Half time at the MCG on Sunday afternoon we trailed in our round seven match by 14 points. Yes, that’s right, 14 points. Not 40 but 14. Then from the start of the third term to the end of the game we conceded a whopping 82 points while scoring only 20 of our own.
No, we weren’t playing ladder leaders Collingwood or the oh-so impressive Cats but Melbourne. No disrespect to the Demons but before the weekend’s match they had only won two games for the year. It was a winnable game.
So what went wrong? For starters a lack of midfield power resulting in another overall loss in the clearance count killed us. Never mind whether our ruckman are getting their hands on the ball or not we rarely get first use of it on the deck.
We’re automatically one step behind the opposition when they’re getting the quick kick away from the centre bounce. If they don’t score a goal, giving us some hope of possibly winning it out of the middle the next time around, and it goes through for a behind, we look completely lost.
How easy are we to figure out? We’ll either give it to Matty Jaensch to bomb it long into the centre square or Graham Johncock will similarly kick it as far as he can to a contest, outside the 50 and near the boundary line.
Then if we’re lucky enough we’ll win the throw in, quickly get the ball into our forward line via the wing, and hope Kurt Tippett can beat two defenders to take a grab.
Or the alternative, which would be to win the throw in, kick backwards to a loose man in defence, switch play to the other side of the ground, run the ball toward goal as fast as we can and catch one of our forwards free and running towards an empty goal square.
So far this season whatever it is we’re trying to do is not working. As soon as some decent pressure is applied from the opposition it all crumbles. I’m sure our game plan is more complicated and, surely, more put together than the above but that’s all we, the supporters, are seeing at the moment.
To make matters worse, and what was particularly noticeable in the 96-point thumping we received from the Dees, is a continued a lack of intensity.
All week so much was said about Melbourne’s need to step it up a notch, and even closer to home Port Adelaide’s seemingly disinterest in playing footy, when at the same time we were talking down so-called unsociable football.
While we don’t want elbows being thrown astray some intensity towards the ball and the game in general would be appreciated.
How about a tackle every now and again too? I’m tired of watching our players being turned inside out by the opposition or throwing one arm out in the hope of grabbing a guernsey instead of putting all their weight into it. Even when we manage to wrap our arms around someone they too easily break free, get a kick away or their arms are free for them to handball.
These deficiencies have haunted us all season it just so happened that they were all in effect on Sunday afternoon.
It was going to happen one day and was perhaps the wake up call we needed to have.
So what gives? Surely something has to. I can understand the notion of persisting with something to perfect it but we really aren’t moving forward with whatever it is we’re trying to do in a hurry.
Inexperience is an easy excuse to throw around but that isn’t going to cut it when you’re smashed in virtually every facet of the game, are playing just about an equally inexperienced side and get rolled by 96-points.
I’m at a lost as to what expect against the Gold Coast the weekend. I just hope we can win.
