04-05-2021, 02:57 AM
[4] Centre Issues:
Without the ruck dominance and with a number of important players missing or injured, our mids were not as effective as they have been in the past. Maddie Prepakis was again a standout, but the support she required was not always there. Both Grace Egan and Lucy McEvoy did not enjoy seasons as good as last year, co-Captain Katie Loynes missed too much and was not at her physical best and Dalton was missing entirely. Jess Hosking stepped up and had probably her best season. Abby McKay stepped up and made significant improvements as a midfielder. Mimi Hill was very good when she was available, but our midfield was not as able to cope with Collingwood’s or North’s.
Grace Egan had some excellent games, her poise and disposal were excellent, but she isn’t a 4-quarter 20 – 30 possession player yet. There were good signs, but she needs consistency.
Maddy P had to deal with a lot more tagging this season, with some of it being considerably suspect. She could have managed to get a lot more frees if the umpires bothered to look. She was unlucky to be rubbed out for a game. It is easier to tag Maddy than some others because she does not have express pace. Maddy probably isn’t going to get a lot faster, but if we design our centre square reasonably, we could help her considerably. Certainly, she was marked before the season started.
Lucy McEvoy wasn’t really fit enough in any of her games, as she missed too much pre-season. Her form was not as impressive as last year, and she didn’t spend all that much time in the centre square. I hope she will be better next year. But for that she needs some hard work and VFL game time. I am not sure she will get it.
The major problem was stopping opposition mids. We found that much harder this season and really need to work on this area of our game. Last year we managed to really stop the opposition’s best mids. This year they ran around too easily too often. Lots of teams had their mids get big numbers against us. We need to develop a tagger, as Jess Edwards doesn’t quite do the job well enough. God knows she tried, but she has been in and out since her debut and she isn’t that young.
[5] Defence Issues:
Like our mids, our defenders did not reach the heights of last year. They were under pressure a lot more often this year, as our midfield was less effective, and most of them were down on form for parts of the season.
There were also structural problems, as our defence is not overly tall. Ali Downie covered at least some of this in the last half of the season, as she covered the tallest forward pretty well, but she has now retired.
Early in the season we missed Gab Pound. Teams like North, Western Bulldogs and Collingwood got goals the may not have kicked had she been available. Harrington and Laluifi had to be used in more defensive roles: this really robbed us of run from defence.
Harrington picked up her form significantly in the last few games but struggled early to make an impact. In the early part of the season, she had to play a lot more defensively, and while she did her job well enough, we lost her run from defence. It affected her game quite a lot. Later, when she got her mojo back, she was brilliant running the ball out of defence and setting up our forwards.
Charlotte Wilson was good, but not as dominant as in 2020. Last year she slaughtered Sabrina Frederick, this year the contest was much more even. Her kicking is also something that needs considerable work. She often had the run out of defence role early in the season and her kicking was not reliable enough to get the job done. She also improved over the season.
Mua Lalolifi had a strong season but did not stand out as much as she did in 2020. Teams were more aware of her and managed to stop her running away from contests with the ball as much. Her interceptions were excellent, but she still had to play a more negative role.
Gab Pound was missed. We played better when she returned but missing the start of the season was a big negative. We must start looking for a replacement, as she is not getting any younger.
Maddy Guerin played some games in defence and looked to have a future, but she isn’t the answer yet. Similarly, Daisy Walker debuted and did some good things. She has pace, but her disposal is her weakness at this point. She appeared to have the coach’s favour. Charlotte Hammans also showed potential. She also has pace.
Over all, our defence looks sound and has some nice kids coming through, but it needs that injection of pace and could well do with a taller defender.
Without the ruck dominance and with a number of important players missing or injured, our mids were not as effective as they have been in the past. Maddie Prepakis was again a standout, but the support she required was not always there. Both Grace Egan and Lucy McEvoy did not enjoy seasons as good as last year, co-Captain Katie Loynes missed too much and was not at her physical best and Dalton was missing entirely. Jess Hosking stepped up and had probably her best season. Abby McKay stepped up and made significant improvements as a midfielder. Mimi Hill was very good when she was available, but our midfield was not as able to cope with Collingwood’s or North’s.
Grace Egan had some excellent games, her poise and disposal were excellent, but she isn’t a 4-quarter 20 – 30 possession player yet. There were good signs, but she needs consistency.
Maddy P had to deal with a lot more tagging this season, with some of it being considerably suspect. She could have managed to get a lot more frees if the umpires bothered to look. She was unlucky to be rubbed out for a game. It is easier to tag Maddy than some others because she does not have express pace. Maddy probably isn’t going to get a lot faster, but if we design our centre square reasonably, we could help her considerably. Certainly, she was marked before the season started.
Lucy McEvoy wasn’t really fit enough in any of her games, as she missed too much pre-season. Her form was not as impressive as last year, and she didn’t spend all that much time in the centre square. I hope she will be better next year. But for that she needs some hard work and VFL game time. I am not sure she will get it.
The major problem was stopping opposition mids. We found that much harder this season and really need to work on this area of our game. Last year we managed to really stop the opposition’s best mids. This year they ran around too easily too often. Lots of teams had their mids get big numbers against us. We need to develop a tagger, as Jess Edwards doesn’t quite do the job well enough. God knows she tried, but she has been in and out since her debut and she isn’t that young.
[5] Defence Issues:
Like our mids, our defenders did not reach the heights of last year. They were under pressure a lot more often this year, as our midfield was less effective, and most of them were down on form for parts of the season.
There were also structural problems, as our defence is not overly tall. Ali Downie covered at least some of this in the last half of the season, as she covered the tallest forward pretty well, but she has now retired.
Early in the season we missed Gab Pound. Teams like North, Western Bulldogs and Collingwood got goals the may not have kicked had she been available. Harrington and Laluifi had to be used in more defensive roles: this really robbed us of run from defence.
Harrington picked up her form significantly in the last few games but struggled early to make an impact. In the early part of the season, she had to play a lot more defensively, and while she did her job well enough, we lost her run from defence. It affected her game quite a lot. Later, when she got her mojo back, she was brilliant running the ball out of defence and setting up our forwards.
Charlotte Wilson was good, but not as dominant as in 2020. Last year she slaughtered Sabrina Frederick, this year the contest was much more even. Her kicking is also something that needs considerable work. She often had the run out of defence role early in the season and her kicking was not reliable enough to get the job done. She also improved over the season.
Mua Lalolifi had a strong season but did not stand out as much as she did in 2020. Teams were more aware of her and managed to stop her running away from contests with the ball as much. Her interceptions were excellent, but she still had to play a more negative role.
Gab Pound was missed. We played better when she returned but missing the start of the season was a big negative. We must start looking for a replacement, as she is not getting any younger.
Maddy Guerin played some games in defence and looked to have a future, but she isn’t the answer yet. Similarly, Daisy Walker debuted and did some good things. She has pace, but her disposal is her weakness at this point. She appeared to have the coach’s favour. Charlotte Hammans also showed potential. She also has pace.
Over all, our defence looks sound and has some nice kids coming through, but it needs that injection of pace and could well do with a taller defender.
Live Long and Prosper!