Post Match. Pies blitz Bombers. All comments.

[Mr Miyagi]

Caroline Wilson said we were lucky in 2022 and would finish 10th this year.

I'm assuming she has published a retraction this morning....????

Or were we just extraordinarily 'lucky' in 2023...

Congrats to all at the Club.

Let the 'real season' begin...

There are journos at The Age who are saying Geelong was the best team this year and unlucky

[inxs88]

WHE a.k.a. as 'The Ghost' had 20 disposals (17 kicks and 3 handballs) and 417 meters gained, near double on his season average, and 10 marks.
I viewed it as one of his best games this season. Provided some vital link running.

Thought the same thing. His gut running really highlights in comparison Steele's drop off since returning from injury.

[BazBoy]

Sidey has had patches of good footy but not sustained over 4 qtrs

I would hope that in a GF his good patches were for longer and used when the experience counts

[LaurieHolden]

A very quiet night by his lofty standards. 248 meters gained. He'd normally rack up 300+ by 3 quarter time.
I forgive most, but my benchmark endeavour stat is always tackles. He had 1 tackle!
Fin Macrae had 37% game time and racked up 8...

He was well off his tucker last night, suspect he went into self preservation mode with the real stuff to come. With 306 under his belt, I'll let him off this time...rest up old fella.

[Piesnchess]

That Scott, like his bro, is a sore loser, must run in the fam. Bitched bout the players the Dons had out but NO mention of the four elite stars we had out, had they all played, we would have won by 100 points, Go and suck a lemon Scott, up yours. !

[BazBoy]

[woodys_world69]

i like WHE as sub
gives us flexibility

[Gerry Cooper]

A good win against a very poor opposition. As Buckley said, it was a "soft kill" but there were some good things for us in it.

Ginnivan consistently deciding to stand up and take the tackle is a big positive for him and a sign of real progress in his game.

Cox taking a few good marks in the second half was important to see and a good confidence booster for him, considering he had been nowhere near them the last few weeks.

W.HE showed why he is a regular in our side. He can play both ends of the ground well and is creative and quick thinking with the ball usually.

Nice game by Mitchell too I thought. He really played up to his previous form last night.

Howe was the leader down back. Maybe that's his first choice position and only to be used forward when we are under pressure.

Oleg was dynamic and creative though I wonder if the rest of the team know what he's planning to do sometimes.

JDG and Bobby did what was expected of them.

Lipinski had a better game and wasn't protecting himself from impacts as he has in other recent games.

Frampton battled hard and broke about even with the remaining Essendon tall forwards. It mustn't have been an easy night for him but he was desperate and basically played his role.

Our problems gaining possession after kick outs wasn't really apparent last night as the Bombers were just that bad and Howe was taking more kick outs. I dont expect Melbourne will let us off that easy however.

Other things to consider.

McStay was obviously the decoy tall forward for the night and as such it didn't matter that much if he didn't score, however I thought even in that role in such a win, he didn't give us much. If it is a choice for the next match between McStay and McCreery, I would opt for McCreery every time.

Sidebottom and Pendles. Both a looking a little too slow and vulnerable when the pace is on the game. Pendles dropping a soda wasn't a good look and Sidebottom's contributions were ordinary. Pendles around the ground work was good mostly however. I fear they may both be found out somewhat in the faster pace in finals - unless they can go up a gear as required for finals footy. As neither of them will be dropped, we can only wait and see I think. Just for the record I am not in favour of either of them continuing next year, as the issues with their declining outputs will only be worse next year. We have dynamic young midfielders itching for a game and we can't keep them in the seconds forever - they need game time in the seniors to take their performance to the next level (if they can).

Oh and will the MRP look at the two dangerous tackles laid on Elliot and and Cameron last night? I thought the one on Cameron certainly affected his game as he was a bit quiet after that one and I thought Elliot was affected also before he came off injured. If the MRP is going to be consistent both of the Essendumb players need to be cited for those dangerous tackling efforts.

While it was a good win (and frankly I had underestimated just how bad the Bombers are travelling pre-match), Melbourne are going to be a few levels above them when it comes to pressure and ball use. We will need to be on form for the entire game to beat them. A one quarter burst is likely not going to get the job done.

All in all I'm happy and excited to see what the finals have in store for us.

[MatthewBoydFanClub]

McStay will play because he offers more than what’s recorded on a stats table. He brings leadership, smarts and experience to a forward line that is limited in those areas. He’s a workhorse who makes life easier for Miochek.
He’s also averaging close to two goals a game since he came back, so they won’t be leaving those qualities and contributions out of the team.

I thought he had a poor night last night. Then I watched the replay this afternoon. There's so much that he does that you don't notice unless you're close to the field of play - knocks ons, blocks, tap ons, guarding space for the forwards. He's a totally team orientated player, who's not as flashy as say, Johnson, but who's always giving 100% to the team.

[Gerry Cooper]

McStay will play because he offers more than what’s recorded on a stats table. He brings leadership, smarts and experience to a forward line that is limited in those areas. He’s a workhorse who makes life easier for Miochek.
He’s also averaging close to two goals a game since he came back, so they won’t be leaving those qualities and contributions out of the team.

I thought he had a poor night last night. Then I watched the replay this afternoon. There's so much that he does that you don't notice unless you're close to the field of play - knocks ons, blocks, tap ons, guarding space for the forwards. He's a totally team orientated player, who's not as flashy as say, Johnson, but who's always giving 100% to the team.

You are right and in that role he didn't do a lot wrong. It would be interesting to see how the club rated his game.

[What'sinaname]

i like WHE as sub
gives us flexibility

WHE and Leggy need to start. They have the speed to help us transition. Fly has a monumental selection dilemma. I think Lipinski misses out. Also, one of Adams or Sidey miss out too if Ginni and Cox are in the starting 22.

[David]

[dmov73]

I’d rather McStay play over Cameron. He can play forward, back, and ruck. Plus, he is a good mark and very mobile. His left foot field kicking is very good. I like Cox and Cameron, but I’ve rarely seen either of them get back into a game they’ve been poor in, bar 2018 prelim. Just my opinion.

[What'sinaname]

[Leggie]