeah I know, our record on the 'G is ... Just reckon it'll be 50-50.

Did T-Mac play back for much of last night? I like him down there as he's good in the air and quick. Must play a swing man role a la J Westoff, going back or forward as needed methinks.

the first real game i've seen of ed langdon.. wasn't bad (considering the conditions and that his team are pretty putrid). i'd be happy to get him for a low cost if possible.. good runner.

We really could have won that by 100+, absolutely battered them, but just happy with a win and a good performance at this stage.

I want it known on record that I am a Frost fan. If he can just keep it simple, his speed is an absolute asset in defence.

I am not convinced by Stretch, but I thought he was great last night, and given he is such a good runner and just an all round disciplined player, I think he could be important in our team defence, considering how easily we can be carved up going the other way.

I couldn't be bothered putting in any mental energy and watching the full game after last weeks deflating and draining effort, So I just avoided spoilers and fast forwarded the recorded game with my eye on the scoreboard changes to rewind and watch the goal.

So I have nothing to add. 

If we easily dispose of the Dogs then ill barely be watching again. Not that interested. I just wish we could get on with the tough part of the schedule as I cant wait to see what we're made of against Geelong, Syd, WCE etc again. 

Edited July 7, 20186 yr by John Demonic

6 minutes ago, John Demonic said:

I couldn't be bothered putting in any mental energy and watching the full game after last weeks draining effort, So I just avoided spoilers and fast forwarded the recorded game with my eye on the scoreboard changes to rewind and watch the goal.

So I have nothing to add. 

I'll watch next week though, but if we easily dispose of the Dogs then ill barely be watching. Not that interested. I just wish we could get on with the tough part of the schedule as I cant wait to see what we're made of against Geelong, Syd, WCE etc again. 

Jeez dude, just watch the World Cup, or the golf, or re-runs of Midsomer Murders or something. 

Strange! 

12 minutes ago, Deemented Are Go! said:

Jeez dude, just watch the World Cup, or the golf, or re-runs of Midsomer Murders or something. 

Strange! 

After last weeks dissappointment, hard to get enthused about sitting down to watch 2 and half hours of us beating up on an easy beat (Or choking against one) with their 2 best players missing at a ground with no atmosphere. Easy to fast forward through it in 15 minutes and get on with my day.

Edited July 7, 20186 yr by John Demonic

9 minutes ago, John Demonic said:

After last weeks dissappointment, hard to get enthused about sitting down to watch 2 and half hours of us beating up on an easy beat (Or choking against one) with their 2 best players missing at a ground with no atmosphere. Easy to fast forward through it in 15 minutes and get on with my day.

Fair enough. I’d just check the final score myself. I guess I’m all or nothing. 

That said, after last week I’m now 0-5 for live games attended this year, contemplating going next week (for more punishment!?) ?

9 hours ago, juzzk1d said:

Stretch adds so much more than Tyson. 

I hardly think we are comparing like with like. Tyson was BOG yesterday for Casey with 145 Dreamtime points (playing in far more testing conditions)! Why not just say that Stretch played a good game?

Terry Wallace suggested that Fritsche could fill the role of Lever.

This idea has merit.

2 minutes ago, deefender said:

Terry Wallace suggested that Fritsche could fill the role of Lever.

This idea has merit.

I think his kicking n reading of the play will be excellent for the back 6 but he is also needed to be the one kicking into forward 50 and the one kicking for goal.

Not bad for a first year player.

7 minutes ago, CBDees said:

I hardly think we are comparing like with like. Tyson was BOG yesterday for Casey with 145 Dreamtime points (playing in far more testing conditions)! Why not just say that Stretch played a good game?

I’m not comparing like for like with player a versus b.. I’m comparing what their individual assets are and what they bring to the team.

That’s why I said “stretch adds more than Tyson” it’s clearly a comment that what he brings to the table and our structure is more valuable to our side than what Tyson can bring.

We needed more speed, outside pace. Stretch clearly brought that, which is why Tyson (with the attributes he has and how he fits into our team) found himself on the outer. 

If I was comparing players as you suggested “comparing like for like” I would have said “Stretch is so much better than Tyson” which I didn’t, because I don’t believe he is. What I do believe though is Stretch added so much more to our team and our midfield and spread than what Tyson does. 

 

8 hours ago, Dappa Dan said:

Run the sums... assuming we beat Dogs and Suns, and lose to Swans and WC... Then we'll basically need to beat two of the other games... Cats, Crows and GWS to make the finals.

According to my predictor we'll be playing GWS in the last round to decide 8th and 9th, and our percentage won't help us as they already have a draw.

Was a solid win, showing where we're at today, but we've learned nothing really about where we'll end up this year.

Agree. Was a good win and keeps us in it but also gives the three recent losses perspective in terms of our fate.

We won’t be considered to have improved unless we take a couple of decent scalps to make it.

So still the question remains are we any good or just flat trackers?

 

Oliver has leather poisoning again:  a game-high 35 disposals, 19 contested possessions, seven tackles, seven inside 50s and two goals.

Only half way thru his 3rd year!  Not yet 21. 

A star on the way to becoming an elite superstar!

Edited July 7, 20186 yr by Lucifer's Hero

I believe we finished with 71% time in forward half yet Oscar covered the most distance for us on the night. 

I can only put that down to our high defensive press. I could be wrong but Freo only had 28 inside 50s for the night.

7 hours ago, Skuit said:

Not sure if anyone else here has played footy in the tropics? 

It's truly horrible if you're not accustomed to it. And it's not like wet weather footy where you're bent down with a heavy ball and you adjust to that type of wetness. The ball moves at pace and slips right through the hands when you think you've done everything right. On top of that, it feels like you can't ever get in enough oxygen. 

I know it's not the wet-season, but that's the slipperiest I can recall it for one of our matches up there. Never mind the comparative humidity figures or Uncle Bitters rolling around in the dry grass - the proof was there in the vision and the post-match comments. 

Oliver, Salem and Fritsch were simply outstanding in their control of the ball tonight. Stretch was clean too. 

Yeah the players looked spent,  some of them early in the game. This really concerns me for next week. At least we get 7 days and the same break time as the Dogs. We've often played 6 days after our Darwin game from memory. 

Clarry should have his face drawn in permanent marker into the All Australian team.

He is going to spend most of his career as A.A once the people who pick the team realise how good he is.

10 hours ago, P-man said:

All the players made mention of how slippery the ball was out there. On another night Hogan would’ve clunked another four or five that he dropped. 

Frost and Jeffy were both welcome returns and are best 22 right now. Frost coming in should’ve happened weeks ago but spilt milk.

Andy or someone else mentioned in the game day thread that Fritzel is now one of our best players and it’s hard to disagree. The kid is just a skilled, smart footballer. An amazing pickup.

Some of the clearance work particularly out of the middle was a joy to watch. Some very nice chemistry between Gawn and the young mids. 

Goal kicking practice wouldn’t go astray. When we have momentum we need to capitalise better than we did. But under the conditions, in the end, it was a solid win and the season remains alive.

 

Jeffy? I'd give him another week or two to show something, else back to Casey.

10 hours ago, DemonOX said:

Thank god we won. 

My concern apart from our kicking for goal is that the players look rooted. 

I am not holding out much hope for a positive result next week unfortunately. 

The sooner we get rid of this Darwin game the better. 

I swear the dogs were also the lucky ones who got us after the Alice game this year. 

This is where Dave mission needs to make his money, high performance is expected by professionals even after a grueling affair like that. They have 7 days to recover.

1 hour ago, deefender said:

Terry Wallace suggested that Fritsche could fill the role of Lever.

This idea has merit.

Fritsch is more value on a wing as a midfielder; his slight build is not suited to defensive roles and intercepts against key forwards. 

My main takeaways were Frost and Stretch.

Sometimes it's easy to focus on what a player doesn't do well and lose sight of what they can do well.  Frost's size, speed and strength were a welcome addition to a back-line that has struggled since Lever went down.  He'll still occasionally frustrate, but he's clearly the best second tall and he'll make life far easier for Oscar.  If he plays to his limitations he'll be pivotal to the remainder of our season.

Billy is a neat player, but I didn't see any AFL quality attributes.  I did last night.  He worked hard, showed some zip, positioned himself well and made himself an option.  He can become an accomplished AFL player.  He's also testament to a player working on their craft at the next level down and showing how sustained form in the VFL can make you a better player.

Happy to say I was wrong on both.

One of the more frustrating games I have watched but we got the chocolates.

Not overly surprised about the shocking conversion however. I recently went for a 16 km run in 80% humidity and it felt like I had been sprayed with a bloody hose I was that sweaty. I proceeded with a cold shower and a lay down for 30 minutes. What would have I felt like had I been playing a contact sport?

The good thing is that our defense was an improvement and that was what was promised. Too often we have been told one thing and gotten the opposite.

Goody seems to have learnt that selection based on unwavering principle was also dooming him. Good to see Frost and Jeffy back. Should Frost keep his head like he did against Freo then he should have a spot.

 

3 hours ago, billyblanks29 said:

Did T-Mac play back for much of last night? I like him down there as he's good in the air and quick. Must play a swing man role a la J Westoff, going back or forward as needed methinks.

I think the time he spent in the back half was when he was giving Max a breather in the ruck.

I thought we played with a bit more purpose and focus than usual despite the lame opposition and weather conditions. A better balanced side with the injection of nimbleness and pace. Hope this game wasn’t too taxing. We will see. 

Edited July 8, 20186 yr by america de cali

12 hours ago, titan_uranus said:

 We still press so high that our opponents score too easily in the space out the back. We still don't convert enough of our inside 50 dominance (+50 inside 50s should be a 154 point win, not a 54 point win). We still commit horrendous turnovers (Jetta to Mundy in the first quarter). 

Fremantle's plan was to congest our forward line. There just wasn't room to move.

The first thing is partly to blame for the second. Not only do we let easy goals out the back when we press so high, we congest the space in our forward 50 meaning it's impossible to pass to a free player and also impossible to get a free shot at goal. How many times do we get the ball inside 50 and have to handball 4 or 5 times to try and get a player with enough space that they can actually have a shot at goal? Push the press back a bit and we will intercept further up the ground allowing us to open the field up more and slice through opposition defences easier.

We're getting so much of the footy but not doing enough with it. It's been our problem all year so I'm not willing to pass it off as bad conditions. That was a 100 point win last night but we left 8 goals on the table. Two set shots from ANB and one from Gawn for starters plus probably at least 2 or 3 each from Hogan and Petracca. Brayshaw sprayed a couple as well on the run. We really should've smacked them although our conversion picked up after half time.

The players looked absolutely stuffed after half time too so of it impacts our ability to run out the game next week I'll be furious. I don't care what benefit we get from these games financially, it ruins our run home when the players can't recover for their next game or 2. I'm not convinced having the bye or an "extended break" before QBD is going to help much either.

Edited July 8, 20186 yr by Dr. Gonzo