First of all a big thanks to Steph for posting the scores and updates during the game
.
GB is correct to say it's foolhardy to write our season off based on 3 practice games and with so much experimentation by both coaches but it's still frustrating to watch us lose a game rather the opposition win it.
A scrappy game is being kind. The skills especially by us were shocking even for a presason game. The Dees weren't great but as Bully said we were far far worse. Plough's "we might as well spent summer at the pub" line comes to mind.
Many of our guys just don't have an instinctive understanding of the way modern footy is played and when they do make the right decision they then miss the target by not being able to kick to a leading teammate's advantage side. You get away with this in non-physical training drills but not in games. I would like to know our kick to handball ratio from today. It felt like it was 5 handballs to every kick. Even some of the younger Richmond boys sitting around us who played in the curtain raiser were frustrated by what we were doing out there. Plenty of fine-tuning still needed especially entering our forward line
.
Most of our blokes are reactive to nearly every situation and can't think 2-3 steps ahead in their mind to gain us the footy in clear space on the rebound. The obvious one is when we switch the play and no one has quickly ran to the fat side wing to out-flank the opposition and get the ball into an open forward line. Then there's the stuff you tell a U12 not to do like knock the footy back into the corridor in the backline because it gifts goals to the opposition (hello Gas and Tivs
)
Us missing a number of players and the Dees being at virtually full-strength wasn't the reason we lost today. We had more than enough of the footy and opportunities to win today. Melbourne won because all they had to do was crowd us enough into overpossessing and then nail us on the turnover. 80% of their goals were directly from our turnovers.
Player summaryNewy - a solid to average game where he tried to get some run going.
Gas - Tried hard but another ordinary game from him in this preseason.
Lids - played BP on Brad Miller and had a mixed game. I know preseason is for experimentation but Lids needs to learn his craft in the guts not in a BP.
Rainesy - see Newy
Polak - played forward and once again showed why Greg Miller chased after him. Our forwards did well today in the circumstances. It was the delivery to them that was dumb.
Browny - a day to forget.
Joel - Did okay on Neitz. The question that needs to be asked is we've been told all summer we got Polak to free Joel up from having to mind a key forward and then Joel ends up lining on Neitz at FB ???
Knobel - Apart from centre bounces is not up to it and a liability. He had a chance to take a uncontested mark 25m out from goal but the kick was just a fraction to his side at head height and he just showed no agility to adjust.
Polo - Can't say I noticed him.
Pettifer - Excellent. Worked his backside off, lead well and to the right spots and kicked 3 goals.
Sugar - a fairly good game from Sugar and improved as the game went along. At least he could hit a target most of the time unlike his teammates.
Tuck - Got plenty of the ball but as the article on the AFL says was obsessed with handballing so we as a team didn't gain from it.
Meyer - We were sitting in the Heatley stand at the opposite end of the ground so we didn't know for sure who kicked those 2 goals that he kicked. Didn't do much else and even a teammate in the grandstand gave a "c'mon Danny" gasp when he expected him to go harder at the ball at one stage in a forward pocket.
Jacko - Didn't notice him but he apparently played the first half of the ressies game.
Schulz - Like Polak very good in the circumstances. Kicked 3.3. What was most pleasing today was his defensive workrate in the forward which a few of his teammate could learn from and his ability to crash some packs. I remember one play where he was outnumbered in a marking contest yet he was able to get the ball to the ground and then dived to beat to Melbourne defenders to the ball.
Krak - A fairly typical Krak game. I had him kick 3 behinds which could have turned a ordinary game into a influential one if he had kicked straight.
Hyde - see Newy and Rainesy.
Tivs - typical Tivs game. The good mixed with the ugly.
Hartigan - Didn't do much today apart from a late goal.
Hughes - Didn't get much gametime today.
McGuane - Not convinced yet.
Moore - See GB's post ... Injured early
Foley - Did okay in the centre but I wouldn't have him in our bests as the AFL site does. Agree with GB's summation.
Howat - Improved as the game went along and worked tirelessly getting the pill. In our bests but still made a couple of dumb mistakes. If only he had a right foot too.
Graham - At times Jeff White clearly outjudged the flight of the ball at centre bounces and Gus would mistime his jump and swipe at empty air.
King - okay and not our worst out there. Worked hard defensively. One of our better players in a poor first half by the team as a whole.
