Post Match v Cats...all comments here thanks!

[Brenny]

I will not complain about effort, but what I will complain about is our terrible ball handling skills!

Taylor Adams bump on Selwood, is he in trouble?

[Johnno75]

Can't complain about the effort tonight. Slow start didn't help. The Cats won the clutch moments especially in the last qtr because they were cleaner with the ball. Taylor Adams should not have started as sub given he did have an impact when he came on last week.

Huge game next week against tigers. Loser will be 1-3.

[stoliboy]

I know everyone hates stats but Sidey's disposal efficiency was 72% tonight. Not elite but not bad either (FWIW Swan 56% (about normal), Cloke (37%), Blair 45%). Thought he had a good game.

Fighting loss I thought. Probably lucky not to lose it by 4-5 goals but to our credit I think our defense forced a lot of their shots out wide. No question we're handballing too much but once we get the balance right I think we're going to be very dangerous. I walked away from the G thinking it's going to be a rough ride for about the next 8 weeks but by round 11/12 I'm expecting the real youngins will have started to get some experience. Hopefully we'll have reasonable stability in personnel too.

Thought Grundy was sensational tonight. Yes he tired by he is 19 people.. yes 19. Played all of 9 games.

Our backline featured a 3 gamer, 5 gamer and a 22 gamer. Not many teams, if any, run around with that much inexperience in their backline.

Don't know about anyone else, I'm a bit worried about how much pace Tooves has lost since he did his knee. He used to be damn fast, now not so much.

Don't reckon Pendles was right tonight. Clearly carrying the knock he got last week, trying to lead the way. Seemed to be a metre slower. Having said that yet another captains game. For those whinging about him not bombing the ball inside 50, are you the same ones complaining about our general forward 50 bombing raids?? Such a shame because the atmosphere at that point was electric.... and his handball was probably only an inch away from being the right option.

Please give Taylor Adams a full game next week. Clokey's a worry but I'm not sure what can be done. Perhaps he has to push up the ground. No way he'll be dropped to the twos. Encouraging signs from White tonight.

Think there's a lot of positives. The missus said that the TV commentary had said it was rookie night with 9 Cats and 10 Pies having played less than 50 games or something along those lines.

Bring on the Tigers... what a week to get them... NOT. Oh well. Go Pies.

Where do you get the disposal efficiency stats from?

[GoWoodsmen]

Forgot to mention the Caff... yet another great effort. Johnson was seething (read: sooking) continually. Held to 20 touches and to be honest aside from his goal was barely even noticed. Just amazing transformation as a player Caff.

And Beamer... great game son.

[Rick]

I will not complain about effort, but what I will complain about is our terrible ball handling skills!

Taylor Adams bump on Selwood, is he in trouble?

He'll probably go for it, but in his defence, I thought Selwood deviated towards Adams. What's he supposed to do, let Selwood run through him?!

In any case the outcome would be the same, Selwood rolling around milking it for all it's worth.

[AN_Inkling]

Overall I think tonight's performance was meritorious. I think we've only got one true A-grade player at the moment and that's Pendles. The others are all down on form (including Beams) and a couple aren't playing. To only lose to the Cats by under two kicks means we put in a good team effort. I'm happy with that at this stage of the year because we are a team that's still being built. We won't know our best lineup till half way through the year, and I don't expect us to playing anything like our best footy till then. If we can scrap a few close wins and at least hold our heads high in the losses, that'll do me for the moment.

[HAL]

It seems amazing to me too.

[Albert Parker]

My observations

- Well done Billy Elliott. Kept us in it
- Too many youngsters and an unsettled line up leaves us hesitant and executing poorly
- Cloke poor. Needs to hold more, despite the attention.
- Swan suffered glandular fever before Xmas. Was why he was late into his pre-season. Appears to me that he may still be suffering. Just not getting to as many contests
- Hope that the past 2 weeks shuts a few up about the willingness of the team to play for the coach. Young players failing to execute and not enough from our stars who have been down
- Umpires poor early I thought but Cats poor kicking for goal kept us in the game
- Well done to Maxy. Has been back to his 2010 form as a spare man in defence in the past 2 weeks
- More critical of Blair than I am of Sidebottom. Think Sidebottom has another gear but Blair just doesn't have it at all
- Well done to Caff for his job on SJ tonight and Jack last week
- Cats are 3-0, but I reckon that they are 5 goals weaker than the Hawks who appear to currently be miles ahead of every other team

[GoWoodsmen]

I know everyone hates stats but Sidey's disposal efficiency was 72% tonight. Not elite but not bad either (FWIW Swan 56% (about normal), Cloke (37%), Blair 45%). Thought he had a good game.

Fighting loss I thought. Probably lucky not to lose it by 4-5 goals but to our credit I think our defense forced a lot of their shots out wide. No question we're handballing too much but once we get the balance right I think we're going to be very dangerous. I walked away from the G thinking it's going to be a rough ride for about the next 8 weeks but by round 11/12 I'm expecting the real youngins will have started to get some experience. Hopefully we'll have reasonable stability in personnel too.

Thought Grundy was sensational tonight. Yes he tired by he is 19 people.. yes 19. Played all of 9 games.

Our backline featured a 3 gamer, 5 gamer and a 22 gamer. Not many teams, if any, run around with that much inexperience in their backline.

Don't know about anyone else, I'm a bit worried about how much pace Tooves has lost since he did his knee. He used to be damn fast, now not so much.

Don't reckon Pendles was right tonight. Clearly carrying the knock he got last week, trying to lead the way. Seemed to be a metre slower. Having said that yet another captains game. For those whinging about him not bombing the ball inside 50, are you the same ones complaining about our general forward 50 bombing raids?? Such a shame because the atmosphere at that point was electric.... and his handball was probably only an inch away from being the right option.

Please give Taylor Adams a full game next week. Clokey's a worry but I'm not sure what can be done. Perhaps he has to push up the ground. No way he'll be dropped to the twos. Encouraging signs from White tonight.

Think there's a lot of positives. The missus said that the TV commentary had said it was rookie night with 9 Cats and 10 Pies having played less than 50 games or something along those lines.

Bring on the Tigers... what a week to get them... NOT. Oh well. Go Pies.

Where do you get the disposal efficiency stats from?

On the AFL site, go to the Match Centre, scroll down and find the tab Full Time Stats. Once it comes up click on Advanced Stats. I know stats don't always tell the story but they've regularly told me that Swanny doesn't actually get the ball to one of our players almost 1 out of every 2 disposals!!

[Hiss]

Yeah happy with that effort tonight. Geelong are and will always be a much better and stronger side than us so I don't mind losing to a team like that. Argh well that's the way it goes. It was a good loss by our lads because they tried hard and will improve. I am not worried about winning a flag anymore, it is about enjoying your footy. The team need to enjoy playing more instead of trying to be a top side which they are not. Happy with Bucks coaching. He did try and wasn't beaten by that much. Pies fans need to get behind the team and stop bagging them when the lose. Every player did well tonight because the tried hard. Comparing us with clubs like Hawthorn and Carlton who have won many flags since 1961 is unfair. We are not like them. We are the greatest team in the league. I am happy with the Geelong result because I don't expect to win. Go Pies.

[John Wren]

I totally agree with that. But in truth isn't "effort" the last refuge of teams without enough skill or a decent game plan?

NO, we had at least four topliners out tonight, marley Williams and reid alone would make a hell of a difference to this team.

At the moment we are a team that is a bit disjointed due to too many changes. The effort is what needs to be there every week, regardless of whether you're a good or ordinary side. We've ticked that off in at least the last two games. Better ball movement will come with a more settled lineup. With key players down and missing we did run the Cats close tonight, and that's an admirable effort.

I've seen enough from us so far this year to say we'll be pretty good. A tough draw means top 4 is probably out of the question. We will be right up there in top 8 calculations though.

disjointed is a good way to describe thinfs. there does not seem to be much flow, more stacatto like.

when we put it together you can see what they're trying to do. need a bit more composure.

walked away with a sense that if we took our opportunities we should have won it. geelong weren't that great. i think we' ll go ok this year.

next week we have richmond to get things going again particularly for trav.

[watt price tully]

NO, we had at least four topliners out tonight, marley Williams and reid alone would make a hell of a difference to this team.

You didn't address the issues of lack of skills or game plan. Merely that we had players out. Newsflash. All teams have key players out. Geelong have at least four top liners out for the season.

I doubt they have out players the calibre of reid, brown, Williams, and throw in Sinclair and seedsman. the cats still revolve around the likes of sellwood, stevie j, Hawkins, bartel, Kelly and lonergan, and stokes. Aside from Enright what key playmakers do they have out Yes, our skills were down, but mainly from sidey and swan, swan definitely is carrying an injury, and his woeful last kick probably cost us the game.

Christiansen is a brilliant player IMO & Motlop is more than handy.

[MattyD]

Incredibly frustrating game. But pleasing that we almost won despite the fact our disposal is so damn poor.

Why can't our players kick or handball to a target?

How can our players look so tired in the second half of a game and it is only round 3?

What is wrong with Swan? Attitude or injured?

Where was Beams?

Is Pendles injured as well?

What was Ball doing for most of the game?

And I'm so relieved to see some of you guys are saying something about the umpiring. We got right royally rogered.

[WarrenerraW]

very disappointing loss tonight considering that we were always in the contest but just couldn't capitalize when it mattered - missing a lot of gettable shots. Swan had a stinker as did many others. Elliott was a shining light tonight. Cloke needs to kick a bag to gain some confidence, but it would help if we fed him the ball to him properly instead of at his ankles or above his head.

Our skills our absolutely disgusting by hand and by foot. Turning the ball over constantly and making clanger after clanger.. yes Alex Fasolo, I'm talking about you. Ditch this handball happy frenzy that we seem so set on because it's not working, and learn to kick with precision. Hit targets and convert your opportunities. We are not a top 4 team. We have to stop giving our opposition acres of space to run and set up opportunities. I don't care how young and inexperienced we were, we played very poorly and if geelong weren't equally as sh!t then the result may have been worse. We're bound to lose at least 3 next week to injury and suspension. We better bounce back.

[WarrenerraW]

Swan is clearly injured. Dwer got a knock on his ankle or leg. Pendles is not right and might be carrying something. Beams copped a knock too on his leg but still played out the game. Maxy looked like he rolled an ankle but came back and played well. Expect some big changes next week.