Our last quarter generally was pretty listless. I don’t think end to end movement was a feature of their game in the other 3 quarters. They relied very heavily on stoppage to generate entries I felt but looking at the stats the front half back half scoring is actually pretty even over all.
Just watched the game. Pretty disappointed tbh. They looked like they wanted the ball more in the contest. We won because we are more mature and cleaner, but we don’t have that killer instinct.
1 Like
I think that’s when Stringer went to the centre.
You only need to look at the other matches today to realise that this is a very unpredictable season. There is still plenty of improvement that needs to be found, and I don’t think for a moment that we’re the 2nd best side in it overall right now. But you take the 7 goal win happily, learn what you need from it, and move on.
12 Likes
Yes, I saw your votes…
Made all the difference IMO not because he got the ball, but because he stopped North getting it.
1 Like
I’ll say it again…
1 Like
Not a stupid question. It’s about mental application and that is irrelevant to who you’re playing and where.
Who you play dictates match-ups and strategies you’re up against. Some teams apply more pressure than others and offer up more opportunities to intercept if their skill levels are lower, etc. I get that. All games are different in that respect.
Where you play impacts ground familiarity and crowd/atmosphere. Well we can scrap the latter as far as the last 2 weeks go because it was 40-ish thousand at Marvel with an overwhelming Essendon contingent both weeks.
What I’m getting it as it isn’t just about result - at least to me. Last week we played like a team expecting to need to be at 100% to get a win and the players eventually played their best football once they warmed into the game. This week we played like a team that knew they needed to only be at 50% to get the win. The players were right. They won by 40 and North were terrible. I really hope I don’t have to convince the masses that the way we applied ourselves today was not up to the standard we set last week and would not cut it most weeks. The way we defended the ground, disposed of the ball, offered little support and overlapping run compared to last week’s second half, was way off. That’s an attitude problem.
1 Like
to be fair to the team, you can see how it would be pretty difficult to get up to play north melbourne.
they are just such a nothing club. maybe if they keep tanking for another three or four years they might amass enough top 3 picks to make the game interesting but it’s probably still a long shot.
I mean, we played seven minutes of ok-ish footy and gapped them by forty points without 4 of our best players, while we sat durham for the last qtr and basically just played kick to kick.
Their fans are clinging to their clearance numbers like they’ve actually won a game.
It would be funny if it wasn’t so pathetic.
Dead set the team were looking ahead to next week from about 3 minutes into the first qtr.
1 Like
H stringer doesn’t need possessions if he blocks the opposition getting them and makes it easier for team mates.
Called team work.
Possession counts are completely overrated IMO
3 Likes
Nah, the really good teams smash North.
The inconsistency of the clubs around us is really staggering.
The fact that we are playing at a consistent level every week (albeit not good enough to beat the top sides) is enough to give us a look at top 4 in September.
If we can keep this consistency, we are in for a real treat this season.
2 Likes
I’d expect almost all teams below 6th on the ladder, especially the 2nd half. Our pressure was awesome. It looked like a finals brand of football. Bringing that level, even against weak teams, is what finals-winning sides do - with exceptions, as is often pointed out here. It’s not a mistake that sides that make it past week 1 of finals have usually had a couple of 60+ point wins throughout their season, because their high standards to get them that far will naturally bring with it some big wins against teams they didn’t need to be at 100% for.
Well…they’re not.
Stringer had 17 possessions at 53.
Hobbs had 21 at 84.
And I’m reliably informed that Hobbs had the worst game ever.
13 disposals.
I didn’t think he was horrible, but I’m concerned he isn’t improving with others.
But he isn’t playing in his best position, and he has time.
1 Like
Yep.
My bad.
Added disposals and kicks instead of kicks and handballs.
Still, though.
The idea that Stringer deserves a vote for ambling around and not giving a rats what happens after it leaves his possession is risible.
Great goal from the boundary line, though.
2nd on the ladder.
1 Like
Oh absolutely agree, stringer for 3 votes is pretty wild.
To be fair…I think it was 1 vote.
But still.
1 Like