The New Guys

[carn_the_cattas]

How do you rate Prismalls, Spencers, Stokes and Batchelors performaces last night??
Prismall looks confident, looks the goods.
Spencer does allright, will probably take a while for someone of his mobility to adjust to the speed of AFL.
Stokes seemed very relaxed, had some class to him.
Batchelors looked very good, found the ball but gave a couple of free kicks.

On the topic of the new guys, with Kingsley out, could we see maybe Todd Grima in the mix??

 

[JUBJUB]

Stokes - very good and quick
Prismall - he could play a few senior games this year
Batchelor - Little Lingy did okay for his 1st game
Frankie - can't say I noticed him much

 

[tomthabuddah]

How do you rate Prismalls, Spencers, Stokes and Batchelors performaces last night??
Prismall looks confident, looks the goods.
Spencer does allright, will probably take a while for someone of his mobility to adjust to the speed of AFL.
Stokes seemed very relaxed, had some class to him.
Batchelors looked very good, found the ball but gave a couple of free kicks.

On the topic of the new guys, with Kingsley out, could we see maybe Todd Grima in the mix??

I cant see Prismall in our best 25 as of yet. ANother season in the ressies for me. Our midfield is set good back up depth player this season.

Stokes looks like a player than could get some time in the 1sts if there are a few injuries. looks the goods. Prefer him over thurley anyday. Hope to see him play some good footy this year.

Spencer looks more of a back up player this year. With Egan, Scarlett, Harley, Mooney and Milburn and Rooke we dont really need another tall.

I dont like the look of batch. Skills dont seem that good, didnt seem that hard at the ball and looks like a down hill skier.

 

[Prodigal Sons]

Spencer: Looks bloody slow in his first 2 outings. Turned the ball over twice last night when 15m in the clear and kicked out on the full. Played more like frank spencer than matt spencer !

Stokes: We've found a player - quick, good hands, and his disposal looked more polished than monty byrnes: I'm predicting he'll grab that spot during the year.

Prisnall: Looked better and I think anyone that Buddha Hocking talks up is surely someone to watch.

Batchelor: As the name suggests > no-one wants him (male or female) and I did'nt think he looked all that comfortable but deserves another game.

Nathan: for gods sake play him out of the square > when kent went off he lead well and should have finished with 2 if that last qtr free kick was paid when the kangas player charged him like a lunatic.

 

[Rosella]

Not impressed with Spencer so far.

Stokes looks like a very hand pick up.

Prismall, Batchelor ok, both young, plenty of time

Nice to see Will Slade get some touches

 

[Rhombus]

....

 

[DBAH0]

Stokes has got better awareness than Shannon Byrnes already. If he can convert his oppurtunities in front of goal, we could very well see quite a bit of him in 2006.

 

[GeeCat]

Stokes and Prismall were the pick of the bunch.

Stokes impressed me; clean hands, slick mover, good vision, and knack for getting himself in the play. Size is still an issue, as I assume it will always be, but he's looking more than handy. Not sure whether to put his disposal down to first-game jitters or not, but it could use abit of work nevertheless. Otherwise, apart from the nit-picking, he looks promising with his unpredictable factor.

Prismall looked better out there; good skills, some versatility with his inside-outside game, and decent vision. I think it was Seb who suggested he could be a handy linkman down the line, and I think that potential showed last night. Could be part of that second-group of midfielders to push the Byrnes' of the team each week into performing in the seniors.

I think Slade showed alot more than anyone could ask for him. Yes, he's been over his groin injuries for awhile now (at least, reportedly) but nevertheless, the jump straight back into the AFL is a big one from the training track, NAB Cup or not. Scrappy disposal, but I think he reminded a few of his capabilities. Provided a few galant rebounds from defense, but impressed me the most with his willingness to commit to contests and their physical abuse.

I'm still not sure what to make of Domsy's game. I missed the first replay, so I may have to catch the next one up. From memory, he generally led well for most of the night, but came away unrewarded more often than not. I think the fact we played our second-string forward setup hurt him more than anyone else. Our overall game plan was fairly predictable up until the point Kent left the field, and from then on, Domsy copped alot more attention than he looks like he can cope with, especially considering how he looks to be a third-tall option more than anything else. Kicking for the night was a strange issue considering his reputation before hand (at least, in my opinion), so perhaps some are being a tad harsh and unwilling to consider putting it down as an off-night. Time will tell.

Spencer was disappointing. Can't say much else without regurgitating what's been said before. Maybe a change of positions might help him, I dunno. Whatever it is, something needs to be done.

Batch was, perhaps just plainly, okay. I wouldn't say promising in the same context as Stokes or Prismall for that matter, but he showed patches of the same stuff from the VFL. I'm not so sure on the downhill-skier tag, he sure plays pre-dominantly on the outside, ahead of the play, but he looks more than adept at getting down and dirty on the inside to fight for the hardball. Gave some run, and some direct one at that, but his disposal was a mixed bag. Looks to have a Koula-like mentality to simply put boot to ball in a goal-ward direction, and in some respects it's a healthy one. That being said though, it would do him well to weigh up his options abit more than stick to the tunnel vision focus when he goes for his stroll. Shouldn't get to make full use of his eligibility during the season proper, but it might be worthwhile to keep him on the senior list next season (pending, of course, on his VFL form).

 

[tomthabuddah]

Stokes and Prismall were the pick of the bunch.

Stokes impressed me; clean hands, slick mover, good vision, and knack for getting himself in the play. Size is still an issue, as I assume it will always be, but he's looking more than handy. Not sure whether to put his disposal down to first-game jitters or not, but it could use abit of work nevertheless. Otherwise, apart from the nit-picking, he looks promising with his unpredictable factor.

Prismall looked better out there; good skills, some versatility with his inside-outside game, and decent vision. I think it was Seb who suggested he could be a handy linkman down the line, and I think that potential showed last night. Could be part of that second-group of midfielders to push the Byrnes' of the team each week into performing in the seniors.

I think Slade showed alot more than anyone could ask for him. Yes, he's been over his groin injuries for awhile now (at least, reportedly) but nevertheless, the jump straight back into the AFL is a big one from the training track, NAB Cup or not. Scrappy disposal, but I think he reminded a few of his capabilities. Provided a few galant rebounds from defense, but impressed me the most with his willingness to commit to contests and their physical abuse.

I'm still not sure what to make of Domsy's game. I missed the first replay, so I may have to catch the next one up. From memory, he generally led well for most of the night, but came away unrewarded more often than not. I think the fact we played our second-string forward setup hurt him more than anyone else. Our overall game plan was fairly predictable up until the point Kent left the field, and from then on, Domsy copped alot more attention than he looks like he can cope with, especially considering how he looks to be a third-tall option more than anything else. Kicking for the night was a strange issue considering his reputation before hand (at least, in my opinion), so perhaps some are being a tad harsh and unwilling to consider putting it down as an off-night. Time will tell.

Spencer was disappointing. Can't say much else without regurgitating what's been said before. Maybe a change of positions might help him, I dunno. Whatever it is, something needs to be done.

Batch was, perhaps just plainly, okay. I wouldn't say promising in the same context as Stokes or Prismall for that matter, but he showed patches of the same stuff from the VFL. I'm not so sure on the downhill-skier tag, he sure plays pre-dominantly on the outside, ahead of the play, but he looks more than adept at getting down and dirty on the inside to fight for the hardball. Gave some run, and some direct one at that, but his disposal was a mixed bag. Looks to have a Koula-like mentality to simply put boot to ball in a goal-ward direction, and in some respects it's a healthy one. That being said though, it would do him well to weigh up his options abit more than stick to the tunnel vision focus when he goes for his stroll. Shouldn't get to make full use of his eligibility during the season proper, but it might be worthwhile to keep him on the senior list next season (pending, of course, on his VFL form).

Everybody seems to be trying to push byrnes out of the team. He has been one of our best mids in both games. His disposal was better last night so im looking for both him and tenace and monica to be in the same team eventually. I hope there is room for stokes there somewhere but it is hard to see if S johnson, chapman, and ablett are in the team

 

[catempire]

Everybody seems to be trying to push byrnes out of the team. He has been one of our best mids in both games. His disposal was better last night so im looking for both him and tenace and monica to be in the same team eventually. I hope there is room for stokes there somewhere but it is hard to see if S johnson, chapman, and ablett are in the team

Byrnes will be in the team so long as his disposal is like it was last night and not like it was a week ago. He's a good player when he uses it well but that is too infrequent at the moment.

 

[bsg7]

I've said it before i'll say it again, Nathan Ablett is a dud

 

[Unwritten_Law]

Stokes was a lot better when he moved into the midfield and had the chance to run and create. He looked lost early in the game up forward.

 

[iameviljez]

Out of the guys who I was really looking at and taking an interest in for the NAB cup -

Nathan:
Same story as last week. Not given an important role and therefore couldn't really and didn't really do much from the foward pocket. As Gardiner was being soundly beaten by Watt I would not have minded seeing Lonergan taken out to CHF and N.Ablett to FF once Kingsley did his hammy. I mean, come on. It's only the preseason cup, for crying out loud.
All that said and done, he didn't get involved in what was a tough night for tall fowards with all the flooding that the Roos were employing. The talent is there but he is very raw around the edges still. The real issue is that when he has an off game he does not know how to still involve himself and that may well come with experience.

Matty Spencer:
I don't like putting the moniker on guys based on two games but to me Spencer does not look like an AFL-grade player. His mobility and agility is really the issue for mine; he is certainly strong and has a man's body but the ability to turn within a fifteen-metre confine is missing and for an AFL defender, that's a worry. Seems out of his athletic depth at this level and doesn't really get enough of it either.

Tom Lonergan:
I didn't really rate him much in his outings in 2005 but in two weeks he has begun to impress me. Against Carlton, he wasn't given a role that counted and he managed to have a nice little cameo but last night he was given an important role and came through holding his head high without being amazing. I was particularly impressed with his contested mark between two defenders and I did think that he was a presence all night. Give him some more time in the gym and he might yet do ok.

Matthew Stokes:
Yes, yes, yes. I see, I think and I like. Is he AFL-ready? Probably. The real question is whether there is room for him in the twenty-two. I thought he was better across half-foward, just outside the fifty, than anywhere else and you could see his poise and polish. We'll forgive him his disposal. For tonight, anyway.

Kane Tenace and Shannon Byrnes:
I'm lumping these two together because they really should become our first-choice wing speedster options down at Geelong. Neither were given the full game at the coalface and Tenace in particular was impressive down the flanks. Monty's disposal should be better for such a small guy (he's only my height, for goodness' sakes) but it was good last night. Tenace in particular is in his third season and should really begin to do some damage now. He should be looking to get at least six twenty-touch appearances this year, minimum. He has the potential to be very, very damaging.

 

[GeeCat]

Everybody seems to be trying to push byrnes out of the team. He has been one of our best mids in both games. His disposal was better last night so im looking for both him and tenace and monica to be in the same team eventually.

Actually, I would have thought 'everybody' was overrating Byrnes. I find it quite extraordinary that people would have him in their first 18 when, what I thought was fairly clear from his performances up to date, he is nothing more than a fringe 22 player at the moment.

I thought his performance against the Roos was an upgrade over the last week, but even if he was 'one of our best mids in both games', that should be speaking volumes about the rest of the team more than Shannon himself, no?

His speed and running ability is vaunted to an extent, but I think that's where people begin to overrate his capabilities and contribution to the team. If raw speed and a couple of dashes along the wing is good enough to earn you a spot in our starting 18, then I'll be damned. His disposal is still very, very ordinary, even if it was that little bit better over the weekend (and it was, as were his two running goals, which he deserves the merit for). His vision, in particular peripherally, is still letting him down more often than not (and almost erasing the decent running option he presents from time to time), and he is yet to provide another real bow to his already limited arrow (what happened to his 'other' role as a goalsneak option?)

I like what he brings to the team, even if it is rather limited, but that shouldn't be enough to push any other one of our midifielders out at the moment. He's still got his ass firmly planted on the bench as far as I'm concerned, and it's going to take alot more than a couple of above average showings in a pre-season comp to convince me otherwise.

Tenace in particular is in his third season and should really begin to do some damage now. He should be looking to get at least six twenty-touch appearances this year, minimum

I think these sorts of expectations are a big issue surrounding Kane right now. Alot of people are still hanging around those expectations of a big season from him (and perhaps rightly so, you might say, after his debut year performances), but I get the feeling alot of these people are going to come away a little disappointed in him.

His debut year was fantastic, I think few would dispute that. But I think that year, combined with the amount of hype he generated previous to that (the Judd, McLeod comparisons and all) as well as the salivating pre-season effort he put in after that had people sticking their hopes and dreams on Kane a tad too high. I think his sophmore year reflected that in more ways than one. He was by no means a useless dud that year, but that stagnate approach to what some look to call the 'ultimate fulfilment' of his obvious talent that year probably left a few people hanging dry and looking to postpone that breakthrough to this season.

Point is, I'd wouldn't be pegging my expectations too high on him. The talent and potential is obvious, but at this stage I think I'm more than happy if he can continue to take those small steps this year to fulfilling that. Last weekend was an indication of sorts that he's improving, even if it was just a pre-season game (perspective). I couldn't care less about how many 20 possession games he gets this year. Finding the ball is one thing, but that will come if he continues to learn where to run and when to run (and when not to spectate on the ground), two aspects of his game he needs to refine.