Review Round 6, 2018 - GWS vs. Brisbane Lions

[lions27]

Even all Australians in the worst team need to be dropped, Zorko is playing like a potato.

 

[AFLQLD]

While it wasn’t a great game to watch and neither team will be putting it in their season highlights, there were a couple of take-home learnings I think.

Firstly, regardless of the poor goal kicking, we lost that game on defensive effort in transition. They owned the corridor on turnovers both ways. They had the run through the middle when they had the ball and then covered the middle well when we had it. As a result, they had clean possession into their forward 50, we had to play to the pockets or a big pack in the middle. There is some work for us to do because our defence on turnovers probably gifts other teams 4 or 5 goals a game at the moment.

My personal opinion is that we probably zone off our opponent a couple of metres too much in the middle and forward half of the field. It causes us to miss the opportunities to apply pressure to their uncontested possessions after a turnover. GWS in particular are really good at that ball movement out of turnovers. Our defenders are doing a better job of that and held up really well today.

On the positive side our contested possessions are still quite good which is encouraging for the younger guys in particular.

I really hope we persevere wirh Bailey, he has something and I think in a couple of years time, Berry, McCluggage, Rayner and Bailey are going to be our next Fab Four.

Oscar went well and showed a bit. Nice hands for a ruckman. Still some development left in him too.

Our backline, if we hold it together will be among the best in a couple of years. We are still one tall defender shy though, hopefully Skinner, Payne etc will eventually do that. Gardiner showed today that he can hold down one tall or short opposition forward. Robertson is able to play on a mid-sized or small forward. Witho is already our best at the get-out kick and he is still eligible for the rising star.

On Zorko, I wouldn’t object to giving him a couple of weeks playing a negating tagging role himself, just to take all the pressure off. He is a good niggler and he might benefit just by having something different to think about - let him win his own ball by negating the best opposition mid.

Nice to see Beams getting back to his best.

Finally let’s be thankful for Mitch Robinson - game high 20 contested possessions, game high 9 clearances, game high 6 inside 50s and 6 tackles, all done with his usual ferocity.

 

[Football Pope]

Hipwood also needs more space inside 50. Bringing in OMc was never gonna help.

Dunno about that.....just needs to lead into the right space...

 

[Pacman82]

Someone answer the question what does hipwood offer ?

-Drops almost every mark
-Outmarked by players 20cm smaller than hipwood
-no footy IQ

gone from his biggest fan at the start of the season thinking he was gonna be a coleman winner in a few years to wanting him dropped, zero development from him this season. Also anyone have stats on how many marks he has dropped this year?

He was never going to win a coleman, I've been saying for ages he's useless in a contested or pack marking scenario, hence he's highly unqualified as a key forward. Only worth kicking the pill to if he's one out or if you can spear it on to his chest. Lack's IQ/awareness at times for sure, should have gone over the top to give us a certain goal today but had no idea..

 

[davemc_lions]

just looking at stats Marks inside 50
Taylor 3
Beams 2
Shows where the problem is.

 

[TheZork]

I agree with a lot of the comments about just playing the kids. I've resigned myself to 17th this season (hopefully above Carlton).

Just put a line through Bastinac, CBeams, Bell, Bewick and Lester. They show nothing for their age and time in the system. Don't want to see them in the side again.

I must say Gardiner has been excellent this year. I definitely was a Gardiner basher going into this year but he and Andrews have been really good in the last few weeks.

Keep Rayner and Bailey in, give Starcevich a debut. Just throw them all in to fast tract their development. I'd much rather pump games into Starcevich than Lester get a game. Is there any non KPP other than Starcevich left to debut anyway?

Also not too happy with Hipwood, McStay and Cutler. Cutler and McStay specifically have been awful.

 

[TheZork]

Just to reiterate pumping games into Starcevich, Bailey and Rayner. They may not do well this year but just look at how much AFL experience in the first year has helped Witherden (who has actually improved since last year based on his last few games), Berry and McCluggage.

Edit: Give Corey Lyons a go too

 

[AFLQLD]

On Hipwood, his team mates haven’t yet learned that he is not a brute forward. He won’t beat 3 in a pack mark the way the big power forwards do. We have to stop kicking to him like that. (Buddy rarely takes big pack marks either, but his team mates play to his attributes).

Once we learn to give Hippy opportunities to his advantage, one on one at the edge of the 50, he will start getting, or creating more goals. But don’t hold your breath over the next couple of years waiting for him to take big grabs. Get him on the run one-on-one, turning his defender and he is actually very very hard to stop.

 

[Carlos Danger]

In the words of a wise one testicled poster on this forum... everyone needs to calm their ****!
A win will have us feeling A lot better about everything.

Gws @ spotless was always going to be a loss, I was hoping we would play a bit better but we were never winning that game.

If we haven't won a game after Collingwood & the dogs in the next 2 games we can officially uncalm our ****.

Changes
In - Hodge, Keays, walker, Mayes
Out - Robertson (susp), Allison, OMac, lester

 

[BuntonRules]

Tell you what, for a bloke that was said to have no tank, Rayner was all over the place today. White line fever fitness cannot be trained into a player.

 

[Skoob]

I went for Andrews, Gardner, Beams, Robinson and Bailey for encouragement, showed some good signs.

I have never been a fan of Lester and nothing he has shown this season has changed my mind, larger turning circle than the Titanic, nowhere near consistent enough, needs to join the likes of Bewick, Bell and Bastinac out the door, at their age they should be setting a great example for the youngsters but the youngsters are showing them up.

Welcome back Jase, you've been missed. Quite a few concerned for your welfare, glad you're back.

 

[Eons]

They’re coming off a lot of games in a short period. There is a chance. That said, jeez we seem to come up against teams in good form and miss out on their shit patches.

And when we play teams in bad patches we get them back in form.

 

[Dalions]

If only we had a midfield who ran defensively?
The amount of uncontested marks taken through the midfield/wing was astonishing. No one within 10m of most of them.
Given that, our actual defenders were fantastic and I can not praise them enough. Particularly Andrews and Gardiner A grade potential for both and with Witherdens kicking the backline is looking really good.
Between this year and last, it is amazing the step backwards in skill level when we have the ball and the ball movement into our forward 50 is atrocious. Contested game is much better but at the expense of skills on the outside.
We are still a better team than last year, as hard as it is to see.
The bulk of the improvement has come from the defensive structures put in place. And the improvement of the draft class of 2016.

 

[davemc_lions]

the magpies game has everything setup for our first win.. They coming of short weeks and will think we be a easy.
Magpies always loose those easy matches..

 

[Dalions]

Lester just made it to a contest.

He did?

 

[lioninthesand]

Someone answer the question what does hipwood offer ?

-Drops almost every mark
-Outmarked by players 20cm smaller than hipwood
-no footy IQ

gone from his biggest fan at the start of the season thinking he was gonna be a coleman winner in a few years to wanting him dropped, zero development from him this season. Also anyone have stats on how many marks he has dropped this year?

Its his 3rd year yeah? Just chill Mate, it takes 6-7 years until his type contribute at a solid level. Its a devalopment year, he is a jet. The fact we never have space inside 50 doesent help.

 

[lioninthesand]

I back the coaches and football staff to understand the psychology of individual players and have the full picture on their form emotion ooo koi ii ioi knockout i 8 oii ii . If they decide resting Zorko is best once they have weighed that all up, so be it, but I tire of people just suggesting dropping players is a universal panacea for form issues.

I think it speaks more to an emotional need by fans to want to see players punished for disappointing them. That ain’t healthy.

Make him milk monitor then.

 

[trikster]

I'm going to put as much effort in to this post as half the team put in today ..... so it's bullet points:

• Great comment from Paul Roos during the (I think) second quarter "so much of Brisbane's good play is almost". We almost marked, almost hit up the leading forward, almost covered in defense". While some of this is because of young players it is also partly poor skills/decision making.
• Once they get behind early the defensive running dies away quickly. Again part young team but also part attitude.
• Speed needs to be a part of every draftee we pick in the next couple of drafts. We always look slower no matter which direction we are running.
• As someone mentioned before, stop kicking it to Hipwood to take a big contested mark .... it's not the player he is. The way we enter F50, both the types of kicks and the SLOWNESS are making Hipwoods life impossible and making him look like a dud.
• If it weren't for Andrews and Gardner we would be well and truly on the bottom of the ladder.

 

[M Malice]

Welcome back Jase, you've been missed. Quite a few concerned for your welfare, glad you're back.

Rumors of my demise were greatly exaggerated.

 

[Sanchez365]

3 games in 12 days is rough for the Pies. Could be the best possible time to get them regardless of current form. For the most part we seem to play teams just as they hit top form but just in the early part of 2018 I think we've played StK and Port right in the midst of their worst patches of form and unfortunately blinked on both occasions.

Solid jab at St Kilda where first game of the year was their worst patch of form haha.

 

[lioninthesand]

I thought tonight was just an ugly 'devalopment year' type of game that we would have lost by 70 points last year. Lots of good things and lots of bad things. Forward entries are just so inept its mind boggling, it was a strength last year.

Kids did well.

I know we are tired of losing but it was so far from a membership burning game that some are making it out to be, its not funny, we were largely competitive with so much room to improve.

It was just another ok performance from a young team.

We are moving forward.

 

[Jpw22511]

Zorko and hipwood need time in the NEAFL to find some form.

 

[Carlos Danger]

Zorko and hipwood need time in the NEAFL to find some form.

Zorko would get 500 possessions in the NEAFL. He's only going to learn to break a tag in the AFL. Would help if anyone else actually hurt the opposition with their form & make them chose between zorko. Beams is just racking up meaningless possessions currently

 

[Kevvo]

Even with all of those baffling turnovers, we had only 3 fewer inside 50s, admittedly resulting in 9 fewer scoring shots.

We could make our lives so much easier if we just rewarded the effort every so often.

As an aside, Cam Rayner had 10 contested possesions of a total 14. Second in the side after Mitch Robbo and more than Beams and Zorko combined (5+4).

 

[lioninthesand]

Andrews, Witho, Berry, McClugg, Gardiner all improving this year is huge.

Feels like we are almost taking it for granted (if thats possible for a Lions supporter)