Match Committee - Round 6 vs Adelaide

[bornadog]

The delivery was poor into the forward line because we had no one presenting for us to kick to. Jones absolutely refused to make any effort at all. Crameri was also poor, there was nothing for the players up the ground to do but bomb it long.

Some half decent effort from a lead up forward and w
our entries would have looked much better.

Have a look at the forward line in the 2nd and 3rd quarters and you will find that Crameri, Jones, Gia, Dickson, Campbell, hardly touched the ball. Dahl had 4 disposals to half time and then got plenty in the 3rd, but no effect at all.

[The Bulldogs Bite]

The delivery was poor into the forward line because we had no one presenting for us to kick to. Jones absolutely refused to make any effort at all. Crameri was also poor, there was nothing for the players up the ground to do but bomb it long.

Some half decent effort from a lead up forward and w
our entries would have looked much better.

Yep.

At least Campbell did present (at times), but was always out-numbered. Why we let Adelaide have their loose man for the second and third quarters I'll never know. Killed us. I thought subbing Campbell was a very stupid decision.

[bornadog]

Yep.

I thought subbing Campbell was a very stupid decision.

I think the MC thought they had no choice but to put Jones in the backline and not Campbell. I still maintain we went into the game with one tall less than we should have in the backline. Talia isnot listed as injured, but I didn't see him on the ground midway through the 3rd quarter, so Jones went back on to Pods, where Stringer was trying but being monstored by a taller and heavier opponent.

[The Bulldogs Bite]

I think the MC thought they had no choice but to put Jones in the backline and not Campbell. I still maintain we went into the game with one tall less than we should have in the backline. Talia isnot listed as injured, but I didn't see him on the ground midway through the 3rd quarter, so Jones went back on to Pods, where Stringer was trying but being monstored by a taller and heavier opponent.

I was OK with Jones going back - he was nothing short of woeful up forward. Ended up being even worse down back, but it was worth a try.

Gia should have been subbed, not Campbell.

[bornadog]

Gia should have been subbed, not Campbell.

Yes agree with that as it left the forward line with no talls at all.

[Greystache]

I was OK with Jones going back - he was nothing short of woeful up forward. Ended up being even worse down back, but it was worth a try.

Gia should have been subbed, not Campbell.

I saw him with ice on his thigh late, he might have got a Cork. It's the only explanation for him being subbed because Jones was pathetic, Minson was giving us nothing, and Gia can't play more than a quarter.

[Ozza]

Yes agree with that as it left the forward line with no talls at all.

We had to sub a tall. We were far too slow up forward, yes too short down back- but Campbell couldn't play there so it's an easy call by then.

A shame that Lachie Hunter was so poor once he came on- never looked like getting dangerous.

[Mantis]

Yes agree with that as it left the forward line with no talls at all.

But, it forced us to lower our eyes and hit up leading targets which worked well... The fact that Campbell was standing in the square like a big log and only creating a contest when the ball was directly on top of his head is getting missed here.

[Ozza]

But, it forced us to lower our eyes and hit up leading targets which worked well... The fact that Campbell was standing in the square like a big log and only creating a contest when the ball was directly on top of his head is getting missed here.

I'm glad someone brought it up! The addition of Campbell really butchered our forward structure. We either had him planted in the goal square, or Minson - and both we pretty hopeless. Leaving Jones out on a half forward flank - where he had no idea what to do with himself.

We actually looked our best once Stringer and Crameri were deep late in the game.

And we certainly can't have Gia and Dickson (and Stevens and Hunter) all in the same forward line.

[bulldogtragic]

Can we come back to the Gia thing, hyperbole aside, last week there's a strong defence and those questioning seemed a little on the outer. After last weekend, I think the chorus will come, and I'd prefer the debate before that. There's a strong view we need some experience out there, there's a view that person ought not specifically be Gia. It's an interesting discussion leaving the hyperbole aside.

[azabob]

Can we come back to the Gia thing, .

Post three of this thread I said Gia should be omitted from the side. I didn't see anything on Sunday to change my mind. His fitness and mind are still willing and still able to compete at AFL level, however I am afraid his leg speed isn't up to AFL level.

Players will continue to run off him, teams will play through his opponent which then puts further pressure on other players to defensively pick up the slack.

My view is we we have enough on-field experience - Murphy, Boyd, Higgins, Griffen, Cooney, Minson, Picken and Morris. To a lesser degree Crameri, Liberatore, Roughead to help the other half of the team through the match and ensure the right message is being given.

Is their scope within the rules to have Gia as a match day runner? Or as someone suggested in another post as a bench coach?

[bulldogtragic]

Post three of this thread I said Gia should be omitted from the side. I didn't see anything on Sunday to change my mind. His fitness and mind are still willing and still able to compete at AFL level, however I am afraid his leg speed isn't up to AFL level.

Players will continue to run off him, teams will play through his opponent which then puts further pressure on other players to defensively pick up the slack.

My view is we we have enough on-field experience - Murphy, Boyd, Higgins, Griffen, Cooney, Minson, Picken and Morris. To a lesser degree Crameri, Liberatore, Roughead to help the other half of the team through the match and ensure the right message is being given.

Is their scope within the rules to have Gia as a match day runner? Or as someone suggested in another post as a bench coach?

Really valid points Aza, I hadn't considered the running off him angle. First thoughts are this is a valid concern. I think that's a concern if he plays the whole game, flip side, Gia as the sub is so predictable to coach against whoever thinks this is worth going to the well needs some quiet contemplation time to reassess.

As to match day runner, probably not this year. But... If he did a long term injury maybe he can sit on the rear of the bench though. In that scenario we get to upgrade Austin and god willing any tall defender gets into last week's team.

[jazzadogs]

As to match day runner, probably not this year. But... If he did a long term injury maybe he can sit on the rear of the bench though. In that scenario we get to upgrade Austin and god willing any tall defender gets into last week's team.

When GWS had Luke Power, Cornes, Brogan etc., they were allowed to list Power (and maybe the others) as a member of their coaching panel when he wasn't playing, meaning he could sit on the bench and go out to the quarter time huddles. Would be worth looking into for Gia IMO...effectively doing the same role he's doing now without the quarter of game time added on.

[jeemak]

It's easy to get stuck into Gia after this week. After all, we delivered the ball slowly like shit for two quarters of the game and allowed Adelaide's defenders an easy run out of defence time and again during that time.

I'm going to go out on a limb right now and suggest (without access to testing data) that Gia isn't much slower than he was last year or the year before, if he's slower at all.

I'm going to go one step further and suggest what he dished up on the weekend was pretty much the same as what he's dished up for the vast majority of his career. He had a bad game, but contributed in a small way on an off day. If you want to get caught up in that and think that it had a bearing on the result then good luck to you.

We talk about Campbell and our other forwards not working hard enough to present or our midfielders not moving the ball quickly enough as if they're two different things. They're not. Conversely, defenders don't all of a sudden drop the towel making midfielders look lazy or vice versa.

If any one of our lines doesn't perform well it makes the others terrible. We were decimated between the 50's for a large portion of the game on Sunday and not all of that was due to the players playing within that area of the ground. Our defenders were exposed during that same time and funnily enough, it wasn't all their fault.

We're not good enough to be competitive if all of our lines aren't working hard. Plain and simple, we had too many examples of slack forward and defensive play across the ground for two quarters of the game and it killed us.

[Ozza]

I don't necessarily think that Gia's game has deteriorated from where he was at last year. Nor do I think his form has been 'off' - particularly considering he is more often than not, the sub.

Having said that - with Dickson returning strongly to the team, and Stevens spending more time forward (and as a lead/mark type of target) my argument would be that Gia is the one to go out of the side due predominantly to structure. Secondary to that, is that in a choice between any of Dickson, Hunter and the likes of Tutt, Honeychurch and Hrovat (if fit) - then I'm more inclined to play a combination of these guys.

I also think having Campbell, Stringer, Crameri and Jones in the side put pressure on Gia's position in terms of our forward defensive pressure.