9 hours ago, Dee Zephyr said:

It’s no longer fiction. Batman does fly.

Trying to think of a suitable Batman villain moniker for Pruess. Given his size he must be King Tut. 

Edited March 3, 20196 yr by america de cali

I think we should also recognise that Preuss played yesterday while Nar Nar Goon was under threat from fire (where he lives). Decent reason to be distracted.

Big shout out to the fireys doing a terrific job who didn’t get to watch the footy.

Edited March 3, 20196 yr by In Harmes Way

Many of the same observations.

Clarry a gun, Gus is a clearance machine and all round ball magnet.

I thought Hore’s disposal was pretty average.

Petty really impressed me.  I wounder if it was more that he got the 3rd or 4th key forward and that they didn't give Petty the appropriate respect, but I still thought he was excellent in just about every contest that he got to and I don't think you can ask more than that.

Yeah ANB was underwhelming, but he has the runs on the board and I'm not panicking about him yet - still pretty much a Rd 1 lock I would have thought.

Asides from missing most of our best back six, I thought AVB left a huge hole.  The way he bashes and smashes and breaks lines through the middle and forward half of the ground is very valuable to our game plan.  Having him and players like Jones and Lewis would have made a big difference to the way we moved the ball out of the backline and through the middle part of the ground.  Big Maxy often provides a pretty good option out of defense which was missing yesterday.

I was disappointed that asides from Petty, pretty much all of our second string players were pretty average overall, but out of them, I thought that Smith did ok and JKH looked all right in patches.

Something which I think also makes it pretty hard to get a read on the respective team and individual player performances in these games is where guys are at in their preperation and how much ground time they are given.

Keilty did a really serviceable job in the ruck, he got some nice taps and got some good second efforts to help us get clearances.  Did himself plenty of favours, I would think.

our biggest issue was being lazy in transition.  We would win a contest then not be precise enough with ball delivery to capitalise.  Both exiting 50, and or entry to i50.

Hore should not kick in.  Takes a nice intercept mark, but is not that player.

Frost makes key mistakes and the upside is not big enough to cover these.  Headless chook moments need to be reduced.

Trac’s set shot was a stinker, but his snap from further out was sublime.

i didn’t keep across rotations, so don’t know if he was missing or resting, or whatever.  Also when we play putrid footy for 2 quarters, unless you are running him through the middle he is the sort of player who would be missing. 

TMac did not look 100%.

our clearance work and contested ball was still good, and our midfield set looks very strong (and deep).  We may need better 1:1 work to allow this to shine.  The new rules will see more 1:1 contests rather than chaos scrums, so we will need to push hard to make contests so we can play to our strengths.  Sagging off will cost big time this year.

1 hour ago, Dee Zephyr said:

Genuinely interested to read some thoughts on why some have Hunt’s game as disappointing. From the telly I didnt think he was as bad as some are suggesting. His numbers weren’t great but he never stopped chasing especially in the second and third when Richmond were cutting us to ribbons. I certainly didn’t think he turned the ball over as much as some others.

Maybe someone that attended can shed some more. Was he given a specific role on Rioli or the likes? 

I wasn't impressed with Hunt's game and it was a step backwards from last week.

Yes, he laid a brilliant tackle that Goodwin would've loved, but he did not provide even one dash from half back which is his point of difference as a player. Just an ineffective and nothing game from him.

This may have been mentioned but Richmond blocked Wiederman effectively at least twice in marking contests without a free being paid. If this is not going to be an automatic free as much as it was for him and Hogan last year, we have to plan around it.

3 minutes ago, Damo said:

This may have been mentioned but Richmond blocked Wiederman effectively at least twice in marking contests without a free being paid. If this is not going to be an automatic free as much as it was for him and Hogan last year, we have to plan around it.

Kind of depends how far away the ball is from the contest. If it's as players leap for the mark, then it's a block. Eg. against Cats (?) in the final. If it's jostling for position and the ball is far enough away, it's play on.

7 minutes ago, Damo said:

This may have been mentioned but Richmond blocked Wiederman effectively at least twice in marking contests without a free being paid. If this is not going to be an automatic free as much as it was for him and Hogan last year, we have to plan around it.

We have to stop bombing it into our forwards the way we did yesterday unless they are one out.

1 minute ago, Demonland said:

We have to stop bombing it into our forwards the way we did yesterday unless they are one out.

It's part of the game plan, though.  I agree that we need to be smarter with it, but we bomb it in there and either mark it or keep it in there for long periods.  It's 'chaos ball', for lack of a better term, and generally when we're in sync it's hard to beat.  It didn't look flash on the weekend as we lacked a little cohesion, class and fitness, but that will certainly improve greatly in the coming weeks.

I'm probably the most negative poster on demonland and even I walked away positive from that match.

We had so many guns out.

- I think petracca looks more explosive than last year and stronger and he laid some good tackles today. People just need to keep their expectations in check, it was him or McCartin. 

- ANB is copping unfair criticism. He is a midfielder, not a half forward. He is doing his best in a position that isnt his natural position. And I sleep a lot easier at night knowing theres a guy in our 22 that is going to run all day.

- I was impressed by Kielty and Petty. Petty just need a year in the gym. Jordon didn't really impress me. Looked slow and timid but he's a baby so let's look at him in 3 years. Sparrow isnt a great kick but he doesnt really need to be. By the time he cracks best 22 he will be a permanent inside mid.

- McDonald did look slow. Got punished by Rance. As long as he isnt injured I dont care.

-i thought Hore was sloppy by foot but at least was willing to have a crack.

- Preuss was a kangaroos discard. what were people expecting. He is good insurance if Gawn goes down. He will play majority forward anyway and that means the oppo will need a key defender on him

- oliver and brayshaw guns: going straight into my fantasy team.

 

 

 

7 minutes ago, Demonland said:

We have to stop bombing it into our forwards the way we did yesterday unless they are one out.

Agree that this 'bombing' is still a tendency and it must stop. The thing that makes Clarrie a champion is that by hand and foot he looks for options - usually more than one or two - and delivers. His real skill is getting the ball and doing the 'option bit' very quickly both prior to taking the ball and in using it. Our forwards tend to congregate, still, massing a pack of teammates all competing (usually in the air) for the ball - whereas percentage play will dictate a better spread of receivers on-ground and thus, unsettling the opposition's gather and rebound capabilities. Preusse came in several times a little later but in a direct line on-ground, taking good chest marks in his momentum. He could be a real force, as a straight-line and leading forward. Ruck duties for him are really secondary - you seldom saw big boy forwards like Lockett, Dunstall and others relegate and waste enormous, moving mass for wasted, futile pack elevations. It was more common to see defenders and utilities stay out of their line of intent to avoid seriously unfortunate impacts. As for the bombing, it is a low return strategy, wasting the efforts of those who worked so hard to bring the ball forward. 

Whenever we play poorly, it's because we butcher the ball going into our forward line. If we ever become efficient in attack we will be a major, major threat. But yesterday, as usual, it's our tendency to kick badly into zone defences that shoots ourselves in the feet.

In watching Weids I was impressed that his opposition seemingly just stepped in front of him and held his place while the ball was coming down but not in the 5 metre exclusion. There was probably more to it. This effectively stopped his 2 step launch at the pack. Even the 1st time I realised the Tigers had put work into not letting him approach on his own terms without giving away a free. But the whistle must have been close to the mouth.

Ok

There seems to be a lot of 'insurance' love for Preuss

Four years in the system and only eight games (?) - that's a worry

But....we're not at RD1 yet

2 hours ago, america de cali said:

Trying to think of a suitable Batman villain moniker for Pruess. Given his size he must be King Tut. 

GOLD.

Some random observations; 

• Pruess - I'm far from convinced, but will reserve judgement for now. Looked classes below at times and I honestly thought Keilty was better in the ruck from a technical standpoint. 
• Brayshaw - prolific, although would like to see him clean up his disposal slightly. Does he have a right foot? 
• Petracca - I thought he was alright. Imposed himself in the contest at various times to great effect. Goal kicking still a huge concern. 
• Clarry - a class above. He'll win the brownlow same year he takes us to a flag. Hoping its 2019. 
• Frost - vintage disposal on display at times. Hoping he hasn't taken steps back from his improvement in that area toward the end of last year. 
• Tmac - Destroyed on all fronts. Chalk up the L and move on Tommy. 
• Fritsch - all class. Fast becoming a favourite of mine. Pure footballer, can't speak highly enough. 
• Kelity, Petty and Hore - some pleasing displays. Hope they can build on it. 
• Garlett - liked his first quarter, didn't get much opportunity after quarter time then forced off. Judgement reserved for now. 
• Omac - continues to be exposed when he's number 1 down there. Expecting that to be corrected when May comes in next week. Disposal has improved though, to his credit. 
• Hunt - not convinced yet, although it is always enjoyable to watch him spool up and tear across the park. 

 

Was anybody else concerned with Tommy Mac chasing or lack thereof. There were a few instances where Rances played on from a mark and just waltzed past Tom. I know it was hot and just a praccy match but I expect a bit more from the acting captain.

Is there cause for concern regarding the procedure that he just had?

I think at times, you need to look beyond statistics and see what other attributes a player brings to the game. 

Hunt and Spargo are two such players, They have deficits  and disposal is certainly one. However, I would rather see players have a real crack and who are always running and chasing or at the contest, irrespective of the score line or tempo of the game. 

These two guys play with a passion for the contest that many others don't. And as I said somewhere else, you can see that these guys lift and inspire others. They are natural competitors who don't overthink situations or drop their bundle.  I was watching Spargo and whilst he had few possessions he was always running, chasing, giving opponents a bit of lip and hip, and chasing a Tiger over the boundary line. 

I would have these guys in the side over more polished but less committed players.  They have the X factor. 

3 hours ago, Damo said:

This may have been mentioned but Richmond blocked Wiederman effectively at least twice in marking contests without a free being paid. If this is not going to be an automatic free as much as it was for him and Hogan last year, we have to plan around it.

They would have been practising all summer what they should have done against Cox....Umps need to be aware of it

39 minutes ago, Deeminion said:

Was anybody else concerned with Tommy Mac chasing or lack thereof. There were a few instances where Rances played on from a mark and just waltzed past Tom. I know it was hot and just a praccy match but I expect a bit more from the acting captain.

Is there cause for concern regarding the procedure that he just had?

I expect his remit was - 'shake the cobwebs and look after yourself'

RD1 beckons

51 minutes ago, Smokey said:

Brayshaw - prolific, although would like to see him clean up his disposal slightly. Does he have a right foot? 

He was under pressure a lot which isn't his fault either. Under the circumstances I thought his disposal was first rate.

Now he could just handpass it like Clarry does but we need to get the ball forward quickly from a congested situation

The real issue is that all our forwards need to relish and fight for the front position because a rushed kick often falls short.

Disposal efficiency stats are often a misnomer ... the eyes have it along with an understanding of the modern game.

1 hour ago, Deeminion said:

Was anybody else concerned with Tommy Mac chasing or lack thereof. There were a few instances where Rances played on from a mark and just waltzed past Tom. I know it was hot and just a praccy match but I expect a bit more from the acting captain.

Is there cause for concern regarding the procedure that he just had?

It was hist first real run at it , add in the heat there is nothing to worry about aside from lower fitness.

5 hours ago, america de cali said:

Trying to think of a suitable Batman villain moniker for Pruess. Given his size he must be King Tut. 

Bane. 

Edited March 4, 20196 yr by Ethan Tremblay

Read all these comments.

it was a practice match little else!

but some of our lesser players still struggled or showed  nothing.

our better players showed climpses of ability at times even if overall a bit poor.

missed 1st quarter but the second was like we were the witches hats at training 

Not much better in the 3rd, once the pressure dropped in the last we or some unsighted players got going but tigers were coasting. 

Look forward to having some first choice players next week. But watching the second was discouraging to say the least.

Go Dees.    !!!!!!!!

40 minutes ago, Macca said:

He was under pressure a lot which isn't his fault either. Under the circumstances I thought his disposal was first rate.

Now he could just handpass it like Clarry does but we need to get the ball forward quickly from a congested situation

The real issue is that all our forwards need to relish and fight for the front position because a rushed kick often falls short.

Disposal efficiency stats are often a misnomer ... the eyes have it along with an understanding of the modern game.

His disposal was not first rate. At times it was poor and direct to opposition players.