Maldonboy38

Lack of love post.

A big shout out to a player not getting a lot of love - Jack Viney. A goal in every game so far this year. Great gut running, his kicking is now effective, and he continues to be brutal around stoppages and uncompromising with the expectations of his team mates. 

Not enough love for Harmes' game. His game has the same quality as ANB - just so steady and reliable. Great mark, great kick, and runs both ways.

The lack of love for the Weid is interesting, especially for dropping marks that hit his hands. Jackson suffered from this as well, and dropped way more than Weid, but not mentioned once. 

Totally-deserved lack of love for Umpire 34, who was not only bad with the Dees. That decision against de Boer for dropping the ball - sheesh!! She made a LOT of wrong calls or misses.

What a great team game. So many contributors. 

As much as I love Benny Brown, I don't think you can drop either of TMac or Weid - both contributed really well.

Actually, those last 2 goals from the Giants have been absolute belters, not junk time. 

Boy I have waited a long time for us to be good again, but we are well past that. We are a great side now. Our team footy is something that is simply a joy to watch. 

Having Demonland withdrawal - wife had the computer. This is our best team performance in a long time. No standout just a great team effort. Fritsch and Sparrow quiet - the rest have all contributed. Loving Weideman's game. 

North showing up one of the Dogs weaknesses - defensive running. As soon as the Roos get gut run running forward from contested ball, 2-3- Dogs players plod on behind with little real effort. The dogs talent is way over and above the Roos, but the effort of the young Roos boys is great to watch. It is going to take some time but I love what Noble is doing - taking the hard hits and losses but basing a team on defensive contested play. 

Love it or hate it, the Pies have to hold onto Mason Cox until other, younger big forwards develop. They have to have someone/something to aim at inside the F50. But they will not make the finals again with Cox as a main target. The Pies system looks good, but need to learn when to quell the manic press forward. Once they get the right personnel, they will rise but I reckon it is two years away.

The Lions will challenge us, especially while we are such a long way off our best footy. Same with the Cats.

Watching the Roos v Dogs is tough. 

I am getting really tired of umpires ruining games. Just so inconsistent, and many just so wrong. That ruck free to Cox was appalling. Andrews getting 50 metres for putting his arms out in exasperation. Block in the ruck against Grundy and so on...

Feel really bad for Tomlinson. He hasn't been dominating games, but has done enough to keep his spot. Glad to have Petty back, but playing in the 22 is now so pressured. I hope Smith gets the nod for medi sub over the other 3, as much as I am not a fan of him really. 

Lions - in a cakewalk

Bulldogs

Eagles

Saints - very close game though

Tigers

Dees

Port

Freo - I have decided to risk fate again.

Cats. 

They have a very, very good midfield, and then no other real strengths. Some individual players have real skill but our defence mindset should cover them. 

So much good footy in backlines and midfields this season, but some of the worst forward 50 entries and goalkicking I have seen in a long time. Including the Dees. Not sure of the causes (exhaustion, lack of practice?)  but it is really noticeable. Teams playing well enough to win, and losing it through forward errors must be killing some coaches.

The Dogs were good for the most part tonight but woeful goal kicking. Their midfields not sprinting to the next contest really hurt them too. 

Boy I hope we get our goal kicking and forward entries fixed up. If it wasn't for our backs and mids strangling sides, some of our forward kicking could be costing us games. 

Good game Roos v Swans. I would feel gutted if I was the Roo boys, playing cleaner footy for 85% of the game to be beaten by a more mature Swans late in the game. 

In the other game, I know lots of people dislike Weightman from the Dogs, but Ginnavin from the Pies really s***s me off. To quote Paul Hogan, he is "such a pelican". 

If North  clean up their forward 50 entries, they win. They look much sharper than the Swans.

We need him to stay. Whether he plays half back or wing he plays a very similar game. I know Goodwin repeats ad nauseum "contest and defence", but we also use our wings like no other team, and they are central to our transition. Jordon making it 3 players to rotate through just makes it better.

Brayshaw is my favourite Dees player so I am clearly biased about him, but I would be letting a lot of our squad go because of salary cap pressure, before I let him go. There is a lot of chat about more midfield time, his brother at Freo, having to pay others more than him etc... and some or all of it might be true. But he is playing well in a Premiership team that everyone else is chasing, and he is a much loved club man. I would be surprised if he left.

Lions have stopped. Oh my, Rayner, what an absolute howler.

Our best is way above these two, but we are not playing as clean as Cats or Lions so far in 2022. They booth look sharper than us. But, I am not sure either of them will improve much while we have heaps of improvement to gain.  

Not a bad game of footy after the first 5 minutes. Both teams very clean. 

Interesting that McStay and Daniher are both running to the same spot time after time, but it is McStay who presents so well when they do. 

I love seeing a tagger v star battle, but can't believe Neale is being blocked from so many contests. 

There are a lot of players playing below their best. Hunt, Tomlinson, Spargo, Pickett, ANB, Rivers, TMac. Weed was out of touch. We can't drop players easily if we are winning the way we are. If recent history means anything there will be as few changes as possible. We are playing well below our best but are winning by strangling the life out of the opposition. 

I would bring in B Brown, and give TMac a rest at Casey.

The only other one who worries me is Rivers. His run and carry has disappeared, he looks really shaky on his sore knee, and his wonderful kicking looks mediocre at best. I don't reckon they will rest him though.

We are a good side now. Our defence all over the ground was great, and we ran the game out. I will take 4-0 any time. Even though our system continues to be a bit clunky and imperfect, we win and win well. 

I hated the feel of our play in the last 15 minutes - looked like they absolutely switched off.

Some signs emerging that our forward 50 play needs an efficiency upgrade.  A LOT of ineffective, sloppy forward entries. 

Loving the fact we are winning, hating the attitude that is emerging in the last quarter.  Just too casual and careless at times. 

Wow, Port ought to be flogged for effort since half time. Some of their chasing and defensive spread has been pathetic. 

Our defence has been supreme, our midfielders have been 6/10 without having to tear the game apart. Forward line looks like the 2 tall forwards - TMac and Weid - are not quite sure how to play forward. They are often near each other and not providing 2 separate options. ANB, Spargo, Kozzie, Fritsch have been ok, but no-one is really tearing it apart. 

Actually, to be fair, Port's backs have done well considering how undermanned they are. I like the look of that Bergman.

2 hours ago, loges said:

Burgess is at Adelaide

Hahaha, my bad! Well, Port have no excuse to be so exhausted. 

1 hour ago, binman said:

It would be shocking if Port don't come hard.

Leaving aside the threat of going down 4 zip, imagine their week living in Adelaide after last week's debacle.

If they don't I reckon hinkley is gone.

But even if they do come out firing, how far can a desire to crack in take them? 

Their defensive system is all over the shop. Alir out has an outsize importance as their defensive system is structured around him and his ability to intercept. With him out they don't have another pure interceptor  to cover him (McKenzie is not bad, but more a lock down defender).

And they simply don't have the height down back to cover our three genuine talls. Hopefully the umpires will call frees for the inevitable grappling and blocking they will have to resort to.

They have not been able to stop teams transitioning from their defensive 50, which speaks to players not doing the work required for all team defence.

Perhaps they will address that this week, but effort and application are hard things to just switch on, particularly if they didnt work hard enough in preseason to build an elite fitness base and as a result don't have the tank to play full tilt right to the end of each quarter.

Their forward line is built around Dixon bringing it ground and again they don't really have someone able to play that role in his absence.

Gray is a huge out - arguably still their best player (I know wines is terrific), and one of their few true match winners.

Their midfield is pretty strong, but let's be honest nowhere near our level

And players like rozee, georgiatis and Marshall should almost be coming into their prime, but have seemingly not taken the next step.

And on top of all of that is they are a team that likes to thrive on emotion and crowd energy. Tickets sales are apparently slow so unless they are on top they may not have any crowd energy to draw on.

I predict we will come out in full surge mode and look to dominate the first quarter.

Maybe we will carry that surge into the second

We'll get a four to five goal lead, slow the game down and hold them at arms length for the rest of the match.

Really good summary.

With Lever back in, I can't see their forwards penetrating our defence system too easily. We are no way near our best and therefore vulnerable to players like Boak and Wines, but they don't have too many others to threaten us at the moment. Port are young, a bit thin on talent, and a whole lot thin on endeavour and effort.

I now Burgess has moved to Port, and I remember the Dees struggling at times early on in his reign. Port possibly fatigued by their new fitness regime?

Dees by 18, in another ugly win. I don't reckon our best footy will emerge until round 8 or later.