R9 vs Newcastle Jets | Saturday 6th Dec | 7:00pm | SS2

He was actually behind the ball when it was played back across.

Because (a) when the ball to the player on the left was played he was onside, and (b) when the ball in from the left to him was played he was behind the ball.

Totally disagree. The first 69 minutes were close to just plain awful. We did some good things, but man, we gave a lot of ball away, drifted out of shape spurned several amazingly good chances, and got carved up at the back many times. Rodriguez was playing particularly well, and Mossy was great, but A LOT of what we did in that first 69 minutes was average at best, and possibly even worthy of the label honking.

Then there was 5 minutes of great madness, which was really really really good.

Great result for sure, but not an excellent showing at all.

THIS!!!

You will clearly NEVER get a job at Fox sports.

I thought we were the better team before those five minutes, but our high line meant we were very susceptible to the direct play of Newcastle. Quite maddening to see us struggle to move forwards through the middle of the park with dozens of passes. And then they would go long down the blanks, and two passes later be at our goal.  We were definitely the better team, but lucky to be just one down and half time.

cant stop watching the highlights, especially roys rocket.

Thanks guys!

Very poor again but the opposition was worse. Great result but we can't play like that against the top teams.

well I thought we played well and deserved the 3 points. Rode our luck at times, but I like the football Ernie is trying to get us to play. Jets were good on the counter, and that was a worry. For a while it looked like the typical sort of performance where we play well, can't finish and give up a soft goal or two at the back. But what a devastating spell we had in the second half! Shows the potential in this side. 

He scored plenty like this for Waitak. He also missed plenty. But back then he refused to pass. Now a diff animal.

really?

He's 100% bang on the money there.

I can only but disagree sir.

Well, for my money the slick surface (rain) contributed to some of the performance woes on both sides, but I agree our first half was regrettable. Just like in the game against Melb City, the opposition team lost much of their spirit when we scored the first goal.  

Secondly, I would like someone with a better memory (or a recording) to remind me how we allowed not one, not two, but three opposition players in the box with only Dura there, for the Jets' first goal.

Not sure what game you watched. Thought that, overall, this was probably the best performance we have put together (except the finishing in the first half)

Even you said it - we spurned 'several amazingly good chances'. On another day, those would go in. The issue isn't the finishing, but our ability to create these chances. No striker in the world puts them all away.

Got carved up at the back 'many times'? Really? There was about 3 occassions where Newcastle got in behind; one was the goal. Most of these were hardly well-worked moves, either, but lucky bounces.

Do you think we just flicked a switch in those 5 minutes and became a different team? No. We were working towards that the entire game, and it just so happened that we finished these chances.

Think these comments were more appropriate last week, when we were genuinely bad for those first 30 mins against City. We were FAR better than that this week.

Funny you say that Moss was great, when I thought his distribution was one of the most obvious weak points.

I think because wee mac missed 1 or 2 chances, that made the first half seem more terrible? If he scored those and we went in to the changing rooms at 2-1, most would have thought the performace was pretty good.

look, 3-1 away win is always going to be good for us. Yes we can play better and yes we will. Just take the positives now I reckon.

I would say we were honking in the game against Perth, not last night.  Thought we were clearly the better side but weren't able to finish and got caught on the break too often.

Wonder if the Newcastle coach regrets taking off Hoole?  Jeronimo didn't really give them an outlet to break when he came on.

Hi all, first post. 5 wins lol, thankyou very much.

Hey what did you think of the no penalty call from the Burnsy ball to Rolly. Thought we were very stiff with that call. 

Was a pen. Made up for by the non call on McGlinchey's offside goal.

After that abysmal decision against Roly last week for City's penalty he must be thinking the ref's have got it in for him. Definitely a penalty. 

I cut the ref some slack because it was only his second game but was annoyed when he yellowed carded Krishna for a minor foul while ignoring Pepper's elbow on A-Rod and a deliberate, nasty studs-up tackle from Manny. The Pepper elbow: we've all seen players get sent off for less violent challenges than that. I recall Matthew Breeze giving a straight red in the grand final for something similar.

The peno call was a difficult one for me.  

Yes there was contact but I think that Roly altered his line to run into the defenders tackle to effectively draw the contact.  Between that and the fact the defender touched the ball (even though there was contact first) meant that I could understand the no-call.

Thought it looked like a good tackle and no pen to me on my first two viewings. 

Pepper on the other hand had numerous carding offences and I wouldn't be surprised if this was the guy who reffed the pre-season melee game!

And I think Ernie's case holds as those cards mount up and then we miss key players from games later in the season...

who was the MoM?

Glad to see Moss is playing well. 

There were a lot of people saying Italiano was perhaps the better keeper and likely to replace him before the years end... but I think that he has put that notion to rest.

Is he playing well, though? I think his shot stopping hasn't been bad, but his distribution is, at times, screwing us over. He needs to stop hoofing it long to no one.

Don't know if it's been mentioned but after watching a replay it's quite clear that the thing that sparked us in the 70th minute had little to do with the footballing presence of Vinny Lia and more to do with his actual physical presence. 

There was a tactical change when Lia came which he was shouting and demonstrating with his hands (probably towards Mikey and Roly) before he entered the pitch.

Vinny slotted in beside Albert which pushed Roly up and essentially gave our boys up top a license for all out attack. Roly clearly played with a lot more attacking intent resulting in 3 assists and Burnsy and Krish played a lot higher. Lia probably had very little involvement in any of the goals but by him simply being in that Defensive midfield role it gave our attack the ability to play higher and take chances.

i don't think any of that makes it any less of a penalty. 

But I guess you could see them as circumstances that could lead to a referee making a mistake. 

Yeah the other thing i thought when Lia came on for A-Rod was that because Fenton was pushing up so much A-Rod was doing a lot of work back there and nullifying his attacking threat so that could have been a factor for Ernie changing the shape a little.

FYI Fenton also pushed Burns more central and WeeMac a little deeper

pretty safe to assume that Ernie is happy for us to go long when there is nothing else on.

Yeah that's probably a fair summary.  

When I saw it live I shouted for a pen, but after seeing the replays I thought Roly was partially responsible for creating the contact (and was quite possibly looking for it) and therefore didn't mind the play on call.  By the textbook it was probably a penalty though.

Who gives a shark what it looked like,we won 3-1 away from home.I couldnt give a stuff what it looked like.We won, seems to me at times some of you would accept a loss as long as we looked good doing it.

Yeah... Lets go long from the Goal kick toward our massive front three trio of Burns, McGlinchy and Krishna who are all known for their physical prowess.. I don't really understand Moss sometimes. If Burns has to gesture toward Moss that he doesn't want long balls played as he won't beat a muscly centre half, then maybe Moss should actually try something different.

Compared to last year I think his distribution has improved. He certainly rolls the ball out a lot more this season than in previous ones and seems to be passing with more intent (not just hoofing) 

He is hitting wider areas, which i think is a strategy under Merrick, so the ball does go out a little more.

ulitmately, i'm ok with his distribution been a little off if he continues to make saves and organise the team effectively.

who to when everyone has pushed up to half way. As long as we are winning the majoirty of the second ball, it doesn't really matter.

I tend to worry more about his keeping in crossing situations.  On the corner where he got fouled, I thought he was too far towards the back post - he ended up punching it just above head height.

In saying that he kept us in the game with that early save from Griffiths.  He's a great shot stopper.

I used to be a Moss doubter, but I think he has won me over in a big way this season. Also when you could see the gap between him and the second AW keeper, there's no doubt I've improved my opinion of him.