‘It’s absolute garbage’: The footy flop that was ‘borderline embarrassing’

2 weeks ago 10

There are 2 things that struck Greater Western Sydney players midway done their second-half Anzac Day demolition occupation of the Brisbane Lions past round.

Firstly, conscionable however dysfunctional and disconnected Lions players seemed connected the tract compared with a akin radical the erstwhile year.

Lions guardant Joe Daniher was singled retired by erstwhile AFL manager Paul Roos for a mediocre performance.

And secondly, conscionable however akin their plight seemed to echo that of GWS 4 years earlier.

Parallels tin beryllium drawn betwixt the crisp demise of the Giants done aboriginal 2020 – which, it indispensable beryllium said, was mitigated by the disastrous interaction of the COVID-19 ordeal – and the autumn of the Lions successful 2024.

Both had been near-dominant forces for respective seasons; the Giants (2016-17 and 2019) and the Lions (2020, 2022-2023) made 3 retired of 4 preliminary finals and some had expansive last appearances, albeit with contrasting margins successful their losses, with the Lions agonisingly adjacent to Collingwood past year, portion GWS were each but beaten by Richmond by aboriginal successful the 2nd 4th of the 2019 decider.

Both teams besides started the adjacent play (relatively) well. In 2020, GWS defeated Richmond successful a pre-season expansive last rematch earlier knocking disconnected Geelong successful circular 1 successful an ominous display. And portion the Lions started 2024 with a loss, they had kicked 7 of the archetypal 8 goals against Carlton and gave up a adjacent 50-point pb earlier capitulating to the Blues by a point.

Two Giants players, who would not talk connected the grounds fixed the sensitivity of publically discussing absorption players, told The Scoop they were bewildered by the sheer laziness of the Lions past week successful their nine-goal nonaccomplishment successful Canberra.

Legendary manager Paul Roos, who besides played 269 games for Fitzroy, was scathing successful his appraisal of the Lions successful his caller podcast, ABC AFL Daily, hosted by Catherine Murphy.

“Had enough, excessively hard, not funny immoderate much successful playing for each other,” Roos said.

“I’ve been done this arsenic a coach. [Chris Fagan] would beryllium truly worried. Really, really, worried. Lazy connected defence, their 2 superb forwards aren’t buying successful immoderate more.

The Giants’ Josh Kelly competes with Lions guardant Charlie Cameron for the shot successful their Anzac Day clash.

“This is astir what determination these Brisbane Lions players privation to make. Do they inactive privation to play for each other? Do they inactive privation to triumph a premiership? It’s hard work, but what I’m seeing from immoderate of their prima players oregon immoderate of their alleged prima players is garbage, it’s implicit garbage.”

Roos was speedy to support Fagan and said it was inactive imaginable for the Lions to execute thing this year, comparing the concern to the 1 helium faced successful 2005 erstwhile helium coached Sydney.

The Swans slumped to a 2-4 grounds erstwhile they were belted by West Coast astatine Subiaco, but mislaid lone 4 much games connected their mode to a historical premiership aboriginal that year.

Roos singled retired elder Lions Charlie Cameron and Joe Daniher erstwhile venting his disappointment.

“Their efforts defensively are terrible,” helium said.

“The crushed they’re going into the guardant enactment truthful often and getting truthful small effect is due to the fact that they don’t tackle successful the guardant line, they don’t chase. This is simply a occupation that the Giants utilized to have, they utilized to person truthful overmuch endowment but nary existent strategy and structure. They tin crook it astir … but immoderate of Joe’s efforts were borderline embarrassing.

“Is Joe a five- oregon six-goal guardant against truly mediocre teams and past 1 oregon 2 against truly bully teams? If that’s the case, past you person to enactment structures astir him.”

While Roos placed much work astatine the feet of players, others person been speedy to constituent retired the coach’s inability to place the problem, highlighted successful Fagan’s post-match property league past week erstwhile helium was incapable to explicate what went wrong.

Footy Classified panellist and The Age columnist Kane Cornes stated connected Classified that it was Fagan’s occupation to cognize what the occupation was. But triple-premiership Brisbane Lions manager and nine manager Leigh Matthews scoffed astatine that.

“I benignant of conscionable shingle my head,” a frustrated Matthews said connected 3AW.

“People who are talking astir coaching, fto unsocial coaches’ property conferences, who person ne'er really been the unfortunate of 1 of those property conferences before.

“Any manager worthy his brackish volition look astatine the replay earlier firming his ain thinking. Then you determine what to spell to your players with.

“The station crippled is fundamentally feeding the chooks.

“If immoderate manager is astute capable to cognize precisely what he’s going to accidental to his players the adjacent time oregon two, precisely what he’s going to bash successful the reappraisal process, it’s excessively aboriginal post-game.”

The Lions’ adjacent effort to revive their play comes connected Sunday successful a do-or-die lucifer against crosstown rivals Gold Coast, a crippled that volition beryllium Damien Hardwick’s archetypal Q Clash.

Suns prima midfielder Noah Anderson said this week that portion “hatred” whitethorn beryllium excessively beardown a word, determination was “genuine dislike” betwixt the 2 playing groups.

And if it’s a crippled the Suns win, past genuine unit volition beryllium increasing successful the Lions’ den.

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