Okay kids, so I consider this our best win of 2020 to date.
I feel it was effectively an 8-point game; a loss would have see us back in the pack, and in hostile territory with our backs to the wall.
I'm loving the fast ball movement and first option hot-potato disposal rate.
Again, when every player buys-in and contributes with little complacency, over four quarters, then we are very hard to beat.
Even IQ and AB are doing the minimal 1%'s required, without needing to accumulate a swag of possessions.
Sure the Cats were minus Tom Stewart, who is a superb intercept defender when in tandem with Blitz-arse [and we are missing Howe].
Don't know why Rhys Stanley wasn't selected to tackle Grundy, he is their best ruck option; is he injured?
Granted Geebung lost Duckwood by 1/4-time, and Clark late, which hurt their rotations. IIRC, we lost JDG by 1/4-time in the 2019QF, and held them off in a goal-less last quater for an epic win; so swings and round-abouts with soft tissue injuries there peeps.
Again, I lay blame at squarely at AwFuL for a lack of extended interchange or a player sub allowance in 2020.
slangman wrote:Geelong only kicked one goal that wasn’t from our direct error.
I came up with the same statistic.
Considering the way they dismantled a rampant Brisbane in the 2nd half last week, then this is absolutely exceptional.
WarrenerraW wrote:Very nice to finish off the way we did because that was a tough game. We looked really good in parts but seriously need to clean up our decision making and ball use because when we cough it up it ends up costing us dearly.
I also wish we'd cut out the short kicks in the HB because time and time again we screw it up and turn it over...
Agreed, the backline might want to minimise this tactic at least until Howe returns, they we can ensure it's executed with competence.
The ball use in general is on the verge of sharpening up; we've seen enough glimpses of it in the last two weeks to warrant hope there!
What'sinaname wrote:The low scoring is a problem. It meant we are never comfortably ahead, and last night, umpiring had the biggest impact on the game. Umpires never let the Cats get a sniff in the last quarter.
If we were down 8 points at 3/4 time, and then proceeded to get the next 10 free kicks paid against us, we'd be filthy and accusing the AFL of cheating and demand Eddie do something.
Umpires had more influence than any player on the ground.
And this is a problem because Geebung didn't get the world given to them like they did against Brisbane the week prior?!
Let's alalyse the very valid comment below:
Pies4shaw wrote:By the way, the umpires were influential - they let Grundy (again) be dragged, scragged and pushed all night. Pity he didn’t play in the 1970s, he would have received about 10 free kicks a quarter.
The umpiring ruins the game as a spectacle and allows too much holding of the game’s genuine champions, I suppose it’s what we have to expect - special rules to let teams that can’t field a competent ruckman be competitive against one of the two or three best that the game has ever seen.
Still, his game last night was the equivalent of a 58 hit out, 20 disposal game in a full-length match of footy.
Opposition teams have no answer to Grundy. The last time he was fairly beaten was by fatigue and exhaustion in the 2018GF against Lycett and Vardy, who played their last game together as a ruck duo that day.
So in 2020, their only solution is to scrag him at every ball-up around the ground.
Evidently we lead the league at present for free kicks? Well f#ck me!
Most of those go Grundy and Pendlebury, who get held at most stoppages prior to taking possession of the ball. The opposition know it's the only way to stop our run, and play russian roulette daring the umpire to call them out on the tactic, I reckon we get maybe one in five actually paid.
Seriously, I'd love to see the number of free kicks given to us inside F50, compared to the opposition, particularly the last three rounds; not even close.
What was I disappointed with the most?
Not seeing Scott with his coaches box charades [hands raised in bewilderment, mouth agape and eyes bulging open] when every single free kick didn't go their way...
I hate this mob; 2011 still burns me.
The sooner Suckwood, Dangerflog, Uncle Harry, Dunderklumpen Hawkins, Sniper Rohan and the Little Monster get pensioned off to exile or the Bellarine leagues, and this club gets consigned to the arse end of the ladder for a long term Carlton-like rebuild, the happier I will be...
Now for that other bunch of dream shattering arsehats - the Weasels....
