Prefacing this with the fact I’ve had a few of a variety. 
 

But FMD, this is an absolute blight on the front half of our game. The massive effort we apply behind that phase isn’t to be questioned - even the defence provided by the small forwards. But the entry is quite plainly ABSOLUTELY [censored]!

We are wasting our best chances of winning Cups with poor recruiting and trading to keep our forward line the same age as the rest of the team.

Data below proves this. 

But seriously I can’t help but feel we’ve underinvested in our forwards. Was it hanging onto Weids hoping the kid would come good?
Was it giving Tmac a long and expensive deal after his 53 goal heroics in 2018 that changed our list strategy?

But…

….maybe 

It’s our game plan finally coming undone.

‘Contest and Defence’ Goody says…

Offence anybody?

You simply shouldn’t go within goal range as much as we do and yield such a well below par result. 

PS: posting this at 3 qtr time so still hoping we get up but to be fair we should be in front enough to ice the game - bar for our forward half game.

 

Go Dee’s! 🔴🔵💥

 

 

30 minutes ago, McQueen said:

Prefacing this with the fact I’ve had a few of a variety. 
 

But FMD, this is an absolute blight on the front half of our game. The massive effort we apply behind that phase isn’t to be questioned - even the defence provided by the small forwards. But the entry is quite plainly ABSOLUTELY [censored]!

We are wasting our best chances of winning Cups with poor recruiting and trading to keep our forward line the same age as the rest of the team.

Data below proves this. 

But seriously I can’t help but feel we’ve underinvested in our forwards. Was it hanging onto Weids hoping the kid would come good?
Was it giving Tmac a long and expensive deal after his 53 goal heroics in 2018 that changed our list strategy?

But…

….maybe 

It’s our game plan finally coming undone.

‘Contest and Defence’ Goody says…

Offence anybody?

You simply shouldn’t go within goal range as much as we do and yield such a well below par result. 

PS: posting this at 3 qtr time so still hoping we get up but to be fair we should be in front enough to ice the game - bar for our forward half game.

 

Go Dee’s! 🔴🔵💥

 

 

And today we were shambles in Contest and Defence for 2 quarters.

well that was [censored] ... kick straight we would have run over them...

Waste of a golden generation more like it.

I know we're missing some key personnel but bugger me out failure to execute offensively will be their signature.

 

Edited September 7, 20231 yr by Cheap Seats

32 more inside 50s. 

We owned them for 2nd half and didn't capitalise.

We blew it.

36 minutes ago, McQueen said:

Prefacing this with the fact I’ve had a few of a variety. 
 

But FMD, this is an absolute blight on the front half of our game. The massive effort we apply behind that phase isn’t to be questioned - even the defence provided by the small forwards. But the entry is quite plainly ABSOLUTELY [censored]!

We are wasting our best chances of winning Cups with poor recruiting and trading to keep our forward line the same age as the rest of the team.

Data below proves this. 

But seriously I can’t help but feel we’ve underinvested in our forwards. Was it hanging onto Weids hoping the kid would come good?
Was it giving Tmac a long and expensive deal after his 53 goal heroics in 2018 that changed our list strategy?

But…

….maybe 

It’s our game plan finally coming undone.

‘Contest and Defence’ Goody says…

Offence anybody?

You simply shouldn’t go within goal range as much as we do and yield such a well below par result. 

PS: posting this at 3 qtr time so still hoping we get up but to be fair we should be in front enough to ice the game - bar for our forward half game.

 

Go Dee’s! 🔴🔵💥

 

 

Btw I will spew if we don't go hard for a KPF this coming off season.

Brown and TMac must leave the list.

Edited September 7, 20231 yr by ElDiablo14

Controversial perhaps, but if I'm Tim Lamb, I'm offering pick 5 and Kozzie Pickett for Oscar Allen.

Edited September 7, 20231 yr by leucopogon

1 minute ago, leucopogon said:

Controversial perhaps, but if I'm Tim Lamb, I'm offering pick 5 and Kozzie Pickett for Oscar Allen.

Hey ‘M’ 

not a bad call. 

3 minutes ago, leucopogon said:

Controversial perhaps, but if I'm Tim Lamb, I'm offering pick 5 and Kozzie Pickett for Oscar Allen.

What difference is it going to make. We bomb it to a pack of 6 with Fritsch or we bomb it to pack of 6 with OA. Same result. 😜

Simply here’s the message 

I don’t care how many stats you get 

I don’t care how many inside 50s 

I don’t care how many contested possessions 

if you can’t kick goals, you will lose !!! Simple. 
 

Trac looks to handball rather than kick goals 

Clarry kicks Hail Marys… even seen him kick a pass !! 

kozzzzy tries to kill the ball from 20 metres in front 

Teach them to kick 

Teach them to kick a goal. 

Brown. Retire 

Tmcd.  Retire. 

Petty ✅Mcadam✅moniz Wakefield ✅

Our two best forwards this year were Petty and Melksham.

Sad we couldn’t see them the finals

9 minutes ago, leucopogon said:

Controversial perhaps, but if I'm Tim Lamb, I'm offering pick 5 and Kozzie Pickett for Oscar Allen.

I’m in a similar mindset. Koz can be absolutely breathtaking or completely invisible. I’d be much happier if he was somewhere in between each week, with lower highs and higher lows.

We just make scoring so difficult, every half chance has to count.

 

 

It would have been hard to imagine that ALL of Brown, McDonald, Grundy, Smith, Petty, Schache and Melksham would be either out of form, unsuited or injured. 

That said, it is entirely predictable that it will be the situation next week and next season, so action both immediate and enduring is required.

I fully agree that in the off season a couple of contracts need to be paid out and retirements brought forward to open space.

I'm starting to fear that my comrads in Melbourne will not see a flag at the G unless we can recruit a key forward.

Midfield don’t run, link and kick with any reliability. So the forwards don’t know how or when to lead. And we know tonight’s group aren’t very good.

Need midfield polish. Need key forwards. Need at least another medium forward with class too.

Our brand stacks up, can’t throw out the vital importance of strong body contested mids. Just missing someone other than Tracc who can break it open and more guys who can give and get 

It’s more than just ‘being offensive’ or getting a tall fwd in; it’s a team ethos of how to move the footy, we are a Rolls Royce with the handbrake constantly on, and then when we have to rev and go - it’s haphazard and sloppy. 

I talked about this earlier in the year, I think we need to move away from being ‘defence first’ into something more nuanced. By the end of next year, our best player in the backline will be Rivers. We need to not allowing Lever and May to dwell on the ball and remodel around Rivers and McVee and get aggressive and quick and allow our best forwards 1-1 time in space (Fritsch, Petracca, Pickett).

Defence gets you in the top 4, not certain it wins premierships anymore.

Edited September 7, 20231 yr by rpfc

Goodwin doesn't care about key forwards, he plays the numbers. You win more than you lose when you're in the green on those stats.

There's still every chance we just get hot and win ourselves a flag. Less likely and less convincing now McDonald and Brown are older and our most consistent key forward this year has been a kid who played 20 games. 

A McAdam / Melksham type instead of Smith tonight and maybe a different story, but until the final 6 games of this season everyone would've said Melksham was passed, definitely know he's done his knee.

 

Sums it all up

 

We have the worst kicking efficiency in the competition into 50. Dead last. That's the only thing we are even bottom 8 in.   Put whomever you want up there, it's the players kicking it in there, their vision and how they are instructed to kick it in there that has to change. Was hoping Hunter would make a difference but he quite often he doesn't kick to the right spots either. It makes the forward's life very difficult.  

Until we move on from Trac, Oliver and Viney, my opinion is it won't change.  McVee should have been given some midfield time this year.  It doesn't kill to try such things. 10 minutes on the ball won't see our entire game plan fall apart.  Too late in the season now. 

We can still kick well for the next month and win it. That's what separates us winning and losing. Our contest and defense are there every week, our kicking skills are not. 

15 minutes ago, rpfc said:

It’s more than just ‘being offensive’ or getting a tall fwd in; it’s a team ethos of how to move the footy, we are a Rolls Royce with the handbrake constantly on, and then when we have to rev and go - it’s haphazard and sloppy. 

I talked about this earlier in the year, I think we need to move away from being ‘defence first’ into something more nuanced. By the end of next year, our best player in the backline will be Rivers. We need to not allowing Lever and May to dwell on the ball and remodel around Rivers and McVee and get aggressive and quick and allow our best forwards 1-1 time in space (Fritsch, Petracca, Pickett).

Defence gets you in the top 4, not certain in wins premierships anymore.

Absolutely agree. I will say Riv is trying all the time. McVee was 8 touches a year in the VFL last year, he needs time. Bowey’s often trying, Salem can do more when fully fit. Lever’s taken it on a lot more this year.

Our wings just play far too wide and get no penetration, you never see either of them swing corridor. That’s a tactical and recruiting choice. Our backs know the wings are there and use them.

We also lost Gus who’s probably our best uncontested disposal on baller. But his kicking doesn’t get value for it obviously. 

Next week can be a crossroads scenario for the team. Lose and I don't know if this list with these coaches will be able to recover mentally from two years in a row being out in straight sets.

It'll be hard for the list to believe in the coaches plan.

It's gonna be a very long week ahead.

28 minutes ago, DeeSpencer said:

Midfield don’t run, link and kick with any reliability. So the forwards don’t know how or when to lead. And we know tonight’s group aren’t very good.

Need midfield polish. Need key forwards. Need at least another medium forward with class too.

Our brand stacks up, can’t throw out the vital importance of strong body contested mids. Just missing someone other than Tracc who can break it open and more guys who can give and get 

I get pretty confused with our game plan seemingly not reaping the rewards of our CB. 
 

Oliver had close to NFI tonight. If that was his role - we’re stuffed. 

Geelong did this for a decade guys. It takes sustained good drafting and some lucky recruits (easier when you are a genuine big club or destination club) to get out of this.

Its the reality of a good side that isn’t and never was a super team.

We haven’t jettisoned classy mids or gun key forwards. We lost Jackson, we tried a move to replace. We signed Lachie the stuck in a puddle Hunter we were that desperate for class.

The recruiting team surely no what needs to be done.

My only criticism is not taking more chances to churn the bottom of the list taking gambles on mature quick runners. But they aren’t easy to find. 

 

ElDiabolo14 - next week is a massive challenge (against Carlton or StKilda?). 
Even if we can’t get past the PF (Port or BNE away) we just must ensure that we don’t have two straight sets fails from top 4.  It would psychologically be a stake in the heart to any confidence and self belief.  

11 minutes ago, McQueen said:

I get pretty confused with our game plan seemingly not reaping the rewards of our CB. 
 

Oliver had close to NFI tonight. If that was his role - we’re stuffed. 

Clarry’s developed his outside running game year on year and it’s important because it gives Tracc someone to one two with even with it ends with poor kicking, but he just hasn’t been near his best since the injury. Thought he played very well tonight but we need him to get back at least to 2021 ball use and ideally to go levels beyond that.