-CG-
29 Feb 2008, 21:55
Earlier this evening I was lucky enough to be able to head down to a cold and windy Norwood Oval to see five Crows players in action for Norwood.
The players were out when we arrived and took part in an extensive warm up. At first it appeared there was only one team on the park, a considerable clash occurring between the blue and red and blue jumpers. Thankfully, some quick thinking from a Norwood official saw the Red team change into white shorts just before the first bounce.
Q1
It was decided Red were to kick to the southern end first, Blue aiming for the left goals.
Before I get into the Crows player's positions, its worth noting they were all playing for Blue.
Young Taylor Walker headed straight to the goal square to line up at full forward, Luke Jericho was positioned on the wing, Aaron Kite at full back, Bryce Campbell in the centre and Kris Massie also in the centre.
Walker started off by getting to know his opposition, politely shaking hands. His first term wasn't too bad. He marked fairly early deep in the far pocket, dished off to Jericho, but Jericho was unable to gather the ball. Later on he gave away a free kick for to high but was eventually able to get the score board moving for Red first. He neatly gathered the ball after he missed the mark due to the sun and was able to freely run forward and kick the goal.
Quarter stats: 2 kicks, 1 handball, 1 mark, 1 goal.
Jericho's first quarter was reasonable, however got off to a shaky start, kicking the ball into the man on the mark for his first kick. His second clanger for the quarter was a spilt mark.
Quarter stats: 1 kick, 4 handballs, 2 marks, 1 tackle.
I wasn't too sure what to expect from Aaron Kite. After reading several accounts that he was an unexpected draft selection, I had a couple of question marks hanging over his head. My mind was not put to ease when I saw him line up at full back! Contrary to my suspicions, Kite's first term wasn't too bad. Early on though, he had some trouble registering his first stat on the board, getting caught for holding the ball. He was playing on Jamie Vlatko and I was very impressed with how tight he stuck to him. Although he wasn't afraid to leave his man and move up the ground; although it’s worth saying he only did this once. One piece of play I liked was when he was one on one with Vlatko and he was able to bump him out of the contest, the ball spilled to ground and he went down to attempt to gather it. He was also put in charge of doing the kick outs, which is where he collected most of his stats from for the first term. Three of his kick outs were pretty poor. He'd continually bomb the ball outside the 50 on the wing and twice Red were able to bring the ball back in and score.
Quarter stats: 5 kicks
I was a little surprised to see Campbell lining up for Norwood. However his night started off poorly, giving away a free kick for a high tackle. He went off about halfway through the first quarter before returning shortly after. He did alright first up, was more precise with his possession than Jericho.
Quarter stats: 2 kicks, 1 handball, 1 tackle
I wasn't as surprised to see Massie playing for Norwood, considering he’s coming back from injury. Massie had an ok first quarter, finding his feet again for his first real competitive hit out for the year.
Quarter stats: 2 kicks, 2 handballs 1 hit out.
Overall, Red dominated through the midfield with Blue's poor tackling and turnovers only making the job easier for them.
Red 2.5 17
Blue 2.0 12
Q2
At the quarter time break we spotted Nathan Basset with first year players Myke Cook and Tony Armstrong. Basset hung around for a while before leaving the young guys to it.
Walker again started at full forward, Jericho was on the wing, Kite at full back, Campbell in the centre as was Massie.
Walker got things going early for Blue, taking a mark on the invisible 50 metre line at about a 40 degree angle. His kick was beautiful, couldn't fault it, although unfortunately it was just touched on the line. At half time I noted that perhaps he could work on his defensive pressure a little more. Once the ball had turned over to Red he didn't seem to be doing much in terms of trying to get it back.
Quarter stats: 1 kick, 1 handball, 1 mark, 1 behind.
Jericho saw a little more of the ball this quarter. He continued to work through the wing although once he had possession of the ball he wasn't being overly effective with his disposal.
Quarter stats: 4 kicks, 2 handballs, 1 mark, 1 tackle
Kite was again at full back on Vlatko and was beaten on the lead for the first time this quarter. Although for the rest of the quarter he provided an even contest, putting in a good spoil on one occasion. Kite was doing a fair job on Vlatko, keeping him to just one goal and one behind for the half. He didn't do the kick ins this quarter.
Quarter stat: 1 kicks
Campbell had a quite second term. Again, he was rotated about 10 minutes into the quarter for a short spell.
Quarter stats: 2 kicks, 2 handballs
Massie had a reasonable quarter through the middle. Once or twice he went up in the ruck contest around the ground as third man up. What I liked about Massie is that he shows leadership on the field, offering advice and giving out directions, especially before the centre bounce.
Quarter stats: 2 kicks, 1 handball, 1 mark, 1 hit out
Overall, Red seemed to dominate again, even though they had one less scoring shot for the term.
Red 6.7 43
Blue 3.1 19
Q3
Walker started at full forward, Jericho on the wing, Kite at full back and Campbell in the centre with Massie.
Walker presented well when given the option for Blue, gathering his first mark of the term following the flight of the ball to the ground on his knees, with the sun in his eyes. He capped off with a goal from a reasonable distance, out in front.
Quarter stats: 3 kicks, 1 mark, 1 goal, 1 behind.
Jericho gave away a 25 metre penalty, to start off his quarter, for a late push. Then later in the quarter he dropped a mark, but then received a free kick. From his free kick he had a shot at goal from about 50, but the ball faded left and went through for a behind.
Quarter stats: 3 kicks, 1 handball, 1 mark, 1 tackle, 1 behind.
Kite was moved off Vlatko early in the term. He moved to half forward against Stuart Bown. As he did with Vlatko, Kite stayed with Bown, even as he ventured up towards the centre and the wing.
Quarter stat: 1 handball.
Campbell had a quiet quarter. Again, he was brought off the ground halfway through before returning a short time later.
Quarter stat: 1 handball.
Massie continued to play consistently through the middle. He continued to lead well and showed authority around packs.
Quarter stats: 3 kicks, 1 handball, 1 tackle.
Overall, Red's slightly better skills and accurate goal kicking helped them to further their lead at three quarter time.
Red 9.7 61
Blue 5.3 33
Q4
Walker began again at full forward, Jericho was on the wing, Kite retained his new position at half forward and Campbell and Massie were in the centre.
Although Walker started the term at full forward, he was moved to half forward not long into the quarter. Besides being at half forward, he moved down the ground onto the wing once or twice to present for the ball. At one point he made a lead right in front of where we were sitting. Unfortunately for him, the ball sailed over his head and he let out an 'Arrrgghh' to show us more so his disappointment in missing the ball. Back down in the forward 50, he stayed down from a pack and gathered the ball to have a running shot at goal. However, he missed to the right.
Quarter stats: 2 kicks, 1 handball, 1 mark.
Jericho's last term was alright.
Quarter stats: 3 kicks, 1 mark.
Kite had another quiet term possession wise, but there was one piece of play which impressed me. He went up in a marking contest with his direct opponent, got hands to ball and was able to force it to the ground. He kept his feet and contested the ball at ground level, just getting a handball away. Bown kicked one goal on Kite.
Quarter stats: 1 kick, 1 handball, 2 tackles.
Campbell finished off the game with a reasonable last term. A highlight was a strong tackle he applied which resulted in a free for holding the ball. As usual now, he was the only Crows player to rotate off the ground.
Quarter stats: 3 kicks, 1 tackle.
Massie's last quarter was much of the same.
Quarter stats: 3 kicks, 1 tackle, 1 hit out
Overall, Red finished the game strongly converting all their last term scoring shots for goals, whereas Blue was only able to manage the one.
Red 13.7 85
Blue 6.4 40
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Just some quick player notes for the game:
Walker: Had five scoring shots, kicking two goals. Presented fairly well at both full forward and half forward. Can take a nice contested mark, brilliant kick. His physicality has improved a lot since I saw him at Norwood Oval last year for the u18s. Look forward to seeing more in the SANFL this year.
8 kicks, 3 handballs, 4 marks.
Jericho: It was interesting to be able to watch Jericho close up. He seems to be able to get the ball, but his decision making is fairly poor. I used to see a lot of potential in him, something’s just changed.
11 kicks, 6 handballs, 5 marks, 3 tackles.
Kite: Surprised me, I think he has potential. He's a good reader of play, is athletic and has a good leap. His skills, especially kicking (hitting a target etc) need some work. Also look forward to seeing him in the SANFL this year.
7 kicks, 2 handballs, 2 tackles.
Campbell: This evening's performance shaded last week's game for the Crows. He was alright; found a reasonable amount of the ball.
7 kicks, 4 handballs, 1 mark, 1 tackle.
Massie: Reasonable game possession wise and followed the ball well around the ground. But what stood out was his leadership.
10 kicks, 4 handballs, 1 mark, 2 tackles.
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Just note these are my stats, they're probably not 100% accurate. Score is as I took down :thumbsu:
Sorry it’s taken this long to get up! EDIT: Pics are up
The players were out when we arrived and took part in an extensive warm up. At first it appeared there was only one team on the park, a considerable clash occurring between the blue and red and blue jumpers. Thankfully, some quick thinking from a Norwood official saw the Red team change into white shorts just before the first bounce.
Q1
It was decided Red were to kick to the southern end first, Blue aiming for the left goals.
Before I get into the Crows player's positions, its worth noting they were all playing for Blue.
Young Taylor Walker headed straight to the goal square to line up at full forward, Luke Jericho was positioned on the wing, Aaron Kite at full back, Bryce Campbell in the centre and Kris Massie also in the centre.
Walker started off by getting to know his opposition, politely shaking hands. His first term wasn't too bad. He marked fairly early deep in the far pocket, dished off to Jericho, but Jericho was unable to gather the ball. Later on he gave away a free kick for to high but was eventually able to get the score board moving for Red first. He neatly gathered the ball after he missed the mark due to the sun and was able to freely run forward and kick the goal.
Quarter stats: 2 kicks, 1 handball, 1 mark, 1 goal.
Jericho's first quarter was reasonable, however got off to a shaky start, kicking the ball into the man on the mark for his first kick. His second clanger for the quarter was a spilt mark.
Quarter stats: 1 kick, 4 handballs, 2 marks, 1 tackle.
I wasn't too sure what to expect from Aaron Kite. After reading several accounts that he was an unexpected draft selection, I had a couple of question marks hanging over his head. My mind was not put to ease when I saw him line up at full back! Contrary to my suspicions, Kite's first term wasn't too bad. Early on though, he had some trouble registering his first stat on the board, getting caught for holding the ball. He was playing on Jamie Vlatko and I was very impressed with how tight he stuck to him. Although he wasn't afraid to leave his man and move up the ground; although it’s worth saying he only did this once. One piece of play I liked was when he was one on one with Vlatko and he was able to bump him out of the contest, the ball spilled to ground and he went down to attempt to gather it. He was also put in charge of doing the kick outs, which is where he collected most of his stats from for the first term. Three of his kick outs were pretty poor. He'd continually bomb the ball outside the 50 on the wing and twice Red were able to bring the ball back in and score.
Quarter stats: 5 kicks
I was a little surprised to see Campbell lining up for Norwood. However his night started off poorly, giving away a free kick for a high tackle. He went off about halfway through the first quarter before returning shortly after. He did alright first up, was more precise with his possession than Jericho.
Quarter stats: 2 kicks, 1 handball, 1 tackle
I wasn't as surprised to see Massie playing for Norwood, considering he’s coming back from injury. Massie had an ok first quarter, finding his feet again for his first real competitive hit out for the year.
Quarter stats: 2 kicks, 2 handballs 1 hit out.
Overall, Red dominated through the midfield with Blue's poor tackling and turnovers only making the job easier for them.
Red 2.5 17
Blue 2.0 12
Q2
At the quarter time break we spotted Nathan Basset with first year players Myke Cook and Tony Armstrong. Basset hung around for a while before leaving the young guys to it.
Walker again started at full forward, Jericho was on the wing, Kite at full back, Campbell in the centre as was Massie.
Walker got things going early for Blue, taking a mark on the invisible 50 metre line at about a 40 degree angle. His kick was beautiful, couldn't fault it, although unfortunately it was just touched on the line. At half time I noted that perhaps he could work on his defensive pressure a little more. Once the ball had turned over to Red he didn't seem to be doing much in terms of trying to get it back.
Quarter stats: 1 kick, 1 handball, 1 mark, 1 behind.
Jericho saw a little more of the ball this quarter. He continued to work through the wing although once he had possession of the ball he wasn't being overly effective with his disposal.
Quarter stats: 4 kicks, 2 handballs, 1 mark, 1 tackle
Kite was again at full back on Vlatko and was beaten on the lead for the first time this quarter. Although for the rest of the quarter he provided an even contest, putting in a good spoil on one occasion. Kite was doing a fair job on Vlatko, keeping him to just one goal and one behind for the half. He didn't do the kick ins this quarter.
Quarter stat: 1 kicks
Campbell had a quite second term. Again, he was rotated about 10 minutes into the quarter for a short spell.
Quarter stats: 2 kicks, 2 handballs
Massie had a reasonable quarter through the middle. Once or twice he went up in the ruck contest around the ground as third man up. What I liked about Massie is that he shows leadership on the field, offering advice and giving out directions, especially before the centre bounce.
Quarter stats: 2 kicks, 1 handball, 1 mark, 1 hit out
Overall, Red seemed to dominate again, even though they had one less scoring shot for the term.
Red 6.7 43
Blue 3.1 19
Q3
Walker started at full forward, Jericho on the wing, Kite at full back and Campbell in the centre with Massie.
Walker presented well when given the option for Blue, gathering his first mark of the term following the flight of the ball to the ground on his knees, with the sun in his eyes. He capped off with a goal from a reasonable distance, out in front.
Quarter stats: 3 kicks, 1 mark, 1 goal, 1 behind.
Jericho gave away a 25 metre penalty, to start off his quarter, for a late push. Then later in the quarter he dropped a mark, but then received a free kick. From his free kick he had a shot at goal from about 50, but the ball faded left and went through for a behind.
Quarter stats: 3 kicks, 1 handball, 1 mark, 1 tackle, 1 behind.
Kite was moved off Vlatko early in the term. He moved to half forward against Stuart Bown. As he did with Vlatko, Kite stayed with Bown, even as he ventured up towards the centre and the wing.
Quarter stat: 1 handball.
Campbell had a quiet quarter. Again, he was brought off the ground halfway through before returning a short time later.
Quarter stat: 1 handball.
Massie continued to play consistently through the middle. He continued to lead well and showed authority around packs.
Quarter stats: 3 kicks, 1 handball, 1 tackle.
Overall, Red's slightly better skills and accurate goal kicking helped them to further their lead at three quarter time.
Red 9.7 61
Blue 5.3 33
Q4
Walker began again at full forward, Jericho was on the wing, Kite retained his new position at half forward and Campbell and Massie were in the centre.
Although Walker started the term at full forward, he was moved to half forward not long into the quarter. Besides being at half forward, he moved down the ground onto the wing once or twice to present for the ball. At one point he made a lead right in front of where we were sitting. Unfortunately for him, the ball sailed over his head and he let out an 'Arrrgghh' to show us more so his disappointment in missing the ball. Back down in the forward 50, he stayed down from a pack and gathered the ball to have a running shot at goal. However, he missed to the right.
Quarter stats: 2 kicks, 1 handball, 1 mark.
Jericho's last term was alright.
Quarter stats: 3 kicks, 1 mark.
Kite had another quiet term possession wise, but there was one piece of play which impressed me. He went up in a marking contest with his direct opponent, got hands to ball and was able to force it to the ground. He kept his feet and contested the ball at ground level, just getting a handball away. Bown kicked one goal on Kite.
Quarter stats: 1 kick, 1 handball, 2 tackles.
Campbell finished off the game with a reasonable last term. A highlight was a strong tackle he applied which resulted in a free for holding the ball. As usual now, he was the only Crows player to rotate off the ground.
Quarter stats: 3 kicks, 1 tackle.
Massie's last quarter was much of the same.
Quarter stats: 3 kicks, 1 tackle, 1 hit out
Overall, Red finished the game strongly converting all their last term scoring shots for goals, whereas Blue was only able to manage the one.
Red 13.7 85
Blue 6.4 40
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Just some quick player notes for the game:
Walker: Had five scoring shots, kicking two goals. Presented fairly well at both full forward and half forward. Can take a nice contested mark, brilliant kick. His physicality has improved a lot since I saw him at Norwood Oval last year for the u18s. Look forward to seeing more in the SANFL this year.
8 kicks, 3 handballs, 4 marks.
Jericho: It was interesting to be able to watch Jericho close up. He seems to be able to get the ball, but his decision making is fairly poor. I used to see a lot of potential in him, something’s just changed.
11 kicks, 6 handballs, 5 marks, 3 tackles.
Kite: Surprised me, I think he has potential. He's a good reader of play, is athletic and has a good leap. His skills, especially kicking (hitting a target etc) need some work. Also look forward to seeing him in the SANFL this year.
7 kicks, 2 handballs, 2 tackles.
Campbell: This evening's performance shaded last week's game for the Crows. He was alright; found a reasonable amount of the ball.
7 kicks, 4 handballs, 1 mark, 1 tackle.
Massie: Reasonable game possession wise and followed the ball well around the ground. But what stood out was his leadership.
10 kicks, 4 handballs, 1 mark, 2 tackles.
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Just note these are my stats, they're probably not 100% accurate. Score is as I took down :thumbsu:
Sorry it’s taken this long to get up! EDIT: Pics are up