On paper this game promised lots. I expected DeBoer and Crozier to play like a couple of fringe players desperate to get into the first 22 just as Mzungu did against SF a couple of weeks back. Peel beat the Tigers about 4 weeks ago but the Tigers haven't lost a game since, still I fully expected Peel to take it up to them and I was quietly confident of a win on a beautiful day for footy.
I thought DeBoer was serviceable but Peel desperately needed some quality thru the midfield and although DeBoer found plenty of the ball it didn't result in scoreboard impact. In the first qtr he chose a dangerous option by foot in the middle of the ground but the kick was poor and resulted in a turnover and goal to the Tiges. It set the tone for the rest of the day.
Crozier looked out of sorts, he found the footy but didn't provide the dash and excitement along the wings that he normally does.
Griff was good in the ruck, although Darcy Cameron impressed again. Griff could have impacted the game more if he held some of his contested marks.
Hannath was average, I thought both Claremont rucks were better than him, he's another one who would have made a greater contribution if he held more marks, particularly inside the F50.
Moller was ok by his standards up forward but in the one on one marking contests he reminded me of that game a few years back when Glass gave Zac Clarke a lesson in contested marking.
Hughes was quite good, he certainly tried hard and attacked the ball strongly. Hughes has proven he has the attributes to make it but I really think that he now has to show that he can shut down a player. Often he finds plenty of the ball but so does his direct opponent, he started on a wing today before going back. Same could be said for Grey, he attacks the ball with desperation but is that enough? He needs to find another string to his bow, he too needs to prove that he can take a player like Bradshaw out of the game. In one instance inside the F50 he attacked a marking contest with his usual vigour but punched the ball out of bounds, he should really have taken the mark.
I don't know what to make of Tanner, in some contests he's very strong but then a moment later he can give up an easy chest mark to an opponent. He's one who doesn't seem to be making much progress with his game.
Duffy just doesn't do enough of anything in my view, he's slow to make decisions, doesn't impact the scoreboard anywhere near enough and doesn't provide the forward pressure of a Sonny or Ballas. I don't often use the expression but I thought he was Meh today.
Ballard did his usual thing and was one of Peel's better players. His game never reaches any great heights but I've never seen him play poorly either.
Hurley was crap today, his petulance after having a free given against him in the last qtr resulted in a 50m penalty and that's not the first time he's done it. He gave up a soft free kick to Kep by pulling his arm in a marking contest about 10m out from goal but he was particularly good in one 1 on 1 marking contest that I recall.
Blakely had a very quiet day but I think we can forgive him for this one, he has been trending upwards all year and we can expect the younger guys to have the occasional blip. He still managed to display his usual class with ball in hand on a couple of instances.
Weller played on the HB line which was something different for him. He was exceptional in traffic and disposed of the ball nicely. He tried hard all day and was the best of the Freo guys IMO.
Langdon also tried hard all day and though not quite as classy as Weller is still a very good player. He had a running shot on goal from 55m out from the boundary and the ball bounced about 1m from the goal line but it came back into play and was swept away.
Dawson looked very scratchy and will be better for the run. TV was mostly unsighted.