Like a dream from Inception, but without the good looks of Leonardo Di Caprio, the best bounceback season in AFL/VFL history came crushing down under the weight of reality.
Geelong dominated from the start. They were too experienced, too strong and too healthy. I'm not disappointed by the result or effort so much as the performance. We were down from the first bounce. Our remarkeable press all but disappeared for all but 10-15 minutes in the second term. Perhaps it was the result of a long and hard season on young bodies. Maybe it was that key players were nursing knocks and strains. Whatever the reason, it was probably the weakest showing of the season. We needed our best to just have a chance; we weren't even close.
I thought Waters was very good. He turned the ball over a bit (like everyone else) but he's such a force down back. I also thought Gaff was decent. Kerr showed some class at times, whilst Shuey was okay. Naitanui had a solid outing whereas Cox seemed like a man out of form and lacking fitness. Lecras didn't seem completely fit either.
On an ancillary issue, the umpiring was awful. I don't blame it for the loss at all, but the umps were very inconsistent.
I don't really have anything else to write. It was a terrific season. Our results and performances greatly exceeded my expectations. It's just a shame it all ended so dismally. But the future is bright.
I'll probably write a post or two about the season; highs and lows, best players and improvements we need to make. It does seem like a taxing prospect though, so it might take a while.
Thanks for reading.
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