2nds Collingwood vs Box Hill Hawks - Vic Park - 1pm Saturday (not TV game, some radio coverage)

[Gone Critical]

Sounds bleak in the VFL what's coming through. Ben Kennedy played well but it's not good enough for our chances to do anything to change what's happening with the senior team this season.

On the contrary things went well. 3 of the 4 players who are likely to see AFL action again this year were 3 best and the other Thomas wasn't bad. Sinclair made good progress and could add something by the end of the year. Grundy continues to develop and as young rucks go we can be very happy with our pair.

Two players who excite us a bit , Karnesis and Scharenberg got through unscathed. By any reasonable expectation injury has cruelled the year for these 2 but it will be good to see them finish the year and so hopefully head into 2015 ready for a fresh start. One project player, Gault showed a fair bit and looks to have enough to work with. Pretty good afternoon.

 

[Pera]

7; Kennedy; Decent first half but absolutely brilliant second half, we don't win that game without BK playing, he ran the game out sensationally well..

Oh but wait, he isn't fit enough for 4 quarters.

Get real Bucks. Seriously.

 

[THATSGOLD]

On the contrary things went well. 3 of the 4 players who are likely to see AFL action again this year were 3 best and the other Thomas wasn't bad. Sinclair made good progress and could add something by the end of the year. Grundy continues to develop and as young rucks go we can be very happy with our pair.

Two players who excite us a bit , Karnesis and Scharenberg got through unscathed. By any reasonable expectation injury has cruelled the year for these 2 but it will be good to see them finish the year and so hopefully head into 2015 ready for a fresh start. One project player, Gault showed a fair bit and looks to have enough to work with. Pretty good afternoon.

Kennedy is the future.
Thomas I'm 50/50 after this season.
Sinclair doesn't make us a top 4 side going forward.

 

[MyManLynch]

Oh but wait, he isn't fit enough for 4 quarters.

Get real Bucks. Seriously.

So take over coaching, you obviously know more & are better qualified.

 

[THATSGOLD]

So take over coaching, you obviously know more & are better qualified.

Isn't everyone on bigfooty?

 

[Bring_Back_Brad]

As a side note, Paul Licuria was present in the most astounding ensemble. I thought it was Zoolander, then saw his face inside a hood and said, "that's Licca" then looked at his quite incredible booties and thought, "no, this person played bass for Pseudo Echo", then I looked at his face again.

who.. this guy?

 

[Pera]

So take over coaching, you obviously know more & are better qualified.

Pretty much. Thanks for noticing!

 

[Bay Pie]

Kennedy is the future.
Thomas I'm 50/50 after this season.
Sinclair doesn't make us a top 4 side going forward.

Agree on Kenno.

I'm not the rap on JT many others are. He's so small without the weapons Kenno has and they appear to be vying for the same spot. I hope Freeman goes past JT next year.

If Sinkers can just tidy up his kicking a little more he can be a valued member of our back 6. Williams, Tooves and Langdon appear to have the 3 small defender roles but Sinkers is handy depth.

 

[TradeDraft]

Was great to see Maxwell down there to Support the Boys

 

[dansa]

46; Marsh, I love this kid, quick, skillfull and learning how to play the game. Very good defensively today once again.

I could have you mixed up with someone else, but early in the season were you not quite skeptical about this kids chances in particular having concerns about his disposal and ability to defend? Please don't take this as a knock on you. I am just interested whether after seeing a lot of VFL footy this year you have had those concerns reduced somewhat. In the few VFL games I've seen live he has shown a super competitive attitude and good pack marking ability. Clearly very early days but I'm excited.

 

[mattys123]

I could have you mixed up with someone else, but early in the season were you not quite skeptical about this kids chances in particular having concerns about his disposal and ability to defend? Please don't take this as a knock on you. I am just interested whether after seeing a lot of VFL footy this year you have had those concerns reduced somewhat. In the few VFL games I've seen live he has shown a super competitive attitude and good pack marking ability. Clearly very early days but I'm excited.

I said early in the year that he looked really raw and had a long way to go in many areas, but it really has been remarkable to see his improvement in the VFL since being moved down back (out of necessity to the VFL team).

Even the club admitted when they took him that he was a long term prospect, it's now come to a point where he could play a senior game or two this year, especially given our weakened senior backline.

I still think long term he'll be a forward although he may end up being a swingman of the Ben Reid variety.

His two best skills at the moment are his overhead marking and the use of his pace, but he isn't one of those "athletes" that clubs recruit that hasn't had any footballing background, he comes from a footy state and played footy growing up, and it shows.

He really is the steal of the draft IMO, almost guaranteed to be a very good senior level footballer.

Maybe the biggest plus is that he hasn't even turned 19 yet, so there's amazing improvement to come.

 

[TradeDraft]

I said early in the year that he looked really raw and had a long way to go in many areas, but it really has been remarkable to see his improvement in the VFL since being moved down back (out of necessity to the VFL team).

Even the club admitted when they took him that he was a long term prospect, it's now come to a point where he could play a senior game or two this year, especially given our weakened senior backline.

I still think long term he'll be a forward although he may end up being a swingman of the Ben Reid variety.

His two best skills at the moment are his overhead marking and the use of his pace, but he isn't one of those "athletes" that clubs recruit that hasn't had any footballing background, he comes from a footy state and played footy growing up, and it shows.

He really is the steal of the draft IMO, almost guaranteed to be a very good senior level footballer.

Maybe the biggest plus is that he hasn't even turned 19 yet, so there's amazing improvement to come.

Marsh is no Certanity at the Moment to be a Good AFL player yet.

Has big upside but still has bit to go before he is ready for AFL and make a run at the Best 22

 

[dirts]

I said early in the year that he looked really raw and had a long way to go in many areas, but it really has been remarkable to see his improvement in the VFL since being moved down back (out of necessity to the VFL team).

Even the club admitted when they took him that he was a long term prospect, it's now come to a point where he could play a senior game or two this year, especially given our weakened senior backline.

I still think long term he'll be a forward although he may end up being a swingman of the Ben Reid variety.

His two best skills at the moment are his overhead marking and the use of his pace, but he isn't one of those "athletes" that clubs recruit that hasn't had any footballing background, he comes from a footy state and played footy growing up, and it shows.

He really is the steal of the draft IMO, almost guaranteed to be a very good senior level footballer.

Maybe the biggest plus is that he hasn't even turned 19 yet, so there's amazing improvement to come.

He is only 1 cm shorter that Hurley and Riewolt. Could be super handy rotating between KPP and KPB in a couple of years. That speed opens up endless opportunities if his development continues like this

 

[dansa]

Morrissey has a song on his new album called "the football team i support won a game". Bloody miserable stuff.

Yes I imagine THATSGOLD would really identify and enjoy Morrisseys song writing.

 

[THATSGOLD]

I said early in the year that he looked really raw and had a long way to go in many areas, but it really has been remarkable to see his improvement in the VFL since being moved down back (out of necessity to the VFL team).

Even the club admitted when they took him that he was a long term prospect, it's now come to a point where he could play a senior game or two this year, especially given our weakened senior backline.

I still think long term he'll be a forward although he may end up being a swingman of the Ben Reid variety.

His two best skills at the moment are his overhead marking and the use of his pace, but he isn't one of those "athletes" that clubs recruit that hasn't had any footballing background, he comes from a footy state and played footy growing up, and it shows.

He really is the steal of the draft IMO, almost guaranteed to be a very good senior level footballer.

Maybe the biggest plus is that he hasn't even turned 19 yet, so there's amazing improvement to come.

Too early to make steal of the draft calls on Marsh. Settle.

 

[THATSGOLD]

Yes I imagine THATSGOLD would really identify and enjoy Morrisseys song writing.

You could imagine something else with your spare time.

 

[Old Spice]

Oh but wait, he isn't fit enough for 4 quarters.

Get real Bucks. Seriously.

He was on the bench a lot as with other seniors and did damage as a burst player so he was not fit enough for 4 full quarters imv.

 

[Old Spice]

I didn't see Marsh do anything noteworthy, but I only have one set of eyes and one set of eyeballs have their limit.

And I guess this is the point. The club has a hundred eyes on the players live and in review. That's the problem with people making massive statements about the list - they see one thing and pretend to see all.

I note the ephemera where the ball goes and like to think what I see has some validity, but so do others with their misery/booster goggles.

On Marsh he certainly has voice and likes to help his team-mates through voice, which I quite liked and noted from behind the bench.

 

[CLUBMEDhurst]

Thanks for the reports. Haven't been able to make it to the VFL for a few weeks, and I'm interested to know how our 23rd man Callum Matheson's been going. I'm good mates with his old man, and saw that he kicked 2 goals against Box Hill. Seems to be doing OK according to the CFC website

 

[DaVe86]

Oh but wait, he isn't fit enough for 4 quarters.

Get real Bucks. Seriously.

Chill.

Kennedy's fitness is improving, but still not quite there. Remember he had a pretty big operation at the end of last year so he is probably 1 more pre-season away from taking the AFL by storm.

The other issue though is his height. It's hard to get a gig in our midfield, so he needs to cut it as a small forward. Structure wise, we look very light when we have a forward line with Blair, Elliott and Kennedy. He'll need to displace Blair which I think he will long term, but for now Bucks is sticking with Blair. Blair's last 2 weeks haven't been anything massive, but he has been solid in the absence of Ball and Swan.

The final forward position is with Broomhead right now. He is 182cm so just has that bit of extra height.

Long term, I see Kennedy as a midfielder, but for now he just needs to be patient. A player of his height needs to be super fit.

 

[Greening Magic]

Chill.

Kennedy's fitness is improving, but still not quite there. Remember he had a pretty big operation at the end of last year so he is probably 1 more pre-season away from taking the AFL by storm.

The other issue though is his height. It's hard to get a gig in our midfield, so he needs to cut it as a small forward. Structure wise, we look very light when we have a forward line with Blair, Elliott and Kennedy. He'll need to displace Blair which I think he will long term, but for now Bucks is sticking with Blair. Blair's last 2 weeks haven't been anything massive, but he has been solid in the absence of Ball and Swan.

The final forward position is with Broomhead right now. He is 182cm so just has that bit of extra height.

Long term, I see Kennedy as a midfielder, but for now he just needs to be patient. A player of his height needs to be super fit.

This is a huge issue for Ben K. I think everyone agrees he looks like a good footballer in the making. But when a side already has Ball Elliott Blair Adams Williams Dwyer Martin Broomhead & Fasolo running out in the 1st's we are in danger of the crowd thinking they are at a dwarf throwing contest. Add Armstrong Seedsman and Langdon (slight) and it's little wonder we get outmuscled by the very good teams. We need to make some big calls on the 'little people' on the list. They may get a better opportunity at another club whose list profile isn't so small.
Who has trade value (of the little's)? Probably all but Blair Dwyer & Martin.
If we keep them all, some are going to miss seniors more often than not because we simply can't play them all.
Sydney play 2 - Jack & McGlynn - both bulls.
Hawks play 3 -Mitchell, Puopolo and Hill. 1 champ, 1 bull, 1 pace.
Cats play - Stokes Selwood & Christianson (spelling). 2 bulls and Stokes who may struggle in a poor team.
If we keep them all then Hine shouldn't draft/ recruit anyone under 185 for a while but if he does some already there have to go.
I think Ben K stays but our list profile needs a tweak.

 

[mattys123]

Weekly stat graphic has come through;

Ben Kennedy oh boy.

 

[TradeDraft]

Weekly stat graphic has come through;

Ben Kennedy oh boy.

He would have to play next week. The open spaces at Subi would suit him

 

[MightyPies1]

Kennedy a certain starter next week.

 

[TradeDraft]

My player reviews, a tad late, but here you go:

4. Brodie Grundy
I’ll get skewered for this, but I actually think Grundy lost the matchup against Ceglar (and Lowden). In particular, Ceglar had the better of the hitouts and was far more influential in general play, coming across to spoil as a 3rd man in on many occasions and taking several good strong intercept marks, as well as dropping back into defence to help out and clunking the odd mark when able to sneak forward.

We also saw a re-emergence of ‘Bad Brodie’ during the game, namely his propensity to deck a bloke and give away a stupid 50m penalty. The only saving grace was that the offence occurred deep in our forward line, not theirs. Nevertheless, the coaching group need to give him a serve for (yet another) idiotic brain-snap. Having aggression means nothing if you’re constantly letting it get the better of you…

Don’t expect him to displace Witts on form at the moment.

7. Ben Kennedy
Wow, what a game! Was voted best on ground by the 3WBC crew, and they were spot on. Found an absolute arse-tonne of the pill all day, in particular after half time and especially in the last. His two goals were the definition of crumbing, opportunistic small man stuff.

However, he did have more than just a few facepalm moments. Several times, he would leave a received handpass or kick behind, spending the money before he had earned it. He slipped on his backside a couple of times, but at the very least followed up with a 2nd effort. Missed a very gettable set-shot in the 2nd when Box Hill were starting to wrestle their way back into the game, also.

Was clearly our highest possession getter on the day, and a retrospective check of the stats confirms this (38 possies!). I’d bring him in to the seniors next week, quite comfortably, and I wouldn’t be starting him as sub!

Outstanding performance, Ben, great work!

9. Martin Clarke
Pfft, next!

12. Luke Ball
Great game from Bally. Was back to his usual self, smashing in to extract the contested ball. Just a hunch, but just by watching our midfield group, in particular the VFL-listed boys, Ball’s very presence alone seemed to make them walk an inch or two taller, something which Ball backed up with his deeds, charging in with almost suicidal intent for the footy. Also topped our tackle count with 10.

He did let himself down twice though in the last, spraying two gettable set-shots for goal, even for him and his lack of penetration as a kicker. Ordinarily, his numbers and general performance would have him well in line for a senior recall, but after Taylor Adams’ game yesterday, and in particular with a game coming up at Subiaco which will require run on its open expanses, I do wonder if he can get back into the senior side again.

It’s hard to say, but I’m thinking he is depth now. It would be great if he could go around again, to provide our VFL team with leadership, but I get the feeling that this is it for him…

14. Clinton Young
Took his medicine and, alongside Ball, was deserving of being considered our best experienced senior player out there. Gathered 33 disposals for the day and used them reasonably well, but also had 4 or 5 of them smothered, as he wound up to launch the footy long down the wing.

What he does deserve a wrap for, though, is his physical work. On more than one occasion, he either went back with the flight of the ball, executed a really strong tackle (7 for the day) and went in to smother a kick. One of those smothers in the dying moments prevented a centre clearance to Box Hill which could have made things interesting had it been able to launch into their tall forward line.

I’d lean towards recalling him for West Coast, especially given that the open ground would call for his running abilities and long kicking.

21. Quinten Lynch
As always, worked really hard all game and looked to be moving unhampered, but it wasn’t his day. Did a couple of selfless things, in particular his squaring kick to Kennedy in the second for a set-shot (which BenKen missed) and executed a nice block to allow Gault to clunk that last quarter mark. You know what you’re going to get with Lynchy. Is more than handy depth if we need him (or if White needs a rocket)…

24. Josh Thomas
I was hoping that Ball’s presence would allow JT to get a little bit more off the chain, and while he picked up 22 disposals, he wasn’t as damaging in clearing the ball (his main weapon) as he was for patches last week. Did kick the one goal, courtesy of some good work from his teammates and some good vision from Hellier. Not sure he comes back in at the moment, with Adams starting to fire and Blair holding down a spot.

28. Ben Sinclair
Was solid without being remarkable. Was rotated a fair bit and (from memory) participated very little in the final quarter. Still working his way back to full match fitness. Was able to drift forward on a couple of occasions and offer something around the goal mouth, which is nice. I wouldn’t expect to see him back for the seniors for a least another fortnight…

31. Jackson Ramsay
Really liked Ramsay’s game at half back. Offered plenty of run and dash from defence and his disposal was a lot tidier than last week. I like how he is tracking, but with a surplus of small half back types, I do wonder where the club has him in the pecking order….

33. Patrick Karnezis
Was gifted one of his shots for goal, but after the collective dose of butt reaming that our forwards received from the muppets in fluro, it was more than deserving. Only took the 1 mark for the day, but he presented well enough and gave us something to kick to in the forward end. Kicked a very nice set-shot from the boundary and did well to bring the ball to ground for Matheson to kick the winner at the end.

You wouldn’t think this is his year to debut as a Magpie, but I’m confident he can find a place in our best side from next year onwards, if he can get his body right and have a massive pre-season. For the moment though, he just needs to keep offering us something to aim at in the VFL forward line, because our setup looks a lot better with him in it…

35. Matthew Scharenberg
Looked every bit like an 18 year old who has missed 12 months of footy with foot injuries. Just couldn’t run and his normally elite disposal skills deserted him. I’m not in the slightest worried, because he’ll be better for the run, but patience is required. And again, he has an almost unnerving calm about him, a trait which will serve him well when he finally cracks into the seniors…

38. Peter Yagmoor
Had another job playing as an undersized key defender, this time on Tim O’Brien. On the numbers, he probably wins the matchup, with O’Brien kicking only the 1 goal. I’d put this down to O’Brien’s rawness as much as Yagmoor’s limited ability when having to stand a man. Nevertheless, effort has to be recognised and Peter went about his business as best he could.

I do question why we perhaps did not opt for Tim Allan in the side, who can play as a tall back, thereby releasing Yags to play freer and smaller, but the influx of AFL-listed players probably made Allan’s omission inevitable.

Yags job isn't likely to get much easier in the run home, with taller sides in Geelong and Essendon likely to again require him to play above his weight division...

44. Corey Gault
Worked really hard all day, both forward and in the ruck (and I’d actually say he did better at the latter). Was minded by Kyle Cheney, who tended to zone off him and act as their spare in defence, particularly in the last, where he almost won the game for them.

It wasn’t really Corey's day, but it was his moment at the end where he clunked a very good pack park to allow him to go back and kick the sealer. I still don’t particularly rate him, but so long as he can keep producing these (al beit modest) results, I have no qualms with giving him another year as a rookie.

46. Jonathan Marsh
Primarily had the job on Grimley, but found himself on all of Ceglar, Lowden and even O’Brien at times. Acquitted himself reasonably well against his direct opponents, but the real emerging strength to his game was/is his offensive drive. He’s picking his moments when to go for an intercept mark instead of just spoiling. If you will, he’s starting to know when to channel Presti and when to flick the switch to Harry Taylor.

Kicking is still utterly shambolic (will someone please teach him how to kick a bloody drop punt?!), but otherwise, is tracking along very nicely. Won’t crack a game this year, but is one to watch in 2015.

48. Caolan Mooney
Almost wouldn’t have noticed him out there. Only picked up the 10 possessions. Had a couple of nice bits of play in the opening term and inparticular one moment of brilliance where he received from Lynch and slammed on the after burners into a vacant forward 50, but for some reason, instead of kicking a drop punt, he opted for the Gen Y laziness of a dribble kick, which he duly cocked up. Hope Tapping has a go at him for it.

In short, he will want to substantially pick up his game for the rest of this year if he wants to be retained.

From the VFL listed boys…
- Nick Gray was by far our best VFL listed player and would be in my votes. Gathered a heap of the footy and used it pretty well. Had one moment of stage fright in the last, where he sprayed a kick at an open goal mouth. He kept looking to pass it off, not wanting to take the responsibility. Dolly, I thought you were great, but if you’re gonna play amongst AFL-listed players, you have to take the responsibility when it’s your turn, son!

- I know I say it every week, but I love Lachie Ferguson! Offered great dash in an otherwise 1 paced midfield and applied a couple of good tackles.

- Matheson was dangerous as a forward, kicking 2 important goals, including the winner with some textbook crumbing. Sometimes I found it difficult to tell him apart from Jake Williams, who also played pretty well.

Written by MagpieBat

http://www.magpies.net/nick/bb/viewtopic.php?t=74670&start=135