Things we've learnt from tonight

[Heater39]

Sidebottom/Beams >>>>>>>> Cook/Stanley

Both look very good prospects and composed at AFL level. Cook was hopeless and Stanley has shown nothing at AFL level,both should be permanent VFL players while Sidebottom and Beams should be given every chance at AFL level. Yes i'm aware Stanley didn't play tonight and i think it should stay that way.

Anthony WILL play as a permanent forward in 09

I was amazed at the amount of doubters he had after last year, common criticisms being he didnt have enough tricks to play forward and he wasnt a 'natural forward'. Was ansolutely fantastic and showed he's good enough to play as a full time forward, perhaps even FF.

Wood has a long way to go

Fairly underwhelming game tonight, I'd have Bryan ahead of him at this stage.

Presti will be key to our success this year.

The glove is back! Typical Presti game tonight, wore his opponent like a glove, hopefully can restrict Fev, Franklin etc. influences this year.

Overall good win and go pies!

 

[Frankie23]

Agree with all of them actually...

 

[hellfire]

Agree on all counts, except I think Cook has proved he deserves a shot (not this week, but last year). Stanley I'm happy to see get another go.

 

[Dids]

dont forgot to add corrie to the list of players that should be permanently rested...and the jury is well and truely still out on leigh

 

[mattys123]

Agree with all but Cook, not that he is better then Sidebottom/Beams, just different.

I see Cook and Toovey as our rotating taggers that can both play defensive midfield roles.

Will rely on the matchups each week, but we need a tagger, so Cook or Toovey have to play each week.

 

[zorbadunde]

I LIKE BARHAM OOO WEE, he is quick and great tackler.
mmm future is looking good.

 

[popathon]

Leon will be in the top 20 players this year. Was one of the best and didn't look like he was trying half the time.

 

[RRRooocccaaa]

Leigh Brown... hello? - is he doing anything off the ball that's earning him kudos? Because when he has it he's very underwhelming...

Corrie - good hairy ones. Didn't show flash/dash tonight but showed grit and courage when needed

Tarks, Swannie, Pendles, O'Bree, Didak, Davis - may as well have been signing autographs on the boundary line a-la cricketers. Seriously, these guys popped up when needed but essentially were interested spectators for most of the match. I mean this in a good way - we won a 43 point match with these big names cruising.

Clarke, Cox, Goldsack, Brown, Presti, Thomas - interchange with O' Brien and Shaw and you've got a pretty slick, scroogy backline. Particularly like Marty's run and carry and Cox's ability to push past his opponent and look forward with great vision.

I'm not pumping up this win too much against a 2nd-rate bombers side but there was a lot to like about the way we're structuring our game this year.

 

[mdc]

The Good:
- Beams will be a bonafide star. Sick good for a teenager.
- Clarke/Cox performing very well yet again.
- Sidebottom was ok. Fair way off Beams' performance tonight, but still solid. Showed good hands and looked very confident in his kicking, even if he missed a few targets.
- Anthony took care of business.
- Cloke was solid.
- Goldsack, although a terminally flawed player, played a good game tonight.
- I thought Wood clearly improved on last week, especially considering he had limited game-time.
- Toovey was just ok, went to ground too much, but good again defensively.

The Bad:
- Bryan is ****ing terrible. We won't win anything if playing him is even a consideration.
- Cook "was able to just run in circles" say Quarters. Yes, he's able to do that just fine.
- I'm a massive Presti backer, but thought he looked dead in the 2nd half, and was exposed badly on the lead. Still unmovable body on body though.
- Still far too much chipping around the boundary when we should have been killing them through the middle.
- Corrie = dud.

The Leigh Brown:
- Leigh-Brown-like tonight.

 

[Gymnorhina tibic]

Agree as well, the kids look all right but it is NAB Cup against ordinary opponents so wait and see, hope they both get a game next week. Cox and Goldy were great, with Harry and the skipper to return the backline all of a sudden doesn't look to bad.

 

[Heater39]

The Good:
- Beams will be a bonafide star. Sick good for a teenager.
- Clarke/Cox performing very well yet again.
- Sidebottom was ok. Fair way off Beams' performance tonight, but still solid. Showed good hands and looked very confident in his kicking, even if he missed a few targets.
- Anthony took care of business.
- Cloke was solid.
- Goldsack, although a terminally flawed player, played a good game tonight.
- I thought Wood clearly improved on last week, especially considering he had limited game-time.
- Toovey was just ok, went to ground too much, but good again defensively.

The Bad:
- Bryan is ****ing terrible. We won't win anything if playing him is even a consideration.
- Cook "was able to just run in circles" say Quarters. Yes, he's able to do that just fine.
- I'm a massive Presti backer, but thought he looked dead in the 2nd half, and was exposed badly on the lead. Still unmovable body on body though.
- Still far too much chipping around the boundary when we should have been killing them through the middle.
- Corrie = dud.

The Leigh Brown:
- Leigh-Brown-like tonight.

Also mdc, you thought Wood was better than Bryan tonight?

 

[King Woodie]

Hey MDC, do you still think Cox isn't a defender? I thought he was good tonight running out of the backline.

I also thought Goldsack was very good tonight as well. Deep competition for that fourth tall / running defender role in Maxwell, Cox, and Goldsack after O'Brien, Presti and Brown. MAxwell ahead at the moment, but GOldsack is coming.

 

[Stifler's mom]

I LIKE BARHAM OOO WEE, he is quick and great tackler.
mmm future is looking good.

Geez, I thought he looked out of his depth.


VERY VERY happy with Beams and Rusty though.

 

[mdc]

Also mdc, you thought Wood was better than Bryan tonight?

Yes, significantly.

If I was to rate their perfomances out of 10; Wood gets a 4, Bryan gets a 1.

Bryan's brainfades are so costly, not only do they result in bad turnovers, they literally deflate the team. I feel about him the same way I felt about Lonie - his team-mates don't trust him, and as a result the side is a couple of goals worse off just for him being there.

Hey MDC, do you still think Cox isn't a defender? I thought he was good tonight running out of the backline.

Thought he played a bit of combo defender/wing tonight, but either way, if he maintains his form, he can play anywhere. If we had a "best player in the NAB cup", he would join Pendles and Marty in the top 3.

There were still two instances tonight where he squibbed it a bit (both against Lloyd), so in that respect I'd rather he be further from the backline, but whatever. As long as he's not manning a dangerous forward he'll be fine.

 

[mdc]

Bryan had twice the disposals of Wood, one more hit out and kicked 2 goals.. yer off ya **** MDC

Probably played at least twice the gametime if not more, plus would have had several more clangers. I'll rewatch the game some time during the week, and give you a more concrete number.

 

[mdc]

Don't make excuses.. the bear slaughtered him.. game over

An actual bear may well have performed better than either tonight.

 

[JOELY]

Thought you were pretty harsh on Bryan as well.

 

[Gymnorhina tibic]

Neither were standouts but I can't remember Wood doing much at all, Bryan is the safer choice at the moment and will probably be round 1, to state the obvious we are still lacking an elite ruck.

 

[abs_of_STEELE]

I thought Cox was really good tonight.

 

[RRRooocccaaa]

It can only be a Good Thing™ when we win by 43 and yer arguing over who was the worst ruckman...

 

[jefffff34]

The bear ripped Hille to shreds and is doing a lot better than Wood at the moment.

 

[Old Spice]

Forget Cook, I think Barham with his pace and hard tackling can carve out a Brodie Holland type space as a tagger. His zip is unbeleivable. At one stage he was chasing down Jetta (or maybe Lovett) and it looked like a lion V zebra. Mark my words, I see bif things for Barham if given an opportunity.

I thought Wood was lethargic and ordinary again and that Bryan put in a fantastic perfomance. Not a ruck though, that's the problem, but neither is Wood at this stage of the game, bring on Keefe and put a rocket up Wood.

Thought Goldsack was very good, as was Cox who was better and a real playmaker so you'd put him ahead. Thought Toovey's endeavour was good when it got down there.

My worst tonight are Wood and Cook. A few errors by Sidebottom, but then there were many plays selling team-mates into trouble. Looks pretty good, promising, much like Beams last week who I thought played a ripper. You can see how the experience of O'Bree was important. Instead of just looking to dish off to a better option he made the play a few times.

Mccaf didn't see much of it, but again I thought his skills when he got it were great.

Anthony. I've wanted to stick him down back because of his awesome kicking ability, but with a better forward structure tonight he was fantastic. Even if he only takes four grabs a game in front of goals you back him to kick three - that's big dividends.

Marty was fantastic as was Daisy and Didak. I could go on with the goods but there are too many. Corrie was a bit quiet, L Brown I thought was okay again.

 

[JOELY]

If i could just go slightly off topic with my personal 'thing i learnt from TODAY', young Blight is a mouth watering prospect. Forget the others, he is MY MAN from this years crop.

 

[Drizt]

Bryan:

15 disposals
12 hit outs
9 marks
2 tackles
2 goals

Hope he puts in a shocker like that every week

Exactly. People are such sheep in who they bag. Brian was very serviceable tonight.

 

[Heater39]

If i could just go slightly off topic with my personal 'thing i learnt from TODAY', young Blight is a mouth watering prospect. Forget the others, he is MY MAN from this years crop.

Where do you see him playing? I havent seen him play but from what i've read he seems like another tall flanker, similar to Cox and Goldsack. Is that accurate or am i way off?