VFL Game Day VFL Round 6: Essendon vs Casey, Windy Hill, Saturday 11/05/19, 2 PM

dave10

Premiership Player
Apr 26, 2004
4,276
3,456
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Essendon
So Houlahan plays at half forward and looks a reasonable player. He is in his 2/3rd year.. He has a goal kicking routine where he runs out to the right and hooks it left. And misses.. How is this the case? Player Development??? Seriously!
 
So Houlahan plays at half forward and looks a reasonable player. He is in his 2/3rd year.. He has a goal kicking routine where he runs out to the right and hooks it left. And misses.. How is this the case? Player Development??? Seriously!

Player misses goal at VFL level. Stop the presses.
 

dave10

Premiership Player
Apr 26, 2004
4,276
3,456
Melbourne
AFL Club
Essendon
Player misses goal at VFL level. Stop the presses.
I’m more interested in why he hasn’t fixed his kicking action / routine? In a professional industry where I have reservations about our player Development, this to me is a prime example of a skill deficiency that should’ve been addressed by now?
 
I’m more interested in why he hasn’t fixed his kicking action / routine? In a professional industry where I have reservations about our player Development, this to me is a prime example of a skill deficiency that should’ve been addressed by now?

Maybe his unusual technique has been found to be better for him than a standard "good" action, ala Josh Kennedy. Maybe he just can't get it right and that's why he's still in the VFL and hasn't debuted. Either way, hardly worth losing your nana over.
 

dave10

Premiership Player
Apr 26, 2004
4,276
3,456
Melbourne
AFL Club
Essendon
Maybe his unusual technique has been found to be better for him than a standard "good" action, ala Josh Kennedy. Maybe he just can't get it right and that's why he's still in the VFL and hasn't debuted. Either way, hardly worth losing your nana over.
It doesn’t work for him hence the question posed.
 
This is the injury crisis no one is talking about. Hartley is rucking and Ridley is playing full forward
Sounds like a development crisis too
 
wtf is this talk about Houlahans kicking action. Guy is very reliable. Ffs Luke Bruest misses with regularity and he’s the best kick in the competition
He isn't though.
 
Sounds like a development crisis too

I’m not buying into that as a thing.

Our AFL list is the 2nd most inexperienced in the AFL, how many with that profile don’t have issues with consistency?

Chuck in injuries and it’s pretty much going as suspected. Preuss is currently rucking against someone in his 2nd VFL game, and he’s going to lead the line for the foreseeable future with no real help in sight
 
I’m not buying into that as a thing.

Our AFL list is the 2nd most inexperienced in the AFL, how many with that profile don’t have issues with consistency?

Chuck in injuries and it’s pretty much going as suspected. Preuss is currently rucking against someone in his 2nd VFL game, and he’s going to lead the line for the foreseeable future with no real help in sight
I probably should have put it in inverted commas. All this stuff about players have to play in their positions... until they don't.
 
Excessive assertion. Missing our five best players at vfl level in Mynott, Draper, Stewart, Laverde, Brown or Smack. Plus Gleeson, Mutch and Jok. There has to be a breaking point.

McKernan is essentially the best player in the VFL when he plays.

It may be overly simplistic but Draper probably makes us a 5 goal better side and Preuss rucking against a combination of Read and Hartley probably makes us a 5 goal worse side.

A classic ‘pushing s**t up a hill’ VFL game
 
Excessive assertion. Missing our five best players at vfl level in Mynott, Draper, Stewart, Laverde, Brown or Smack. Plus Gleeson, Mutch and Jok. There has to be a breaking point.
We went 2-7 last year in the regular season against top 8 sides, 7-2 against bottom 7 sides
Year before was better, went 5-5 against top 8 sides, 5-3 against bottom 6
2016 we went 3-6 against top 8 sides, 7-2 against bottom 7
2015 2-6 against top 8 sides, 10-0 against bottom 7

In the past 4 years where we've been good at this level we've gone 12 wins, 24 losses against the good sides in the regular season, and 29 wins, 7 losses against the weaker teams. It is the literal definition of being a flat track bully. We've smashed 4 sides that look like they'll miss, but as soon as we get one of the stronger sides we lose by 7 goals.
 
Draper and Mynott not playing plus no one coming back tipped the balance a lot on top of the other injuries. Liam McKenna also did not play and he has been pretty good and is another big body. Casey also have started to get a few players back.
They pretty much smashed us all day and we fell to pieces in the third quarter. Not a great day made even worse with Sibbald injuring a knee early and Lazaro getting concussed before half time.
For the AFL listed players Langford was easily the best. He was the player that put four quarters together and was always in the game.Played nearly all midfield bar a stint deep forward late in the game. He was really good but the question is does it equate to AFL level in the same position.
Clarke ended up with 30 touches but a lot of them where in the last quarter when the game was over. He started well enough and his work rate was good but he was actually not great in and around the contest in the middle of the game. Has played better with less possessions.
Mcniece found a bit of the ball but was under the pump a lot given the ball was in their half a lot.
Dea. Apart from a couple of average kicks he was the best defender taking 10 marks. Good game.
Begley. It is strange as it looks like he has hit the wall in the last couple of weeks. Looked tired and slow at times and they ran off him a lot when he was forward.
Hartley. Had to play second ruck as well as defence. Finished with a corked thigh that hindered his last quarter. Got a few hit outs but the ruck was foriegn to him as you would expect.
Zerk. Took 4 really good marks as he usually does but got a bath in defence. Has not looked strong since he did his ankle. Tries to mark everything when often he should spoil.
Long. Played half mainly back and never really got into the game for longer than a few minutes here and there. Just does not seem to be bale to find a way to impose himself on the game.
Ridley. Quiet early but he was having to do a lot of defending. Looked okay later in the game playing forward. Lead up well and took a couple of marks and kicked two goals.
Mozz. Right now he does what he does. Flashes in and out of the game here and there. Shows the potential but as we all know needs some time and work. Second efforts are getting better.
Houlahan. He has improved this year but he has a long way to go. Fades out of games way too much and for a small forward he is not overly quick.
Gown. Flew for a big mark early and did not stick the landing nearly knocking himself out. That was about all he did for the day.

Overall and ordinary day that did not really answer many selection questions.
 
Jul 15, 2008
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granted i haven’t been able to watch any VFL this year, but it seems odd that when we smash teams, no one puts their hands up for senior selection, and when we get pantsed, no one puts their hands up for selection.
Well it is hard to surpass the Myers-Bags standard.
 
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