Review Preliminary Final, 2024 - Geelong vs. Brisbane Lions

[Darren Downunder]

I agree about Fort in for Oscar but should we consider Henry for Hippy?
[/QUOTE

I don’t think so.

 

[FeastOrFamine]

I agree about Fort in for Oscar but should we consider Henry for Hippy?

Don't think so personally. We're winning with who we've got out there at the moment so I don't see a reason to mess around with a winning formula.

 

[Elixuh]

How did they miss Rayner?

Cam ‘MVP & AA squad’ Rayner has transcended coaches votes.

 

[Nunez]

Cam ‘MVP & AA squad’ Rayner has transcended coaches votes.

In Cam Rayner's Australia, vote coaches you.

 

[BRAB]

 

[SeaOfFire]

In Cam Rayner's WORLD, they are all his servants.

EFA

 

[Ceebee]

A highlight was Joe taking the mark on the line and not breaking a stride and running away.

No one knew where joe was running or what he was doing. Joe did not know where he was running or what he was doing

Joe is our Joe , we love him anyway .

 

[Grasshopper17]

Finally playing with freedom instead of locking up protecting leads

Actually I felt we did lock up a bit in the early stages of the last quarter. Geelong finally got their spare defender looking the way they wanted it, we had ours around the ball but didn't have the preparedness to overlap run to make proper use of it. This meant we ran out of options and on several occasions kicked it straight down the throat of their spare(s). Ultimately the thing that saved us and snapped us out of our early-last-quarter malaise was when Geelong leveled the scores at 70-70.

I'd like to think we would learn something from this and play the same way when we're in front as when we're behind. Particularly when the game opens up (both ways) due to fatigue in the 2nd half. Geelong were there for the taking coming out of 3 quarter time but I felt we lacked that killer instinct. The game could have been over long before Rhys Stanley hit the post inside the last 30 seconds.

 

[Grasshopper17]

Cats fans around us were super nice, all wished us to win next week. For a prelim so cutthroat, they were classy (At least my area).

Sitting near the Lions end for those Ah Chee and Rayner goals will be cherished forever. Can’t wait to watch the game back.

At the start of the game I was sitting next to a Cats fan. Front row, Q34. Anyway Geelong's first set shot of the game (kicking to our end), I booed, as per standard operating procedure.

Anyway this lady goes to me "Gee I'm glad you're not my 11 year old son. We teach him not to boo. It's not really very sportsmanlike is it?"

My response?

"I don't give a stuff!"

After booing their next set shot (which also missed), she shuffled along a couple of seats.

Goodbye

(Certainly not judging anyone who doesn't boo... I don't boo specific players whenever they get the ball... Couldn't quite work out why we were booing Tom Stewart all night for example. Set shots tho, open slather, don't care who it is, the lid comes right off!)

 

[Grasshopper17]

I cracked the shits when Bailey did that thing, I was furious

To be fair, unlike in the Collingwood game, I actually think he chose the best option on this occasion. Charlie was well marked ahead of the ball, Zac already had one man beaten, he beats Stewart and he has a clear shot at goal. It was just a bloody great tackle.

 

[Grasshopper17]

Kingy looks like someone has run over his dog.

Kingy is a dog person??

 

[Grasshopper17]

Shout out to Eric Hipwood. Clearly hampered and not at 100% - however, he was so important last night. Kicked a great goal and won some critical 50-50 contests and I think it was last qtr got across and spoilt a Geelong free player on the wing which then resulted in a throw in. Can hold his head high.

What about Zac Bailey's spoil out of bounds during the third quarter when he was isolated one on one inside Geelong's forward 50. Saved a certain goal. Never seen that from Zac before.

 

[Grasshopper17]

A big week for the boys
Flying back as soon as they could after the game
I assume flying down to Melbourne sometime Thursday.
GF parade, then the GF
Brownlow medal Monday

Somewhere in that timeframe some recovery and training
I wish the AFL would change the Brownlow to sometime in the preseason bye. That's unlikely though.

Must admit part of me still questions whether it was the right call to fly home after the game. Grand Final week is hectic enough as it is, without the additional impact of 4+ hours on a plane and probably more than 8 hours in total when you consider the associated logistics. Can't help but think it can only hinder their recovery.

On the flipside I acknowledge many players have family commitments etc.

I guess time will be the best judge of whether it was a good idea or not.

Think it's definitely a good decision to fly down on the Wednesday this year anyway.

 

[Grasshopper17]

Pretty sure to register a tackle it has to lead to a stoppage or holding the ball free. Can't spill out

I think the criteria is it simply has to have an adverse impact on the disposal, ie it doesn't go to a team mate.

 

[Grasshopper17]

Doesn't suit Logan's game which consists of 4D chess. Half completed tackle so it spills to Lohmann so he can score. He's transcended stats!

Hmmmm... That should probably count as a tackle then...

 

[Grasshopper17]

One thing not touched on here thus far is the amount of times in our defensive 50 we spoiled rather indiscriminately such that the ball went into the corridor. Happened a few times against the Giants as well. It just invites trouble and often enough in both games it cost us goals.

Anyway I know it's been identified because Zorks voluntarily brought it up in his weekly chat with Pat and Heals on SENQ on Monday morning, and these chats are hardly the cutting edge of footy strategy let me tell you.

Hopefully we are able to rectify our general positioning in aerial contests between now and Saturday, so that we are able to spoil boundary side when in defence.

Really positive I think that even though our back line was outstanding for most of the night on Saturday, as a club we've still been able to identify at least this area of potential improvement.

 

[martinson]

One thing not touched on here thus far is the amount of times in our defensive 50 we spoiled rather indiscriminately such that the ball went into the corridor. Happened a few times against the Giants as well. It just invites trouble and often enough in both games it cost us goals.

Anyway I know it's been identified because Zorks voluntarily brought it up in his weekly chat with Pat and Heals on SENQ on Monday morning, and these chats are hardly the cutting edge of footy strategy let me tell you.

Hopefully we are able to rectify our general positioning in aerial contests between now and Saturday, so that we are able to spoil boundary side when in defence.

Really positive I think that even though our back line was outstanding for most of the night on Saturday, as a club we've still been able to identify at least this area of potential improvement.

It was raised soon after the game and discussed in a thread I can remember contributing to Grasshopper.

Bottom line for me is if you're going to punch the ball away at or near the last line of defence punch it hard over the boundary line or at the very least hard in the direction of it . Otherwise you're just inviting an opposition score more often than not

 

[Gadzorks]

Must admit part of me still questions whether it was the right call to fly home after the game. Grand Final week is hectic enough as it is, without the additional impact of 4+ hours on a plane and probably more than 8 hours in total when you consider the associated logistics. Can't help but think it can only hinder their recovery.

On the flipside I acknowledge many players have family commitments etc.

I guess time will be the best judge of whether it was a good idea or not.

Think it's definitely a good decision to fly down on the Wednesday this year anyway.

Many players over the years have commented that it takes till the early hours of the morning to get to sleep after an evening game. 5.15 start might make it a bit earlier but what they lose by travelling home they can make up for by sleeping in their own beds till.midday.

Who knows, it might have been one of the fagan recommendations for interstate teams he wrote up after last year's gf.

 

[McIvor]

 

[martinson]

One thing I've noted this year re the conversations we had previously about Fagan feeding the chooks in his post match pressers is that he seems to have loosened up a great deal and is reasonably forthcoming whether we win or lose.

It's certainly seems to have taken the weight off his shoulders after what's happened this year and his open ,honest and relaxed vibe seems to have filtered down to the players who aren't playing as if they're petrified of making a mistake.

Maybe I'm reading too much into it but that's how it seems to me.

 

[martinson]

And he doesn't seem to be looking down at his stats sheet searching for answers any more.

 

[KissKiss]

Many players over the years have commented that it takes till the early hours of the morning to get to sleep after an evening game. 5.15 start might make it a bit earlier but what they lose by travelling home they can make up for by sleeping in their own beds till.midday.

Who knows, it might have been one of the fagan recommendations for interstate teams he wrote up after last year's gf.

I think I saw an interview on Sunday that Rayner said they didnt get home till about 1am. So definitely still takes a toll. Personally think the Saturday prelim should be a full day game so that the winner gets a full week to recover

 

[McIvor]

The fans obviously didn't agree with the coaches.

 

[martinson]

The fans obviously didn't agree with the coaches.

The beauty of Cal's game was that everything he did had a big impact. Got 3 and directly responsible for 3 others.

If it was one of those little guys from Hawthorn or Papley we'd have never heard the end of it.

 

[3KZ is Football]

Geelong v Brisbane​

VOTES	PLAYER	TEAM
9	Lachie Neale	BRIS
5	Ryan Lester	BRIS
4	Zac Bailey	BRIS
4	Ollie Henry	GEEL
3	Gryan Miers	GEEL
3	Josh Dunkley	BRIS
1	Hugh McCluggage	BRIS
1	Dayne Zorko	BRIS

Coaches Votes are interesting. You could have just as easily included Rayner and Ah Chee for their impact on the result. I thought Starcevich was excellent throughout, as was Wilmot. No problems with Neale at the top. His twelve clearances were massive. Lester was outstanding.