Rd 3 vs Melbourne Demons @ MCG, Sunday April 2 3:20PM - Match Thread

[Hotpotato]

You can’t really blame the players. It’s a very odd shaped ball, you never know which way it’s going to bounce and at the MCG it’s actually programmed to bounce straight into the Melbourne based Cub players hands.

Makes it v hard to win there .

[giant]

I suspect Heeney is playing with an injury (which he often does). There were times when he was matched up against Grundy when Grundy easily outmanoeuvred him when the ball hit the ground - I get that Grundy is mobile but I wouldn't expect this to occur if Isaac were fit. Heeney is certainly not my biggest concern out of yesterday's effort.

It did highlight how dependent we've become on Mills - it wasn't a coincidence that the period we looked most competitive was when Mills looked most involved. Outside that period I though he was pretty ordinary to be honest. Longmire made an interesting comment in his presser that the only real change they made tactically from Q1 to Q2 was something to do with Mills and Oliver - it wasn't clear to me whether that was releasing a "tag" or imposing one, but it was informative that he called it out.

[MarshallG]

My last 2 attended matches have been GF and Rnd 3. Think it best for all I don't attend again.

They were pumped, we were flat.

Some bad decisions made under pressure.

Heeney has prior form with flat spots, history suggests he will bounce back.

[mcs]

Just an observation form yesterday's game. On many occasions when a Melbourne players was about to be tackled they just simply drop the ball. Not sure how that is judged as correct disposal?

That was the crux of my umpire focused rant earlier in the thread.

A lot of teams do it now, and it all goes back to our favourite fairypuppies, or indeed arguably even back to the hawks (who used to do it consistently by holding the ball up high and then letting it slip out of their fingertips, often over the back of their heads).

It is a blight on the game - I think it has been encouraged as a deliberate tactic (that it is - I am sure of) because umpires find it too strenuous to try and adjudicate between genuine occasions when the ball is knocked out in a tackle (and it should be play on) and those where players use contact to simply drop it cold. So they've given up on it, and instead focusing on other rules they can be more clear about (even if it is to the detriment of the game).

[707]

Not sure if it's been mentioned but we took Sheldrick the pick before Van Rooyen despite us appearing to be needing KPF. This selection, non selection may burn.

Cows took the flop Milera the pick before Charlie Curnow - ouch!

[Ludwig]

Not sure if it's been mentioned but we took Sheldrick the pick before Van Rooyen despite us appearing to be needing KPF. This selection, non selection may burn.

It has been mentioned many times............... by me, because Van Rooyen was my choice at that pick. Sheldrick is looking a pretty good selection, nonetheless. With Amartey coming along well, we could be okay without another KPF. The nice thing about JVR is that he can play both ends of the ground.

We will need to focus on KPPs this post season, as we are overloaded with young midfielders. It takes a few years for most KPPs to develop to a reasonable level, which will be about the time when our guys will be in free agent territory.

I think we should be looking toward a 2 KPF forward line. With Heeney and Hayward both strong marking forwards, we really don't have to go tall. Smaller forward lines seems to be doing better in the current game, St. Kilda being a good example.

Melbourne's turn around in the 3rd quarter came after Melksham replaced Brown in their forward line. So it seems to have worked for them, unless it's just a coincidence.

[Auntie.Gerald]

As the dust is settling....

There are a few teams that at their very best are still a touch above us due to their physical ability.

I don't say this lightly because I do love the way we attack the game and our skill level is elite.

But if you get pulled into a dogfight so often the brutally strong and equally skilful will win.

Geelong showed that in the GF to win noatter what they tunnel balled and tipped ahead at all costs moving the ball forward then locking it in on us in our backline. They achieved this via some serious physically dominant players like Paddy jamming the clearances to their advantage by diving at full speed for a tip ahead.

Melbourne showed that their ruck and explosive mids exiting at 110% is better than our ability yesterday.

That doesn't mean as the season goes that our blend of youth won't also rise up to the next level of physically being able to dominate your one on one's.

We are in a wondow.

We do need to capitalise on that given we play in the AFL which is a salary cap environment and being in a window is so bloody hard to achieve.

We do need to answer the 50 goal plus per season loss of Bud.

But immediately the challenge is that a team like Melbourne nullified our ability to counter attack. Melbourne knew that could dictate the middle and equally knew they could mitigate our counter / exists if done bloody well.

And they did.

[Captain]

Farcical comment. Played first half up forward where the delivery was awful. Did some useful stuff on the wing......Played well in first two games - all australian last year. Get a grip.

I love Isaac more than most but man you are well off here. His form prior to the Dees game was very average, barely touched it against two bottom sides when plenty of ball was coming into the forward line.

Who cares what happened last year, it's this years form that is concerning.

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I think we play better without Franklin and we won't improve until he's out of the side.

Absolutely spot on.

[Scottee]

Not sure if it's been mentioned but we took Sheldrick the pick before Van Rooyen despite us appearing to be needing KPF. This selection, non selection may burn.

Cows took the flop Milera the pick before Charlie Curnow - ouch!

I think KB will be forced to eat his words when he said there were no suitable KP players in the draft.

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[aardvark]

In Longmires time as coach we have had 8 50+ point losses. 5 of them at the MCG.

[Auntie.Gerald]

I have been critical of our recruitment at times but Sheldrick and Roberts where recruited not for year 1 nor year 2 impact. I feel that is obvious already.

They don't have a role vs Mills and Parker and Rowbottom and they certainly are not best options for our forward line as defensive forwards etc and they most definitely can't play in the backs.

The best guess is that they were recruited as inside mids that will need 3 years plus to get their performance stats up to the levels of AFL and to replace Parker if injured and or in a couple years.

They are miles off still to be inside mids week in week out.

I saw them Dawso type project players ie 3 or 4 years in ressies building their capacity. Which is also in alignment with juggling our salary cap etc.

But we might have got that massively wrong vs the upside of other options that draft?

Who knows ?

It looks very debatable right now doesn't it.

[MattW]

When Fox is back in I would move Campbell to the wing to replace McInerney. Campbell kicks it a mile whereas JMac has absolutely no depth to his kicking. He is far better at second efforts than Jmac.

My observation is that since Jmac had his injury he has been much less of a player prepared to go into the hurly burly of the game, and has become a very outside player. That wouldn't be so bad but his disposal is very ordinary.

Decent shout.

[MattW]

Not much has been said on here about Stephens being the guy who got subbed. It's very unusual for one of a team's best runners to be subbed without injury. My take is that he was not doing the job that was asked of him and was dragged. Selection could be interesting this week.

In regards to the sub, it seems like Roberts is playing that as the next best small. I don't think he suits this role. He is a good player but he is not going to have the impact that other dynamic players may have. I don't think Sheldrick is the ideal sub either. IMO, inside mids are not subs. They need a whole game to have an influence. A Hall-Kahan or Konstanty (when fit) are the better types of subs. Potentially Robbie Fox could be a good sub too with his run and marking prowess.

Agreed, generally, although if the impact player is good enough, they should be in the team. Fox is best 22; could be sub as re-entry point. Pretty sure Roberts hasn't given us anything as a sub, so some kind of rethink is needed.

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I think you're right about the reason Stephens got yanked. I'm a fan of his, but he was poor yesterday, particularly defensively.

But I wouldn't be dropping him on one game, as I think going all yo-yo on him will do no good. I reckon subbing him out will have made the point. It's also hard to maintain selection consistency and integrity when you're singling one bloke out for one poor game, whilst others get an extended run (even allowing for supposed credits in the bank).

He definitely had the look of someone who'd been dragged. Might have served the function of proving a point; didn't improve on-field performance.

[MattW]

I suspect Heeney is playing with an injury (which he often does). There were times when he was matched up against Grundy when Grundy easily outmanoeuvred him when the ball hit the ground - I get that Grundy is mobile but I wouldn't expect this to occur if Isaac were fit. Heeney is certainly not my biggest concern out of yesterday's effort.

It did highlight how dependent we've become on Mills - it wasn't a coincidence that the period we looked most competitive was when Mills looked most involved. Outside that period I though he was pretty ordinary to be honest. Longmire made an interesting comment in his presser that the only real change they made tactically from Q1 to Q2 was something to do with Mills and Oliver - it wasn't clear to me whether that was releasing a "tag" or imposing one, but it was informative that he called it out.

Re 'it wasn't clear to me whether that was releasing a "tag" or imposing one, but it was informative that he called it out' - me neither, although I had assumed the latter.

So I just subjected to myself to a selection of centre bounces from the game and confirmed that.

Mills started on a wing! He moved into the centre square after about 4 CBs, but matched up randomly. He started the second half directly opposed to Oliver.

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I think KB will be forced to eat his words when he said there were no suitable KP players in the draft.

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Yes.

[waswan]

Way too early to waste anytime talking about the draft and what Van Rooyen is or maybe.

He has played one game, our guy hasnt been given a good crack due to injury etc.

1000 examples of guys that had a good first game or year and ended up being nothing