Disappointing loss - but as the coach said, no shame losing to them. They’re a very good side with some terrific players. McGlynn was sensational, as was Parker. Just better than us.
What is annoying is that they looked soooo beatable in that third quarter - but after a brief lapse (like good teams do) they got their sh*t together.
And leave Ryder alone - he at least kept us in the ruck contest, Pyke absolutely pwned Bellchambers.
Far too many players bludging in that last quarter as well.
Disappointing loss - but as the coach said, no shame losing to them. They're a very good side with some terrific players. McGlynn was sensational, as was Parker. Just better than us.
No shame in losing to them no doubt, but it's dissappointing that yet again against an experienced finals side, we can out in the first half and played the exact same way (opposite to supposedly the gameplan bomber wants) with the exact same result, a 2-3 goal half and a 5 odd goal deficit.
It's like they almost need to be in a position where the game is lost and no pressure on them to take the game on against the better teams, yet normally when they do, in the 3rd qtrs that's when they end up looking and playing their best.
no matter how optimisitically you want to look at things, that oh for the last 3 qtrs we stayed with Sydney, it doesn't matter if you give a top side half of a game and 5 plus goal head start, you aren't going to win to many games like that, and so far I think it's only the Freo game last year that we've pinched playing that way.
That's the biggest issue for me, that the coaching group don't seem to drum it into players (well can only assume due to the way they perform) that they need to take the game on from the start against quality top opposition.
We missed Pig. :(
Cannot actually get a grip on what you are saying here but what I get is that you didn't like Stantons' game. Well, isn't it the case that he is mercilessly tagged almost every time he plays? Isn't it the case that he still does quite well on average? Anyway, you've sucked me in because yes, I thought you were bashing. I thought Hurley played a great game as well.
I can't help but notice every Stanton mistake is near costly ... Or is costly. He waves his hands on the air wanting a holding the ball while an opponent strolls right past him for a shot on goal. Plenty of other things but you'll think I'm bashing.
Hurley was alright but I think he's not a defensive Backman that I'd like him to be. He's more an offensive Backman.
Never liked goodes , never saw a man watch his own replays , strolls around like he's awesome. He's good yes but his demeanor reeks. Gets the Roo calls (Roo calls where going near him was an automatic free). So many calls going their way. So soft.
Sick of the Sydney game style , thankfully only see it once a year. Melbourne / Sydney and Freo's game style all smell like the same boring ****. I kinda want them to have an offside or zones to stop their crap. So so ugly football, not a team I'd like to watch play.
Stanton tagged or someone just running in the same vicinity as him ? As I said I'm not bashing but all I was said was his mistakes and delay to react is noticeable.
To your 2nd point , Hurley is learning a craft , he'll get there but is a long way off. One day he'll earn his coin. Needs a mal Michael (prime) mindset
That video just made me ■■■■■■■ angry again. Damn it.
The one where one of our players holds on to a ducks player an extra milli-second, and you hear the umpire: free kick…
…
and 50.
Bizarro world.
Didn't see bomba's press conference, did they ask him if Ambrose is injured? And also zaharakis hurt his knee at the very end - was this raised at all?
Said something along the lines that he didn't think there were any injuries, then corrected himself that there weren't. Wasn't confident with his answer but who knows?
Also, on the telecast, I saw Zaka walking along the boundary with a trainer after the game.
Was moving a little gingerly, but neither of them looked too concerned.
I'd say he'll be fine.Nothing too serious.
Well so much for no injuries. I knew Ambrose was injured. Now we'll wait to see if zaka n winders are serious as well.
It's not what they pay, it's what they miss and who they pay them too.more than half those free kicks were there. some of you are taking the ■■■■.
Too right.... and where they pay them also....
Damn, turns out he lost teeth and was playing with a broken jaw. I take it back, Paddy, kudos for your bravery!Nothing on Ambrose, I think he's tracking well, but we seemed to lack a touch of class in his area of the ground (50-70m out) last night. He couldn't seem to grab that incoming ball and it was cleared often. A few possies for the game wasn't damaging, and with out mids struggling to carry the ball further and penetrate deep often, we needed a strong link-up player in that part of the ground. It wasn't surprising that the coaches didn't think it was working and subbed him out.
Just watched the game again. Bruce McAvaney bias towards Sydney is on show for all to see. He waxes on about how good is Sydney even when it’s just average play, quotes facts and figures about their players, and how clever their defence operates when it scrappy play. On essendon, he says it’s been hard going, ackward kicks, lucky play when Sydney get caught out etc. he is a disgrace.
Conversely Leigh mattews is better at it although he was a thug when he played.
Most of those sydney frees were there IMO, BUT.
Some were earned with head-charges to draw the high contact, and Parker and Goodes outright staged. For those I'm more concerned with the Sydney players than the umps.
Not so upset about the ones they got as the ones missed for us, of which I think there were a few.
Don't think it's a conspiracy though, a lot of it is no doubt crowd noise just helping sway one way or other, and maybe if our guys had head-charged and staged we'd have got a few more too. It's just as annoying, but not as sinister.
Just watched the game again. Bruce McAvaney bias towards Sydney is on show for all to see. He waxes on about how good is Sydney even when it's just average play, quotes facts and figures about their players, and how clever their defence operates when it scrappy play. On essendon, he says it's been hard going, ackward kicks, lucky play when Sydney get caught out etc. he is a disgrace.
Conversely Leigh mattews is better at it although he was a thug when he played.
I had the privilege of watching Bruce on a flight from Melbourne to Brisbane preparing for an AFL match call.
He had a hand written A3 sheet of paper, with a bunch of current stats, and a comment on each player. He spent all flight making notes and adding to that document. He loves the game, and he loves his job. I've got a lot of time for a person like that.
And given that the game was Sydney, who have made finals and won premierships in the past 13 years, while we've been decidedly average, you'll just have to forgive him for considering Sydney a little more exciting to talk about. FWIW, I think it was hard going with a number of awkward kicks etc.
had another look at the first half over lunch - we were by far our own worst enemy. indeed, but for our errors, there would have been nothing in it at half time. i don't buy the sydney were first to the ball stuff, the contested stuff was very very even (all though there were swings in momentum) they simply made better use of it and punished our turnovers. too often we failed to take advantage of our good play because of a poor final disposal. a few notes
First QRT
- carlisle has a good opportunity to go inside 50 but his 20 meter pass to tbell is picked off, he should have hit that target, they kick a behind from the turnover.
- we set up the field very poorly and fletch's long kick from the back pocket isn't close enough to the boundary and isn't to a favourable contest becuase we haven't set it up well. they take it straight back in for a goal
- another poor set up but licha's skill error in the back pocket is unforgivable all the same - goal.
- carlisle farks up another opportunity when he gets confused on a quick transition after nice lead up to the wing, should have hand passed to runner instead for some reason tries to chip it out 5 meters in front. they lock it down for a ball up. farkkk
- we enjoy a good run of play but a miss by carlisle and the ump outrageously ignoring 3 blatant frees to paddy in one marking contest against richards costs us a easy goal. our return for this period of control is 1.1 should have been 2.1 and possibly 3.1.
- our period of control is finally disrupted by parker throwing his head back in a tackle for a soft soft free. myers had him well wrapped up and i think it is paid for tbell touching him on the should as he goes to ground, ridiculous free. from the free they square it up to the middle and go long where pike catches tbell out taking a rest - goal
- shocking demps turnover in the middle. ball should be inside our 50 but instead they goal.
- 30 seconds on the clock, a stoppage inside our 50. they pull out 4 spares to goal keep and tbell our only guy fwd of the stoppage is completely out of position. howlett wins it but his hurried kick goes straight to the 4 sydney guys who have a quick game of hopscotch before going end to end for a goal. again we failed horribly to set the ground up for this stoppage. very poor defensive positioning to lock it in 50 and all our fwds got sucked up to the bounce and we kicked it straight to where they should have been and were unable to create another contest. arguably the most irritating goal of the quarter because it was a bad team error.
but for our kicking erros and one missed free to ryder it could easily have been a 2 goal to 3 qtr
Second Qtr
- licha has a chance to deliver into 50 uncontested but fails to hit a target
- ryder misses a set shot he should nail and it goes down the other end where the ump gives tippet a gift for a goal to them (i still haven't got over them ignoring ryder being hung drawn and quartered by richards in the first)
- carlisle breaks up another good fast transition by fumbling in the center of the ground and we end scrambling in50 under pressure in a congested play
- hurls has a chance to deliver into 50 uncontested but fails to hit a target
- 2 entries in a row where the ump ignores the fact that ryder mysteriously goes at it one handed while richards pins his other arm (seriously they aren't watching the same game).
- myers and then hurls again have chances to deliver into 50 uncontested but both fail to hit targets.
- now its zmerret and then licha again having chances to deliver into 50 uncontested but both fail to hit targets.
- demps goes inside 50 on his left under pressure and kicks it out on the full - eh i'm seeing a pattern now
- good spot up to the flank on 50 and grundy wraps carlisle up and virtually drags him into the front row of the stand. they get the crumbs and go down their end for a goal . seriously fark this. in the 11 minutes since the tippett goal i count 10 decent entries or opportunities to go inside 50 uncontested (i am not counting pressured kicks into 50) for a return of 1.1. awful, thanks in part to the umps, but mostly thanks to our inept ball use.
- zaka finishes of our qtr by missing on on his left from dead in front 10m out and while we are getting stuck into the oranges at half time they go end to end on the kick in to tippett who spares our blushes. meanwhile hooker is going spare as hurls was perfectly positioned to block tippett's lead and didn't have a man but must have wanted to be first in line for the oranges because he nicked off for some reason.
game should have been a lot closer than it was - we shot ourselves in the foot with poor ball use - end of story.
3 qtr
- Efficiency much better but licha and demo’s again waste few
- after dominating the first half of the qtr the umps get a little worried and swing the momentum their way with 4 high free kicks to them. All are suspect expect one to tippet straight in front. That was clumsy by licha but the call only got there because of a bullshit one up the field to Parker.
- Ryder misses a very gettable set shot.
To this stage the umps had kicked 2 for them arguably 3 and we had given them 4 of their 9 to 3 qtr time. 5 of our 6 were marks with a hoof from Myers thrown in for void measure
Geez that period of the second where we Owned the ball for 10 minutes and didn’t out on the score board just killed us. That combined with the turnovers if the first quarter probably cost is a half time lead.
Frustrating
We owned the ball a lot in the last ten minutes too and they outscored us.
It's hard to kick goals when you're playing on the 2nd oval at Taylor's lakes.Geez that period of the second where we Owned the ball for 10 minutes and didn't out on the score board just killed us. That combined with the turnovers if the first quarter probably cost is a half time lead.
Frustrating
That is 30 players in 30sq metre
Great point form write up of the main plays Ivan.
I remember doing something similar on the 2011 Elimination Final (only in more detail).
Fair to say, mine was far more depressing than yours 
Interesting comment by Robbo
Hey Robbo, all the talk on the weekend has been about Lindsay Thomas staging but did you see Adam Goodes on friday night staging for that free? the guy is a protected species and something needs to be done about it. Also the free kick count for swans vs essendon was 24-11, Jack, Parker and McGlynn got more frees than the whole essendon team. what a joke troy pannell is.
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Wazza
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Mark RobinsonYes, Goodes has knack of playing for free kicks
I was surprised the OX, and MARCOOOOOO on 'the run home' mentioned that Goodes was a serial stager, and furthered that by saying he did it on Friday vs. Essington.