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2nds Peel Thunder 2019

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freo1997 said:
I was just curious of his efficiency and work rate from someone at the game.

He’s expected to carry the ruck load for an AFL team pretty much now..yes he’s young, but he’s been fast tracked with games been pumped into him. I hope and expect him to dominate in all facets.
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Sorry, I am obviously not there and don't have stats, but isn't he playing against Strnadica who is "holding his own"?
 

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So Peel won then?

Good effort it seems with early injury and playing too many talks.

For those at the match..full report on my desk by 7 please.
 
Blair Bell still very good at WAFL level ?
 

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Today was bloody freezing at Mandurah, the game never really reached any great heights, but the result made it worth the effort. Peel were marginally better this week than they were last week, but there is still very little evidence of any game style, rather just the sheer fitness and work of the AFL listed guys wore them down in the end. It was funny reading the speculation on BF from people obviously reading stats or maybe listening to the radio, but a lot of it bore very little resemblance to what was actually happening on the ground.

Unlike most weeks, the breeze was not a real factor, and scoring was possible at both ends - although as always the northern end was the "scoring end" just not by much. It was just that East Freo jumped them in the first quarter with speed and teamwork, then Peel spent the rest of the game gradually grinding them down.

I saw a lot of talk about injuries. From what I could see the only injury was Sam Sturt. He cam off after what appeared to be a head clash, and while he walked off the East Freo guy was stretchered off. Ballas played very limited minutes, obviously being managed back in and didn't really influence the game. He did kick one great snap goal, but also gave away a couple of free kicks due to poor disciple. They were targeting and niggling him and he reacted. The umpires were watching him like a hawk of course!

Thee was a point in the third quarter where I was almost tempted to leave, because it genuinely felt as if the Peel guys just weren't interested. East Freo were playing for each other and we seemed to be playing for ourselves, and the body language at times was really poor. Anyway, I persevered and the last quarter was a lot better. It was a see-sawing affair until Scott Jones marked in front (one of VERY few marks he took) then laid it off for Banfield to goal. That put us 2 goals in front and was enough for the win.

Of the Peel guys, Blair Bell was clearly the best, with some strong marks and 5 goals. Jackson Merritt was very tough in the trying conditions and Jordan Bollineau did some nice things. I hate to bag any of our players out, but Gerald Ugle is really becoming a liability. We talk about second efforts, but at times he can't even find a first effort. In those conditions he should have had a field day because the ball lived on the deck, but he looked really lazy and disinterested and 4 touches for the day is really poor. I'd rather give a kid like Ryan Bennell a go - he was terrific in the reserves and his effort and commitment put Ugle to shame.

As was said when the team was announced we went in way too tall, particularly with the conditions expected to be wet and slippery. It seemed as if they were playing Meek at full-back and he was a liability back there. As soon as the ball hit the deck he was useless and his man ran off him all day. Not a criticism of Lloyd, more a criticism of the decision to play a 203cm ruckman at full-back on a wet day. Jones was his usual self - very slow and dropped a lot of contested mark, but that was partly the conditions I guess. Don't want to write any of these guys off just yet, but geez it would be nice if they started to just impose themselves physically on the contest. Meek really suits his name with the way he play and while Jones tries to be physical, he just isn't quick enough to get to most contests. Darcy was clearly the best big man on the ground and gave armchair service to our mids. Strnadica competed well early, but as was the case when he was at Peel, he just isn't fit enough to run the whole game out. Darcy owned him after the first quarter, although he probably broke even when Jones was in the ruck. Overall it was a pretty good effort to win with Darcy, Meek, Jones and Dixon all on the park.

I'll go through my recollections of the Fremantle guys, again not interested in justifying my opinions, I'm just one guy giving a personal opinion.

Sean Darcy - still not 100% fit, but certainly better than last week. I have covered him off above, but he is developing into a really good tap ruckman and he got around the ground pretty well. Still has a mattress strapped to his calf, so maybe still troubling him a little.

Scott Jones - not suited to the conditions but tried all day. Did not have an influence until he took the match winning grab. Absolute break glass in emergency depth only and although he is only 23 unfortunately I don't think he has a lot of upside.

Lloyd Meek - he is the biggest disappointment of the ruck for me at this stage. I keep telling myself that at 21 he is still very young for a ruckman, but he just doesn't seem to "get it" as a footballer. Regularly out of position and very easily knocked off the line for a 110kg guy. Probably worth persevering for a bit, but I'm just not sure how playing him as a tall defender is going to help in his development as a ruckman. Ah well, what do I know?

Hugh Dixon - very forgettable game for Hugh. No marks, no goals and no influence on the game at all. Good kid, but just had a stinker today.

Ballas - game time was heavily managed and he didn't do a lot, hard to say much about it at all.

Luke Valente - nowhere near as influential as he was last week. Still looks a great prospect, but did his chances of a call up no favours today.

Sam Sturt - came off in the second quarter heavily concussed. This is the third time I have seen him taken off injured in four games, and people calling for him to play at AFL level are seriously kidding themselves. He is not physically ready to mix it with adult bodies at the highest level, and he needs time in the gym to get right. Some of the same people calling for him to play now are the same people who bag our S&C guys for not keeping our guys on the park. If you saw how courageous this kid is and how knocked about he gets at WAFL level you'd understand that sometimes it's best to take the longer term view. He will be an absolute ripper, but just not yet.

Bailey Banfield - worked really hard all day, and one of the best on ground. Still made a lot of skill errors, but conditions were difficult. I'd leave him at Peel a couple more weeks at least to gain confidence - he improved 100% from last week, make him work really hard to get back in. Then he'll fight to keep his spot.

Brett Bewley - best on ground for mine. Ran hard, tackled all day and had a lot of the ball. He is a penetrating left footer and hits targets at distance, something that is really becoming a necessity as teams set up defensive zones. You either need to run the ball through a zone or kick over the zone - we are not skilled enough to "pick our way through" with short kicks or handballs. Bewley's best game and I think he would have impressed the coaching staff.

Lachie Schultz - got a lot of it, but again was let down by his disposal. Butchered quite a few possessions, and again missed a set shot from 20 metres dead in front - an absolute spirit crusher. On the positive side, he tackled really well and chased hard and pressured, but as a small forward you just have to be able to kick straight. Sam Switkowski has him covered in all areas of the game.

Tom North - solid game with 27 touches. He was very good in traffic and seemed to be able to get himself into the clear. Also used the ball quite well considering the conditions. Probably not far away from a call up to the firsts.

Stefan Giro - not a great day for the little guy. Did run hard, but he is a small body and today was the day for bigger bodies. Not a terrible day, just not great.

Tobe Watson - best defender by a long way today. I think in some ways having Meek back there freed him up a bit and he beat his man comprehensively. Has a lot of Zac Dawson about him in the way he closes down space and always seems to be able to get a fist in. rarely beaten in a one on one today and showed real dash out of the backline. I have a feeling we have got a good one on our hands.

Jason Carter - did some nice things, and nearly took the mark of the year at one point. Only problem is he didn't mark it and his man just ran off and they got a goal. But he has a crack, has genuine speed and good skills, just needs more time to learn his trade. Another jet for the future, can see him as an elusive running half back in the Roger Hayden mould in the future.

Ryan Nyhuis - solid without being his best game. He always looks neat and balanced, just didn't get a lot of it today - maybe he was told just to play as a lock-down while guys like Carter and Watson were given a bit more licence. I like Nyhuis and think he is good solid depth for the back line without ever being in danger of having to turn down an AA nomination.

Overall it was a step up from last week's effort and most of the guys were solid to good - just not the big guys as you would expect given the conditions.

Listened to the radio on the way home and couldn't wipe the smile off my face as the Eagles came back to earth with a thud. We have a family lunch on Sunday which will be SO much more enjoyable as nobody will want to talk about the footy :)
 
Cesoir said:
Today was bloody freezing at Mandurah, the game never really reached any great heights, but the result made it worth the effort. Peel were marginally better this week than they were last week, but there is still very little evidence of any game style, rather just the sheer fitness and work of the AFL listed guys wore them down in the end. It was funny reading the speculation on BF from people obviously reading stats or maybe listening to the radio, but a lot of it bore very little resemblance to what was actually happening on the ground.

Unlike most weeks, the breeze was not a real factor, and scoring was possible at both ends - although as always the northern end was the "scoring end" just not by much. It was just that East Freo jumped them in the first quarter with speed and teamwork, then Peel spent the rest of the game gradually grinding them down.

I saw a lot of talk about injuries. From what I could see the only injury was Sam Sturt. He cam off after what appeared to be a head clash, and while he walked off the East Freo guy was stretchered off. Ballas played very limited minutes, obviously being managed back in and didn't really influence the game. He did kick one great snap goal, but also gave away a couple of free kicks due to poor disciple. They were targeting and niggling him and he reacted. The umpires were watching him like a hawk of course!

Thee was a point in the third quarter where I was almost tempted to leave, because it genuinely felt as if the Peel guys just weren't interested. East Freo were playing for each other and we seemed to be playing for ourselves, and the body language at times was really poor. Anyway, I persevered and the last quarter was a lot better. It was a see-sawing affair until Scott Jones marked in front (one of VERY few marks he took) then laid it off for Banfield to goal. That put us 2 goals in front and was enough for the win.

Of the Peel guys, Blair Bell was clearly the best, with some strong marks and 5 goals. Jackson Merritt was very tough in the trying conditions and Jordan Bollineau did some nice things. I hate to bag any of our players out, but Gerald Ugle is really becoming a liability. We talk about second efforts, but at times he can't even find a first effort. In those conditions he should have had a field day because the ball lived on the deck, but he looked really lazy and disinterested and 4 touches for the day is really poor. I'd rather give a kid like Ryan Bennell a go - he was terrific in the reserves and his effort and commitment put Ugle to shame.

As was said when the team was announced we went in way too tall, particularly with the conditions expected to be wet and slippery. It seemed as if they were playing Meek at full-back and he was a liability back there. As soon as the ball hit the deck he was useless and his man ran off him all day. Not a criticism of Lloyd, more a criticism of the decision to play a 203cm ruckman at full-back on a wet day. Jones was his usual self - very slow and dropped a lot of contested mark, but that was partly the conditions I guess. Don't want to write any of these guys off just yet, but geez it would be nice if they started to just impose themselves physically on the contest. Meek really suits his name with the way he play and while Jones tries to be physical, he just isn't quick enough to get to most contests. Darcy was clearly the best big man on the ground and gave armchair service to our mids. Strnadica competed well early, but as was the case when he was at Peel, he just isn't fit enough to run the whole game out. Darcy owned him after the first quarter, although he probably broke even when Jones was in the ruck. Overall it was a pretty good effort to win with Darcy, Meek, Jones and Dixon all on the park.

I'll go through my recollections of the Fremantle guys, again not interested in justifying my opinions, I'm just one guy giving a personal opinion.

Sean Darcy - still not 100% fit, but certainly better than last week. I have covered him off above, but he is developing into a really good tap ruckman and he got around the ground pretty well. Still has a mattress strapped to his calf, so maybe still troubling him a little.

Scott Jones - not suited to the conditions but tried all day. Did not have an influence until he took the match winning grab. Absolute break glass in emergency depth only and although he is only 23 unfortunately I don't think he has a lot of upside.

Lloyd Meek - he is the biggest disappointment of the ruck for me at this stage. I keep telling myself that at 21 he is still very young for a ruckman, but he just doesn't seem to "get it" as a footballer. Regularly out of position and very easily knocked off the line for a 110kg guy. Probably worth persevering for a bit, but I'm just not sure how playing him as a tall defender is going to help in his development as a ruckman. Ah well, what do I know?

Hugh Dixon - very forgettable game for Hugh. No marks, no goals and no influence on the game at all. Good kid, but just had a stinker today.

Ballas - game time was heavily managed and he didn't do a lot, hard to say much about it at all.

Luke Valente - nowhere near as influential as he was last week. Still looks a great prospect, but did his chances of a call up no favours today.

Sam Sturt - came off in the second quarter heavily concussed. This is the third time I have seen him taken off injured in four games, and people calling for him to play at AFL level are seriously kidding themselves. He is not physically ready to mix it with adult bodies at the highest level, and he needs time in the gym to get right. Some of the same people calling for him to play now are the same people who bag our S&C guys for not keeping our guys on the park. If you saw how courageous this kid is and how knocked about he gets at WAFL level you'd understand that sometimes it's best to take the longer term view. He will be an absolute ripper, but just not yet.

Bailey Banfield - worked really hard all day, and one of the best on ground. Still made a lot of skill errors, but conditions were difficult. I'd leave him at Peel a couple more weeks at least to gain confidence - he improved 100% from last week, make him work really hard to get back in. Then he'll fight to keep his spot.

Brett Bewley - best on ground for mine. Ran hard, tackled all day and had a lot of the ball. He is a penetrating left footer and hits targets at distance, something that is really becoming a necessity as teams set up defensive zones. You either need to run the ball through a zone or kick over the zone - we are not skilled enough to "pick our way through" with short kicks or handballs. Bewley's best game and I think he would have impressed the coaching staff.

Lachie Schultz - got a lot of it, but again was let down by his disposal. Butchered quite a few possessions, and again missed a set shot from 20 metres dead in front - an absolute spirit crusher. On the positive side, he tackled really well and chased hard and pressured, but as a small forward you just have to be able to kick straight. Sam Switkowski has him covered in all areas of the game.

Tom North - solid game with 27 touches. He was very good in traffic and seemed to be able to get himself into the clear. Also used the ball quite well considering the conditions. Probably not far away from a call up to the firsts.

Stefan Giro - not a great day for the little guy. Did run hard, but he is a small body and today was the day for bigger bodies. Not a terrible day, just not great.

Tobe Watson - best defender by a long way today. I think in some ways having Meek back there freed him up a bit and he beat his man comprehensively. Has a lot of Zac Dawson about him in the way he closes down space and always seems to be able to get a fist in. rarely beaten in a one on one today and showed real dash out of the backline. I have a feeling we have got a good one on our hands.

Jason Carter - did some nice things, and nearly took the mark of the year at one point. Only problem is he didn't mark it and his man just ran off and they got a goal. But he has a crack, has genuine speed and good skills, just needs more time to learn his trade. Another jet for the future, can see him as an elusive running half back in the Roger Hayden mould in the future.

Ryan Nyhuis - solid without being his best game. He always looks neat and balanced, just didn't get a lot of it today - maybe he was told just to play as a lock-down while guys like Carter and Watson were given a bit more licence. I like Nyhuis and think he is good solid depth for the back line without ever being in danger of having to turn down an AA nomination.

Overall it was a step up from last week's effort and most of the guys were solid to good - just not the big guys as you would expect given the conditions.

Listened to the radio on the way home and couldn't wipe the smile off my face as the Eagles came back to earth with a thud. We have a family lunch on Sunday which will be SO much more enjoyable as nobody will want to talk about the footy :)
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Really appreciate the full write up.

Legend :thumbsu:
 

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If sturt is getting knocked around to much should we send him to the uni league where their all under 22, plus As is a pretty high standard.
 
Cesoir said:
Today was bloody freezing at Mandurah, the game never really reached any great heights, but the result made it worth the effort. Peel were marginally better this week than they were last week, but there is still very little evidence of any game style, rather just the sheer fitness and work of the AFL listed guys wore them down in the end. It was funny reading the speculation on BF from people obviously reading stats or maybe listening to the radio, but a lot of it bore very little resemblance to what was actually happening on the ground.

Unlike most weeks, the breeze was not a real factor, and scoring was possible at both ends - although as always the northern end was the "scoring end" just not by much. It was just that East Freo jumped them in the first quarter with speed and teamwork, then Peel spent the rest of the game gradually grinding them down.

I saw a lot of talk about injuries. From what I could see the only injury was Sam Sturt. He cam off after what appeared to be a head clash, and while he walked off the East Freo guy was stretchered off. Ballas played very limited minutes, obviously being managed back in and didn't really influence the game. He did kick one great snap goal, but also gave away a couple of free kicks due to poor disciple. They were targeting and niggling him and he reacted. The umpires were watching him like a hawk of course!

Thee was a point in the third quarter where I was almost tempted to leave, because it genuinely felt as if the Peel guys just weren't interested. East Freo were playing for each other and we seemed to be playing for ourselves, and the body language at times was really poor. Anyway, I persevered and the last quarter was a lot better. It was a see-sawing affair until Scott Jones marked in front (one of VERY few marks he took) then laid it off for Banfield to goal. That put us 2 goals in front and was enough for the win.

Of the Peel guys, Blair Bell was clearly the best, with some strong marks and 5 goals. Jackson Merritt was very tough in the trying conditions and Jordan Bollineau did some nice things. I hate to bag any of our players out, but Gerald Ugle is really becoming a liability. We talk about second efforts, but at times he can't even find a first effort. In those conditions he should have had a field day because the ball lived on the deck, but he looked really lazy and disinterested and 4 touches for the day is really poor. I'd rather give a kid like Ryan Bennell a go - he was terrific in the reserves and his effort and commitment put Ugle to shame.

As was said when the team was announced we went in way too tall, particularly with the conditions expected to be wet and slippery. It seemed as if they were playing Meek at full-back and he was a liability back there. As soon as the ball hit the deck he was useless and his man ran off him all day. Not a criticism of Lloyd, more a criticism of the decision to play a 203cm ruckman at full-back on a wet day. Jones was his usual self - very slow and dropped a lot of contested mark, but that was partly the conditions I guess. Don't want to write any of these guys off just yet, but geez it would be nice if they started to just impose themselves physically on the contest. Meek really suits his name with the way he play and while Jones tries to be physical, he just isn't quick enough to get to most contests. Darcy was clearly the best big man on the ground and gave armchair service to our mids. Strnadica competed well early, but as was the case when he was at Peel, he just isn't fit enough to run the whole game out. Darcy owned him after the first quarter, although he probably broke even when Jones was in the ruck. Overall it was a pretty good effort to win with Darcy, Meek, Jones and Dixon all on the park.

I'll go through my recollections of the Fremantle guys, again not interested in justifying my opinions, I'm just one guy giving a personal opinion.

Sean Darcy - still not 100% fit, but certainly better than last week. I have covered him off above, but he is developing into a really good tap ruckman and he got around the ground pretty well. Still has a mattress strapped to his calf, so maybe still troubling him a little.

Scott Jones - not suited to the conditions but tried all day. Did not have an influence until he took the match winning grab. Absolute break glass in emergency depth only and although he is only 23 unfortunately I don't think he has a lot of upside.

Lloyd Meek - he is the biggest disappointment of the ruck for me at this stage. I keep telling myself that at 21 he is still very young for a ruckman, but he just doesn't seem to "get it" as a footballer. Regularly out of position and very easily knocked off the line for a 110kg guy. Probably worth persevering for a bit, but I'm just not sure how playing him as a tall defender is going to help in his development as a ruckman. Ah well, what do I know?

Hugh Dixon - very forgettable game for Hugh. No marks, no goals and no influence on the game at all. Good kid, but just had a stinker today.

Ballas - game time was heavily managed and he didn't do a lot, hard to say much about it at all.

Luke Valente - nowhere near as influential as he was last week. Still looks a great prospect, but did his chances of a call up no favours today.

Sam Sturt - came off in the second quarter heavily concussed. This is the third time I have seen him taken off injured in four games, and people calling for him to play at AFL level are seriously kidding themselves. He is not physically ready to mix it with adult bodies at the highest level, and he needs time in the gym to get right. Some of the same people calling for him to play now are the same people who bag our S&C guys for not keeping our guys on the park. If you saw how courageous this kid is and how knocked about he gets at WAFL level you'd understand that sometimes it's best to take the longer term view. He will be an absolute ripper, but just not yet.

Bailey Banfield - worked really hard all day, and one of the best on ground. Still made a lot of skill errors, but conditions were difficult. I'd leave him at Peel a couple more weeks at least to gain confidence - he improved 100% from last week, make him work really hard to get back in. Then he'll fight to keep his spot.

Brett Bewley - best on ground for mine. Ran hard, tackled all day and had a lot of the ball. He is a penetrating left footer and hits targets at distance, something that is really becoming a necessity as teams set up defensive zones. You either need to run the ball through a zone or kick over the zone - we are not skilled enough to "pick our way through" with short kicks or handballs. Bewley's best game and I think he would have impressed the coaching staff.

Lachie Schultz - got a lot of it, but again was let down by his disposal. Butchered quite a few possessions, and again missed a set shot from 20 metres dead in front - an absolute spirit crusher. On the positive side, he tackled really well and chased hard and pressured, but as a small forward you just have to be able to kick straight. Sam Switkowski has him covered in all areas of the game.

Tom North - solid game with 27 touches. He was very good in traffic and seemed to be able to get himself into the clear. Also used the ball quite well considering the conditions. Probably not far away from a call up to the firsts.

Stefan Giro - not a great day for the little guy. Did run hard, but he is a small body and today was the day for bigger bodies. Not a terrible day, just not great.

Tobe Watson - best defender by a long way today. I think in some ways having Meek back there freed him up a bit and he beat his man comprehensively. Has a lot of Zac Dawson about him in the way he closes down space and always seems to be able to get a fist in. rarely beaten in a one on one today and showed real dash out of the backline. I have a feeling we have got a good one on our hands.

Jason Carter - did some nice things, and nearly took the mark of the year at one point. Only problem is he didn't mark it and his man just ran off and they got a goal. But he has a crack, has genuine speed and good skills, just needs more time to learn his trade. Another jet for the future, can see him as an elusive running half back in the Roger Hayden mould in the future.

Ryan Nyhuis - solid without being his best game. He always looks neat and balanced, just didn't get a lot of it today - maybe he was told just to play as a lock-down while guys like Carter and Watson were given a bit more licence. I like Nyhuis and think he is good solid depth for the back line without ever being in danger of having to turn down an AA nomination.

Overall it was a step up from last week's effort and most of the guys were solid to good - just not the big guys as you would expect given the conditions.

Listened to the radio on the way home and couldn't wipe the smile off my face as the Eagles came back to earth with a thud. We have a family lunch on Sunday which will be SO much more enjoyable as nobody will want to talk about the footy :)
Click to expand...

Very strong write up.
 
Cesoir said:
Today was bloody freezing at Mandurah, the game never really reached any great heights, but the result made it worth the effort. Peel were marginally better this week than they were last week, but there is still very little evidence of any game style, rather just the sheer fitness and work of the AFL listed guys wore them down in the end. It was funny reading the speculation on BF from people obviously reading stats or maybe listening to the radio, but a lot of it bore very little resemblance to what was actually happening on the ground.

Unlike most weeks, the breeze was not a real factor, and scoring was possible at both ends - although as always the northern end was the "scoring end" just not by much. It was just that East Freo jumped them in the first quarter with speed and teamwork, then Peel spent the rest of the game gradually grinding them down.

I saw a lot of talk about injuries. From what I could see the only injury was Sam Sturt. He cam off after what appeared to be a head clash, and while he walked off the East Freo guy was stretchered off. Ballas played very limited minutes, obviously being managed back in and didn't really influence the game. He did kick one great snap goal, but also gave away a couple of free kicks due to poor disciple. They were targeting and niggling him and he reacted. The umpires were watching him like a hawk of course!

Thee was a point in the third quarter where I was almost tempted to leave, because it genuinely felt as if the Peel guys just weren't interested. East Freo were playing for each other and we seemed to be playing for ourselves, and the body language at times was really poor. Anyway, I persevered and the last quarter was a lot better. It was a see-sawing affair until Scott Jones marked in front (one of VERY few marks he took) then laid it off for Banfield to goal. That put us 2 goals in front and was enough for the win.

Of the Peel guys, Blair Bell was clearly the best, with some strong marks and 5 goals. Jackson Merritt was very tough in the trying conditions and Jordan Bollineau did some nice things. I hate to bag any of our players out, but Gerald Ugle is really becoming a liability. We talk about second efforts, but at times he can't even find a first effort. In those conditions he should have had a field day because the ball lived on the deck, but he looked really lazy and disinterested and 4 touches for the day is really poor. I'd rather give a kid like Ryan Bennell a go - he was terrific in the reserves and his effort and commitment put Ugle to shame.

As was said when the team was announced we went in way too tall, particularly with the conditions expected to be wet and slippery. It seemed as if they were playing Meek at full-back and he was a liability back there. As soon as the ball hit the deck he was useless and his man ran off him all day. Not a criticism of Lloyd, more a criticism of the decision to play a 203cm ruckman at full-back on a wet day. Jones was his usual self - very slow and dropped a lot of contested mark, but that was partly the conditions I guess. Don't want to write any of these guys off just yet, but geez it would be nice if they started to just impose themselves physically on the contest. Meek really suits his name with the way he play and while Jones tries to be physical, he just isn't quick enough to get to most contests. Darcy was clearly the best big man on the ground and gave armchair service to our mids. Strnadica competed well early, but as was the case when he was at Peel, he just isn't fit enough to run the whole game out. Darcy owned him after the first quarter, although he probably broke even when Jones was in the ruck. Overall it was a pretty good effort to win with Darcy, Meek, Jones and Dixon all on the park.

I'll go through my recollections of the Fremantle guys, again not interested in justifying my opinions, I'm just one guy giving a personal opinion.

Sean Darcy - still not 100% fit, but certainly better than last week. I have covered him off above, but he is developing into a really good tap ruckman and he got around the ground pretty well. Still has a mattress strapped to his calf, so maybe still troubling him a little.

Scott Jones - not suited to the conditions but tried all day. Did not have an influence until he took the match winning grab. Absolute break glass in emergency depth only and although he is only 23 unfortunately I don't think he has a lot of upside.

Lloyd Meek - he is the biggest disappointment of the ruck for me at this stage. I keep telling myself that at 21 he is still very young for a ruckman, but he just doesn't seem to "get it" as a footballer. Regularly out of position and very easily knocked off the line for a 110kg guy. Probably worth persevering for a bit, but I'm just not sure how playing him as a tall defender is going to help in his development as a ruckman. Ah well, what do I know?

Hugh Dixon - very forgettable game for Hugh. No marks, no goals and no influence on the game at all. Good kid, but just had a stinker today.

Ballas - game time was heavily managed and he didn't do a lot, hard to say much about it at all.

Luke Valente - nowhere near as influential as he was last week. Still looks a great prospect, but did his chances of a call up no favours today.

Sam Sturt - came off in the second quarter heavily concussed. This is the third time I have seen him taken off injured in four games, and people calling for him to play at AFL level are seriously kidding themselves. He is not physically ready to mix it with adult bodies at the highest level, and he needs time in the gym to get right. Some of the same people calling for him to play now are the same people who bag our S&C guys for not keeping our guys on the park. If you saw how courageous this kid is and how knocked about he gets at WAFL level you'd understand that sometimes it's best to take the longer term view. He will be an absolute ripper, but just not yet.

Bailey Banfield - worked really hard all day, and one of the best on ground. Still made a lot of skill errors, but conditions were difficult. I'd leave him at Peel a couple more weeks at least to gain confidence - he improved 100% from last week, make him work really hard to get back in. Then he'll fight to keep his spot.

Brett Bewley - best on ground for mine. Ran hard, tackled all day and had a lot of the ball. He is a penetrating left footer and hits targets at distance, something that is really becoming a necessity as teams set up defensive zones. You either need to run the ball through a zone or kick over the zone - we are not skilled enough to "pick our way through" with short kicks or handballs. Bewley's best game and I think he would have impressed the coaching staff.

Lachie Schultz - got a lot of it, but again was let down by his disposal. Butchered quite a few possessions, and again missed a set shot from 20 metres dead in front - an absolute spirit crusher. On the positive side, he tackled really well and chased hard and pressured, but as a small forward you just have to be able to kick straight. Sam Switkowski has him covered in all areas of the game.

Tom North - solid game with 27 touches. He was very good in traffic and seemed to be able to get himself into the clear. Also used the ball quite well considering the conditions. Probably not far away from a call up to the firsts.

Stefan Giro - not a great day for the little guy. Did run hard, but he is a small body and today was the day for bigger bodies. Not a terrible day, just not great.

Tobe Watson - best defender by a long way today. I think in some ways having Meek back there freed him up a bit and he beat his man comprehensively. Has a lot of Zac Dawson about him in the way he closes down space and always seems to be able to get a fist in. rarely beaten in a one on one today and showed real dash out of the backline. I have a feeling we have got a good one on our hands.

Jason Carter - did some nice things, and nearly took the mark of the year at one point. Only problem is he didn't mark it and his man just ran off and they got a goal. But he has a crack, has genuine speed and good skills, just needs more time to learn his trade. Another jet for the future, can see him as an elusive running half back in the Roger Hayden mould in the future.

Ryan Nyhuis - solid without being his best game. He always looks neat and balanced, just didn't get a lot of it today - maybe he was told just to play as a lock-down while guys like Carter and Watson were given a bit more licence. I like Nyhuis and think he is good solid depth for the back line without ever being in danger of having to turn down an AA nomination.

Overall it was a step up from last week's effort and most of the guys were solid to good - just not the big guys as you would expect given the conditions.

Listened to the radio on the way home and couldn't wipe the smile off my face as the Eagles came back to earth with a thud. We have a family lunch on Sunday which will be SO much more enjoyable as nobody will want to talk about the footy :)
Click to expand...
Cesoir said:
Today was bloody freezing at Mandurah, the game never really reached any great heights, but the result made it worth the effort. Peel were marginally better this week than they were last week, but there is still very little evidence of any game style, rather just the sheer fitness and work of the AFL listed guys wore them down in the end. It was funny reading the speculation on BF from people obviously reading stats or maybe listening to the radio, but a lot of it bore very little resemblance to what was actually happening on the ground.

Unlike most weeks, the breeze was not a real factor, and scoring was possible at both ends - although as always the northern end was the "scoring end" just not by much. It was just that East Freo jumped them in the first quarter with speed and teamwork, then Peel spent the rest of the game gradually grinding them down.

I saw a lot of talk about injuries. From what I could see the only injury was Sam Sturt. He cam off after what appeared to be a head clash, and while he walked off the East Freo guy was stretchered off. Ballas played very limited minutes, obviously being managed back in and didn't really influence the game. He did kick one great snap goal, but also gave away a couple of free kicks due to poor disciple. They were targeting and niggling him and he reacted. The umpires were watching him like a hawk of course!

Thee was a point in the third quarter where I was almost tempted to leave, because it genuinely felt as if the Peel guys just weren't interested. East Freo were playing for each other and we seemed to be playing for ourselves, and the body language at times was really poor. Anyway, I persevered and the last quarter was a lot better. It was a see-sawing affair until Scott Jones marked in front (one of VERY few marks he took) then laid it off for Banfield to goal. That put us 2 goals in front and was enough for the win.

Of the Peel guys, Blair Bell was clearly the best, with some strong marks and 5 goals. Jackson Merritt was very tough in the trying conditions and Jordan Bollineau did some nice things. I hate to bag any of our players out, but Gerald Ugle is really becoming a liability. We talk about second efforts, but at times he can't even find a first effort. In those conditions he should have had a field day because the ball lived on the deck, but he looked really lazy and disinterested and 4 touches for the day is really poor. I'd rather give a kid like Ryan Bennell a go - he was terrific in the reserves and his effort and commitment put Ugle to shame.

As was said when the team was announced we went in way too tall, particularly with the conditions expected to be wet and slippery. It seemed as if they were playing Meek at full-back and he was a liability back there. As soon as the ball hit the deck he was useless and his man ran off him all day. Not a criticism of Lloyd, more a criticism of the decision to play a 203cm ruckman at full-back on a wet day. Jones was his usual self - very slow and dropped a lot of contested mark, but that was partly the conditions I guess. Don't want to write any of these guys off just yet, but geez it would be nice if they started to just impose themselves physically on the contest. Meek really suits his name with the way he play and while Jones tries to be physical, he just isn't quick enough to get to most contests. Darcy was clearly the best big man on the ground and gave armchair service to our mids. Strnadica competed well early, but as was the case when he was at Peel, he just isn't fit enough to run the whole game out. Darcy owned him after the first quarter, although he probably broke even when Jones was in the ruck. Overall it was a pretty good effort to win with Darcy, Meek, Jones and Dixon all on the park.

I'll go through my recollections of the Fremantle guys, again not interested in justifying my opinions, I'm just one guy giving a personal opinion.

Sean Darcy - still not 100% fit, but certainly better than last week. I have covered him off above, but he is developing into a really good tap ruckman and he got around the ground pretty well. Still has a mattress strapped to his calf, so maybe still troubling him a little.

Scott Jones - not suited to the conditions but tried all day. Did not have an influence until he took the match winning grab. Absolute break glass in emergency depth only and although he is only 23 unfortunately I don't think he has a lot of upside.

Lloyd Meek - he is the biggest disappointment of the ruck for me at this stage. I keep telling myself that at 21 he is still very young for a ruckman, but he just doesn't seem to "get it" as a footballer. Regularly out of position and very easily knocked off the line for a 110kg guy. Probably worth persevering for a bit, but I'm just not sure how playing him as a tall defender is going to help in his development as a ruckman. Ah well, what do I know?

Hugh Dixon - very forgettable game for Hugh. No marks, no goals and no influence on the game at all. Good kid, but just had a stinker today.

Ballas - game time was heavily managed and he didn't do a lot, hard to say much about it at all.

Luke Valente - nowhere near as influential as he was last week. Still looks a great prospect, but did his chances of a call up no favours today.

Sam Sturt - came off in the second quarter heavily concussed. This is the third time I have seen him taken off injured in four games, and people calling for him to play at AFL level are seriously kidding themselves. He is not physically ready to mix it with adult bodies at the highest level, and he needs time in the gym to get right. Some of the same people calling for him to play now are the same people who bag our S&C guys for not keeping our guys on the park. If you saw how courageous this kid is and how knocked about he gets at WAFL level you'd understand that sometimes it's best to take the longer term view. He will be an absolute ripper, but just not yet.

Bailey Banfield - worked really hard all day, and one of the best on ground. Still made a lot of skill errors, but conditions were difficult. I'd leave him at Peel a couple more weeks at least to gain confidence - he improved 100% from last week, make him work really hard to get back in. Then he'll fight to keep his spot.

Brett Bewley - best on ground for mine. Ran hard, tackled all day and had a lot of the ball. He is a penetrating left footer and hits targets at distance, something that is really becoming a necessity as teams set up defensive zones. You either need to run the ball through a zone or kick over the zone - we are not skilled enough to "pick our way through" with short kicks or handballs. Bewley's best game and I think he would have impressed the coaching staff.

Lachie Schultz - got a lot of it, but again was let down by his disposal. Butchered quite a few possessions, and again missed a set shot from 20 metres dead in front - an absolute spirit crusher. On the positive side, he tackled really well and chased hard and pressured, but as a small forward you just have to be able to kick straight. Sam Switkowski has him covered in all areas of the game.

Tom North - solid game with 27 touches. He was very good in traffic and seemed to be able to get himself into the clear. Also used the ball quite well considering the conditions. Probably not far away from a call up to the firsts.

Stefan Giro - not a great day for the little guy. Did run hard, but he is a small body and today was the day for bigger bodies. Not a terrible day, just not great.

Tobe Watson - best defender by a long way today. I think in some ways having Meek back there freed him up a bit and he beat his man comprehensively. Has a lot of Zac Dawson about him in the way he closes down space and always seems to be able to get a fist in. rarely beaten in a one on one today and showed real dash out of the backline. I have a feeling we have got a good one on our hands.

Jason Carter - did some nice things, and nearly took the mark of the year at one point. Only problem is he didn't mark it and his man just ran off and they got a goal. But he has a crack, has genuine speed and good skills, just needs more time to learn his trade. Another jet for the future, can see him as an elusive running half back in the Roger Hayden mould in the future.

Ryan Nyhuis - solid without being his best game. He always looks neat and balanced, just didn't get a lot of it today - maybe he was told just to play as a lock-down while guys like Carter and Watson were given a bit more licence. I like Nyhuis and think he is good solid depth for the back line without ever being in danger of having to turn down an AA nomination.

Overall it was a step up from last week's effort and most of the guys were solid to good - just not the big guys as you would expect given the conditions.

Listened to the radio on the way home and couldn't wipe the smile off my face as the Eagles came back to earth with a thud. We have a family lunch on Sunday which will be SO much more enjoyable as nobody will want to talk about the footy :)
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