Post match. Pies down to Crows. All comments please.

[courtza]

[Krakouer Magic]

27 scoring shots to 19. AFC in front for 115.58 mins vs pies 1:34. AFC 51% of possession in fwd half vs CFC 38%. Smashed in centre square.

Yes the players gave a great effort. But it's more of the same we've seen for the past 3 years. It's always, if a player comes back or if we can clean up the basic mistakes we'll be a top 8 side. I don't agree.

We had 405 disposals, and again more hand passes than kicks. Everytime that happens we lose. the gameplan has far too much reliance on handpass. It's a flaw. The gameplan appears designed to get counter attack from defence. We push so far back that we lose structure up the field. One of the reasons I think we end up with marks 40 plus out, instead of inside fwd 30.

Fasolo while handy, wouldn't have changed the result. Elliott may not be the same player when he comes back and swan may not come back at all.

AFC were sloppy as hell tonight as well. Yet they never looked like losing. I just don't see where or how this performance, or any of the performances for the last few weeks we translate to finals in 2017.

Melbourne are better than us, Port are better than us, Freo will bounce back and Essendon will be much improved next year. Of the top 8, nmfc look like they won't be their in 2017. I just don't see how the same basic errors that have happened, the same inconsistency in performance that has happened, for the 3 years (well 5 years really) will change next year.

[courtza]

[bally12]

That spark and belief wasn't there today that we saw last week. We looked a bit flat, and I felt that we didn't take the game on enough to break their press, and didn't have the class to deliver into the forward line, neither the forwards to cause Adelaide to panic.The game was played on Adelaide's terms.
Thought the Maynard-Betts matchup was wrong.

Liked:
Sinclair - best on ground for us. Gave us drive, contested and defended well.
Grundy - improved heaps over the last few weeks.
Marsh - was solid. Like his dash, and spoiling. Not as bad a kick as I thought, although I didn't see him kick on the run..more standing-start kicks. Keep playing him.
Aish - clean and good decisions.
Adams - everything is good except his kicking action. I cringe when he kicks. Although mostly effective and has improved, it won't hold up under pressure. He needs to use his right hand to guide the ball down.

Didn't like:
Brown - doesn't have an offensive part to his game and can't kick. Do we keep him just as a stopper on the power forward? In my view, we can't afford to because the opposition will have the equivalent player eg. Gibson for Hawks, that is also able to go the other way and create.The competition is so even, that even a small advantage can be the decisive factor.
Macaffer - so slow it's painful. Nice guy though.
Darcy Moore - had a shocker. I wouldn't be playing him in the seniors at the moment.
White - too inconsistent. His good is good, but his bad is awful.
Blair - I really don't want to pay money to watch this guy play. As honest as the day is long, but just doesn't have the class or speed or strength or height or smarts to be playing at this level. If Blair was on the open market does anyone seriously think any other club would go for him? Buckley needs to get real, and put us all out of our misery.

All is not lost. We have the makings of a good team, but smart decisions need to be made going forward. We MUST put an emphasis on kicking. I mean not just practising, but getting someone to teach technique. Someone that knows what he's doing..understands human biomechanics and how it translates to kicking a Sherrin. Not that idiot Ben Dixon. If you look at any world sport, the teaching of technique and skills is the most important factor in coaching. This goes for everything from athletics to swimming to any ball sports. I'm not talking about kicking for goal here. I'm talking field-kicking at pace, executing flat, driving kicks (which easily shows up any technique flaw). As a whole the AFL is amateurish in lots of things, including this area. Hawthorn have stolen a march on the competition just by being a bit smarter and emphasising the importance of kicking.
Sure, there is an element of natural ability involved, developed over the course of the player's junior years, but you can't tell me an 18-year coordinated kid can't improve his kicking with the right tuition and practise. Right now, about half our list have technique flaws, and Sinclair isn't one of them.
The paradox in all this is that our coach was probably the best kick of the footy EVER. And yet all he keeps preaching is "hard work". Go figure.

[qldmagpie67]

Tonight showed the gulf between a very good side and us.
We have to few players who have composure under pressure
Our disposal is ordinary to the point of being embarrassing at times players like Sidey missing a handball target 2m away, Treloar running and kicking to the opposition and being burned the other way, Crisp fumbling with first tofu so often the list goes on.
For all his competitive nature White is just a dumb footballer. Moore or Cloke leading to a area and instead of either going back towards goal or leading in different direction he takes his opponent to the contest taking away our one on one chance just plain dumb
For all the negatives with the above one thing for mine stood out the players never gave up and that's a huge plus. Tells me they are all in for the club and have pride in the jersey. Would have been easy to turn it up with 15 to go and get beaten by 8-10 goals but they kept fighting for every pocession and at every contest.
We need to find some real class or use the class we have better
Sidey needs to go forward to replace Caff
Varcoe needs to be our outside creator with Pendles & Aish
Thought overall the game was what you would really expect one side a top 2 team playing a side who at best is around 7-10 class showed experience showed and composure showed
That effort is good again like last week difference is last week GWS didn't have the composure to handle our pressure
Let's hope we keep that up the remainder of the season if we do we can win more than we lose for sure
On to next week go the pies

[BazBoy]

Two final eight sides in two weeks and they played desparate footy both weeks

But week one on ball movement was excellent

Wek two not as good

[BazBoy]

Two final eight sides in two weeks and they played desparate footy both weeks

But week one on ball movement was excellent

Wek two not as good

[think better]

There thing I learnt

1. sack the boot studder - i counted 8 time our guys slipped over at crucial times - Crows didn't seem to have the same problem

2. our switch play across the back didn't work at all tonight - I think we got caught out most times

3. the effort was good but we missed too many targets - we seemed to think every player is Mason Cox and managed to kick just over their heads too often

[thompsoc]

[BazBoy]

A good assesment but what got me was last week
with both foot and hand--centimeter perfect

This week (a) we slipped back to poor disposal at times when we had a good avenue to goal
And (b) forwards went from properly positioning themelves to something akin to "Browns Cows"

Our intensity was good as they kicked 1st 5 then
at games end we lost by that so after the initial start
we matched them across 3 and a bit qtrs. on the scoreboard and entry

[Culprit]

Lost the game in the first quarter and played catch up after that. The team had a crack and whilst I am annoyed we lost I am not disappointed. One point raised last night was that we have only 5 players that have played all year and that is very clear in our game play. Let's bounce back and knock off the Roos.

[BazBoy]

Yeah let's do that !!
Apart from West Coast and Hawk's following the Norf game we have some lower ranking side's

Let's take NO prisoner's instead kick butt big time

[WarrenerraW]

This was always going to be a tough game but I was still hopeful we would be able to produce something on the night to give the crows a scare.

Our intent, endeavour and pressure was there. We never gave up even after quarter time when all seemed lost.

We simply lack class and poise and turning the ball over at critical times was so costly as well as trying to be too cute with the footy. Also our delivery into the forward line was pathetic. Treloar shanked about half a dozen I reckon. He runs, takes three bounces and kicks it out wide. Shit like that is what separates us from the top sides who are able to nail targets when required.

Having the likes of Faz and Elliott in the forward line tonight would've helped enormously too. Adelaide did not have it all their own way and we pushed them to the limit. They would've expected a big win.

Fortunately we're not far off being a good side once we get our best team on the park.

This could very easily have been a blow out. Another big test next week against another team hanging in for a finals spot.

While I'm disappointed we lost, the signs are there that we're on the up.

Clean up the ball use and get our best team on the park and we can beat anyone.

[Mugwump]

[thompsoc]