To me the game said a lot more about Geelong than what it did for us. They needed Dangerwood getting 25 possessions between them and Hawkins kicking 4 goals to get them back. You can’t win premierships off the back of a few good players. We looked so flat in the second half and without a ruck I can’t see Smack rucking alone because we’ll get beaten badly in the middle the longer the game goes.
It also said we lack a tagger or another big inside mid. We have Heppell & Zerrrett with some class, Parish & Colyer are quick and need time and Zaka is about as outside as you can get. That leaves Watson. Who does the tagging? I think we really lacked Hocking/Bird in that side and that’s even more apparent when you have half your midfield coming back from over a year off.
The positives were Tippa was fcking amazing. Daniher looked WAY better than his first game, nearly back to his best. Heppell improved (not there yet). Colyer played a good game in the second half (one of the few). Smack had a good game overall. Goddard played really well (few giving him credit). Langford was good and bad but mostly good. Stewart played well in the first half and got no delivery in the second.
Yes we were diabolical in the third quarter, we broke even in the last until Bags/kelly went full Essington and cost us the last 4 goals through poor decisions. Langford should have put us 5 points up half way through the last. I think Hooker back straightens up the forwardline, Daniher is good but we need another big target. Green is in due to some hot form and is pace makes us even more dangerous. We just need another big inside mid, and that’s from Hocking/Bird/Howlett or someone else.
He got 40+ goals last year in a ■■■■■■ side. There is very real chance that he could get 50+ this year. There is no way in hell I’d be taking him out of the forward line. He’s not a natural ruckman so I’d just play Smack or Stewart. Smack and Stewart are not great options but at least it’s not stealing from the forward line to the same extent.
Within that first 6 Rounds, we have Brissy (away), Carlton, and Melb who can’t win at Etihad.
You would have to give us a chance at Hawthorn or Coll on ANZAC Day.
That leaves the Crows in Adelaide as the only game we go into as definitive underdogs.
I’d suggest 3 and 3 is very do-able going into May…
From yesterday (and particularly the influence of Dangerfield, Selwood and Hawkins) it is clear to me that both Hocking and Hartley need to play round 1. Hocking for a bigger body around the stoppages who is able to negate the influence of the opposition’s better mids. Hartley to play on the forward beast. I am hoping that their omission yesterday was not a sign of where they stand for round one.
We fought back to get to nearly equal early in the last. At that point the game was still up for the taking. Then we either switched off or ran out of legs.
Its pretty clear that mids cannot afford to take a rest, even when you are 40 points ahead.
First time they played Hawkins kicked 0 goals. He had 5 marks. Wow, what a hiding.
Next time they played Hawkins kicked 3 in a 70 point loss, one of those was on Brown deep in the last.
I was a little bemused by Hurls being played on the oppositions power forward… He is coming off 2 ankle injuries and should have been playing against the 3rd Geelong forward.
Mitch Brown was given a lock down role on Harry Taylor, who, despite being all at sea as a forward, was able to beat Brown and have a number of shots on goal directly in front. Mitch did not have a good game as his strength is more a a sweeper/intercept marker when playing down back.
By contrast, Ambrose was playing on a number of rotating players and ended up being our highest rated defender, with 2 contested marks and 2 intercept marks. That not good enough for the defender in that position. Normally its Matty Dea, who usually does a lot of intercepting. I suspect Ambrose was relieved of his lock down role, and asked to intercept, which he did to some extent, but 2 intercept marks and 2 contested marks is only the start if Ambrose is going to be asked to play that role more in future.
Bags was 100% lock down and looked a bit slow, Marty Gleeson was good in the first half. But did he go to the toilet in the 3rd quarter ?
As to run out of defence, it basically was left to the fast mids to do it. Zerret to some extent, Zaka and Colyer were the ones.
To improve the intercept marking capability we probably need to bring in Dea, to bring in run out of defence, bring in Irish and retain McGrath.
I would also bring in Hartley and drop Brown…
I would be trying to get both Hartley and Ambrose to try for more intercept marks, as a second priority and encourage both of them to be a bit more attacking when appropriate.
In Q3, we were a total mess. Similar to how the Cats were in 1 & 2. Our structure fell apart under pressure. Players were confused. Defenders were subsequently inundated. Forwards were starved. Ruck was non-existant. Of course we caved. But it is fixable, and it won’t take much.
In my view when a team comes together and needs to learn a new gameplan. Firstly you want to see demonstratuon of what it looks like when it works.
The next phase which takes a lot longer to get right is how to implement it under pressure and different scenarios. That invloves learning how to put the foot to the throat to not even let the opposition get a sniff. How slow the game down and how to score against the momentum.
We have seen the first phase and pockets of the second phase.
It took North about 3 seasons before they learnt to close out games and make their talented starts to games pay off for a win.
SI still don’t get why Ambrose wasn’t on Hawkins. Or why Hartley and Dea missed. One of the pleasing aspects of the last ten rounds last year was that I thought the defence held up pretty well given the quantity and quality of ball coming in. The nucleus was Hartley, Ambrose, Kelly, Gleeson and Dea. 2017 should have started with that as the core, with tinkering to get Hurley in, and test out Bags, McKenna and McGrath through the JLT.
I feel like the backline has gone backwards. I can’t remember many games where Ambrose and Hartley got beaten like Brown and Hurley were. Bags and Kelly having shockers obviously also hurt.