binman

It wasn't a mistake wcw. jvr was not looking at anything in the crowd. They are trained to ignore all distractions, including targets and big maxy heads. If he WAS relying on the target then I feat he ain't gonna make it as AFL player.

I have heard everything now. A cheer squad member being blamed for an AFL player missing a goal! And here I thought we lost because a billion dollar industry can't spring for a go pro.

Now we are back to barracking for the lions!

How ironic would it be for finishing 4th being the best option?

Yep. The uncontested possession differential was massive after the first quarter - it's another stat that caught my attention at the game. It stayed about the same for the rest of the match, meaning we either stopped them chipping it around or they stopped using that strategy (which seems less likely)

They will be. And a big factor is we will struggle to come up from last nights game such was it's intensity. I'm glad the Hawks have travel, and one less day to recover. They will look to to to us exactly what they did to the Pies - run us of our feet

Agree on Smith's footy iq not being brilliant, but it mater less up forward. Put him up there and tell him to go wild. Run, jump, spoil - and worry about the oppo defender's footy iq Watching Tmac live today, he has no acceleration. Not surprising given he's coming back from yet another foot injury.

I'm coming around to this view too. His acceleration from a standing start is crucial. Snap - what young blood said (juts read it)

Wow. Just wow. Those pressure numbers are crazy Amazing it ended up 50 50 time in forward half given the first quarter was 24-76. The other interesting stat is scores from turnover - which is where we lost it (that and giving up those 2 quick goals early in the first - oh and a goal umpire seeing something that didn't happen). At the g they roll thru stats on the scoreboard. At one point in the third q they put up the blues score from turnover and it was 33 from 41 points. Nuts. A function of their incredible pressure - but also our poor foot skills. But they ended the game on 33 points from turnover, meaning we didn't concede any more points from turnover for the rest of the game. That's impressive. The numbers back up what the eyes showed in terms of pressure and intensity- but also that we were the slightly stronger team after the first quarter. By the by, that was the most tackles laid in a game this year. Expected score factors in umpiring error obviously.

Can't see Schahe playing for the dee again i'm afraid. And i cant see Tmac being fit enough to play again this season. Looked miles of AFL level fit.

Correction. Tmac did not look in great nick. Unless it is comparison to me. Only two players coming into the seniors any time soon from that game. Spargo, who was a cut above and worked his guts out. And ditto tomo. Spargo would have been involved in half our scoring chains i reckon

I'm at Princess Park. Not a breath of wind. Ground looks in perfect condition. The boys have just run onto the ground. Tmac looks in good nick. Tomo looks in great nick. My anger has subsided over the umpiring last night (venting on dl helpful) All is good with the world. Go dees.

I might watch it sans sound.

Fourth means a home final. Weird to hope for fourth.

Exactly. A total no brainer.

I have to say, the surface looked pretty distressed.

Exactly. There is a reason teams don't win the flag from outside the top 4 (yes tes, the dogs) Funny you should say that about the suns game. Thought the same thing. The suns to make their 9 point lineihas profit written all over it.

Agree with the fourth umpire creating confusion And it creates a cop out opportunity. The umpires are now regularly looking at other umpired to see if they ate going to call something. The perfect example was the rivers sling tackle. That was text book and a free every day of the week. Dees fans started howling when it looked like it wasn't going to get paid. And when it finally was, the blues fans around me went ballistic. Summed things up perfectly - a free, that was 100% obvious, was paid but BOTH sets of fans were aggrieved. I'm not even sure who ended up paying it. I'm going to watch the replay tonight, and I'll spew if the commentators don't call our the appalling umpiring the way they did foe the two over the boundary like call in the cats pies game.

The wet exacerbates our biggest weakness - too many poor kicks. Even our best players are average kicks. And our best kicks - Salem and bowey - both kicked very poorly last night. I got there at 4:30. Rained non stop until about 7. So the ground was super soggy. Then during the game there was a misty raini falling for almost the entire game. Made handling tricky, and there was no chance for the ground to drain. The blues def handled the conditions better.

Thanks - that's brilliant. So on expected score their expected score at the end of the first quater was only aprox four points higher then their actual score. Incredible defence given the i50 diff. Brilliant. I'm sure goody would have made that exact point at quarter time.

Great post. Spot on. The blues were fantastic. Brutal. But if you rate the blues who are now the new pies, then it is logically inconsistent to not rate us as highly.

Why? Yes they dominated the first quarter. We were on our back foot that whole quarter. The blues might have felt they should have been up by 5 goals. They weren't because our defence was so brilliant. The matildas should have scored three times in the first 10 mins of the second half. They didn't because of how brilliant the French defence was. The blues didn't miss too many easy chances in the first. They just couldn't convert inside 50 dominance into scores. That was more about what we did right, then they dis wrong. I'll bet London to a brick, the expected scores were not far off tge actual score in the first.

I am beyond furious. Forget the result. This has got nothing to do with blaming the umpires for the loss. Though we would have won if not for the appalling display of officiating (that non free late to jvr was right below me - mind boggling that it wasn't paid - the central umpire AND forth umpire were RIGHT THERE) That was the worst umpiring I can ever recall. I feel sick with frustration. I could pick literally 15 examples, but how could they pay that free against bowey in the marking contest? That sort of grappling happens a 100 times a match. And when they mark it they hardly ever pay it. But sure, ok pay it. Then how do you not pay maxy, Grundy and jvr frees for being mauled all game? All game! Particularly maxy, who had three players dragging him on that last kick deep inside 50. The other thing about that free was the outsize impact it had on the game. This game was all about territory. Bowey marks 70 metres from our goal and would have sent it back inside 50. Instead they win it and send it the other way. Pressure valve released. I am beyond angry with the umpiring last night. Forget the result, it was simply nuts how many clear holding the ball frees were not paid - for both sides, but we copped it worse. It's a joke. And don't get me started on the arc 'system'. Scrap it. Or if not, pay for proper cameras and tech, don't have a soft call for touched and leave the decision up to the video ump to make the call. On the soft call for touch, it is completely counter intuitive - if the goal umpire is not sure if it has been touched or not surely logic suggests, given how hard is a for a goal umpire to, one see a touch (unless completely obvious, in which case no arc needed) and two whether it is over the line or not (they are looking up - how can they judge where the line is?) that it goes to the video umpire to make the call? Otherwise what is the point? A blues fan in front of me was going nuts when he heard the 'there is insufficient intent to over rule' call. Why? That was right below us and everyone around us, blues fans included thought it was a goal - and he assumed the 'soft call' was a goal. Imagine his joy when I told him the soft call was touched. Let's call a spade a spade. We won that game. That was a goal. But the blues get the four points. And we'll deserved too - they were fantastic. As were we for most off the game. Incredible fight back in the last. The game didn't deserve the appalling umpiring served up. Ruined it. For god's sake AFL, have at least one full time professional umpire in each game. And either invest in the tech to make arc work. Or scrap it. Otherwise claims this is an elite competition are just laughable. By the way, to be clear, I don't blame the umpires for that display. I blame the AFL. It’s on them, pure and simple. They are the custodians of the game. Ask yourself why the Grand Final is ALWAYS umpired really well. (Yes there might be one or two controversial calls each year but can anyone recall a GF being ruined by the umpiring or a GF umpired as appallingly as that game?) Why? The answer is simple. The best umpires officiate. They are the best because, under pressure, they consistently make the right call and apply the rules. The best umpires also don't pick and choose or bottle it - if there is a free there they pay it. Clear frees that are not paid don't get the same attention as howlers that are. But they are as bad, maybe worse, than calling a wrong free. One, because it creates inconsistency, which fans rightly hate and two it is their job to award free kicks that are there. EVERY game deserves the same high standard that you get in grand finals. There is too much riding on it for what we saw last night.

Just about his worst game. That said, that free that was paid against him in the marking contest was a howler. That sort of grappling happens a 100 times a match. And when they mark it they hardly ever pay it. But sure, ok pay it. Then how do you not pay maxy, Grundy and jvr frees for being mauled all game? I am beyond angry with the umpiring last night. Forget tge result, but it was simply nuts hoe many cleat holding the ball frees were not paid - for both sides, but we copped it worse.

I'm at the g. Didn't realise Fitzroy were playing here today