After the Freo game, we were all “Wooooo Friday! We love Friday games! We’re the new kings of Friday night, and we have so many to come woooooooo!” After last night’s clanger-fest against the Eagles at the MCG, I feel like giving our guys the showcase time slot is more like going out spotlighting bandicoots; unedifying and unfair.
Last night’s second half was really inept. Under the circumstances if we had kicked straight, probably the visitors would have lifted a notch. They pretty much just sat on us like a cast iron frypan lid and let us lose the game with our appalling kicking, around the ground and for goal. Their finishing was equally bad, they missed numerous chances to finish the contest. For us to be a better side than 2013-14, clutch kicks like Ivan’s just have to go through. Vickery has been accuracy personified from set shots, but his check-side snap in the last quarter was embarrassing. I blame Dusty who made it look easy from twice as far out in the 2nd quarter.
However; I have a lot of hope. We could have pinched that game; we weren’t blown away, and for periods late in the 1st and 2nd quarters we were running the show. We have recent proof that this group can hit targets a lot better than this; we don’t need to swing the axe. And after all it was West Coast not Melbourne. Kennedy and Darling kicked 5 between them but I thought Grimes and Rance were terrific, Dusty was Dusty™ and actually Ty and Jack were unlucky not to be named in our best. Corey Ellis was subbed off with a groin, and I hope he doesn’t lose his place in the pecking order because he’s had a terrific month and really contributed.
It was great news this morning about Rance staying for 4 more years, and good timing for the Tiger army to help them get over last night. I am delighted he sees a bright future at Punt Road.
I wasnt fussed by the loss chris. 2 things conspired against us in my opinion.
1. Nic Natanui played like an orchestra conductor. he controlled the tempo, rhythm, meter, beat, the strings the horns the big base drum and the triangle. There would of been one bloke could have slightly curbed him I believe, and the Wolves of Pitt St. sold him to pay for Buddy.
2. The umps decided that any movement whatsoever; a dilation of a pupil, a press of the lips, a rise of an eyebrow; constituted ‘PLAY ON’. from my seat, this hindered our considered tempo game, considerably.
As you blokes know, im a chronic glasshalffull fella. My take on last night went like this. ‘Phew, we play the Sydney Wolves off WWWWL and not WWWWW’ . In my demented punter logic, that gives us a far greater likelihood of victory. Jeez I hope Men Are Due keeps his place. He Lurks all over the joint. and you cant take too many Sunshine-reared boys up to that hovel north of Woolongong.