The intensity and pressure lifts 100-fold in finals so the time and space you get in the H/A season mostly disappears. Just shows three things that you critically need:
1. Being able to execute skills and hit targets under pressure
2. 1%ers - blocking, tackling, shepharding, smothers, second and third efforts - are still as vital as ever in finals. You need to protect and open channels for the ball carrier and for that you need bigger stronger bodies.
3. Premiership sides still need a quality power key forward - Hall, Tredrea, Brown and Lynch, Carey, etc..
The doggies lacked all three tonight.
Of those three things, the second one is of most concern IMO as we totally suck at 1%ers and have done so in the 2 years under Wallace. We've gone from 16th to 12th to 9th yet still remain the worse team for executing 1%ers and tackling. We don't do nowhere near enough of the team things. The Eagles and Swans are the best in that area so no surprise we were uncompetitive against both of them.