Crows vs Saints

[Thiele]

Half time Crows are down by three points after been up at quater time. Roo came off ealy wit ana ankle injury

[Thiele]

Rutten has done the a calf and will not play for the rest of the game

[am Bays]

Crows lose by 2 pts...

[redden whites]

aaaaahhhhhhhhhh

[Dirko]

Beauty...I tipped the Sainters !!

[Dutchy]

B2B 6 day breaks will kill even the professors troups

Goodwin either isnt fit or isnt trying...

How can Shirley still get a game? I know he is a stopper but doesnt get anough of the pill and when he does is ineffective

[Stumps]

goodwin in the crows best players in my opinion- funny how people can see games so differently-

[Sojourner]

Dissapointing to see it slip away by two points, I think that the suggestion that the current Crows side is not as good as last years team is starting to gather some momentum.

[Dutchy]

Dissapointing to see it slip away by two points, I think that the suggestion that the current Crows side is not as good as last years team is starting to gather some momentum.

guess youll just swap to the Cats then Soj?

[saintal]

Go you mighty sainters!

You'll have to excuse me, havent had much to smile about this year.

crows were brave, but we deserved the win.

Few things sweeter than beating Adelaide.

[Leaping Lindner]

Dissapointing to see it slip away by two points, I think that the suggestion that the current Crows side is not as good as last years team is starting to gather some momentum.

Let's be real though. We had no Bassett and then lost Rutten during the game. That threw the defence out. They are a couple of pretty handy backman. Mc Gregor had to go back and he would have been very handy up front in the last half.

[Leaping Lindner]

B2B 6 day breaks will kill even the professors troups

Goodwin either isnt fit or isnt trying...

How can Shirley still get a game? I know he is a stopper but doesnt get anough of the pill and when he does is ineffective

I wouldn't think that 6 day breaks should make that much difference these days. Not coming off an Adelaide game. Maybe a game in Brisbane or Perth.

[Dutchy]

you would be suprised LL...Ive done a lot of work in this....3 games in 12 days aint easy at this level

[Psyber]

A lot of the players really don't seem to be quite fit and tire quickly, which is interesting considering the training. I suspect many are carrying minor injuries and are sore, and that fatigues them. Dutchy's point is valid but I don't think that is all there is involved.

The Crows already had a problem with not enough height in defence this week before losing Rutten, and I think it is time to start trying some of the taller recruits in the forward line. There is not much point in scraping into the eight and being promptly knocked out, so there is a point in starting on preparing younger players for next year now. McGregor does not look like a full back. Bock may be.

[mal]

Dissapointing to see it slip away by two points, I think that the suggestion that the current Crows side is not as good as last years team is starting to gather some momentum.

Let's be real though. We had no Bassett and then lost Rutten during the game. That threw the defence out. They are a couple of pretty handy backman. Mc Gregor had to go back and he would have been very handy up front in the last half.

Foot on the other shoe
norMALly its the Saints who end up with the injuries at the DOOM
Im sure Kevin Sheedy might agree with me after last weeks game at the DOOM as well.

From a well known authority who had this to say on another Internet site

" THE GROUND WAS PATCHY AND WAS SPRAY PAINTED."
Refer Snouts louts

[SCD]

Having just got back from the DOOM - I hope this comes out as it should - a comment about the game / style, rather then the raw emotion of the loss...

The Crows really gifted the Saints this game.. We were dominant in the 1st quarter - with hard running, link up play and quick ball movement.. From then on in - it was this "tempo" football crap...
Why we persist with this trash football is beyond me - teams this year in the Cats/Hawks/Pies/Roos have shown the game doesn't go with this tempo crap 10mins into a quarter anymore and the amount of turnovers it creates and hurts us going the other way has to make the Crows wake up to it.

The backline - losing Rutten is a huge loss and really made life difficult for the Crows.. He has been the best full back in the land for the last 18months and Gehrig had a field day after he went off... The lack of a match up on Riewolt hurt the backline... Massie wasn't big enough and Stevens / McGregor weren't quick enough.. It was evident how dominant a force he was all night

The Midfield - had their fair share of the ball, won enough of the ball in the middle (except in the last quarter).. The use of the ball was poor though - skills were pretty ordinary and didn't stand up under the pressure applied by the Saints..
I know he's been named on this thread and by me previously - but I really think Shirley's time has come at the football club.. he needs to become an effective tagger or a ball winner - i keep saying it, but he is neither.. I really wonder why he stayed at the club, when a more skilled player in my view of Skipworth was let go.. At the end of the day - when he does get it, he burns it and doesn't hurt other teams, so why does he keep getting a game ahead of a young kid??

The Forwards - Given NO hope from poor delivery and the ability of the Saints midfielders to work harder and help out the back line players.. Not much can be said other then Roo's ankle + Rutten's injury really upset the balance going forward and gave the Crows no stability (which is what they thrive on)

The Game Style - This needs major work on it... When they run and attack (last week v Hawthorn) or the 1st quarter - they are dominant and great to watch.. However, when they play tempo footy they seem to handball and chip kick.. but the handballs are out of trouble, not to create and too often the chip kicks are to a 50/50 contest..
The forward line structure also needs serious looking at.. The midfielders by the looks of things have been told the last month to "bomb" it long into the danger area - but it has made the Crows way too predictable... The Saints sat 2 - 3 blokes 30m out and just hit the pack every time.. We need to be more creative and spread out our resources and ensure everyone knows what is needed, rather then kicking and hoping.... It works sometimes, but you can't do it all the time because teams like West Coast and St Kilda have eaten us apart when we chip, chip, chip, bomb long...

In addition to that - Scott McLaren felt the need to even up after his shocker cost the saints last week (the deliberate out of bounds against Kenny - shocking decision...) He had a very poor game (both ways - not the Crows only, he made poor positioning, including after the "kenny decision" running into the centre when his end had the goal kicked at - you stay down your end if a goal is kicked.. but his decisions all night were reactive instead of instinctive and poor on all fronts) To be honest it matched the Crows skills tonight...

There are comments about this team not being as good as last years - well I don't doubt that, but look at the younger kids coming through and the injuries to key personnel we have had.. Bassett, Rutten, Burton, Goodwin, Roo, Porplyzia and the longer term ones in Biglands and Hentschel... these injuries and the blooding of new kids are making the team "underperform" or being inconsistent as people are putting it..

It's going to be a tough few weeks now which will "make or break" the Crows season, if tonight didn't already start to do so - but with Fremantle / Essendon / Port.... win all 3 we're guaranteed.. lose 2 or 3 and it's almost curtains...
I think they can bounce back and get back on track next week - but need a bit of consistency with playing lists and no more injuries!!!

[saintal]

I'm not saying he wasnt a loss, but Gehrig had Rutten's number before he went off. Certainly robbed the crows by having to play Kenny down back.

[mal]

SCD
I will educate you on the Adelaide Footy club
You asked why they attack for a portion of a game and then play TAMPON footy after

The team is old and slow and lack genuine midfield pace
They cant maintain an attacking game as they have not got the endurance to do so.
They have to play TAMPON footy to get through a game.
The coach is aware of their frailties and coaches accordingly[and well]

[SCD]

SCD
I will educate you on the Adelaide Footy club
You asked why they attack for a portion of a game and then play TAMPON footy after

The team is old and slow and lack genuine midfield pace
They cant maintain an attacking game as they have not got the endurance to do so.
They have to play TAMPON footy to get through a game.
The coach is aware of their frailties and coaches accordingly[and well]

Older players may be our better ones and more consistent - but the Crows are not that Slow - NO WAY mal... (is Mcleod a slow player for one of our older guys.. what about Edwards.. no they are not!!!)

It comes down to effort and commitment to each other and consistency - which they didn't have tonight and have lacked for a major part of this year...
In terms of age for the Crows - have a look at the young - middle age speed we have at the club..
Knights = 21 good speed and skills
Douglas = 20 good speed, needs some time for skills development
Van Berlo = 21 good speed and improving skills
Johncock = 25 very quick - decision making has been questionable and seems to be handballing only at the moment
Mattner = 25 too quick for his own good...
Reilly 24 = quick and good ball runner
Porplyzia = 23 lacks high speed, but good with his hands and skills
Thompson = 24 lacks high speed, but terrific ball winner and hard worker

8 midfielders / running types under 25 then add in
Maric = 21, Bock = 24, Griffen = 21, Jericho = 23, Rutten = 24, Stevens = 25

The Crows have 14 players under 25 that have been playing significant games this year.. I think it's more the Crows have overacheived with their list in previous years and we are probably about the mark we should be this year...
However I am proud of how they are trying to get these young kids through and have been successful doing it.. what I was dissappointed with was the tempo football they played when on top tonight - which got the Saints back into the game.. BUT given that tonight they were playing against a team on their last chance to make finals, and their 3rd game in 12 days add to that the Crows had 10 of the 22 under 25, they just didn't cop the backup...

[mighty_tiger_79]

interesting, i thought the crows were lucky not to get blown away in the end, much the same as the saints were lucky not to get totally blown away in the 1st 1/4.