Bankers & Anchors: Rnd 7, 2024 vs Fremantle

[Yankee Hotel Foxtrot]

This is the Round 7, 2024 edition of the weekly Bankers and Anchors thread. Once tonight's game against Fremantle is concluded post your nominations for:

The Bankers = 3 guys/aspects of the game that we banked on to do the right thing during the game
The Anchors = 3 guys/aspects of the game that weighed us down by their errors or poor play

Please limit it to no more than three of each player or aspect of the game, but feel free to make honourable/dishonourable mentions. As usual try to make it constructive criticism.

Try and restrict it to individual players rather than aspects of the overall match - I will allow more freedom now as the thread seems to be going down more of the aspects of the game path so you can have 3 for each made up of aspects of the game and individual players.

The thread is named in honour of a popular WOOF Contributor, The Banker, who passed away on 22/04/2012 after a six month battle with cancer.

[bulldogtragic]

B

Sam Darcy
Liam Jones
Bailey Dale

A

Shit third quarter goal kicking
Daniel looks shot
Umpiring

[Yankee Hotel Foxtrot]

Bankers

Darcy
Lian Jones
O'Donnell and Garcia showed they're up for it.

A

Weightman's injury
Bont and Co, fluffing kicks my 10 year old son nailed repeatedly today when he kicked 8.1 in his season opening under 11's game today.
Buku took a massive step backward today in his development. I hope he learns from this quickly. He needs to.

[EasternWest]

Bankers

Darcy
Lian Jones
O'Donnell and Garcia showed they're up for it.

A

Weightman's injury
Bont and Co, fluffing kicks my 10 year old son nailed repeatedly today when he kicked 8.1 in his season opening under 11's game today.
Buku took a massive step backward today in his development. I hope he learns from this quickly. He needs to.

8.1! Sign the lad up.

[ratsmac]

Bankers

1. Sam Darcy - his only played 13 games ffs. He uses his height and footy nous to get the most out of his skinny frame. Watching his career develop is going to be fun

2. Dale responding to some tough love from the coaches. He could've sooked it up and withered away at Footscray but instead he took it on board and got himself back into form. That's leadership quality

3. Garcia. I'm seeing glimpses of a genuine footballer and not just a part timer. He really knows his way around congestion and how and when to use his body to knock his opponent off the ball. He is quite clever as well. I say all this because there were times last year that I was worried that he wasn't good enough to make the grade.

Anchors

1. Lobb. This bloke can't seem to string 2 good games together. He is the same height as Darcy but he always looks like he's not tall enough in marking contests. He looks like someone who simply treats football as a job where as long as the money is in the bank he will show up for work. No passion and desire

2. Getting dominated in the midfield. Isn't that supposed to be our strength. But we have Bont, Treloar, English, Macrae, Libba (obviously not last night). Aren't we supposed to have arguably the best midfield in the comp. If we do something Isn't working. The comp (better teams) has either worked them out, they aren't performing at their optimum best or the system (game plan) isn't working. Or is the system to hard to maintain? All I know is that when we are skiing downhill, we are doing jumps and tricks but when it's time to work back up the hill there seems to be a few missing. The job is always left to the same few when the going gets tough.

I think I heard a stat last night that no Geelong player has chalked up 30 disposals this year. They are sitting clear on top of the table. That's where we should start looking to even some things out. Are the same blokes getting all the on ball minutes and are getting too gassed? Does our game plan not utilise every player effectively enough? Are we not sharing the ball and are always looking for the same players? So many questions that need answering before another season has gone and our great players are another season older.

[G-Mo77]

I think I heard a stat last night that no Geelong player has chalked up 30 disposals this year. They are sitting clear on top of the table. That's where we should start looking to even some things out. Are the same blokes getting all the on ball minutes and are getting too gassed? Does our game plan not utilise every player effectively enough? Are we not sharing the ball and are always looking for the same players? So many questions that need answering before another season has gone and our great players are another season older.

This is a good couple of questions and wondered similar. We always hear our supporters say "He's a midfielder. Who does he push out?" Why can't we role them through there? I'm not saying turn player X into Y but constant rotations through there so we're fresh for the hole game. To the naked eye it doesn't seem like we do it often. Maybe I'm wrong and there are stats to back it up it just seems that other teams have a constant flow of players through the middle and we're relying on 3 - 4 guys every week.

[josie]

I?d like West & Garcia given mid time. What we are doing is rinse & repeat and it?s not working.

[bornadog]

Bankers

Darcy
Lian Jones
O'Donnell and Garcia showed they're up for it.

A

Weightman's injury
Bont and Co, fluffing kicks my 10 year old son nailed repeatedly today when he kicked 8.1 in his season opening under 11's game today.
Buku took a massive step backward today in his development. I hope he learns from this quickly. He needs to.

Congrats to junior YHF

[Mofra]

Bankers:
- Darcy in the F50 on offence
- Liam Jones, absolute rock
- Dale. Looks like a kick up the bum a few weeks ago has got him back to his best

Anchers:
- Darcy/Lobb on defence. Freo walked it out at times, I'm worried we can only play one of them in the same side
- Using Daniel instead of Harmes as a defensive mid, and pulling the trigger too late. Why trade for an asset and refuse to use it?
- Lack of experienced second tall option in D50 killed. Khamis had a mare but has credits in the bank, and JOD gave away a panicked hold free kick just when we didn't want to because that's what exactly inexperienced tall kids do when dragged deep.
The sooner we get JOD to 50 games, the better.

[EasternWest]

Bankers:
- Darcy in the F50 on offence
- Liam Jones, absolute rock
- Dale. Looks like a kick up the bum a few weeks ago has got him back to his best

Anchers:
- Darcy/Lobb on defence. Freo walked it out at times, I'm worried we can only play one of them in the same side
- Using Daniel instead of Harmes as a defensive mid, and pulling the trigger too late. Why trade for an asset and refuse to use it?
- Lack of experienced second tall option in D50 killed. Khamis had a mare but has credits in the bank, and JOD gave away a panicked hold free kick just when we didn't want to because that's what exactly inexperienced tall kids do when dragged deep.
The sooner we get JOD to 50 games, the better.

I kinda felt like JOD should've got the free first when he was pulled out of the front position.

[Mofra]

I kinda felt like JOD should've got the free first when he was pulled out of the front position.

That's a strength thing and I can wear it - he's a much better run and jump player, kids are.
We just have to find a way to not have him isolated deep. I'd never seen Khamis in deep one on ones so often this year either. Longmuir clearly did his homework.

Richards (all 186cm of him) is actually quite good at coming in over the top to help the kids too so if he goes out of the D50 the other guys have to adjust - and it sure isn't JJ/Bramble's forte so either Duryea has to give up front position to be ready for that, or Dale becomes less attacking and more defensive.

[Ozza]

Bankers;

Dale - imagine not playing him/making him sub. Terrific game.
Darcy - has more smarts/craft than some others up forward. Brave too.
Jones - does everything in his power to plug the leaks.

Anchors:

The new(ish) recruits: all had shockers. Bramble, Gallagher, Harmes and O'Donnell were all poor.
The management of Daniel: A masterclass in how to kill the confidence of a player so that he's not a shadow of his former self.
Our system - or lack of. Constantly looking to create repeat entries into a crowded forwardline and then get burnt out the back once we turn it over. It doesn't work. Its outdated and we simply won't compete with the best. We only ever compete when we get absolute dominance of clearance and possession. Its no way to win and we need to change.

[azabob]

Bankers;

Dale - imagine not playing him/making him sub. Terrific game.

I disagree with your point on Dale.

Not for one moment to I think it is a coincidence that Dales best two games since 2022 come after he was made the sub.

[Ozza]

I disagree with your point on Dale.

Not for one moment to I think it is a coincidence that Dales best two games since 2022 come after he was made the sub.

Yes, of course. Another masterstroke by Bevo.

Up there will his masterplan on Caleb right now, with last years management of Bailey Smith and a host of others who go backwards when he has his annual early season mystify everyone with selection phase.

[azabob]

Yes, of course. Another masterstroke by Bevo.

Up there will his masterplan on Caleb right now, with last years management of Bailey Smith and a host of others who go backwards when he has his annual early season mystify everyone with selection phase.

Do you really think Beveridge's handling of Dale is on par with Daniel, Smith etc.?

I'd say they are chalk and cheese.

Dale last season and half has been fairly mundane compared to his 2021 and 2022.