Eagles vs Kangaroos

[eagleskickass]

A pretty good game all round. Got a view, in patches, of the sort of football that our young guys can play.

Firstly, start with the positives. Once again Cous ran hard all day and played a great game. Also, the likes of Kerr and Taylor helped out. Cox played pretty well in the Ruck, I don't think Gards was 100% fit. Willo presented well up forward, but the delivery to the forwads wasn't the best.

Summary of where we lost it, 2 words, centre clearances. This is where the Kangaroos absolutely thumped us, except for the start of the 4th quarter. The 1st Quarter, and the start of the 4th showed us exactly how we can, and will play in the future. As our youngsters get experience, we will play like that for 4 quarters. Really, our list isn't that bad, and we definately have some great youngsters.

Phil Matera played well, and Merenda was a key target, how many marks did he finish with. Hunter and Fletcher had a really good last term

Jako and Carey - Great to watch. I think Caery won the battle, but Jako did very well on him. One problem, 3 goals Carey got resulted from Jako falling over at a critical moment.

Also, Wooden on Harvey I think was going a bit long, as I said in another thread, I think Rowan Jones should have been put on him, as he wasn't having much of an effect on the game. So, being our tagger, could have possibly taken harvey out of it.

Collica did well once moved onto Pickett, but Pickett still really played well. Collica is not a forward, so we should just keep him in the backline. One thing that annoyed me, how we just seemed to give up in the last few minutes, and so the margin blew out to 44 points. I think we should have kept it to no more than 24 points, after getting it back to 2, but we seemed to just give in and accept defeat. To win in the AFL you can NEVER give up, no matter what the score is!

Good Game, Great Signs, BRING ON THE CATS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[eagleskickass]

Also, Callum chambers had a good game. Was at the front of the pack to shark the ball, and really looked like he wanted it. Kane Munro, when on the ground, did quite well, and I think, if he puts a bit of weight on, will be a good AFL player in a couple of years time. Glass completely shut McKernon out of the game and it was great to watch.
Man it was enjoyable to watch our young brigade today, even though we lost
Votes
3. Cousins
2. Kerr
1. Merrenda

 

[daddy_4_eyes]

I was also impressed with Hunter, spent most of the day on the bench but once he came on he did some good things on the half forward line.

Our weakness has been the inexperience of our players, most of the 1-on-1 contests we lost was because the oppositions players positioned themselves better. But as the seasons go by our players will gain experience and win these 1-on-1 contests.

Carn the eagles!!!!!

 

[eagleskickass]

I think I also forgot to mention Carroll's excellent work in the backline. He has turned himself around and will now be a part of the Eagles future. Definately a better player than when he came here!

 

[Visro]

It was a good effort by I'm pissed off about the last ten minutes of the final quarter. Wilson was good all day, Cousins great again and Glass did a good job on McKernan.

Players that were disappointing, Embley, Gardiner and Wirrpunda. They are all crucial players and none of them really looked up to it today. Cox carried the ruck well and is fast becoming a recognised ruckman. I didn't think Munro did that well. His few possesions were all scrangly punt kicks but he put his heart in I guess. Will say more as it comes to me.

Vis

PS Good game overall though the final score didn't tell the real story!

 

[EaglesFlyingHigh.com]

Eagles Good For Three And A Half Quarters

http://westcoast.rivals.net/default.asp?sid=1523&p=2&stid=8146914

North Melbourne ran out winners against the West Coast Eagles at Subiaco Oval this afternoon. The biggest disappointment for
the Eagles will be not the fact that they lost, but the final quarter fadeout which allowed the margin to blow out.

North Melbourne 24.10 154
West Coast 17 110


This was an important match for the Kangaroos. To stay in finals contention
they needed not only to win, but to win well and boost their poor percentage.

Halfway through the last quarter it didn't even look certain that North Melbourne
would win, with the lead cut to just two points. But then the Roos kicked the
last seven goals of the match to win by a healthy margin.

The game was played at a frantic pace, and in the first half neither side could
get away.

After the Eagles had taken a two goal lead into the first break, the Roos hit
back in the second quarter and got into the lead. From there on it was a
familiar game of catch-up for the Eagles. Every time they reduced the margin,
North Melbourne replied and just kept themselves a few goals in front. West
Coast were having no problems sharing the ball around - their seven first half
goals were kicked by seven different players.

In the third term the Kangaroos stamped their authority on the match, and
increasing their lead to over five goals. Late goals to Ben Cousins and Phil
Matera brought the margin back to twenty-one at the break and left the Eagles
with a chance.

But when the Eagles ran out of steam midway through the last quarter the
Roos were able to claim a bigger victory than they should have been allowed,
plus the bonus of the percentage boost they needed to stay in the finals race.

Cousins, again, was the best for the Eagles with yet another haul of thirty
possessions plus two goals, after giving fans a fright by going off with a sore
shoulder in the first quarter. Rowan Jones, Richard Taylor and Daniel Kerr also
had a good day out, while Josh Wooden was solid in his fiftieth appearance for
the club.

In the traditional Wayne Carey-Glen Jakovich battle, Jakovich took the early
honours, but Carey ran out the winner at the end of the day with five goals. The
other big contributors for the Roos was Byron Pickett and Saverio Rocca who
each kicked six.

Troy Wilson made a good return with four goals, and combined well with
forward pocket players Phil Matera and Mark Merenda who kicked three each.
If this forward combination can continue to perform well together it will go a long
way towards helping the Eagles kick a winning score.


http://westcoast.rivals.net/default.asp?sid=1523&p=2&stid=8146914

 

[eagleskickass]

Originally posted by Visro
It was a good effort by I'm pissed off about the last ten minutes of the final quarter. Wilson was good all day, Cousins great again and Glass did a good job on McKernan.

Players that were disappointing, Embley, Gardiner and Wirrpunda. They are all crucial players and none of them really looked up to it today. Cox carried the ruck well and is fast becoming a recognised ruckman. I didn't think Munro did that well. His few possesions were all scrangly punt kicks but he put his heart in I guess. Will say more as it comes to me.

Vis

PS Good game overall though the final score didn't tell the real story!

I am also annoyed with the fade out. Plus, you could add Williams to the disapointments. He can really take a good mark, but I didn't see him get much of the ball, or really present himself. Lets hope they lift, and the others stay up there, so we have a chance, a real chance to beat the cats!

 

[Frodo]

A great game to watch and a lot of really good goals by both sides. That 70m free by Rocca and Mckernans goal were unbelievable.
Up to the 20min mark of the fourth quarter it looked like an upset. Then Taylor had a goal kick from the 50, kicked into the mark, they rebounded and scored. It was a turning point. No doubt that Gardy was not fit and we missed Gaspar but Hunter went well when he came on. Judge was much too late in taking Roo off Pickett. Collica did a much better job. Glass had a great game and I was pleased to see Wooden score on his 50th. If we are going to lose then this is the way to do it (barring last 10 mins). I keep having this aweful nightmare that we will win another two before the Freo game and if we beat them we lose the extra draft pick.

I thought the standard of umpiring was abysmal. Does a WA umpire always have to try and show his Vic masters how good a boy he has been?

 

[Visro]

Their were a lot of incidents on both sides that didn't get frees. With the nature of the game today, there was always going to be a lot of oppurtunities for frees and I guess the umps decided they would try and make the play flow a bit more without handing too many out. In the end there were 15 a piece which is fairly average for a AFL match.

 

[eagleskickass]

I think there should have been more. You have to protect the player actually going for the ball. A few times a guy almost lost his head, but PLAY ON's the call!

 

[Voice of Reason]

Generally a good effort all round and I think everyone's already said what needs to be said on these boards.

Normally I would be mightily annoyed by such a late blowout, but I hope that the players learn from it for the future. It also seemed as if everything the Roos tried came off in that final 10 minutes.

The difference between the two teams to me was simply the cleanness of their experienced players under pressure when it really mattered - people like Blakey, Carey, Pickett, King. And that would have to be Rocca's best game for years - it would be against us!

The umpiring was pitiful, but I don't agree with the guy near us who started throwing objects (coke bottle, other smaller stuff) on to the field of play. He was lucky not to get thrown out by security and I dread to think what would happen if an umpire gets hit by an object and knocked out.

 

[Shinboners]

I thought the umpiring was okay...there was only one blatant one that the umpires missed and that was Grant holding onto Cousins in the third quarter. There were a few other 50/50 ones which can be overanalysed, but overall, I think the standard was okay.

Bad luck Eagles. A couple of points though. Firstly, it was the most entertaining match I've seen this year. Lot's of running from both sides, plenty of aggression, and heaps of contests. It was played in good spirit. Secondly, I thought the Eagles showed plenty of spirit. They mounted some good fightbacks throughout the match, and it was probably a little bit of inexperience that stopped your boys from pinching the lead, and then later, preventing the blowout. We'll take the 44 point win for percentage purposes, but the margin was unfair on your blokes.

Wilson had a very good game at full forward...he leads well, crashes through packs, and makes a contest. Kerr looks to have a good future, Phil Matera was always dangerous (although he missed a couple of goals that he normally gets), and Cox did well in ruck and around the ground.

As much as I enjoyed seeing Pickett destroy Peter Matera...and keeping in mind I'm no fan of Matera....it was sad to see such a champion of your club get ripped apart so comprehensively. I hope he picks up his form and when his time in the game is up, he can retire, well, in the seniors (I was going to say retire with pride, but with his achievements in the game, he can be proud). Jakovich started very well on Carey, but Carey did the damage with the goals he scored. Gardiner looked unfit to me.

There really isn't that much difference in the quality of the club lists from 2 to 16 (Essendon are in a class of their own). There is room for improvement in some of the Eagle's disposal, but a good run to the end of this year and a solid start next season, and there's no reason why the Eagles can't be back in finals contention sooner rather than later.

 

[jod23]

Originally posted by Shinboners
I thought the umpiring was okay...there was only one blatant one that the umpires missed and that was Grant holding onto Cousins in the third quarter. There were a few other 50/50 ones which can be overanalysed, but overall, I think the standard was okay.

Bad luck Eagles. A couple of points though. Firstly, it was the most entertaining match I've seen this year. Lot's of running from both sides, plenty of aggression, and heaps of contests. It was played in good spirit. Secondly, I thought the Eagles showed plenty of spirit. They mounted some good fightbacks throughout the match, and it was probably a little bit of inexperience that stopped your boys from pinching the lead, and then later, preventing the blowout. We'll take the 44 point win for percentage purposes, but the margin was unfair on your blokes.

Wilson had a very good game at full forward...he leads well, crashes through packs, and makes a contest. Kerr looks to have a good future, Phil Matera was always dangerous (although he missed a couple of goals that he normally gets), and Cox did well in ruck and around the ground.

As much as I enjoyed seeing Pickett destroy Peter Matera...and keeping in mind I'm no fan of Matera....it was sad to see such a champion of your club get ripped apart so comprehensively. I hope he picks up his form and when his time in the game is up, he can retire, well, in the seniors (I was going to say retire with pride, but with his achievements in the game, he can be proud). Jakovich started very well on Carey, but Carey did the damage with the goals he scored. Gardiner looked unfit to me.

There really isn't that much difference in the quality of the club lists from 2 to 16 (Essendon are in a class of their own). There is room for improvement in some of the Eagle's disposal, but a good run to the end of this year and a solid start next season, and there's no reason why the Eagles can't be back in finals contention sooner rather than later.

I agree Shinners, a real entertaining game with physical contests but not out of the laws of the game and hardly any flooding. Free flowing eye catching footy, couple of great grabs, one by Sav and the other by Wilson, thats what i want to see.

I thought Pickett was best on ground and he has really being the difference i think for your clubs turnaround. He has become a great goalsneak and provides plenty of pressure on the backmen as they try to rebound the footy. Matera was kept on him way too long and was a bit quiet after Collica moved onto him, but the damage had already been done. I thought your comments on him were a little unjust though. Matera is all class and although he had a bad game has been quite good for us this year, particularly in the earlier part of the season.

Carey v Jakovich was a bit of a fizzer with neither of them having a real impact on the game. Carey kicked 5 but he didnt really impose himself on the match and i thought 2 or 3 of his goals were more out of luck than his usual brilliance. Cousins was again very good, and its great to see that he is starting to hurt opponents on the scoreboard too.

Commiserations on Anthony Stevens, that really is awful luck for the guy and i hope he can get back onto the field next year for yas. Other than that i think everyone has summed it up. More experience for the kids and considering we are playing some good footy and not once in the game did i think i wish Milli or Morrison or Banfield or Braun was playing. To be honest i forgot they all werent playing until after the game. Well bring on the Cats.

 

[jod23]

Forgot about Merenda, if he can stay injury free and play like this every week then he will be a great asset for the club. 3 goals and 10 marks off half forward, i always thought he looked dangerous when near it. Hope he can continue with his good form.

Gardy was definitely not fit and Embly and Wirrpunda were too quiet for my liking. We need Gardy Cuz and Wirrpunda to fire every game if we are to win games of footy.

Oh and does anyone else get that horrible feeling of dread when the commentators say theres an Eagle down behind play... its Cousins!!!! Oh maan i almost killed the TV, where would we be if he went down. (Touch a lot of Wood)

 

[Briedis]

I thought Jones from the Eagles played well and deserved a mention in here. Took alot of strong grabs.

 

[daddy_4_eyes]

Originally posted by jod23
Oh and does anyone else get that horrible feeling of dread when the commentators say theres an Eagle down behind play... its Cousins!!!! Oh maan i almost killed the TV, where would we be if he went down. (Touch a lot of Wood)

Yup, had that same feeling.

 

[BW]

Yeah the eagles played terrifically. They would of beaten any other side (bar essenfon) Great Effort


Go u good thing choppy!!

 

[GoEagles]

Very entertaining game - definately the most spirit and passion showed all year from the boys. Unfortunately North had more experienced, wiser heads on field which killed us in the end. The 44 point margin wasn't a true indication on the match. For us, Jones had a great game as did Cox and Kerr. Unfortunately Embley and Peter Matera were having their 'off day'.

For North - Pickett was their hero! I don't remember him dominating against us in the game at Subi last year (Abraham & Bell were their stars last year) but to see his speed and skills live was a delight to see. Even more was this mornings paper stating he would be open to hear offers at the end of the season and contemplated playing for his home state! Carey vs Jakovich... Carey won the right to their battle for this round - he got 5 goals and looked like he was only getting warmed up. Finally, I feel sorry for David Teague - I watched him run up and down the boundary line for 3 1/2 quarters and then only got about 10 minutes on field when the game was all over.

Cheers!

 

[Captain Random]

Originally posted by GoEagles


For North - Pickett was their hero! I don't remember him dominating against us in the game at Subi last year (Abraham & Bell were their stars last year) but to see his speed and skills live was a delight to see. Even more was this mornings paper stating he would be open to hear offers at the end of the season and contemplated playing for his home state!

It worked for Daniel Chick didn't it? Still, one can dream ...

 

[Mr Eagle]

AAAAAArrrrrrrrrggghhh....


It's all my fault! I left the Subiaco area at around 3qtr time and look what happened!!!! I know I was channeling positive thoughts over to Subi while I was at Lords, but geez that's a fair old drop-off

(we won the volleyball match, for what that may be worth )

 

[jod23]

Originally posted by Mr Eagle
AAAAAArrrrrrrrrggghhh....


It's all my fault! I left the Subiaco area at around 3qtr time and look what happened!!!! I know I was channeling positive thoughts over to Subi while I was at Lords, but geez that's a fair old drop-off

(we won the volleyball match, for what that may be worth )

Thank god you won the volleyball match, i feel better now

 

[GoEagles]

Yeah congrats on winning the volleyball game Mr E