Some reflections from last night

[ant555]

Scrappy game that we should have won by more given we had a stronger line up in. Anyway there was some good along with the bad.
The defensive zone on kick outs worked pretty well and overall the defensive pressure was pretty good despite a few times in the game when we went back to old habits.

Big tick for Winderlich. Despite having stuff all pre season and being well under done as far as match fitness goes he comes out and plays a great game. Ran hard all night and those who where at the game and watching from level two or three would have seen all the extra running to position he did.

Lovett stood up again. Not quite as good as last week but still put in the hard yards when it was his turn.

Skipworth has shown in two games that we did not just recruit him to baby sit the young players. When you get to watch him live his work rate and leadership on the ground is excellent to watch.
Hille looks in good form.

Neagle looks like he needs to go back and play 100 minutes in a few of the Bendigo practice matches.

Now i doubt this would have shown up to those watching the game on the box but McPhee in defence is a real problem. He finds the ball ok but he stuffs around with it too much and his efforts at spotting players in the clear on a switch of play is appauling.
I counted 7 times last night where he had players in the clear for a 30 to 40 meter switch but completly missed them. Instead he gets the ball at half back and stops and starts three or four times before giving a short pass or a stupid handball.
It really stands out how bad he is when you are at the game and watching from level 2 or 3. Use the first option and stop trying to think too much McFumble!!!!!
It will be a long year if he is playing at half back

Gumby, keep your feet and play in front !

Anyway good to have a couple of wins on the board. They are in front of where i thought they where given pre season this year has been timed to peak at round 1.

 

[Burzum]

re: McPhee, even in the last quarter he could have run on and kicked a goal but picked it up stopped and propped only to be tackled and give up the ball. He really hurts us when he continually holds up the ball.

 

[DaSawx]

I couldn't make it last night but yes, McPhee looks bad on telly too, ad me ripping my hair out, but an automatic selection, apparently.

 

[Enki]

The defensive zone on kick outs worked pretty well and overall the defensive pressure was pretty good despite a few times in the game when we went back to old habits.
...

Now i doubt this would have shown up to those watching the game on the box but McPhee in defence is a real problem.

I agree, I thought our zone with the kick outs was good and our overall defense was good the first half, I felt the second half we probably fell off but that wasn't helped by Brisbanes flooding which clogged up our forward line.

As for McPhee I said it last year when people were calling for him to play down back because "he was AA in '04 in that position", he isn't a third tall or a HBF. He doesn't have the composure or footy brain to play a defensive role (well IMO). I know people like to think he is in our best 22 for certain but where I ask? It isn't in the backline and out forward 50 seems like it will be too tall for him to play the role he did last year consistently, the wing seems like the only choice but is he ahead of others there? I doubt it. It's not that I don't like him at all but I just think it is hard to find a good position for him with other young players coming into the team.

As for the score, we would have won by more if Hille could kick straight (nah, I love you Hilley, other players had the same problem too but he just missed a few set shots he'd usually get so he stood out) but we still have the tendancy we showed last year of letting sides back into a game that we should be starting to lock them out of. We need to improve this year on really finishing sides of when we have the chance.

Oh, and the skills of both sides were poor. Hope we are better polished come round 1.

 

[Hirdman]

Agree.

Surely he has been shown highlights of his own game and had this issue pointed out, he really needs to addres this.

 

[Windas_Magic]

Good summary ant.

I've always said that McPhee isn't suited to half back. He is good in the air but his decision making and execution lets him down too often. Not to mention he gets the fumbles.
Last night he would just just stop, allows all Brisbane players to get back, and end up doing **** all with it anyway. When he could of moved it on quickly to a player in space giving us a good attacking opportunity on the rebound.

At half forward he is much more effective because at least he is always leading, is capable overhead and not bad when the ball gets to ground level. But with Gumby, Neagle, Lucas and Lloyd all possibilities in the side, it's going to be very difficult for him to play up forward.

Also think some people forget how crucial Watson is to our side. Yes he struggles in the pace department but his knowledge around stoppages and relationship with Hille is fantastic.

Lonergan is another who was super, thought his work rate was top notch and he has the acceleration to burst away from the pack.

 

[BringBackCransberg]

I think everyone is pretty much right about McPhee. He's got the trunk to line up on a big bodied opposition forward (and perhaps acceptable speed for the average big bodied player) but not the decision-making ability to make the first move out of defence. Kind of an inversion of Ryder. So perhaps putting him further back in defence, getting him to focus on playing a shutdown role, and imploring him to dish it off really quickly, really short, whenever he ends up with it.

Watching Gumbleton these last couple of matches...it looks like he's in one of those bad dreams in which you can't properly move your limbs. Everytime it goes near him my heart jumps into my throat and I think "This is it, this is it, this is it....", hoping that when he does that one freakish thing that everyone expects of him, he'll come out of the dream and be what everyone wants him to be. But he's just a young player and we have to be patient. Players very rarely fulfil their potential *bang* just like that. He's got loads of the stuff, but has given no reason to believe that he'll convert it to reality any quicker than anyone else does theirs. He'll get there, but I think the pressure he feels is slowing him down if anything.

I thought Dyson showed that by the end of the year he can have a genuine place in the team. As many have pointed out, he has made a lot of mistakes, but I think that he'll learn from them and be better for it, with the confidence already shown in him from the coaches. I think Ling is a similar example (not necessarily in playing style but in learning from myriad mistakes to become a really consistent player). Dyson is just beginning to head down that path, I believe.

 

[The Donners]

Thankfully only the NAB Cup. If we are to impliment the rolling zone in the season proper it will be a long year, the skill level for even this time of year is below par.

Bellchambers, Winderlich and Lovett were the positives in terms of performance. Dempsey showed good signs. Great to see Lucas and Davey back.

 

[Strike Swiftly]

spot on ant!

 

[dave_27]

Ant is just rapt to see Hocking in their.

Pretty solid game from buddha I thought. Do you see him playing Round 1 ant?

 

[The Donners]

Ant is just rapt to see Hocking in their.

Pretty solid game from buddha I thought. Do you see him playing Round 1 ant?

Please no, too slow by both leg speed and decision making!

 

[kelvin_sheedy]

Gumbleton looks like his peak will be more Mooney then Reiwoldt if he even ever gets there.

We can't play 4 tall forwards in the one game. Roving zones and flooding will kill us because our big guys aren't mobile enough or AFL match fit enough.

Nash still a dud - ditto Dyson.

Bellchambers outrucked Leunberger. Maybe you should never draft a ruckman with your first round pick.

Lovett could become elite this year.

Watson is better than most give him credit for.

Lonergan is now officially our best kid.

Myers is a worry.

Jetta looks bigger and stronger. Should start seeing an impact.

Daniher looks like he has the tools to play at this level.

McPhee - prefer him to be the 4th tall in the forward line. Gives us more mobility.

Hille is now our most important player.

 

[Burzum]

This game has me worried about our list whether we have the quality of players and some elite talent.

 

[Sir James]

$20 to get me and the wife in.
$60 on beer
$25 on food
$4.60 on train tickets
To watch an average game with 12,000 supporters

 

[yaco55]

This game has me worried about our list whether we have the quality of players and some elite talent.

You could be right !

 

[yaco55]

re: McPhee, even in the last quarter he could have run on and kicked a goal but picked it up stopped and propped only to be tackled and give up the ball. He really hurts us when he continually holds up the ball.

The problem in the last quarter was that McPhee fumbled the ball on the ground and then made a bad decision.

I thought he played surprisingly well in the one on one contests, but he is indecisive when he has the ball.

 

[Longy413]

McPhee was good. I don't give ticks out easy, but you blokes are too hard. He needs the game to move and no one moved for him. If not for him, Winderlich and Lovett we play in Cairns next week. 1 of three to move for us.

Nothing to worry about with Myers.

Neagle plays round 1.

Ant has to stop posting drunk.

 

[Smyth94]

This game has me worried about our list whether we have the quality of players and some elite talent.

You could be right !

I think a lot of people are reading far too much into the result and where Essendon are at in terms of match preparation.

20 post season surgeries, coupled with the fact that a lot of our younger types haven't played competitive footy in god knows how long - you'd expect a lot of rustiness.

I think too many expect too much from our younger brigade.

 

[Lance Uppercut]

Myers is a worry.

lol wat?

I don't think so...there were glimpses of what he can do with more than, y'know, 2 quarters under his belt...

 

[Strike Swiftly]

Jetta really needs to start pressuring the opposition defence more. He is extremely quick and agile, but he routinely fails to use that to his advantage when applying pressure to the opposition. Unlike Davey, he doesnt attack the player, rarely lays a tackle or chase. He looks like he's playing keepings off and appears lazy on the field.

 

[Smyth94]

Jetta really needs to start pressuring the opposition defence more. He is extremely quick and agile, but he routinely fails to use that to his advantage when applying pressure to the opposition. Unlike Davey, he doesnt attack the player, rarely lays a tackle or chase. He looks like he's playing keepings off and appears lazy on the field.

Jetta was playing a bit of a different role on Friday night - I thought it was one of his better midfield games.

 

[HULK HOGAN]

Gumbleton looks like his peak will be more Mooney then Reiwoldt if he even ever gets there.

We can't play 4 tall forwards in the one game. Roving zones and flooding will kill us because our big guys aren't mobile enough or AFL match fit enough.

Nash still a dud - ditto Dyson.

Bellchambers outrucked Leunberger. Maybe you should never draft a ruckman with your first round pick.

Lovett could become elite this year.

Watson is better than most give him credit for.

Lonergan is now officially our best kid.

Myers is a worry.

Jetta looks bigger and stronger. Should start seeing an impact.

Daniher looks like he has the tools to play at this level.

McPhee - prefer him to be the 4th tall in the forward line. Gives us more mobility.

Hille is now our most important player.

Strongly agree with your tall forwards comment, we aren't delivering the ball well enough int the forward line, some time we aren't even getting it close to our forwards and it is coming out far to easily. If a player is running through the center with the pill it must go to one of our big guns not one more handball that is shit for all parties gives no one an oppurtunity Collingwood will absolutely crucify us nxt week if we dont change the system agree with mcphee and Daniher. We also have alot of players that get caught on the overlap aswell all good running forward but dont let your opponent beat you back the opposite way. Love Ryder but he needs to lift his Intensity at the moment and get a bit more angry. I'm very happy with where we are right now but still have a Question mark that we may have to many running defenders and not enough mids Lovett should never be in at center bounces?

 

[Strike Swiftly]

Jetta was playing a bit of a different role on Friday night - I thought it was one of his better midfield games.

This is an ongoing criticism. Not just relating to the other nights effort.

 

[eth-dog]

re: McPhee

He should be playing in the midfield,tagging the players like Richo, Griffin, Goodes, C.Cornes etc. and when they're not playing he becomes the link man between HF and HB, and also becomes a wall when they are coming out of HB, stopping them getting a fast break. that is what McPhee should be doing

 

[GoDons]

This game has me worried about our list whether we have the quality of players and some elite talent.

Calm down.

It was a poor performance, that's going to happen in the NAB Cup. There were positives and negatives; all part of a pre-season. Plenty of guys are still knocking out a fair bit of rust; give them time. On a names basis we were a strong side, for how we used them we weren't.

At the end of the day, that game didn't replicate a regular season game skill level wise, intensity wise or tactically. Our backline were forced to play a lot higher due to the new rushed behind rule, our midfield had to penetrate a virtual 18 man zone and our forward line was practically a rolling rotation.

At the moment it's about having a group ready to go for Round 1, a number of guys are still building towards that. Trust the coach to get it right.