02-26-2017, 02:30 AM
Hard to not be really disappointed and frustrated by what they served up yesterday - but it's only mid Feb and our first proper hit out.
The good;
- Levi looked fit and mobile, took some nice marks and the kicking looked better
- Matt K competed well and worked hard around the ball. With Gorringe & Philipps injured he has a massive load to carry.
- Marchbank looked really poised.Got better as the game went on.
- Pickett showed some glimpses. Given how poor our forward line was he can only help
- Harry moved well, showed intent and looks like a footballer
- Charlie C kept at it and got a few nice touches when he went in the middle. He has a crack.
- Fisher showed he has some spark and good skills
- Simmo kept trying, but some of his disposal and being such a one sided player hurt his teammates
The bad;
- Daisy. Started like he finished last year. Intent on avoiding tackles and doesn't set up play like you want from a player with his experience [and coin]
- Gibbs & Murphy. Provided zero leadership or presence on the game. Strolled around and gave shi**y handballs to guys under pressure. Contrast their games with what Jones, Viney and Lewis served up for Melbourne. If those 2 don't play well we are not competitive, as we saw at the back end of last year.
- Tackle pressure was atrocious. 15 players had 1 tackle or less. They basically did what they wanted with the ball.
- We look soft and small around the ball. We just got pushed around by the Melbourne bigger bodies. Cripps can't do it all, and our lack of hard midfielders is going to hurt us
- The forward line is STILL a shambles. 6 marks inside 50 for the game [vs 21 for Melbourne]. We had 3 talls fly for the ball at times, we were constantly outnumbered when the ball hit the ground, tackle pressure was poor and they moved the ball from their kickouts with ease.
- Buckley and White. I still have no idea why these 2 guys are on the list. They have shown so little over such a long period, and they continue to dish up the same dross but keep getting a game. Complete non events yesterday.
- Cunningham and Silvagni. Wanted to see a lot more intensity and effort from 2nd year players who are trying to cement a spot. Both had zero impact on the game.
I have predicted all along we will be bottom 4 because we have limited midfield depth and no forward line, and nothing I saw yesterday tells me differently. Given our structural and personnel issues the only way we will cause problems for other teams is if we play with manic intensity and effort, and what I saw yesterday was a mile away from that. I can't imagine how that could have been an instruction from the coaches.
Melbourne have got a very balanced side now, and when they aren't under pressure [like yesterday] they look very good. There midfield is much deeper and stronger than ours, and they have a pretty potent forward line with good balance - they could easily make the 8 this year.
The good;
- Levi looked fit and mobile, took some nice marks and the kicking looked better
- Matt K competed well and worked hard around the ball. With Gorringe & Philipps injured he has a massive load to carry.
- Marchbank looked really poised.Got better as the game went on.
- Pickett showed some glimpses. Given how poor our forward line was he can only help
- Harry moved well, showed intent and looks like a footballer
- Charlie C kept at it and got a few nice touches when he went in the middle. He has a crack.
- Fisher showed he has some spark and good skills
- Simmo kept trying, but some of his disposal and being such a one sided player hurt his teammates
The bad;
- Daisy. Started like he finished last year. Intent on avoiding tackles and doesn't set up play like you want from a player with his experience [and coin]
- Gibbs & Murphy. Provided zero leadership or presence on the game. Strolled around and gave shi**y handballs to guys under pressure. Contrast their games with what Jones, Viney and Lewis served up for Melbourne. If those 2 don't play well we are not competitive, as we saw at the back end of last year.
- Tackle pressure was atrocious. 15 players had 1 tackle or less. They basically did what they wanted with the ball.
- We look soft and small around the ball. We just got pushed around by the Melbourne bigger bodies. Cripps can't do it all, and our lack of hard midfielders is going to hurt us
- The forward line is STILL a shambles. 6 marks inside 50 for the game [vs 21 for Melbourne]. We had 3 talls fly for the ball at times, we were constantly outnumbered when the ball hit the ground, tackle pressure was poor and they moved the ball from their kickouts with ease.
- Buckley and White. I still have no idea why these 2 guys are on the list. They have shown so little over such a long period, and they continue to dish up the same dross but keep getting a game. Complete non events yesterday.
- Cunningham and Silvagni. Wanted to see a lot more intensity and effort from 2nd year players who are trying to cement a spot. Both had zero impact on the game.
I have predicted all along we will be bottom 4 because we have limited midfield depth and no forward line, and nothing I saw yesterday tells me differently. Given our structural and personnel issues the only way we will cause problems for other teams is if we play with manic intensity and effort, and what I saw yesterday was a mile away from that. I can't imagine how that could have been an instruction from the coaches.
Melbourne have got a very balanced side now, and when they aren't under pressure [like yesterday] they look very good. There midfield is much deeper and stronger than ours, and they have a pretty potent forward line with good balance - they could easily make the 8 this year.