Game day vs Adelaide

[Nico]

Gee that was plain disappointing. It wasn't the effort that was missing but more the footy smarts, awareness, disposal and disposal options.

Craig Bird was really disappointing. Poor kicking, poor selection, second and third to the ball, centre bounce work was rubbish.

Again our achilles heel, the centre clearance, really killed us in the 3rd Q. They got 4 goals from uncontested centre clearances.

Brabazon deserves to play next week as does Smith.

Barlow has a very small motor.

Game plan???

Goodes must be carrying an injury. Pulled up short just before half time against Hawthorn and has lost his zip since. His kicking was awful.

If we could turn around the skill department and centre clearances we would win these games. But alas we bemoan this same stuff every week.

[Gary]

I don't get why it can't be seen that a team hoping to be competitive can have 3 defenders (at the same time) who are full of heart, but slow both in leg & brain, & not particularly blessed with skill i.e. LRT, Grundy & Ted.
I turned it off when 2 of them decided to play marbles, or something, with the ball after a woeful attempt to come out of the goal square.
Speaking of coming out of the goal square...nah...why bother...we obviously don't have a strategy.
I am becoming tired of the Mattner error rate...apart from "that tackle" he is 50 / 50 on every disposal. Crouchy...who I respect greatly...has had it.
SOme young blokes tried hard...but you could not get too excited about any of them
How does White get a game?

[annew]

At least we are not coming and getting thrashed by 69 points!!!! I will be happy if we make the 8 and play the young kids but will be disappointed if we keep scraping along playing the likes of Crouch. I do however think we should keep playing O'Loughlin 'cos he deserves to get to 300.

[Midfield]

It was annoying loss but the effort was there again. We should have been 5-6 goals up at half time and had we been, it would have been enough. In the end we didn't take our chances and as always made some really bad errors, but we'll be ok. For the record i'm through with Barlow, he will never ever come off with a cut head.

[hammo]

At least we are not coming and getting thrashed by 69 points!!!! I will be happy if we make the 8 and play the young kids but will be disappointed if we keep scraping along playing the likes of Crouch. I do however think we should keep playing O'Loughlin 'cos he deserves to get to 300.

MOL is saved by the fact we have no other forwards in reserve, especially now Hall will be likely suspended for a while. Magic did some nice things today but it was another otherwise anonymous game from him. He's a legend of the club but if he gets to 300 it will be a case of him falling over the line.

[Jeffers1984]

Gonna have to suck these fadeouts in. The youngsters need more game time to show their worth and that first half they did show it.

Our kick ins are horrendous as usual. Too many hit and hope bombs that went straight to Crows supporters. Same old @@@@ there.

[Melbournehammer]

yes it is true that o'loughlin's best days are behind him - but he is also our best half forward flanker - if we had three of him hall would kick 10 a gam.

its just a pity that monty's ability to hit a lead has disappeared - hall still is very good on a hard lead into space.

[Lohengrin]

Despite what connolly may say to defend him, Bevan's always been a poor one-on-one defender, he doesn't play tight enough and tends to panic and get outmarked. And he was way too slow for Porp today.

Yes, totally outclassed today.

Also, probably a good idea if Richards doesn't have the ball too much - no football smarts.

[liz]

I love it how this board calls for us to blood some kids and then get's upset when the team falls away in the last half.

FFS guys you can't have it both ways.

If we are going to play that many youngsters as a group, we are going to leave too much to too few. Hence why blokes like Richards and Grundy are going to get found out having to play beyond what they are capable of playing. Doesn't mean they can't play and contribute within a good team.

While some of our youngsters look decent enough they are just not capable of doing enough for a full game. Pretty much the same situation Adelaide found themselves in the last 18 months.

Effort was good today, game plan worked relatively well but just need to get more young guys into the team and give them 20 to 30 games each.

DST

I've only read the last couple of pages of the post game comments but that is the one that makes the most sense.

The first half was more down to us stopping the Crows playing well (with some contribution from them). Even then we lacked class with our own ball use. It was always likely that they'd regroup at half-time and its not surprising we weren't able to maintain the same pressure as the game wore on given how inexperienced much of the team was.

Shame he missed the two shots at goal (and a couple of seasons ago in the reserves he was a dead-eyed dick) but Barlow is showing signs he might become a pretty decent player. Loved the way he kept his eye on the ball after two senior players spoiled each other at half-forward, attacked it, and set up Braba's goal.

Haven't made a secret of the fact I have reservations about Brabazon but for a second gamer did pretty much all that could have been asked of him.

Smith followed up a solid game last week with another decent outing this. Made a few mistakes but showed a bit too.

Thought Kirky and Ryno's work around the ball all game was terrific but in the end they just didn't have enough helpers. Goodes tried hard but does look a little off the boil compared to a few weeks ago, skillwise. And of course we missed the class of McVeigh and the cool head of Bolts.

[Melbournehammer]

it was a bad match up but thats what happens when you lose the one seriously a grade defender you have

[Dalai Lama]

oh no no no no no

LET ME TELL YOU ABOUT MY MOUNTAIN HOME
WHERE ALL THE LADIES NAMES ARE JOAN
WHERE HUSBANDS WORK BACK LATE AT NIGHT
HOPES ARE UP FOR TROUSERS DOWN
WITH HOSTESS ON A BUSINESS FLIGHT
TAXI IN A MERCEDES DRIVE
I HOPE THAT DRIVER'S COMING OUT ALIVE
THE GARDEN IS A DORSETTED
THAT LADY - SHE'S SO CORSETED
SHE'S GOT 15 WAYS TO LEAD THAT BOY ASTRAY
HE THINKS HE'S ONE AND ONLY
BUT THAT LOVELY SHE'S SO LONELY
SHE PUMPS HIM FULL OF BREAKFAST AND SHE SENDS HIM ON HIS WAY
WHAT A SING SONG DANCE
WHAT A PERFORMANCE
WHAT A CHEAP TENT SHOW
OH NO NO NO NO NO

The boys did not light up?

[Foreign Legion]

I think we need some quality young players to start to rebuild. This is just the collapse.

So, how would you expect that Roosy would initiate that?

It took Carltank 5 years to get to crappy level.

[satchmopugdog]

I did light up though when I realised Ihad been granted my pre-game wish to lose by less than the Blues.......and they have a lot of games in their youngsters and the best goal kicker playing...just ask him.

I'm feeling better as the night is getting less puppish.

The moreI think aboutitRoos is doing agood job with what we have got.

Nothing but admiration for Kirk.

May not be changing my user name to Little birdy just yet.

[connolly]

As I said in my heading tickets to the Hall of Fame dinner might be available if significant changes are not made. .

And no doubt you'll be expressing this absurd view to the young men concerned at the dinner?

[connolly]

Yes, totally outclassed today.

Also, probably a good idea if Richards doesn't have the ball too much - no football smarts.

How many goals did their best forward kick today on who? How many did he kick last time we played them on who??? The kids did a terrific job today. Brabazon answered his critics and good on you son. You played yourself into a contract. He should have been played five matches ago. Smith was composed and very sound. Bird is very slow and made a number of clangers but must be perservered with. Barlow is fast, good hands and reads the play well. Reg ran straight and hard at the ball which has rectified his problem of early season Made a few mistakes. BUT FFS YOUNG PLAYERS MAKE MISTAKES AND ITS WITH EXPERIENCE THAT THEY LEARN ON THE JOB IN REGARD TO DECISION MAKING. Crouch has definitely played his last game. He was embarrasing. Slow, caught with the ball and having a look at the player coming at him. McLeod carved him up in the second half. DOK has to be played.