2nds 2021 VFL and East Coast Second-Tier Competition

[jackess]

Michael might want to slow down if he wants to be compared to Rich

 

[Nunez]

It's late in the fourth and Carter Michael has the tank to run that hard. Lovely.

 

[jackess]

Jeffrey is a great raw talent. Kid could be anything.

Unfortunately he plays for the suns so the odds are against him

 

[Shaka7]

121_61 Lions...siren sounds

 

[jackess]

Some amazing games from the topups; Reville, Tasker, Triffett, Bowes and Abberley

 

[mattsmob]

Michael might want to slow down if he wants to be compared to Rich

Love how hard he attacks the ball as well

 

[Lazza16]

Jeffrey is a great raw talent. Kid could be anything.

Brennanish

 

[bungalow_bill]

Bowes any relation to Jack?

 

[AFLQLD]

Love how hard he attacks the ball as well

Good footy smarts. He has a lot of development to go yet but he has some of the right attributes.

 

[SL16]

Bowes any relation to Jack?

I believe younger brother, but might need someone else to confirm

 

[Jivlain]

Hmmmmm, kids could use some vocal training, maybe need a practice with a piano to get them in something resembling tune

 

[Pns_blister]

Carter Michael is a seriously impressive kid. Wow. Reminds me a lot of Jordan Dawson.

 

[Section 5]

As most have mentioned a very good effort from Joyce in his first game back for a while
I did not notice till late in the game that he had a full stocking on his right leg due to the burn injury
My eyes not as young as they used to be

 

[mattsmob]

Good footy smarts. He has a lot of development to go yet but he has some of the right attributes.

Agreed, would be interested to see what a Rich, Birchall, Michael combination looks like in the afl team

 

[briztoon]

I believe younger brother, but might need someone else to confirm

That would be a coup. Jack Bowes family is from Cairns, and I think his dad runs the Suns academy up there, don’t know how his younger brother would be in our academy.

Edit: A little research shows he’s played for Noosa since U12’s, so it’s unlikely he’s Jack Bowes brother.

 

[WheildonTheAxe]

Far out, Dal and Montagna have commentated on our seconds with more enthusiasm and positivity than the Fox footy 'firsts'. It's a shame we get stuck with the likes of Eddie, Dwayne and Dermie week in, week out.

 

[Section 5]

Full time stats
Disposals: CEY 39, Joyce 34, Michael 32, Triffett 24, Abberley21, Bowes 21, B Smith 21, Reville 20, Tasker 20,
Goals: Reville & Tasker 5, H Smith & Triffett 3 each, Fullarton McFadyen & Coleman 1 each
Marks: Michael 12, Ballenden & Bowes 9 each, CEY 7, Joyce 6, then another 5 players on 5
Tackles: Triffett 8, CEY 7, Coleman 6, Then 4 players on 3 and a bunch on 2

Score Lions 121 def Suns 61
Scoring shots Lions 26 to Suns 21

 

[Mt Isa Mustang]

Fiorini is way too good for VFL.

I only saw about 30 mins of game action and he didn’t do a huge amount either good or bad but everyone on the Suns board were saying he was terrible first half. Apparently turned over 3-4 unpressired short kicks in the first quarter.

 

[Quigley]

My thoughts might be a bit different to many:

Joyce - he got a tonne of it and positioned himself well around the stoppages. Worked hard and positioned himself well to receive as well. His disposal though I thought was sloppy particularly early and by foot. Hands generally are nice and quick but missed some targets he really needs to hit. He also has a short stride and lacked some pace when chasing. Very good first game back but I am not seeing a midfield spot for him just yet.

CEY - is a man amongst boys at this level. Big bodied guy who knows how to use it and he also got an absolute heap of the ball. Skills were a bit hit and miss but overall solid enough. Overall I thought he was my BOG. He won some big ball and cleared the way for others. He is really only an inside mid though and with our current group we are too slow with all of them in there. If Lyons goes down though he is a very good like for like replacement.

Ballenden - after a rocky start he was generally pretty good. Clearly his worst game of the year though but that just indicates how good he has been the rest of the year. He struggled a bit, particularly early, with an opponent who was as big as him and quite a bit quicker. As the game went on though I thought he adjusted pretty well and moved back more to his intercept game and getting involved in the go forward. Good game overall but below what we have seen this year.

Madden - for some reason he was moved up onto the wing and half forward this game. He should be next cab off the rank into the back unit so not sure why he was not honing his skills in the back half. Still he did some really nice things and looked very classy out there. His pace also very noticeably made things happen both ways tonight. Had one nice run through the middle of the ground and just missed the goal. He stood out for me as an AFL level footballer out there tonight.

Uosis - was played at the back and struggled a bit with Jeffrey and Sexton when matched up on them. Still he did not look out of place and was solid enough overall. Skills are reasonable and seem natural. He had a few nice moments with the ball.

E Smith - I was impressed with some of his work in the VFL this year but not tonight. He was injured fairly early which makes things a bit tougher to compare but when he was out there tonight he looked several levels below those he is likely to be competing for a spot at AFL level.

B Coleman - with goals getting kicked all around him by the top up small forwards I am sure he would be pretty disappointed with how things went tonight. Sometimes things just do not fall your way and that was certainly the case for Blake today. He was around it a bit but the ball didn't bounce his way and when they did he fumbled a bit. He also dropped a couple of marks I would usually expect him to take.

Berry - had a few moments where he looked like a senior player playing down in the reserves but there were probably not enough of them to warrant a call up. Didn't mind throwing his body around and was pretty clean mostly.

H Smith - easily his most impressive game of the year to date. He threw himself around a bit tonight and was dangerous up forward. I would like to see him leading hard at the ball more but he made enough contests tonight and kept the ball in play. I will be surprised if he is 206cm as advertised tonight on the telecast but he is a big boy already and should be a powerful unit by the time he is finished growing. It was also the best rucking from him that I have seen this year. He did not get a heap of rucking but he competed well when he did including against Zac Smith who is an AFL level ruckman. Hands were good as was his finishing.

Fullarton - rucked okay and had a couple of chances fall into his lap up forward but overall I thought he had a reasonably quiet game. He impacted a few contests and picked up a few nice balls below his knees but there wasn't a whole lot that screamed pick me. It was a pretty standard Fullarton sort of game.

B Smith - was the captain for the night and got the tough match up of Sexton and despite Sexton getting a few goals I thought he did a pretty good job. His disposal skills were decent enough tonight and he usually put the ball to good spots. Threw himself into a few contests which would have earned him some brownie points.

McFayden - tended to play a bit in bursts tonight and had some good passages of play. I like his size and his football IQ. Played mostly forward but some time on ball. Did okay on ball and looked dangerous when he got it. As someone mentioned he looks a lot like Birchall when he is out on the field being a fairly tall guy with a short stride when he is getting up and going. He showed some nice signs particularly for his second game back.

Cockatoo - still looks a pretty long way away from AFL level to me. He was okay when the ball came to him but overall he was not near it enough. Looked short of fitness and lacking the burst of pace which was his trademark when younger. Was well outplayed by the top up players around him.

Michael - had a very good game. With Ballenden getting a bit less of the ball Michael stepped up and positioned himself well to receive more of it. He ran some really nice lines tonight and worked hard to present as an option. His disposal skills were solid without being fantastic but they were certainly reasonable enough. Defensively I didn't really notice him much which is usually a good sign. Overall a very solid game from him.

Tasker - kicked 5 goals and continues to impress me. Although he had a few periods on ball he was forward most of tonight and was just smart enough to get himself chances to kick goals and good enough to convert when he did. He has been consistently good through the VFL season this year and teams should be starting to take notice of him. He is a guy who can play both midfield and forward and do well in either. He is a footballer.

Reville - also kicked 5 goals but did so with more pizzazz than Tasker. Bruce has been improving over the VFL season to date and was pretty good in the last game. This week though, in a nationally televised game, he really stood up and announced himself. He showed a lot of class both around goal and further up the ground. He was clean and had more time with the ball in hand than others around him. He took very good options and finished around goal exceptionally well including on his non preferred. Skills were great and quite simply he looked like class out there. This is why some nicknamed him Special Bruce (mainly me but I am sure there are others). My understanding is that he is not eligible to be selected as an Academy player this year.

Abberley - got the chance today to play as a half back and looked good in that role. There were a couple of times when he looked to lack a yard of pace against some of the quicker Suns forwards but overall he was very solid. With the ball in hand though is where he did his best works. He used the ball very nicely today but hand and foot and got a fair bit of it.

Triffett - I was not paying much attention to him but the further the game went the more his game demanded attention. He ended up with 3 goals and mid 20s disposals. He just kept throwing himself into the contest and popping up in good spots. He had some very nice passages of play and this was a bit of a break out game for him as well. I have not been that impressed with him before but I was today.

 

[Jivlain]

My thoughts might be a bit different to many:

Joyce - he got a tonne of it and positioned himself well around the stoppages. Worked hard and positioned himself well to receive as well. His disposal though I thought was sloppy particularly early and by foot. Hands generally are nice and quick but missed some targets he really needs to hit. He also has a short stride and lacked some pace when chasing. Very good first game back but I am not seeing a midfield spot for him just yet.

CEY - is a man amongst boys at this level. Big bodied guy who knows how to use it and he also got an absolute heap of the ball. Skills were a bit hit and miss but overall solid enough. Overall I thought he was my BOG. He won some big ball and cleared the way for others. He is really only an inside mid though and with our current group we are too slow with all of them in there. If Lyons goes down though he is a very good like for like replacement.

Ballenden - after a rocky start he was generally pretty good. Clearly his worst game of the year though but that just indicates how good he has been the rest of the year. He struggled a bit, particularly early, with an opponent who was as big as him and quite a bit quicker. As the game went on though I thought he adjusted pretty well and moved back more to his intercept game and getting involved in the go forward. Good game overall but below what we have seen this year.

Madden - for some reason he was moved up onto the wing and half forward this game. He should be next cab off the rank into the back unit so not sure why he was not honing his skills in the back half. Still he did some really nice things and looked very classy out there. His pace also very noticeably made things happen both ways tonight. Had one nice run through the middle of the ground and just missed the goal. He stood out for me as an AFL level footballer out there tonight.

Uosis - was played at the back and struggled a bit with Jeffrey and Sexton when matched up on them. Still he did not look out of place and was solid enough overall. Skills are reasonable and seem natural. He had a few nice moments with the ball.

E Smith - I was impressed with some of his work in the VFL this year but not tonight. He was injured fairly early which makes things a bit tougher to compare but when he was out there tonight he looked several levels below those he is likely to be competing for a spot at AFL level.

B Coleman - with goals getting kicked all around him by the top up small forwards I am sure he would be pretty disappointed with how things went tonight. Sometimes things just do not fall your way and that was certainly the case for Blake today. He was around it a bit but the ball didn't bounce his way and when they did he fumbled a bit. He also dropped a couple of marks I would usually expect him to take.

Berry - had a few moments where he looked like a senior player playing down in the reserves but there were probably not enough of them to warrant a call up. Didn't mind throwing his body around and was pretty clean mostly.

H Smith - easily his most impressive game of the year to date. He threw himself around a bit tonight and was dangerous up forward. I would like to see him leading hard at the ball more but he made enough contests tonight and kept the ball in play. I will be surprised if he is 206cm as advertised tonight on the telecast but he is a big boy already and should be a powerful unit by the time he is finished growing. It was also the best rucking from him that I have seen this year. He did not get a heap of rucking but he competed well when he did including against Zac Smith who is an AFL level ruckman. Hands were good as was his finishing.

Fullarton - rucked okay and had a couple of chances fall into his lap up forward but overall I thought he had a reasonably quiet game. He impacted a few contests and picked up a few nice balls below his knees but there wasn't a whole lot that screamed pick me. It was a pretty standard Fullarton sort of game.

B Smith - was the captain for the night and got the tough match up of Sexton and despite Sexton getting a few goals I thought he did a pretty good job. His disposal skills were decent enough tonight and he usually put the ball to good spots. Threw himself into a few contests which would have earned him some brownie points.

McFayden - tended to play a bit in bursts tonight and had some good passages of play. I like his size and his football IQ. Played mostly forward but some time on ball. Did okay on ball and looked dangerous when he got it. As someone mentioned he looks a lot like Birchall when he is out on the field being a fairly tall guy with a short stride when he is getting up and going. He showed some nice signs particularly for his second game back.

Cockatoo - still looks a pretty long way away from AFL level to me. He was okay when the ball came to him but overall he was not near it enough. Looked short of fitness and lacking the burst of pace which was his trademark when younger. Was well outplayed by the top up players around him.

Michael - had a very good game. With Ballenden getting a bit less of the ball Michael stepped up and positioned himself well to receive more of it. He ran some really nice lines tonight and worked hard to present as an option. His disposal skills were solid without being fantastic but they were certainly reasonable enough. Defensively I didn't really notice him much which is usually a good sign. Overall a very solid game from him.

Tasker - kicked 5 goals and continues to impress me. Although he had a few periods on ball he was forward most of tonight and was just smart enough to get himself chances to kick goals and good enough to convert when he did. He has been consistently good through the VFL season this year and teams should be starting to take notice of him. He is a guy who can play both midfield and forward and do well in either. He is a footballer.

Reville - also kicked 5 goals but did so with more pizzazz than Tasker. Bruce has been improving over the VFL season to date and was pretty good in the last game. This week though, in a nationally televised game, he really stood up and announced himself. He showed a lot of class both around goal and further up the ground. He was clean and had more time with the ball in hand than others around him. He took very good options and finished around goal exceptionally well including on his non preferred. Skills were great and quite simply he looked like class out there. This is why some nicknamed him Special Bruce (mainly me but I am sure there are others). My understanding is that he is not eligible to be selected as an Academy player this year.

Abberley - got the chance today to play as a half back and looked good in that role. There were a couple of times when he looked to lack a yard of pace against some of the quicker Suns forwards but overall he was very solid. With the ball in hand though is where he did his best works. He used the ball very nicely today but hand and foot and got a fair bit of it.

Triffett - I was not paying much attention to him but the further the game went the more his game demanded attention. He ended up with 3 goals and mid 20s disposals. He just kept throwing himself into the contest and popping up in good spots. He had some very nice passages of play and this was a bit of a break out game for him as well. I have not been that impressed with him before but I was today.

206cm is how his height is listed in the official stats ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

 

[Quigley]

204cm on footywire

 

[briztoon]

206cm is how his height is listed in the official stats ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

When I’ve seen him in person, he has the same shoulder height as Oscar and Daniher, but longer neck and head.

 

[Suitcase]

Joyce, Michael and H.Smith were the ones who impressed me the most of our listed players.

Joyce - was incredibly clean at picking up the loose ball and also strong in the contest and set his teammates up with creative handpasses. You could see tonight where the Neale comparison comes from.

Smith - very clean ball handling skills from the big fella tonight, also had presence up forward and followed up exceptionally well.

Michael - looked to be the playmaker across half back. Was very impressed by his skills and workrate.

 

[AFLQLD]

I felt a few players took the opportunity tonight to show off what they can do.

Of the four Smiths:

Archie - we know what we are going to get. I feel his work at ground level and following the ball was better than I have seen. His hands aren’t safe enough but the effort is there.

Henry - at 18 he is showing something and in a few years might really develop into quite good ruckman. He seems reasonably mobile for his size and a nice kick. He could be something good.

Brock - solid without being outstanding. Seems like the reliable type but I felt he made a couple of defensive errors. It will be interesting how he learns when he comes up against more older bigger experienced forwards in the VFL.

Ely - I am trying to see the player behind the pre-season hype but I haven’t this season yet. He was our worst player tonight, including the academy top-ups. He seems like a tough nut but I thought he was pretty average and would have him as our least impressive midfielder by a fair margin. If he is purely an inside mid, his hands are too slow and too sloppy. If he is an outside mid, he doesn’t break away from the contest much to break the game open. If he is a defensive mid, well he had two tackles tonight. I’m not sure I can see what sort of player we are supposed to be developing here. Robertson would be a mile ahead of him and from what I have seen tonight Joyce went straight past him. Matho is well ahead of him. He might have copped an injury tonight, so I could make some allowances for that and I hope I’m wrong but I just don’t see it with him. Would love to be proven wrong.

 

[LionCub29]

Henry Smith was super impressive for a very young ruck - wouldn’t surprise me if he becomes the most successful AFL player from our players out there tonight.