Player Review vs Dees

[Snoop Dog]

I rarely have a crack at the other team but lets be honest - how bad are Melbourne going when we have Pendles, Shaw, Keefe, Kraks, Caf, Johno, Didak, Tooves, Ball etc out and they still get done by 7 goals. To make it worse I reckon they are the cheapest side we have played this year. Between Tapscott and Sylvia I reckon I saw 3 of the grubbiest acts on the field this year. Not going to win games of footy by going the man.....maybe Neeld should start with that simple mantra and they might improve.

5 - Swan
4 - Sidebottom
3 - Beams
2 - Wellingham
1 - Goldsack

Fasolo - Lots of effort but overplayed his hand to many times for mine in that first half. He needs to just do simple things and do them well. he is a player but sometimes I just wish he would choose the safer road. Needs to work on a left foot. Nice to see after he was hammered in the 3rd he came back and kicked a great goal to start the last.

Tarrant - First game back for a while and probably didnt have the better of his duel with Howe who ran him around a bit

Didak - Gosh I hope its only a few weeks.

Maxwell - Didnt think he was all that good. Few contests he should have killed but didnt and most memorable one was start od 2nd half which led to a goal and bit of momentum for them. Still been in top form of late.

Goldsack - how good is he! Does it offensively and defensively. That goal in the last was unreal and if he could get it a bit more he would be an incredibly hard matchup for opposition teams. But look I just love the little defensive acts that create pressure. Go back and look at that Watts miskick at the start of the game and see who caused it. I loved it because its stuff that sets the tone for the game. Even the tackle at the end of the game. Was real good.

OBrien - Geez Neeld exposed him today at times. He is just really struggling in the 1:1s at times this season and I hope he can sort it out by finals time. Not that he was belted today just a couple of telling contests where he got done. Good player though and been in good nick

Clarke - Been real good lately but thought he was just going today. IN saying that its the little things our blokes do in a game which make them v good. His effort to just bump the ball out of Sylvia's hands on the wing at the start of the last was exceptional. Led to the Fas goal.

Blair - Thought he was really good today. His touch and his hands in close were just terrific all day. His aggression at Tapscott when he felled Fas was wonderfully balanced to. Didnt lose the plot but gave Tapscott a bit of what for.

Thomas - Didnt do a great deal today and have to say McKenzie probably took the chocies on him but Thomas has been up for a while and needs the break. Was interesting in the third when they were coming he either went one out fwd or sat behind the ball.

Brown - Clark got him didnt he and he should be pretty happy it didnt come in more often than it did. Still good to have him back and wasnt given much assistance given Neeld wanted all his fwds one out so we couldnt go third man up.

Beams - How good was he. His first half was as good as you get. Ran hard, kicked nicely and with great penetration. Thought around the contests he was strong. Tapered in the 3rd but was important when it mattered in the last. His effort out of the middle off Moloney to get the clearance and then get it back off Sidey to kick long was good. His kick penetration from the middle was something our opponents would worry about.

Jolly - Was ok in the first half but thought his second half was really good. Palming was sensational at times (eg beams goal). Ran fwd and and back and was a problem for them. They seem to be managing him well this year.

Wellingham - Outstanding wasnt he. Real good early in my view and was very good in all 4 qtrs. Got this habit of picking up players who he has just tackled.....whats that all about?

Sidebottom - Outstanding. Brilliant at creating spaceOnly issue I had with him is sometimes he just lacks a little bit of depth with his short passes. They seem to half volley to the leading fwd but look dont get me wrong he was awesome.

Young - Was ok. Had Green and probably lucky Green didnt kick straight

Buckley - Was ok as well. Seemed to be running as a mid rotation and got some time on Grimes from what I could see. Grimes certainly didnt hurt us so if that was his job he did it well because I rate him

Sinclair - Outstanding 1st but then went quiet in the 2nd. Kicked a nice goal in the third but nothing more than that. Kid can play though and the fact he kicked a few from limited chances is more a good than bad thing because you cant fault his work rate

Dawes - I thought his effort all day was great but its not a good sign that he isnt hurting the scoreboard. He really needs that offensive part of his game to come off but as I said the effort around the ground is good and the effectiveness in the ruck is improving

Cloke - Work rate good but just couldnt shake Frawley. He is a beast though - how was he when he palmed off Dawes

Elliott - Thta bit of play late in the third when he picked it up cleanly and gave an incredibly good long pass to Thomas is just little bit of a taste of how good this kid will be i reckon

Swan - Outstanding and I tell you what I really liked was his efforts in the 3rd when they were coming at us. He had 11 touches and shored us up down there quite a bit

Williams - Was ok - great effort to run down Blease in last. When he becomes stronger he will be v v good. Smart to and whilst fumbly at times its some of the real 50:50 contests he excels in.

 

[TradeDraft]

Sidebottom - Outstanding. Brilliant at creating spaceOnly issue I had with him is sometimes he just lacks a little bit of depth with his short passes. They seem to half volley to the leading fwd but look dont get me wrong he was awesome.

Agree there Snoop the Only Concern on the Short to Medium Kicks he at times can fall short and hops to the Players but they Normally come off

Beams - How good was he. His first half was as good as you get. Ran hard, kicked nicely and with great penetration. Thought around the contests he was strong. Tapered in the 3rd but was important when it mattered in the last. His effort out of the middle off Moloney to get the clearance and then get it back off Sidey to kick long was good. His kick penetration from the middle was something our opponents would worry about.

He would of been my BOG if he Kicked Straight

Brown - Clark got him didnt he and he should be pretty happy it didnt come in more often than it did. Still good to have him back and wasnt given much assistance given Neeld wanted all his fwds one out so we couldnt go third man up.

Neeld knew our Backs Weaknesses

 

[Sloth]

I lol'd when Cloke gave Dawes the 'don't argue'

 

[blaze036]

I thought buckley was very good tonight

 

[Knightmare]

Votes:
5. Beams
4. Swan
3. Sidebottom
2. Wellingham
1. Blair

Team notes:
After quarter time we really seemed to be in cruise mode and only really switched on whenever Melbourne got within 5 goals. We had the opportunity to really boost our percentage and with a hard draw in the second half of the season we could have done with a bigger win.

Bests:
Beams: Inside work fantastic as always. Just reads it better than anyone else and made good use of Jolly's taps. Was also impressed with his pressure game today, his pressure acts and tackles were up and that along with his clearance work and inside ball winning was fantastic. What was below average was his ball use by hand, probably at times not quite up to the standard we have come to expect but otherwise had a very good game. Is making a name for beating up on the weaker teams as Steve Johnson has in recent years for Geelong and he is continuing this trend. One criticism was early in the game Beams continued to go for long goals from outside 50, I don't have a problem with this as he does have the penetration to get these goals, but he seemed to at times selfishly load up when there might have been better options in front of him at times.

Swan: Really strong return game and it doesn't surprise me at all. Work rate and offensive running was fantastic as usual. Clearance work good and managed on a number of occasions to break down the Melbourne defensive structure and find open targets through the corridor. Also was encouraged with his use of the left boot, not something I've looked out for in the past but went onto his left boot 2-3 times and on each occasion hit the target without any difficulties which was pleasing. Defensively didn't do allot and that would have taken this good game and made it into a great game but none the less he took advantage of an unaccountable Melbourne midfield who gave him space all day.

Sidebottom: Yet another productive game. Seemed by his standard to be conserving some energy and seems to take it easier on the "lesser" teams, but it didn't matter and he still got significant numbers and as usual played great two way ball. Tackling was great and clearance work also good.

Wellingham: Had a really strong marking game and just took marks from all over the place showing his arial ability and took some big contested grabs, seemed to take inspiration from some of Howe's marking and wanted to go one better on the flying Demon. One play I really loved was in the back half where he chased from behind and just in time got the fist in to stop the Jamar mark where he would otherwise have streamed into goal. Was a really fantastic play. Really rated his game and I like the way he is working into the season.

Blair: Was strong through the midfield and his contested ball winning was on display as usual. Clearance work good and ability to extract it fantastic. Ball use clean and set up many important plays with his good work. Is thriving with more time in the midfield and while you don't always notice his work in close he is still an effective midfielder who week after week works hard and puts his head over the ball.

Maxwell: One of the players few will have noticed by the number of spoils he effected during the game was fantastic. Didn't seem to get beaten 1v1 and just continued to time and time again get a fist in. Intercept work good as always and used it cleanly. Good game.

Jolly: As always won his matchups. Won the hitout count as usual and importantly had a greater impact around the ground with greater numbers but more importantly two goals and what I really enjoyed was the way he got forward of centre more threatening to take marks which he has been so good at over the past two seasons. Didn't get as many of his hitouts to advantage today with Jamar one of Jolly's more competitive opponenets this year but none the less Jolls outsmarted Jamar more often than not by smartly staying on the ground or jumping late to get into better position for the ruck taps.

Dawes: One of his better games of the season through the ruck and competed really well. First game of the season he has felt like a marking presence and while he didn't mark it every time he took more grabs and on other occasions really threated to take some big grabs. In the ruck he is getting into front position and really using his body to better advantage and is putting himself into positions where he can compete for it better. I also liked the parts of his games that go unnoticed, at times created space for other forwards opening up their parth for an easy mark on the lead and then also got some important tackles in which is something I hope to see more of over coming weeks. Hopefully he continues to build on today's game and gets better as the season progresses.

Fasolo: One of his better games for the year and it was good to see him step up after a number of inconsistent performances to open the season. What impressed me was his marking ability, even through contact can take a strong grab which was really encouraging. Still is playing selfish football and going for goal at every opportunity but at times I enjoy when he kicked it to dangerous positions in front of goal to give us the opportunity to get a goal from it.

Goldsack: Continued his strong form and again hit the scoreboard which is fantastic to see. Often his field kicking can at times be wayward but tonight he hit his targets and really placed his kicks nicely hitting up short leading targets. Defensively did he job and chased and tackled hard but again also took some strong marks on the lead which also was important.

Sinclair: Again liked his game and in the first quarter where we got clearly on top Sinclair was the guy who made it happen. For the final three quarters was reasonably quiet as can be the case for small forwards but I loved the fight he showed early getting into Jack Watts and it seemed to spark him into action. Hit the scoreboard for three goals and his finishing skills are much improved. Really good at roving the ball when the bigs bring it to ground and also really enjoyed the run he showed at times. Later in the game Sinclair displayed some poor kick selection with a poor kick off the outside of the boot and another kick which one of his team mates made look better than it was but none the less he continues to play a role and hit the scoreboard so it is hard to complain with his present form, but I would like to see him bring his tackle numbers up because today despite putting in some nice chases and getting an important smother he didn't get any tackles in and this is what he is in the team to do.

Others:
Thomas: Played his role but didn't rip the game apart. What you have to love is that one kick from the right forward flank where he kicks the ball low and fast with perfect placement to Sinclair who was on his own in the goal square. Absolutely perfect kick and for me the one real highlight play of the game. Ball use by both hand and foot was fantastic all night but probably didn't have the same influence that he has had in recent weeks.

Williams: Looks so at ease at AFL level. Playing fantastic football for a first year player and he goes about it with the physicality and smarts of a player who has been in the system for a few years. Just looks good everywhere and really attacks the ball at every opportunity. Really liked his kicking tonight and while it can be inconsistent he can also kick it low, hard and fast and he did this at times with perfect placement which was pleasing. Reads the game well and can just play anywhere which suggests that he will be able to retain his position in the side as the season continues if he can continue to produce and play a role. Showed great pace at times and I really enjoyed one of his chase down tackles from behind, really fantastic effort and was fantastic to watch.

Elliott: Playing a role and looks good up forward. Tackling game good and marking very strong overhead for a little fella. Showing some real signs and looks like he has played more than just a handful of games which is a sign that we've got a player. Has a nice all round game and has some smarts and even roves the ball from pack situations well. Just a real competitor and playing his role well and providing fantastic tackling pressure in the front half.

Buckley: Had a solid game. His kickouts were long and to target and set up offensive plays on a number of occasions. Also really valued his hand in close at times, don't give him enough credit for it but his hands in close are fast and really not bad and despite his poor decision making by foot at times in close he has some ability and finds the right targets more often than not which was on display today. One thing I don't like with his game is how long it takes for him to execute a kick, just executes kicks so slowly and because of it at one stage got smothered because it took so long to get the ball from hand onto his boot. But other than that was reasonably pleased with his game and it would have to be one of his better efforts.

Brown: Played his role and at times provided some rebound in the back half. Rebounding game has come some way this year and is reading it allot better in the back half and now seems capable of taking more intercept marks which is pleasing. Got some important 1v1 wins and some spoils in but otherwise didn't have a huge influence on the result.

Young: Didn't play a huge role but was serviceable. Did some important things defensively going 3rd man up on occasion to help out a team mate and pleasingly used the ball well by both hand and foot. One play that didn't please me was the lack of communication in a marking situation where both he and Dawes flew for it, just a lack of awareness and communication and something he will hopefully learn from. Showed good courage at times going for the ball knowing that he would get hit and also showed in important situations the ability to keep his feet. A step in the right direction.

Didak: Subbed early. Hopefully not series.

Poor:
Clarke: Hardly noticed Marty out there and just didn't have an influence out there. The only note I took of him was going back for the set shot. Has missed a few shots on goal and is yet to convert this year. While he is playing in the back half, knowing how Marty used to be able to convert in front of goal in his first stint with the club I'd like to see him convert those attempts both from general play and set shots. The week off should do him good and hopefully he gets back to playing some of his better footy after the bye.

Cloke: His numbers flatter him. Was clearly beaten by Frawley on the day and his poor form continues. He showed some nice intent with his tackling game but when he took marks they were up the field and he did nothing to threaten to break open the game. One play I didn't like was in front of goal where he did a Scott Cummings and missed the simple kick off the ground for the goal and just didn't connect his foot with the ball, missing it. At that stage it was five goals to zero and would have absolutely put the game beyond doubt but instead it goes from certain goal to turnover and Melbourne rebound generating their first meaningful ball movement for the game and then got into the game from this point on. Just didn't have an influence on the contest and while he kicked two goals, there weren't meaningful goals that should give him any real confidence. Still playing ordinary football and needs to lift if he wants that 5 years extention! Personally wouldn't be giving him 4 years with the way he is going this season.

O'Brien: Had a poor game. Has been ok this year at times but this was not his day. One aweful, aweful play was in the back half where he kicked short to Maxwell who was under pressure. You don't do that in the back half! Ever! Harry should be smarter than that and needs to either go long to a target or run. Also played some minutes against the taller Clarke. Not sure what he was doing there but with Clarke ruck size he outbodied O'Brien badly and dominated him in a number of marking situations when they were paired up on eachother.

Tarrant: Really disappointing and looked really slow out there. Howe really showed him up and just didn't have the awareness or willingness to go with him at times which was the most disappointing part about it. Just kept getting left behind and I don't quite know what was going on. Also played some minutes on Mitch Clarke and like with Howe he just got clearly beaten and outmarked which was really disappointing because it's a rare day that Taz gets beaten by his direct opponent. At one point attempted mark of the year and badly missed it thinking that he was still 20. Poor game and the worst I've seen him play in a long time. Hopefully we see more of what he showed last year after the break because this performance isn't what you want to see from the veterain.

 

[September Action]

Don't want to bang on about this as I have mentioned it in the game day thread but I will say again; should Dids have played? I knew he had tweaked something in the warm up (I was in the forward pocket he was goal kicking from). I could see Dids was proppy. Not kicking thru the ball and trying to stretch out the left upper leg as the warm up ended. Could he/should he have been a late "out" or is that not allowed? I hope he notified the fitness staff b/c the outcome has been bad - on the game itself and also for Dids' season.

Wellers' marking was sensational today. He was always right in the slot and could have taken five more.

Like Jolls' game a lot.

Defense was poor. Hope we get some stability before the finals. I miss Lachie. How long is Heater out for?

Blair was great.

 

[TheGreatGrundy]

Really liked Knightmare's summary of the players. Can only agree regarding Tarrant (worst game), O'Brien (opponents so of ten had a vital break on him) and to a lesser extent with Cloke, who again was below his best. Thought Wellingham, Sidebottom, Beams, Swan and Blair were great, though not quite so impressed with Fasolo. Another big injury blow to Didak who had looked to be gettting back to his old form.

 

[twaters]

Good win from a young and returning-from-injury team, with 21 versus 22 players.

Taz - oops. Not sure if it was mind or body, but some of those missed contests were things he'll not want to look at again on tape. He and Nate need to sort out who goes up for what, but someone do something.

Nate - much the same. He is a much better full-back than that. Yes, used the uncontested ball well, but he's there for the contested ones first; perhaps the bandage on his head was too tight?

Harry - and even Maxey to some degree - no long term harm done, but both basically dudded in the 1 on 1's. Yep, Neeld may know them, but where were Taz and Nate when Harry had to face off with Clark several times? Both were trying to do a negating Presti role, but on a third tall or small. Have a beer and a sandwich; re-introduce yourselves to each other. Structures matter. Defensive coach out there?

Young - in the total stuff up of our defence, young Young was left to take critical last line duties too often. He's supposed to help the stalwarts, not replace them. For a five gamer he did well; though perhaps he should still join in the what the hell are we doing Defensive lunch. Brave marking/spoiling, but slow running/chasing - then again that would normally be Harry's job, but he was off marking the power forward. Amazing.

Williams - thank the goodness he has grunt and toe at a young age. Still a bit fumbly, but he often made his more senior defensive colleagues look less bad. I hope he will be promoted at the end of the season. Elliott is a tackling machine, but with he and Blair also wanting to go forward, can we hold two smaller non-marking folk within the same team up front?

Clarke - I was confused what role he was playing, bobbing up all over the place. Did a lot of this and that; lots of run, but...perhaps that was just the structures. Buckley, well done. Sinclair 3 goals. Fasolo, yep good game; perhaps now that Didak is injured again he can nudge you into thinking about passing (took him a little while to grasp the concept as well)?

Onballers were of course great: Jolly set us up; Swan, Beams, Sidebottom, Wellingham, Blair outstanding. Thomas ghosting in. Share the votes between them.

Goldsack - okay he may not deserve votes over those august and huge midfielders' games and numbers. But what a secret weapon he has become as the third forward tall like we had in 2010. He and Cloke work incredibly well together on positioning and are mates off the field also which probably helps a bit. Wonderful game.

 

[TheFreshBanana]

The thing I like is that Williams, Elliot and Sinclair (and Keefe) have shown that they have the ability to be, at least, decent AFL players. Just need the other rookies to show it, Young, Ugle and Seedsman.

 

[sloth6]

Does Harry understand what nearly every football team in Australia would implement as a team rule: 'Don't kick to short to a 50/50 contest? - particularly deep in defence. He has no bl**dy idea.

Outstanding first term and opening half of the second. Ordinary from then on in til the opening minutes of the last.

The Maggies certainly got ahead of themselves at times. One instance, pretty sure it was Swan and Wellingham ran forward of the footy expecting Elliot to gather cleanly under pressure and dish off a handpass instead of one of them getting in behind him and blocking. I'm sure running poast the footy happened on more than one occassion during the later half of the second term.

Swan outstanding, Wellingham seems to have picked up an extra hard of pace and Beams and Sidebottom - what more can you say.

Tarrant will be better for the run, Brown gave away plenty of height, Maxwell had some important spoils but as soon as we allow the footy to get over the back from a long kick after a behind or out of defence, we are f**ked. Too many easy goals because of this. Elliot fumbled far too much and a bit hesitant to fly for marks overhead.

Good win and the boys should enjoy the week off. Keep in mind we have Pendles, Reid, Shaw, Tooves to come back in!

Go Maggies