U18 Champs WA v SA U19's Championship game, Saturday 1PM (AWST), Game being broadcast on AFL Youtube

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But why not after exams etc?

Comrade Dan Andrews has admitted publicly today Covid elimination is not possible and numbers will go up?

Yeah pretty much.

But based on what was said today I don’t see them loosening it up enough until the vaccination rates are up to that 70-80% fully vaxed target.

I’m not sure the current projections even have that happening prior to the draft.
 
Alright bit of a review of the game before I forget!

The one thing that stood out to me was the way WA were able to play as a complete team that gelled well whereas SA looked like they have won a gameshow to play a game of footy with a real individual sense of game play. They are much better than that but structurally across the board were ordinary and only made inroads when the game was cooked and WA put the cue in the rack.

The SA midfield is undoubtedly the strength of the side when one asks what is their best asset....weakness clearly key defenders which was my concern going into the game and hence the WA tip. If they got a look in then they would dominate and that is what occured. But more impressively they were able to pressure the ball carrier enough to get repeat entries and lock the ball down there for quite some time which rendered a lot of the SA midfield useless anyways. SA forwards also not a strength, only really one half decent player in Ferres. WA a great game mixed with pressure, skill and structure from great intercepting in defence to forward forays with a short kicking game that reminded me a bit of how the Hawks used to play. To be honest the margin should have been 10 goals plus.

Player reviews:

WA

Motlop -
Wasn't terribly prominent in my eyes, did show some good moments with a clever goal and a bit of the ball late but did go missing for long periods

Hagan- Thought he was quite good for an underager, read the ball drop well and ran to the right positions to receive and distribute. Skills sound and made good decisions. He is small but has AFL running patterns and should be up the pointy end next year. One of the better mids on the ground.

McVee - Didn't notice him a great deal but when I did he was fairly clean and quite nice mechanically. Serviceable effort.

Sheldrick - He's a big lad, has a mature presence and uses his stocky frame to advantage at the contest, especially at this level. Looked like a seasoned midfielder out there and reminded me a lot of Brent Moloney type, tough and hard. His skills were not as crisp as I'd have liked, for someone with his power, it did not translate to powerful disposal with some slowish hang time kicks, so there is some work to be done there. But was one of a couple of players to be rotated on Horne-Francis and did quite well.

Chipper - For a late in he did a mighty good job, un-obtrusive type and just melded beautifully into the side, probably stiff not to be starting. Was good at gathering across half back and wing and switching inside taking the harder and dangerous kick and pulling those off with ease. Good game.

Paton - Used his body well, loved the rough stuff and tackled with an intent to hurt. Did give away a few frees in the meantime but was important at creating perceived pressure as he was often only a step away off many contests if he wasn't already nailing someone. Not a lot of it offensively but did get a good goal late with clever reading of the play.

Watson - Not too bad in defence, was always around the contest, took a couple of good marks and set up attacking forays though disposal a mixed bag. Didn't have much opposition so hard to know of his true level.

Woewodin - Played pretty well I thought, was one of the important cogs in the midfield getting a good amount of the pill and using it well. Not blessed with a lot of paced mind you, perhaps has a touch of vanilla about him but a lot of the WA midfield are like that, most will make solid state league players bar a small handful. Unsure on AFL projection but late to rookie seems about right.

Gorringe - First thing that stood out is he wanted it. Attacked the ball and man hard all day, couple of nice attacking thrusts and strong tackles/one %'ers. Lead by example in the middle.

Browne - Decent game, especially the second half winning a lot of the ball which is his bread and butter. Positioned well and managed to find space a lot on his opponents all day, drifting forward a few times and marking well. Disposal not bad but could have been better but overall a very solid day out.

Dittmar - Thouught he was high in the bests, good size and was always on the move around the ground winning plenty of clearances and dishing off and also around the ground on the outside. Looked like a leader in there, not afraid to take a hit for his team and dishing them out also. Has a bit of the Rory Sloane's about him with the way he goes about it.

Tunstill - Good game, really good and one of the mainstayers in the WA midfield. Knew where to run, had plenty of ground ball and make good decisions even under pressure which is something I look for. High in their bests.

Avery - Not his usual high possession intercepting self down back but a reasonable game down back. Showed a bit of a leadership back there and rebounded well.

Johnson - Good game, he just always bobbed up be in in the centre square, the wing, half back or half forward and used it fairly well. Although smooth, he does have a slightly uncomfortable style of play but nothing of a hinderance. Has AFL running patterns and will be a high accumulator at AFL level. Was a level above the field for much of the day but never 'stood out' but that is who he is, just worked harder and more consistently than his opposition all day. Sat on Horne-Francis a lot but generally did his own thing. Probably BOG but not a clear winner.

Regan - There is a player here, has a tasty upside that I'd like to see further. Got involved a fair bit, made good decisions and had a few of those moments which were quite flashy and classy. Has an athletic presence that could really be utilised at a higher level but how high remains to be seen.

van Rooyen - A really good game down back, controlled the air and looked at home with a real general type of performance intercepting the high ball and reading the ball drop to perfection most of the time. I think he is a much better player in defence than attack. Attacked hard off half back, a couple of times scrubbing his kicks getting excited running forward. Spoilt well also, and showed intelligence in body position. He's an AFL player in the making in defence.

Amiss - Way too good on the lead and up against a fairly good player in Becker for the most part, I thought they had a good battle. On the lead though he has that real burst of speed and is very hard to stop with the ball out in front. He will do that all day and kept on presenting all day long. Kicked a ripping goal from the boundary as well, showed goal sense and understood forward structure. Fed others the ball as well after being the hit up leading player. Worked a dangerous tandem with Williams and was a headache all day for an already poor SA defensive line.

Benning - Had some moments, thinks he's quicker than he probably is, but showed intent to charge for marks and use his athletic ability to get to the ball. Quiet overall but a few nice moments.

Warner - Good game, was part of the blonde brigade with Dittmar and ran hard all day, often being part of attacking forward thrusts. Backed himself, showed some toe and used it well.

Bazzo - Solid game down back and very agile, took many marks and read it well coming in much like van Rooyen. Those 2 combined for a wall in defence and nothing was getting past. Set up plays repeatedly with long, hoofing kicks, though skills were not always sound. One of the best for WA.

Hough - This guy was the consumate Tom Lynch leadup half forward, achieved quietly but thought he had a solid game. Kicked a couple of was a constant threat inside forward 50 and around the arc.

South - Expected him to dominate (picked him for best before the game) and he wasn't far off it. Far too good for the inept Steene. Used his body well, won plenty of hitouts but also worked around the ground. He plays a very mobile game and at times you almost forget he is a ruckman. Setup a lot of the WA play by his dominance, strong game.

Williams - One of my favourite players and the best forward in the draft for mine and he had a decent day, it could have been a lot better if his kicking was accurate. Has the Jeremy Cameron type of presence about him. Too strong, too smart and fast up forward with a super workrate for a big man. Despite his kicking thought he was one of the best on the ground. Man against boys sort of stuff.

SA

Dudley -
Showed a bit of toe from time to time but never really in the game. Has the skills and smarts no doubt but his size will be his nemesis as well as production.

O'Loughlin - Known big ballwinner, albeit easy ball across half back and had his share of his setting up plays but no major impact. I was always worried when he had the ball, and the killer at the end when he gave up a terrible turnover summed up the day for SA. Defensively a mixed bag, Motlop was away early but he kept him quiet after that but generally more Motlop's doing than BlaynO's I'd say. Average at best.

Burgoyne - Not too bad, probably one of the better players for SA but his short kicking falling at the feet of leading players frustrated me to no end. Kick the damn ball son!! Pencil thin, but has the same gait as his Dad. Despite the blemishes of his short kicking, a lot of his other kicks were ok, balanced and to advantage of teamates and mopped up across half back all day. Nobody went anywhere near him though. When the heat is on, his game will suffer.

Grubb - Tried hard, speedy and zippy but overall a near invisible performance.

Rayson - I thought he was comfortably the best player for SA. Probably should have walked off at 3/4 time as he had very few helping him out. Repelled all day, and attacked with flair and vigour. Skills ok without being sharp, kicks it fairly well but needs a little more punch. Still building his frame but there is an AFL footballer for sure in the DBJ mold.

Jackson - I thought he was awful. Skills poor, decision making ordinary especially for someone who has some of the best cases of leather poisoning in the country, he for mine was one of the greatest disappointments of the day. Carried his drop in form into this game and then some.

Birt - Used a bit in the wing in the second half especially and had a mixed bag with his disposal. Tried to hit it hard and low and pulled a few off and fluffed some others. There really isn't much of him, has a bit of the Zac Fisher's about him but more wing and better kick. Once he gets stronger and more wiry, he could be a reasonable winger.

Kennedy - One of the SA guys that had a dip in the middle and better than a few of his more highly fancied teamates. A small mid, no weapons but big accumulator. Will carve out a SANFL level career but a good game, dished the hardball out a lot.

Wanganeen - Milera - Pretty good game and probably second best for SA behind Rayson. By far the cleanest and most skillful player on the ground. Clean, silky and good decisions and never panicked. Sometimes I thought oh geez he's gone here, too slow but no, he found a way and made time slow down. A great player to watch and once he adds a bit more strength and power will make a very good AFL footballer, outside mid/wing or half back.

Owens - Came on and always seemed so rushed with what he was doing. Made a few bad kicks and despite running hard, he had an ordinary day.

Stagg - Bad game for the Staggmeister, I think he's a damn good player but he has to play in the guts. Made some poor decisions and kicking was terrible. A day to forget.

Draper - Not bad, had his moments where he gained that separation and used the ball fairly cleanly. Roamed the half forward line and pushed into the midfield a bit but looked better when drifting forward and could have had a couple easily. He's one of my favourite players in the draft but couldn't get into the game like his entire side so not really changing my opinion of him from this game.

Roberts - Nowhere near his best, but that was the game unfortunately. He had a decent second term when few others did, kicked a goal and was all over the ground. That aside he didn't do a great deal, kicking mixed bag with some long bombs which he does mixed with good passes. Average at best.

Horne-Francis - Quiet all day, had no patches where he was truly dominant or at the forefront and missing for a lot. Well down by his standards and very disappointing as we know what he can do. When he did get it, he was clean, smart and strong, both offensively and defensively and is clearly going to be a champion footballer. The pass to Stagg a highlight. Still the best player in the draft, that won't change but he wouldn't want to watch that game again. Poor day out.

Liddy - Solid game all day, he buttered up contest after contest and won his fair share of the clearances. Worked hard, ran hard and was the best inside mid for SA on the day. Skills a mixed bag and he isn't renowned for them but could walk away knowing he did his part.

Ferres - Mixed bag, lead up at the ball well and had a few nice moments across half forward. Stuffed a few kicks and then disappeared in what was a fairly poor performance overall. Will be suited to a Lynch/Gunston role at AFL level but cannot see him being a lot more than a cog in a machine than a real playmaker.

Cooke - Staggered he was even picked, he's just nowhere near this level. Took a few good marks but looked uncomfortable against the WA defence and completely out of his depth.

Becker - Despite getting a touch-up from Amiss on the lead, I thought in the 1 on 1's he did well. Has a good size and a bit of commando about the way he plays which I love. Was under siee all day and was clearly the lone hand deep in defence. Attacked hard, kicked with power and length and had a crack, he's a bit like Gould in that sense being an undersized tall but of strong frame. AFL footballer for sure but not a key tall.

Adams - Under siege all day and struggled. Awkward and gangly and was miles off Amiss and Williams. Took a few ok marks at times and did repell but generally not up to the standard.

Lukac - I didn't mind his efforts in the ruck, was the only one to outjump South and Williams and gap a few nice taps. Mobile and worked around the ground well, he could be an interesting project type as he is quite athletic. Not big numbers but showed promise.

Steene - Not his day at all, smashed by South and no smarts around the ground. Did get a few hitouts however but not a strong ruck game. He's one to stow away for a very rainy day potentially, has the height and can tap it but not a great deal more.

Litster - Not a bad game considering the lack of help he had, played well off half back and in the middle at times, good size about him and importantly didn't panic. Showed some hardness which was pleasing.

Beecken - He's like a poor mans Will Day, very slight of frame but with a big upside but he was fairly poor overall. Skills let him down but was also playing quite undersized at times on more physical opponents. Does have some nice run and carry. He's a project, I think with good gym work and conditioning he will improve a lot.

(Added Litster and Beecken, completely forgot those at the time)
 
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Kevin Sheehan (AFL)
3- Rhett Bazzo (WA)
2-Jacob van Rooyen (WA)
1-Nas Wanganeen-Milera (SA)

Steve Conole (Brisbane)
3-Jacob van Rooyen (WA)
2-Angus Sheldrick (WA)
1- Matt Johnson (WA)

Geoff Parker (Port Adelaide)
3-Rhett Bazzo (WA)
2-Jacob van Rooyen (WA)
1-Nas Wanganeen-Milera (SA)

Rohan O'Brien (West Coast)
3-Rhett Bazzo (WA)
2- Jacob van Rooyen (WA)
1-Nas Wanganeen-Milera

Tarkyn Lockyer (AFL Academy)
3-Angus Sheldrick (WA)
2- Rhett Bazzo (WA)
1-Jacob van Rooyen (WA)

Adrian Caruso (Greater Western Sydney)
3- Rhett Bazzo (WA)
2-Jye Amiss (WA)
1-Matt Johnson (WA)

Total Votes
Rhett Bazzo (WA) 14 votes
Jacob van Rooyen (WA) 10 votes
Angus Sheldrick (WA) 5 votes
Nas Wanganeen-Milera (SA) 3 votes
Jye Amiss (WA) 2 vote
Matt Johnson (WA) 2 votes
 

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