VFL Game Day Essendon vs North Melbourne, Windy Hill, Saturday May 5 @ Midday

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Quarter 2 notes: around the ground dominance converted. EFC 8.10.50 v North 5.3.33.

Much more even spread that quarter. We also had the advantage of the conditions. The game is being played likes it's a four goal breeze but it doesn't feel like the breeze is that strong (and it picked up later in the quarter after we'd kicked 5 of our 6 goals).

Redman still comfortably best on. Looks really sharp attacking from half back. Ball use still excellent. Tackling hard, taking marks, doing it all.

It's a bit hard for the taller defenders as there wasn't a hell of a lot to do. They were all positioned in the middle of the ground for most of the quarter. Hartley and Francis will not have numbers that reflect the quality of their performances.

I was very impressed with Hartley's second quarter. Took at least four intercept marks. Used the ball well and looked like an AFL defender playing at a lesser standard (which was a complete turn around from his underwhelming first quarter). He took control of the defence as he should.

Francis continued to look really sharp. I'd say that he joins Hartley a one of the best on atleast in that quarter as the five things he did were all great (including a goal that resulted in a heartwarming reaction from his team mates).

Zerk and Ridley quiet.

Long was relatively prolific again and is in the top five ground. He and Redman probably have 40 between them.

Langford better and classy including a few break aways from stoppages. Even if he's on track for 30 I don't have him in the best 4 or 5.

Clarke has been a rung down from Langford. This hasn't been much of a contested scrap a around the ball and he's not really found a lot of meaningful outside ball.

Boyse killed it that quarter, taking big marks and hitting the score board kicking two and missing a few, I think.

Younan still good too.

Draper competing well and has North rucks covered at ground level but they've got 15kgs on him and are beating him well in the hit outs.

Fantasia on bench. Assume he's playing second half.
 

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Quarter three notes: tale of two halves.

EFC 13.14.92 v North 8.5.53.

Started slowly and lost defensive shape resulting in North getting out the back on the wind assisted counter.

Control wrestled back and then we kicked away. Fantasia had about 7 scoring involvements.

Ridley played really well coming into the game running hard from half back and playing with real aggression. He was the standout of the tall defenders that quarter.

Langdord probably now second best on behind Redman. Did a lot of nice things inside and out that quarter. He had worked into the game well.

Boyse continued to work arse off.

Clarke prolific around the ball with maybe 7-10 handballs. Still clearly behind Langdord in terms of his impact on the game. He's avoiding his boot like the plague.

Long faded a bit. Redman not as prolific but did kick a goal.
 

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Vindicater said:
So Redman and Langford putting their hand up for a call up to the AFL?

How did Fantasia go?

Great to hear Francis is killing it. Hopefully gets a run at it later in the season in the big leauge.
Click to expand...

Redman definitely, has presence, tough and kicks the ball well.

Langford I’m not as sold on but being honest we need to change something up in the seniors.

Francis IMO was great, threw himself into marking contests and was very influential.

Fanta very good with limited game time

Zerk-Thatcher looks promising, so does Ridley

Was also very impressed with Draper, battled hard all day and eventually got the points over Pruess
 
It was a good game and quite a high standard of footy.

It was the polar opposite of the game against Frankston, where we won comfortably without consistent high standard games across the ground. Part of the reason that I wanted to do notes for each quarter was to remind myself of who was doing what during which quarter so I hope it didn't come across as too wanky.

We had the run of play all day and struggled with conversion which is why North were within striking distance until late in the third quarter.

Redman was the clear standout of the day despite there being some other very good performances. I promise any reader that this is not a rose coloured glasses assessment of a player that I really want to see in the AFL side. He'll have had the ball about 30 times, which is one thing but he carried the ball at pace and used it really well all day. He was strong over head and tackled ferociously (would have won two or three HTB decisions). It was one of the most complete VFL performance I've seen in a long time. He's definitely a player who has a future at another AFL club that would be smart enough to play him.

I'm going to say that Langford was second best on ground. He started quietly but worked his way into the game really well. He was strong over the ball and aggressive at the clearances. In the second half he was working through stoppages in a way that I'm not sure that I've seen from him before. He was hitting the ball on the move and breaking through congestion. It was good to see. He also found a lot of outside ball in what I think of as a traditional centreman's role. He'll have had another of those 30 possession 5-7 tackle games. It was a more physically imposing performance than I've seen from Langford this year.

Long was third best on ground. His second half was not as prolific as his first but he continued to work hard up and down his wing. He was creative with ball in hand and worked hard defensively. I'd say, again, that he'd have had the ball about 30 times.

That's the three clear standouts across the four quarters. I'm not going to bother trying to work out the order of the next bests and the rests.

Hartley was solid but I'm going to mark him hard because he's essentially a 50 game AFL KPD who is now 25. He should be dominating this level of footy. He was his old self in the first quarter. He controlled the show in the second quarter taking four or five intercept marks (including contested marks) and distributing really well. He was solid enough in the third and fourth quarters. I was encouraged by the number of intercept marks he took, which is a significant improvement on what I've seen from him in the past. It is well and truly within him to play four quarters at the level of the second quarter and that's the point at which he cements his spot in the AFL side.

Dea was consistent all day and attacked the ball with his usual intensity. He was solid enough but I'm not going to bother with analysis because it seems that he's only depth now.

If the bits and pieces I'm hearing about Clarke are accurate, I don't think he'll have put his name in lights for selection (unless we gut the AFL side - which is not to say that we shouldn't). He'll have had his 30 possession 7-10 tackle game but I'd be surprised if he kicked the ball more than 1/3 of the time. He had a bad day by foot and didn't find that much of the ball on the outside. I'd be (pleasantly) surprised if he was selected to play Carlton next week. If I think about his game in isolation, sure, he played well but I doubt that he's proven to the selectors that he should be playing AFL in the next fortnight.

I'd say that Fantasia would have had about 10 scoring involvements in game time that would have amounted to 1.5 quarters. He didn't 'put his hand up' as much as he demonstrated that he's so far ahead of the VFL that it's not funny. Hopefully he pulls up well and can come back into the AFL side.

My man Boyse was good after a quietish first quarter. He works his arse off presenting up to half back and took a number of really strong marks. Should have kicked five. If you gave me the option of playing Boyse in our AFL forward-line and our first pick but with no Stringer, I'd pick the former without a moment's hesitation. He's a smart, versatile, mobile and hard working forward who is clearly AFL standard.

Younan was also good. Not just as a goal sneak but also for really solid attack on the footy around the ground and quality ball use.

Francis started well but then faded. He probably pushed into the bests in the first half but he was quieter in the second half. He took a number of good contested and intercept marks. I was encouraged by how well he was moving and how comfortable he looked. He's not going to force his way into the AFL team with that sort of performance but it's a good starting point for him on his come back. Four quarters at the level of this first half and he'll play AFL sooner rather than later.

Ridley started slowly but had a good second half. His third quarter was particularly good. He was channeling his inner Francis bursting out of packs at half back and streaming down the wing. I was surprised by how quick he is at top pace. He lopes so he looks a lot slower than he is. I liked his overall aggression and his ball use. He's not commanding enough above head at this point.

Zerk-Thatcher did not have one of his better days. He misjudge the high ball a bit and didn't get his hands on it that much. His intensity at ground level continues to impress. I think the concerns about his kicking are unwarranted. I've not seen him turn the ball over at all, even if he is not overly creative by foot. He doesn't have the worlds smoothest kicking action but that's a matter of form over substance as far as I'm concerned.

Draper was okay. He did some nice things around the ground and took some nice marks but he was monstered by Preuss in the ruck (who would be a good 15 kgs heavier than him). The other North ruckman was a giant too. He battled away and that might see him force his way into the bests but that should not be read as him being a viable AFL selection. He's a 19-20 year old ruck project who is developing exceptionally we'll but he's at least a pre-season away from being a viable AFL selection (unless he comes in to play as the second ruck).

McKernan had a few of his brain fade moments which cost him three or four more goals that he should otherwise have kicked. He seemed to be more effective than Draper when he got his run on the ball. I'd be much happier with his game if he converted.

Houlahan came into the game as it opened up in the second half. Kicked a couple of goals and looked sharp but didn't do too much. It's about what I expect from him given that he'd be last in line of the permanent forwards. He's going to need to find another role to play because he gets starved of opportunities.

Ottavi started the game really well and would have taken maybe four or five strong marks inside 50 over the four quarters but he faded in the middle of the game. He didn't convert which is a shame. I like the kid but I'm not sure that he can be more than a really good VFL standard key forward and certainly someone I'd like to keep on our list.

Hocking was really solid. As long as he's not getting burned on the outside something positive usually happens when he is around the ball.

Merrett was quite forgettable.
 
Last edited:
BrunoV said:
It was a good game and quite a high standard of footy.

It was the polar opposite of the game against Frankston, where we won comfortably without consistent high standard games across the ground. Part of the reason that I wanted to do notes for each quarter was to remind myself of who was doing what during which quarter so I hope it didn't come across as too wanky.

We had the run of play all day and struggled with conversion which is why North were within striking distance until late in the third quarter.

Redman was the clear standout of the day despite there being some other very good performances. I promise any reader that this is not a rose coloured glasses assessment of a player that I really want to see in the AFL side. He'll have had the ball about 30 times, which is one thing but he carried the ball at pace and used it really well all day. He was strong over head and tackled ferociously (would have won two or three HTB decisions). It was one of the most complete VFL performance I've seen in a long time. He's definitely a player who has a future at another AFL club that would be smart enough to play him.

I'm going to say that Langford was second best on ground. He started quietly but worked his way into the game really well. He was strong over the ball and aggressive at the clearances. In the second half he was working through stoppages in a way that I'm not sure that I've seen from him before. He was hitting the ball on the move and breaking through congestion. It was good to see. He also found a lot of outside ball in what I think of as a traditional centreman's role. He'll have had another of those 30 possession 5-7 tackle games. It was a more physically imposing performance than I've seen from Langford this year.

Long was third best on ground. His second half was not as prolific as his first but he continued to work hard up and down his wing. He was creative with ball in hand and worked hard defensively. I'd say, again, that he'd have had the ball about 30 times.

That's the three clear standouts across the four quarters. I'm not going to bother trying to work out the order of the next bests and the rests.

Hartley was solid but I'm going to mark him hard because he's essentially a 50 game AFL KPD who is now 25. He should be dominating this level of footy. He was his old self in the first quarter. He controlled the show in the second quarter taking four or five intercept marks (including contested marks) and distributing really well. He was solid enough in the third and fourth quarters. I was encouraged by the number of intercept marks he took, which is a significant improvement on what I've seen from him in the past. It is well and truly within him to play four quarters as the level of the second quarter and that's the point at which he cements his spot in the AFL side.

Dea was consistent all day and attacked the ball with his usual intensity. He was solid enough but I'm not going to bother too much because it seems that he's only depth now.

If the bits and pieces I'm hearing about Clarke are accurate, I don't think he'll have put his name in lights for selection (unless we gut the AFL side - which is not to say that we shouldn't). He'll have had his 30 possession 7-10 tackle game but I'd be surprised if he kicked the ball more than 1/3 of the time. He had a bad day by foot and didn't find that much of the ball on the outside. I'd be (pleasantly) surprised if he was selected to play Carlton next week. If I think about his game in isolation, sure, he played well but I doubt that he's proven to the selectors that he should be playing AFL in the next fortnight.

I'd say that Fantasia would have had about 10 scoring involvements in game time that would have amounted to 1.5 quarters. He didn't 'put his hand up' as much as he demonstrated that he's so far ahead of the VFL that it's not funny. Hopefully he pulls up well and can come back into the AFL side.

My man Boyse was good after a quietish first quarter. He works his arse off presenting up to half back and took a number of really strong marks. Should have kicked five. If you gave me the option of playing Boyse in our AFL forward and our first pick but with not Stringer, I'd pick the former. He's a great, versatile hard working forward.

Younan was also good. Not just as a goal sneak but also for really solid attack on the footy around the ground and quality ball use.

Francis started well but then faded. He probably pushed into the bests in the first half but he was quieter in the second half. He took a number of good contested and intercept marks. I was encouraged by how well he was moving and how comfortable he looked. He's not going to force his way into the AFL team with that sort of performance but it's a good starting point for him on his come back. Four quarters at the level of this first half and he'll play AFL sooner rather than later.

Ridley started slowly but had a good second half. His third quarter was particularly good. He was channeling his inner Francis bursting out of packs at half back and streaming down the wing. I was surprised by how quick he is at top pace. He lopes so he looks a lot slower than he is. I liked his overall aggression and his ball use. He's not strong enough above head at this point.

Zerk-Thatcher did not have one of his better days. He misjudge the high ball a bit and didn't get his hands on it that much. His intensity at ground level continues to impress. I think the concerns about his kicking are unwarranted. I've not seen him turn the ball over at all, even if he is not overly creative by foot. He doesn't have the worlds smoothest kicking action but that's a matter of form over substance as far as I'm concerned.

Draper was okay. He did some nice things around the ground and took some nice marks but he was monstered by Preuss in the ruck (who would be a good 15 kgs heavier than him). The other North ruckman was a giant too. He battled away and that might see him force his way into the bests but that should not be read as him being a viable AFL selection. He's a 19-20 year old ruck project who is developing exceptionally we'll but he's at least a pre-season away from being a viable AFL selection.

McKernan had a few of his brain fade moments which cost him three or four more goals that he should otherwise have kicked. He seemed to be more effective than Draper when he got his run on the ball. I'd be much happier with his game if he converted.

Houlahan came into the game as it opened up in the second half. Kicked a couple of goals and looked sharp but didn't do too much. It's about what I expect from him given that he'd be last in line of the permanent forwards. He's going to need to find another role to play because he gets starved of opportunities.

Ottavi started the game really well and would have taken maybe four or five strong marks inside 50 over the four quarters but he faded in the middle of the game. He didn't convert which is a shame. I like the kid but I'm not sure that he can be more than a really good VFL standard key forward and certainly someone I'd like to keep on our list.

Hocking was really solid. As long as he's not getting burned on the outside something positive usually happens when he is around the ball.

Merrett was quite forgettable.
Click to expand...
Sounds like we’ll bring in Merrett next week against Carlton then?
 
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