Watched it at my local pub in Brisbane. Didn’t wanna go. Cooney & Gwilt were a mistake. Big mistake. Shining light for me is Parish. Stokes will teach him some wisdom I reckon.
Drowning my sorrows at Hooters watching the filth get demolished.
Great feed and the view not bad either 
Disgraceful. Played as if 12 best 22 players were missing.
What the hell were you people expecting?
I said during the week that I don’t think we will win a game this year.
But I do expect players to be able to do the basics. Kick, handpass and pickup and catch the football.
Not having had time to ‘gel as a team’ is an OK excuse for team structures and game plan but it is not an excuse for lack of basic skills.
Didn’t expect anything from Cooney but to see what Bird and Simpkin dished was the most disappointing, I actually seen Simpkin stand off a couple of contests when it was his turn to go in.
Thought Stokes and Kelly were really good.
I actually wasn't _too_ disappointed. It seemed like the structures are still being learned. The players didn't quite seem to have the game plan ingrained. Combine that with every loose ball bouncing GCS way for the day, and the first 12 frees of the match going to the opposition and it was always going to be ugly. But at quarter time I doubt anyone thought we'd get out of it under 100 points. As the game wore on they got better, they started to find teammates a bit more, and although they were still outplayed it was nowhere near as bad as it appeared it might become.And then to balance that, you can’t help but think Parish and Zac Merrett in combination is going to be special.
I thought that a couple of the selection decisions were found out today. The biggest one being leaving out Grimley. All pre season the structure has been Daniher/Grimley/Resting ruck. I can understand that they wanted more run in Rd 1 against a side that runs hard out of defence, but I think the structure needed a tall in the goalsquare for when Daniher gets it 80m out. Instead we had smalls running back who weren’t as quick as their GCS opponents. If we doubted Grimley’s form I’d have used Michael.
The other one was obviously not playing the 199cm KPD, and going with Brown + Ambrose and Gwilt. I can understand the thinking, but we didn’t have the options for Lynch. Maybe if you play Michael at FF you can send him back if Lynch gets off the leash, or maybe you need Hartley and only one of Ambrose/Gwilt (or Francis!) (and perhaps having Ashby would help there given his ability overhead as the 4th defender).
Anyway, a long way to go in the year, and probably not a surprise first up, given this team has never played together. I wouldn’t judge GCS in any way after today. To declare them bottom 4, or top 8 makes no sense. They have a lot of young quick runners through the midfield, only time will tell whether we just got spanked by a bottom 4 side or by a side that is a lot better than that. But whatever, it was more about us, and our team’s learning at this stage. And there’s a long way to go. But that’s OK. Next week we front up again, and learn a bit more.
I think of the match committee had its time again it would have played one of Grimley or Sam Michael forward and Hartley down back fro Ambrose.
They went for a smaller, more mobile team but Simpkin, Cooney & Bird provided very little as experienced players. I suspect if Worslfold knew that would be the case he would have played Kommer, McKenna and Long/Fantasia/Laverde.
It’s currently forecast to be 28 and sunny next Saturday and if the Match Committee want to go smaller again then you need young legs that can generally run and carry, not one placed plodders who don’t contribute at the contest.
Cooney, Bird, Simpkin, Ambrose, Gwilt should not be playing this standard of football, they are just not up to it.
They may been “smaller and more mobile”, but they were still (mostly) ■■■■■■ slow…
Raz hopefully OK next week.
Watched it at my local pub in Brisbane. Didn't wanna go. Cooney & Gwilt were a mistake. Big mistake. Shining light for me is Parish. Stokes will teach him some wisdom I reckon.
Isn’t Gwilt in our leadership group? LOLz. Big LOLz. Thats how f&*(ed we are
If woosha has any balls, he’ll drop cooney for that crap today.
Went to the VFL today and despite the loss there as well there was one upgrade option I liked. - Eades. He should be in the side in the next two weeks- he can get his hands on the ball, takes the game on and his body is ready. Over the pre season training i had him just after Parish in the new draftee pecking order.
Zaka is going to gain a lot of respect if he continues to put in like he did today.
Flog commentators having a go at Parish after one poor possesion, he then proceeds to get 10 possesions in the next quarter to shut them up.
It was just annoying as watching them not tackle. GC actually made several errors, but many of our players were hanging around like stoner sloths. It was ■■■■■■ brahs.
Probably the worst collective tackling effort ever dished up. Rarely were GC impeded or pinned.
If only they could all tackle like Zach Merrett he does not give up a chase.
It was worse than I hoped, but not worse than I was prepared for.
Not sure if it matters who is in the forward line. They are so far up the ground it doesn’t matter. GC swept back to fill in the holes while we plodded in when it was all over. We looked slow and it wasn’t just the top ups who looked in need of a run. If we can get looney’s tap out and move the ball in quicker we are a chance. Loved Parish’s quick hands - he’s a gun
It was worse than I hoped, but not worse than I was prepared for.
Yeah, that’s probably an accurate description of the way I felt.
Well, at least for one week, we aren’t on the bottom of the ladder. That is one positive. Parish is another positive. Zaharakis and Zerrett another two big ticks. Loony getting through the game without injury and being decent in the ruck is another big win. Watching Pies get slaughtered was a nice bonus. From there it slides pretty quickly away.
Tackling was poor. This is not a ‘bans’ issue but rather an effort/technique/intent issue. Needs to be addressed and promptly.
The selection choices to leave Hartley and Grimley out were poor. Said this before the match and it was borne out by the lack of support both forward and defensive. In order for this strategy to work, the midfield needs to work a lot lot lot harder.
The selection of Cooney in preference to Eades/McKenna/Edwards or even Kommer was an error.
The lack of ‘stay at home’ forwards is an ongoing issue of which the coaches are either ignorant or blind. Yes our mids need to hold the ball, yes they need both composure and better entries but it doesn’t help to be under white hot pressure and have absolutely ZERO options leading at you.
Effort, particularly in the first half, was just not there for most.
I think Stokes and Kelly showed glimpses and warrant selection. Dea and Simpkin were bad. How Simpkin is a ‘premiership’ player is beyond me. Shows the great inequity of AFL that he has that tag when truly great players go their whole career of brilliance without tasting success. Like Prismall, but worse, and shows that good teams know talent and don’t let that talent go. I wish I could take Crowley’s effort and passion and put it into their bodies. Crowley does everything right except for being a yard too slow and a foot too short. Forward is not his go… pure replica of the ‘Alwyn Davey’ syndrome. If Crowley can’t play midfield then he doesn’t play.
My final point is on my biggest disappointment today… and that is the play of Craig Bird. Far out… I realise that we had to take the ■■■■■■ knives to get the collectors item in Parish… but that doesn’t mean we have to play him. Poor on every level and should lose his spot next week.
It will be a very long season.
It will be a very long season.
Only 21 games to go…