03-04-2022, 07:26 AM
I arrived home far too late last night to make any comments. It was a long, hot night, but quite enjoyable.
[1] Our midfield work:
I was really pleased with our midfield work, not because our players played well, but because of the way they jelled together and moved the ball to each other. It was really nice to see and gave our forward a much better chance to do something constructive. Cerra and Hewett really fit in well, while Pitto was more than useful on the ground.
[2] Matt Kennedy:
For a guy who was struggling early last year, Kennedy has really turned things around. And not just in the middle, where he took some risks and got rewarded for them. It was his strong marking in the forward line that stood out. he had 9 marks and most of them were really strong. That goes well with 9 clearances. His kicking is much improved, but is still much better on the move than with set shots. His 37 possessions last night really showed how he has improved.
[3] Melbourne are morons:
I cannot believe Melbourne was just so undisciplined. They were lucky not to have more than 8 50 metre penalties paid against them. It might have incensed their fans, but they wouldn't shut up. Nor can they count: 3 times they were caught unable to get 6 players in the right zones and, again, they were lucky it wasn't more. I don't think I've ever seen a stupider display.
[4] Melbourne really wanted to win badly.
I am glad we won for a lot of reasons, not just because it does my mental health so good to win. But we took off our entire forward line at half time. We have parks, Williamson and Plowman as forward for nearly half a game.
Melbourne, on the other hand, clearly had intentions to play some of their lesser known players in the second half. However, they were so shocked at half time that they shelved those plans. At least 2 guys never even made it onto the field, as Melbourne tried desperately to get back into the game. Two others barely got onto the park.
We hurt them. It was wonderful! Even with a non-existent forward line we beat them.
[5] Ruck issues:
Marc Pittonet gave his all last night, but he isn't the sort of ruckman who wins premierships. We will be stronger if he can stay fit. However, we need to develop Tom de Koning's ruck skills and body until he's another NicNat. He has the athleticism. I also have hopes for Mirkov, but he is still very much a work in progress. Seriously, this is an area we really need to develop if we are to challenge.
[1] Our midfield work:
I was really pleased with our midfield work, not because our players played well, but because of the way they jelled together and moved the ball to each other. It was really nice to see and gave our forward a much better chance to do something constructive. Cerra and Hewett really fit in well, while Pitto was more than useful on the ground.
[2] Matt Kennedy:
For a guy who was struggling early last year, Kennedy has really turned things around. And not just in the middle, where he took some risks and got rewarded for them. It was his strong marking in the forward line that stood out. he had 9 marks and most of them were really strong. That goes well with 9 clearances. His kicking is much improved, but is still much better on the move than with set shots. His 37 possessions last night really showed how he has improved.
[3] Melbourne are morons:
I cannot believe Melbourne was just so undisciplined. They were lucky not to have more than 8 50 metre penalties paid against them. It might have incensed their fans, but they wouldn't shut up. Nor can they count: 3 times they were caught unable to get 6 players in the right zones and, again, they were lucky it wasn't more. I don't think I've ever seen a stupider display.
[4] Melbourne really wanted to win badly.
I am glad we won for a lot of reasons, not just because it does my mental health so good to win. But we took off our entire forward line at half time. We have parks, Williamson and Plowman as forward for nearly half a game.
Melbourne, on the other hand, clearly had intentions to play some of their lesser known players in the second half. However, they were so shocked at half time that they shelved those plans. At least 2 guys never even made it onto the field, as Melbourne tried desperately to get back into the game. Two others barely got onto the park.
We hurt them. It was wonderful! Even with a non-existent forward line we beat them.
[5] Ruck issues:
Marc Pittonet gave his all last night, but he isn't the sort of ruckman who wins premierships. We will be stronger if he can stay fit. However, we need to develop Tom de Koning's ruck skills and body until he's another NicNat. He has the athleticism. I also have hopes for Mirkov, but he is still very much a work in progress. Seriously, this is an area we really need to develop if we are to challenge.
Live Long and Prosper!