It'll be interesting watching the replay because I thought we won the first, albeit only just (scoreboard notwithstanding) and definitely won the last.
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It'll be interesting watching the replay because I thought we won the first, albeit only just (scoreboard notwithstanding) and definitely won the last.
The only area we were down until mid way through the third was contested poss. (of course scoreboard).
They were going in harder, but we turned that around. We were smashing them in Clearances and stoppages, but not delivering the ball into our F50 very well (as usual)
Just on Hannan, he has had an interrupted preseason( didn't play much last year either) and is playing a difficult role in a new side I think we need to give him time. I remember when Crozier first came in and had knee problems early looked well off the place but eventually got going with continuity.
Lets be honest here, how many of us wrote off the game when we were 27 points down in the middle of the 3rd quarter?
Something inspired our boys.
Was it Bont's magic show and never give up attitude?
Bruce commanding a 'kick it too me' position with our midfielders?
Did the team know Hunter was out there with a likely broken hand and giving his all?
Was it Liberatore and Daniel lifting their work rate?
Or an inspirational Bevo speech?
I just have to think there was an incredible belief among our boys that it's not over til it's over.
When you consider where we were this might be our best win of the season.
I agree Gary,
I think a combination of all those elements, which signifies the overall belief the team has.
We're not always going to play beautiful football with things going our way, it's the good teams that, despite this, keep fighting and get the result. That's the difference between a 'nice' team and a good team. Carlton are a 'nice' team. When it's on their terms they look great, but when a good team takes it up to them, they don't have the mental goods to stick with it. And that's probably a charge you could've slung at us in recent years. I think the performances against West Coast, GWS and Carlton have showed we've grown in that regard.
Another massive challenge next week against Port in Adelaide to get a real reading of just how much we've improved. We may not get a win, it's a tough challenge to win over there against a fired up Port, but it's vital we don't roll over.
Absolutely. Watching them walk it in off the back of every forward 50 contest was doing my head in, and (except for the last few minutes post treloar goal) I thought they were moving more freely. The one saviour in my mind was that it was largely our poor skills giving them the ball back in dangerous positions, and that was an easy fix.
I would still have the Eagles win higher in my rankings as proof that we can beat a good team, but this was great for belief that we are always in games.
"Watching them walk it in off the back of every forward 50 contest was doing my head in."
You and me both.
I thought we still were in it but I was losing faith/belief by the second. I said to my son if they kick 1 more it's good night Irene. Then when we kicked a couple at the end of the 3rd I felt we were in for a big last quarter. I'm not sure if it was a gut feel or just a desperate wish to want the win. I actually said we'll kick 7 in the last at 3QT to my son. If Naughton hadn't hit the post I look like Nostradamas!
Very pleasing win after playing awful for so much of the game. Our field kicking was atrocious. When Cordy turned the ball over trying to pin point Macrae with 3 Carlton players all around him in the corridor I said a few things that should never be repeated. But it wasn't just him we were bad across all lines. There was a little bit of it's just going to happen about the way we were playing atm and we need everyone to play their role and not waiting for others to do the heavylifting all the time. I didn't realise that Bevo was coaching from the bench in the last quarter until I watched some of the replay. Maybe that was what got us humming in the last. A bit more direction and discipline in the face of the players.
A win against Carlton always feels nice
Certainly did. When Harry clunked a few marks inside 50 on consecutive entries, it looked gone. Lynch from last week areas.
Then Bont really lifted. Crozier found some form. Caleb moved back. Things ran much more smoothly with a half back line really starting to hum and the best player on the ground in motion, with ball in hand.
There was a definitive shift. Noticed Bevo was on the bench coaching around that time too. Wonder if things weren’t as organised as he would like.
I am hesitant to give it too much credit because while Carlton did pose a threat, we should be dealing with them and in the end that’s what we did. Par result.
Agree... the review should heavily focus more on the bad than the good.
We aren't getting a consistent level of performance from 6-8 at present and we didn't execute our skills well and I think we need to change the mix in the team as whilst we were able to right the ship, it won't be the case against an opponent of higher quality.
Is it really so dire? Melbourne looked woeful for 2 and a half quarters against North a couple of weeks ago, before they too got on top.
I agree we fluffed things against Richmond, and we need to do better. I don't think we have massive cracks. Carlton, North they have massive cracks. I think we've got some improving to do, but I don't think its that bad.
Some of those cracks though are from having an unsettled side and with injuries hitting. The losses of three players who were in our best in the first few rounds, English, Williams and Dunkley have not just hurt in the sense of personnel missing, but in the way the side is set up.
Wins like yesterday's do more for the team than a romp against North. Good teams learn how to win in all sorts of different ways. There were many signs that it 'just wasn't our day' - the fumbles, the endless slipping over, even the overturned goal. You learn a lot about a team's character when they are forced to dig deep, and I liked the answer we got yesterday.