Rnd 4 Vs Geelong

[Doctor]

I am not too depressed about the loss but I do agree with a couple of the more rational posters that we may have underestimated the effect the rule changes would have on the game. I don't particularly like what the changes have done to the game myself but we as a club will have to live with them and learn to play with them. Having said that, the umpires slaughtered us tonight, the worst of many a bad lot being the diving in call against McGlynn (who tried his guts out all night).

I have to say, and not because we lost, that the umpiring so far season has made footy a less enjoyable game this year than last. I hope it settles down because there are just too many whistles for nothing free kicks at the moment. The Grundy fend on Motlop was a joke.

On the upside, Rampe went well. Hannebery was wonderful and Goodes is clearly getting back towards his best. Macca also excellent.

[johnno]

Seems to me that Jetta and Kennedy are getting heavy tags this year.

Dissapointing 3rd quarter only folks...rest of the game we did really well. Geelong are a quality side!!!

Rampe played a solid game, I think he'll be one of the scapegoats...doesn't deserve to be dropped, but will be. Morton will be dropped too.

If I was to be honest, Jetta and Reid need to be dropped....but wont be.

[johnno]

....and the umpiring sucked too!!!!

[jono2707]

I'm ok with the loss - we'll learn from that and Geelong were deserved winners. However...... That match rated up there with that Razor Ray hatchet job vs Freo a couple of years ago for umpiring-suckfulness...... They went a long way to destroying the game tonight with some woeful calls against us at critical times. Later in the season I expect us to rise above that sort of stuff...

[R-1]

Seems to me that Jetta and Kennedy are getting heavy tags this year.

Dissapointing 3rd quarter only folks...rest of the game we did really well. Geelong are a quality side!!!

Rampe played a solid game, I think he'll be one of the scapegoats...doesn't deserve to be dropped, but will be. Morton will be dropped too.

If I was to be honest, Jetta and Reid need to be dropped....but wont be.

Might be worth giving Walsh a run in Reid's spot.

[mcs]

I am not too depressed about the loss but I do agree with a couple of the more rational posters that we may have underestimated the effect the rule changes would have on the game. I don't particularly like what the changes have done to the game myself but we as a club will have to live with them and learn to play with them. Having said that, the umpires slaughtered us tonight, the worst of many a bad lot being the diving in call against McGlynn (who tried his guts out all night).

I have to say, and not because we lost, that the umpiring so far season has made footy a less enjoyable game this year than last. I hope it settles down because there are just too many whistles for nothing free kicks at the moment. The Grundy fend on Motlop was a joke.

On the upside, Rampe went well. Hannebery was wonderful and Goodes is clearly getting back towards his best. Macca also excellent.

Completely concur with your thoughts about the umpiring in general this season. So many calls for utter nothingness or even worse for players searching for free kicks. I've found the football this season certainly far less enjoyable to watch generally then last season so far, and that's more in terms of games not involving the swans.

[mcs]

Just back to the Capital after a disappointing trip up the Hume, but after our indifferent start to the season, the result didn't shock me completely.

My random observations:

- The umpires were inconsistent and rubbish for large parts, with their usual evening out at the end in junk time to make it look more 'equal'. If I could pick two players to banish from the league or send to play soccer, it would be Chapman and Selwood. Their ducking and diving would do Cristiano Ronaldo proud. I think its more the inconsistency that banes me - a couple of passages of play tonight where there were clear free kicks not given and then 5 seconds later, the same thing happens but the player was wearing blue and white and its a free. Just pick how your going to officiate rules umps and do it all the time, for both teams. BUT, that is not why we lost the game. (Oh and gee I hate their soft skin now - that 50 against Mcglynn was ridiculous, far too many 50's this season for what is minimal backchat.... unless its outright sustained abuse, grow a pair umps and get over it if you ask me, harsh words will always be said on a footy field!)

- We were well down on our best for significant periods in the midfield. Far too pedestrian all night, and Geelong has gone back to a high risk, high reward, hard running, lots of handballs style of football. They murdered us by working so much harder then we did across midfield and moving the ball quickly - even if often it was just bulldozing the ball forward or a few shifty, dodgy handballs thrown in. We never got the game on our terms at all - something that rarely happens. We needed to when Geelong got on top in the third lock it down and grind our way in - but our midfield just didn't manage to do it tonight. And I don't think we were helped by the trailblazing first quarter - we looked buggered late in the game.

- To my uneducated eye, we looked too tall up forward. We needed another crumbing forward. There must have been a dozen times at least when we bombed it forward and the ball got to ground from the contest only for the Cats to clear it almost immediately. We have a quality CHF in the making who can't mark for the life of him at the moment (but for those writing Reid off, it WILL click for him at some stage like it did for Hawkins - just you wait), a champion struggling for form in Goodes (not playing badly but far off his best and his kicking for goal tonight left plenty to be desired), and then a resting ruckman. Throw in LRT at times as well, and we were pretty tall up there. The only guy really marking the ball well at the moment is Pykey (and also kicking rather well for goal). It might sound funny to some, but I thought we missed what Bird brings to the team when he operates sometimes off the half forward flank. He isn't a crumbing goal kicking forward, but he is very good at cleaning up and getting clean possession in tight situations. Oh, and a certain K Tippett should help later in the year.

- Just where was the tackling? Tackle count was way down on the normal, and when we don't tackle hard, we don't create pressure (i.e. as we did in the 3rd quarter last week).

- Generally though, we were just outplayed when it mattered. Geelong are a very good side, who play high risk, high reward footy. When it comes off, as it has so far this year, they look very good. If they lose many more of their speedsters, or teams start to suss out how they play (i.e. by concentrating more on man marking in midfield then swarming towards the ball like we did tonight - hence giving them space), then I'm not sure they are as wonderful as all the media will make them out to be (and the idiot Geelong fan at work who will have a small orgasm over on Monday morning will no doubt crow!)

- The good: Rampe (I am very impressed - he is cool and calm like AJ, but his disposals need some work - very happy with what I see though!), Hannebery, Jack, McVeigh, Pyke's marking, Macleski solid again.
- The bad: Goodesy (he was a bit better tonight, but still struggling), Armstrong (he is simply not good enough imo at the moment, for every good piece of play he is involved with is offset by a poor attempted tackle, or a poor kick, or a bad handball. More work in the seconds required), Morton just not getting into the game (but he wasn't helped that we really struggled to control any play during the second half)
- The ugly: Jetta (what is going on - barely touched the ball again tonight and had no influence, when we were desperate for some speed to try and counteract their speed and movement) and Reid (confidence is shot - I have the utmost belief in just how good he will be, but perhaps soon he might need a stint in the two's to try and get back up and running again).

A disappointing performance, but it might just be the kick up the bum we need to get our season up and going. We really have not played a full good game of footy yet, and we still seem to have a bit of a Premiership hangover going on. Thankfully the draw is relatively kind over the next couple of weeks, but after that we really must find a few more gears, or else we will find ourselves well and truly back in the pack come our bye in Rd 12.

[Melbournehammer]

Having slept on it I don't mind the loss as I think a lot of teams are going to be beaten by the cats this year, but there Re some worrying signs tonight.

We played a team who were prepared to just keep the ball moving, often by throwing, kicking off the ground, slapping the ball forwards etc. the moment the ball got to the outside we were beaten for speed. Our midfielders are being made to sprint to the contest forwards because our forwards can't mark the ball - in particular Reid and Mumford. They are just not quick enough - Bolton, mcveigh, rok, Kennedy, Parker - to run to the fall of the ball only for it to go past them and chase backwards. I said earlier in the week that I was worried about the speed of the cats and I think that killed us.

We should be more competitive against freo, west coast even hawthorn because these sides don't play like Geelong. The slower build up by other teams helps us.

We desperately need to have a different strategy against Geelong - we need to win the ball inside and keep it better. There is a reason north troubled them by the possession style game. We couldn't maintain possession against them at any stage.

Overall I think that performance was consistent with how we are playing at the moment - poorly. But for five minutes in Hobart where we kicked five goals we were outplayed last week, and our performances against gws and gcs were only workmanlike.

I don't think the problem was the back six. In fact for much of the first half the only thing going for us defensively was grundy and Richards. The loss around the ball, the frees paid all night for our tackles which allowed Geelong to clear the area instead of having forward line stoppages really hurt us.

We have to work out these rule changes urgently. It appears to me that umpires are going to penalise the second man in all the time if we go onto a guy on the ground. They will never penalise the player who drops the ball forwards out of the area. This means that we have got to stop going to ground when someone is already there and we have to take possession in our forward line instead of just flicking it towards someone else. Take possession and then spill it - at least it's in your control.

I know that Reid, Mumford Jetta are all receiving criticism, but as I think there were only four players who succeeded it's probably not wise to slot them on the back of the game.

Finally a personal bugbear - commetti and Matthews moaning about goodes pushing enright out in the marking contest - I mean for ffs guys are allowed to fend off to the chest or do all sorts of stuff but you highlight one thing which is part of the game - I predict next week goodes will do this and there will be a free paid against him.

[goswannies]

After a sleep to settle & once the dust had settled in the cold light of an early morning, it seems that last night was the reverse of the North game. Swans up at 1/4 & 1/2 time & won the last 1/4. Lost the game in the premiership 1/4. Difference is our opposition was better than North's, we weren't flogged by as much in the 3rd quarter & as a result we are 3:1 not 0:3. Some good signs with Pyke & Rampe & we are still working our way into form after a late start. The season isn't over yet. Go Swans!

[Gary]

Sadly I gave up when struggling Kennedy did an "Ablett" to the opposition in Q4...we just didn't seem to have energy...tackles...pace...decision making. Sellwood was incredible...the umpiring bordered on farce...but we were simply outplayed...out enthused. Johnson being missed dreadfully...how important he had become last year. A little bit of "we are the champions" at times that was unswanlike and got us into trouble.
Pyke terrific...Hanneberry one of the bravest & best for a young bloke...but some awful efforts that suggest that this particular 22 couldn't win this year. Perhaps others are saying it but Jetta clearly didn't work as hard this off season...perhaps others are playing him smarter but he has missing in action in all 4 games. Armstrong simply doesn't measure up in skills / decision making. Generally too much kicking without looking by several players...perhaps it was the excellent pressure. Morton still a ?. Injuries are a worry after such a trouble free year.
We have a lot of work to do.

[Nich]

My Dad has always said, 'if they come out wearing long sleeves they just don't wanna be fair dinkum. They make guernseys without sleeves for a reason, so you don't have to keep rollin' 'em up.'

[giant]

Time to give up the moral high ground on the playing up for frees front - it pays absolutely no dividends. Our guys have to get smarter like the Cats at milking cheap frees, at cribbing the mark, at playing up for the umps - as much as every spectator whinges about it, nothing happens and these things continue to go on. And in the end, it could mean the difference in having a flag.

It's a sad state of affairs but there's no such as a level playing field so you have to play by the other guys' rules sometimes.

That said, we let the Cats play the game on their terms not ours, and that's what will piss Horse off the most. As well, two of his young stars in Reid and Jetta need a real confidence boost. Beyond that, it was a cracking game of footy between two teams that will be right up there come September.

Oh, and I picked Taylor as the danger man...