Dreamtime game.
The week before we play the Lions.
Richmond play Cats at GMHBA.
They’ll be licking their wounds from a belting. But we’ll be trying to bounce back too at least.
Port away, high unlikely. They’re in really good form, beat Sydney and St. Kilda away. They lost to Collingwood who are the flag favourites, and Adelaide in the showdown - Adelaide almost beat Collingwood last weekend.
Richmond don’t look good at the moment, we should beat them, but it’s still a developmental year, and losing to either won’t mean we are not “serious”.
I don’t rate Port at all. They were absolutely horrible against Collingwood, poor against Adelaide and while they beat Sydney, the Swans have been underwhelming.
The win against the Saints was good, but I don’t think their overall form is any better than ours
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If you have access to it, take a look at both clubs running out through the same banner prior to yesterday’s game.
I know the term “men Vs boys” regularly gets thrown around (often incorrectly) but this was a genuine case of that.
Apart from Brad Close, they were taller, stronger and just generally ■■■■■■■ bigger than us. It’s no surprise they keep beating us - not only are they bloody good but they would be the worst club in the competition for us in terms of match ups.
Teams we are playing in the near future won’t provide the same headache that Geelong provides us. Port have some grunt in the middle but nowhere near the level of Geelong.
Yesterday’s Geelong side had 1009 games more experience than us, 1514 more goals kicked as a collective from the players selected & nearly 2 years older in terms of average age. When you are playing a team already in form with those numbers, it very rarely goes your way.
Link to stats:
https://afltables.com/afl/stats/games/2023/050920230430.html
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Form wise, maybe, but it’s still their home game and they flogged the Lions. They’re my smoky for top four.
He is but many on here want him goneski. Stupid move to let him go.
Barely covered us.
Buckley’s prediction was we’d lead Port throughout the entire game and get done in the last quarter again.
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Not much given we had a 5 day turnaround. I think Brad may have even alluded to what the week would look like when he was on 360 after the Anzac game.
Surely we’ll be serious underdogs against Port. I’ve barely watched them this year, but they’ve had a tough draw and are 5-2.
Oh I agree we will be but they’re not top 4 imo. Our best footy can match theirs I reckon. If we produce our best footy it’s 50/50. If not we lose.
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Too much reading Bomberblitz, thats what
I’d like to be positive but yeah conceding the 4 goals in the last 10 mins when youre up by 8 goals, is the definition of cue in the rack.
Score line flattered us and really it was a 8-10 goal loss.
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Take Danger and Hawkins out of that side and they’re very beatable. I’m not sure they had another gear.
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They didn’t need another gear. You play the team that runs out and lines up against you, no need for hypotheticals.
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Disagree. The scoreline was an accurate reflection of the entire game, it was what it was, there is no need to try and make sound worse (or better) than it was.
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Both teams had 4 players 21 or younger so it’s really only the lack of veterans that drag down our list average down. Bruhn, Henry, Holmes & Knevitt vs Hobbs, Durham, Perkins & Massimo. Its not like we can say we we have the clear better future based on exposed form. Geelong have been doing it better for longer & hoping they fall rather than we get to that level is not how we’re ever going to ever become a contender.
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We played like arse in the first quarter. We gifted them their first goal from a pathetic and unnecessary unforced error (Martin kicking out of the back pocket). We gifted them their 3rd with another poor turnover. We wasted at least 3 or 4 chances to set up goals of our own before we finally got one. And Hawkins got given 2 marks which should have been frees two us.
Just when we stabilised in the second and had started to work our way back into it we shot ourselves in the foot, twice. And they kicked away again.
In the third we did the same.
They are a very good team who you can’t afford to give freebies to (we gave them at least 4 and the umps joined in with a couple too). maybe 5 goals did flatter us a little but we could have rolled over and let them completely embarrass us like last year. We didn’t, but I think it’s also fair to say we didn’t play anywhere near our best which is encouraging in the context of a 5 goal defeat.
People expected us to be bottom 4 at the start of the year, we’re plainly much better than that but also a fair way off the finished product.
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Seriously, we need another two back men built like brick sh’ouse (like Tom Hawkins) that can give and take a bit of push and shove. There are a couple of senior players that need to go, they are going nowhere except the VFL or need to go elsewhere. Some of our players seemed to have trouble keeping their feet, was the ground a bit greasy?
Considering our kicking and hand balling were all over the place at times and we gave Geelong a big start, imagine if we correct those little errors! It would be another two or three goals a game. Weids and Stringer did very well. Weids needs to get into the gym and toughen up a bit. Two games in six days, we lost but I am not disappointed in the team effort, we didn’t drop our heads and give up. The boys looked tired by the middle of the last quarter. We may be out of the eight and may not get back in, in 2023 but we have plenty to work on.
All in all, we are showing improvement and it’s the little things that count and add up.
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I had a look at the match last year where North Melbourne played Geelong down in Tassie and Geelong pantsed them by 60 odd points as you’d expect.
Ben McKay played on Tom Hawkins for the whole match and despite North’s dominance and the ball coming in, McKay was able to take 5 contested marks, and 9 overall. Hawkins kicked 4 and it was described as a very even battle.
That’s where I don’t reckon it’s quite as simple as saying Hawkins would have kicked 8 on anyone on Sunday. He probably kicked 4 or 5 on anyone but there are always a few that fall into the realm of could have been stopped IMO. I’m not wedded to the idea and he mightn’t even entertain it anyway but I’d have a look at McKay.
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