Best Today

[Swooper 33]

1. RICHO - Had plenty of it, should of kicked 5 or 6 but finished with 4. Never stopped trying for 4 quarters.

2. TUCK - Done plenty of inside work, hard and tough as usual.

3. HOWATT - Quiet early but set us alight in the second half kicked a good goal as well as setting up a few, needs to work on his opposite foot.

4. NEWMAN - Tried hard all day, having 20 odd possesions.

5. JOHNSON - Like Tuck good at the stoppages, plenty of hard work best game for the year.

 

[RichosGuns]

Richo

daylight

Howatt, Pettifer

I'm a big fan of Newman however he along with king where very average whilst actually defending. Wells, McMohan, Grant and Jones (there main opponents) absoultly killed them. Good to see Newy getting a bit of a run in the middle though

 

[Rayzorwire]

We had nobody who really deserved to be in the 'best' players tonight.

Richo would be on top for work rate, with the usual baggage of letting himself down too often.

Pettifer got the job done from limited opportunities.

Edwards showed some real flair and smarts tonight - but faded out of it as you expect from such a young kid. He's gonna be a fine player IMO.

Foley was ok but definitely slowed by the presence of a tagger (which was always coming now he's proved he can actually hurt other sides).

Tuck was ok but kicking let him down.

Simmo was ok and will be further improved by the run - as will Brown.

King tried hard, as did Pattison, and though beaten, they showed more than many around them.

Deledio and Tambling showed glimpses around the ball of the players they will hopefully become, but very average overall.

Howat proved yet again that he only hurts the opposition one possession out of every half dozen - which is why he's allowed to run around by himself.

Raines and Bowden were poor (Raines' kicking is usually poor but tonight he sank to previously unexplored depths...Bowden spent a couple of seasons doing it), Newman, Chippendale and Polak were very average, White did little and looks lost when he can't play Howat's (non) role and has to be accountable, Jackson got another bath tagging but at least did some damage going the other way. Thursfield is really starting to get his confidence knocked around - which apparently the coaching staff find preferable to knocking Polak's around. He's still doing ok - doesn't deserve any flak.

Johnson is thoroughly burnt out in the speed and stamina departments and has no other offensive tricks to offer us. He's fallen from prime onballer, to no.1 tagger, to no.2 tagger...now there's nowhere left to fall. He's now a big bag of spuds with arms masquerading as an onballer. His best use to us now is tackling and falling on people - like a big bag of spuds.

My highlight for the match was seeing young Jack Reiwoldt kick a perfect long pass along the boundary with his left foot in the first qtr.

One final thought: we seldom play anywhere remotely near our best at Telstra Dump...we've gotta do something about it because it will continue to hurt our season in years to come unless we start to sort out why we're a 5-6 goal better club at the G. You'd think a young underdone side would be advantaged by the smaller surface...but we still play this ground like crap.

 

[IDGAF]

Johnson is thoroughly burnt out in the speed and stamina departments and has no other offensive tricks to offer us. He's fallen from prime onballer, to no.1 tagger, to no.2 tagger...now there's nowhere left to fall. He's now a big bag of spuds with arms masquerading as an onballer. His best use to us now is tackling and falling on people - like a big bag of spuds.

My highlight for the match was seeing young Jack Reiwoldt kick a perfect long pass along the boundary with his left foot in the first qtr.

One final thought: we seldom play anywhere remotely near our best at Telstra Dump...we've gotta do something about it because it will continue to hurt our season in years to come unless we start to sort out why we're a 5-6 goal better club at the G. You'd think a young underdone side would be advantaged by the smaller surface...but we still play this ground like crap.

Especially true ... true.... and to round off , true

 

[rfctigerarmy]

Richo was good but he wasn't daylight above the rest. He was our best player though pretty comfortably.

I thought Tivendale had a good game.

Edwards was good.

Pettifer played OK, as did Jackson.

 

[Madtiger2006]

Howat proved yet again that he only hurts the opposition one possession out of every half dozen - which is why he's allowed to run around by himself.

He hit a team mate on the chest with every kick. Does he have to kick a goal with every kick? If that's what you want, then every player in the league hurts the opposition 1 in 10 touches at best

 

[Thursfieldness]

Anyone who watched this evening's game and thought either Johnson or Pettifer played well or okay are delusional.

I actually really like both of them in particular kaneo but they played liked rubbish tonight and have done all season.

Richo and Tuck were the only two to play a decent four quarters IMO, while Howatt, Polak, Bling, Axel were all good in patches.

Thursfield tried hard

 

[rfctigerarmy]

Your right. Tuck was consistant over 4 quarters. I'd say he turned it over at least once or twice a quarter. Good point.

Bling wasn't much good at all.

Howatt played 1 and a half quarter or so. Kicked a nice goal but didnt do much else.

Cant say the ball was delivered into the forward 50 to a satisfactory level. Way too slow, countless times and the Roos easily got numbers back across the 50m arc.

 

[Rayzorwire]

He hit a team mate on the chest with every kick. Does he have to kick a goal with every kick? If that's what you want, then every player in the league hurts the opposition 1 in 10 touches at best

He seldom hurts the opposition MT...even Gerard Healy and Spud noted that he'd had 7-8 inside 50's and the vast majority of them were down the other end very shortly afterwards because he coughed it up. Which game were you watching?

If a player is given all the space in the world he has to hurt the opposition - Howat gets that space game after game because opposition coach's know he seldom hurts them and then they have a free man to do us potential hurt.

You simply can't get away with players like Howat against good sides because their fringe onballers and wingers will hurt you.

 

[Thursfieldness]

Tuck isn't the most talented player, given. My point is similar to Richo, they tried hard for the entire four quarters. Bowden, Pettifer and Johnson in particular were rubbish even when compared to the average game of Tuck.

I didn't say Bling or Howatt were any good either, they played well in patches i.e their inconsistancy cost us a closer result or win.

 

[Rayzorwire]

And just to add to the above MT, 20-30m perfectly executed passes when you're on your own don't win football games - they slow up ball transition and allow the opposition to flood your forward line.

The ideal transition to attack is what Tambling did in the last qtr - gathered at hb, took off at speed, had two bounces, beat a man and then launched a 60m kick to well inside 50 straight up the guts. We didn't get a mark from it (bounced off hands), but it opens the game up and gives the forward's every opportunity.

Deledio can do the same. Neither do it often enough at this stage, but they will be by the time they're Howat's age.

That's why they're top draft picks and Howat is a 23yo rookie allowed to run around without a man.

Anyone who watched this evening's game and thought either Johnson or Pettifer played well or okay are delusional.

Regardless of anything else he does, if he averages 3 goals a game (like tonight) then that puts him into elite small forward territory.

That's what he's there for.

 

[Madtiger2006]

He seldom hurts the opposition MT...even Gerard Healy and Spud noted that he'd had 7-8 inside 50's and the vast majority of them were down the other end very shortly afterwards because he coughed it up. Which game were you watching?

If a player is given all the space in the world he has to hurt the opposition - Howat gets that space game after game because opposition coach's know he seldom hurts them and then they have a free man to do us potential hurt.

You simply can't get away with players like Howat against good sides because their fringe onballers and wingers will hurt you.

His entries into forward 50m were better than anyone else in our team. He's only played about 18 games you seem to keep forgetting and who would take anything Spud says seriously?

 

[PLSC]

it was gerard healy who said it and spud just agreed

howat is rubbish, no pace, soft and cant kick over a jam tin

fits in well at the rfc though

 

[Grechy]

On that note our forward 50 entry is disgusting. I think I punched the chair next to me about 20 times this evening because of it.

We need silky, classy players who can deliver properly.

 

[Darth_Tiger]

His entries into forward 50m were better than anyone else in our team. He's only played about 18 games you seem to keep forgetting and who would take anything Spud says seriously?

i find this disturbing MT but i agree with you on this one. howatt is still learning the caper and although he is 23 he has played under 20 games. there were 2 patches in the 2nd half where he brought his own football, and if he can be a little more composed with his delivery into the 50 could become very damaging. i have not been sold on him this year, but tonight i think he showed something to work with. jackson had a couple of impressive runs through the middle too.

 

[itsintheblood]

3. Richo
2. IDGAF
1. IDGAF

 

[True Thylacine]

On that note our forward 50 entry is disgusting. I think I punched the chair next to me about 20 times this evening because of it.

We need silky, classy players who can deliver properly.

Did the same, new lounge and all! Only watchin on tv I cant tell is its crap delivery or crap options. Seemed from what I coudl tell that the forward line looked like a confused school of fish, all flitting from one side to the other together.

 

[RichosGuns]

Did the same, new lounge and all! Only watchin on tv I cant tell is its crap delivery or crap options. Seemed from what I coudl tell that the forward line looked like a confused school of fish, all flitting from one side to the other together.

I never thought the Kangaroos would be better then us this year, but there delivery to their foward line was sooooooooo much better then ours its not funny. If Richo wasn't such a freak to mark those poor kicks from Raines, Howat, etc. the end result could have been alot worse

 

[Colonel Matrix]

I was at the game and told my mate in the 1st quarter that Howat is rubbish, he then was probably our second best player in the second half, his work rate is phenomenal and he really rose to the top when the rests of the players got tired.

3. Richo
2. Howat
1. Tuck

 

[Rayzorwire]

i find this disturbing MT but i agree with you on this one. howatt is still learning the caper and although he is 23 he has played under 20 games. there were 2 patches in the 2nd half where he brought his own football, and if he can be a little more composed with his delivery into the 50 could become very damaging. i have not been sold on him this year, but tonight i think he showed something to work with. jackson had a couple of impressive runs through the middle too.

Howat gets on his own 50m in the clear because nobody bothers to match him up. It's not like he has an opponent struggling to keep up with him while he uses his endurance to run him into the ground. Nobody is instructed to mark him because it's a well known fact now he doesn't and can't hurt the opposition.

Every time he gets the ball out on the wing on his own then coughs it up, reflect back to the last time the opposition ran the ball through the centre of the ground with a spare man and hurt us on the scoreboard as a result - while Howat was lurking on the flanks waiting for someone to give him the ball.

Players who perpetually run forward of the ball at contests (in the hope someone else will win the ball for them) and never play on an opponent have to cause damage with their possessions. Otherwise they're effectively turning attack into instant defense AND giving the opposition an extra man to hurt us with.

 

[CJH]

...White did little and looks lost when he can't play Howat's (non) role and has to be accountable ...

White does not appear to have the confidence of his team-mates. Many times last nigh, I saw him run hard to create space, and created the obvious option, but was continually ignored.

 

[CJH]

Did the same, new lounge and all! Only watchin on tv I cant tell is its crap delivery or crap options. Seemed from what I coudl tell that the forward line looked like a confused school of fish, all flitting from one side to the other together.

A lot of the time, it was poor options. Kicking a low pass to a stationary target while an intercept was always on. I don't now how many times they intercepted passes... at least half a dozen?