Rd 14 vs Brisbane Lions @ Gabba - Match Thread

[wolftone57]

That call was laughably bad.

It really feels like some of the current crop of umpires are very desperate to be the centre of attention, and so almost guess at times. Not convinced at all by the extra umpire being an improvement at all.

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I believe AFL Umpires are incompetent

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[mcs]

It was not our avenue to goal. It is our delivery. We had plenty of avenues but our delivery was astoundingly bad. If we had kicked directly and not just bombed in the third quarter we would have had so far more quality play. We wasted ball

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It was definitely disappointing that move back to bombing it in the third.

But we have issues both on delivery and avenues to goal. We have no small forwards of note outside of paps (with an occasional Wicks cameo), Hayward remains an enigma, Heeney injured but ineffective this year.

Lots of good ingredients but the cake doesn't quite work at the moment.

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[MattW]

Wicks has moments but too many errors. I’d rather play Hall Kahan

Someone else, at least, although not Clarke.

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The banging on about umpires is very boring. What's the point?

[Foreign Legion]

Well you would hope Heeney would be back next week. Different from Wicks but still mobile etc and a much better mark. We NEED Mills

[Nico]

Mmmm sorry? So we should pick a team of good blokes who the coach likes instead of the best player..

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Hayward. His game was abysmal. He had 2 kicks and 2 handpasses to half time, and a kick in third quarter from what was deemed a dangerous tackle. Otherwise he was red hot holding the ball. He kicks one in the last Q then when we find ourselves back in game, then butchers one from 30 metres. That's the 4th time this season when we have been in the game in the last quarter. He had 6 possessions for the game. Gives us nothing and you see other players playing their guts out to keep us in the game. He was beaten in the one on ones in the first 3 quarters every time. Weak as water.

[Foreign Legion]

I can't reply with quote Nico for some reason but I agree Hayward is way out of form. I actually like him as a player but he just seems to be 'floating along' a bit. Not really desperate.

If we had someone in the 2nd's Id give him a rest. Maybe Hall-Kahan? He is the only like for like.

[Nico]

Warner is just not putting it together this year. Don’t get me wrong, he does a lot of good but the special things he was doing last year aren’t happening this year.

That's because he is tagged every week.

[MattW]

Rowbottom and Parker were outstanding. Desperate and hard. Neither could have done anything more.

Sheldrick will eventually reach at least Rowbottom's level. Excellent sixth career game. Finds the ball in close and sticks tackles. Hunts contests with quiet confidence. Kicked well tonight, too.

Gulden was also very good.

Amartey took some great marks.

Too many passengers at the moment, though. Tall defenders look largely inept. Fox is wasted playing up the ground.

Wicks went into his shell after his absurd stiff arm. Might be time to bring Corey Warner in for him.

We need to do what we can to get a top 5 draft pick and @@@@ing nail it after the Stephens miss.

[Nico]

In the last quarter Joel Amartey got a fair bit of the footy. Why was he kept out of the ruck for most of the game? Perplexing.

[AB Swannie]

That's because he is tagged every week.

Maybe he is getting more attention but I don’t think he’s been getting a hard tag. Either his execution or decision making or both are down 10% at least from last year.

[waswan]

Maybe he is getting more attention but I don’t think he’s been getting a hard tag. Either his execution or decision making or both are down 10% at least from last year.

He continuously runs left and jab kicks on his right at full stretch.... Surprised he doesnt do Hammys

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Would like to see Stephens get a full run in the midfield before his 50th Game

[waswan]

Rampe Fox and Blakey for kick ins
Reckon Hayward starts his leads too early, always seems to be at the 50 when, big when, he marks it
Rowy left to chase his own ball
Sheldrick in the mids, will be rising star this week
Stephens in the mids
Leave Wicks in QLD
Francis or Melican when Tom is right, not both
Fox deep
Like Amartey as 2nd Ruck
Harry very good lockdown
Ollie up the ground if Fox and Ramps are back

[Markwebbos]

An “impartial” and largely positive perspective on the game.

Footy Fix: Their season is all but cooked - but gutsy, fierce Swans still have the brightest of futures ahead

I agree we were outclassed.

Thought Sheldrick again showed he belongs on the ball. Amartey went ok second game back. And Campbells bullet pass was a thing of beauty.

And potentially Mills, McCartin, MacDonald and more to return next week!

[Auntie.Gerald]

The Bears kicked 6.14 to 6.3 after the break which can be interpreted in so many ways by us supporters and or commentators.

I personally walked away from the game thinking we put the ???? bear back in the phrase “bear hug” last night.

We compressed the space of the game when ever we had a chance to minimise quality exits from the Bears. This had to be no1 due to Bears the having too many dangerous forwards who can create too much scoreboard pressure. If we let the Bears get ahead by a few goals then they could dictate the game shape and we be very vulnerable to uncontested one on one tall forwards dominating.

Yet we seemed very comfortable as supporters by our effort last night. I did feel it was a great effort and a serious challenge that we took on tactically and individually very well.

When Melbourne played the Pies last game with a similar massive shots at goal by Melb vs the Pies it was described as Melbourne just very wayward and would have won by so much more.

The Pies only just lost by 4 pts with 7 players out of their best 22 also.

I think there are a lot of learnings we can take from our games as well as other teams in the comp and the way they are coached.

We had no other way would could have played the game with the lack of Snr best 22 players missing. We had to lock it in areas of the field where ever possible so that that exits by the Bears were non penetrating kicks and that means u have to give up a part of the field and or shape.

We did this very well and that meant incredibly desperate pressure one on one when the Bears unlocked our Bear grip areas of the field we tried to lock into.

It’s a shame though that as a top4 team from last year we haven’t at least achieved a couple more wins so that as the troops return that we can fight for the finals.

A few more wins has us in the top8 right now.

[Auntie.Gerald]

Lastly I think that the Bears located in Brisbane a rugby league and private school heavy rugby union town have done exceptionally good job the last few years.

It is miles away from AFL heartland

Fagan understands the game very well and articulates parts the game so much better than Horse who tends to stumble once he moves away from hardness and pressure in his press conferences

Fagan has recruited very well with his recruitment staff ie his mix of trades vs draft picks have been great to watch develop. The last batch of father son and academy picks etc are a real prize for the bears.

He has got some very difficult matchups right across the park which makes the Bears a real force.

Yet we hung in there with them which was impressive also