Trained wellThu Played Poorly Sun against Melbourne

Football Discussion Dustin Fletcher Hangar
1

The change between Thursday's training and Sunday's performance is quite interesting and I think it reflects the ASADA factor.

 

1. On Thursday before the infraction notices were issued I was able to make the following comments about the atmosphere at training:

 

"The atmosphere today was spirited and very vocal.....trained well, atmosphere sans Watson very upbeat so they should give a good account of themselves against Melbourne."

 

2.  6pm onwards on Thursday the Show Cause notices are received.

 

3.  At a later training session Thompson makes the following prescient comment:

 

"The players were a little vague and nervous you could see something was wrong."

 

4.  Sunday afternoon they play poorly and lose the game for a combination of reasons but I think that you could see the ASADA issues coming through in a lack of concentration and focus.

 

In particular I point to the main reason we lost the game - poor goal kicking.  Goddard, Bellchambers, Winderlich etc. missed many gettable goals including some very easy shots.  They have been kicking well at training but my observation is that there was a lack of concentration and I surmise that in great part this was due to the ASADA pressures.

 

Its not a complete answer and is just a hypothesis but I think there is an obsrvable nexus between the events of Thursday evening and the performance on Sunday.

2

We don't know what goes on behind closed doors, but at the end of the day 10.17 lost us the game, nothing more. We kick straight, we win, so we can't use it as an excuse, from what Thompson and Zaharakis have said, that is definitely not the case...

3

Outside of Zaka, we kicked 6.16.

 

Also, we were 32 points up so while it would have affected them, surely they didn't start worrying about the ASADA stuff 16 minutes into the 3rd quarter.

 

I take what you are saying JM and you are correct, but ASADA or not we should not have lost that game after being up by so much halfway through the 3rd quarter.

4

The change between Thursday's training and Sunday's performance is quite interesting and I think it reflects the ASADA factor.

 

1. On Thursday before the infraction notices were issued I was able to make the following comments about the atmosphere at training:

 

"The atmosphere today was spirited and very vocal.....trained well, atmosphere sans Watson very upbeat so they should give a good account of themselves against Melbourne."

 

2.  6pm onwards on Thursday the Show Cause notices are received.

 

3.  At a later training session Thompson makes the following prescient comment:

 

"The players were a little vague and nervous you could see something was wrong."

 

4.  Sunday afternoon they play poorly and lose the game for a combination of reasons but I think that you could see the ASADA issues coming through in a lack of concentration and focus.

 

In particular I point to the main reason we lost the game - poor goal kicking.  Goddard, Bellchambers, Winderlich etc. missed many gettable goals including some very easy shots.  They have been kicking well at training but my observation is that there was a lack of concentration and I surmise that in great part this was due to the ASADA pressures.

 

Its not a complete answer and is just a hypothesis but I think there is an obsrvable nexus between the events of Thursday evening and the performance on Sunday.

Goddard cant blame the Asada issues for missing, but I don't blame him as he kicked lace out pass to bellchambers straight in front earlier, and took on the responsibility.

 

When I watched Bombers/coaches message to fans after game he said asada shouldn't have affected them, but it is easy to see that it could have in hindsight.

 

Thanks for the Thursday training report.

5

Outside of Zaka, we kicked 6.16.

 

Also, we were 32 points up so while it would have affected them, surely they didn't start worrying about the ASADA stuff 16 minutes into the 3rd quarter.

 

I take what you are saying JM and you are correct, but ASADA or not we should not have lost that game after being up by so much halfway through the 3rd quarter.

yep zakka could have kicked 5.0 straight and we wouldn't be talking about it. :D

6

The ASADA rubbish has cost us many games, and possibly a premiership window.

But it didn’t cost us this game. Poor kicking is the sole reason we lost.

7

The ASADA rubbish has cost us many games, and possibly a premiership window.
But it didn't cost us this game. Poor kicking is the sole reason we lost.

My argument is that the poor kicking showed a lack of concentration and the lack of concentration and focus, bearing in mind the contrast to how they trained on Thursday, is probably due in part to the ASADA issue.

 

I put this forward as the most demonstrable evidence so far of the ASADA effect but accept that it is supposition and not quantitatively measurable.

8

Vlad just pointed out on the radio that he "didn't kick any points."

9

I also should add that although we are very disappointed at the loss this situation gives all of you who follow the team closely an insight into the nuances of how issues outside the norms of playing and training affect the performances on field.  Wish it hadn't happened, not as much fun as the St Kilda schoolgirl, but we are certainly going to learn something about the character of our players and the club.

10

Interesting hypothesis, but as others have pointed out, we were well on top both in general play and on the scoreboard, but ultimately poor kicking left the door open.

 

And it's not the first time we've switched off. We went into quarter time on Anzac day six goals to zero and got completely blown away for two quarters thereafter.

 

We led the Saints by three goals at quarter time and barely scored after that.

 

In retrospect this game has been coming for a long time. We never put away the Bulldogs, Brisbane or the Giants either and easily could have lost those games if they'd taken their chances towards the end. The bulldogs one in particular sticks out because they had a lot of inside 50s in the last quarter but were unable to find a target (due in part to out excellent defense).

 

 

I can completely understand if the ASADA stuff did cause the loss. I would excuse the players for putting in a poor performance if that was the reason. But from what I watched last night, it wasn't the reason.

11

I know what JM is trying to say, but I cant wear this from elite AFL players in terms of shooting for goal.

We missed 7 absolutely gettable dead in front shots at goal. Bellchambers misses were inexcusable for a league footballer. Especially the one at the top of the goal square.

If we had another option I would drop him immediately from the side. However, Paddy Ryder has been at his lazy, half hearted best in the last couple of weeks so we dont have that luxury.

The fact that Chapman had to snap his shot from directly in front of goal points to huge issue in basic skills that these guys at a minimum should possess, and that is to kick a straight drop punt.

12

first, allow me to say thanks for the training report and the one unforgettable Ms.Tiffany.

I, like many other fans, was very disappointed with our loss on Sunday. However, unlike many years before, I do not feel angry anymore. Why? I put it down to empathy. The Club is under enormous pressure and so do our players for quite sometime, not the least from expectations of supporters. We are a proud club and do not tolerate failures under any circumstances. The stress, made far worse from constant pressure of the ASADA affair just accumulates. One could feel better one day but sh*thouse the next. in training we did well because we do not have the pressure of a real game. The brain knows that it is simulated. On Sunday, in a real game situation, with the SC notice issued, the Club legal challenge, the media hounding and playing a team that we are expected to win comfortably etc. all these factors could trigger a response resulting highten levels of anxiety, resulting in poor set shot goal kicking, poor decisions etc. It doesn’t affect our energy but it affects our execution.

all these is, of course, pure conjecture but offers a theory as to why we execute poorly on Sunday against a lowley opponent. the fear of loosing to a team that you ‘know’ is inferior can be quite daunting. you go out all guns blazing but unable to put them away, you become more anxious etc. and becomes a vicious circle.

13

69-36 inside 50's in our favour

 

10.17 to 12.6

 

The simple answer is that bad kicking is bad football

 

How is it that we could be 33 points up (seemingly showing no bad reaction to the ASADA issue) but when we manage to ****** defeat from the jaws of victory, the ASADA issue can be blamed?

 

A 149 point turnaround in less than a season and a half!!!!

 

(hmmm...who would have thought that s n a t c h would get filtered out)

14

Jackie is specifically saying that the ASADA issue is manifesting in our players' lack of concentration at key points in our games.

 

How anyone could simply rule this out is pretty laughable. I understand people are upset, but for the love god, have a think about it.

15

 

The ASADA rubbish has cost us many games, and possibly a premiership window.
But it didn't cost us this game. Poor kicking is the sole reason we lost.

My argument is that the poor kicking showed a lack of concentration and the lack of concentration and focus, bearing in mind the contrast to how they trained on Thursday, is probably due in part to the ASADA issue.

 

I put this forward as the most demonstrable evidence so far of the ASADA effect but accept that it is supposition and not quantitatively measurable.

 

When you take into account that many on here claim the players knew from the hawks game last year they wouldn't be playing finals, the drop off in effort and intensity, that is what i'd consider the benchmark for asada stuff effecting them, albeit it was the afl gettng us on trumped up charges.

 

The effort was there, the intensity for most of the game was there, the skill wasn't. Yes you could claim their concentration was off, however that performance is nothing new, granted it may have been worse than previous versions, but it's not something new.

 

It's happened all too many times, esp against Melbourne. It happened against Geelong last year, and it's happened a few other times, that we've managed to cover it with a win.

 

I think it speaks more to the lack of professionalism of the playing group, that yet again, esp against melbourne, they have turned up expecting to do the bare minimum to get a win. Tis very hard to change that mindset IMO once you're into the game.

It's happened to many times in the past, for the asada stuff to be used, that's just an excuse to gloss over the poor performance.

 

The only difference I see between yesterday and any other week, is that bar a handful of players, all the rest had an off day with their skills, instead of vice versa and it being a handful of players having an off day.

 

Bags has cost us a few goals in games by dumb decisions.

Melksham similar.

Hell even Fletch has too

 

For the most part we've been able to cover for a handful of different guys making dumb mistakes from week to week. But you can't cover for it when they almost all have an off day, which for me comes back to the fact they continue to just not be professional enough against what they perceive as a lesser side than them.

16

Jackie is specifically saying that the ASADA issue is manifesting in our players' lack of concentration at key points in our games.

 

How anyone could simply rule this out is pretty laughable. I understand people are upset, but for the love god, have a think about it.

but that is judging the situation in a one off context, without taking into account that fact it's happened before, inside and outside of the asada issue window.

 

So yes it's a possibility that the asada crap played a role in it, it could be about 1 % or 50 who knows. Tis also just as viable a possibility that yesterday was just another prime example of the players not being professional enough in their job.

17

Spoke to a father of one of our senior footballers on Saturday when I was at the local footy.

To suggest the players are not effected by all that is going on would be an incorrect call. In his words “yep been putting up with it for to long his head is f****d”

18

 

Jackie is specifically saying that the ASADA issue is manifesting in our players' lack of concentration at key points in our games.

 

How anyone could simply rule this out is pretty laughable. I understand people are upset, but for the love god, have a think about it.

but that is judging the situation in a one off context, without taking into account that fact it's happened before, inside and outside of the asada issue window.

 

So yes it's a possibility that the asada crap played a role in it, it could be about 1 % or 50 who knows. Tis also just as viable a possibility that yesterday was just another prime example of the players not being professional enough in their job.

 

You actually aren't arguing a different point than Jackie, you are basically saying you are sick of using it as an excuse.

 

That's fine but heartless.

 

We are all ticked off at how long the saga is taking to draw to a close, just don't forget to put yourself in a player's shoes.

19

I don’t think anyone is suggesting it isn’t affecting them at all. Only that from an external point of view at least, there appeared to be other reasons why we lost that game

20

I look at the situation this way. It's pretty obvious the effect that this saga has had on us, the supporters. I know in my own case I've lost sleep and spent far too much time both at home and work gleaning every snippet of information from this site and others... It's become an obsession...and I know I'm not alone.

So if it is having this kind of effect on us, think about what it's doing to the players? As we all know football isn't only a physical game and if you're not switched on mentally you don't always make the best decisions.

The dees loss was bad but the SC notices magnified it 10x, we were all hoping for a fairytale ending to another sh#t week, if for nothing more than to stick it up the detractors, but it didn't eventuate, maybe this week it will.

I'm just enjoying what I can from this year, who knows how it's going to end.