Positives

[BeinPurplenGreen]

For once, I'm all out of ideas:

1. Zac Clarke - how good was that??? Seriously people, how ****in great was that???;

2. Balla - I'm still not convinced, and he better not start running around with an arrogant big head a-la Steve "Toss-bag Diver-boy" Johnson, but at least Balla showed a decent learning fom last week. Hopefully he worked hard off the ball too (I'm relying on you lot at the game to tell me all about this bit of his game); and

3. Broughton - what a gun!! He didn't have perfect disposal, but geez he really showed some guts drifting back into packs time after time.

Bet no-one else comes up with more than three.

**** this positivity shite is hard after 11 losses in a season (yet again).

 

[loopa]

re point 2. Balla worked very hard off the ball. was very impressed with his game today

 

[Lach72]

We had 30 more possesions than them...without Pav.
We're usually getting 40-60 less than the opposition...

Suban got 14 possessions...more than his usual 10 and his DE improved and he also had the most tackles in the team...not that says much as 4 is not a great number

Broughton was superb today...just awesome

 

[BeinPurplenGreen]

re point 2. Balla worked very hard off the ball. was very impressed with his game today

Great news, thanks for that - was he chasing and shepherding?? Or was it more his positioning off the ball and leading up the ground?

(Sorry for the odd questions - just that they were the four areas I had him down in as the worst parts of his game last week against the Pies)

 

[Rob]

Agree with all of that - but I can vouch for Ballantyne working his arse off. He came off just before half time after his soccer goal and nearly collapsed. I'm sure part of that is a lack of match fitness, but he did cover a lot of ground.

 

[loopa]

his leads were great, fantastic smother as well that resulted in a goal.
pretty sure he chased down Judd, great tackle (may be wrong though, i was on the other side of the ground) he was applying a heap of pressure and looked to be our most dangerous forward all day

 

[Lach72]

his leads were great, fantastic smother as well that resulted in a goal.
pretty sure he chased down Judd, great tackle (may be wrong though, i was on the other side of the ground) he was applying a heap of pressure and looked to be our most dangerous forward all day

Yeah that was him

 

[legitimatic]

Agree with all of that - but I can vouch for Ballantyne working his arse off. He came off just before half time after his soccer goal and nearly collapsed. I'm sure part of that is a lack of match fitness, but he did cover a lot of ground.

HIs pressuring is exceptional, the guy is lightning quick, and his last 2 goals were brilliant, the desperate smother and then the finish, wow.

Zac Clarke had me very excited, looks like he will be a gun.

Broughton was a ****ing rock in defence today, at one time he took about 3-4 goal saving marks in defence, and is clean off both sides.

McPharlin was decent today, had a few bad eroors but huge improvement, Suban, De Boer and Hill again showed great signs, never say die attitudes.

It was again our older players who let us down today, when we get all those guys back from injury and cut off the hacks we WILL be a very good football side.

 

[Kickett Punches Read]

zack clarke- showed a fair bit today

ballantyne- he really needs to pick his fitness up, but gee he showed that he can really play, very impressed..... has some mongrel in him too

other young guys- suban, hill, deboer and broughton all continue to show that we have a future

christ tarrant- i know fev kicked 3, but taz i thought won the day, with precision ball coming in from quality mids, fev could have kicked 10, taz out pointed him more often than not

mcpharlin- good target up forward, he should be CHB, but with muprhy and campbell being useless, and tarrant being on fev mcpharlin was really our only option, he didnt disappoint

daniel gilmore- and that surely that was his last ever game, that is a real positive as the guy is a walking punchline for more info, see daniel gilmore thread

david mundy-thought he was a lot better today than what he had been in the past

 

[Reveler]

i'm sick of looking for positives, so miserable after the loss...

so many bloody crabs in our 25-30 age bracket..

 

[BeinPurplenGreen]

Agree with all of that - but I can vouch for Ballantyne working his arse off. He came off just before half time after his soccer goal and nearly collapsed. I'm sure part of that is a lack of match fitness, but he did cover a lot of ground.

his leads were great, fantastic smother as well that resulted in a goal.
pretty sure he chased down Judd, great tackle (may be wrong though, i was on the other side of the ground) he was applying a heap of pressure and looked to be our most dangerous forward all day

Yeah that was him

Great news - thanks very much for the info everyone, I really appreciate it.

Balla had a bad first 3 quarters last week, but put his head down and chased hard in the last, even while the Pies surged over the top of us.

I was really hoping he'd learn from that and do more this week, and it sounds like he did!! Certainly from the TV coverage his leads seemed strong and repeatedly to the right areas - especially given there was no big forward to draw the defenders away from him - lets hope he keeps it up for the next few games...

 

[Split Personality]

McPharlin pulling his finger out was a huge +ve, been a loooooooooooong time coming this season.

BPG - go blues hehe

 

[silverscope]

3. Broughton - what a gun!! He didn't have perfect disposal, but geez he really showed some guts drifting back into packs time after time.

Haha.... sorry BPG... but 87% DE not good enough? 31 Disposals and only 1 clanger...... I'd take that any day of the week

 

[BeinPurplenGreen]

McPharlin pulling his finger out was a huge +ve, been a loooooooooooong time coming this season.

BPG - go blues hehe

Yeah yeah yeah - you'll keep toots.

Hope you enjoyed wearing your putrid yellow mustard beige gamboge chartreuse Carltank scarf - trust you found some shoes that matched too...

 

[longsuffreosupp]

1/4 of our team are crabs and we are managing to be in a winning position in a lot of our games.

 

[Split Personality]

Yeah yeah yeah - you'll keep toots.

Hope you enjoyed wearing your putrid yellow mustard beige gamboge chartreuse Carltank scarf - trust you found some shoes that matched too...

Play nice BPG Toots... havent heard that word in a long time haha

I still cant find my scarf you know... I think my Freo one ate it. Another +ve was it taking 2 qtrs for the lovely lil old ladies behind me to realise I wasn't barracking for freo like all the other weeks

In all seriousness, I was very impressed with Clarke and Balla. Man frodo is small.... he's as tall as me!

 

[Stronzo]

HIs pressuring is exceptional, the guy is lightning quick, and his last 2 goals were brilliant, the desperate smother and then the finish, wow.

Zac Clarke had me very excited, looks like he will be a gun.

Broughton was a ****ing rock in defence today, at one time he took about 3-4 goal saving marks in defence, and is clean off both sides.

McPharlin was decent today, had a few bad eroors but huge improvement, Suban, De Boer and Hill again showed great signs, never say die attitudes.

It was again our older players who let us down today, when we get all those guys back from injury and cut off the hacks we WILL be a very good football side.

Yep, include Pav, Palmer, Johnson, Mayne and Hayden for Thornton, Gilmore, Hinkley, Bradley & Headland (or Peake), and the team has improved massively. Suddenly we have a midfield and Pav can play forward more often.

McPharlin pulling his finger out was a huge +ve, been a loooooooooooong time coming this season.

BPG - go blues hehe

Agreed, though he faded.

 

[samseenee]

Positives:
Ballantyne's perm... looked fantastic.
Brougtons courage going back with the flight of the ball against Fev x2.
Pav in a suit... looked rather dapper I must say.
Getting the runners to fill holes when kicking out after a point... classic from both teams

 

[Selggad]

This one is tough. Worst loss for a while for mine, but...

Ballantyne's form. Showed why we took him with our first second rounder. Great effort.

McPharlin finally lifting his game and playing closer to what he can do. Has to keep it up now.

Broughton in the backline. What is that, his 7th or 8th game and he is playing like a veteran. The years in the WAFL obviously have worked for him.

Hill's checkside goal. The composure and skills from such a young guy are awesome.

Deboer and Suban continuing to demonstrate they belong at this level and will be good contributors

Clarke showing promise in his second outing. Special mention for the hair.

The first quarter ball movement and skills. We can do it.

Gilmore proving his lack of ability at this level. I feel sorry for the guy as he showed promise and that knock to the head seemed to stop a potential career, but it's time to go.

*sigh*

 

[4n20]

Broughton in the backline. What is that, his 7th or 8th game and he is playing like a veteran. The years in the WAFL obviously have worked for him.

Seems that way doesnt it?. Are there any other likely types from the WAFL capable of stepping up??. Any KPPs??

If the draft is shallow, we may have to look at players who, like Broughton and Ballantyne, have done a couple of seasons in the WAFL, are still young but have shown what they can offer the team.

Back on topic....Clarke and Balla were my stand out positives .

 

[Stronzo]

Hill's last quater hasn't been mentioned, but I thought he was inspirational at times. It is such a great sign that he steps up when the game is on the line.

So glad we picked him.

 

[melbournedocker]

There are a few positives we can take out of yesterday's game along with quite a few of our recent games.

Broughton, Ibbotson, Hill, De Boer and Suban have been fantastic and have really stood up this year with a lot of our key personnel out.

Ballantyne will be another outlet for us in the forward line and I'm looking forward to seeing him hopefully working with Pavlich as a forward line combination. Clarke showed some great skills yesterday and hopefully will get more chances in the coming weeks.

Although it is tough at the moment, I'm excited with the direction we are going in. I have thought this way before with previous Freo playing lists but there is some good potential there and hopefully we can realise that potential.

 

[Sman-21]

Yeah i was gonna mention the way hill seems to lift in last quarters when game is on the line, trying to do everything he can to help the team win.
Wonderful signs from a young player just hope all the early losses in his career dont suck that determination out of him.

He can look to be struggling and dead tired but will put in that extra effort to try an get a win.
You see him down back helping out, then seconds later up forward etc.