Thought up an exercise that I believe would be very interesting to see the result.
Each club in the AFL, have supporters that know the list inside out and back to front, to the point they are aware of what is going on down at training this preseason, and current status of all the list.
The first person from each clubs more die hard supporters, can put his/her order of the players from 1 to 44/48 in their supported club including rookies. Once you make the post, you become THE HOST of your team. Discussions on the order can alter the hosts order, if they deem it necessary to edit, going on information that other supporters give.
As a Collingwood supporter, I will be the host of the Pies, and here is my order, this order is based on importance to the 09 season;
Did this update twice, once on the 30th, then the power went out, when I was up to my last player. This is a rehash of the first post practice match I did and lost. Not quiet as good, but hey, I learnt to save into Word, then tranfer, rather than straight post.
Current Order.
1 Scott Pendlebury: Was a standout in this practice match, and was probably BOG. Pendles looked to be a class player, and really looked to have had a great preseason. The best plays involved him, with his smooth movement, and long kicks. The Limosine, outstanding all over.
2 Travis Cloke: Dominant! The best forward on the ground. Cloke, played just about the whole game at CHF, and looked to be in good nick. Ran hard and did more of the one percenters than we are used of from Cloke. He also booted four goals, which means Trav is a machine waiting in the garage.
3 Leon Davis: Played in short bursts and mostly onball showing pace and skill we are accustomed to from Leon. Because he was used sparingly, he wasn't dominant, but what he did was first class.
4 Alan Didak: Neeld said, Didak will return for the NAB Cup clash against the Eagles, Alan Didak was attending a wedding interstate and missed the match.
5 Dane Swan: Little game time, only playing after the break. In the last half he played well. He had a collision with a few players, and seemes to bounce back well. In the second half Swan was always where the ball was and possessed of it very well.
6 Heath Shaw: Very classy disposals as he lead the defence for his side. Heater was able to standout amongst a very classy, deep unit, that we have at our disposal at Collingwood this year.
7 Nathan Brown: Played on a few different players, and was rarely beaten. After playing across half-forward last week, Brown was switched to a defensive role this week and enjoyed a good duel with Chris Dawes. Neeld said he was also buoyed by the contributions
8 Paul Medhurst: (foot)
9 Harry O'Brien: Had the job on both talls and smalls, very good again, as O'Brien is all the time. He is fast tracking to be one of the best of the lot in defence, just a shame he isn't about 5cm taller.
10 Dale Thomas: Daisy's disposal was very sloppy at times. I think him working himself to exhustion a couple of days back with Maxwell, didn't help, especially when your required to back it up in the heat. Dale Thomas moves around from half-forward to the centre square.
11 Nick Maxwell: Did the hard things as per usual, but didn't get it enough. He played across half back, and even had time in the centre as an extractor, and carried it out impressively. Maxwell then pushed up the ground and he did show very good clearance work on occasions.
12 Martin Clarke: Uses it very well majority of the time. Clarke looked real composed running out of the backline, and he got it a fair bit. Marty Clarke played the first half with a long-sleeve black jumper under his red vest, but took it off after the main break.
13 Josh Fraser: The best ruckman on the ground, although Wood did well. Fraser eclipsed Woods efforts, giving the onballers first use out of the centre. Also impressively drifted forward to kick a couple of goal. Playing most of the game, he topped it off with a great pack mark.
14 Cameron Wood: Has put more muscle on, which is encouraging for all the Pie fans that have been waiting forever for a dominating ruckman. He played ruck and he was beaten by Fraser, but not put to shame, because he did fairly well, and had his moments. His tap work was ok to good. Went forward and got the next bloke that is trying to play out of his skin at the moment in Presti, who sat the first half off the ground, so he was up against it to beat him also.
15 Simon Prestigiacomo: I think the best thing about this match for Presti, is he played the full game, and didn’t get injured or look injured in any part of it. Still the human blanket, with some time to catch up, so that can only be a good thing.
16 Sean Rusling: (Shoulder)
17 Chris Dawes: Fairly impressive game. Covered the ground well, showing speed and endurance. Kicked two goals, and will be great for us this year working with Trav and Anthony. Put on Cloke as a Defender for few minutes and did not look comfortable at all.
18 Anthony Rocca: (Ankle)
19 Tarkyn Lockyer: Rarely sighted was Tarx, I’m sure he is just in second gear, watching these young guns in amazement like the rest of us.
20 Jack Anthony: Seems to be on track to continue his development as a forward, kicking four goals, but had about eight shots. Neeld said he was also buoyed by the contributions.
21 Tyson Goldsack: Appears to of been injured in the ribs after a clash with Wellingham, so hopefully there is nothing of note to report on that one.
22 Shane O'Bree: Was quiet good in this match, typical O’Bree inside stuff, without the O’Bree turnovers. Expect the same from O’bree this year, it will be hard to knock him out of the side if this display was anything to go by.
23 Anthony Corrie: Had a fair game only. Did well with his disposal by foot, but his hands were sloppy, and even set up an easy goal for O’Bree. He did get in and under a few packs, so the prospect of Corrie perhaps helping out at our stoppages, getting in and under like today, would be reason to consider him for our senior side.
24 Ben Reid: Tough gig for the inexperienced Defender, but he did well on who I consider the main three threats to our forward line in 09, barring Rusling, and that is Cloke, Dawes and Anthony. Had the three players he played on, working hard for their possessions, with great closing speed, providing an even contest in pack marks. Didn’t get a lot of the ball when the ball went to ground from a marking contest. Reid will need to work on this, as he gets more and more experienced in defence. Has put on a little bulk, which is great to see. He now is a decent 195cm and looks to of added to the 94kg on the club website, and now seems around the 98kg mark. This extra bulk helped him not be out muscled on any occasion in his baptism of fire, against three players who are going to give other defenders a run for their money, so for Reid to do as well as he did, is a credit to him.
25 Steele Sidebottom: The results this guy is getting so early in the piece, is awesome. Played a very good game again, following up from time trial results, and other staring practice matches. Seemed to get his fair share of the ball out of the clearances, laid some good hard tackles, and more importantly, used it superbly every time.
26 Dayne Beams: If Sidebottom wasn’t a ‘find’ enough, we add to that Beams. Has great ability to extract the ball, and dispose of it well. Wore his allocated number 17, and he showed sharp, accurate and composed skills, a lot like Burns. Beams has a good body shape for footy, and has skills on both sides of his body. Instinctive, and cool under pressure. Couldn’t fault him.
27 Brad Dick: (Knee precautionary)
28 John McCarthy: Another player who hits his targets, which has been lacking in the past at Collingwood. Played mainly across half forward, and showed the class and poise he showed on occasions last year. Looks to of built up a little, which is par for the course, of someone who is serious about his career in the AFL. McCarthy looked quick and fit, and should be a real show to make our top 22.
29 Chris Bryan: Moved well, covered some decent ground, and kicked a couple of goals when he played onball. Moved into defence for a period, but most encouraging, was his ability to compose and hit targets, rather than just kicking in hope. Good to see we have three ruckman, who are all AFL capable. It will come down to who is playing better at the time in 09. Josh is safe, I have Wood just ahead of Bryan to take second ruck in 09 at this present time, but Bryan is only one poor Wood game away.
30 Sharrod Wellingham: Played wing and in the guts, tackled very well, highly skilled possessions, but the only down side, was that he didn’t get it enough. Will need to work on his output to put his name on the coaches board rather than Beams, Sidebottom, McCarthy.
31 Brent McAffer: Played forward, and only seemed to get it on a couple of times. Seemed to be a bit too keen, and lead under the ball on a few occasions. When he did get it, he kicked a goal, and fed out some pretty good handpasses, that hit the target.
32 Shannon Cox: A seemingly more mature Cox than the one I am used to seeing, played well, had good vision, hit his targets by hand and by foot, but needs to really get better in his one on one contests, because he gets beaten too much. Most of his possessions were without pressure, so his possessions under pressure, where not put on display often, so it’s hard to judge whether he is capable of contested possession, or contested spoil or mark. None of these displayed well for Cox in this game. Great backup for potentially injured defenders, as the season wears on.
33 Ben Johnson: Close to best on ground. The Johnson that run out for this game, reminded me of the Johnson we had two years ago. The competition wasn’t as fierce back two years ago, as it is now, but Johnno stood up well. His run and carry out of defence, was vintage. Covered enormous amount of territory, and used it well, which sometimes can me a big ? for Johno, but not this match.
34 Jarrad Blight: (???). Was looking forward to seeing Blight, as he has been described as a steal, that only occurred because the teams in the West rolled the dice, and was hoping he would be there later. Pies were not about to let him slip, he has the attributes of a good footballer, his ability to settle away from the West is the only concern.
35 Jaxson Barham: Was on and off the ground, ran hard when he was on, but didn’t get too many possessions. He ran the lines a few times, and in those moments, looked not out of his depth, but he was a poorer reader of the play than the others, which contributed to him not having much impact.
36 Luke Rounds: Since he played last year, Rounds has put on a heap of beef. Still has his blistering pace, that he used to find space, and looked poised on the run, and deliver pin point passes most of the time on both sides of his body.
37 Danny Stanley: Didn’t have much impact. I don’t expect to see to Stanley in the Ones this year. Like Toovey, I think the clock is ticking. Has trimmed down though, so he is working hard on the track, which is great for Gavin Brown and Crew.
38 Leigh Brown: Neeld or someone else at the club, have been talking Brown up in each of his training matches. Other fans aren’t so convinced. Brown was beaten well by Dawes, and didn’t inspire to beat any of the other opponents he went on. We would have to get a few injuries, before we bring Brown in I would suggest.
39 Ryan Cook: Another player that Neeld seems to think done well, but Cook still has issues with his decision making. He runs hard, and uses it fairly well, but never real damaging.
40 Alan Toovey: One of the poorer players on the ground. Seems to be lost, and his skills aren’t what the others are. He competes well, but when he gets it, he is the only player who can miss a target by a fair way, with no pressure being applied. Will play in the VFL side, probably all year, and then perhaps be delisted at years end, if this game was anything to go by. To think Toovey came out and said how desperate he was to making the side, then to display this on the last practice match, just shows, he is not up to AFL standard. I’ll give him the benefit of the doubt, that it was hot, but it was hot for Blair, Beams and Sidey too, who could well and truly be forgiven for poor performance, but the luckiest not to be delisted player on our list, should of showed more.
41 Kevin Dyas: (Hamstring)
42 Scott Reed: Played on six different opponents, and did quiet well. He seems to have some excitement, and will push his way into the seniors either at the end of this year or early next year.
43 John Bennell: Mentioned he plays a little like Davis, and got to see first hand how good Leon is, trying to match Leon as his direct opponent in the back pocket, he failed, as you would expect. Had good skills when he had it, but must get his work rate up before he will be mimicking anyone in the vein of Leon.
44 Jaryd Blair: Played very well, got heaps of touches. A couple of things that are concerning, and they are; his kicks have little penetration, and he is 172cm. Could well be a fairytale rookie story in the making, if he gets countless possessions like he did. My debate a few months back was; Would Tony Shaw make it in today’s game, with little penetration to his kicks, and a small height, may just be answered soon. Will Blair overcome his downfalls like Shaw did, or is the game just too good for such deficiency’s? I don’t know the answers but I just might in two years time with this projects results. Brent Harvey and others are pint size, so it’s not impossible, its just incredible when it does.
45 Tristan Francis: Rarely sighted, missed an easy shot at goal in the final minutes. Talk of the next Tony Francis will be on ice, indefinitely. Not much game time, so hard to judge too much.
46 Lachlan Keefe: Played in defence, and didn’t do it a hell of a lot. This guy is PROJECT, and nothing much should be expected out of him this year, but he looks like he will develop nicely, and at 205cm he will be a long term player for the Pies.
47 Tobias Thoolan: The reason why I took the extra five minutes, rather than sending the full report. Had Thoolan not been there, I would not of doubled my time in doing this. Thanks Tobias. Ran the boundary line. Thank god I told you that. lol
So thats my order preseason 09. Will be very interested to read each team Host's order of their teams as I said. It aint easy, but i am up for any discussion on my order. Fire Away
Each club in the AFL, have supporters that know the list inside out and back to front, to the point they are aware of what is going on down at training this preseason, and current status of all the list.
The first person from each clubs more die hard supporters, can put his/her order of the players from 1 to 44/48 in their supported club including rookies. Once you make the post, you become THE HOST of your team. Discussions on the order can alter the hosts order, if they deem it necessary to edit, going on information that other supporters give.
As a Collingwood supporter, I will be the host of the Pies, and here is my order, this order is based on importance to the 09 season;
Did this update twice, once on the 30th, then the power went out, when I was up to my last player. This is a rehash of the first post practice match I did and lost. Not quiet as good, but hey, I learnt to save into Word, then tranfer, rather than straight post.
Current Order.
1 Scott Pendlebury: Was a standout in this practice match, and was probably BOG. Pendles looked to be a class player, and really looked to have had a great preseason. The best plays involved him, with his smooth movement, and long kicks. The Limosine, outstanding all over.
2 Travis Cloke: Dominant! The best forward on the ground. Cloke, played just about the whole game at CHF, and looked to be in good nick. Ran hard and did more of the one percenters than we are used of from Cloke. He also booted four goals, which means Trav is a machine waiting in the garage.
3 Leon Davis: Played in short bursts and mostly onball showing pace and skill we are accustomed to from Leon. Because he was used sparingly, he wasn't dominant, but what he did was first class.
4 Alan Didak: Neeld said, Didak will return for the NAB Cup clash against the Eagles, Alan Didak was attending a wedding interstate and missed the match.
5 Dane Swan: Little game time, only playing after the break. In the last half he played well. He had a collision with a few players, and seemes to bounce back well. In the second half Swan was always where the ball was and possessed of it very well.
6 Heath Shaw: Very classy disposals as he lead the defence for his side. Heater was able to standout amongst a very classy, deep unit, that we have at our disposal at Collingwood this year.
7 Nathan Brown: Played on a few different players, and was rarely beaten. After playing across half-forward last week, Brown was switched to a defensive role this week and enjoyed a good duel with Chris Dawes. Neeld said he was also buoyed by the contributions
8 Paul Medhurst: (foot)
9 Harry O'Brien: Had the job on both talls and smalls, very good again, as O'Brien is all the time. He is fast tracking to be one of the best of the lot in defence, just a shame he isn't about 5cm taller.
10 Dale Thomas: Daisy's disposal was very sloppy at times. I think him working himself to exhustion a couple of days back with Maxwell, didn't help, especially when your required to back it up in the heat. Dale Thomas moves around from half-forward to the centre square.
11 Nick Maxwell: Did the hard things as per usual, but didn't get it enough. He played across half back, and even had time in the centre as an extractor, and carried it out impressively. Maxwell then pushed up the ground and he did show very good clearance work on occasions.
12 Martin Clarke: Uses it very well majority of the time. Clarke looked real composed running out of the backline, and he got it a fair bit. Marty Clarke played the first half with a long-sleeve black jumper under his red vest, but took it off after the main break.
13 Josh Fraser: The best ruckman on the ground, although Wood did well. Fraser eclipsed Woods efforts, giving the onballers first use out of the centre. Also impressively drifted forward to kick a couple of goal. Playing most of the game, he topped it off with a great pack mark.
14 Cameron Wood: Has put more muscle on, which is encouraging for all the Pie fans that have been waiting forever for a dominating ruckman. He played ruck and he was beaten by Fraser, but not put to shame, because he did fairly well, and had his moments. His tap work was ok to good. Went forward and got the next bloke that is trying to play out of his skin at the moment in Presti, who sat the first half off the ground, so he was up against it to beat him also.
15 Simon Prestigiacomo: I think the best thing about this match for Presti, is he played the full game, and didn’t get injured or look injured in any part of it. Still the human blanket, with some time to catch up, so that can only be a good thing.
16 Sean Rusling: (Shoulder)
17 Chris Dawes: Fairly impressive game. Covered the ground well, showing speed and endurance. Kicked two goals, and will be great for us this year working with Trav and Anthony. Put on Cloke as a Defender for few minutes and did not look comfortable at all.
18 Anthony Rocca: (Ankle)
19 Tarkyn Lockyer: Rarely sighted was Tarx, I’m sure he is just in second gear, watching these young guns in amazement like the rest of us.
20 Jack Anthony: Seems to be on track to continue his development as a forward, kicking four goals, but had about eight shots. Neeld said he was also buoyed by the contributions.
21 Tyson Goldsack: Appears to of been injured in the ribs after a clash with Wellingham, so hopefully there is nothing of note to report on that one.
22 Shane O'Bree: Was quiet good in this match, typical O’Bree inside stuff, without the O’Bree turnovers. Expect the same from O’bree this year, it will be hard to knock him out of the side if this display was anything to go by.
23 Anthony Corrie: Had a fair game only. Did well with his disposal by foot, but his hands were sloppy, and even set up an easy goal for O’Bree. He did get in and under a few packs, so the prospect of Corrie perhaps helping out at our stoppages, getting in and under like today, would be reason to consider him for our senior side.
24 Ben Reid: Tough gig for the inexperienced Defender, but he did well on who I consider the main three threats to our forward line in 09, barring Rusling, and that is Cloke, Dawes and Anthony. Had the three players he played on, working hard for their possessions, with great closing speed, providing an even contest in pack marks. Didn’t get a lot of the ball when the ball went to ground from a marking contest. Reid will need to work on this, as he gets more and more experienced in defence. Has put on a little bulk, which is great to see. He now is a decent 195cm and looks to of added to the 94kg on the club website, and now seems around the 98kg mark. This extra bulk helped him not be out muscled on any occasion in his baptism of fire, against three players who are going to give other defenders a run for their money, so for Reid to do as well as he did, is a credit to him.
25 Steele Sidebottom: The results this guy is getting so early in the piece, is awesome. Played a very good game again, following up from time trial results, and other staring practice matches. Seemed to get his fair share of the ball out of the clearances, laid some good hard tackles, and more importantly, used it superbly every time.
26 Dayne Beams: If Sidebottom wasn’t a ‘find’ enough, we add to that Beams. Has great ability to extract the ball, and dispose of it well. Wore his allocated number 17, and he showed sharp, accurate and composed skills, a lot like Burns. Beams has a good body shape for footy, and has skills on both sides of his body. Instinctive, and cool under pressure. Couldn’t fault him.
27 Brad Dick: (Knee precautionary)
28 John McCarthy: Another player who hits his targets, which has been lacking in the past at Collingwood. Played mainly across half forward, and showed the class and poise he showed on occasions last year. Looks to of built up a little, which is par for the course, of someone who is serious about his career in the AFL. McCarthy looked quick and fit, and should be a real show to make our top 22.
29 Chris Bryan: Moved well, covered some decent ground, and kicked a couple of goals when he played onball. Moved into defence for a period, but most encouraging, was his ability to compose and hit targets, rather than just kicking in hope. Good to see we have three ruckman, who are all AFL capable. It will come down to who is playing better at the time in 09. Josh is safe, I have Wood just ahead of Bryan to take second ruck in 09 at this present time, but Bryan is only one poor Wood game away.
30 Sharrod Wellingham: Played wing and in the guts, tackled very well, highly skilled possessions, but the only down side, was that he didn’t get it enough. Will need to work on his output to put his name on the coaches board rather than Beams, Sidebottom, McCarthy.
31 Brent McAffer: Played forward, and only seemed to get it on a couple of times. Seemed to be a bit too keen, and lead under the ball on a few occasions. When he did get it, he kicked a goal, and fed out some pretty good handpasses, that hit the target.
32 Shannon Cox: A seemingly more mature Cox than the one I am used to seeing, played well, had good vision, hit his targets by hand and by foot, but needs to really get better in his one on one contests, because he gets beaten too much. Most of his possessions were without pressure, so his possessions under pressure, where not put on display often, so it’s hard to judge whether he is capable of contested possession, or contested spoil or mark. None of these displayed well for Cox in this game. Great backup for potentially injured defenders, as the season wears on.
33 Ben Johnson: Close to best on ground. The Johnson that run out for this game, reminded me of the Johnson we had two years ago. The competition wasn’t as fierce back two years ago, as it is now, but Johnno stood up well. His run and carry out of defence, was vintage. Covered enormous amount of territory, and used it well, which sometimes can me a big ? for Johno, but not this match.
34 Jarrad Blight: (???). Was looking forward to seeing Blight, as he has been described as a steal, that only occurred because the teams in the West rolled the dice, and was hoping he would be there later. Pies were not about to let him slip, he has the attributes of a good footballer, his ability to settle away from the West is the only concern.
35 Jaxson Barham: Was on and off the ground, ran hard when he was on, but didn’t get too many possessions. He ran the lines a few times, and in those moments, looked not out of his depth, but he was a poorer reader of the play than the others, which contributed to him not having much impact.
36 Luke Rounds: Since he played last year, Rounds has put on a heap of beef. Still has his blistering pace, that he used to find space, and looked poised on the run, and deliver pin point passes most of the time on both sides of his body.
37 Danny Stanley: Didn’t have much impact. I don’t expect to see to Stanley in the Ones this year. Like Toovey, I think the clock is ticking. Has trimmed down though, so he is working hard on the track, which is great for Gavin Brown and Crew.
38 Leigh Brown: Neeld or someone else at the club, have been talking Brown up in each of his training matches. Other fans aren’t so convinced. Brown was beaten well by Dawes, and didn’t inspire to beat any of the other opponents he went on. We would have to get a few injuries, before we bring Brown in I would suggest.
39 Ryan Cook: Another player that Neeld seems to think done well, but Cook still has issues with his decision making. He runs hard, and uses it fairly well, but never real damaging.
40 Alan Toovey: One of the poorer players on the ground. Seems to be lost, and his skills aren’t what the others are. He competes well, but when he gets it, he is the only player who can miss a target by a fair way, with no pressure being applied. Will play in the VFL side, probably all year, and then perhaps be delisted at years end, if this game was anything to go by. To think Toovey came out and said how desperate he was to making the side, then to display this on the last practice match, just shows, he is not up to AFL standard. I’ll give him the benefit of the doubt, that it was hot, but it was hot for Blair, Beams and Sidey too, who could well and truly be forgiven for poor performance, but the luckiest not to be delisted player on our list, should of showed more.
41 Kevin Dyas: (Hamstring)
42 Scott Reed: Played on six different opponents, and did quiet well. He seems to have some excitement, and will push his way into the seniors either at the end of this year or early next year.
43 John Bennell: Mentioned he plays a little like Davis, and got to see first hand how good Leon is, trying to match Leon as his direct opponent in the back pocket, he failed, as you would expect. Had good skills when he had it, but must get his work rate up before he will be mimicking anyone in the vein of Leon.
44 Jaryd Blair: Played very well, got heaps of touches. A couple of things that are concerning, and they are; his kicks have little penetration, and he is 172cm. Could well be a fairytale rookie story in the making, if he gets countless possessions like he did. My debate a few months back was; Would Tony Shaw make it in today’s game, with little penetration to his kicks, and a small height, may just be answered soon. Will Blair overcome his downfalls like Shaw did, or is the game just too good for such deficiency’s? I don’t know the answers but I just might in two years time with this projects results. Brent Harvey and others are pint size, so it’s not impossible, its just incredible when it does.
45 Tristan Francis: Rarely sighted, missed an easy shot at goal in the final minutes. Talk of the next Tony Francis will be on ice, indefinitely. Not much game time, so hard to judge too much.
46 Lachlan Keefe: Played in defence, and didn’t do it a hell of a lot. This guy is PROJECT, and nothing much should be expected out of him this year, but he looks like he will develop nicely, and at 205cm he will be a long term player for the Pies.
47 Tobias Thoolan: The reason why I took the extra five minutes, rather than sending the full report. Had Thoolan not been there, I would not of doubled my time in doing this. Thanks Tobias. Ran the boundary line. Thank god I told you that. lol
So thats my order preseason 09. Will be very interested to read each team Host's order of their teams as I said. It aint easy, but i am up for any discussion on my order. Fire Away
) but makes up for it with a lion-hearted approach to everything he does. Is capable of going forward and kicking goals. The first to fly the flag and get physically involved when the opposition players start trying to get rough.
