NAB Cup: Adelaide vs Port Adelaide

[Booney]

=))

One poor NAB cup game and we've got:

a) a Port fan on hand for the obligatory swipe.

b) the 'sports scientist is outcoached again' call

and

c) the 'looks like the same old same old this year' call

Check, check and check.

Come on fellas, didn't you work on some new set plays over the pre-season??

Nup, and neither did the Proffessor.

Seriously. Our off the ball pressure was fantastic, our young guns in Banner, Hitchcock ( looks very good ) played well and Boak, Salopek and Westhoff ( who we need big years from all three ) stood up well.

Adelaide's midfiled appeared to be in experiment mode and it showed. Rarely did Adelaide win a clearance to any effect around the ground, but that may have been our pressure to some extent too.

Good signs for Port and probably not a bad wake up for the Crows.

Crows did look a little slow but in 30° heat and the middle of Feb the younger lighter bodies of the Port boys were always going to hold up better. A pressure cooker in September would be a different story.

[Gingernuts]

Yep,

I reckon it was a combination of the young fellas from the Crows believing their own hype a bit, and the Port boys having something to play for after an interesting week.

All in all I think it was a good wake up call for Adelaide, rather get delivered the reality check in February than September again. Not concerned at all at this stage, and I'm sure Craigy still got some tricks up the sleeve of his lab coat.

[Psyber]

Yep,
I reckon it was a combination of the young fellas from the Crows believing their own hype a bit, and the Port boys having something to play for after an interesting week.
All in all I think it was a good wake up call for Adelaide, rather get delivered the reality check in February than September again. Not concerned at all at this stage, and I'm sure Craigy still got some tricks up the sleeve of his lab coat.

I tend to agree Ginger, but it was a disappointing performance, consistent with some past performances under pressure, after the reports of a revised game style.
redden whites re Rutten: I'd still like to see it tried, but I won't carry on about it - I'd just like to see the Crows play a more direct game, and that requires some strong blokes being tried up forward..

[overloaded]

Rutten looked old and slow, so did McLeod.
The only real positive was Petrenko's game, other than that it was a fairly average start to the season and plenty of room for improvement.

[Choccies]

Sorry NFC but 'we didn't try' is LOLworthy. The Crows had a crack but came up short as they look to be well short of the Power's level of preperation at this time of year which is fine. You don't want to be peaking in February, or even May for that matter. The positive for the Crows is that they can and will get better.

The Power do not have the luxury of planning to get better six or seven weeks into the year given their performance of the last two years...they need to show progress now and they have done that. Plenty of positives for the Power today. Yeah the young Power players looked the goods but for me the number one positive for the Power was the much improved form of Justin Westhoff who has been treading water at best during the last two seasons.

regards,

REB

They did pack it in by round 12 last year so its not really surprising.... they had an extra 12 or 13 weeks to prepare for 2010 !!

[Booney]

Perhaps, but at least the end of 2009 wasn't as painful for us.

[Rik E Boy]

LOL. Boon on fire on the Crows board.

regards,

REB

[westcoastpanther]

Perhaps, but at least the end of 2009 wasn't as painful for us.

Better to set your goals high and fail, than low and succeed.....

[Booney]

Perhaps, but at least the end of 2009 wasn't as painful for us.

Better to set your goals high and fail, than low and succeed.....

True, but I know what hurts more.

*See 2002,2003,2007 *

[westcoastpanther]

Perhaps, but at least the end of 2009 wasn't as painful for us.

Better to set your goals high and fail, than low and succeed.....

True, but I know what hurts more.

*See 2002,2003,2007 *

No what really hurts is having no interest in the last 12 weeks of a season when it's actually your greatest passion. Trust me, I'm a South supporter.....

And your only interest is trying to find faults, reasons they can't win, why their gun forward will leave for the Gold Coast, etc etc with your greatest rival

[Choccies]

Perhaps, but at least the end of 2009 wasn't as painful for us.

Better to set your goals high and fail, than low and succeed.....

True, but I know what hurts more.

*See 2002,2003,2007 *

So rounds 13, 143, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21 and 22 weren't painful ??

[Booney]

They were, very painful. But missing out on a shot at the GF by one kick hurts like hell too.

Anyway back on track.


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I thought Goodwin looked at home in the back-half on Saturday. I noticed Sellar get "lost" a couple of times down back ,looks more suited to a forward/ruck role. But I guess that's what NAB Cup is for, experimenting.

[Sorry Dude]

They were, very painful. But missing out on a shot at the GF by one kick hurts like hell too.

Anyway back on track.


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I thought Goodwin looked at home in the back-half on Saturday. I noticed Sellar get "lost" a couple of times down back ,looks more suited to a forward/ruck role. But I guess that's what NAB Cup is for, experimenting.

would have to agree with you there about sellar, booney. on 1 or 2 occasions the guy had front position (and being a forward that is your job) and got out marked.

goody imo has always been suited to a running hbf role and setting up the play with johncock coming out of defence. another thing i noticed was, dangerfield can find the ball (22 possesions) but will only do it for 2 or 3 quarters. i like the way he goes about it and cant wait for him to really snap in to action and sew a few 30 possie games back to back.

[NFC]

Laugh all you like at the we didn't try comments, but fact is the Power went out there to win, Crows went out their to try and blow out some cobwebs. Power already had a few internal trials and were ready, the Crows were just beginning to get into match mode.

[NFC]

They were, very painful. But missing out on a shot at the GF by one kick hurts like hell too.

Anyway back on track.


---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

I thought Goodwin looked at home in the back-half on Saturday. I noticed Sellar get "lost" a couple of times down back ,looks more suited to a forward/ruck role. But I guess that's what NAB Cup is for, experimenting.

Sellar's best game for the AFC IMO, looked great down back other than one or two missed spoils.

[FD88]

The Crows have got much bigger fish to fry this year than common scrubbers in February practice games.

[Booney]

Laugh all you like at the we didn't try comments, but fact is the Power went out there to win, Crows went out their to try and blow out some cobwebs. Power already had a few internal trials and were ready,

the Crows were just beginning to get into match mode.

One internal trial.

Have apparently been doing "simulated" match practice ( in essence ,internal trials ) behind closed doors

Not having a dig, just stating what I understand as facts.

[Gingernuts]

They were, very painful. But missing out on a shot at the GF by one kick hurts like hell too.

Anyway back on track.


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I thought Goodwin looked at home in the back-half on Saturday. I noticed Sellar get "lost" a couple of times down back ,looks more suited to a forward/ruck role. But I guess that's what NAB Cup is for, experimenting.

Sellar's best game for the AFC IMO, looked great down back other than one or two missed spoils.

I thought he was pretty good too NFC. He did look a bit lost at times but I though he made great position down back all game, and that's half the battle I reckon. Shows that he's got good awareness of the footy, just gotta iron out some of his defensive skills.

[FD88]

He's one of these players you think has been around for an eternity without stepping up but he's still 20. It was the first time I'd ever commented during a game about how well he was playing. Really hope it's a sign of things to come because you can never have enough decent key position players.