Intra Club Match Thread

[Harry Reems]

I went along too and it was the sort of hit out that you would expect on a hot Friday night a week before the NAB Cup starts.

Scrappy, not a lot of intensity, some of the numbers on the guernseys were confusing too as to who the players actually were.

Anyone know who that number 14 was?

I liked Duffield, Sandi, Clark, Lower, Pav, Ballas, Mzungu, Hilly, Crowls and Tom Lee of course.

Jack Anthony was encouraging too, McPhee got better as the game went on and Chris Mayne looked good also. Lachie Neale really showed something too.

Keplar couldn't hold a mark and Zac Dawson was terrible.

Purple dominated in the first half, then White dominated in the second and won the game.

Best part was no injuries (that I saw anyway).

 

[heypenny]

Yeah I've been to a few of these in the past and this was probably at the best standard I've seen. However you would expect that, given this year we are aiming for the top six and the standard and competition of the game is increasing.

Fyfe started like a house on fire, just everywhere. I recorded about 6-7 touches in the first 5 to 10 minutes. Faded however as the game went on. Also didn't receive as much game time as everyone else.

Neale started off on Balla, the Hobbit took a little while to warm up but knows how to find the space and link up play. Don't expect him to win much contested ball however or pull Ablett like numbers in the midfield dream teamers.

Neale got a lot of the ball. Started quite a few centre bounces. Sprayed a few kicks but you would think he will be lining up round one.

Pitt played off half back, got quite a bit of the ball and was very clean. Liked his game.

Sandi was pretty dominant against a WAFL ruckman.

Mayne seems a lot more polished this season, with a couple of goals and overall clean possession.

Pavlich took a great grab in the second quarter, didn't get a heap of the ball in the three quarters he was on, but thats typical for him this time of year.

Barlow got quite a bit of the ball, nothing really stands out.

Muzungu had a fantastic second half and swung the momentum for the whites. Last quarter was in the middle for the bounces and had a real impact.

Clancee solid got a bit of the pill early.

Really really liked Schloithe, he's got a good size on him for his age. Reminds me so much of Chad Kornes.

Mellington was getting involved which was great, not always clean but got a couple of goals and making his presence in the forward line.

Lower was hard at it and solid.

Hill always so clean with the ball but just does not get enough of it.

Sorry guys but didn't notice much of Spurr.

Same with Sheridan.

Though Crozier did some good things.

Keplar having a crack and having some influence in the forward line.

Don't think much of Anthony. Never looks like winning from a contest. Doesn't get involved and just looks uncomfortable. His goal was from a soft free kick and his mark and behind early was from a mis-kick and he was fortunately in front of his man.

Dawson was sh^t, fumbled the ball and lost more contests than he won. I still hold the faith however.

Faulks is great at competing in defence and keeping his man accountable yet his disposal and decision making is worse than Gilmore.

Overall it was pretty good hit out. We will know more on how they are traveling next week.

I do feel we are missing some A-graders in the midfield however. Hope Mundy isn't out for too long and Morabito can come back strong.

Good to be back watching the footy.

 

[The Speaker]

This absolutely shits me with Telstra.

Currently I'm laying in bed with Bigfooty on the iPhone happily browsing away and Fremantle post a video on the website.
But because Telstra have a deal with the AFL, the clubs are forced to upload there content on the website to the absolute **** of a site that I can't view videos on the safari browser. They want me to get out of bed and log onto the Freo website to view the video so I can be subjected to all the Telstra adds/marketing around the page. What w*^%#^*ers!!

Advertising like this is just ridiculous. I get annoyed every time I have to go to an AFL/team website and see content from Freo that are probably contractually forced to post media in this way. It's why you will never see this stuff posted on YouTube for a few hours as they can flog Telstra crap in your face, when you only want to see something about your club!!! Argghhh.

/end rant

P.S. Go Optus!!!

[youtube]Nsw1QicgDBI[/youtube]

 

[Ghost Pig]

Yeah I've been to a few of these in the past and this was probably at the best standard I've seen. However you would expect that, given this year we are aiming for the top six and the standard and competition of the game is increasing.

Fyfe started like a house on fire, just everywhere. I recorded about 6-7 touches in the first 5 to 10 minutes. Faded however as the game went on. Also didn't receive as much game time as everyone else.

Neale started off on Balla, the Hobbit took a little while to warm up but knows how to find the space and link up play. Don't expect him to win much contested ball however or pull Ablett like numbers in the midfield dream teamers.

Neale got a lot of the ball. Started quite a few centre bounces. Sprayed a few kicks but you would think he will be lining up round one.

Pitt played off half back, got quite a bit of the ball and was very clean. Liked his game.

Sandi was pretty dominant against a WAFL ruckman.

Mayne seems a lot more polished this season, with a couple of goals and overall clean possession.

Pavlich took a great grab in the second quarter, didn't get a heap of the ball in the three quarters he was on, but thats typical for him this time of year.

Barlow got quite a bit of the ball, nothing really stands out.

Muzungu had a fantastic second half and swung the momentum for the whites. Last quarter was in the middle for the bounces and had a real impact.

Clancee solid got a bit of the pill early.

Really really liked Schloithe, he's got a good size on him for his age. Reminds me so much of Chad Kornes.

Mellington was getting involved which was great, not always clean but got a couple of goals and making his presence in the forward line.

Lower was hard at it and solid.

Hill always so clean with the ball but just does not get enough of it.

Sorry guys but didn't notice much of Spurr.

Same with Sheridan.

Though Crozier did some good things.

Keplar having a crack and having some influence in the forward line.

Don't think much of Anthony. Never looks like winning from a contest. Doesn't get involved and just looks uncomfortable. His goal was from a soft free kick and his mark and behind early was from a mis-kick and he was fortunately in front of his man.

Dawson was sh^t, fumbled the ball and lost more contests than he won. I still hold the faith however.

Faulks is great at competing in defence and keeping his man accountable yet his disposal and decision making is worse than Gilmore.

Overall it was pretty good hit out. We will know more on how they are traveling next week.

I do feel we are missing some A-graders in the midfield however. Hope Mundy isn't out for too long and Morabito can come back strong.

Good to be back watching the footy.

3-4 weeks and he will be in full training, if an overheard conversation, between one of the staff blokes,who I later noticed in the dug-out, and an unknown senior citizen prior to the scratchie is to be believed.

 

[Arcassius]

Steve H was pacing up and down behind the stands - doing bog laps

Ended up standing behind me chatting with a punter for a while, but missed their conversation

 

[JunglistPosse]

Steve H was pacing up and down behind the stands - doing bog laps

Ended up standing behind me chatting with a punter for a while, but missed their conversation

Hmmm might of seen that as well..you didnt happen to be sitting in the last row of 106..checked business shirt??

 

[rgauci]

To continue where i finished off...

Pitt - has put on a bit of weight, still looks slight though. Still needs another 12 months to put on more weight. With everyone fit don't see him cracking the 22. He did pin point some passes which showed off his skill set.

Broughton - very quiet game, not sure he had the competitive juices flowing. Got a bit of the bill, played centre square once or twice and got a clearance. Mainly played in defence opposed to Mayne but not always.

Suban - solid without starring. Couple of good sidesteps in defence, looks broader in the chest and arms.

McPhee - very good mark, looked clean and calm in defence. Can see him as a permanent fixture in the backline.

Mzungu - really came into his own during the 2nd half. Was everywhere, fluffed a kick or two but generally i can see him part of the starting centre square quartet if we are desperate to win a clearance. Has quite quick hands which are clean.

Crowley - the tagger is back, is not moving like a slow dinosaur anymore. Don't see him getting dropped this year.

Anthony - was actually very similar to last preseason. He looked quite good in some of the preseason games last year. Then it all went a bit pear shaped in season. Wait and see.

Mellington - has put on size and developed endurance. Almost reckless in his attack, DeBoer-esque. With everyone fit and firing would be knocking on the door for a HF/FP spot.

Bradley - Thought he looked good. Presented well, good work ethic, good in traffic. Can see him teaming up with Pav and being a very handy 2nd key forward. Ahead of Anthony IMO.

Pavlich - played 3/4, was making long hard leads, took a big pack mark, in fact took several marks. Will be a force this year. Hopefully it wasn't injury that stopped him playing the 4th quarter. His kicking was a bit off, but its a scratchy.

Sandilands - didn't have much in the way of an opponent and played accordingly.

Hill - started very fumbly, don't recall a single clean possession in the 1st quarter, got better and better as the game wore on and was exceptional in some passages of play by the end.

Matt DeBoer - concrete fears him, played off a HFF and will be used as a marking target.

Crichton - actually a few good possessions which hit their targets, otherwise unsighted.

Duffield - still grabs his player and will leave himself open to multiple free's against. Otherwise the run and carry was back. Much more willing to take opponents on which was good.

Pearce - has slimmed down and ran fairly well, got close to kicking a long goal but it faded. Reasonable hit out without starring.


OVERALL
Thought the game started very scrappy, disappointed with the standard and felt we were in for a long year. By the time the 2nd half rolled on the players started finding their touch. Some amazing passages of play that reminded you of 2010 when we could transition the ball from defense to forward in 10 seconds without the ball hitting the ground. Top votes; Fyfe, Mzungu, Pavlich. Personally still think Balla does his best work; wing/hf/fp. Not sure he's ready for an on-ball role.

 

[strobe00]

My two bobs...

Tom Lee - best forward on the field. Kicked 3 from 3 or similar from set shots.

Crozier - seemed to find himself around the ball pretty often, and didn't seem overawed. Thought he was very effective and helped set up a couple of fwd 50 entries and goals. Think he may have kicked into the forward 50 to set Lee up for his first. Good signs. He's also really rather quick. Keep an eye on him as a smoky for a couple of games late in the season.

Sheridan - was moving around very well, very smooth runner. But didn't seem to find a lot of the ball. A couple of reasonable kicks mixed up with a couple of not so great disposals (hand and foot). Will certainly be making more of a contribution as his understanding of where to run picks up... and also proper-length games will help him use his fitness.

Crowley - I struggled to see what was happening at the clearances around the ground, but he seemed to get a heap of the ball. Kicked a couple of goals and helped set a few up as well. Had a good understanding with Sandi at the centre clearances also. Thought he was in the best few on the ground.

Fyfe - I struggled to pick out who was digging the ball out at stoppages but thought I spied a couple of occasions where he won it out. Looks to be picking up from last years performance as one of our best clearance players.

Mzungu - ran hard and did some good things with the ball... acting as a link man on a couple of occasions.

Suban - wasn't sure if he was drifting into the midfield in places, but he seemed to be around the ball a lot more. May be due to having a decent preseason under his belt. Went in after the ball well and managed to dig it out a couple of times I think.

Pav - a good pack mark (or two? can't remember exactly). A couple of good, long leads out to the wing and helped set up a couple of nice pieces of play from them.

Kep - fumbled a couple of marks but was really busy in the forward line and around the ground. For a 199cm bloke he actually gets down and around after the ball really well. Didn't do a heap of stuff that stood out, but seemed to find his way to dangerous spots a couple of times.

McPhee - played as a KPD. Took a few really good marks in defense and did a good job of locking down his man and killing the ball when it spilled free. Pretty solid disposal by foot as well from memory. Good sign for mine that his marking and kicking are already on track.

JA - kicked a goal and helped out in passages of play to set a couple up. Apart from Tom Lee there weren't really any KPFs that seemed to stand out. Pav took a good mark or two and helped set up the play with leads. All in all I reckon Kep and JA both contributed, with JA doing more in scoring/assists and Kep doing more around the ground. Will reiterate what others have said... his field kicking is absolutely bang on. I still really like the idea of him playing as a rebounding third tall defender. Will be interesting to see if he gets his chance with Dawson's arrival. Would be a shame if he were to go elsewhere as Luke isn't a spring chicken any more, and I only see one of Dawson or Faulks being in the same defense at the same time.

Hill - spent quite a bit of time in and around the centre. Didn't see him manage too many clearances, but he was involved in some quick movement by hands and with run to get it away from the clearances as a receiver. Involved with some good passages of play... run and carry, and good disposal by foot. Has obviously beefed up across the shoulders over the pre-season.

Lower - went OK in parts in an in and under mid-type role from what I could tell. Didn't get a heap of it. Hopefully will get more of a chance this season.

Sandi - dominated as you'd expect, opposed to a young bloke (name?) that was a good 4 or 5 inches shorter. Some very good taps to Crowley and Mz in the second half... especially later on when white began to dominate the centre clearances.

Duffield - great disposal by foot... didn't see him miss a target. And he won a couple of body-on-body marking contests. Good signs.

Faulks - took a few very good marks in defense, but his kicking let him down on a few occasions. Seems unlikely to me that we'll ever be playing him and Dawson in the same team as neither have much confidence in their kicking.

Dawson - was actually pretty average tonight. Tom Lee made him look like an average WAFL player on a few occasions. Will improve after the nerves settle a bit, and he's settled into understanding his role and the guys around him in defense. Probably used to a very structured/help-out type defense at the Saints. Won't get as much of that here.

Barlow - moves deceptively smoothly for someone that runs like a duck. Some great, quick hands on a number of occasions to extract the ball from clearances. Worked well with Fyfe, who might be joining him on the ball for chunks of the season while Mundy is in recovery. Good run-and-spread, but didn't dominate the possession like we've seen in the full games. Another that will benefit from longer games where his running, fitness and game reading shift him that extra notch or two above the guys around him.

Neale - some great signs. Was opposed to Frodo/Balla for a bit of the night, and didn't seem at all overawed in the centre. Some clever work around goal to help set one up. Quick hands and quick feet. Samoan-sized legs on a hobbit sized body. Reckon he'll get his chance early in the season. Great lateral movement.

Mello - have said it before and will say it again, this is his year. The odd brain snap here and there. Gave away a goal holding the man after the mark. But is an absolute beast. The words "white line fever" were made for this kid. Did a couple of silly things, but a lot of really good ones... scored a couple of goals and was involved in another couple. Tons and tons of aggression. Also pretty creative in a few passages of play with his running, voice and use of the body. He's my pick for Balla's replacement as a stay at home forward pocket. Deserves the spot I reckon. Time will tell though.

JVB - a couple of good marks in defense, but a mixed bag with his kicking out of defense on the rebound. A couple of good ones, and a couple of fairly average ones.

Pitt - good use of the ball, and managed to find it on a few occasions. Good long kick out to Pav out on the wing on one occasion. Ran to provide an option and showed decent hands in a few contested situations to help work the ball out. Needs to take some angry pills... as I think he's still a bit intimidated/lacking confidence in body on body or head-to-head contested situations. Will get better with time and kilos.

Clancee - got a lot of the ball early, but seemed to drift out of it after the first quarter or so.

Crichton - showed good, quick hands on a few occasions and good disposal by foot. Didn't get much of the ball, but was pretty good with it on the occasions that he did. Lost his man at stoppages a couple of times.

MJ - was beaten a couple of times in defense, but good, solid decision making and kicking out of defense and from kick-ins. He and McPhee both looked good as options as 3rd tall defenders (despite the fact that they were both playing as KPFs in the scratchie).

Balla - great to watch, and showed some great evasion in traffic to set up a couple of forward entries. Looks like he may take a little while to settle into the midfield, but showed some good signs. Definitely adds something different to the mix in the midfield, but am sure he'll end up at HFF or FP as well. Creative and exciting with the ball in hand. Didn't get heaps of it, but did things with it when he did. Will win more of the ball as he learns the trade.

Spurr - good disposal and decision making. Didn't see him with a heap of the ball, but reminds me a lot of Broughton. Even looks a bit like him and Suban out on the field.

Schloithe - very quick mover. Also a surprisingly solid/wide build for a kid. Showed willingness to take guys on on a few occasions, but let himself down in a couple with sloppy handballs. Will improve as his nerves settle down and confidence picks up. Good to see him backing his instincts and giving it a go.

May have missed a few, but it's already an essay. Thought I saw Fyfey playing around with his left leg a bit at three quarter time. Maybe a cramp or a knock. Roll on the NAB cup eh?

 

[Arcassius]

Hmmm might of seen that as well..you didnt happen to be sitting in the last row of 106..checked business shirt??

I was in the last row of 106 or 107 - wasn't paying much attention at the time where I ended up. Last chair of the row towards the city end - white business shirt.

 

[Lord Rod]

Cheers for all the reports people.

 

[Tommo]

This absolutely shits me with Telstra.

Currently I'm laying in bed with Bigfooty on the iPhone happily browsing away and Fremantle post a video on the website.
But because Telstra have a deal with the AFL, the clubs are forced to upload there content on the website to the absolute **** of a site that I can't view videos on the safari browser. They want me to get out of bed and log onto the Freo website to view the video so I can be subjected to all the Telstra adds/marketing around the page. What w*^%#^*ers!!

Advertising like this is just ridiculous. I get annoyed every time I have to go to an AFL/team website and see content from Freo that are probably contractually forced to post media in this way. It's why you will never see this stuff posted on YouTube for a few hours as they can flog Telstra crap in your face, when you only want to see something about your club!!! Argghhh.

/end rant

P.S. Go Optus!!!

Hey mate they post all the Docker TV videos on their Youtube channel for iPhone friendly viewing.

 

[johnnomac]

Saw the other Zac (Clarke) in the Youtube clip running out onto the ground. Can't see that anyone has commented on his game.

 

[rgauci]

Saw the other Zac (Clarke) in the Youtube clip running out onto the ground. Can't see that anyone has commented on his game.

Started quietly up forward. Eventually got put in the ruck, took a mark in the backline and didn't hear the ref call play on because he stepped sideways. Mellington did, ran from 10m behind him and put a bone crunching tackle on him.

After that point he complained of pain in the high calf or behind his knee and it was eventually iced.

 

[johnnomac]

Started quietly up forward. Eventually got put in the ruck, took a mark in the backline and didn't hear the ref call play on because he stepped sideways. Mellington did, ran from 10m behind him and put a bone crunching tackle on him.

After that point he complained of pain in the high calf or behind his knee and it was eventually iced.

Cheers - thanks for that rgauci.

 

[Kickett Punches Read]

$300grand for 3 years is nothing now is it? I think he'll be ok value this year, we definitely overpaid though.

Don't know why, maybe it is the tone of the way people type but none of this thread has filled me with any confidence Might be another very long year

As for Dawson's pay, 300k is league average. That isn't paying over the odds

 

[BananaOnTheRun]

Don't know why, maybe it is the tone of the way people type but none of this thread has filled me with any confidence Might be another very long year

As for Dawson's pay, 300k is league average. That isn't paying over the odds

It's a scratch match, KPR. Hold off on selling the block until it's had a proper valuation against real opposition.

 

[eastfreo75]

Don't know why, maybe it is the tone of the way people type but none of this thread has filled me with any confidence Might be another very long year

As for Dawson's pay, 300k is league average. That isn't paying over the odds

spot. Take out first and two year players, Dawson's wage is average. People need to understand $300000 in AFL is not the same in the real world.

 

[Seppo]

Hey mate they post all the Docker TV videos on their Youtube channel for iPhone friendly viewing.

I know that already, but the only do that half an hour to an hour later. I paid particular attention to this for the whole of last year. It just annoys me the that the club has to run its media like this.

 

[Bad Brain]

Stand outs for me.

Mzungu - Looks to be back to the form that saw him dominate last preseaon. Was everywhere and looked classy.

Hill - Definitely has the reciever role but won his own ball at times too and laid some nice tackles. Got a fair bit of it and his kicking was superb. Very exciting stuff.

Fyfe - Just brilliant in the first half. Hasn't lost anything in his limited pre-season.

Neale - Has a real knack for roving the ball off contensts. A natural inside mid but could also be used as the small forward.

Clancee - Looked great. Taking the game on with confidence and delivered plenty of suban-esque accurate long kicks. Hardly a wasted spot on our list.

Suban - So great seeing him out there. Provided excellent run off half back. The contest when he ran through a pack of purple's was brilliant. I don't think he was playing for a free either. He just saw there weren't any good options, so backed his strength to break through. He did it too and handed the ball off to a loose teammate created by the contest before the ref awarded him a free for high contact.

Anthony - I had a chuckle when I saw him giving Pav some rather animated directions as they came on for the second quarter. Looked good on the lead and and is a great kick.I have him ahead of Keps.

Dawson - A stand out but not in a good way. Dropped marks. Didn't spoil shit. Offered zero deffensive pressure. It's like he's been watching "The Secret" and is relying on positive thinking to ensure the ball doesn't come down his way. I'd rather have Grover as the third tall any day of the week. Even if he has done a hammy.

Game plan - It's hard to judge from a praccie - but it looked like Ballas isn't the only player being re-invented as a midfielder. The super flood had all players from both teams playing on-ball.

Bring on the NAB Cup.

 

[M00SE]

I took a bunch of photos from the game yesterday. Can try an post some if anyone is keen on having a look? If so would this be the best place for em or is there a photo section somewhere?

 

[JunglistPosse]

I was in the last row of 106 or 107 - wasn't paying much attention at the time where I ended up. Last chair of the row towards the city end - white business shirt.

Ha i was only a couple of seats away fom you in 105. Would have said hi if had known.

 

[Harry Reems]

Just lastly from me, good crowd for a scratch match and they clapped and applauded the players as if it was a real game, especially at the end of the match. I was sitting next to the coaches' race and the people sitting either side of the race totally ignored Peter Sumich and Ross Lyon when they walked between the ground and the coaches box. In fact you could hear a pin drop as they went past.

Anyone else sitting in that vicinity notice this?

At least nobody booed or threw things I suppose.

 

[jedi mind tricks]

I took a bunch of photos from the game yesterday. Can try an post some if anyone is keen on having a look? If so would this be the best place for em or is there a photo section somewhere?

If you upload them to photobucket and then copy their url address and past it to insert image on here it should work.

Hope that was what you are asking.

 

[M00SE]

 

[M00SE]