The positive spin is that we were slaughtered in the midfield but still generated more inside 50s and scoring shots than our opponent, and only lost by 9 points despite playing significantly below our 2021 best.

But we can't keep kicking to an outsized forward line and then missing the shots we do generate and expect to win.

Hunt's three HTBs were frustrating and at least once he should have passed it but put it in context. Having played in the back half all season, he's asked to play forward in the fourth quarter because the three small forwards we've relied on all year were nowhere, particularly the quickest one of the lot, Pickett.

The focus here is obvious. It's very difficult to wrestle momentum back when the opposition walks it out of most stoppages. We couldn't get a run of goals on because too many times after one of our goals we'd immediately cough up the next centre clearance. 

And then there's the forward line. It's becoming increasingly clear to me now that we were sucked in by the 6-0 start with this forward line. It was a correlation but not causation - this forward line was not the reason we were winning those games. We cannot continue this way. It's time for Ben Brown to be played alongside TMac and Fritsch. That means we go taller and slower but on current form that is what needs to be done.

If you're going to rip into Hunt, give it to Harmes too. He cannot help but step into tackles when he shouldn't. Infuriating.

Viney's either unfit or out of form, or both, and it's badly showing.

Why are we playing Sparrow if he's only on the field for 55% of the time each week?

Salem, Lever and May all outstanding yet again, Jackson's playing at a level well, well above his age or experience, and a welcome return to goalkicking form from Fritsch (although his missed snap in the third was a momentum killer).

We have shown all year we play our best football against the best sides. Thursday night is a prime opportunity to get this season back on track. Big test, but big stakes.

We just looked unbalanced right from the start.  When my son saw Harmes and Viney lining up inside forward 50 at the first bounce he said "this won't go well".  And he was spot on.  It's like our selectors are picking the All-Australian team - load up as many mids as possible  and jam them in wherever.  The fact that the guys in the centre square were in no danger of getting anywhere near a clearance didn't help either.  Even when we did get first hands on it, which was surprisingly quite regularly, we managed to fumble or look for something that wasn't there.  The team first approach was sadly missing today for Oliver and Harmes in particular and Viney looked like a guy who hadn't played in a very long time.

Gawn is spending too long off the ball - at this stage Jackson is good for about 5 minutes per quarter.  If Goody wants him on ball play him as a mid and get Tracc or Oliver forward for longer stints.  If we are any chance of winning the flag this year we are going to need Tracc to up his scoreboard impact.  He's our most dangerous forward and he's not playing enough time in dangerous spots. He's not a great clearance player so put him where he can do some real damage, maybe 60-40 forward.

Less than 10 goals for the 3rd week in a row.

Forward selection, unchanged.

Unfathomable.

 

 

5 minutes ago, Stiff Arm said:

And yet 4 weeks ago we beat Brisbane and Bulldogs reasonably well. Not sure about flaky, but we are certainly in a form slump, 1 win from last 3 games.

The positive is that we are 12/3 and we know our deficiencies are midfield clearances and a forward line lacking key targets. Address this before finals and we are NOT pretenders

All true, but that makes us no less flaky, of which we are pretty much the definition. 

We need to do something about Viney

Our forward line will come

But with Viney we simply can't have him for another 4 years 

I would seriously consider shipping him off 

 

Had some time for reflection and recall there was a stat in q2 or 3 where the pressure index of the giants was about 238 - that is hard to play against no matter how good you are. This what we face week in week out at the top. Teams that play us turn up and it shows even if we are slightly off. 
 

maybe it’s a good thing if the doggies take top spot so we can have a bit of time off from being hunted. 

Edited July 3, 20213 yr by CYB

I'm surprised there haven't been more posters focusing on the umpiring.

Not because it's a valid argument to make as to why we lost, but because there genuinely were some critical decisions that were missed in the fourth quarter that could have directly impacted the game.

The two which stand out were the mark Fritsch took that wasn't paid (that gets paid 99 times out of 100 I reckon) and Mumford's late hit on Petracca which should have been a downfield free to us resulting in a shot on goal within 20 metres.

They were momentum-changing, IMO. 

Last 3 games:    Less than 10 goals each week

Pickett 1 goal

TMac 1 goal

Spargo 1 goal

Fritsch 4 goals.

 

Infuriating.

 

6 minutes ago, titan_uranus said:

still generated more inside 50s

Like 2019. When our forward line was dysfunctional, as it is now, and we were losing. And once again, ‘scoring shots’ do very little if they’re not goals. Saying that they ‘could have been’ is NOT an answer. Good defence is stopping the other guys scoring goals, but it goes wasted if we don’t kick more. And simply, we aren’t. 

1 minute ago, titan_uranus said:

I'm surprised there haven't been more posters focusing on the umpiring.

Not because it's a valid argument to make as to why we lost, but because there genuinely were some critical decisions that were missed in the fourth quarter that could have directly impacted the game.

The two which stand out were the mark Fritsch took that wasn't paid (that gets paid 99 times out of 100 I reckon) and Mumford's late hit on Petracca which should have been a downfield free to us resulting in a shot on goal within 20 metres.

They were momentum-changing, IMO. 

GWS had 2 players 5m from TMac when taking his shot on goal. The protected zone is 10m

Brayshaw had a GWS player waltz past 3m away. WHen the ump called play on he tackled Brayshaw. That is a 50m every day of the week.

Mumford ducks with the ball in the centre and collects Gawn's knee. Free Mumford, i50 shot on goal

There were at least another 10 I can recall but can't be bothered detailing. 

Hopeless as usual.

Can't have everyone up every week, but it would be fair to say we have numerous important players going missing each week for significant lengths of the game. Eg. Clarrie: 9 disp to half time, Viney for most of the game, Brayshaw 7 to 3/4 time

Observations:

- blind hand passes over the head which resulted in turn overs.

- hospital hand passes killed us.

- second men up spoiling the first player from taking a contested mark. (E.g. Jackson in clear position to mark and McDonald tries to come in over the top and spoils the mark).

Imagine if our last quarter intensity showed up in the first.

Different story.

Forward line and midfield issues persist and confidence is dwindling

we are the great pretenders pretending we are going well  i played the game but i seem to be what i am not

33 minutes ago, DeeSince73 said:

I agree 100%. I have never seen him to be anything but an average footballer. His name has carried him the entire way. I admire his effort but every point you make is valid. 

I think there a few players that need a rocket but this loss must come down on selection first and foremost if we want to be real.

We have stuggled to score in our last three outings. To the clubs credit they dropped weid but somehow forgot the replacement.

8 minutes ago, jnrmac said:

GWS had 2 players 5m from TMac when taking his shot on goal. The protected zone is 10m

Brayshaw had a GWS player waltz past 3m away. WHen the ump called play on he tackled Brayshaw. That is a 50m every day of the week.

Mumford ducks with the ball in the centre and collects Gawn's knee. Free Mumford, i50 shot on goal

There were at least another 10 I can recall but can't be bothered detailing. 

Hopeless as usual.

HQ are manipulating the ladder. One of Brisbane or Port will make top 2, as 2 Qualifying Finals and presumably 2 Prelims at the G does not optimise TV viewers in a national competition.

Just now, Webber said:

Like 2019. When our forward line was dysfunctional, as it is now, and we were losing. And once again, ‘scoring shots’ do very little if they’re not goals. Saying that they ‘could have been’ is NOT an answer. Good defence is stopping the other guys scoring goals, but it goes wasted if we don’t kick more. And simply, we aren’t. 

The point about referring to scoring shots is to try to contextualise our lack of scoring.

It's not from a lack of opportunity, because we're still getting inside 50s and shots on goal from the rest of our play.

Doing everything right to get the ball into Petracca's hands 30m out directly in front is good play until he misses, and then you forget about it because we didn't score a goal.

It's this context which helps us work out how to fix it. It's less about wholesale change and more about converting the opportunities we are already generating. That comes from identifying what we can do better inside 50, and IMO that's:

1. another tall forward;
2. putting the heat on Pickett, Spargo and ANB, who aren't playing as well as they were earlier in the season; and
3. fixing our wayward goalkicking, so that we don't keep deflating our momentum (see Petracca, Fritsch and TMac all missing shots they should have kicked today).

Why am I not surprised. Okay our midfield was worse than usual but the forward line does not exist. Brown should be given a go and I would be tempted to bring in Jones ( surprisingly ) as a replacement for pickett.

It is now time for plenty of coopers pale ale to distract me from this morbidity.

11 minutes ago, jnrmac said:

GWS had 2 players 5m from TMac when taking his shot on goal. The protected zone is 10m

Brayshaw had a GWS player waltz past 3m away. WHen the ump called play on he tackled Brayshaw. That is a 50m every day of the week.

Mumford ducks with the ball in the centre and collects Gawn's knee. Free Mumford, i50 shot on goal

There were at least another 10 I can recall but can't be bothered detailing. 

Hopeless as usual.

There was a passage of play where they encroached in the protected zone after two of our marks twice in a row without a 50. There was another, which I think you're referring to here, where Brayshaw was at CHB and Daniels came up out of nowhere in his way. A clear 50 not paid.

The Mumford one was a disgrace.

Anyway, as I said, I'm surprised more hasn't been made of it but that's probably a refreshingly good thing.

And to think we have had a golden run with injuries. Simply so predictable these losss. People can talk up the Giants but at home full strength and we don’t fire a shot. I feel for the backline. Get so sick of poor decision making and wild handballs. It been happening for to long

Just a little concerned.

Elwood: "We'll be all right if we can just get back on the expressway."

Jake: "This don't look like any expressway to me!"

13 minutes ago, jnrmac said:

GWS had 2 players 5m from TMac when taking his shot on goal. The protected zone is 10m

Brayshaw had a GWS player waltz past 3m away. WHen the ump called play on he tackled Brayshaw. That is a 50m every day of the week.

Mumford ducks with the ball in the centre and collects Gawn's knee. Free Mumford, i50 shot on goal

There were at least another 10 I can recall but can't be bothered detailing. 

Hopeless as usual.

I don't normally get above resting heart rate when it comes to umpiring because I think it's just part of the game, but how about Toby Greene ducking in to a tackle and getting a free for high, then Spargo doing exactly the same thing and getting called HTB? I may have lost my cool a bit on that one.

And another thing. ;eave Hunt nad Petty alone. They at least tried which is more than I can say for at least half the side.

1 minute ago, Nasher said:

I don't normally get above resting heart rate when it comes to umpiring because I think it's just part of the game, but how about Toby Greene ducking in to a tackle and getting a free for high, then Spargo doing exactly the same thing and getting called HTB? I may have lost my cool a bit on that one.

I'd forgotten about that Greene free kick until now.

That hurt us so badly, given how the game played out. We were leading at that stage (albeit just by 1 point) but had been doing most of the attacking and had been holding him, and the other GWS forwards, out pretty well.

2 hours ago, Jaded said:

People will pick on Hunt but FMD there are 18 players out there who did SFA today. At least Hunt tried to do something. 

Hunt got caught with the ball 3 times in the forward 50 in the last quarter.  I'd argue he didn't try to do something.