Round 6 vs Geelong Cats @ GMHBA - Match Thread

[Ludwig]

I can understand our coaches being displeased with our performance last night, because it really was a poor effort. But in the end, to escape with only an injury to Roberts, is a good result. We were never going to be competitive against a team like Geelong.

We needed our KPPs to stand up this year if we wanted to be in the running, but our KPP stocks have been decimated by injury and it's hard to see how this gets fixed this year.

Our KPP problems will span well beyond this season. The only KPF who looks capable for next season is McDonald. It would be great if Amartey can turn around his injury curse, because he is more than a capable sidekick. But he may well turn out to be another Reid or Melican, and become a player who cannot be relied upon to play most weeks.

The defensive end is even worse. Rampe is close to retirement. Paddy McCartin is likely to retire, Brother Tom is also concussion prone and could well join him in retirement. I can't imagine a doctor passing Paddy fit to play. Why would a doctor take that risk?

Now is even clearer that we made a mistake to let Aliir go and lose Dawson to Adelaide. We should have found a way to keep them. We are facing a KPP rebuild, the success of which likely to determine if and when will will be a premiership contender.

First on the agenda is to resolve whether or not Gould and Francis can be part of the mix next year. We simply have to play them to see how we stand going in to the trade and draft period. They will have an influence on just how far we have to go to acquire KPPs and and what combination of trading and drafting will best suit our requirements.

Longmire has to get the priorities right. It is more than a week to week proposition, but rather one than will span several years. We have problems with our midfield group, but also have enough youth and decent prospects to not be too concerned about this right now. The poor performances from Stevens, JMac and Cunningham can be addressed on a short term basis for the moment. We can bring in players like Sheldrick and HHK and send a couple of those under-performers back to the VFL to work on their games.

I like Longmire, but he needs to show some vision in the way he approaches the rest of this season.

[chalbilto]

Not sure why anyone is surprised by the Victorian commentary box hacks proving for the umpteenth time they are hacks. There was a very good article earlier in the week about the standard of the AFL media in the Guardian, well worth a read.

Be more likely Fox gets a fine for getting in the way of Duncan then Duncan actually being charged.

I can't wait until Fox are allowed to use their own commentators in all games.

[giant]

What a horrendous experience (and I turned it off from half time so didn't have to sit through the worst of it). If last week's win was the inspiration that would lift us through the rest of the season then last night's effort threatens to suck the life-force out of us for seasons to come. Of course, both extremes are an exaggeration but I don't see how a belting like that doesn't leave some scars.

Sure, we're missing 7 first pick talls but your mids have to stand up more than that - it was truly dreadful.

More on changes for next week in the appropriate thread, but right now the leaders and the coaching panel have some resetting to do.

[Blood Fever]

What a horrendous experience (and I turned it off from half time so didn't have to sit through the worst of it). If last week's win was the inspiration that would lift us through the rest of the season then last night's effort threatens to suck the life-force out of us for seasons to come. Of course, both extremes are an exaggeration but I don't see how a belting like that doesn't leave some scars.

Sure, we're missing 7 first pick talls but your mids have to stand up more than that - it was truly dreadful.

More on changes for next week in the appropriate thread, but right now the leaders and the coaching panel have some resetting to do.

I'd bring Sheldrick in and either rest Gulden or make him sub. Still a very young player. We did this with Heeney early in his career and he is a bigger unit than Errol who is copping a lot of punishment. Needs to freshen up.

[The Big Cat]

What a horrendous experience (and I turned it off from half time so didn't have to sit through the worst of it).

Turned it off at half time? And people accuse the players of lack of heart.

[i'm-uninformed2]

I've been wondering for a few weeks now whether we're getting the most out of our midfield group.

The best players want to play on-ball, so I understand why Gulden wants to play there. And he's shown enough contested ball-winning ability to show why the coaches are playing him there. But he seems to be doing a lot of what Rowbottom was doing last year - being the first to get hands on ball and dishing out to another (like Warner) or throwing it on the boot quickly. There's a place for both those things on a football field, and Rowbottom was reasonably effective at them. Gulden has been reasonably effective at them too - less so yesterday but that wasn't through lack of trying on his part. He was simply monstered (and targetted, as Barry points out).

The overall effect seems to be to make little use of Rowbottom, and to detract from the things that sets Gulden apart from most other players. Not just his kicking skills but his vision too.

Maybe in a few years time, when his body is more mature and he has more experience, he might become a very effective onballer. But I wonder if he might be gradually eased in for shorter periods of the game, to allow others to do more of the grunt work, and to allow him to play portions of the game more on the outside.

"Impressed" is too strong a word, but I was encouraged by Roberts up to the point where he was injured. He doesn't have silky skills or much in the way of pace, but he seems to have adjusted to the speed of the game reasonably well (compared to his forgettable debut last year) and he plays within his limitations. If it weren't for him now joining the injury list, I'd have liked to see him and Gulden switch within games, so that both play some time "inside" and some "outside".

I think this is a very good post. The other thing Gulden offers when he’s a bit more outside is his hard running, partly due to work rate and partly due to IQ on knowing where to be. Last year you’d regularly see him go from goal square to goal square, then reappear an instant later back on a wing. We don’t have a lot of that right now.

I’d also like to see the coaches think laterally on a night like last night. McInerney’s last couple of games have been poor. Why not throw him into the centre square after half time when nothing else was working, given the few times he’s gone in there in recent years, he was stellar - winning us a game against the Bombers late ‘21, and one against Norf last year. Would it have worked? Maybe not against the Cats midfield and with his current form. But why not roll the dice when everything was lost.

The likelihood of Sheldrick getting a game this week enthuses me. Our midfield looks sluggish right now. Players with quick feet, intent and explosion are desperately needed. And as good as Campbell has been down back, and I thought he was one of the few to hold his standards for four quarters last night, I hope he’ll migrate into the midfield mix at some stage soon - even for patches like Papley does.

[stevoswan]

I'd bring Sheldrick in and either rest Gulden or make him sub. Still a very young player. We did this with Heeney early in his career and he is a bigger unit than Errol who is copping a lot of punishment. Needs to freshen up.

Sheldrick has to come in...he IS literally banging the door down now.

From the VFL report. "Midfielder Angus Sheldrick continues to push hard for a senior recall, finishing with a game-high 35 disposals and nine clearances as well as two goals."

Hickey also returned in the VFL but McAndrew got way more hit outs, 37 to Tom's 17, so who know's if he's ready.

Also, hopefully Tom Mc and Ramps are ready to return. Paddy....not likely.

[mcs]

Hickey looked rusty but played decent minutes. Wouldn't be surprised if he came in for McLean - even a 66% fit Hickey would offer more. But they may choose to give him another week in ressies to build up fitness.

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[Roadrunner]

I'd bring Sheldrick in and either rest Gulden or make him sub. Still a very young player. We did this with Heeney early in his career and he is a bigger unit than Errol who is copping a lot of punishment. Needs to freshen up.

As Ludwig says, we have serious issues with talls, or the lack thereof. McLean hasn’t cut it and Amartey is unfortunately too injury prone and Sammy is part-time only. This leaves us with just Logan, who still has a fair way to go. Therefore we have to play both Francis and Gould to see if they are worth retaining. Sadly, Harry is gone- his best is behind him. Horse has to be tough now: JMac and Stephens one more game to show more, otherwise to be dropped. Sheldrick in next week and Parks up forward as we need our youngsters in the guts and never move Mills to defence except for last minutes of a close game.

Team selection, tactics and positional moves are the major responsibility of our coaches and they are not beyond criticism just like our players. Our recruiters have been obsessed with midfielders the last 2 or more drafts at the expense of KPP’s and we’re now paying the price! Who was the last KPP we drafted?

[mcs]

Surprise surprise, Duncan gets off scot free.

Ward at the giants offered a week. Both Sydney sides well below full strength next week.

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[troyjones2525]

I think this is a very good post. The other thing Gulden offers when he’s a bit more outside is his hard running, partly due to work rate and partly due to IQ on knowing where to be. Last year you’d regularly see him go from goal square to goal square, then reappear an instant later back on a wing. We don’t have a lot of that right now.

I’d also like to see the coaches think laterally on a night like last night. McInerney’s last couple of games have been poor. Why not throw him into the centre square after half time when nothing else was working, given the few times he’s gone in there in recent years, he was stellar - winning us a game against the Bombers late ‘21, and one against Norf last year. Would it have worked? Maybe not against the Cats midfield and with his current form. But why not roll the dice when everything was lost.

The likelihood of Sheldrick getting a game this week enthuses me. Our midfield looks sluggish right now. Players with quick feet, intent and explosion are desperately needed. And as good as Campbell has been down back, and I thought he was one of the few to hold his standards for four quarters last night, I hope he’ll migrate into the midfield mix at some stage soon - even for patches like Papley does.

I definitely do not want Gulden as the sub as we need all the quality in the side as we can get at the moment.

I absolutely agree though with what you said regarding Mcinerney! I thankfully missed the game but as you put it, why wouldn't we try something different in the 2nd half when the game was clearly gone and the usual stuff didn't seem to be working???

Seems baffling and short sighted by the coaching staff to me...

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[troyjones2525]

Surprise surprise, Duncan gets off scot free.

Ward at the giants offered a week. Both Sydney sides well below full strength next week.

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That Ward one seems ridiculous! It looked as if Neale played it up to gain a free kick to me! Typical of the MRP and dim witted journalists to fall into that rubbish!

Perhaps the @@@@ing umpires could blow their whistles a bit more when a perfect tackle is laid and then players might not have to bring their opponents to ground as often... [emoji848]

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[mcs]

That Ward one seems ridiculous! At looked as if Neale played it up to gain a free kick to me! Typical of the MRP and dim witted journalists to fall into that rubbish!

Perhaps the @@@@ing umpires could blow their whistles a bit more when a perfect tackle is laid and then players might not have to bring their opponents to ground as often... [emoji848]

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Yeh I just watched it as well. Surely they will challenge.

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[troyjones2525]

Yeh I just watched it as well. Surely they will challenge.

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While it's handy for us that he misses, I hope they challenge and win or else our game is stuffed!

On another sombre note, I can't believe that we were on top of the ladder with a huge percentage after 2 rounds to being outside the 8 at the moment...

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[Agent 86]

Surprise surprise, Duncan gets off scot free.

Ward at the giants offered a week. Both Sydney sides well below full strength next week.

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Not surprised if Duncan gets off, really not that much he could do. Let that one go.

Haven’t seen Ward (Hunter valley enjoying wine and other goodies).