Peel Scratchmatch

[basashi]

I really enjoyed driving the one hour to get to Ruston Park to witness this match yesterday. The conditions were perfect and the facilities are the best in the WAFL by far.

It was grass roots footy at its best, even for a simple scratch match played in the heat.

Just walking onto the ground at quarter and three-quarter time for a listen to Cam Sheppard, Roger Hayden and Mark Webb address the players during the breaks is what makes it unique. Then you notice Nat Fyfe and Ballas standing near you having a listen as well, well what can you say.

As Salim mentioned, watching Brett Kirk come onto the ground with his son for a kick at half-time is why this alignment programme should be successful for the community down there.

The bar facilities were busy and the chips were salty (thanks Ken), but that really helped the country style atmosphere down there.

I stayed for a beer in the club rooms afterwards with a mate and it was great to see the players and officials from both sides come in for a drink and some friendly banter post-hooter.

Even Mora and his brother Luke popped in, as did Colin Sylvia and Max Duffy for a while.

They had a Peel "Hall of Fame" wall in the bar which included pictures of Scott Gumbleton, Paul Bower, Hayden Ballantyne and Ben Howlett

Chris Mayne stood next to me busily texting on his phone, whilst Son-Son, Danyle Pearce, Lachie Neale and Stephen Hill all cruised by us as they left the ground.

No sign of the "String Bag" though.

Not much of a game to watch though, but Mora looked superb, albeit a bit rusty in patches.

His boots were off at three-quarter time as he stood in the huddle, however he could have played the whole game if he had to. His fitness is fine, he is just lacking touch and game time.

Josh Simpson the other stand out for mine, and I did like Kristin Thornton at full forward even though he is not on our list.

I was disappointed with Sylvia I must say as this was his opportunity to shine.

Crozier was very good in patches and Craig Moller was okay even though he is probably still 2 years off AFL level.

I look forward to getting back down there on the 22nd of March when they take on the Reagles.

BTW- Get a Peel membership and enjoy the discounts on food and drink down there, plus get a good seat for the game in the stand.

Interesting about K Thornton.

he played 6 games for Sydney swans. A couple of badly timed injuries and being at the club in a strong era really crushed his chances.

At another club / time he might have had a decent AFL career.

 

[theGav56]

Pearce looked quick, got to a lot of contests etc. He got smothered a few times so I wouldn't be saying his kicking was a standout. They took a couple of nice grabs between them and they seemed to be working well together.

It's really hard to be objective though because they are playing on WAFL forwards, who are all shorter and smaller than AFL players would be. They didn't get outmarked from what I can remember. Joel Houghton scored the first couple of goals for Perth and both times he was running into an open goal so they were just in the wrong position.

I noticed Smith more and I would say he looks bigger and more comfortable in the air and probably the better decision maker.

I have to say these two sound really promising. I fully accept the hard-arse journeymen like Dawson, but it has been a real pleasure watching MacPharlin bring his class act week in, week out. They both seem to have nice size and speed about them which is important with the way the game is evolving. It is also a plus that they are developing together, similar stages of their careers. both at Peel.

 

[Wigarus]

I have to say these two sound really promising. I fully accept the hard-arse journeymen like Dawson, but it has been a real pleasure watching MacPharlin bring his class act week in, week out. They both seem to have nice size and speed about them which is important with the way the game is evolving. It is also a plus that they are developing together, similar stages of their careers. both at Peel.

Yeah no doubt. Personally, I am pretty confident that we will have them playing regular AFL football at some point in their careers. Whereas up forward I still think it's too far out to say whether Taberner, Apeness etc. will make it.

I reckon once they become fully grown men they will be more than serviceable.

 

[UFO Tatsu]

I reckon once they become fully grown men they will be more than serviceable.

if apeness is not fully grown yet, watch defenders of the future

 

[Wigarus]

if apeness is not fully grown yet, watch defenders of the future

I was referring to Pearce and Smith.

 

[UFO Tatsu]

I was referring to Pearce and Smith.

got it

 

[Nothing]

Harry Reems who was running the team talks at 1/4 and 3/4 time. What were Roger and Webb doing (assuming Sheppard was running it). I'm interested in how much influence Freo development staff will have on Peel.

 

[Harry Reems]

Roger had the backline, Simon Eastaugh the rucks, Mark Webb the forwards and Cam Shepperd the overall side. Very much like the AFL. Mark Stone was slso involved, however the other coaches were onlookers only.


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[estibador]

Roger had the backline, Simon Eastaugh the rucks, Mark Webb the forwards and Cam Shepperd the overall side. Very much like the AFL. Mark Stone was slso involved, however the other coaches were onlookers only.

Roger, Stone, Eastaugh and Webb will all be on Freo duty once the season starts won't they? So presumably Peel are going to need an entire set of reserve coaches for games when those boys are over east.

And would that then mean those coaches get relieved of their duties if the Freo coaches are available? It'll be interesting to see how they make it work because it seems like it has the potential to get a bit messy and territorial if it's not handled well.

 

[Wigarus]

Roger, Stone, Eastaugh and Webb will all be on Freo duty once the season starts won't they? So presumably Peel are going to need an entire set of reserve coaches for games when those boys are over east.

And would that then mean those coaches get relieved of their duties if the Freo coaches are available? It'll be interesting to see how they make it work because it seems like it has the potential to get a bit messy and territorial if it's not handled well.

I would say Stone will be the only travelling one of that lot. Hayden, Lloyd and a couple others would stay and watch WAFL games last year anyway.

 

[jusjoshin]

Thockers V Reagles. I love it!

Thunkers?

 

[ilikepotatoes]

Should this just be the WAFL watch thread? Aren't Peel playing South Freo next week?

 

[Gekko71]

I have to say these two sound really promising. I fully accept the hard-arse journeymen like Dawson, but it has been a real pleasure watching MacPharlin bring his class act week in, week out. They both seem to have nice size and speed about them which is important with the way the game is evolving. It is also a plus that they are developing together, similar stages of their careers. both at Peel.

Not a bad comparison all things considered - didn't see too much of these guys during the match (Morra's imposing frame kept blocking my view of the backline ) but I did note that to me at least, Smith seems more in the Dawson mould of lock-down defender (IE: go the spoil / 1%, shut down the threat, shut down your man, smother the play, keep it out as a first priority) ...it's a roll he could play very well (better field kick than Zac too), while Pearce is more in the Luck Mac / Jonno rebounding-defender mould (ie: win possession back and back yourself to get past your man whenever possible).

Of the two, I would say that Pearce is also far more of a swingman, while Tanner is more of your classic KP defender.

I know I said it earlier but it bears repeating - Pearce may be built like stick of bamboo, but bugger me he can duck and dive like a mid half his size! ...he sold a couple of very nice dummies on a rebound burst out of half back and dodged round a player or two ...if he keeps that up all match they'll start calling him Candyman.

 

[salim malik]

Is there a list of Freo players lining up for Peel tommorrow?

 

[salim malik]

Ask me again tomorrow at 2 but I reckon there's a chance Zarke and Sliva will be two of them.What say you Mr malik??

I cant spell tomorrow you have difficulty with Sylvia .Doesn't say much about our ability to make an intelligent assessment

 

[Harry Reems]

Anyone heading to the scratchy today?


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[Gekko71]

Anyone heading to the scratchy today?


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Want to head down Harry but it's going to be difficult this time round. Might be able to catch the 2nd half, if so will post updates. Any one else heading down?

 

[mike91]

Anyone at the match?

 

[Dockernut]

Anyone at the match?

Yep. Wil post a report tonight. Mora done some courageous things already. Duffy looks surprisingly serviceable. Smith a poor kick generally.

 

[DMan 11]

Yep. Wil post a report tonight. Mora done some courageous things already. Duffy looks surprisingly serviceable. Smith a poor kick generally.

Great teaser Dockernut ... Can't wait for the main course.
Hope for your sake the beer and burger quality has been maintained this week !

 

[Dockernut]

Great teaser Dockernut ... Can't wait for the main course.
Hope for your sake the beer and burger quality has been maintained this week !

Hot dog was acceptable.

 

[Gekko71]

Yep. Wil post a report tonight. Mora done some courageous things already. Duffy looks surprisingly serviceable. Smith a poor kick generally.

Don't keep us waiting, how was the game??

 

[salim malik]

Harry and Wigs with Couldas help forced a few beers down the throat so I hope this report makes just a little bit of sense
Mora not as prominent as last week ,maybe a little sore after his run last week but was still serviceable
Clancee,started like a rusty gate but improved as the game went on.Not AFL ready yet
Subes typical tough game not the best out there but ok
Sylvia again just OK ,would not force anyone out of the 22 on todays run
Apeness took some nice grabs kicked a couple I think,very promising
Smith was well down
Grey hard at it ,tough little character
Menegola good game,must have had angry pills before the game ,in a couple of incidents including a punch to a throat,might be having a holiday.In my opinion one of Peels best
Moller not a lot to say about him,just average
Duffy did some nice things but doesnt do enough of them
Wood undersized and played like that
Simpson we think played reserves.He left the ground before the main game brandishing an ice pack,possibly injured

I hope Harry,Wigarus and Coulda join in with their thoughts

 

[ilikepotatoes]

Simpson in reserves?????? Surely couldnt of been dropped on performance.
Disciplinary issues maybe?

 

[Dockernut]

Don't keep us waiting, how was the game??

My observations, player by player:

- Mora: as I mentioned earlier, he made one play when I first got there charging at a ball in contention that took a lot of courage. After that Mora got plenty of touches through the back line and occasionally moving through the midfield. He hasn't lost anything in the way of confidence, takes the game on every chance he gets, tucks it under the arm, runs hard and kicks long. Not a textbook game from him though by any stretch. Dropped easy marks missed passes, and generally looked rusty. But hey, he's coming from a fair way back, so I'm just pleased that he's getting minutes and touching the pill. He also seems to have lost none of his aggression, laying some hefty bumps and some borderline high shots. I have to say, I'm really stoked to just see Mora out there again, but gee whizz I wince and cross my fingers just about every time he hit the deck or copped a tackle. He's coming along.

-Subes: Typical Subes game. Hard at it (really just set himself to hurt dudes in some instances), but skilful with the possessions he did have. Won some ball at stoppages, but for an AFL player, he should really be getting more possessions than he did. Don't know what his numbers were, but he didn't really catch my eye that much. Solid, but should be dominating these games.

-Sam Menegola: One of Peel's better players IMO. Even though the Peel defence was under siege for most of the second half, Sammy stood tall. He took some good defensive marks, played his man hard, marshalled younger players in defence and provided a bit of run out of defence. His kicking is not elite, but he does have a long boot and generally made the right decisions. I'd liken him a bit to Adam McPhee in his defensive game. He's a bit of a mid sized offensive sweeper and I can see why he's been kept on the list, but there are a few ahead of him for this particular role (Ibbo, Clanger), so I'd query whether he will stay there. Enforcer of the future?

-Tanner Smith: I know I said he is a s**t kick, but perhaps I was a little hasty. It was a little windy and to be honest, the entire game was well, WAFL standard. I think sometimes when you play at that level, the standard of the game (and your WAFL team mates) can let you down. Look, Tanner is definitely a competitor. He's not easily moved in a contest, he is good overhead, he runs off his man at the right time to impact a contest and he tackles hard. This is everything you want in a defender. But in today's game, you also need to be super clean (unless you're Dawson). He, with Menagola were definitely the standouts in a besieged defence today, but yeah there are areas of Tanners game that need work. Maybe it's his kicking, maybe it's his decision making, I'll leave that one for the coaches. Plenty to work with here.

-Moller: Developing his craft quite nicely is our young Molman. Competes on the ground when he can, nice kicking action, and can kick it long. Didn't see him clunk many marks today, as you'd ideally want to see a guy with his height, reach and natural agility take, but meh, he is a stick figure playing against some really big bodies in the ruck. One thing I will say about Moller, is that his tap work is exquisite. Again and again he tapped deftly to his mids (who were copping a monstering from the Sowfs lads, so to no avail), so again there is plenty to work with here and once he starts to fill out a bit, I have high hopes. Hopes = high.

- Simpson: Don't think he was playing.

-Duffy: Did a few nice things early on, but seemed to disappear after half time and hasn't really changed my opinion of him I'm afraid.

-Apeness: Took one strong leading mark out in front that I can recall, but other than that, I didn't see much of him. Looks big. May have been injured or rested at some stage, because it can't recall seeing him on the field after the 3rd Qtr. Need to see more of him before making a call.

-Grey: Really didn't notice Brady today, sorry Sepp. That is, I did see him hovering around packs and maybe getting one or two touches, but he just didn't get involved as much as I expected him to. Pleasingly, he is not he midget I expected him to be, but yeah, not an impressive game from Brady. Looked short....of a gallop.

-Wood: Wood keeps on impressing me. He is a whippet and he looks like a kid, but jaysus he's clean. Every touch is a one touch, smooth, confident movement. He's also a very good decision maker and user by the looks of things. Took a possession on the wing and delivered with precision into the forward line in one passage of play. Oh did I also mention that this was when he was playing in the MIDFIELD!? This guy would be about 50kg sopping wet. But he seems courageous and able to take a hit. The Fyfe clone calls are a bit ambitious at this stage, but I think he has all the tools to make it as a smart high half forward/mid. Lucky for him he's got time on his side. Clean as a whistle.

-Col Sylvia: Not on the initial team sheet, as I thought he was in Melbs just yesterday, so all credit to him for playing. And he played pretty well IMO. A real hard nut in the contests, dug in and fought for the pill a number of times, so I get the impression he's trying to prove the doubters wrong, which can't be a bad thing. He wasn't flashy or a game changer, but is definitely going to challenge DeBoer at some point this year, based on what I saw today. Particularly if he starts having an impact on the scoreboard. Coming on.

- Clanger: Another one not on the original team sheet as far as I can see, but obviously in need of the run. Clanger was good, generally did what Clanger does (marks well for his size, kicks with precision, hits the contest hard), but based on his game today and our effort last night, I can't see him coming back into the side in a great hurry.

Let me know if I've missed anyone.