BeinPurplenGreen
Freo Football Foci
- Apr 8, 2008
- 8,271
- 8,158
- AFL Club
- Fremantle
- Other Teams
- Fulham/76rsPhilsNovaDrexel/Atalanta
Well, now, lets see:
1. Six in a row over the scum. The first half was the worst we've played against them in a while, and the most we've been maggotted by the umpires for some time, yet we cruised it in in the end...
2. Sandi. The big fella just keeps trucking. Should have won the Roscoe IMHO - clearly smashed Cox and NicNut, without any help from a recognised backup ruckman.
3. Our defense under pressure - how good is the Taz/ Elvis/ Silv/ Duffman/ Broughton/Haydos combo?? Even though Haydes was a bit below his best for the first 3 quarters, we just kept rebounding away from their forwards. Broughton's delivery in particular impressed me when he kicked it on the run off half back. Hard to see how Dodd, Grover or any of our other players will slot into this backline at the moment - and yet Roberton looked at home when he was floating across half back. Kudos to both our recruiters and the player development team.
4. Rhys is back. Took a dog act hit from Scumbly, then five more hard smashing tackles (including two hits from fellow Freo players), yet he just kept at it, and was very good in combos of handballs and kicks with both Barlow and Hase. When he gets game time back in those legs he'll be a scary prospect for our opposition in the second half of the season...
5. Our fitness. We had at least six players take really hard knocks, yet we came back harder and stronger, and ran the game out all over them. Mayne and Balla, as well as Rhys and Silv, were especially impressive in how they recovered from hard impacts.
6. Our attacking efficiency. We fumbled, scrambled and struggled for the first three quarters, yet we were able to effectively score from most of our inside 50s - and even when we didn't score, we still looked to have a clear purpose and direction. MJ's soccer goal was really our only "lucky" goal - the rest came from sustained application of our game plan.
7. Roberton. Yet another debutant - 5 this season, to come on top of 11 last year, and we aren't even half way into the season. Great signs for our future - especially when the kids seem to almost all be able to step in and play their designated role, even under substantial pressure.
8. Fyfe. I wasn't a believer initially, but by jinkers I am a convert now. Really, really happy with his defensive attack, and his work off the ball. Not at all awed by the occasion, and yet not arrogant or over-confident either. Gets the job done, and has already had several moments of gorgeous skill that suggest he may well be another "special" recruit..
9. Hase and Mundy - both once again lifted for the Derby, and yet also adjusted to having the likes of Barlow, Hill and Mora around to help out. While Mundy was tagged hard early (and I thought was about to fade away), he kept plugging away and really had an impact once Masten was off. Part of that is due to the Eagles insisting on selecting tall and slow, but mostly it is because Mundy and Hase worked much harder than either have in past seasons.
10. Pav the forward. Hardly dominated the game today, yet still booted 5 and was a key focal point for us, without being the sole target up forward. I really like how he kept switching into the midfield every 25 minutes or so, but only for a few kicks - keeps them guessing. He does need to chase and tackle a bit harder sometimes though...
Most importantly - Sammy's back from 'Pooka (Be the mud. BE THE MUD!!) and we are 5 and 1, with 3 more great tests of our quality to come!!
Thoughts, folks??
1. Six in a row over the scum. The first half was the worst we've played against them in a while, and the most we've been maggotted by the umpires for some time, yet we cruised it in in the end...
2. Sandi. The big fella just keeps trucking. Should have won the Roscoe IMHO - clearly smashed Cox and NicNut, without any help from a recognised backup ruckman.
3. Our defense under pressure - how good is the Taz/ Elvis/ Silv/ Duffman/ Broughton/Haydos combo?? Even though Haydes was a bit below his best for the first 3 quarters, we just kept rebounding away from their forwards. Broughton's delivery in particular impressed me when he kicked it on the run off half back. Hard to see how Dodd, Grover or any of our other players will slot into this backline at the moment - and yet Roberton looked at home when he was floating across half back. Kudos to both our recruiters and the player development team.
4. Rhys is back. Took a dog act hit from Scumbly, then five more hard smashing tackles (including two hits from fellow Freo players), yet he just kept at it, and was very good in combos of handballs and kicks with both Barlow and Hase. When he gets game time back in those legs he'll be a scary prospect for our opposition in the second half of the season...
5. Our fitness. We had at least six players take really hard knocks, yet we came back harder and stronger, and ran the game out all over them. Mayne and Balla, as well as Rhys and Silv, were especially impressive in how they recovered from hard impacts.
6. Our attacking efficiency. We fumbled, scrambled and struggled for the first three quarters, yet we were able to effectively score from most of our inside 50s - and even when we didn't score, we still looked to have a clear purpose and direction. MJ's soccer goal was really our only "lucky" goal - the rest came from sustained application of our game plan.
7. Roberton. Yet another debutant - 5 this season, to come on top of 11 last year, and we aren't even half way into the season. Great signs for our future - especially when the kids seem to almost all be able to step in and play their designated role, even under substantial pressure.
8. Fyfe. I wasn't a believer initially, but by jinkers I am a convert now. Really, really happy with his defensive attack, and his work off the ball. Not at all awed by the occasion, and yet not arrogant or over-confident either. Gets the job done, and has already had several moments of gorgeous skill that suggest he may well be another "special" recruit..
9. Hase and Mundy - both once again lifted for the Derby, and yet also adjusted to having the likes of Barlow, Hill and Mora around to help out. While Mundy was tagged hard early (and I thought was about to fade away), he kept plugging away and really had an impact once Masten was off. Part of that is due to the Eagles insisting on selecting tall and slow, but mostly it is because Mundy and Hase worked much harder than either have in past seasons.
10. Pav the forward. Hardly dominated the game today, yet still booted 5 and was a key focal point for us, without being the sole target up forward. I really like how he kept switching into the midfield every 25 minutes or so, but only for a few kicks - keeps them guessing. He does need to chase and tackle a bit harder sometimes though...
Most importantly - Sammy's back from 'Pooka (Be the mud. BE THE MUD!!) and we are 5 and 1, with 3 more great tests of our quality to come!!
Thoughts, folks??
