AFLW Practice Match vs Geelong Saturday 18 December, 2pm AEDT, Swinburne Centre

[Stan Judkins]

The Cats would have been hurting massively after last season almost going winless and they showed up yesterday after we embarrassed them last time as you would expect they would do. They had a strong team and always going to give that extra effort. Geelong’s pressure was manic and not too many times we handled that well, e.g Jaques kick being smothered by player on the mark when she just had to fake to kick and step her. D’arcy showed a step to get past them a couple of times but more too often than not our players panicked. The cats were cleaner than us hitting up players on the move which helped consistently propel them forward. Our handball was putrid. The blustery conditions can forgive some of the kicking from both sides but not the handballs. We need to prioritise this at training. This and our kick out options from defence. Who is our AFLW defensive coach?

We can’t start that poorly again and end up chasing score into a breeze, the fact we levelled scores after half time was promising but the game was on their terms and we couldn’t take advantage after this and mid way through the 3rd quarter I thought we would struggle to win as their midfield was well on top and it always looked like they had an extra player or two running around in defence, and they had the wind in the last.

We do have a decent team when we have no injuries or omissions. Having Ellie in, and Tessa would have given us more class and grunt. Sarah and Harriet also, it's a shame that Jess got injured. Players like Burchell, Jaques, Dargan and Bernadi look like spending a good amount of time in Port Melbourne’s colours this year.

Based on what Megan Kiely and Poppy Kelly showed yesterday along with a couple of the younger players cameos in Mllsy and Stella, and the fact we are still yet to see Maddie Shevlin, I think our recruiting / list management gets a tick, these players should play a fair bit in the team this year. I though Houtsma was OK also but will need more time which will be fine as the youngest on our list.

After Brancatisano got us going forward out of the middle with some good work to finally get us some clearance, she faded out of the game. Her best position for us would be in the guts but she needs to show more than the odd glimpse. It’s evident the physical attention that Mon is now getting at stoppages and she needs help. We have found a beauty with Kiely, but we need more from our mids.

Best for me: Courtney, Megan, Mon, Poppy, Gabby, Sarah D,

Worst: Our forward entries. Please kick the ball to the leading lane, i.e fat side and not snap kick away from them, or even worse blind bomb it forward, and Umpires that don’t pay push in the back free kicks, what a joke, Cats blatantly got away with it all day.

What I leant: Milsy is a fan favourite, the amount of cheers she got every time she hit a tackle! Brennan will have to get Meg McDonald surgically removed from her after she was all over her at every marking contest, sometimes legally, often not, not that you’d know.

another insightful post toenail63, right on the money in all your points
yeah i'm liking Yassir, she's a ripper, Kiely is tough as nails, love the aggression from both
Reid is a smooth mover, like her to play wing, Lavey on the other wing, where their pace and ball use can exploit, most of the kicks to Reid in fwd line, gave her no chance
got to start Kelly in the ruck, persist with Seymour up fwd (pinch hit in the ruck around the ground)
backline will be better when Cordner & Shevlin come back in

 

[Stan Judkins]

Good to hear our top fan is still on the bandwagon then Stanley - you sounded very dejected with your no finals / 3-5 win prognostication We all need you up and about at this time of year mate!

Big ask I know, but if Stella can stay healthy, don't be surprised if she fast becomes a non-negotiable too. This leap in standard for her has done her no harm I'd suggest - what a thoughtful footballer she is. Her read of play in contests was amazing for one so young. Her development will be one of the fascinations this season I suspect.

never, ever dejected Phar Ace, not when there is so much to be positive about,
BTW your one of the biggest fans along with toenail63, Bojangles17 & TigermanM2
probably frustrated is more the word
same players that should be doing better 3 years in, but still giving me an ulcers every time i watch them play

 

[Bojangles17]

Haven’t watched any but the positive I’m reading is that our newbs showed plenty . Pleasant surprise to me that Stella and millsy were impacting as I presumed they’d be undersized this early on. If we can have a bit of luck on health of the list I’m positive we’ll do well. Cordner was AA wasnt she , a very good player , Ellie mc , hosko . That’s 3 of our best 5. And I expect Tess Lavey to be a mainstay , has the skill set to be a damaging player with that sidestep and thumping kick and knows how to get it too . Let’s relax and fingers crossed a healthy list avail

 

[Bojangles17]

never, ever dejected Phar Ace, not when there is so much to be positive about,
BTW your one of the biggest fans along with toenail63, Bojangles17 & TigermanM2
probably frustrated is more the word
same players that should be doing better 3 years in, but still giving me an ulcers every time i watch them play

What you think hearing sabs kicked 3G for the pies ,interesting how she goes this year

 

[Phar Ace]

another insightful post toenail63, right on the money in all your points
yeah i'm liking Yassir, she's a ripper, Kiely is tough as nails, love the aggression from both
Reid is a smooth mover, like her to play wing, Lavey on the other wing, where their pace and ball use can exploit, most of the kicks to Reid in fwd line, gave her no chance
got to start Kelly in the ruck, persist with Seymour up fwd (pinch hit in the ruck around the ground)
backline will be better when Cordner & Shevlin come back in

How was that chase down and bruising tackle by Yass on the hff I think in the 1st qtr, was possibly lucky not be called for a dangerous tackle in this day and age - she really cracks in! Yassir getting through to our 2nd pick was gold!

 

[Stan Judkins]

What you think hearing sabs kicked 3G for the pies ,interesting how she goes this year

really?, good for her
Collingwood player now, no care factor really, but good luck to her

 

[TigermanM2]

SarahS started like a bullet train, had great intensity, backed her judgement and was great in her early one on one/two contests. But all that tapered and either she struggled with niggles or just lost confidence (not sure which). Perhaps you have a bit more insight TM2? I though she was going to hold down that last line of defence roll - but it wasn't to be. I hope she finds that form and attitude again!

Sarah is just a victim of spots drying up and being solid without doing anything special. I can't remember any injury news. Played every game in 2020 but gosh we were poor defensively. Enter Cordner and D'Arcy in 2021 and suddenly 3 out of the 5 spots in our backline were lock outs (Cordner, D'Arcy and Miller) That leaves two and one was taken by a small defender (Ross) and the other was combination of players including Monahan.

Shevlin has been touted as the running half back so there's another spot gone. Unfortunately Sarah doesn't get the ball often enough to be a rebounding option anyway. She had a 20 disposal game in her second game but she has averaged just over 4 disposals in her other 8 games. Just not enough and we can't go back to looking like wearing concrete boots like we did in 2020.

Last spot in the backline is Ross and to be honest she had a pretty good season last year as our small defender. Even if Ross misses R1 as she is down with a medium term injury I am not sure the club sees Sansonetti as the small defender's replacement. I think this is why Jess Hosking has been training with our backs. We need some zip as small zippy forwards have been a problem for us.

Even McClelland I feel is a preferred option as she is seen as more versatile being able to play forward and back and even pinch hit in the ruck on occasions.

We'll have to sit back and see what transpires.

 

[TigermanM2]

Won’t completely lose hope for this season, but it’s a setback as I imagined our improvement curve would be on a sharp ascent still. Cats were woeful last year. Anyways early days but it signals much work to do and our senior players are needed desperately. Ps ,,don’t like sound of med term for Ellie mck, be lucky to start the season

Setback ? I dunno about that. As long as we took some positives away from the game which we did I think its ok. Even finding out some things didn't work is a positive in a practice game.

Make no mistake this isn't the Geelong of last season. Prespakis and Morrison improve their side considerably whilst missing SHosking, Cordner and McKenzie weaken ours considerably. You have taken 3 of our top players of 2021 out of our side and we aren't a side with an abundance of depth especially in the middle.

I don't think Ellie will be right for R1 and there is absolutely no point risking her and having her out for longer IMO.

 

[TigermanM2]

AFLW quality, best 22 for sure, impacted the game more than i expected, great at centre bounce & solid around the ground, moved well, didn't lumber around like Sab did, upgrade on Sabs easily
will help Conti, Kiely & McKenzie at centre bounces & around the ground
won the ruck & broke even around the ground, great get for RFC
allowed us to try Seymour at FF, didn't work as we couldn't get it down there enough, but worth persisting

Have mentioned before that I think Seymour could be our forward answer post Wakefield. Very excited about what she could become.

 

[TigermanM2]

I still get amazed at the overt praise for Mon Conti sometimes. Now don't mistake this. She is a very good player, but the consequence of her work can be awful at times. When you compare it to say Geelong's McDonald, it's a different set of outcomes. Love Mon "at and around" the ball, just not thrilled "with it". Had a hard tag, but that needs to be coached better - it can benefit the team still.
.

I totally get where you are coming from here.

I love Mon but there are times where A) She hangs on to it a bit too long which can totally put players presenting further up the field out of whack and B) sometimes when she does get that kick away after dodging a string of players the disposal is not great.

I put this down to her having to put our entire midfield on her shoulders during our first couple of years and the basketball influence.

I guess we also have to remind ourselves that she has just turned 22 and still probably 3-4 years away from her her prime years. Remarkable what she has achieved in her footy career, especially with us when our team has been so poor and the fact that she has split her time between AFLW and pro basketball.
Hopefully as we continue to improve we can find ways to help her out on the ground and be an even better player. If that can happen an even greater string of competition accolades would be waiting for her.

I think this is also what we are turning to Sophie Molan for. Sophie can be that strong bodied defensive mid who can block and sit players on their backsides and clear paths.

 

[Stan Judkins]

Setback ? I dunno about that. As long as we took some positives away from the game which we did I think its ok. Even finding out some things didn't work is a positive in a practice game.

Make no mistake this isn't the Geelong of last season. Prespakis and Morrison improve their side considerably whilst missing SHosking, Cordner and McKenzie weaken ours considerably. You have taken 3 of our top players of 2021 out of our side and we aren't a side with an abundance of depth especially in the middle.

I don't think Ellie will be right for R1 and there is absolutely no point risking her and having her out for longer IMO.

thanks TigermanM2 always the wise sage
1: a profound philosopher, distinguished for wisdom. 2: a mature or venerable person of sound judgment

these were the missing players from both teams
Richmond:
Sarah Hosking (quad)
Harriet Cordner (elbow)
Ellie McKenzie (lower leg - medium-term)
Maddie Shevlin (toe - short term)
Akec Makur Chuot (knee - short term)
Iilish Ross (lower leg - medium term)
Hannah McLaren (illness)
Tessa Lavey (basketball)

Geelong:
Barber (knee)

we had 5-6 best players out, Cats were full strength
i concur with the Ellie McKenzie point

 

[Stan Judkins]

I totally get where you are coming from here.

I love Mon but there are times where A) She hangs on to it a bit too long which can totally put players presenting further up the field out of whack and B) sometimes when she does get that kick away after dodging a string of players the disposal is not great.

I put this down to her having to put our entire midfield on her shoulders during our first couple of years and the basketball influence.

I guess we also have to remind ourselves that she has just turned 22 and still probably 3-4 years away from her her prime years. Remarkable what she has achieved in her footy career, especially with us when our team has been so poor and the fact that she has split her time between AFLW and pro basketball.
Hopefully as we continue to improve we can find ways to help her out on the ground and be an even better player. If that can happen an even greater string of competition accolades would be waiting for her.

I think this is also what we are turning to Sophie Molan for. Sophie can be that strong bodied defensive mid who can block and sit players on their backsides and clear paths.

your points are quite sound
Conti very rarely, for us, looks to give the ball to someone else to make the play, she tries to do it herself
that could be because our players sag away from her, to allow her to make all the play
i did notice that Kiely & especially Molan, ran past her to at least give her an option to dish off & allow those 2 to create
i think it will come down to an increased confidence on team mates to make the play, given she has a big Basketball background

 

[Bojangles17]

Sarah is just a victim of spots drying up and being solid without doing anything special. I can't remember any injury news. Played every game in 2020 but gosh we were poor defensively. Enter Cordner and D'Arcy in 2021 and suddenly 3 out of the 5 spots in our backline were lock outs (Cordner, D'Arcy and Miller) That leaves two and one was taken by a small defender (Ross) and the other was combination of players including Monahan.

Shevlin has been touted as the running half back so there's another spot gone. Unfortunately Sarah doesn't get the ball often enough to be a rebounding option anyway. She had a 20 disposal game in her second game but she has averaged just over 4 disposals in her other 8 games. Just not enough and we can't go back to looking like wearing concrete boots like we did in 2020.

Last spot in the backline is Ross and to be honest she had a pretty good season last year as our small defender. Even if Ross misses R1 as she is down with a medium term injury I am not sure the club sees Sansonetti as the small defender's replacement. I think this is why Jess Hosking has been training with our backs. We need some zip as small zippy forwards have been a problem for us.

Even McClelland I feel is a preferred option as she is seen as more versatile being able to play forward and back and even pinch hit in the ruck on occasions.

We'll have to sit back and see what transpires.

ross i see a bit like burchell does a couple of nice things that make you think she has a bit to work with but just doesn't get involved enough ,,,not unique to aflw,, i generally put it down to not being natural footballer or great readers of the play

 

[Bojangles17]

your points are quite sound
Conti very rarely, for us, looks to give the ball to someone else to make the play, she tries to do it herself
that could be because our players sag away from her, to allow her to make all the play
i did notice that Kiely & especially Molan, ran past her to at least give her an option to dish off & allow those 2 to create
i think it will come down to an increased confidence on team mates to make the play, given she has a big Basketball background

yea , Mon does run in circles alot , in afl that would be frowned upon ,,,i reckon she lacks alot of trust in teammates , hopefully that can improve

 

[Bojangles17]

Setback ? I dunno about that. As long as we took some positives away from the game which we did I think its ok. Even finding out some things didn't work is a positive in a practice game.

Make no mistake this isn't the Geelong of last season. Prespakis and Morrison improve their side considerably whilst missing SHosking, Cordner and McKenzie weaken ours considerably. You have taken 3 of our top players of 2021 out of our side and we aren't a side with an abundance of depth especially in the middle.

I don't think Ellie will be right for R1 and there is absolutely no point risking her and having her out for longer IMO.

yea prob right , setback in the sense of maybe some bullish expectations some of us may have had that a few wouyld grow a leg over pre season ,,,we have a tail in this side , i oft relate it to lower level amos footy ,,,where a few good players make all the diff. we legit only had 2 of our best players out there yesterday ,,,

 

[Stan Judkins]

yea , Mon does run in circles alot , in afl that would be frowned upon ,,,i reckon she lacks alot of trust in teammates , hopefully that can improve

spot on Bojangles17
that's THE only knock on her
tries too much on her own, but don't blame her one bit, considering the circumstances she's been under playing for us
young and/or inexperienced mids didn't give her much options
when S Hosking came in last year, i do remember Mon leaning on her a few times each game, especially when Conti was hard tagged
hopefully Mon won't have to do the "run in circles a lot" anymore, and just hand off to McKenzie, S Hosking, etc when she's under pressure

 

[Stan Judkins]

yea prob right , setback in the sense of maybe some bullish expectations some of us may have had that a few would grow a leg over pre season ,,,we have a tail in this side , i oft relate it to lower level amos footy ,,,where a few good players make all the diff. we legit only had 2 of our best players out there yesterday ,,,

yeah it's always good to read TigermanM2 posts, as he always picks out the forest from the trees, the silver lining
Cats board are creaming themselves over this win

 

[TigermanM2]

yea , Mon does run in circles alot , in afl that would be frowned upon ,,,i reckon she lacks alot of trust in teammates , hopefully that can improve

Doesn't help when we hand it out to a clear player and that bloody fumble gives our oppo just those few extra seconds to come in and tackle and shut the play down.

Still 2021 was better than 2020 and hopefully 2022 will be better than 2021.

 

[TigermanM2]

yeah it's always good to read TigermanM2 posts, as he always picks out the forest from the trees, the silver lining
Cats board are creaming themselves over this win

I don't mind the cats taking some joy from the weekend at all. Good on them. It was a s**t season for them without a win. We know exactly how that felt. It's disheartening. We'll get them when the real stuff in R8.

As much as I am passionate about our Tigers (prob to a fault) I am also passionate about having healthy competition in the AFLW where every fan can go/watch a game and think that their team is a chance. That's not the case at present.

 

[Bojangles17]

spot on Bojangles17
that's THE only knock on her
tries too much on her own, but don't blame her one bit, considering the circumstances she's been under playing for us
young and/or inexperienced mids didn't give her much options
when S Hosking came in last year, i do remember Mon leaning on her a few times each game, especially when Conti was hard tagged
hopefully Mon won't have to do the "run in circles a lot" anymore, and just hand off to McKenzie, S Hosking, etc when she's under pressure

Hosko def improvef the function of our midfield , Ellie impacted and we saw improvement in a few others , yesterday was more like year 1 . I watched first 10min, we could barely get our hands on it , really nice lead up mark and kick by Stella that impressed me . We lacked pressure of any kind in the middle how many times did they spot up a lead i50 like shelling peas
And I only watched 10min

 

[TigermanM2]

Hosko def improvef the function of our midfield , Ellie impacted and we saw improvement in a few others , yesterday was more like year 1 . I watched first 10min, we could barely get our hands on it , really nice lead up mark and kick by Stella that impressed me . We lacked pressure of any kind in the middle how many times did they spot up a lead i50 like shelling peas
And I only watched 10min

Yep. We need our good players out there.

The wingers are also pretty critical in AFLW. If they can't get into the game its like we are almost playing short. That's where Dempsey took her game up a notch last season but we need to take it up another step. As far as I can tell pretty much all teams have improved so even if we match last year we will go backwards.

Prob fortunate to encounter Saints first game who are around our level but are no easy beats. If they can't get back Georgia Patrikios well, you cannot replace her. She is a jet. That more than offsets if Ellie misses. Tipping Ellie will soar to greater heights but right now Georgia is a bigger loss.

 

[Profop]

Can’t blame Conti for stopping and propping so much when there isn’t anything good to give it to on the outside

We’re still lacking a speedy, classy winger, not sure Molan (or any of our current midfielders fit that bill)

 

[Juke]

Great discussion in here. I'm yet to see the replay as yet but it doesn't seem like there's been a great leap forward.

Seems to me that there is still a huge lack of trust in the group and in a possession based game plan that the top teams play. That's why we have overcrowding around the footy and poor disposal going forward.

 

[TigermanM2]

Can’t blame Conti for stopping and propping so much when there isn’t anything good to give it to on the outside

We’re still lacking a speedy, classy winger, not sure Molan (or any of our current midfielders fit that bill)

Molan is def not on the radar as a winger me thinks. Despite touted as a half back, would not surprise if Shevlin moved there. Looks a natural in that position to be honest. Tall but can cover the ground well. Kamdyn McIntosh type role. Hope she is fit for R1.

 

[TigermanM2]

Must admit haven't managed to watch that 4th qtr yet. Haven't seen anyone comment on this so I wonder it's one of those incidents that you don't really bat a eyelid at live but AFL are jumping on with all the focus on concussions.



Darcy Moloney, Geelong Cats, has been charged with Engaging in Rough Conduct against Maddy Brancatisano, Richmond, during the fourth quarter of the Pre-Season Practice Match between Richmond and the Geelong Cats, played at the Swinburne Centre on Saturday, December 18, 2021.

In summary, she can accept a reprimand with an early plea.

Based on the available evidence, the incident was assessed as Careless Conduct, Low Impact, High Contact. The incident was classified as a $400 sanction as a first offence. The player can accept a reprimand with an early plea.