WB Game Day V Brisbane Lions R16 2022

[bornadog]

Brisbane scored 28 times from 50 inside 50's. Either our personnel is utterly broken in the back 6, there is a major flaw in our defensive structure when we don't have the ball, or a combination of both.

Both flaws are the responsibility of the footy dept, part list management and part coaching. I just hope they are fixed immediately so we don't completely waste the Bontempelli era.

Agree completely, and also we underestimate how much Doc controls and directs the backline during a game.

[bornadog]

I know a few thought (including me) what the hell is TOB doing. Well thinking about it, he played on McStay and kept him out of the game.

[Sedat]

But we knew he’d be missing for most of the year and did nothing to replace him…. As has been mentioned lots by posters on here.

The 5 I mentioned have gone out of the team over the last 2-3 weeks and 2 of them (Tim & Baz) have probably been our most influential players when they’ve been on the field.

Our lack of depth in rucks and key position stocks (forward and back) was obvious after the GF. The club already stated we are clearly in the premiership window, so it was incumbent on the footy dept to secure both short-term and long-term options to rectifying these issues. Getting JUH and Darcy took care of the long-term but we actually took a step backwards in the short-term after losing Young in the off-season.

I get that list spots are precious but so is winning flags - there were mature ruck/forwards available at the end of last season that would have taken the pressure off Naughton and English respectively (Gold Coast managed to bring in 2 of them in one hit, just as their great white hope did his knee). We at least tried to address the key defensive depth with O'Brien, even if the small sample size so far is not positive.

I still believe our season is far from over and we will make a run, but the clock is ticking to put it mildly. However, if our season does meekly fizzle out, I expect nothing less that the club to conduct a forensic examination of how a self-assessed premiership contender (their assessment, not the media or mine) can somehow miss finals. The club needs to be held 100% accountable to the standards they have set for themselves.

[azabob]

ve.

I still believe our season is far from over and we will make a run, but the clock is ticking to put it mildly. However, if our season does meekly fizzle out, I expect nothing less that the club to conduct a forensic examination of how a self-assessed premiership contender (their assessment, not the media or mine) can somehow miss finals. The club needs to be held 100% accountable to the standards they have set for themselves.

Really? Especially with all the issues you have pointed out.

What part of the geelong loss and the effort last night gives you hope?

[GVGjr]

I don't care what the stats say, our midfield is one of the softest in the league. They continually shit the bed when the pressure is on.

Stop blaming Gardner, how much can he do when standing under an avalanche.

Stop blaming Schache, when there is drought of decent delivery into the forward line.

Our midfield are nice pretty boys, including Bont. They need a big Rick Kennedy kick up the arse.

While I think we have a great midfield I'm not sure we use them the right way. There isn't enough of the defensive aspect that we need to use at times. I mentioned during the trade period discussions that we should have looked towards George Hewitt who has a great mix of both ball getting and accountability that was lacking in our midfield rotations.

It's a conundrum for us at the moment, a highlight talented midfield group but one that lets us down in more games than they should.

I agree it's not a Schache and Gardner problem.

[Sedat]

Really? Especially with all the issues you have pointed out.

What part of the geelong loss and the effort last night gives you hope?

All clubs have strengths and weaknesses and ours is no exception. We ran the table last year and there is no reason we can't do so again with the majority of our playing group back and healthy for the remainder of the season.

I simply believe that our club would not be so deceptive to their own supporters to make self-assessments that we are in premiership contention for the next few years, and then not back it up without being accountable to the goals they set. They live and breathe the club on a daily basis, so I'm sure they have contingencies in place to achieve their set goals and will act accordingly if those standards are not achieved. Just like any serious organisation would do.

[Sedat]

While I think we have a great midfield I'm not sure we use them the right way. There isn't enough of the defensive aspect that we need to use at times. I mentioned during the trade period discussions that we should have looked towards George Hewitt who has a great mix of both ball getting and accountability that was lacking in our midfield rotations.

It's a conundrum for us at the moment, a highlight talented midfield group but one that lets us down in more games than they should.

I agree it's not a Schache and Gardner problem.

McLean will be a very important addition to the midfield mix for the remainder of the season to give better balance between offense and defence.

[Bulldog4life]

Bevo said in his presser last night we had 9 changes to the team the beat Brisbane last year. We will be much better when we get the band back together....as long as it is not too late.

[Danjul]

While I think we have a great midfield I'm not sure we use them the right way. There isn't enough of the defensive aspect that we need to use at times. I mentioned during the trade period discussions that we should have looked towards George Hewitt who has a great mix of both ball getting and accountability that was lacking in our midfield rotations.

It's a conundrum for us at the moment, a highlight talented midfield group but one that lets us down in more games than they should.

I agree it's not a Schache and Gardner problem.

We are wasting our time discussing players. The list exists and you do your best with it.

But we don’t, and waste the opportunity to improve by hunting for scapegoats.

The game plan has serious deficiencies and they were clearly on display last night. And they were in earlier games. And we will see them until we recruit 10 champions who can make it work (my calculations suggest it might happen in 2028 - certainly not earlier).

Look at why the opposition controls aspects of the game. Where are our players in relation to the opposition? Answer: nowhere near them.

Analyse the outside 5 tactics. When the opposition has a set kick they stand still, look forward, run forward and kick at a narrow angle from goal. Time taken: 3.2 seconds. Result: open play ahead.

When our guys get it the opposition runs over the mark and stands (the umpires rarely pull them back properly). So our guys slowly walk back 10 metres. Time: 5.8 seconds. All targets covered. Kick to a pack. By the time the ball gets to the forward line opportunities have evaporated.

They take every opportunity to crowd and corral our players, we treat them as though they have the plague.

Our game is clearly stop-start while the opposition flows.

So our success is confined to weaker teams. Even Adelaide and Port showed us up. They were the disasters, not last night.

What’s the solution? Well it was discovered in 1923. Ever since, it’s been referred to as man-up!

[Bullies]

While I think we have a great midfield I'm not sure we use them the right way. There isn't enough of the defensive aspect that we need to use at times. I mentioned during the trade period discussions that we should have looked towards George Hewitt who has a great mix of both ball getting and accountability that was lacking in our midfield rotations.

It's a conundrum for us at the moment, a highlight talented midfield group but one that lets us down in more games than they should.

I agree it's not a Schache and Gardner problem.

We have Dunks who should be doing the Hewitt role. He was renowned for it to begin with and got his hands dirty but he has gone to a less accountable role these days wanting to accumulate stats.

[GVGjr]

McLean will be a very important addition to the midfield mix for the remainder of the season to give better balance between offense and defence.

Do we send him to enough midfield contests to think that might make a difference?

[G-Mo77]

I know a few thought (including me) what the hell is TOB doing. Well thinking about it, he played on McStay and kept him out of the game.

Oh please. McStay was a decoy all night, opening up avenues for their other forwards. Tim O'Brien is rubbish, the sooner we realise that the better off we'll be.

[GVGjr]

We have Dunks who should be doing the Hewitt role. He was renowned for it to begin with and got his hands dirty but he has gone to a less accountable role these days wanting to accumulate stats.

I wonder if we have been concerned about using him in that manner given it might make him more of a flight risk.
He should be doing more defensive roles for us but I think believe we have been asking him to do that.

[Mantis]

Oh please. McStay was a decoy all night, opening up avenues for their other forwards. Tim O'Brien is rubbish, the sooner we realise that the better off we'll be.

So how is the fact that McStay was used as a decoy O’Brien’s fault?

Maybe he should’ve zoned off a bit more to assist others, but I don’t think he was an issue last night.

[G-Mo77]

So how is the fact that McStay was used as a decoy O’Brien’s fault?

Maybe he should’ve zoned off a bit more to assist others, but I don’t think he was an issue last night.

I'm just tired of seeing these players who are clearly not up to it in the team week in, week out. I'd rather Cordy in the team and that's saying something.

McComb another, can't hit a target, plays every game.

These are small things and don't change the result but the fact we're relying on substandard VFL quality players to fix out problems is a big problem.