Too many defensive mids for starters, and none of them quick. Poor games from some of our good players and average games from our average players, only a few really stood up for four quarters. Freo were too quick, too strong, too committed and too well drilled, we kept plugging away but they always looked like they could crack us open. 9th or 10th is about where we deserve to be.
I know - makes you shake your head......tex, seriously, did you just fast-forward through the game watching our goals only, 'cos unless that's what you did, that opinion has no place in this forum....
Its a fair effort if you are setting the bar low......to run out of steam and the ability to contest in the last quarter was worrying with regards our fitness and leadership...Scotland and Simposn excepted. To allow Ballantyne and Crowley to imtimidate our players was even worse...the sight of these two laughing at our performance was sickening....if you are going togo down at least go down swinging, we just fell to our knees and closed our eyes...
Yarran put up one of the weakest contests I've ever seen and then when he didn't win the ball he just stopped and watched. We just need to cut our losses and trade this guy.
Agree...his best is great but his attitude to picking and choosing contests makes him a liability.
Its the tackling that dissapointed me...ours didnt stick, the broke them easily and a lot of their players stood up in the tackles and got clean ball away to teammates.
Murphy needs to hand back the captains role and learn how to defend himslef vs the taggers...get a tape of another small bloke in Brent Harvey. Crowley ran away from Murphy in the last quarter and Murph couldnt go with him.....I think Bell has to play, we dont have size around the ball and need some 190cm, 90kg mids who can mark the footy, and stand up in tackles, we looked very undersized in contests.
Its sad to see murphys soft underbelly - he's getting targeted week after week and its affecting his game. I seriously wouldn't be upset if he knocked out Crowley and got 3 weeks- get some respect back. I' ll say if he wasn't who he is, he'd be dropped and graham would be in
Doing ok in the ruck with Kruezer and Rowe but their small forwards in Walters and Ballantyne are tearing us apart...AW is having a tough time and Touhy isnt slick enough for Ballantyne.
Would be interested in Nick Suban...nice kicking small defender who has a solid frame and been impressive.
Judd trying hard but Murphy and Gibbs unsighted.....along with Betts and Yarran.
I noticed this wasn't up yet, so I lept in... sorry CRASH.
This game is in Frankston at 2pm at Frankston Oval, Frankston, Sunday Aug 4th.
B Davies Coulson* Joseph
HB O'KeeffeBootsma Posar
C Menzel Lambert A. Gianfagna
HF Thomas F. DaleTemay
F Buckley Casboult Wilson
R Warnock T. Bell Graham
Int Lincoln Marcon McDonald Visser Dirago Meese Mitchell Dorman Bransgrove
Looking forward to shlepping down to 'Franganistan' to watch this one... from the grandstand that looks terrific from outside but is near useless to watch a game from!!!!
No worries, mate. I just merged them. Much easier than it used to be, thank God!
Weather is not looking brilliant, but the game is becoming really important.
Dodgy looking KP 's in the backline...Lourey and Haratuku will be happy to see Bootsma and the unknown Coulson named in those positions.....I'd play Micthell down back and see if he can show something.
50/50 this game..Freo have had a good year and deserve to be favourites IMO. , we also are consistent at being knocked over by the better teams. Kruezer and Judd need to play blinders IMO....Judd needs to turn the tables on Crowley who has been his master and Kruezer needs to negate the Giant and win some footy around the ground ,run the big Freo ruckman into the ground, and make that crook toe of his hurt bad...
No movement through the air no Anderson. Nice of the Poms to doctor the pitch for Swan though. Broad, more overated than Mitchell Johnson and Bresnen ha, James Faulkner would be using his variation and low order grit with the bat by now if that's all he had to pass.
Watson needs a score or Faulkner should get the all rounders gig next test Warner back to open and Faulkner at 6 or 7, Makes the tail a bit long but that's where we're getting the runs from now any way.
BTW Clarke did not have the most runs in the last 48 hours, that honour went to the Qantas flight from South America to Sydney.
Agree about his batting but Watson was uesful with the ball and helped apply pressure from the other end which I thought was crucial, in the past numpties like Johnosn would have gone for runs and let the poms off the hook......Anderson has been drinking his own bathwater and thinks he can do it easy now and didnt look interested once he figured out their was no movement. Only danger a couple out of Cook, Trott, Bell and perhaps Peitersen might make some big scores and then we get some rain......I thought Harris looked injured and Starc after the initial couple of overs where he swung the ball and got some bounce didnt move many afterwards and didnt look menacing.
Lyon bowled well and was unlucky but that seems to be the story of his career IMO and bowlers like him tend to stay unlucky and after Cook settled I thought Lyon started dropping short and was fortunate he didnt go for more runs through the offside.
Dont know whey Siddle didnt bowl earlier.....a far more inventive bowler than the others and his use of the crease was very good. Poms have got way ahead of themselves IMO and we should win this test....
Why did they bother bringing Warner back from South Africa ??
And can Steve Smith ever play a long innings without trying the "hero" shot which ends up bringing about his downfall ??
The Barmy Army got to Warner and they got into his head like they did with Mitchell Johnson and he was rattled as soon as he walked onto the ground. If he doesnt make. runs in the 2nd dig then I think he will be next to useless for the rest of the tour as the Barmy ones dont let up on you.
On a more positive not Clarke has led from the front and its a good opportunity for Haddin and the bowlers to land some blows on the English attack that have been steady rather than menacing..... We are still in a good position and can push for a win....l
We'll all be watching Rowe closely this week. Last week he was very close to being a liability, whilst Casboult from all reports was very good again in the Reserves.
Graham is also unlucky, but I wouldn't be surprised if he is only considered as a replacement for McLean.
Where are McInnes and Waite?
Graham's problem is pace...good ball winner and you need your in and under types but Cachia, Curnow, Mclean, Carrazzo in the one team is in cricket terms very medium paced. I think Graham will be a good senior player but may have to wait his chance...
re: Rowe...fair points, dont know about a liability...he didnt have the ball enough to be a liability and was more of a passenger. However he has been signed for next season and Casboult would be thinking he is now fighting for his spot on the list unless both Hampson and Warnock get traded out.....
Sam Mitchel is slow
Agree he is slow...I;m not saying there isnt a place for Graham and like I said I am a fan but we have too many who are his pace....if Graham comes in then I think you need to lose one of the players I mentioned. If you look at Freo they have some slow movers onball in Barlow, Crowley etc but balance that out with players like Fyfe, Hill, Mundy who have more pace..I just want us to have a balanced midfield group and not all of the one type.
Nice innings from Clarke and a handy knock from Smith to assist him...3 for 300 is a good start and we need to push onto 500 as this is a good batting strip. Real good chance to win this test IMO if our bowlers can fire up and knock England over for 300 or less..
We'll all be watching Rowe closely this week. Last week he was very close to being a liability, whilst Casboult from all reports was very good again in the Reserves.
Graham is also unlucky, but I wouldn't be surprised if he is only considered as a replacement for McLean.
Where are McInnes and Waite?
Graham's problem is pace...good ball winner and you need your in and under types but Cachia, Curnow, Mclean, Carrazzo in the one team is in cricket terms very medium paced. I think Graham will be a good senior player but may have to wait his chance...
re: Rowe...fair points, dont know about a liability...he didnt have the ball enough to be a liability and was more of a passenger. However he has been signed for next season and Casboult would be thinking he is now fighting for his spot on the list unless both Hampson and Warnock get traded out.....
