Game Day Practice Match v Box Hill

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A tale of 2 halves this game. First half the Tigers dominated play and ground position with the forwards working hard to keep the ball inside 50 once we got it in there. We used the ball quickly coming out of D50 and looked to get our rebound game going. In the second half the game turned 180 degrees. Box Hill got on top in the middle and pretty much spent the 3rd quarter in their forward half. Kicking 6.1 to 0 for the quarter which would no doubt be a cause for concern for the VFL coaches. In the last quarter we got a bit of momentum back but it was too little too late and we went down by about 4 goals from memory.

Ellis - played in the middle the whole game and while he was terrible he wasn't overly great either. At times he got himself involved in the play, but would also find himself caught in no mans land as well. A good game by McIntosh Menadue Markov or Ross tonight could well see him missing round 1 selection.

Collier-Dawkins - typical first year players game. Did a couple of nice things but also found himself in the wrong position at times. His ability to keep his hands free in traffic will only improve as he gains strength through the core and upper body.

Turner - played down back to start then had a bit of a run through the middle, no real impact.

Bolton - flashed in and out which is not a great sign for a player who is in the last year of a contract and has already been passed by a couple of newer recruits.

English - along with Stack was the standout of the first year kids. Clean hands at ground level and in close. Just one of those players who just knows where to go to get his hands on the footy. A year in the VFL won't hurt this kid at all.

Moore - started the game well kick 2 goals early but was then well held and had little impact on the game, not the type of game you want to see at this stage of his career.

Coleman-Jones - rucked again Pittonet and Reeves and held his own. Won his share of hitouts and kicked a goal after a strong grab 1m over the line. A work in progress and he has made improvements from this time last year. No rush with him.

Chol - acting captain for the day with Morris not playing. Should have ended the day with 3 goals at minimum but for poor conversion and a poor umpiring decision after taking his second screamer for the game. Spent some time in the ruck as well.

Egg-Smith - played a half and not sure if it was injury or managed. With Stack & English was probably among the best 3 for us in the first half. Showed great dash out of the back line and used the ball beautifully.

Stack - getting this kid for free will be a great story down the track if he stays around. Despite not being that big he isn't afraid to put himself in the hole to take an intercepting mark. Has a bit of flair about him which will need to be reigned in a little as he got himself into trouble a couple of times.

Naish - played on the wing and showed some dash at times. Not afraid to put his body on the line either. Still needs to develop physically.

Miller - with Garth not playing Miller was the man down back and did quite well all things considered once Box Hill got their run on.

Aarts - another who started well but faded out as the game wore on. Not really his fault though as the ball just couldn't get going our way.

Mannagh - much quieter than his usual games as he spent most of the game on the opposite side of the ground to where we wanted to play.

Thompson - played as a small forward and had an impact in the first half with good pressure and attack on the footy. Looks more developed than he was last year.

Coffield - fairly solid game down back especially early on as he linked up with Stack and Egg to provide some run out of D50.

These are the guys I paid the most attention to as I could recognise them more easily. The rest of the players seemed to be new recruits or those on the fringes from last year who were given a chance to show something.

Missing from our regular line up:
Garthwaite Morris Ballard Beasley Silvestro Marsh
 
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Shame there wasn't a better camera angle of Chol's grab. It's in the highlights on the RFC website. Looks big.
His unpaid one was bigger IMO
 
Hearing positive reports about eggy smith , how close to senior footy do you think
Down the pecking order a little bit given he missed most of last year, but give him a year of development in the VFL and he could be in the mix next year.
 
Are there any more vfl practice matches next weekend
Next 2 practice matches coincide with round 1 & 2 of the AFL as we'll play Northern Blues on 21st and Collingwood on 28th March
 

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