Player review from saints game

[DOG GOD]

Seing I was at the game last night, I thought I'd write up a review of the players performance against the Saints... Here goes...

HAHN - almost best on ground to me.His bustling and aggression was a pleasure to watch. Makes a difference when he's match fit.

WEST - typical game from a champion player. Throwing his body under the packs, and getting the ball out to the receivers. A few skill errors, but overall a consistant 4 qtr effort.

GIANSIRACUSA - played a consistant game. Pleasing to see 3 goals, as that will be important for us this year. Workload was good.

BOYD - keeps improving, and once again a consistant game. Took a great strong overhead mark. Also puts body on the line.

DARCY - Not his best game, but his work around the ground was pleasing. Sometimes his disposal let him down.

GILBEE - played a great game except for a few skill errors late in the game. Really should make that back pocket his position this year.

MURPHY - An OK game without setting the world on fire. Some of his dashes thru half back was good.

COONEY - On and off the bench, but his tackling and chasing was awesome. A VERY important cog in this team. His pressure on the opposition was good.

JOHNSON - solid game without being electrifying. Sometimes he didin't use the best option, and gave up the ball a couple of times under no real pressure.

McMAHON - some of his dashes from half back were great. Make a few mistakes, in dropping marks, or trying to takes marks when should've punched.
His skills were good all night.

HARRIS - I thought played a pretty good game on Nick, considering the saints game plan was 2 go to him nearly everytime. His last qtr was great, and used his strength 2 perfection.

CROSS - didn't have alot of bearing on the game, but his skills were pretty good on the night.

GRANT - General'd his area whether forward or back. I'm still not convinced about him at FF though.

HARGRAVE - Gave his all. Some of his skills were avg, but played the whole game and kept his opponents relatively quiet. Prett good overall.

POWER - Not a bad game, but seems scared to put his body in a pack situation. There were a couple of times when he didn't crunch a pack to get the ball where he should've. Skills a little down as well.

RAWLINGS - I have to admit, that his body language wasn't good. He looked like a man unsure of his position in the team, and will need 2 shake that when the season propper starts. Did some good defensive efforts though, and his kicking in general was sound. Didn't have a impact though.

BANDY - just an OK game. Some of his kicking was quite avg, and skills were down. Took some good marks, but didn't present himself like he should be. He looked very suspect when playing down back.

BOWDEN - pretty much a nothing game from Bowdo. He looks like he is lacking confidence. Spent most of the game on the pine.

FAULKNER - a GREAT game from one of my fav players. His chasing and tackling was awesome, and finished his workload with 2 good goals. Should definately have his seat booked for round 1.

RAY - this guy continues to impress me with his attack on the ball. Put his body on the line, and showed great skills on both feet. Kicked a good 9 pointer, which showed he is getting more power into his kicks.

SMITH - not his best game, but once again showed great courage to keep the ball in the forward 50.

GRIFFIN - didn't get much game time, but this guy looks all class. Not afraid to put his body on the line, and some of his 2nd efforts were outstanding.

MINSON - not much game time, but used his bulk well.

SKIPPER - didn't have an impact at all.

There you have it. Overall the dogs looked GREAT in patches and only fair in others. When they burst down the middle they look unstoppable. Still, in my opinion, the forward set-up doesn't look right to me. I'm not really sure about the Grant/ Rawlings swap. Bandy and Bowden really need 2 find some form, while the backline looks a little suspect when height is concerned. If Gehrig had been playing, it may have been a different story. But that's only hindsight. A GREAT win for the club nevertheless.

 

[stefoid]

grant had a hand in many goals, and is smart enough to have probably influenced more with blocking out his opponent or whatever. plus he makes the opposition defenders crap themselves.

 

[O Grobbecker]

grant had a hand in many goals, and is smart enough to have probably influenced more with blocking out his opponent or whatever. plus he makes the opposition defenders crap themselves.

I wonder if that was what induced Goddard to be unbalanced enough to miss the ball he set out to cut off in Grant's path.

 

[MrChristo]

I was there aswell, Dog God, and pretty much agree with everything you've said.

2 stand-out plays were Hahn running 50 metres to spoil a St. Kilda player from a kick out, and then his smother in the last quarter was fantastic.

Thought Murphy was very good. I would have had him in the top 3-4 on the ground.

One big disappointment for me was Johnson...especially considering he was acting Captain for the game. 2 or 3 times I don't think he fully commited to a contest, and yeah, some pretty poor decision making all night.

Harris played very well on Reiwoldt...was given some stick by the commentators (I watched the replay when I got home), but he did a great job of pushing him wide and up the ground. I for one don't care is he took 40 marks...as long as they aren't in the 50 who cares!

I thought starting Grant at CHF and Bandy at FF was strange, but that got sorted out.
It did seem to me at times that the half forward line didn't present up the ground enough. Bowden, Bandy even Darcy when he was forward all chose to sit back rather than leading up towards the ball.

I also thought Hargrave was good all night. Kept Hamill pretty much out of it. Some good spoils, and used the ball well.

Rawlings was a strange one. I don't really remember much of him tbh, and I guess that's probably a good thing given he was playing back. Didn't get much of it, but no-one he played on did either.

In the third quarter we played with a very open forward line...but I didn't think we used it all that effectively. There was the long kick into space that Johnson ran onto and kicked a goal, but 4-5 times instead of kicking that long ball we seemed to wait until the players (Smith a couple of times) got to the goal line then tried to pin point them on the lead when they came back out. Seemed a bit strange to me. Not sure if it was an instruction.

Grant will be very unlucky to get any weeks. He was definately in the air for the mark and just closed up to protect himself when the collision was obvious. I was sitting with my dad who is an Essendon supporter, so an impartial view, and he was surprised a free kick was even given.
Couldn't believe what they were saying on tv...making it out he jumped late, and that he could have avoided contact. Crazy. I think Grant was as surprised as anyone when Hudgeton kept coming back.

I know some people will think that Smith is 'wasted' in the forward line, but I'd be happy to see him get only 10-15 possies a game and kick 2-3 goals.

Not sure if anyone was actually playing on Del Santo, but he got on his own a lot!

Anyway, there's my rambling thoughts on it all. Definately a great win, and hopefully a start of some decent times ahead.

 

[stmookeyj]

IN NUMERICAL ORDER:

RAY: Didn't do a lot, but what his contributions meant were telling. Should really have had the confidence to take a shot at a Niner rather than short pass about 3 minutes before he did slam one through.

R.MURPHY: Coolness under pressure is what made him stand out. Looks to be stepping up as he needed to do.

GRANT: Interesting night. Not a lot of uses which may be a concern if the smalls are covered. Looks as if he'll get 3 weeks for charging Hudghton given it was reckless, late and severe contact in play.

CROSS: Did a sound job in the midfield, where he will be starting I'm sure.

SMITH: Quiet night. Not convinced he is a forward. May get a week for a right cross on Schwarze.

JOHNSON: Did his claims for the captaincy no harm, although his impact was not as high as one would have expected. Was the burden of the captaincy too much?

WEST: 21 touches still shows that he'll get plenty of the ball again this year.

HAHN: Continues to show the grunt needed in the midfield. Still a worry on his kicking, but a lot of tough players have simillar problems.

GILBEE: Played well on the half-back line. Only concern is that he tries to do far too much with the pill which is very irritating for coaches and spectators alike. Seems to be the linkman and the designated kicker this season.

BANDY: Needs more gametime and confidence. Started well enough but really faded. Needs a big game on Saturday night to secure a Round 1 birth.

GIANSIRACUSA: Becoming a dangerous small forward who finds space and wins heaps of the ball, which is what he was doing before last season. Looks to be on treack for a huge year.

DARCY: Didn't dominate in the centre as I would have expected against a thin St.Kilda ruck brigade. Also quiet around the ground. Possibly would be one who would love the outer circle to be extended to 12 or even 15 metres, although he did use some angles which could be an interesting counter against better ruckmen.

POWER: Bit worried about Sammy. Didn't see him get a lot of it and if he wants to be a wingman as Rocket appears to be trying, he'll need to find the ball.

GRIFFEN: All about experience for him. Didn't get much of a run.

COONEY: Continuing to show the signs of a 10 year champion in the making. Good disposal and defensive pressure first rate.

FAULKNER: Important small forward with 3 vital goals including the go-ahead. Will be delighted if he can snag 40 this season, which based on the form that I have seen is not out of the question.

BOWDEN: Not much game time. Solid enough when marking the ball but may seem a little out in the cold under the current forward line structure.

McMAHON: Liked his dash and disposal. Looks better suited to a wing than a backline role, and still looks to be skinny.

RAWLINGS: Definitely backline this season for Jade. Solid as usual in defence and had the better of Kosi. This week will be a bigger test though.

HARGRAVE: Looks to have gotten his confidence back to where it was in 2002-2003. Looked to be under pressure at the start of the WizBang coop but now should be in the 22 for RD 1. Might have something to do with taking on opponents at his level rather than the key forward.

MINSON: Spent 1 quarter on the ground, which suggests to me that his fitness and endurance is still a query.

SKIPPER: 1 kick, about 10 minutes game time. Needs to play for the Bees to get same game time.

HARRIS: Beaten by Riewoldt most of the night until he realised that he needed to change his tactics. Will probably get Whitnall on Saturday which will be a different proposition.

BOYD: Looks to be the money man so far to take over from Westy when he retires. Certainly one of our best players again.

 

[Number 2 1961]

Thanks for the reports guys.

One question, did anyone notice if any of our midfielders had a tagging role?

If so, on whom and, in your opinion, were they successful?

 

[The_Flying_Egg]

JOHNSON: Did his claims for the captaincy no harm, although his impact was not as high as one would have expected. Was the burden of the captaincy too much?

I don't think we can judge if the captaincy was a burden on him after one average, though not bad game

 

[Pembleton]

Correct me if im wrong but didn't he get 20 or so touches and about 3 goals? I thought he was close to best afield

He kicked 1 goal, and his opponent as far as i could tell (tv makes it difficult) was Adam Firoa, one of the Saints best. I thought Johnno's game was pretty poor.

Does anybody know where i can find stats for the game? A few of the comments made are not in line with my thinking, so some stats would help me decide if i have under/overated some players games.

 

[Pembleton]

I don't think we can judge if the captaincy was a burden on him after one average, though not bad game

Checked some stats? I must have got in just before the edit.

 

[Cyberdoggie]

power skipper and bowden worry me.

power came onto the ground and attacked the ball hard, diving into a contest so the ball wouldn't escape, which surprised me, certainly not normal football behaviour from him, but them went back to his old habits.
He failed to attack the ball in from of goal in the last quarter i think which lead to a goal. He his first instinct was to go in and grab the man then it never would of been a goal.
Skip was similar, attacked a contest hard when he first came on, slung a stkilda player to the ground but then jogged around like his old self, and was out run by lenny hayes in another contest.
Bowden, the weakest footballer in the side, what else do you need to say.
Dropped a very important mark late in the game because of his soft hands and did nothing to make up for it. I think eade didn't like it either from what i've heard.


Apart from that all the guys who have been earmarked to lift this year have all been very impressive, danny g, mcmahon, gilbo,

 

[MrChristo]

A couple of Johnson moments that stood out to me maybe made me think his game worse than it was.
He was standing right next to Goddard (I think) about 45 out from St. Kilda goal, and the St. Kilda player simply jogged 5-10 metres to receive a pass. Johnson didn't look like trying to stop it, and just took 3-4 slow steps to follow along behind.
Maybe he was exhausted? Really did look quite bad tho.

He pulled out of a marking contest at half forward early in the last 1/4. Again he was up against a bigger opponent, but it there was no real effort to prevent the mark.

In the second quarter he ignored Murphy running passed (arguably the best kick in the side) to kick wide to a contest on the wing.

Not sure why these incidents stood out so much to me (I sure wasn't taking any more notice of him than anyone else).

 

[lachy]

A couple of Johnson moments that stood out to me maybe made me think his game worse than it was.
He was standing right next to Goddard (I think) about 45 out from St. Kilda goal, and the St. Kilda player simply jogged 5-10 metres to receive a pass. Johnson didn't look like trying to stop it, and just took 3-4 slow steps to follow along behind.
Maybe he was exhausted? Really did look quite bad tho.

He pulled out of a marking contest at half forward early in the last 1/4. Again he was up against a bigger opponent, but it there was no real effort to prevent the mark.

In the second quarter he ignored Murphy running passed (arguably the best kick in the side) to kick wide to a contest on the wing.

Not sure why these incidents stood out so much to me (I sure wasn't taking any more notice of him than anyone else).

Unfortunately there are three or four of these moments each game making him a very good player, not a champion player as he could be. My concern with making him captain is he may try too hard, leading to more of these lapses

 

[Gilbo_Fan]

Rocket is clearly rotating the team a lot more than we are used to so players are not always playing 4 quarters.

The thing that has stuck out for me about our two games has been the number of contributors. We are giving a far more consistent team effort.

In what I am hoping is a sign of things to come the side does not appear to be relying on West and Johnson to have 30 touches each for us to have any chance of winning. And when the game needed to be won it was a younger players exerting influence on the game.

I think Ryan Hargraves form has been better than credited by the board, he did a good job on the dangerous Ryan Okeefe last week and I thought he was on top of Aaron Hamill for most of the night. I like the look of the Brian Harris, Hargraves, Murphy, McMahon and Gilbee rebounding backline.

I thought Bowden actually was much better against St Kilda. The forward line still hasn't fully hit its straps and the conditions were reportedly windy.

 

[O Grobbecker]

The forward line still hasn't fully hit its straps and the conditions were reportedly windy.

The team played at flood and run game for 4 quarters, according to Eade who added that he had planned for a long kicking game with the wind but the players persisted with the flood and run. The commentators highlighted it regularly. That means the forwards would have been well away from goal, often behind the ball. That makes it hard for Grant, Darcy, Bowden etc. to shine. Significantly, all goals were scored by runners, not tall forwards. If Eade plans a similar game against Carlton, we'll still be unsure.

 

[Mr. Walker]

The worrying thing for me is our lack of a winning key position forward. I have read what some other posters have said about Grant's game- I just don't think he did enough in either of the last two weeks. Given that Bandy, Skipper, Bowden and Grant have shown nothing up forward I think Rawlings should be tried at FF. There are no teams in the eight that do not have at least one KPP in the forward line capable of dominating for periods.

 

[Dry Rot]

The thing that has stuck out for me about our two games has been the number of contributors. We are giving a far more consistent team effort.

In what I am hoping is a sign of things to come the side does not appear to be relying on West and Johnson to have 30 touches each for us to have any chance of winning. And when the game needed to be won it was a younger players exerting influence on the game.

Agreed - isn't that a change?

 

[OldSchool]

The worrying thing for me is our lack of a winning key position forward. I have read what some other posters have said about Grant's game- I just don't think he did enough in either of the last two weeks. Given that Bandy, Skipper, Bowden and Grant have shown nothing up forward I think Rawlings should be tried at FF. There are no teams in the eight that do not have at least one KPP in the forward line capable of dominating for periods.

I'd agree with that plus I don't think there is a great match-up in the backline for Rawlings.

 

[Walsh Bay]

I'd agree with that plus I don't think there is a great match-up in the backline for Rawlings.

Yep. And that's going to happen quite a bit this year.