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- Oct 5, 2003
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Didn't see one of these threads, so thought I would get the ball rolling.
Overall, I'm very, very happy with what we saw tonight. Right from the start our intensity at both the ball and the ball carrier, our willingness to run and our delivery into the forward 50 were the best it has been all season. It reminded me very much of how we played in the second half of last year, and though Essendon were hampered by injuries and inexperience, I think this game was an indication that we are not nearly as bad as the first half of our season would suggest.
Will we make the finals? Absolutely not. We will get beaten by the better teams. We're not quite there yet, but we can really use the last part of this season as a stepping stone towards next year. Getting wins on the board - and big wins like tonight - will do wonders for the younger brigade and their belief of being able to play well at this level. Combine their improvement with the return of key players and 2011 isn't nearly as gloomy as it appeared two months ago.
And boy is our forward line starting to look really threatening. Throw Knights in there and it could be something special over the next few years.
Player thoughts:
Armstrong - Not his normal disposal return (only 14), but I thought he was really solid tonight. Started shaky with some early errors but didn't let it faze him which is a real credit to a kid so inexperienced at this level. Did a good job on the dangerous Alwyn Davey and his precise kicking really hurt Essendon at times tonight. His rebound from half-back should become a key part of our drive in years to come, and I'm really happy with his development this year. He was always going to take a little while and he's come on even better than I hoped he would.
Dangerfield - I could swear that he's carrying a bit of an injury, just seems proppy at times to me, but his effort in front of goal tonight was fantastic (particularly given his misses last week). Only 11 touches - it's a bit concerning that such a talented bloke has only achieved 20 disposals in one game this season - but his ability to hurt the opposition can't be questioned. The last of his four goals was pure Dangerfield. I could've pitched a tent after that one.
Davis - Boy oh boy. His stats won't say much but gee he was good tonight. No matter where he was positioned in the contest he was always managed to get a first on it. Very rarely makes a mistake this kid and there's virtually no other player in the team that I feel more comfortable with the ball - and he's in his first year! His awareness of his teammates around him and knowing when to release the ball is a joy to watch. If he can develop both his body strength and intensity at the ball, he'll become a fantastic player for us over the next decade.
Doughty - After a great game last week, was much quieter this round. Didn't do much wrong, just didn't notice him that much.
Douglas - Overall intensity was as good as ever tonight. He fumbled a fair bit and some of his disposal was very ordinary, but 27 touches is becoming the norm for Dougy and demonstrates how much he has improved this year. Just needs to tidy up the kicks and boy is his kicking for goal average. He really needs to start nailing them and it'll hurt us in the years to come if he doesn't address this. But overall great game mate.
Goodwin - After a so-so start to the season, boy is he having a purple patch. Kicking effiency is impeccable and his drive from half-back is still such a strength of his game. 110 touches over the past month of footy.
Griffin - Started well - though would've been nice to have seen him get that goal - but his injury was the only lowlight of the night. We really need someone to replace him because bringing him into the team (and his solid performances) have allowed Kurt to play full-time at full forward. It's no coincidence that we've been kicking many more goals since Griff came back into the side.
Henderson - You'll get some dropped marks, you'll get some fumbles but you'll also get those special pieces of play that only some players can pull off. His intensity at the ball has to improve for Ricky to reach his potential, but boy is he exciting to watch. Such speed for a tall bloke and his ability to convert is surprisingly good for someone so inexperienced with the Sherrin. 3 goals was a very good return from the young man.
Jaensch - Looked lively as always but copped a heavy knock in the second quarter that virtually ended his night. Did well to come back on towards the end and get a few touches. Thought his pressure and intensity when was on was a real highlight. Seems to be aware that he has to make the most of this opportunity, but there's also a slight arrogance about him which I love. You need that in a player and we now have a few blokes like that.
Johncock - Not nearly as dominant as last week, but barely made a mistake tonight and both defensively and offensively is in fine touch at the moment.
Maric - Though he was solid without being particularly impressive. Interesting that Griff has basically become the first-choice ruckman for us now. I'd be interested to know what Craigy was saying to him on the bench, seemed a little animated.
Porplyzia - Started like a rocket and I thought it was an excellent move to start him in the guts. Allowed him to get his touch and confidence up which payed dividends over the first half. Died out as the game wore on but I thought we saw a much improved Jason Porplyzia tonight.
Reilly - As much as he tends to frustrate me, I'll have to admit that Brent is in pretty decent form right now. 22 disposals but his biggest improvement this season has been his intensity and work in close. Five years ago I never would have thought of Reilly as a hard nut but that's what he is turning into. He's becoming very good at getting the quick hands out to his quicker teammates and it's been a positive transformation of a player who really was at the crossroads. I still think he needs to hurt the opposition more - particularly on the scoreboard - but it's good to see his improvement as a player.
Rutten - Consistent and reliable as ever. Think he's had a pretty good season thus far.
Sloane - Sloaney! You have to love this kid. For a bloke with such a light frame, his intensity at the contest is second to none. Is similar to Dangerfield in the sense that he's always there first, never gives up and more often than not uses his strength and sheer willpower to extract the ball and hand off to teammates. Have been a fan of him for numerous years now and I have no doubt that he'll be a great player for this football side.
Stevens - Every week you try to look for reasons to omit Stevo out of the side but more often than not you just can't make a case for it. He looked really composed tonight and it's a credit to the bloke when considering that his recent form hasn't been overly flash. Provided some real run for us out of defence and his disposal was a lot better than it has been recently.
Symes - After a poor first outing against Hawthorn, has really brought his game back to his 2009 form. Has a real knack of finding space and I thought his ball use - his glaring weakness - was more than competent. I still think that his lack of polish can hurt too much against better teams, but I cannot fault what he has done over the past two weeks. Good stuff mate.
Thompson - Just immense. 34 disposals, 5 clearances, 8 tackles, a goal and no frees against. Along with the Freo game, his best effort for the season. It's games like this which show how important the bloke is to our side. As much as he can frustrate at times with inprecise disposal, he is the pure blue chip midfielder and gives a vital dimension to our midfield. Would really hate to see him go at the end of the season.
Tippett - Just as Tex and Danger love playing against Fremantle, this bloke relishes any game against the Dons. Keep in mind that they didn't have Fletcher, but boy was the big guy on fire tonight. Kicked them from everywhere and 6 goals is his best return of the season. Has a return of 15 goals over the past four weeks of footy which puts him nearly at an average of four goals a game. Like last year, started off slow but is really getting into some form in the second half of the season.
Van Berlo - Gee I thought he was good tonight. Attacked every contest with complete intensity, racked up the possies and actually used the ball well tonight. I thought he was rough and underdone upon coming into the side but his last two weeks have been really positive.
Vince - A fair bit quiter tonight. Didn't do much wrong when he had it but was down on his usual output. Overall though he is playing at a much higher standard and intensity than he was earlier this season, and that's the most important thing. 2010 for Bernie is all about getting those lazy aspects out of his game. 2011 should be his return to form, providing he actually has a pre-season this time around.
Walker - At quarter time I thought he was going to tear this game open. His touch in slippery conditions was superb, he was kicking goals from everywhere and he looked full of confidence. Unfortunately for Tex, Kurt ended up being the dominant forward of the game. Still, 3 goals is a solid return and his overall impact on games is beginning to become a more consistent feature. He's getting more of the ball, his intensity has lifted and over the past month has average nearly 3 goals a game which is a solid return from a kid is in second year of footy. We're still waiting for that break-out game where he decimates the opposition, but it'll come. I think we would all be pretty happy with Tex's recent output.
Overall, I'm very, very happy with what we saw tonight. Right from the start our intensity at both the ball and the ball carrier, our willingness to run and our delivery into the forward 50 were the best it has been all season. It reminded me very much of how we played in the second half of last year, and though Essendon were hampered by injuries and inexperience, I think this game was an indication that we are not nearly as bad as the first half of our season would suggest.
Will we make the finals? Absolutely not. We will get beaten by the better teams. We're not quite there yet, but we can really use the last part of this season as a stepping stone towards next year. Getting wins on the board - and big wins like tonight - will do wonders for the younger brigade and their belief of being able to play well at this level. Combine their improvement with the return of key players and 2011 isn't nearly as gloomy as it appeared two months ago.
And boy is our forward line starting to look really threatening. Throw Knights in there and it could be something special over the next few years.
Player thoughts:
Armstrong - Not his normal disposal return (only 14), but I thought he was really solid tonight. Started shaky with some early errors but didn't let it faze him which is a real credit to a kid so inexperienced at this level. Did a good job on the dangerous Alwyn Davey and his precise kicking really hurt Essendon at times tonight. His rebound from half-back should become a key part of our drive in years to come, and I'm really happy with his development this year. He was always going to take a little while and he's come on even better than I hoped he would.
Dangerfield - I could swear that he's carrying a bit of an injury, just seems proppy at times to me, but his effort in front of goal tonight was fantastic (particularly given his misses last week). Only 11 touches - it's a bit concerning that such a talented bloke has only achieved 20 disposals in one game this season - but his ability to hurt the opposition can't be questioned. The last of his four goals was pure Dangerfield. I could've pitched a tent after that one.
Davis - Boy oh boy. His stats won't say much but gee he was good tonight. No matter where he was positioned in the contest he was always managed to get a first on it. Very rarely makes a mistake this kid and there's virtually no other player in the team that I feel more comfortable with the ball - and he's in his first year! His awareness of his teammates around him and knowing when to release the ball is a joy to watch. If he can develop both his body strength and intensity at the ball, he'll become a fantastic player for us over the next decade.
Doughty - After a great game last week, was much quieter this round. Didn't do much wrong, just didn't notice him that much.
Douglas - Overall intensity was as good as ever tonight. He fumbled a fair bit and some of his disposal was very ordinary, but 27 touches is becoming the norm for Dougy and demonstrates how much he has improved this year. Just needs to tidy up the kicks and boy is his kicking for goal average. He really needs to start nailing them and it'll hurt us in the years to come if he doesn't address this. But overall great game mate.
Goodwin - After a so-so start to the season, boy is he having a purple patch. Kicking effiency is impeccable and his drive from half-back is still such a strength of his game. 110 touches over the past month of footy.
Griffin - Started well - though would've been nice to have seen him get that goal - but his injury was the only lowlight of the night. We really need someone to replace him because bringing him into the team (and his solid performances) have allowed Kurt to play full-time at full forward. It's no coincidence that we've been kicking many more goals since Griff came back into the side.
Henderson - You'll get some dropped marks, you'll get some fumbles but you'll also get those special pieces of play that only some players can pull off. His intensity at the ball has to improve for Ricky to reach his potential, but boy is he exciting to watch. Such speed for a tall bloke and his ability to convert is surprisingly good for someone so inexperienced with the Sherrin. 3 goals was a very good return from the young man.
Jaensch - Looked lively as always but copped a heavy knock in the second quarter that virtually ended his night. Did well to come back on towards the end and get a few touches. Thought his pressure and intensity when was on was a real highlight. Seems to be aware that he has to make the most of this opportunity, but there's also a slight arrogance about him which I love. You need that in a player and we now have a few blokes like that.
Johncock - Not nearly as dominant as last week, but barely made a mistake tonight and both defensively and offensively is in fine touch at the moment.
Maric - Though he was solid without being particularly impressive. Interesting that Griff has basically become the first-choice ruckman for us now. I'd be interested to know what Craigy was saying to him on the bench, seemed a little animated.
Porplyzia - Started like a rocket and I thought it was an excellent move to start him in the guts. Allowed him to get his touch and confidence up which payed dividends over the first half. Died out as the game wore on but I thought we saw a much improved Jason Porplyzia tonight.
Reilly - As much as he tends to frustrate me, I'll have to admit that Brent is in pretty decent form right now. 22 disposals but his biggest improvement this season has been his intensity and work in close. Five years ago I never would have thought of Reilly as a hard nut but that's what he is turning into. He's becoming very good at getting the quick hands out to his quicker teammates and it's been a positive transformation of a player who really was at the crossroads. I still think he needs to hurt the opposition more - particularly on the scoreboard - but it's good to see his improvement as a player.
Rutten - Consistent and reliable as ever. Think he's had a pretty good season thus far.
Sloane - Sloaney! You have to love this kid. For a bloke with such a light frame, his intensity at the contest is second to none. Is similar to Dangerfield in the sense that he's always there first, never gives up and more often than not uses his strength and sheer willpower to extract the ball and hand off to teammates. Have been a fan of him for numerous years now and I have no doubt that he'll be a great player for this football side.
Stevens - Every week you try to look for reasons to omit Stevo out of the side but more often than not you just can't make a case for it. He looked really composed tonight and it's a credit to the bloke when considering that his recent form hasn't been overly flash. Provided some real run for us out of defence and his disposal was a lot better than it has been recently.
Symes - After a poor first outing against Hawthorn, has really brought his game back to his 2009 form. Has a real knack of finding space and I thought his ball use - his glaring weakness - was more than competent. I still think that his lack of polish can hurt too much against better teams, but I cannot fault what he has done over the past two weeks. Good stuff mate.
Thompson - Just immense. 34 disposals, 5 clearances, 8 tackles, a goal and no frees against. Along with the Freo game, his best effort for the season. It's games like this which show how important the bloke is to our side. As much as he can frustrate at times with inprecise disposal, he is the pure blue chip midfielder and gives a vital dimension to our midfield. Would really hate to see him go at the end of the season.
Tippett - Just as Tex and Danger love playing against Fremantle, this bloke relishes any game against the Dons. Keep in mind that they didn't have Fletcher, but boy was the big guy on fire tonight. Kicked them from everywhere and 6 goals is his best return of the season. Has a return of 15 goals over the past four weeks of footy which puts him nearly at an average of four goals a game. Like last year, started off slow but is really getting into some form in the second half of the season.
Van Berlo - Gee I thought he was good tonight. Attacked every contest with complete intensity, racked up the possies and actually used the ball well tonight. I thought he was rough and underdone upon coming into the side but his last two weeks have been really positive.
Vince - A fair bit quiter tonight. Didn't do much wrong when he had it but was down on his usual output. Overall though he is playing at a much higher standard and intensity than he was earlier this season, and that's the most important thing. 2010 for Bernie is all about getting those lazy aspects out of his game. 2011 should be his return to form, providing he actually has a pre-season this time around.
Walker - At quarter time I thought he was going to tear this game open. His touch in slippery conditions was superb, he was kicking goals from everywhere and he looked full of confidence. Unfortunately for Tex, Kurt ended up being the dominant forward of the game. Still, 3 goals is a solid return and his overall impact on games is beginning to become a more consistent feature. He's getting more of the ball, his intensity has lifted and over the past month has average nearly 3 goals a game which is a solid return from a kid is in second year of footy. We're still waiting for that break-out game where he decimates the opposition, but it'll come. I think we would all be pretty happy with Tex's recent output.
. Took us about 10 cracks at it before the rest of the crowd got involved but we got it up 
