Unofficial Preview Unofficial Pre Season Match v Suns Saturday 15th February @Metricon Stadium 7pm

[martinson]

I have never doubted the coaches ability.

They've got some interesting decisions to make if Birchall and Ah Chee both come up because we'll have more senior defenders than positions available.

 

[Dalions]

They've got some interesting decisions to make if Birchall and Ah Chee both come up because we'll have more senior defenders than positions available.

AhChee looks composed with the ball in hand from what I have seen.

 

[briztoon]

They've got some interesting decisions to make if Birchall and Ah Chee both come up because we'll have more senior defenders than positions available.

Which is a good thing.

 

[lionraven]

I have watched a fair few Crows matches last year and have seen CEY play a bit. Watching him last year he is one of those background players that you dont notice until you watch the replay ala Lester. If you watch some Crouch bros highlights or Adelaide centre square clearances and have a look at the background. CEY can be seen laying a massive block or barging through two players to paddle/shovel/squirt the ball into a Crows player pathway. Midway through last season I was kind of jealous we had not picked CEY up last year after the rumours. Glad he is with us this year. I daresay he will be a whipping boy and wont be noticed like Neale is. Id encourage watches of our games today to keep an eye out for him in stoppage/clearances this year. I have him touted as a fitter version of Lester who can play a full game inside the middle.

 

[martinson]

I have watched a fair few Crows matches last year and have seen CEY play a bit. Watching him last year he is one of those background players that you dont notice until you watch the replay ala Lester. If you watch some Crouch bros highlights or Adelaide centre square clearances and have a look at the background. CEY can be seen laying a massive block or barging through two players to paddle/shovel/squirt the ball into a Crows player pathway. Midway through last season I was kind of jealous we had not picked CEY up last year after the rumours. Glad he is with us this year. I daresay he will be a whipping boy and wont be noticed like Neale is. Id encourage watches of our games today to keep an eye out for him in stoppage/clearances this year. I have him touted as a fitter version of Lester who can play a full game inside the middle.

What I've liked about him is that he's the ultimate team player . And doesn't therefore warrant a lot of attention from the opposition who are usually looking at your prime movers. The key is his fitness so pleased to see him get out on the park and apparently no issues yet.

He's actually fairly skillful when he gets his hands on it.

 

[Jirik13]

I have some doubts that playing Lyons and CEY at the same time is a good idea. One too many slow, similar players. But what do I know I am Suns fan. I have to say that I got excited when Burarick executed a perfect tackle on CEY. I still can't believe that Connor got CEY to the ground. He is a monster.

I did not focus too much on Lions team yesterday, but it looked to me Suns were better a bit better around stoppages, inside. Ballenden had a great goal kicks, Rayner was lively. A bit surprised that BigO struggled against Smith. Just practice.

Glad that BRAB is still alive. I was the only fan walking from Metricon to Nerang after practice. Contrary to last year when there was like 1-2K Lions fans from 5K, I would say 50 made it this year from total 500. A bit disappointing. No free parking, no public transport after practice was not smart on Suns part.

 

[Nunez]

I have some doubts that playing Lyons and CEY at the same time is a good idea. One too many slow, similar players. But what do I know I am Suns fan. I have to say that I got excited when Burarick executed a perfect tackle on CEY. I still can't believe that Connor got CEY to the ground. He is a monster.

I did not focus too much on Lions team yesterday, but it looked to me Suns were better a bit better around stoppages, inside. Ballenden had a great goal kicks, Rayner was lively. A bit surprised that BigO struggled against Smith. Just practice.

Glad that BRAB is still alive. I was the only fan walking from Metricon to Nerang after practice. Contrary to last year when there was like 1-2K Lions fans from 5K, I would say 50 made it this year from total 500. A bit disappointing. No free parking, no public transport after practice was not smart on Suns part.

Lyons + CEY could be an issue, but realistically will play different roles. CEY is very much there to protect Lyons and Neale. We'll also have guys like Zorko, McCluggage, McCarthy, Berry, Bailey and Rayner rotating with them who all add pace. I'm not too concerned.

 

[Section 5]

I didn’t have to pay for parking?

Good
But did you go to Metricon thinking you will have to pay for parking.

 

[lionraven]

Lyons and CEY play similar roles on the inside however I think they will complement each other. Both excel at getting the ball out to a first receiver and both excel at blocking/tackling. I think CEY will mean we can rotate Zorko and Neale more outside and get more bang for our buck that way. I felt last year our clearances and stoppage work would drop when we had Zorko/Lyons/Neale on the bench. No disrespect to Berry but he wasnt fit enough to play a fulltime inside role for all 4 quarters and those lapses would result in our stoppage pressure dropping. Our pressure would also drop when Christiansen or Bailey would rotate through the middle just do to their size/physique. I have no doubt Berry will improve this year but having CEY means we can rotate both CEY and Lyons between the inside and forward pocket thus having more pressure on the ground throughout the game. Lyons is a good crumber/goal sneak and CEY has a strong aerial presence in the F50 so both would serve a purpose when resting forward. CEY is a real value add player and will free up the likes of Zorko, Neal, McLuggage to really lay some hurt on from the outside.

 

[martinson]

It was all too evident when Zorks got injured in the Carlton game that Cripps was able to take over in the stoppages . Last year Zorks and Lachie did plenty of bullocking work whereas your preference would be for them to be icing on the cake more often than not. They both can't help themselves and just want to get amongst it so I'm hopeful that they can be more damaging with that part of the load shared. As you say Berry wasn't fully fit last year and he's a bull so that helps in that area as well.

 

[Lace Out]

Great to see Rowell and Anderson having great runs, I think GC will surprise a few this year.

Hope we aren’t the surprised

 

[BangyBangy]

Hope we aren’t the surprised

Nah, this has round 1 boilover written all over it Go the Suns!!!! Pick 1 here we come.

 

[briztoon]

Nah, this has round 1 boilover written all over it Go the Suns!!!! Pick 1 here we come.

From the Port deathride.

 

[lionshine]

I saw the full match at Metricon yesterday. First of all I just want to preface this post by stating that a lot of comments I make, particularly when I say one player looks ahead of another regarding senior selection shouldn't be taken too seriously considering this is based solely off of an unofficial pre season match in greasy conditions at Metricon. A few player notes(and by a few I mean a lot)-

Fullarton, Madden, Cox, Eagles, Answerth, Hinge and Allison sat out the first half but came on in the second half in place of Hipwood, Cameron, Berry, Lyons, Rich and Birchall who only played the first half.

I was really impressed by Ballenden. He hasn't really been on my radar as someone I've rated that highly before in the past based off of what I've seen in the NEAFL but he looked fantastic last night I thought. He worked up the ground and took some nice marks, making some strong leads, and he is a beautiful kick of the footy. Smokey for Round 1 based off of what I saw. Almost kicked 3 goals in a row in the 3rd quarter. One was on the run under pressure on an angle, the next two shots were from set shots out on the boundary in pretty much the exact same spot, roughly 45m out on the wrong side for a right footer. He nailed the first one and the second one not long after looked like it was going to sail through but hit the post.

I read in the Fox article that Rowell got the points over Ely Smith. Rowell looked super clean and composed but I don't think him and Ely went head to head directly all night, maybe at times, but I thought Ely was great. He competed so well at stoppages, cracking in like a man possessed. One play that really impressed me was at a stoppage just outside 50 on the wing when Big O tapped the ball down to him, he used his core strength to outmuscle his opponent, collect the ball with one hand, spin around and accelerate away from the contest before delivering lace out to a leading Ballenden inside 50 setting up Ballenden's second goal. Ely Smith impressed me a lot actually. More so than CEY. CEY is another who cracked in really hard at stoppages, however, every time he won the footy, he'd blindly just handball it over his head as far as he could and on literally every occasion it went straight to a Suns player. I wouldn't be surprised if a month or two into the season Ely is gunning for CEY's spot although again, it is worth remembering that basing this off a scratch match isn't nearly a decent enough sample size to make that statement...

Hipwood flew for some marks, Cameron kicked a delightful, vintage, opening goal and Rich attacked some contests with aggression, however, for the most part Hippy, Cameron, Rich, Birchall, Lyons and Berry were in cruise control in the first half and just looking to get some match fitness in. Expanding more on Rich and Birchall, however, I have to say that with those two, Witherden, Ah Chee, Starcevich and Answerth, no one really stood out to me and demanded a HB spot for Round 1 with the exception of Rich who did some classy things and is a best 22 lock. Witherden had a sloppy night if I'm honest and gave away a free kick for abusing the ump. Birchall found some of the footy early on and used it beautifully, he has so much confidence in his kicking skills, he wasn't afraid to pin point teammates who had Suns players nearby in the defensive 50. I have to say, however, he didn't appear to move overly well when he was running towards a ground ball under pressure on multiple occasions. Perhaps he is still regaining confidence in his body? After his first few possessions and seeing how cleanly he delivered the footy to teammates by foot I was ready to lock him in for Round 1 but then when I saw him struggling to bend down and pick up ground balls under pressure I wasn't so sure anymore. Hopefully it is just a case of lacking match fitness/confidence in his mobility and after another couple pre season games he is moving better because he could be a real weapon for us with his kicking skills outside of the defensive 50. It is worth noting that at half time Hipwood, Cameron, Rich, Birchall, Lyons and Berry ran 5 laps of the oval and Rich and Birchall lagged behind from the start, especially Birchall who was further behind Rich. The other four ran together the whole way.

Answerth only played the second half but didn't get much of a chance to have an impact. Starcevich and Ah Chee did some nice things. Ah Chee won a lot of the footy and Starcevich competed well at every contest, he also kicked a beautiful drop punt goal from 55m out, however, both Ah Chee and Starcevich made some critical errors. Starcevich dropped a couple of marks he should have taken and I felt like Ah Chee, whilst in fairness was under extreme pressure each time, continuously just booted the ball towards the wing without looking for an option and pin pointing it, he just threw it on the boot. These kind of errors will hopefully be dusted off in the next couple of pre season fixtures though and aren't exactly uncommon to see particularly in scratch matches... TLDR I need to see more from all of our half back flankers against Port and Carlton during the JLT series before making my mind up on who I'd like to see in the best 22 along with Rich. At this stage I think it is an open race and the opportunity for Starcevich in particular is definitely there to earn a spot.

Across the game I thought McCarthy and Adams were a class above. I haven't exactly had McCarthy as a lock in my best 22 this pre season, I've had him in my team but I've been under the impression that a younger player could push him out if they perform better, however, based on last night he reminded me of just how strong a player he can be all over the ground winning lots of contests. He's a lock for Round 1. I kept a close eye on Payne to start the match and he took some nice marks but Adams really controlled the backline intercepting a lot of the Suns attacking forays. At this stage I think it is still Adams spot to lose and Payne will need to start the year in the NEAFL although that could quickly change if Payne outperforms Adams against Port/Carlton.

Zac Bailey didn't maintain it but for the first quarter he was everywhere, finding heaps of the footy and looking like the best player on the ground. Not sure if he tired or just took his foot off the pedal slightly but he wasn't as proactive after the first quarter. He looked like he'd improved a fair bit though in that first quarter, he looked really good! Speaking of looking really good, Rayner for me was the standout. Out of all the players on the ground he had the most "presence". Finished the night with 0 goals but could have easily had 4-5. The first shot he was streaming towards goal 40m out directly in front and shanked it. The second one was a set shot that hit the post from 20m out on a slight angle after taking a massive pack mark. The other opportunities that went begging came in the second half and weren't really his fault in fact it was Matho's fault on both occasions. He worked hard to out smart his opponent and get himself free running towards an open goal, Matho had the footy and could have handballed it over the top to him but didn't see him, doubling back and getting tackled. The other occasion Rayner earned a free kick inside 50 but Matho kicked for goal which ended up out on the full and the umpire played advantage, Rayner was filthy. Rayner's best work from what I saw came from running hard through the midfield and linking up with teammates to get the ball moving towards our goal at a fast pace with run and long kicking, he broke a lot of tackles and also hit some contests at speed leaving some Suns players very sore. Rayner looks primed for a big year.

One player that really impressed me was Hinge. Coming on in the second half he attacked a lot of contests with vigour, winning the footy. The most impressive thing was how clean he was below his knees, picking up ground balls under pressure when most players were fumbling. Fagan was yelling out a lot of encouragement and looked very pleased with his efforts. Fullarton also impressed me with how agile he was in his movement and that left foot snap goal he kicked was superb.

Cox, Madden and Allison really struggled when they came on. Allison and Madden had a few touches but didn't do much with them whilst Cox didn't find the footy at all. Will be interesting to see if Cox gets a run in the JLT. Needs to do more if he is to be considered for an early senior match. Mathieson and C.Lyons worked hard and won some footy but for the most part I don't think they'll be anything but depth this year unfortunately, especially with E.Smith and CEY in the selection frame.

You can never fault Eagles for giving anything less than 110%, even in a scratch match. He laid a few massive hits/tackles as soon as he came on and took some nice intercept marks. Love having him on the list. Tom Berry is a workhorse. He runs really hard and competes at each contest but he didn't stand out in a major way for me. Still needs another year in the NEAFL to develop I think. I like him though, I think he'll be a player for the future. The big O didn't have much of an impact on the match at all, I wonder if the coaching staff will consider using Ballenden as the back up ruck, especially considering he can have more of an impact up forward. It will be very interesting to see how we structure up this year and which combination of talls we go with at both ends with Ballenden and Payne looking ready to step up. McStay didn't show much last night, dropping a lot of marks. He'll be on notice too with Ballenden and Fullarton showing impressive signs.


Anyway apologies for the long post, just wanted to give those who couldn't attend some insight.

Best players for me were Adams, McCarthy, Rayner, Bailey, Lyons, Rich and Cameron.

Young players that showed the most were Ballenden, E.Smith and Hinge.

A quick note on the Suns, Ainsworth, Brodie and Bowes look ready to produce consistent footy this year, Rankine kicked a magical goal and Rowell and Anderson linked up in a not too dissimilar way to how Clug and Berry do. They were impressive actually and should both play Round 1. Rowell in particular is so clean and composed and uses the ball so well off both feet. The Suns will be so much better to watch this year simply with the additions of Rankine, Rowell and Anderson.

 

[BangyBangy]

I saw the full match at Metricon yesterday. First of all I just want to preface this post by stating that a lot of comments I make, particularly when I say one player looks ahead of another regarding senior selection shouldn't be taken too seriously considering this is based solely off of an unofficial pre season match in greasy conditions at Metricon. A few player notes(and by a few I mean a lot)-

Fullarton, Madden, Cox, Eagles, Answerth, Hinge and Allison sat out the first half but came on in the second half in place of Hipwood, Cameron, Berry, Lyons, Rich and Birchall who only played the first half.

I was really impressed by Ballenden. He hasn't really been on my radar as someone I've rated that highly before in the past based off of what I've seen in the NEAFL but he looked fantastic last night I thought. He worked up the ground and took some nice marks, making some strong leads, and he is a beautiful kick of the footy. Smokey for Round 1 based off of what I saw. Almost kicked 3 goals in a row in the 3rd quarter. One was on the run under pressure on an angle, the next two shots were from set shows out on the boundary in pretty much the exact same spot, roughly 45m out on the wrong side for a right footer. He nailed the first one and the second one not long after looked like it was going to sail through but hit the post.

I read in the Fox article that Rowell got the points over Ely Smith. Rowell looked super clean and composed but I don't think him and Ely went head to head directly all night, maybe at times, but I thought Ely was great. He competed so well at stoppages, cracking in like a man possessed. One play that really impressed me was at a stoppage just outside 50 on the wing when Big O tapped the ball down to him, he used his core strength to outmuscle his opponent, collect the ball with one hand, spin around and accelerate away from the contest before delivering lace out to a leading Ballenden inside 50 setting up Ballenden's second goal. Ely Smith impressed me a lot actually. More so than CEY. CEY is another who cracked in really hard at stoppages, however, every time he won the footy, he'd blindly just handball it over his head as far as he could and on literally every occasion it went straight to a Suns player. I wouldn't be surprised if a month or two into the season Ely is gunning for CEY's spot although again, it is worth remembering that basing this off a scratch match isn't nearly a decent enough sample size to make that statement...

Hipwood flew for some marks, Cameron kicked a delightful, vintage, opening goal and Rich attacked some contests with aggression, however, for the most part Hippy, Cameron, Rich, Birchall, Lyons and Berry were in cruise control in the first half and just looking to get some match fitness in. Expanding more on Rich and Birchall, however, I have to say that with those two, Witherden, Ah Chee, Starcevich and Answerth, no one really stood out to me and demanded a HB spot for Round 1 with the exception of Rich who did some classy things and is a best 22 lock. Witherden had a sloppy night if I'm honest and gave away a free kick for abusing the ump. Birchall found some of the footy early on and used it beautifully, he has so much confidence in his kicking skills, he wasn't afraid to pin point teammates who had Suns players nearby in the defensive 50. I have to say, however, he didn't appear to move overly well when he was running towards a ground ball under pressure on multiple occasions. Perhaps he is still regaining confidence in his body? After his first few possessions and seeing how cleanly he delivered the footy to teammates by foot I was ready to lock him in for Round 1 but then when I saw him struggling to bend down and pick up ground balls under pressure I wasn't so sure anymore. Hopefully it is just a case of lacking match fitness/confidence in his mobility and after another couple pre season games he is moving better because he could be a real weapon for us with his kicking skills outside of the defensive 50. It is worth noting that at half time Hipwood, Cameron, Rich, Birchall, Lyons and Berry ran 5 laps of the oval and Rich and Birchall lagged behind from the start, especially Birchall who was further behind Rich. The other four ran together the whole way.

Answerth only played the second half but didn't get much of a chance to have an impact. Starcevich and Ah Chee did some nice things. Ah Chee won a lot of the footy and Starcevich competed well at every contest, he also kicked a beautiful drop punt goal from 55m out, however, both Ah Chee and Starcevich made some critical errors. Starcevich dropped a couple of marks he should have taken and I felt like Ah Chee, whilst in fairness was under extreme pressure each time, continuously just booted the ball towards the wing without looking for an option and pin pointing it, he just threw it on the boot. These kind of errors will hopefully be dusted off in the next couple of pre season fixtures though and aren't exactly uncommon to see particularly in scratch matches... TLDR I need to see more from all of our half back flankers against Port and Carlton during the JLT series before making my mind up on who I'd like to see in the best 22 along with Rich. At this stage I think it is an open race and the opportunity for Starcevich in particular is definitely there to earn a spot.

Across the game I thought McCarthy and Adams were a class above. I haven't exactly had McCarthy as a lock in my best 22 this pre season, I've had him in my team but I've been under the impression that a younger player could push him out if they perform better, however, based on last night he reminded me of just how strong a player he can be all over the ground winning lots of contests. He's a lock for Round 1. I kept a close eye on Payne to start the match and he took some nice marks but Adams really controlled the backline intercepting a lot of the Suns attacking forays. At this stage I think it is still Adams spot to lose and Payne will need to start the year in the NEAFL although that could quickly change if Payne outperforms Adams against Port/Carlton.

Zac Bailey didn't maintain it but for the first quarter he was everywhere, finding heaps of the footy and looking like the best player on the ground. Not sure if he tired or just took his foot off the pedal slightly but he wasn't as proactive after the first quarter. He looked like he'd improved a fair bit though in that first quarter, he looked really good! Speaking of looking really good, Rayner for me was the standout. Out of all the players on the ground he had the most "presence". Finished the night with 0 goals but could have easily had 4-5. The first shot he was streaming towards goal 40m out directly in front and shanked it. The second one was a set shot that hit the post from 20m out on a slight angle after taking a massive pack mark. The other opportunities that went begging came in the second half and weren't really his fault in fact it was Matho's fault on both occasions. He worked hard to out smart his opponent and get himself free running towards an open goal, Matho had the footy and could have handballed it over the top to him but didn't see him, doubling back and getting tackled. The other occasion Rayner earned a free kick inside 50 but Matho kicked for goal which ended up out on the full and the umpire played advantage, Rayner was filthy. Rayner's best work from what I saw came from running hard through the midfield and linking up with teammates to get the ball moving towards our goal at a fast pace with run and long kicking, he broke a lot of tackles and also hit some contests at speed leaving some Suns players very sore. Rayner looks primed for a big year.

One player that really impressed me was Hinge. Coming on in the second half he attacked a lot of contests with vigour, winning the footy. The most impressive thing was how clean he was below his knees, picking up ground balls under pressure when most players were fumbling. Fagan was yelling out a lot of encouragement and looked very pleased with his efforts. Fullarton also impressed me with how agile he was in his movement and that left foot snap goal he kicked was superb.

Cox, Madden and Allison really struggled when they came on. Allison and Madden had a few touches but didn't do much with them whilst Cox didn't find the footy at all. Will be interesting to see if Cox gets a run in the JLT. Needs to do more if he is to be considered for an early senior match. Mathieson and C.Lyons worked hard and won some footy but for the most part I don't think they'll be anything but depth this year unfortunately, especially with E.Smith and CEY in the selection frame.

You can never fault Eagles for giving anything less than 110%, even in a scratch match. He laid a few massive hits/tackles as soon as he came on and took some nice intercept marks. Love having him on the list. Tom Berry is a workhorse. He runs really hard and competes at each contest but he didn't stand out in a major way for me. Still needs another year in the NEAFL to develop I think. I like him though, I think he'll be a player for the future. The big O didn't have much of an impact on the match at all, I wonder if the coaching staff will consider using Ballenden as the back up ruck, especially considering he can have more of an impact up forward. It will be very interesting to see how we structure up this year and which combination of talls we go with at both ends with Ballenden and Payne looking ready to step up. McStay didn't show much last night, dropping a lot marks. He'll be on notice too with Ballenden and Fullarton showing impressive signs.


Anyway apologies for the long post, just wanted to give those who couldn't attend some insight.

Best players for me were Adams, McCarthy, Rayner, Bailey, Lyons, Rich and Cameron.

Young players that showed the most were Ballenden, E.Smith and Hinge.

A quick note on the Suns, Ainsworth, Brodie and Bowes look ready to produce consistent footy this year, Rankine kicked a magical goal and Rowell and Anderson linked up in a not too dissimilar way to how Clug and Berry do. They were impressive actually and should both play Round 1. Rowell in particular is so clean and composed and uses the ball so well off both feet. The Suns will be so much better to watch this year simply with the additions of Rankine, Rowell and Anderson.

Awesome read. Thanks lionshine

 

[Section 5]

Nice write up lionshine.
Gives all of us who did't go another insight into this scratch match.

 

[Dylan12]

I think GC will surprise a few this year.

Hopefully beginning with beating Port Adelaide in round 1 this year.

 

[Nunez]

I saw the full match at Metricon yesterday. First of all I just want to preface this post by stating that a lot of comments I make, particularly when I say one player looks ahead of another regarding senior selection shouldn't be taken too seriously considering this is based solely off of an unofficial pre season match in greasy conditions at Metricon. A few player notes(and by a few I mean a lot)-

Fullarton, Madden, Cox, Eagles, Answerth, Hinge and Allison sat out the first half but came on in the second half in place of Hipwood, Cameron, Berry, Lyons, Rich and Birchall who only played the first half.

I was really impressed by Ballenden. He hasn't really been on my radar as someone I've rated that highly before in the past based off of what I've seen in the NEAFL but he looked fantastic last night I thought. He worked up the ground and took some nice marks, making some strong leads, and he is a beautiful kick of the footy. Smokey for Round 1 based off of what I saw. Almost kicked 3 goals in a row in the 3rd quarter. One was on the run under pressure on an angle, the next two shots were from set shots out on the boundary in pretty much the exact same spot, roughly 45m out on the wrong side for a right footer. He nailed the first one and the second one not long after looked like it was going to sail through but hit the post.

I read in the Fox article that Rowell got the points over Ely Smith. Rowell looked super clean and composed but I don't think him and Ely went head to head directly all night, maybe at times, but I thought Ely was great. He competed so well at stoppages, cracking in like a man possessed. One play that really impressed me was at a stoppage just outside 50 on the wing when Big O tapped the ball down to him, he used his core strength to outmuscle his opponent, collect the ball with one hand, spin around and accelerate away from the contest before delivering lace out to a leading Ballenden inside 50 setting up Ballenden's second goal. Ely Smith impressed me a lot actually. More so than CEY. CEY is another who cracked in really hard at stoppages, however, every time he won the footy, he'd blindly just handball it over his head as far as he could and on literally every occasion it went straight to a Suns player. I wouldn't be surprised if a month or two into the season Ely is gunning for CEY's spot although again, it is worth remembering that basing this off a scratch match isn't nearly a decent enough sample size to make that statement...

Hipwood flew for some marks, Cameron kicked a delightful, vintage, opening goal and Rich attacked some contests with aggression, however, for the most part Hippy, Cameron, Rich, Birchall, Lyons and Berry were in cruise control in the first half and just looking to get some match fitness in. Expanding more on Rich and Birchall, however, I have to say that with those two, Witherden, Ah Chee, Starcevich and Answerth, no one really stood out to me and demanded a HB spot for Round 1 with the exception of Rich who did some classy things and is a best 22 lock. Witherden had a sloppy night if I'm honest and gave away a free kick for abusing the ump. Birchall found some of the footy early on and used it beautifully, he has so much confidence in his kicking skills, he wasn't afraid to pin point teammates who had Suns players nearby in the defensive 50. I have to say, however, he didn't appear to move overly well when he was running towards a ground ball under pressure on multiple occasions. Perhaps he is still regaining confidence in his body? After his first few possessions and seeing how cleanly he delivered the footy to teammates by foot I was ready to lock him in for Round 1 but then when I saw him struggling to bend down and pick up ground balls under pressure I wasn't so sure anymore. Hopefully it is just a case of lacking match fitness/confidence in his mobility and after another couple pre season games he is moving better because he could be a real weapon for us with his kicking skills outside of the defensive 50. It is worth noting that at half time Hipwood, Cameron, Rich, Birchall, Lyons and Berry ran 5 laps of the oval and Rich and Birchall lagged behind from the start, especially Birchall who was further behind Rich. The other four ran together the whole way.

Answerth only played the second half but didn't get much of a chance to have an impact. Starcevich and Ah Chee did some nice things. Ah Chee won a lot of the footy and Starcevich competed well at every contest, he also kicked a beautiful drop punt goal from 55m out, however, both Ah Chee and Starcevich made some critical errors. Starcevich dropped a couple of marks he should have taken and I felt like Ah Chee, whilst in fairness was under extreme pressure each time, continuously just booted the ball towards the wing without looking for an option and pin pointing it, he just threw it on the boot. These kind of errors will hopefully be dusted off in the next couple of pre season fixtures though and aren't exactly uncommon to see particularly in scratch matches... TLDR I need to see more from all of our half back flankers against Port and Carlton during the JLT series before making my mind up on who I'd like to see in the best 22 along with Rich. At this stage I think it is an open race and the opportunity for Starcevich in particular is definitely there to earn a spot.

Across the game I thought McCarthy and Adams were a class above. I haven't exactly had McCarthy as a lock in my best 22 this pre season, I've had him in my team but I've been under the impression that a younger player could push him out if they perform better, however, based on last night he reminded me of just how strong a player he can be all over the ground winning lots of contests. He's a lock for Round 1. I kept a close eye on Payne to start the match and he took some nice marks but Adams really controlled the backline intercepting a lot of the Suns attacking forays. At this stage I think it is still Adams spot to lose and Payne will need to start the year in the NEAFL although that could quickly change if Payne outperforms Adams against Port/Carlton.

Zac Bailey didn't maintain it but for the first quarter he was everywhere, finding heaps of the footy and looking like the best player on the ground. Not sure if he tired or just took his foot off the pedal slightly but he wasn't as proactive after the first quarter. He looked like he'd improved a fair bit though in that first quarter, he looked really good! Speaking of looking really good, Rayner for me was the standout. Out of all the players on the ground he had the most "presence". Finished the night with 0 goals but could have easily had 4-5. The first shot he was streaming towards goal 40m out directly in front and shanked it. The second one was a set shot that hit the post from 20m out on a slight angle after taking a massive pack mark. The other opportunities that went begging came in the second half and weren't really his fault in fact it was Matho's fault on both occasions. He worked hard to out smart his opponent and get himself free running towards an open goal, Matho had the footy and could have handballed it over the top to him but didn't see him, doubling back and getting tackled. The other occasion Rayner earned a free kick inside 50 but Matho kicked for goal which ended up out on the full and the umpire played advantage, Rayner was filthy. Rayner's best work from what I saw came from running hard through the midfield and linking up with teammates to get the ball moving towards our goal at a fast pace with run and long kicking, he broke a lot of tackles and also hit some contests at speed leaving some Suns players very sore. Rayner looks primed for a big year.

One player that really impressed me was Hinge. Coming on in the second half he attacked a lot of contests with vigour, winning the footy. The most impressive thing was how clean he was below his knees, picking up ground balls under pressure when most players were fumbling. Fagan was yelling out a lot of encouragement and looked very pleased with his efforts. Fullarton also impressed me with how agile he was in his movement and that left foot snap goal he kicked was superb.

Cox, Madden and Allison really struggled when they came on. Allison and Madden had a few touches but didn't do much with them whilst Cox didn't find the footy at all. Will be interesting to see if Cox gets a run in the JLT. Needs to do more if he is to be considered for an early senior match. Mathieson and C.Lyons worked hard and won some footy but for the most part I don't think they'll be anything but depth this year unfortunately, especially with E.Smith and CEY in the selection frame.

You can never fault Eagles for giving anything less than 110%, even in a scratch match. He laid a few massive hits/tackles as soon as he came on and took some nice intercept marks. Love having him on the list. Tom Berry is a workhorse. He runs really hard and competes at each contest but he didn't stand out in a major way for me. Still needs another year in the NEAFL to develop I think. I like him though, I think he'll be a player for the future. The big O didn't have much of an impact on the match at all, I wonder if the coaching staff will consider using Ballenden as the back up ruck, especially considering he can have more of an impact up forward. It will be very interesting to see how we structure up this year and which combination of talls we go with at both ends with Ballenden and Payne looking ready to step up. McStay didn't show much last night, dropping a lot of marks. He'll be on notice too with Ballenden and Fullarton showing impressive signs.


Anyway apologies for the long post, just wanted to give those who couldn't attend some insight.

Best players for me were Adams, McCarthy, Rayner, Bailey, Lyons, Rich and Cameron.

Young players that showed the most were Ballenden, E.Smith and Hinge.

A quick note on the Suns, Ainsworth, Brodie and Bowes look ready to produce consistent footy this year, Rankine kicked a magical goal and Rowell and Anderson linked up in a not too dissimilar way to how Clug and Berry do. They were impressive actually and should both play Round 1. Rowell in particular is so clean and composed and uses the ball so well off both feet. The Suns will be so much better to watch this year simply with the additions of Rankine, Rowell and Anderson.

Mate you're a legend. You're officially the new BRAB .

 

[McLuggages]

I saw the full match at Metricon yesterday. First of all I just want to preface this post by stating that a lot of comments I make, particularly when I say one player looks ahead of another regarding senior selection shouldn't be taken too seriously considering this is based solely off of an unofficial pre season match in greasy conditions at Metricon. A few player notes(and by a few I mean a lot)-

Fullarton, Madden, Cox, Eagles, Answerth, Hinge and Allison sat out the first half but came on in the second half in place of Hipwood, Cameron, Berry, Lyons, Rich and Birchall who only played the first half.

I was really impressed by Ballenden. He hasn't really been on my radar as someone I've rated that highly before in the past based off of what I've seen in the NEAFL but he looked fantastic last night I thought. He worked up the ground and took some nice marks, making some strong leads, and he is a beautiful kick of the footy. Smokey for Round 1 based off of what I saw. Almost kicked 3 goals in a row in the 3rd quarter. One was on the run under pressure on an angle, the next two shots were from set shots out on the boundary in pretty much the exact same spot, roughly 45m out on the wrong side for a right footer. He nailed the first one and the second one not long after looked like it was going to sail through but hit the post.

I read in the Fox article that Rowell got the points over Ely Smith. Rowell looked super clean and composed but I don't think him and Ely went head to head directly all night, maybe at times, but I thought Ely was great. He competed so well at stoppages, cracking in like a man possessed. One play that really impressed me was at a stoppage just outside 50 on the wing when Big O tapped the ball down to him, he used his core strength to outmuscle his opponent, collect the ball with one hand, spin around and accelerate away from the contest before delivering lace out to a leading Ballenden inside 50 setting up Ballenden's second goal. Ely Smith impressed me a lot actually. More so than CEY. CEY is another who cracked in really hard at stoppages, however, every time he won the footy, he'd blindly just handball it over his head as far as he could and on literally every occasion it went straight to a Suns player. I wouldn't be surprised if a month or two into the season Ely is gunning for CEY's spot although again, it is worth remembering that basing this off a scratch match isn't nearly a decent enough sample size to make that statement...

Hipwood flew for some marks, Cameron kicked a delightful, vintage, opening goal and Rich attacked some contests with aggression, however, for the most part Hippy, Cameron, Rich, Birchall, Lyons and Berry were in cruise control in the first half and just looking to get some match fitness in. Expanding more on Rich and Birchall, however, I have to say that with those two, Witherden, Ah Chee, Starcevich and Answerth, no one really stood out to me and demanded a HB spot for Round 1 with the exception of Rich who did some classy things and is a best 22 lock. Witherden had a sloppy night if I'm honest and gave away a free kick for abusing the ump. Birchall found some of the footy early on and used it beautifully, he has so much confidence in his kicking skills, he wasn't afraid to pin point teammates who had Suns players nearby in the defensive 50. I have to say, however, he didn't appear to move overly well when he was running towards a ground ball under pressure on multiple occasions. Perhaps he is still regaining confidence in his body? After his first few possessions and seeing how cleanly he delivered the footy to teammates by foot I was ready to lock him in for Round 1 but then when I saw him struggling to bend down and pick up ground balls under pressure I wasn't so sure anymore. Hopefully it is just a case of lacking match fitness/confidence in his mobility and after another couple pre season games he is moving better because he could be a real weapon for us with his kicking skills outside of the defensive 50. It is worth noting that at half time Hipwood, Cameron, Rich, Birchall, Lyons and Berry ran 5 laps of the oval and Rich and Birchall lagged behind from the start, especially Birchall who was further behind Rich. The other four ran together the whole way.

Answerth only played the second half but didn't get much of a chance to have an impact. Starcevich and Ah Chee did some nice things. Ah Chee won a lot of the footy and Starcevich competed well at every contest, he also kicked a beautiful drop punt goal from 55m out, however, both Ah Chee and Starcevich made some critical errors. Starcevich dropped a couple of marks he should have taken and I felt like Ah Chee, whilst in fairness was under extreme pressure each time, continuously just booted the ball towards the wing without looking for an option and pin pointing it, he just threw it on the boot. These kind of errors will hopefully be dusted off in the next couple of pre season fixtures though and aren't exactly uncommon to see particularly in scratch matches... TLDR I need to see more from all of our half back flankers against Port and Carlton during the JLT series before making my mind up on who I'd like to see in the best 22 along with Rich. At this stage I think it is an open race and the opportunity for Starcevich in particular is definitely there to earn a spot.

Across the game I thought McCarthy and Adams were a class above. I haven't exactly had McCarthy as a lock in my best 22 this pre season, I've had him in my team but I've been under the impression that a younger player could push him out if they perform better, however, based on last night he reminded me of just how strong a player he can be all over the ground winning lots of contests. He's a lock for Round 1. I kept a close eye on Payne to start the match and he took some nice marks but Adams really controlled the backline intercepting a lot of the Suns attacking forays. At this stage I think it is still Adams spot to lose and Payne will need to start the year in the NEAFL although that could quickly change if Payne outperforms Adams against Port/Carlton.

Zac Bailey didn't maintain it but for the first quarter he was everywhere, finding heaps of the footy and looking like the best player on the ground. Not sure if he tired or just took his foot off the pedal slightly but he wasn't as proactive after the first quarter. He looked like he'd improved a fair bit though in that first quarter, he looked really good! Speaking of looking really good, Rayner for me was the standout. Out of all the players on the ground he had the most "presence". Finished the night with 0 goals but could have easily had 4-5. The first shot he was streaming towards goal 40m out directly in front and shanked it. The second one was a set shot that hit the post from 20m out on a slight angle after taking a massive pack mark. The other opportunities that went begging came in the second half and weren't really his fault in fact it was Matho's fault on both occasions. He worked hard to out smart his opponent and get himself free running towards an open goal, Matho had the footy and could have handballed it over the top to him but didn't see him, doubling back and getting tackled. The other occasion Rayner earned a free kick inside 50 but Matho kicked for goal which ended up out on the full and the umpire played advantage, Rayner was filthy. Rayner's best work from what I saw came from running hard through the midfield and linking up with teammates to get the ball moving towards our goal at a fast pace with run and long kicking, he broke a lot of tackles and also hit some contests at speed leaving some Suns players very sore. Rayner looks primed for a big year.

One player that really impressed me was Hinge. Coming on in the second half he attacked a lot of contests with vigour, winning the footy. The most impressive thing was how clean he was below his knees, picking up ground balls under pressure when most players were fumbling. Fagan was yelling out a lot of encouragement and looked very pleased with his efforts. Fullarton also impressed me with how agile he was in his movement and that left foot snap goal he kicked was superb.

Cox, Madden and Allison really struggled when they came on. Allison and Madden had a few touches but didn't do much with them whilst Cox didn't find the footy at all. Will be interesting to see if Cox gets a run in the JLT. Needs to do more if he is to be considered for an early senior match. Mathieson and C.Lyons worked hard and won some footy but for the most part I don't think they'll be anything but depth this year unfortunately, especially with E.Smith and CEY in the selection frame.

You can never fault Eagles for giving anything less than 110%, even in a scratch match. He laid a few massive hits/tackles as soon as he came on and took some nice intercept marks. Love having him on the list. Tom Berry is a workhorse. He runs really hard and competes at each contest but he didn't stand out in a major way for me. Still needs another year in the NEAFL to develop I think. I like him though, I think he'll be a player for the future. The big O didn't have much of an impact on the match at all, I wonder if the coaching staff will consider using Ballenden as the back up ruck, especially considering he can have more of an impact up forward. It will be very interesting to see how we structure up this year and which combination of talls we go with at both ends with Ballenden and Payne looking ready to step up. McStay didn't show much last night, dropping a lot of marks. He'll be on notice too with Ballenden and Fullarton showing impressive signs.


Anyway apologies for the long post, just wanted to give those who couldn't attend some insight.

Best players for me were Adams, McCarthy, Rayner, Bailey, Lyons, Rich and Cameron.

Young players that showed the most were Ballenden, E.Smith and Hinge.

A quick note on the Suns, Ainsworth, Brodie and Bowes look ready to produce consistent footy this year, Rankine kicked a magical goal and Rowell and Anderson linked up in a not too dissimilar way to how Clug and Berry do. They were impressive actually and should both play Round 1. Rowell in particular is so clean and composed and uses the ball so well off both feet. The Suns will be so much better to watch this year simply with the additions of Rankine, Rowell and Anderson.

Thank you so much! Most of the coverage of this match has been about Rowell and the suns.

I wonder why none of our first years were given a run...

 

[McLuggages]

On that - I read the Suns board coverage of the match and they're pretty chirpy about how their depth is ahead of ours. They've forgotten that we were a very long way apart in both ladder terms and when we played in round 20.

 

[BrizzyBandit]

I saw the full match at Metricon yesterday. First of all I just want to preface this post by stating that a lot of comments I make, particularly when I say one player looks ahead of another regarding senior selection shouldn't be taken too seriously considering this is based solely off of an unofficial pre season match in greasy conditions at Metricon. A few player notes(and by a few I mean a lot)-

Fullarton, Madden, Cox, Eagles, Answerth, Hinge and Allison sat out the first half but came on in the second half in place of Hipwood, Cameron, Berry, Lyons, Rich and Birchall who only played the first half.

I was really impressed by Ballenden. He hasn't really been on my radar as someone I've rated that highly before in the past based off of what I've seen in the NEAFL but he looked fantastic last night I thought. He worked up the ground and took some nice marks, making some strong leads, and he is a beautiful kick of the footy. Smokey for Round 1 based off of what I saw. Almost kicked 3 goals in a row in the 3rd quarter. One was on the run under pressure on an angle, the next two shots were from set shots out on the boundary in pretty much the exact same spot, roughly 45m out on the wrong side for a right footer. He nailed the first one and the second one not long after looked like it was going to sail through but hit the post.

I read in the Fox article that Rowell got the points over Ely Smith. Rowell looked super clean and composed but I don't think him and Ely went head to head directly all night, maybe at times, but I thought Ely was great. He competed so well at stoppages, cracking in like a man possessed. One play that really impressed me was at a stoppage just outside 50 on the wing when Big O tapped the ball down to him, he used his core strength to outmuscle his opponent, collect the ball with one hand, spin around and accelerate away from the contest before delivering lace out to a leading Ballenden inside 50 setting up Ballenden's second goal. Ely Smith impressed me a lot actually. More so than CEY. CEY is another who cracked in really hard at stoppages, however, every time he won the footy, he'd blindly just handball it over his head as far as he could and on literally every occasion it went straight to a Suns player. I wouldn't be surprised if a month or two into the season Ely is gunning for CEY's spot although again, it is worth remembering that basing this off a scratch match isn't nearly a decent enough sample size to make that statement...

Hipwood flew for some marks, Cameron kicked a delightful, vintage, opening goal and Rich attacked some contests with aggression, however, for the most part Hippy, Cameron, Rich, Birchall, Lyons and Berry were in cruise control in the first half and just looking to get some match fitness in. Expanding more on Rich and Birchall, however, I have to say that with those two, Witherden, Ah Chee, Starcevich and Answerth, no one really stood out to me and demanded a HB spot for Round 1 with the exception of Rich who did some classy things and is a best 22 lock. Witherden had a sloppy night if I'm honest and gave away a free kick for abusing the ump. Birchall found some of the footy early on and used it beautifully, he has so much confidence in his kicking skills, he wasn't afraid to pin point teammates who had Suns players nearby in the defensive 50. I have to say, however, he didn't appear to move overly well when he was running towards a ground ball under pressure on multiple occasions. Perhaps he is still regaining confidence in his body? After his first few possessions and seeing how cleanly he delivered the footy to teammates by foot I was ready to lock him in for Round 1 but then when I saw him struggling to bend down and pick up ground balls under pressure I wasn't so sure anymore. Hopefully it is just a case of lacking match fitness/confidence in his mobility and after another couple pre season games he is moving better because he could be a real weapon for us with his kicking skills outside of the defensive 50. It is worth noting that at half time Hipwood, Cameron, Rich, Birchall, Lyons and Berry ran 5 laps of the oval and Rich and Birchall lagged behind from the start, especially Birchall who was further behind Rich. The other four ran together the whole way.

Answerth only played the second half but didn't get much of a chance to have an impact. Starcevich and Ah Chee did some nice things. Ah Chee won a lot of the footy and Starcevich competed well at every contest, he also kicked a beautiful drop punt goal from 55m out, however, both Ah Chee and Starcevich made some critical errors. Starcevich dropped a couple of marks he should have taken and I felt like Ah Chee, whilst in fairness was under extreme pressure each time, continuously just booted the ball towards the wing without looking for an option and pin pointing it, he just threw it on the boot. These kind of errors will hopefully be dusted off in the next couple of pre season fixtures though and aren't exactly uncommon to see particularly in scratch matches... TLDR I need to see more from all of our half back flankers against Port and Carlton during the JLT series before making my mind up on who I'd like to see in the best 22 along with Rich. At this stage I think it is an open race and the opportunity for Starcevich in particular is definitely there to earn a spot.

Across the game I thought McCarthy and Adams were a class above. I haven't exactly had McCarthy as a lock in my best 22 this pre season, I've had him in my team but I've been under the impression that a younger player could push him out if they perform better, however, based on last night he reminded me of just how strong a player he can be all over the ground winning lots of contests. He's a lock for Round 1. I kept a close eye on Payne to start the match and he took some nice marks but Adams really controlled the backline intercepting a lot of the Suns attacking forays. At this stage I think it is still Adams spot to lose and Payne will need to start the year in the NEAFL although that could quickly change if Payne outperforms Adams against Port/Carlton.

Zac Bailey didn't maintain it but for the first quarter he was everywhere, finding heaps of the footy and looking like the best player on the ground. Not sure if he tired or just took his foot off the pedal slightly but he wasn't as proactive after the first quarter. He looked like he'd improved a fair bit though in that first quarter, he looked really good! Speaking of looking really good, Rayner for me was the standout. Out of all the players on the ground he had the most "presence". Finished the night with 0 goals but could have easily had 4-5. The first shot he was streaming towards goal 40m out directly in front and shanked it. The second one was a set shot that hit the post from 20m out on a slight angle after taking a massive pack mark. The other opportunities that went begging came in the second half and weren't really his fault in fact it was Matho's fault on both occasions. He worked hard to out smart his opponent and get himself free running towards an open goal, Matho had the footy and could have handballed it over the top to him but didn't see him, doubling back and getting tackled. The other occasion Rayner earned a free kick inside 50 but Matho kicked for goal which ended up out on the full and the umpire played advantage, Rayner was filthy. Rayner's best work from what I saw came from running hard through the midfield and linking up with teammates to get the ball moving towards our goal at a fast pace with run and long kicking, he broke a lot of tackles and also hit some contests at speed leaving some Suns players very sore. Rayner looks primed for a big year.

One player that really impressed me was Hinge. Coming on in the second half he attacked a lot of contests with vigour, winning the footy. The most impressive thing was how clean he was below his knees, picking up ground balls under pressure when most players were fumbling. Fagan was yelling out a lot of encouragement and looked very pleased with his efforts. Fullarton also impressed me with how agile he was in his movement and that left foot snap goal he kicked was superb.

Cox, Madden and Allison really struggled when they came on. Allison and Madden had a few touches but didn't do much with them whilst Cox didn't find the footy at all. Will be interesting to see if Cox gets a run in the JLT. Needs to do more if he is to be considered for an early senior match. Mathieson and C.Lyons worked hard and won some footy but for the most part I don't think they'll be anything but depth this year unfortunately, especially with E.Smith and CEY in the selection frame.

You can never fault Eagles for giving anything less than 110%, even in a scratch match. He laid a few massive hits/tackles as soon as he came on and took some nice intercept marks. Love having him on the list. Tom Berry is a workhorse. He runs really hard and competes at each contest but he didn't stand out in a major way for me. Still needs another year in the NEAFL to develop I think. I like him though, I think he'll be a player for the future. The big O didn't have much of an impact on the match at all, I wonder if the coaching staff will consider using Ballenden as the back up ruck, especially considering he can have more of an impact up forward. It will be very interesting to see how we structure up this year and which combination of talls we go with at both ends with Ballenden and Payne looking ready to step up. McStay didn't show much last night, dropping a lot of marks. He'll be on notice too with Ballenden and Fullarton showing impressive signs.


Anyway apologies for the long post, just wanted to give those who couldn't attend some insight.

Best players for me were Adams, McCarthy, Rayner, Bailey, Lyons, Rich and Cameron.

Young players that showed the most were Ballenden, E.Smith and Hinge.

A quick note on the Suns, Ainsworth, Brodie and Bowes look ready to produce consistent footy this year, Rankine kicked a magical goal and Rowell and Anderson linked up in a not too dissimilar way to how Clug and Berry do. They were impressive actually and should both play Round 1. Rowell in particular is so clean and composed and uses the ball so well off both feet. The Suns will be so much better to watch this year simply with the additions of Rankine, Rowell and Anderson.

Thanks lionshine.... loved reading that.

 

[Clarkythelion]

I saw the full match at Metricon yesterday. First of all I just want to preface this post by stating that a lot of comments I make, particularly when I say one player looks ahead of another regarding senior selection shouldn't be taken too seriously considering this is based solely off of an unofficial pre season match in greasy conditions at Metricon. A few player notes(and by a few I mean a lot)-

Fullarton, Madden, Cox, Eagles, Answerth, Hinge and Allison sat out the first half but came on in the second half in place of Hipwood, Cameron, Berry, Lyons, Rich and Birchall who only played the first half.

I was really impressed by Ballenden. He hasn't really been on my radar as someone I've rated that highly before in the past based off of what I've seen in the NEAFL but he looked fantastic last night I thought. He worked up the ground and took some nice marks, making some strong leads, and he is a beautiful kick of the footy. Smokey for Round 1 based off of what I saw. Almost kicked 3 goals in a row in the 3rd quarter. One was on the run under pressure on an angle, the next two shots were from set shots out on the boundary in pretty much the exact same spot, roughly 45m out on the wrong side for a right footer. He nailed the first one and the second one not long after looked like it was going to sail through but hit the post.

I read in the Fox article that Rowell got the points over Ely Smith. Rowell looked super clean and composed but I don't think him and Ely went head to head directly all night, maybe at times, but I thought Ely was great. He competed so well at stoppages, cracking in like a man possessed. One play that really impressed me was at a stoppage just outside 50 on the wing when Big O tapped the ball down to him, he used his core strength to outmuscle his opponent, collect the ball with one hand, spin around and accelerate away from the contest before delivering lace out to a leading Ballenden inside 50 setting up Ballenden's second goal. Ely Smith impressed me a lot actually. More so than CEY. CEY is another who cracked in really hard at stoppages, however, every time he won the footy, he'd blindly just handball it over his head as far as he could and on literally every occasion it went straight to a Suns player. I wouldn't be surprised if a month or two into the season Ely is gunning for CEY's spot although again, it is worth remembering that basing this off a scratch match isn't nearly a decent enough sample size to make that statement...

Hipwood flew for some marks, Cameron kicked a delightful, vintage, opening goal and Rich attacked some contests with aggression, however, for the most part Hippy, Cameron, Rich, Birchall, Lyons and Berry were in cruise control in the first half and just looking to get some match fitness in. Expanding more on Rich and Birchall, however, I have to say that with those two, Witherden, Ah Chee, Starcevich and Answerth, no one really stood out to me and demanded a HB spot for Round 1 with the exception of Rich who did some classy things and is a best 22 lock. Witherden had a sloppy night if I'm honest and gave away a free kick for abusing the ump. Birchall found some of the footy early on and used it beautifully, he has so much confidence in his kicking skills, he wasn't afraid to pin point teammates who had Suns players nearby in the defensive 50. I have to say, however, he didn't appear to move overly well when he was running towards a ground ball under pressure on multiple occasions. Perhaps he is still regaining confidence in his body? After his first few possessions and seeing how cleanly he delivered the footy to teammates by foot I was ready to lock him in for Round 1 but then when I saw him struggling to bend down and pick up ground balls under pressure I wasn't so sure anymore. Hopefully it is just a case of lacking match fitness/confidence in his mobility and after another couple pre season games he is moving better because he could be a real weapon for us with his kicking skills outside of the defensive 50. It is worth noting that at half time Hipwood, Cameron, Rich, Birchall, Lyons and Berry ran 5 laps of the oval and Rich and Birchall lagged behind from the start, especially Birchall who was further behind Rich. The other four ran together the whole way.

Answerth only played the second half but didn't get much of a chance to have an impact. Starcevich and Ah Chee did some nice things. Ah Chee won a lot of the footy and Starcevich competed well at every contest, he also kicked a beautiful drop punt goal from 55m out, however, both Ah Chee and Starcevich made some critical errors. Starcevich dropped a couple of marks he should have taken and I felt like Ah Chee, whilst in fairness was under extreme pressure each time, continuously just booted the ball towards the wing without looking for an option and pin pointing it, he just threw it on the boot. These kind of errors will hopefully be dusted off in the next couple of pre season fixtures though and aren't exactly uncommon to see particularly in scratch matches... TLDR I need to see more from all of our half back flankers against Port and Carlton during the JLT series before making my mind up on who I'd like to see in the best 22 along with Rich. At this stage I think it is an open race and the opportunity for Starcevich in particular is definitely there to earn a spot.

Across the game I thought McCarthy and Adams were a class above. I haven't exactly had McCarthy as a lock in my best 22 this pre season, I've had him in my team but I've been under the impression that a younger player could push him out if they perform better, however, based on last night he reminded me of just how strong a player he can be all over the ground winning lots of contests. He's a lock for Round 1. I kept a close eye on Payne to start the match and he took some nice marks but Adams really controlled the backline intercepting a lot of the Suns attacking forays. At this stage I think it is still Adams spot to lose and Payne will need to start the year in the NEAFL although that could quickly change if Payne outperforms Adams against Port/Carlton.

Zac Bailey didn't maintain it but for the first quarter he was everywhere, finding heaps of the footy and looking like the best player on the ground. Not sure if he tired or just took his foot off the pedal slightly but he wasn't as proactive after the first quarter. He looked like he'd improved a fair bit though in that first quarter, he looked really good! Speaking of looking really good, Rayner for me was the standout. Out of all the players on the ground he had the most "presence". Finished the night with 0 goals but could have easily had 4-5. The first shot he was streaming towards goal 40m out directly in front and shanked it. The second one was a set shot that hit the post from 20m out on a slight angle after taking a massive pack mark. The other opportunities that went begging came in the second half and weren't really his fault in fact it was Matho's fault on both occasions. He worked hard to out smart his opponent and get himself free running towards an open goal, Matho had the footy and could have handballed it over the top to him but didn't see him, doubling back and getting tackled. The other occasion Rayner earned a free kick inside 50 but Matho kicked for goal which ended up out on the full and the umpire played advantage, Rayner was filthy. Rayner's best work from what I saw came from running hard through the midfield and linking up with teammates to get the ball moving towards our goal at a fast pace with run and long kicking, he broke a lot of tackles and also hit some contests at speed leaving some Suns players very sore. Rayner looks primed for a big year.

One player that really impressed me was Hinge. Coming on in the second half he attacked a lot of contests with vigour, winning the footy. The most impressive thing was how clean he was below his knees, picking up ground balls under pressure when most players were fumbling. Fagan was yelling out a lot of encouragement and looked very pleased with his efforts. Fullarton also impressed me with how agile he was in his movement and that left foot snap goal he kicked was superb.

Cox, Madden and Allison really struggled when they came on. Allison and Madden had a few touches but didn't do much with them whilst Cox didn't find the footy at all. Will be interesting to see if Cox gets a run in the JLT. Needs to do more if he is to be considered for an early senior match. Mathieson and C.Lyons worked hard and won some footy but for the most part I don't think they'll be anything but depth this year unfortunately, especially with E.Smith and CEY in the selection frame.

You can never fault Eagles for giving anything less than 110%, even in a scratch match. He laid a few massive hits/tackles as soon as he came on and took some nice intercept marks. Love having him on the list. Tom Berry is a workhorse. He runs really hard and competes at each contest but he didn't stand out in a major way for me. Still needs another year in the NEAFL to develop I think. I like him though, I think he'll be a player for the future. The big O didn't have much of an impact on the match at all, I wonder if the coaching staff will consider using Ballenden as the back up ruck, especially considering he can have more of an impact up forward. It will be very interesting to see how we structure up this year and which combination of talls we go with at both ends with Ballenden and Payne looking ready to step up. McStay didn't show much last night, dropping a lot of marks. He'll be on notice too with Ballenden and Fullarton showing impressive signs.


Anyway apologies for the long post, just wanted to give those who couldn't attend some insight.

Best players for me were Adams, McCarthy, Rayner, Bailey, Lyons, Rich and Cameron.

Young players that showed the most were Ballenden, E.Smith and Hinge.

A quick note on the Suns, Ainsworth, Brodie and Bowes look ready to produce consistent footy this year, Rankine kicked a magical goal and Rowell and Anderson linked up in a not too dissimilar way to how Clug and Berry do. They were impressive actually and should both play Round 1. Rowell in particular is so clean and composed and uses the ball so well off both feet. The Suns will be so much better to watch this year simply with the additions of Rankine, Rowell and Anderson.

great review, thanks for taking the time.

 

[T Rick]

I saw the full match at Metricon yesterday. First of all I just want to preface this post by stating that a lot of comments I make, particularly when I say one player looks ahead of another regarding senior selection shouldn't be taken too seriously considering this is based solely off of an unofficial pre season match in greasy conditions at Metricon. A few player notes(and by a few I mean a lot)-

Fullarton, Madden, Cox, Eagles, Answerth, Hinge and Allison sat out the first half but came on in the second half in place of Hipwood, Cameron, Berry, Lyons, Rich and Birchall who only played the first half.

I was really impressed by Ballenden. He hasn't really been on my radar as someone I've rated that highly before in the past based off of what I've seen in the NEAFL but he looked fantastic last night I thought. He worked up the ground and took some nice marks, making some strong leads, and he is a beautiful kick of the footy. Smokey for Round 1 based off of what I saw. Almost kicked 3 goals in a row in the 3rd quarter. One was on the run under pressure on an angle, the next two shots were from set shots out on the boundary in pretty much the exact same spot, roughly 45m out on the wrong side for a right footer. He nailed the first one and the second one not long after looked like it was going to sail through but hit the post.

I read in the Fox article that Rowell got the points over Ely Smith. Rowell looked super clean and composed but I don't think him and Ely went head to head directly all night, maybe at times, but I thought Ely was great. He competed so well at stoppages, cracking in like a man possessed. One play that really impressed me was at a stoppage just outside 50 on the wing when Big O tapped the ball down to him, he used his core strength to outmuscle his opponent, collect the ball with one hand, spin around and accelerate away from the contest before delivering lace out to a leading Ballenden inside 50 setting up Ballenden's second goal. Ely Smith impressed me a lot actually. More so than CEY. CEY is another who cracked in really hard at stoppages, however, every time he won the footy, he'd blindly just handball it over his head as far as he could and on literally every occasion it went straight to a Suns player. I wouldn't be surprised if a month or two into the season Ely is gunning for CEY's spot although again, it is worth remembering that basing this off a scratch match isn't nearly a decent enough sample size to make that statement...

Hipwood flew for some marks, Cameron kicked a delightful, vintage, opening goal and Rich attacked some contests with aggression, however, for the most part Hippy, Cameron, Rich, Birchall, Lyons and Berry were in cruise control in the first half and just looking to get some match fitness in. Expanding more on Rich and Birchall, however, I have to say that with those two, Witherden, Ah Chee, Starcevich and Answerth, no one really stood out to me and demanded a HB spot for Round 1 with the exception of Rich who did some classy things and is a best 22 lock. Witherden had a sloppy night if I'm honest and gave away a free kick for abusing the ump. Birchall found some of the footy early on and used it beautifully, he has so much confidence in his kicking skills, he wasn't afraid to pin point teammates who had Suns players nearby in the defensive 50. I have to say, however, he didn't appear to move overly well when he was running towards a ground ball under pressure on multiple occasions. Perhaps he is still regaining confidence in his body? After his first few possessions and seeing how cleanly he delivered the footy to teammates by foot I was ready to lock him in for Round 1 but then when I saw him struggling to bend down and pick up ground balls under pressure I wasn't so sure anymore. Hopefully it is just a case of lacking match fitness/confidence in his mobility and after another couple pre season games he is moving better because he could be a real weapon for us with his kicking skills outside of the defensive 50. It is worth noting that at half time Hipwood, Cameron, Rich, Birchall, Lyons and Berry ran 5 laps of the oval and Rich and Birchall lagged behind from the start, especially Birchall who was further behind Rich. The other four ran together the whole way.

Answerth only played the second half but didn't get much of a chance to have an impact. Starcevich and Ah Chee did some nice things. Ah Chee won a lot of the footy and Starcevich competed well at every contest, he also kicked a beautiful drop punt goal from 55m out, however, both Ah Chee and Starcevich made some critical errors. Starcevich dropped a couple of marks he should have taken and I felt like Ah Chee, whilst in fairness was under extreme pressure each time, continuously just booted the ball towards the wing without looking for an option and pin pointing it, he just threw it on the boot. These kind of errors will hopefully be dusted off in the next couple of pre season fixtures though and aren't exactly uncommon to see particularly in scratch matches... TLDR I need to see more from all of our half back flankers against Port and Carlton during the JLT series before making my mind up on who I'd like to see in the best 22 along with Rich. At this stage I think it is an open race and the opportunity for Starcevich in particular is definitely there to earn a spot.

Across the game I thought McCarthy and Adams were a class above. I haven't exactly had McCarthy as a lock in my best 22 this pre season, I've had him in my team but I've been under the impression that a younger player could push him out if they perform better, however, based on last night he reminded me of just how strong a player he can be all over the ground winning lots of contests. He's a lock for Round 1. I kept a close eye on Payne to start the match and he took some nice marks but Adams really controlled the backline intercepting a lot of the Suns attacking forays. At this stage I think it is still Adams spot to lose and Payne will need to start the year in the NEAFL although that could quickly change if Payne outperforms Adams against Port/Carlton.

Zac Bailey didn't maintain it but for the first quarter he was everywhere, finding heaps of the footy and looking like the best player on the ground. Not sure if he tired or just took his foot off the pedal slightly but he wasn't as proactive after the first quarter. He looked like he'd improved a fair bit though in that first quarter, he looked really good! Speaking of looking really good, Rayner for me was the standout. Out of all the players on the ground he had the most "presence". Finished the night with 0 goals but could have easily had 4-5. The first shot he was streaming towards goal 40m out directly in front and shanked it. The second one was a set shot that hit the post from 20m out on a slight angle after taking a massive pack mark. The other opportunities that went begging came in the second half and weren't really his fault in fact it was Matho's fault on both occasions. He worked hard to out smart his opponent and get himself free running towards an open goal, Matho had the footy and could have handballed it over the top to him but didn't see him, doubling back and getting tackled. The other occasion Rayner earned a free kick inside 50 but Matho kicked for goal which ended up out on the full and the umpire played advantage, Rayner was filthy. Rayner's best work from what I saw came from running hard through the midfield and linking up with teammates to get the ball moving towards our goal at a fast pace with run and long kicking, he broke a lot of tackles and also hit some contests at speed leaving some Suns players very sore. Rayner looks primed for a big year.

One player that really impressed me was Hinge. Coming on in the second half he attacked a lot of contests with vigour, winning the footy. The most impressive thing was how clean he was below his knees, picking up ground balls under pressure when most players were fumbling. Fagan was yelling out a lot of encouragement and looked very pleased with his efforts. Fullarton also impressed me with how agile he was in his movement and that left foot snap goal he kicked was superb.

Cox, Madden and Allison really struggled when they came on. Allison and Madden had a few touches but didn't do much with them whilst Cox didn't find the footy at all. Will be interesting to see if Cox gets a run in the JLT. Needs to do more if he is to be considered for an early senior match. Mathieson and C.Lyons worked hard and won some footy but for the most part I don't think they'll be anything but depth this year unfortunately, especially with E.Smith and CEY in the selection frame.

You can never fault Eagles for giving anything less than 110%, even in a scratch match. He laid a few massive hits/tackles as soon as he came on and took some nice intercept marks. Love having him on the list. Tom Berry is a workhorse. He runs really hard and competes at each contest but he didn't stand out in a major way for me. Still needs another year in the NEAFL to develop I think. I like him though, I think he'll be a player for the future. The big O didn't have much of an impact on the match at all, I wonder if the coaching staff will consider using Ballenden as the back up ruck, especially considering he can have more of an impact up forward. It will be very interesting to see how we structure up this year and which combination of talls we go with at both ends with Ballenden and Payne looking ready to step up. McStay didn't show much last night, dropping a lot of marks. He'll be on notice too with Ballenden and Fullarton showing impressive signs.


Anyway apologies for the long post, just wanted to give those who couldn't attend some insight.

Best players for me were Adams, McCarthy, Rayner, Bailey, Lyons, Rich and Cameron.

Young players that showed the most were Ballenden, E.Smith and Hinge.

A quick note on the Suns, Ainsworth, Brodie and Bowes look ready to produce consistent footy this year, Rankine kicked a magical goal and Rowell and Anderson linked up in a not too dissimilar way to how Clug and Berry do. They were impressive actually and should both play Round 1. Rowell in particular is so clean and composed and uses the ball so well off both feet. The Suns will be so much better to watch this year simply with the additions of Rankine, Rowell and Anderson.

Fantastic write-up Lionshine - much appreciated!

 

[briztoon]

Thank you so much! Most of the coverage of this match has been about Rowell and the suns.

I wonder why none of our first years were given a run...

The shiny new toys are always the story when the rolls royces are kept parked in the garage.

On that - I read the Suns board coverage of the match and they're pretty chirpy about how their depth is ahead of ours. They've forgotten that we were a very long way apart in both ladder terms and when we played in round 20.

Don’t worry, it also extends to their women’s team, which some over there are pretty vocal about their team being stronger than ours.

As for their men’s team. It’s still very young, but if their kids live up to their U18 status, they’re going to have a very strong team in a couple of years. They just need to draft some more KPP depth.

 

[M Malice]

I saw the full match at Metricon yesterday. First of all I just want to preface this post by stating that a lot of comments I make, particularly when I say one player looks ahead of another regarding senior selection shouldn't be taken too seriously considering this is based solely off of an unofficial pre season match in greasy conditions at Metricon. A few player notes(and by a few I mean a lot)-

Fullarton, Madden, Cox, Eagles, Answerth, Hinge and Allison sat out the first half but came on in the second half in place of Hipwood, Cameron, Berry, Lyons, Rich and Birchall who only played the first half.

I was really impressed by Ballenden. He hasn't really been on my radar as someone I've rated that highly before in the past based off of what I've seen in the NEAFL but he looked fantastic last night I thought. He worked up the ground and took some nice marks, making some strong leads, and he is a beautiful kick of the footy. Smokey for Round 1 based off of what I saw. Almost kicked 3 goals in a row in the 3rd quarter. One was on the run under pressure on an angle, the next two shots were from set shots out on the boundary in pretty much the exact same spot, roughly 45m out on the wrong side for a right footer. He nailed the first one and the second one not long after looked like it was going to sail through but hit the post.

I read in the Fox article that Rowell got the points over Ely Smith. Rowell looked super clean and composed but I don't think him and Ely went head to head directly all night, maybe at times, but I thought Ely was great. He competed so well at stoppages, cracking in like a man possessed. One play that really impressed me was at a stoppage just outside 50 on the wing when Big O tapped the ball down to him, he used his core strength to outmuscle his opponent, collect the ball with one hand, spin around and accelerate away from the contest before delivering lace out to a leading Ballenden inside 50 setting up Ballenden's second goal. Ely Smith impressed me a lot actually. More so than CEY. CEY is another who cracked in really hard at stoppages, however, every time he won the footy, he'd blindly just handball it over his head as far as he could and on literally every occasion it went straight to a Suns player. I wouldn't be surprised if a month or two into the season Ely is gunning for CEY's spot although again, it is worth remembering that basing this off a scratch match isn't nearly a decent enough sample size to make that statement...

Hipwood flew for some marks, Cameron kicked a delightful, vintage, opening goal and Rich attacked some contests with aggression, however, for the most part Hippy, Cameron, Rich, Birchall, Lyons and Berry were in cruise control in the first half and just looking to get some match fitness in. Expanding more on Rich and Birchall, however, I have to say that with those two, Witherden, Ah Chee, Starcevich and Answerth, no one really stood out to me and demanded a HB spot for Round 1 with the exception of Rich who did some classy things and is a best 22 lock. Witherden had a sloppy night if I'm honest and gave away a free kick for abusing the ump. Birchall found some of the footy early on and used it beautifully, he has so much confidence in his kicking skills, he wasn't afraid to pin point teammates who had Suns players nearby in the defensive 50. I have to say, however, he didn't appear to move overly well when he was running towards a ground ball under pressure on multiple occasions. Perhaps he is still regaining confidence in his body? After his first few possessions and seeing how cleanly he delivered the footy to teammates by foot I was ready to lock him in for Round 1 but then when I saw him struggling to bend down and pick up ground balls under pressure I wasn't so sure anymore. Hopefully it is just a case of lacking match fitness/confidence in his mobility and after another couple pre season games he is moving better because he could be a real weapon for us with his kicking skills outside of the defensive 50. It is worth noting that at half time Hipwood, Cameron, Rich, Birchall, Lyons and Berry ran 5 laps of the oval and Rich and Birchall lagged behind from the start, especially Birchall who was further behind Rich. The other four ran together the whole way.

Answerth only played the second half but didn't get much of a chance to have an impact. Starcevich and Ah Chee did some nice things. Ah Chee won a lot of the footy and Starcevich competed well at every contest, he also kicked a beautiful drop punt goal from 55m out, however, both Ah Chee and Starcevich made some critical errors. Starcevich dropped a couple of marks he should have taken and I felt like Ah Chee, whilst in fairness was under extreme pressure each time, continuously just booted the ball towards the wing without looking for an option and pin pointing it, he just threw it on the boot. These kind of errors will hopefully be dusted off in the next couple of pre season fixtures though and aren't exactly uncommon to see particularly in scratch matches... TLDR I need to see more from all of our half back flankers against Port and Carlton during the JLT series before making my mind up on who I'd like to see in the best 22 along with Rich. At this stage I think it is an open race and the opportunity for Starcevich in particular is definitely there to earn a spot.

Across the game I thought McCarthy and Adams were a class above. I haven't exactly had McCarthy as a lock in my best 22 this pre season, I've had him in my team but I've been under the impression that a younger player could push him out if they perform better, however, based on last night he reminded me of just how strong a player he can be all over the ground winning lots of contests. He's a lock for Round 1. I kept a close eye on Payne to start the match and he took some nice marks but Adams really controlled the backline intercepting a lot of the Suns attacking forays. At this stage I think it is still Adams spot to lose and Payne will need to start the year in the NEAFL although that could quickly change if Payne outperforms Adams against Port/Carlton.

Zac Bailey didn't maintain it but for the first quarter he was everywhere, finding heaps of the footy and looking like the best player on the ground. Not sure if he tired or just took his foot off the pedal slightly but he wasn't as proactive after the first quarter. He looked like he'd improved a fair bit though in that first quarter, he looked really good! Speaking of looking really good, Rayner for me was the standout. Out of all the players on the ground he had the most "presence". Finished the night with 0 goals but could have easily had 4-5. The first shot he was streaming towards goal 40m out directly in front and shanked it. The second one was a set shot that hit the post from 20m out on a slight angle after taking a massive pack mark. The other opportunities that went begging came in the second half and weren't really his fault in fact it was Matho's fault on both occasions. He worked hard to out smart his opponent and get himself free running towards an open goal, Matho had the footy and could have handballed it over the top to him but didn't see him, doubling back and getting tackled. The other occasion Rayner earned a free kick inside 50 but Matho kicked for goal which ended up out on the full and the umpire played advantage, Rayner was filthy. Rayner's best work from what I saw came from running hard through the midfield and linking up with teammates to get the ball moving towards our goal at a fast pace with run and long kicking, he broke a lot of tackles and also hit some contests at speed leaving some Suns players very sore. Rayner looks primed for a big year.

One player that really impressed me was Hinge. Coming on in the second half he attacked a lot of contests with vigour, winning the footy. The most impressive thing was how clean he was below his knees, picking up ground balls under pressure when most players were fumbling. Fagan was yelling out a lot of encouragement and looked very pleased with his efforts. Fullarton also impressed me with how agile he was in his movement and that left foot snap goal he kicked was superb.

Cox, Madden and Allison really struggled when they came on. Allison and Madden had a few touches but didn't do much with them whilst Cox didn't find the footy at all. Will be interesting to see if Cox gets a run in the JLT. Needs to do more if he is to be considered for an early senior match. Mathieson and C.Lyons worked hard and won some footy but for the most part I don't think they'll be anything but depth this year unfortunately, especially with E.Smith and CEY in the selection frame.

You can never fault Eagles for giving anything less than 110%, even in a scratch match. He laid a few massive hits/tackles as soon as he came on and took some nice intercept marks. Love having him on the list. Tom Berry is a workhorse. He runs really hard and competes at each contest but he didn't stand out in a major way for me. Still needs another year in the NEAFL to develop I think. I like him though, I think he'll be a player for the future. The big O didn't have much of an impact on the match at all, I wonder if the coaching staff will consider using Ballenden as the back up ruck, especially considering he can have more of an impact up forward. It will be very interesting to see how we structure up this year and which combination of talls we go with at both ends with Ballenden and Payne looking ready to step up. McStay didn't show much last night, dropping a lot of marks. He'll be on notice too with Ballenden and Fullarton showing impressive signs.


Anyway apologies for the long post, just wanted to give those who couldn't attend some insight.

Best players for me were Adams, McCarthy, Rayner, Bailey, Lyons, Rich and Cameron.

Young players that showed the most were Ballenden, E.Smith and Hinge.

A quick note on the Suns, Ainsworth, Brodie and Bowes look ready to produce consistent footy this year, Rankine kicked a magical goal and Rowell and Anderson linked up in a not too dissimilar way to how Clug and Berry do. They were impressive actually and should both play Round 1. Rowell in particular is so clean and composed and uses the ball so well off both feet. The Suns will be so much better to watch this year simply with the additions of Rankine, Rowell and Anderson.

Thanks mate, great write up, just have a couple of questions if you have the time.

Good to hear Ballenden went well, one of the knocks on him is his lack of physicality/aggression, how was that on the night, any improvement?

I'm a fan of Mitch Hinge, from what I have seen in the past his disposal by foot is very good, was it at that level?