Pates

Big stretch to be whacking him straight up to captain after the disgraceful condition he turned up to the club in for pre-season, but he is settling into his role well and I would be looking at him being in the leadership group next year. I also liked him getting angry and giving Frost a bit of an on field roast, we don’t need primary school teaches that will give gold stars for doing the basics correct, we need a general there and he can definitely be that. Amazingly after the awful start our defence had to this year it is starting to feel better down back. Though still got some NQRs with footy brains the size of grain of rice.

To be fair until this year we had improved year on year since Roos took over. This isn’t excusing our season but we are having our dip in the cycle that in my gut I kinda felt was going to come. The biggest error the club can make right now is just continue on our current trajectory with a game plan that clearly isn’t working. This year has worth to it, massive worth that I firmly believe could take us all the way in the future. It sounds ridiculous but I’m actually upbeat because I was worried that we would make a crazy charge for the finals and smash our players into the ground in the process. Finals are now mathematically basically gone, focus on 2020 and what we can get out of this year. I would actually like to see the club and football department undergo a rigorous analysis ASAP of the game plan, how we see it being tweaked or completely changed, who we need to target whether that’s players or coaches, and start the wheels turning now. Geelong before their push into that first premiership run had a bad year (although not as bad as we’ve got going now) but they used it to set things up. We have to do the same.

One thing that really annoys me is that after last week Goodwin and Co were talking up the fact that there was better connection between midfield and forwards. That disconnect still clearly exists, countless times we did look away bombs or kicking it to positions that weren’t in our favour. Our midfield has gone from looking like a 8/10 stunner to a donkey. I don’t know what’s happened to Gus but all the poise and good play he had last year has completely left him. Oliver is still over handballing and when he does kick it it’s generally not great. A typical game from Petracca today, kicks 2 early goals and barely seen after that. And Viney, I just wonder if he is carrying something, looks half a meter off the pace. Give Gawn the week off, Preuss had a good game for Casey and the season is officially done. No point in risking him.

Aaaaaaand that’s me switching off much like Melbourne for the last 5min of the 3rd quarter until now.

I have to say, what a quarter from Hipwood. I mean sometimes forwards have those times that they are just hot to trot and credit to him he was buddy like in that quarter. On us, centre clearances are a disgrace. Not only are we losing them but we’re losing even when we should be winning! Jones, Clarry, Brayshaw, Viney, Harmes are being murdered. On our gamestyle, now i’m only a fan so hardly an expert but it’s not working. The handball and play on constantly is failing, there were so many times we have perfect control of the ball and chose a speculative handball and put ourselves under pressure. We need to put the breaks on this style and prepare for 2020 with something sustainable.

Why? Why? Why? Why? Why would he do such an stupidly dangerous kick????

This is my biggest issue with our team, moving the ball too quickly too often. The best teams know when to put the accelerator on if they see the options but will seach for the link up ball that allows the forwards to get separation on their man. ANB, Jones, Oliver, and Petracca from what I can remember of that quarter were all guilty of just banging it in there and the fact of the matter is that unless they hit the forward laces out it was always going to be rebounded.

There is that same rushed disconnect between the middle and the forwards, at least three times we were breaking and instead of looking for the intelligent link up kick they’d bomb a high one to our forwards. It easy pickings for the lions defence. Hopefully we can start to get on top at the bounces with Max back and their ruckman down, I hope he’s already because it looked very nasty the way he flopped onto the ground. If there is even the slightest thought that Jacks foot has flared up then put him on the bench for the rest of the game. We really are having a wretched run of injuries this year. We’re in front, probably shouldn’t be but how many times have we felt this way! It’s about time we got one to swing back our way!

I think the point that Goodwin (and Roosy on the coverage) was making was that ok stats wise he was very low, but his workrate to get to the contests, bring it to ground, harass the ball carrier once it hit the ground, and create opportunities made his game better than what it looked on the stats sheet. I don't think Simon was saying he played a great game, only pointing out that stats aren't everything. He impacted, therefor he contributed positively in the teams performance.

Strong finished to the end of the year, setting up momentum for 2020. As long as we do it without pushing players who are carrying niggles, first and foremost preparation for 2020 must be the highest priority. Where we end up picks wise is where we end up.

May's in the same camp as many of the players, the 2nd half of the year is about redeeming and setting up for 2020. He's looked good since he's come back, lot's more footy to be played but hopefully he can become the general down back we hope he'll be.

Haven't looked through the thread but I assume it's about trying to trade FOR Andrew Brayshaw as trading Gus (our highest polling Brownlow last year) would be ridiculous.

Much as I would like it to happen I don’t think it will, on TMacs form though he has to be in the gun now. It wouldn’t shock me if he’s carrying something because all the athleticism he had last year which made him a good player seems non existent right now. Max is in fantastic form right now but I would like to see Pruess come in for Smith. We get horribly beaten in the ruck when Max is off the ground.

Salem and (oddly) Lewis would be my choices. Sam wouldn’t, he doesn’t have the clutch ability yet.

I’ll join those in saying Weids played alright on Saturday night, he missed the winner that he should’ve got but he wasn’t alone in that respect and yet again we’re left thinking about what might’ve been (story of our year). We had some NQRs in the team that really dragged us down at important moments, Oscar was embarrassingly beaten and surely goes for May, JKH was a baffling choice to come in for Salem and again when given a shot proved he is a list clogger, both Wagner’s are depth, and Spargo seems to be the match committee’s love child because for me he’s not showing enough. Add Hannan being underdone to that (although should be better for the run), and Tommy Mac putting in yet another disappointing performance we definitely had our class dragged down. What concerns me is that we’ve gone back to the cliche of forgetting how to win. When the heat came on we panicked, no one stood up and said let’s think this though. We also had multiple chances to either ice the game or get back the lead and choked. This pattern is clearly getting the players minds now and I can’t think how we change that. I would never have picked that coming into the queens birthday the chances of finals are basically gone.

This is still such a punch to the guts right now, seeing Weids line up for a shot to win much like Gawn vs Geelong (though not as easy to be fair). It just sums our season up perfectly, so much potential, opportunity right there but we stuff it up. I really wish I didn’t care.

That is a choke of the highest order; like the West Coast game. Just end the season now, I'm bloody sick of it.

I feel in my gut we're losing this. It was ours to lose and we lost it.

We had chances to kill the game in that quarter and failed to finish our work. But although I feel like the umpiring has been pretty average both ways, Harmes is being held at almost every contest but it keeps getting ignored. So many times he was clear and the hold just gave the crows the chance.

Damn it, we just keep letting them back in.

We're getting chances to bury this game, have to start taking them.

JKH! Has he actually managed to kick it to anyone on the full?

Lowering the eyes, forwards leading and marking, looking good!

Well we got a few soft frees there that we managed to get a goal from.

Who was with Lynch???