Player review vs WCE

[Snoop Dog]

Game

game started poorly for us but really came down to 2 bad handling errors by Tazz, 2 misses by Goldsack and 2 ump calls that were truly awful. Other than that we had the better of them for big chunks. Story of the 2nd was the butchering of the footy into HF with 11, 21, 13 and 4 all culprits. We should have been 4 goals up at HT. again the umps did us no favors. We were winning CP and tackles. Only 2 reasons we weren't winning ....umps and KE. But the second half we made it count and Thomas was the game changer on the end of pendlebury and jolly work. We controlled the game but couldn't put them away and then when Wellingham and jolly cost us goals either side of last change thought we were in trouble but full credit to our mids who ran them off their feet. Coach had a good game, managed them well thru the week and his use of swan and goldy was superb. Massive win and as good as any I remember.

Votes

5 - Reid
4 - beams
3 - pendlebury
2 - Thomas
1 - jolly

Apols to the rest of the backs and swan.....well basically the whole team.


Players

Fasolo - very quiet for most of the night and he got himself into some good positions but he just didn't use it well. He seemed to be wanting to do things to quickly as often he had more time.

Tarrant - couple of poor errors in first half but at other times did some good things. Had a v good 2nd though didn't he and just blanketed the various matchups he had through the night. At the end of the day their talks didn't do a lot.

Krakouer - should have had a goal in 1st except for what is probably the worst decision I have ever seen. Was good in patches afterwards thru middle but needed him closer to goal and when he did that later in the game I thought we looked more dangerous. He is going to want a decent contract for next year so there is another worry.

Didak - well his first was v good save for inability to make his passes stick. Had 2 shockers but was keeping Hurn accountable. Had 14 to HT but didn't use it well and was held to only 1 touch in the third before being subbed. Overall thought he was good though and his run and ability to take someone out was v helpful in the win.

Goldsack - competed well in first but 2 bad misses and not seen much in 2nd but thought was massive in last half. His goal was crucial and a couple of efforts thru the middle in last had me applauding him. Buckley has done well with him.

Obrien - good goal early and thought he was very involved early. Kept hill quiet and whilst when out of it a bit in the last half he was excellent in his pressure acts.

Pendlebury - started real well and continued to be good to half time. Did some great things in 2nd half and there was a period when he and Thomas were firing I thought ...hello....here is the team I remembered. If we can play like that we can win this thing.

Blair - good in first half but his ball use was horrendous wasn't it. After that did a job on Hurn which was great and some of his defensive efforts and attack at the ball was unreal. Best game Ina long time for mine. Finished with some pretty impressive stats but needs to make better calls going fwd.

Thomas - not huge stats but some good involvements at times. His ball use wasn't good up til half time but then lit us up with 3 goals and probably was the match winner for us.

Brown - kept Kennedy to 2 I think and then went to Hill and did well on him. Was good for a kid who is emotionally distraught from what am told.

Beams - outstanding first half given he had hard tag it was excellent effort. His 2nd half around the stoppages was even better and he was absolutely dominant through the game.

Jolly - I would think he was near BoG. All the talk was nat and cox would tear us a new one .....but they didn't. Super effort Jolls albeit wasn't happy with the free vs you in last.

Reid - for all the crap the defense has had in last week or two he led the backs superbly well. He was BOG in every facet of the game.

Wellingham - struggled to keep Kerr in check but did do some good things bar the ball use. Thought got so much better as the game went on and his fitness, attack and run was first class. Another who had best game in a long time. His main blight was that handball before 3qtr time. Was bad but otherwise v good and 10 CP would be as high as had Ina while.

Sidebottom - missed important passes again and must have kicked 2-3 blindly in 2nd but seemed to settle at HT and his ball use thru the middle in the 2nd half was huge for us. He had his best game for a long time and he won more ball than has in a long time.

Johnson - v good for mine. Seemed to have bit of time on Shuey and belted him before settling in back half and giving us important run and more so some good decision making. He shouldn't retire. He has more footy in him.

Dawes - ok kept glass out of it and was useful in the ruck insomuch as they didn't dominate him. Well done for mine.

Cloke - 3 touches to HT but he was competing and them didn't do a heap more in 2nd half but he was really strong as a focal point.

Toovey - good on lynch wasn't he to the point where he had him subbed off and then went to darling and did real well.

Elliott - loves playing these blokes doesn't he. Thought he was real good in the last and some efforts at ball were real good.

Swan - 11 to HT and was played fwd a lot which was odd to me at time but it was clearly so we could release him as a fresh mid in 2nd half and his gut running towards game end as well as that goal were massive. 18 touches in last ahlf. Loved his game.

Shaw - unreal wasn't he. Just stepped up and ran as much as he could. Under pressure was super and couldn't really recollect anything that he did poorly all night

 

[el toado]

Pretty spot on there snoop. I agree that we should have been a bit further in front but our delivery into the fwd line and some crucial ump errors hurt us.

5 - Reid
4 - jolly
3 - Pendles
2 - Beams
1 - Thomas

Any one of the top 3 could have been bog I think. Reid was outstanding with his defensive marking, jolly outplayed 'the best ruck combo in the game' and Pendles was something special in the middle, the space he finds in congested areas is amazing.

 

[TradeDraft]

Brown - kept Kennedy to 2 I think and then went to Hill and did well on him. Was good for a kid who is emotionally distraught from what am told.

Best I seen him for awhile, How did you hear that about.

Sidebottom - missed important passes again and must have kicked 2-3 blindly in 2nd but seemed to settle at HT and his ball use thru the middle in the 2nd half was huge for us. He had his best game for a long time and he won more ball than has in a long time.

Still Missing Targets too much but ran hard all night

Wellingham - struggled to keep Kerr in check but did do some good things bar the ball use. Thought got so much better as the game went on and his fitness, attack and run was first class. Another who had best game in a long time. His main blight was that handball before 3qtr time. Was bad but otherwise v good and 10 CP would be as high as had Ina while.

For me he was Shocking. Missed all his Targets

Reid - for all the crap the defense has had in last week or two he led the backs superbly well. He was BOG in every facet of the game.

Best Game I have seen him play

Dawes - ok kept glass out of it and was useful in the ruck insomuch as they didn't dominate him. Well done for mine.

Spot On was not Dominate but was not Dominated Either

 

[Go_Brad_Dick]

it was probably the best team performance all year.
Reminded me of the dominant Collingwood of mid 2011, minus the elite foot skills and ball movement.
Would have been nice to see Cloke and Dawes produce a bit more but they competed well at least.

 

[Stifler's mom]

Reid
Jolly
Pendles

3 standouts for mine.
Just got home and will watch off the IQ for other individual performances.

Great effort from the boys!

 

[Frankie23]

Ben Reid was sensational, however credit to Toovey and Brown as well, they were super. the final 3 quarters, out defence looked like 2010 all over again, promising signs.

Pendlebury was our best midfielder by a mile, so calm and used it great whilst others weren't. I thought Swanny and Beams were very good without reipping the game apart. Sidey was good as well, some of his use was poor however he was running to the right spots and looked right at home on the big stage.

Up forward i was the Daisy Thomas show in that 3rd quarter, amazing while Goldsack's pressure was right up tonight, one of his better games and Blairy as well.

No one played that bad, Cloke and Dawes without scoring were still good targets. Cloke had 2 on him most of the night, and McKenzie played an absolute blinder as well. Fasolo struggled while Didak's use was poor, his injury might save the embarrassment of being dropped.

Overall our past 3 weeks have been very good beside one bad quarter against Hawthorn and the first 10 minutes against WC. Carn the Woods!

 

[Maggie5]

Game
Votes
5 - Reid
4 - beams
3 - pendlebury
2 - Thomas
1 - jolly

Apols to the rest of the backs and swan.....well basically the whole team.

Great review, apology to Goldsack too, despite his misses worked hard all night.
Great Team effort.

 

[Pie eyed]

Votes

5 - Reid
4 - Beams (does not perform in finals...LOL)
3 - Jolly
2 - Thomas
1 - Pendlebury

Apols to the rest of the backs


Players

Fasolo - Agree, lacks experience in such physical finals and needs to chill a bit.
Tarrant - Agree.
Krakouer - Had his moments, but should sign for waht's on offer considering the Club resurrected his careers when others shied away.
Didak - An excellent first 1st half. Working his way into GF form.
Goldsack - Big game player, has always been underestimated, can play anywhere to a high standard. Courage to burn.
Obrien - Can always be relied upon to provide as much run as the forwards can handle...sometimes too much, Really good game I thought.
Pendlebury - Getting back into peak form after his injury.
Blair - Blair did a fantastic job on Hearn. Lucky to miss on a vote I thought. Gutsy little bloke.
Thomas - No-one's ever going to drop a bloke who can put on 3 goals, in a row in a tight final. Showed glimpses of his best for 6-7minutes...
Brown - Great game.
Beams - BOG on any other day.
Jolly - Again BOG on any other day.

Reid - HUGE. Today I was thinking how will Brown and Reid be perceived when they are mature men, if they keep playing the way they have been.
They could be two of the best ever.

Wellingham - Thought the Boot was very good, but made some out of character decisions.
Sidebottom - His job is to get the ball moving our way in extremely tight situations. He sure as hell is not the only player in the game who just puts it on the boot and goes POP. Sam Mitchell has made a career of it.
Johnson - Very Good. Great to have Roids back. We are simply a better side with him in it.or mine.
Dawes - His best game following on from his last best game, last week.
Cloke - Played his role got smothered, attacked from the front, hands over the shoulder and got nothing from the Umps, as usual.
Toovey - Made one blue I noticed but made ammends pretty quickly. Tooves is a minor God.

The Mayas celebrated the new year with the Possum God carrying on its back the Rain God with an offering of cacao beans.

I take this to foretell Tooves playing a blinder and Collingwood getting the Chocolates versus Hawkthorn in a wet GF
Elliott - Agree.
Swan - Anything less than 50 is considered the norm for Swanny now.

Shaw - Poster boy for ADHT. Argued his case against the arsehat ump valiantly, but meh, unless they start letting players knock the idiots out, a pointless talent.

 

[Knightmare]

Votes:
5. Reid
4. Thomas
3. Goldsack
2. Beams
1. Pendlebury
Also good: Jolly, Krakouer, Brown, Toovey.

Team notes:
Slow start and that goal taken away from us seemed to really get to us early but with about 10 minutes left in the first quarter I felt from then on we controlled the game pretty well and played it on terms even if it did take until that 3rd quarter for the scoreboard to tick over.

I liked our hard team defensive running and it's not something that has necessarily been there all season but this finals series even when we have overextended our zone we still ran back hard and even when losing the chase badly at least pressured enough to effect the forward movement and limit it's effectiveness which I thought was big for us on a number of occasions. Team tackling pressure was very good and it was not only a group who did it but a team committment to it that made us so good in this regard.

Attackingly what we did well was run. We ran and spread and this we when we go well. Again our footskills were mostly poor but it was by running and breaking the lines, taking those running bounces and just attacking through run that we really broke it open in the 3rd quarter. And it's in this daring and taking the game on that can make us dangerous. It was great that we could just switch it on with the season on the line.

I liked the numbers around the ball for much of the game. It kept it closed and with those numbers it keeps it an inside game which suits our midfield superiority. Against the big boys - Hawthorn if we make the granny we need to do similar to round 1 finals and this.

Side note: Is it just me or is it the players that haven't been performing this season that are lifting this finals series? Cloke last week. Reid and Thomas this week. If we can get our whole team up to season best levels maybe we can do some damage.



Individual notes:

Mids:
Jolly was strong in the ruck, competed well and for the first half in particular was busy around the ground and presented up forward a couple of times. Had some meaningful taps to advantage and while you can never beat Cox/Naitanui, Jolly did a very good job.

Pendlebury's inside work was solid and kicking better than it has been which was promising.

Beams was solid with the primary tag. Still got his numbers and even with the emotion of the week still played well which is made even more impressive with some injury questions going into the game. Clearance work very good.

Swan had another good inside game and ran hard. Tackling game good. Ball use probably again not where it could be and even dropped an easy mark which was somewhat surprising. Not the dominant game he has had in recent weeks but still solid.

Thomas' game was most pleasing and he won it with his 3, 3rd quarter goals. Also really liked his tackling game which is just so much better than it's been in weeks. Great to see that he could turn his game on and he needs to replicate and build on this performance next week if we want to make the granny.

Sidebottom was better than he has been and got involved early when few were producing. Tackling side to his game was good and used the ball better than he has in recent weeks also. Hard two way running game and needs to build on this game and have an even bigger one next week.

Wellingham's tackling game was good and he won his own ball but his ball use by foot was terrible. Still a great effort game even if it wasn't his most complete game.


Fwd:
Cloke presented at the footy well and I loved those contested grabs he took in the first quarter. He still played with confidence and I'm pretty happy with where he is at even if he didn't kick any goals. I'm reasonably confident he will produce next week and I don't think he is in such a bad place as he has been for much of the season.

Goldsack was brilliant up forward and took some great marks in the air. Won his own ball through the middle and ran hard. Really solid game and was one of our most important with the influence he had at times.

Dawes was ok at times. Not the strong performance he had last week. At times with his strength created space which was promising but again dropping some easy marks. No guarantee he is healthy for next week.

Krakouer was lively. Felt dangerous every time he got his hands on it and has been a big in since he has returned. Just creates space so well for himself and it's a pleasure to watch his evasiveness and his ability to generate time. Didn't finish with any goals but could easily have kicked 3-4 so I'm pretty happy with his efforts.

Blair mostly tagged Hurn and didn't have much of an impact or get much of his ball but he limited Hurn's rebound so can't complain.

Didak was ok in the first half but in the 3rd was quiet before subbed out. At times fumbled and kicking not as good as it has been in recent weeks but tackling effort was there and was certainly productive enough in that first half.

Elliott dropped that one mark he should have taken but otherwise took some other nice marks and tackling good as usual. Ok.

Fasolo was again not as good as he has been and while his tackling was good at times make his own uncharacteristic mistakes whether it be handballing to players under pressure or dropping marks he should take. I did enjoy his early 3rd quarter mark then unselfishness finding Thomas up forward. Fasolo is just such a natural playmaker and his ability to set up others is nearly as good as that of Didak. It's a real highlight and I think it can become an even greater asset if he can do it even more consistently in future seasons. I see him being really effective in a long term role on a wing where he specialises in delivery to our forwards by foot.


Def:
Reid was brilliant and was playing like he was last year but with a few other tricks I don't remember being in his arsenel. Really stepped up with Maxwell out and just shut Kennedy out of the game. Took a number of intercept marks but I most enjoyed his tackling game which was for mine team best on the night with a number of very strong tackles! Can he do this every week? He does it so well! I also loved it how he attacked the ball in the air as a defender. He continues to get front position and take 1v1 intercept marks out in front and at other times in the air after getting front position. He really attacked it like a forward and it was a very impressive performance. He really demonstrated why I was going on all last year about Reid being our most valueable and best on our list.

Brown was also reasonably impressive and I enjoyed his ability to get stops against the oppositions leading forwards on a number of occasions. 1v1 he did have trouble with holding v Cox but I really like Brown at a lower weight because he can surprisingly go with some reasonably quick players on the lead and compete really well.

Shaw had his good and bad moments as has been the story with him recently. Took a number of intercept marks but then uncharacteristically dropped a couple of easy ones he would have taken any other week. He broke the lines and in the 3rd in particular really provided some meaningful drive with his run which was impressive. Tackling mostly good.

Toovey was again solid on Darling and it just shows the flexibility he has being able to man and stop Cyril Rioli one week then an in form key forward such as Jack Darling the next. Had the better of him most of the game but also used it well ont he rebound which also was impressive at times.

Tarrant mostly shut down Lynch and stopped him from having any influence until subbed out. After that he seemed to shift to a forward flank where he wasn't terrible either. Still best as a key defender but when he shifted onto the forward flank still did some important things.

O'Brien got that first goal but otherwise was very quiet. Defensive running at times was impressive and effected some opposition kicks with the perceived pressure that comes with O'Brien's chase. Unsure if he was on Hill? But Hill had a fair impact so if so then probably one of his more disappointing recent games. Has had a strong 2nd half to the season so expect him to rebound next week with a stronger performance.

Johnson unusually missed a number of targets early but cleaned things up after that. Defensive running good at times and played his role.

 

[Snoop Dog]

For me he was Shocking. Missed all his Targets

just watched replay and he did some ordinary things but his game got better and better. He was ok but yeah if we lost a couple of bones may have been pointed. Big reason we got up though

 

[Snoop Dog]

Pretty spot on there snoop. I agree that we should have been a bit further in front but our delivery into the fwd line and some crucial ump errors hurt us.

5 - Reid
4 - jolly
3 - Pendles
2 - Beams
1 - Thomas

Any one of the top 3 could have been bog I think. Reid was outstanding with his defensive marking, jolly outplayed 'the best ruck combo in the game' and Pendles was something special in the middle, the space he finds in congested areas is amazing.

how was that blind turn of Pendlebury's...

 

[Go_Brad_Dick]

havent seen Pendles play like that for so long I had forgotten how good he was..
awesome to see so many guys back to their best at the right time.
I think having lost last week and getting an extra game to find form will work in our favour and we will win the GF.

 

[el toado]

how was that blind turn of Pendlebury's...

There was one that was a standout but he did about 10 other plays in traffic that I doubt any other player could do. It's like he sees the play from the view of a sports video game.

he has 360 degree vision and can see every opponent around him, so he knows how much time he has and where he needs to move to avoid trouble and he is also aware of where his teammates are so he can take the best option.

Simply outstanding

 

[The Magnificent Seven]

There was one that was a standout but he did about 10 other plays in traffic that I doubt any other player could do. It's like he sees the play from the view of a sports video game.

he has 360 degree vision and can see every opponent around him, so he knows how much time he has and where he needs to move to avoid trouble and he is also aware of where his teammates are so he can take the best option.

Simply outstanding

This is - I believe - how Pendlebury sees the game:-

 

[SpaceCow]

This seems like the most appropriate place to put it I think...

Beams is a ****ing gun. Some of his work in close is bordering on ridiculous. In particular I remember a passage of play at a stoppage near Collingwood's forward fifty where he just reached above the WC player (for some reason Gaff comes to mind, but I don't quite recall) with his right hand after the ruck tap, guided the ball onto his boot and converted essentially a nothing moment into a forward fifty entry.

 

[Snoop Dog]

just watched the replay and must admit Wellinghams job on Kerr was unreal. Kerr got to the drop so many times and Sharrod was all over him. In fact Sharrod should have been paid a couple more frees as Kerr hit him high with the fend off a few times (incl the whack in the nose).

Toovey was also outstanding. Not sure he made a skill error all night.

 

[Pera]

Toovey - good on lynch wasn't he to the point where he had him subbed off and then went to darling and did real well.

Toovey played on Darling Snoop but agree, played damn well. The most underrated player of the modern era for us. I'm going that far.

 

[Nebula1971]

Great write up as always.

I am quite surprised at how low some posters have rated Pendles' game. Behind Reid, I thought he was our second best, possibly 3rd behind Jolly (hard to split). His best game since his return. Add some better form with DT, pressure from the Krak, another game under BJ's belt and an intense attitude and ladies and gents, we have the Collingwood team we are all so well acquainted with, minus some terrible turnovers .

A team that will trouble Sydney, despite the 6 day break...

 

[Steeleyourself]

Anyone who says Beams always chokes in finals will need a prescription check. Had a cracker last night, and wasn't bad against Hawthorn. Will be another vital cog when Ball is back and able to tag team in and under with him.

 

[jefffff34]

***** - Pendlebury, Thomas, Reid, Swan
**** - Goldsack, O'Brien, Brown, Beams, Jolly, Toovey
*** - Didak, Krakouer, Blair, Wellingham, Sidebottom, Johnson, Dawes, Cloke, Shaw
** - Fasolo, Tarrant
* - Elliott

 

[Number 10]

***** - Pendlebury, Thomas, Reid, Swan
**** - Goldsack, O'Brien, Brown, Beams, Jolly, Toovey
*** - Didak, Krakouer, Blair, Wellingham, Sidebottom, Johnson, Dawes, Cloke, Shaw
** - Fasolo, Tarrant
* - Elliott

Why the 2 stars for Tarrant?

What are people's thoughts on Elliot as the sub? I think realistically it's between Sinclair and Elliot as sub. The other nominations of late have been didak, krakouer, Blair- but I see these players as vital for the entirety of the game. Personally I think Elliot is the cleaner and better skilled of the two who can take on the game. He doesn't lack courage but can look a bit out of his depth at times. Sinclair is a hard nut, very quick and a great defensive forward who can drift up the ground, but bringing a player in who can't kick at a crucial time of the game doesn't sit well with me...

 

[TradeDraft]

Elliot could not do much in 1 QTR Really

 

[jefffff34]

Why the 2 stars for Tarrant?

Iffy start. Was close to 3*'s.

 

[Knightmare]

Elliott was fine. Tackling was good. Dropped the one mark but I was fine with the limited minutes he played. Played his role.

 

[Somebody]

(1 = BOG)
1. Pendles - the Pendles of old for first time in a while
2. REid
3. Goldsack - best game I have seen him play by a long shot - dynamic. Didn't miss the really important one in q4
4. Jolly - in terms of importance would be rated 1 or 2
5. Beams - sort of unobtrusive but racked them up
6. Benny - his run, evasiveness and presence so important
7. Thomas - again, in terms of importance would be # 2 or 3 due to the impact goals and the stress he causes the opposition. Coming back toward his brilliant best and hopefully will be better next week. Also Swan slots in here.
8. Vintage Heater and his run so important off the back line.
9. Krakour - again in terms of importance would be rated much higher. I think he transforms our whole forward line and makes it much more dangerous, which in turn inspires the mids and even the backs. Can't win this year without him (yes even talking about the flag again!)

Sidey best game in a long while and anothetr taht's hitting form at the perfect time. What are they putting in the cooler? WEllo also getting back to his best. OVerall, for the first time in ages the midfield is looking "overwhelming" again - might be harder next week but bring it on! IF we can get through, we will have an extra day's break over Hawks (which is pretty stiff for them having finished top).