POSTGAME: Opening Round vs Sydney

[Earl Hood 5,789]

Did anyone notice any change to our game plan from previous years? The game evolves every season but our game style seem to stay the same. There might have been a few more attempts to switch play but largely our ball movement was predictable and that only works if you can win contested football by a large margin. Positives were newbies Windsor, Howes and add McVee and May and Fritsch up forward. The on ball unit racked up possessions but rarely managed to link up to do real damage to the Swans. Could be a long season. 

[Buzzy 931]

So glad I made the journey up for that.

It looked like half the team had never touched a footy before.  Can't blame the humidity when it was clear most of the fumbles were simply due to absolutely sh*#ng ourselves under pressure.

We are definitely carrying quite a few non-AFL standard players and our depth is horribly thin.  

Schache no.  Laurie no.  Stop forcing it, it's not going to happen.

FLAT. 

[ElDiablo14 3,068]

23 minutes ago, Skuit said:

The humidity levels in Sydney were off the charts tonight. Gawn mentioned it felt like playing in Darwin, but generally when we play in the Top End it's during the dry, albeit still slippery.

Anyone who has ever travelled from the southern states to play footy up north during wet season months though will know how insanely challenging it is if you're not used to it. The ball going straight through your hands is one thing, but you simply can't get enough oxygen into the lungs to keep pushing, no matter how willing.

We weren't that bad tonight. Sydney handled the ball 10% better and had 10% more puff. For elite, fine-tuned athletes in a tough and tight competition, those figures make a huge difference. Especially when it was our first real hit-out for the season, and against opposition more familiar with the local conditions. 

People can scream 'no excuses!' all they want, but it's counter to what we actually know about elite performance in today's sporting environment. I'm not arguing that we don't have some concerning weaknesses, as all teams do, but wait until next week to making sweeping judgments. And in the meantime ponder our early season match against the Lions at the Gabba last year and how we followed up back in Melbourne.  

Isn't that concerning that we keep dishing out putrid games like Brisbane and Essendon last year? For a bonafide premiership contender that is a very bad look. In our best years under Goodwin (2018 and 2021) I can't recall any such bad losses.

[ElDiablo14 3,068]

3 minutes ago, Ned said:

That’s not an out. It was humid but one week from summer, Melbourne has had the same.

I’m very frustrated with coaching. All the same issues again. Remember Sydney had their three big bodied midfielders out. Yet only Viney - as usual - made a stand.

I remember reading that the coach wasn’t too bright and is intimidated by smart people. Something about that rang true after two straight sets exits and same issues - again tonight. I do love the Dees and dream of success again.

But I fear an awesome list i being/has been squandered by a coaching group that’s not really up to today’s standards.

it would be my happiest moment to be proved completely wrong. Tonight was super poor guys. No excuses. I watched it and we were trounced. :(

At the very least you have to question how come Goodwin kept our so called fwd coach?

[Sir Why You Little 34,504]

Bottom Line

The team was not prepared for hard tough combat 

That is all on the Coaches 

[ElDiablo14 3,068]

24 minutes ago, Moonshadow said:

As bad as we played by 3/4 time, I thought we were lucky to still be in it and would run out the game on top. But alas...

We simply cannot put teams away early when we have ample opportunity. Our forward line is non functional and I'm god damn sick of using absent players as an excuse. 

2023 merging into 2024, only worse.

The next month will be telling on Goodwin's ability to regroup a team in a hot mess. Did we re-sign him too readily?

When is his current contract due?

[layzie 28,766]

It was cute seeing Gerard Healy in the crowd singing the Swans song at the end.

[Dusty_Hill 184]

1 hour ago, Demonsone said:

Can you believe Schache was a sub over Grundy in the final v Carlton .. how the hell is this guy getting a game 

1,000,000%. Those finals picks were mind boggling. Nothing seems to have changed. 

[layzie 28,766]

One minute people say we can't kick straight then the next minute it's our gameplan that stinks and doesn't get us enough opportunities in front of goal?

Choose an argument and stick with it otherwise it's just complaining for the sake of complaining. It's not just here either friends of oppo clubs are saying it too 

[Sir Why You Little 34,504]

1 minute ago, layzie said:

One minute people say we can't kick straight then the next minute it's our gameplan that stinks and doesn't get us enough opportunities in front of goal?

Choose an argument and stick with it otherwise it's just complaining for the sake of complaining. It's not just here either friends of oppo clubs are saying it too 

It’s a combination of both 

1 goal 5 minutes before halftime 

Leading all the stats though 

It was an English 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 “moral” victory 

[Dee-monic 620]

1 hour ago, seventyfour said:

At least Jordon was bad. Very average player. Lost nothing when we let him go.

I guess the choice was between him and Sparrow.

Unfortunately Sparrow also turned in a shocker tonight.

At the moment we seem to have a mixture of elite and below-average players, without the depth in our ranks that every premiership aspirant needs.

A big worry tonight was that in contested possessions Sydney, without three first-choice mids, beat us at our own game.

[Rodney (Balls) Grinter 10,585]

14 minutes ago, ElDiablo14 said:

In our best years under Goodwin (2018 and 2021) I can't recall any such bad losses.

We were lucky not to loose in similar fashion in Rd 1, 2021 against Freo at the G.

Look what happened after that.

It's Rd 1.  Relax, it's a long season.

[wizardinoz 2,015]

Why didn’t Salem take the kick ins when Bowey went off? Watching May kick to the right was weird & proved ineffective. Also why no 50 to Judd when he was hit high then jumped on by the Swans player? Looked reportable to me.

[640MD 2,799]

One goal effin 8. Says it all!

[titan_uranus 22,366]

17 minutes ago, ElDiablo14 said:

Isn't that concerning that we keep dishing out putrid games like Brisbane and Essendon last year? For a bonafide premiership contender that is a very bad look. In our best years under Goodwin (2018 and 2021) I can't recall any such bad losses.

I don’t think you have a great memory. 

In 2018 we lost to Hawthorn by 67, Richmond by 46 and Collingwood by 42.

The bar we set in 2021 is too high for comparison but even then, go back and look at this board’s reaction to our 20 point loss to the Dogs in Round 19.

[Bring-Back-Powell 13,210]

If Gawn and co are willing to use the humidity as an excuse, then fair enough, but  they’d want to back up their words next week and run the game out well when it’s probably going to be in the low 20’s on Sunday week.

With that being said, which Victorian side would you have been confident of beating Sydney tonight? Perhaps Collingwood?

Edited March 7 by Bring-Back-Powell

[leave it to deever 15,381]

40 minutes ago, Bates Mate said:

Jvr has had some good moments is quite slow and not great when it hits the deck. I love his competitiveness but not as convinced as some he'll be a genuine no 1 key consistent 50+ a year key forward. 

But our delivery in stinks so I'll keep the faith

Hasn't Jvr only had one year in the team. Not saying you said otherwise ...I think it was deecisive.

He was great against Carlton last game.

Problem is he gets the biggest and best defender all night.

He played poorly tonight . I would like to see him further up the ground as a genuine chf. That's his true spot. I'm not privy to what licence he has to roam.

I actually thinks he moves quite well for his size.

Im pretty sure it's his only his second season this one so He has plenty of time to become a fifty plus scorer. In fact i think hid progress is tracking nicely.

But he can't do it alone and with the other tall being Schache, he effectively is.

I hope Fullerton , Bbb or preferably Petty can be in there asap .

Let's hope the worry of Petty being injury prone is baseless and he's our other fifty plus contender.

Throw in McAdam, Kozzie and a nother goal sneaks....maybe Nibbler ( I had high hopes for Chandler but they have almost gone,)..maybe Worry.

Rotate Viney and Tracca through there and we may be ok.

 

Edited March 7 by leave it to deever

[DutchDemons 1,254]

The pain is comfortable.

[640MD 2,799]

23 minutes ago, layzie said:

It was cute seeing Gerard Healy in the crowd singing the Swans song at the end.

GH.   IMV never supported the Dee’s 

followed his wallet.  And it is still showing 

[DeeZone 7,769]

To be honest in the first half the difference was Swans took their chances and we didn’t but we’re still in the game, third quarter it was a neck and neck game and we were right in it. Last quarter Swans were all over us and their better players really lifted, they got a run on and it was game over. Overall very disappointing Swans outplayed us on their dung hill and in oppressive conditions. Selection committee made an error playing Chin, Bill and an underdone Spargo whilst playing Billings as the Sub??? Losing Bowie really hurt us (and him), Howes, Windsor and McVee are all goers and the rest of the team will be better for a hard hit out. Hope that Fullarton and Woewodin plus a couple more play well at Casey tomorrow as we need a bit more class in the side ASAP.

[Demonsone 1,600]

Watching & hearing the same bs lines from Goodwin presser yeah it’s the first game but still can’t convert, got smashed in the middle, must feel great watching Grundy killing, I hope I’m wrong but another 2yrs of this?

Edited March 7 by Demonsone

[Fork 'em 6,507]

15 minutes ago, layzie said:

One minute people say we can't kick straight then the next minute it's our gameplan that stinks and doesn't get us enough opportunities in front of goal?

Choose an argument and stick with it otherwise it's just complaining for the sake of complaining. It's not just here either friends of oppo clubs are saying it too 

That's cause it's both.
The game plan stinks and the players can't kick for sheet.
Every-one can see it but Goodwin .... Or you so it seems.
 

[Deesprate 1,162]

Try to justify it anyway you like but the longer term outlook is dire. Gawn best is behind him and other than Fritsch (Pickett is undisciplined) our forward line is woeful. T Mac and Brown great servants but finished. A club that struck it lucky with a COVID asterisk flag. Feed constant BS to supporters we are on a steady decline with a diminishing list and a stuffed culture.

[Kick_It_To_Pickett 2,930]

Can someone post a link to Goody presser? Can’t find it on the MFC or AFL app

[Dusty_Hill 184]

1 hour ago, JJ Haydos said:

Fritsch - very fickle.  

But kicked 4 🤦🏻‍♂️😂