02-20-2021, 09:31 AM
Sitting out in the sun today on the southern wing was not what I was expecting. When my daughter and I left our new home in North Ringwood, there were drops of rain and no breaks in the clouds. By the time the game started, the clouds were gone and we were baking.
There was a lot to learn from this game:
[1] We are not as good as we were last year.
Our defence was almost impenetrable last season. All of the players were playing well, had great confidence in themselves and in their team mates and they caught teams unaware. This season I don't think any of our defenders is close to their 2020 form. Harrington is well down and is being beaten in the air. Last year she provided huge amounts of run. This year she has had to defend a lot more and has not got the sort of ball she had last year. Mua was a revelation last year. She's been reasonable, but she hasn't had the number of intercept marks. She has also had to play more defensively. Charlotte Wilson killed everyone last year. She took bigger, stronger or faster opponents to the cleaners. This year she hasn't played anywhere near as well and has been very fumbly and her kicking has been inconsistent.
Lauren Brazzale and Gab Pound haven't had the same affect as they did last year either.
[2] Our handball has not been all that good, especially considering how much we depend on it for our ball movement. It was noticeable today that Richmond tended to break tackles and give the ball off better, while we generally didn't. Our handballs missed targets. Pace and strength?
We are one of the youngest lists going around, even though we have a few very experienced players.
A big positive for Richmond was that they are trying to play like their male team. It means that they are thuggish sometimes, but their attack on the ball was better than ours. And sometimes we panicked and suffered for it.
[3] Our disposal by foot is still an issue. We don't hit targets far too often. One of the worst offenders today was Abby McKay. I loved her attack on the ball, but her kicks all slices off to the right.
[4] Our forward are good enough if we give them a better than 50% chance of getting the ball.
Taylor Harris didn't have a big game, as she got her marks and kicks too far from goal, but she continually out-marked her opponents. If we could get the ball to her more efficiently, she could have got more than a few.
On the other hand, Darcy Vescio killed her opponents and hit the scoreboard. Our foward structure today allowed her to lead and we honoured the lead (for a change). She had 6 shots on goal and should have had at least 5 goals. The two misses in the 1st quarter were simply unprofessional.
Nik Stevens also had a much better game, and was really dangerous. She still drops too many marks and fumbles at the wrong time, but she was not as bad in that area today and really had an impact.
[5] Pagan's Paddock and Long Kicking: We are playing a very North Melbourne style of game, where we try to play Pagan's Paddock. Fair enough, but it hasn't worked well this year for 2 main reasons. The first is that without Chloe Dalton and Brooke Walker, we haven't been able to use our pace and run into uncontested goals. The 2nd is that our kicking depth hasn't been there. Last year we got the ball over the top often. This year we have been kicking the ball directly to our competition. One thing is that we do not seem to have a girl running from defence or midfield who can clear the pack.
I don't know that I would continue this style of forward movement if it isn't going to work. We need to re-evaluate this. I must admit that we have improved in that area. The first two weeks we were awful in this this area, not even getting in front most of the time, we simply kicked the ball directly to the opposition. The last two we have not turned the ball over as regularly.
[6] Grace Egan is growing as a player, especially with the opposition trying to blanket Prespakis. But she has to realize that not every possessions should be sidewise or backwards. She ran the wrong way about 4 or 5 times, before eventually turning around. Sometimes the quick kick out of the centre is just the thing our forwards need!
[7] Jess Hosking was very good today, especially in those tight, pressure moments. I think she was far more effective than her twin today.
There was a lot to learn from this game:
[1] We are not as good as we were last year.
Our defence was almost impenetrable last season. All of the players were playing well, had great confidence in themselves and in their team mates and they caught teams unaware. This season I don't think any of our defenders is close to their 2020 form. Harrington is well down and is being beaten in the air. Last year she provided huge amounts of run. This year she has had to defend a lot more and has not got the sort of ball she had last year. Mua was a revelation last year. She's been reasonable, but she hasn't had the number of intercept marks. She has also had to play more defensively. Charlotte Wilson killed everyone last year. She took bigger, stronger or faster opponents to the cleaners. This year she hasn't played anywhere near as well and has been very fumbly and her kicking has been inconsistent.
Lauren Brazzale and Gab Pound haven't had the same affect as they did last year either.
[2] Our handball has not been all that good, especially considering how much we depend on it for our ball movement. It was noticeable today that Richmond tended to break tackles and give the ball off better, while we generally didn't. Our handballs missed targets. Pace and strength?
We are one of the youngest lists going around, even though we have a few very experienced players.
A big positive for Richmond was that they are trying to play like their male team. It means that they are thuggish sometimes, but their attack on the ball was better than ours. And sometimes we panicked and suffered for it.
[3] Our disposal by foot is still an issue. We don't hit targets far too often. One of the worst offenders today was Abby McKay. I loved her attack on the ball, but her kicks all slices off to the right.
[4] Our forward are good enough if we give them a better than 50% chance of getting the ball.
Taylor Harris didn't have a big game, as she got her marks and kicks too far from goal, but she continually out-marked her opponents. If we could get the ball to her more efficiently, she could have got more than a few.
On the other hand, Darcy Vescio killed her opponents and hit the scoreboard. Our foward structure today allowed her to lead and we honoured the lead (for a change). She had 6 shots on goal and should have had at least 5 goals. The two misses in the 1st quarter were simply unprofessional.
Nik Stevens also had a much better game, and was really dangerous. She still drops too many marks and fumbles at the wrong time, but she was not as bad in that area today and really had an impact.
[5] Pagan's Paddock and Long Kicking: We are playing a very North Melbourne style of game, where we try to play Pagan's Paddock. Fair enough, but it hasn't worked well this year for 2 main reasons. The first is that without Chloe Dalton and Brooke Walker, we haven't been able to use our pace and run into uncontested goals. The 2nd is that our kicking depth hasn't been there. Last year we got the ball over the top often. This year we have been kicking the ball directly to our competition. One thing is that we do not seem to have a girl running from defence or midfield who can clear the pack.
I don't know that I would continue this style of forward movement if it isn't going to work. We need to re-evaluate this. I must admit that we have improved in that area. The first two weeks we were awful in this this area, not even getting in front most of the time, we simply kicked the ball directly to the opposition. The last two we have not turned the ball over as regularly.
[6] Grace Egan is growing as a player, especially with the opposition trying to blanket Prespakis. But she has to realize that not every possessions should be sidewise or backwards. She ran the wrong way about 4 or 5 times, before eventually turning around. Sometimes the quick kick out of the centre is just the thing our forwards need!
[7] Jess Hosking was very good today, especially in those tight, pressure moments. I think she was far more effective than her twin today.
Live Long and Prosper!