VFL Game Day Round 1: 66 point thrashing from Brisbane

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Despite the poor KAYO streaming quality, flashbacks of 1992 of a Hird running around in the 49.

Great kick before to a leading Phillips.

I know its not saying much, but he already looks a better option than Cahill.
 

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BRIS 15 13 103
ESS 5 8 38

Players very tired half way through the 4th, everyone was cramping. Essendon comprehensively flogged, game practically over at half time. Delivery into the F50 and team defence isn’t too good. Almost like they haven’t practiced it in the off-season… The second half was much improved but the margin was way too big to pull back.

Some player reviews IMHO. Perhaps people who didn’t see the game might find them useful.

5. Flippa: (14 disp, 2 goals, 21 HO) Probably best on and competed hard all game. Kicked a couple of nice goals and was doing well both forward and back. He has the size to compete with the larger bodies of the lions. Provided a bit of physicality and a bit of leader.
4. Cutler: had a lot of disposals (26 disp), despite a very quiet 2nd Quarter. He is still not good in close, but when the game opens up he can find it well. Had a dislocated finger, that was put back in and he continued to play out the game.
3. Smithson; (22 disp) VFL player. Wearing a massive pair of shorts. Pushing forward in the 3rd and got a lot of the ball.
2. Bryan; (21 disp, 24 HO) tap work specialist, very clever. Nice bit of centre clearance work in the 3rd saw him burst out running from the pack. He is building nicely and finished with a lot of hitouts. Moved forward in the 4th. Follow up work and ground level is good! Will find himself in the senior side at some stage this year you’d think.
1. Zerk-Thatcher; (22 disp) some solid marks (and fists) in defence. Much improved kicking. Was really up against it vs the Lions who dominated the game. Also left outnumbered many times as other EFC defenders were not working to get back (or were caught out from midfield turnovers). There were many missed kicks by Cahil and other VFL players.

Johnson; (13 disp) spent some time at centre bounces, and also working as a pressure forward. No significant impact on the game.
Cahill; (13 disp) looks to have gone back a bit. Some poor disposals based on picking the poor option led to some turnovers. The Lions with their bigger bodies could also push Cahill off the ball. Looked better in some space.
Ambrose; (9 disp) got a knee to the lower back in a marking contest in the 3rd. Was limping a bit at the end of the game. Is building up his game time and doesn’t look ready yet.
Hird: (10 disp) Bit of a quiet game in the first half. Moves nicely, but needs to get more involved as he did in the 2nd half.
Eyre: (7 disp) Is still building. Very quiet game, but it didn’t get to him a lot with Brisbane’s dominance.
 
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No real surprise given how young we where. More than half the side under 21 and having played zero footy last year.
 
No real surprise given how young we where. More than half the side under 21 and having played zero footy last year.
I was happy they at least fought it out in the 2nd half.
 

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BrunoV

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No real surprise given how young we where. More than half the side under 21 and having played zero footy last year.


Just looking at the numbers Brisbane fielded an AFL side against our pretty awful VFL list that has about 6 players who look the part.

Really shows how much of an advantage the academies are. Ballenden 200cm with the athleticism of Easton Wood in defence, the Colemans buzzing around not to mention a few others. The Lion's list is outstanding.
 
Unfortunately with Kayo getting the rights to stream looks like it'll be inaccessible for folks overseas. Streaming rights deals still stuck in the dark ages.
Live and replays are available on WatchAFL if you've got that (VFL replays are in the "Shows" section for some reason).
 
I mean, we could be more competitive but it’s to the detriment of what we’re trying to do. McKernan in the VFL is basically the equivalent of prime Corey McKernan and can tear games apart but he’s useless at AFL level and a waste of a list spot.

On paper the VFL contingent looks seriously poor this year.
 

BrunoV

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I mean, we could be more competitive but it’s to the detriment of what we’re trying to do. McKernan in the VFL is basically the equivalent of prime Corey McKernan and can tear games apart but he’s useless at AFL level and a waste of a list spot.

On paper the VFL contingent looks seriously poor this year.


We can take this view but then there is the reality of Cahill and Johnson on the list. Maybe half a player between those 2.
 
We can take this view but then there is the reality of Cahill and Johnson on the list. Maybe half a player between those 2.

I’m not prepared to make that call after 1 VFL game, I will say that them putting Cahill in defence is getting to the point that it’s actively killing any chance he ever had, which I’ve never said about anyone before that I can recall.
 

BrunoV

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I’m not prepared to make that call after 1 VFL game, I will say that them putting Cahill in defence is getting to the point that it’s actively killing any chance he ever had, which I’ve never said about anyone before that I can recall.

It's heinous. They're not players who have the basic ability to do what we want.
 

Cup_o_Jobe

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Just skimmed the replay. Bryan and Eyre both look to have that certain something. Not much else on offer from that performance though. I'm not willing to run the line through Cahill just yet as he's shown some promise in the past, but his disposal on Saturday wouldn't have cut the mustard at bush-league level, never mind VFL or AFL level.
 

briztoon

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Just looking at the numbers Brisbane fielded an AFL side against our pretty awful VFL list that has about 6 players who look the part.

Really shows how much of an advantage the academies are. Ballenden 200cm with the athleticism of Easton Wood in defence, the Colemans buzzing around not to mention a few others. The Lion's list is outstanding.
I’m sorry but this blatantly false in many aspects. I’m not trying to start anything, just want a bit more of a balanced perspective to the game.


We had 15 players who were 20 or under. There were only 3 over 22 being Archie Smith (25), Mathieson and Cockatoo (both 24).

We had 8 players who have played AFL football. Of those we only had 3 players who have played more than 7 games again being Archie Smith, Mathieson and Cockatoo (the others having played 7, 6, 3, 3 and 2).

All our top up players were undrafted academy players from this year or last year. With most being 19 and two being 20.

Quite a few of our next best guys were not playing in Answerth, Payne, CEY, McFadyen and Joyce, even leaving Rayner aside who would certainly be in the firsts.

After Archie Smith was injured in the first quarter we played the rest of the game without a ruck and got smashed in the ruck contest.

Our two best mids being Deven Robertson (20) and Ely Smith (21) did not play after half time.

Uosis (Cat B rookie) was playing his first ever competitive game after only arriving in Australia in January.

Ballenden is not athletic, and is actually a pretty soft player for a kid who stands 200cm tall. His one outstanding attribute is that he’s a very good kick.
 

BrunoV

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I’m sorry but this blatantly false in many aspects. I’m not trying to start anything, just want a bit more of a balanced perspective to the game.


We had 15 players who were 20 or under. There were only 3 over 22 being Archie Smith (25), Mathieson and Cockatoo (both 24).

We had 8 players who have played AFL football. Of those we only had 3 players who have played more than 7 games again being Archie Smith, Mathieson and Cockatoo (the others having played 7, 6, 3, 3 and 2).

All our top up players were undrafted academy players from this year or last year. With most being 19 and two being 20.

Quite a few of our next best guys were not playing in Answerth, Payne, CEY, McFadyen and Joyce, even leaving Rayner aside who would certainly be in the firsts.

After Archie Smith was injured in the first quarter we played the rest of the game without a ruck and got smashed in the ruck contest.

Our two best mids being Deven Robertson (20) and Ely Smith (21) did not play after half time.

Uosis (Cat B rookie) was playing his first ever competitive game after only arriving in Australia in January.

Ballenden is not athletic, and is actually a pretty soft player for a kid who stands 200cm tall. His one outstanding attribute is that he’s a very good kick.


Here I am thinking you have 2 injuries and played a side full of AFL players.

And when you lead with blatantly false dont turn "Ballenden is athletic", or at least does a very good impression of someone who is, into "he's soft".

I can always tell when I'm getting a useful insight...
 

briztoon

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Here I am thinking you have 2 injuries and played a side full of AFL players.

And when you lead with blatantly false dont turn "Ballenden is athletic", or at least does a very good impression of someone who is, into "he's soft".

I can always tell when I'm getting a useful insight...
Our team on the weekend consisted of 4 kids who were drafted at the end of last year, and another 6 U19 academy kids who went undrafted, and Bruce Reville, another academy kid who turns 20 this year.

So 11 genuine kids, and only the youngest, Harry Sharp, who turned 18 in late December and is in year 12 this year, has played AFL, being the first 2 games this season.

I go and watch Lions training every Wednesday afternoon.

If you want, jump over to our board and do a search on Ballenden. Every second post will be from me with a training report on how soft he is.

He was drafted as a ruck forward, but has absolutely no presence in the ruck. He gets pushed off the mark by our sub 185cm mids and forwards way to easily, let alone our bigger bodies.

He was delisted while under contract and redrafted in the rookie draft at the end of last year, just so we could open up an extra National draft selection, where we drafted, a ruck forward with our last pick.

He has been moved in to defence with all our tall defenders either playing AFL or being injured. Our only other tall defender is a 19 year old academy kid, Jake Briskey.

He’s not a jumper at all, rarely getting more than half a foot off the ground, but at 199cm, he usually doesn’t have to out leap NEAFL quality KPF’s.

Nor is he agile, but he’s ok in a straight line.

What he does do very well is read the flight of the ball, and is a very, very good kick for a 199cm tall.
 
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I’m sorry but this blatantly false in many aspects. I’m not trying to start anything, just want a bit more of a balanced perspective to the game.


We had 15 players who were 20 or under. There were only 3 over 22 being Archie Smith (25), Mathieson and Cockatoo (both 24).

We had 8 players who have played AFL football. Of those we only had 3 players who have played more than 7 games again being Archie Smith, Mathieson and Cockatoo (the others having played 7, 6, 3, 3 and 2).

All our top up players were undrafted academy players from this year or last year. With most being 19 and two being 20.

Quite a few of our next best guys were not playing in Answerth, Payne, CEY, McFadyen and Joyce, even leaving Rayner aside who would certainly be in the firsts.

After Archie Smith was injured in the first quarter we played the rest of the game without a ruck and got smashed in the ruck contest.

Our two best mids being Deven Robertson (20) and Ely Smith (21) did not play after half time.

Uosis (Cat B rookie) was playing his first ever competitive game after only arriving in Australia in January.

Ballenden is not athletic, and is actually a pretty soft player for a kid who stands 200cm tall. His one outstanding attribute is that he’s a very good kick.

Your list is still miles ahead of ours. We had 1 player taken inside the top 50 of a draft in Bryan. You had Smith x 3, Coleman x 2, Mathieson, Cockatoo, Robertson, Sharp, Ballenden.
 

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