03-05-2017, 04:56 AM
My eldest daughter and I went down for the footy yesterday. The first part of the day was excellent. The 2nd part had a few problems, not the least of all was the crowd.
The girls:
I was really pleased with the way we played this game. For much of the day we were well on top of another fancied rival and we looked t have found a few future champions on the way. We were well up for most of the day. The dogs did their best, but even the umpires could not get them over the line.
[1] Rucks:
We really had ruck dominance for most of this game. We put a few girls in the middle and each one managed t get their hands o the ball first with good leaps and good body work. The rucks even managed to get a few clearances. Gillespie – Jones, Shierlaw, Moody and Downie can really hold their heads up. And they took marks around the ground.
[2] Midfield:
You would thin with a winning ruck combination, our mids would be on top, but that wasn’t the case. There were periods when the Dogs were sharking every tap out. They appeared to have done their homework on our mids. Arnell struggled for possessions, but she was gutsy and didn’t want to go off when hurt. Shae Audley was probably our best mid on the day. Tilly Lucas-Rodd was also important.
[3] Strong Defence:
We welcomed Bri Davey back this week and the difference was obvious. Even though she was well below her best, her sure ball handling, cleanness with the ball and ability to turn the game around really capped off a solid defence. Danni Hardimann had another good game in defence, although her kicking is a work in progress. The whole back 6 worked together well. Bulldog goals were generally against the flow of play, even early when they had the lead.
[4] The rise of the tall forward?
In the last few weeks we have played around with our forward line a bit. Gabby Pound, Kate Gillespie Jones and the mercurial Darcy Vescio have been the only permanent fixtures. Lately we have had Kate Shierlaw and Isabella Ayre play.
With Ayre, Gillespie-Jones, Shierlaw and Moody spending time down forward it gives us a number of aerial options. And then there is Darcy Vescio, AFLW’s version of Peter Bosustow. This week she held her grab. It should be mark of the week. Umpires will have to look closely at her as teams will be trying to shepherd her out rather than risking their defenders being a step ladder. God knows the Buzz had to deal with that most weeks.
Vescio did get some nice goals again, but it was the marking power of the other tall forwards that stuck out. Bella Ayre in particular looked like a star in the making. Her aerial work was excellent. And the increase in taller options has made it easier for Kate Gillespie-Jones, who is not getting double teamed so much now. If we can get the ball down, we have the options to deal with it.
[5] Small Forwards? Do we need a female Eddie Betts?
I looked at the stats today and was amazed that Gabby Pound was down for only 5 possessions. She must have got them all in the 3rd quarter, where she played really well and made goals by winning one on one and one on two battles. In taht3rd quarter she had space and played like a female Eddie Betts. However, the only other smaller girl to do much was Tilly Lucas-Rodd, who was required up-field. We do need to work in this area, as we tend to get crumbing goals from Darcy Vescio primarily.
[6] Taking them on:
One of the better things our team has done recently is show more daring and dash in taking their opponents on. Yesterday Sarah Hosking did the dash and it paid off with a Vescio goal. I’d like to see more.
Best players:
Darcy Vescio – considering the opportunities she had, she was able to change the game.
The ruck girls – All of them deserve a mention, especially Alison Downie
Bella Ayre – sticky fingers were good to watch. She has to earn to stop hitting the post so often!
Bri Davey – really slow early but was dynamic after half time.
Danni Hardiman – another solid offort in defence.
Tilly Lucas-Rodd - not that quick, not that big, but gives her all.
The girls:
I was really pleased with the way we played this game. For much of the day we were well on top of another fancied rival and we looked t have found a few future champions on the way. We were well up for most of the day. The dogs did their best, but even the umpires could not get them over the line.
[1] Rucks:
We really had ruck dominance for most of this game. We put a few girls in the middle and each one managed t get their hands o the ball first with good leaps and good body work. The rucks even managed to get a few clearances. Gillespie – Jones, Shierlaw, Moody and Downie can really hold their heads up. And they took marks around the ground.
[2] Midfield:
You would thin with a winning ruck combination, our mids would be on top, but that wasn’t the case. There were periods when the Dogs were sharking every tap out. They appeared to have done their homework on our mids. Arnell struggled for possessions, but she was gutsy and didn’t want to go off when hurt. Shae Audley was probably our best mid on the day. Tilly Lucas-Rodd was also important.
[3] Strong Defence:
We welcomed Bri Davey back this week and the difference was obvious. Even though she was well below her best, her sure ball handling, cleanness with the ball and ability to turn the game around really capped off a solid defence. Danni Hardimann had another good game in defence, although her kicking is a work in progress. The whole back 6 worked together well. Bulldog goals were generally against the flow of play, even early when they had the lead.
[4] The rise of the tall forward?
In the last few weeks we have played around with our forward line a bit. Gabby Pound, Kate Gillespie Jones and the mercurial Darcy Vescio have been the only permanent fixtures. Lately we have had Kate Shierlaw and Isabella Ayre play.
With Ayre, Gillespie-Jones, Shierlaw and Moody spending time down forward it gives us a number of aerial options. And then there is Darcy Vescio, AFLW’s version of Peter Bosustow. This week she held her grab. It should be mark of the week. Umpires will have to look closely at her as teams will be trying to shepherd her out rather than risking their defenders being a step ladder. God knows the Buzz had to deal with that most weeks.
Vescio did get some nice goals again, but it was the marking power of the other tall forwards that stuck out. Bella Ayre in particular looked like a star in the making. Her aerial work was excellent. And the increase in taller options has made it easier for Kate Gillespie-Jones, who is not getting double teamed so much now. If we can get the ball down, we have the options to deal with it.
[5] Small Forwards? Do we need a female Eddie Betts?
I looked at the stats today and was amazed that Gabby Pound was down for only 5 possessions. She must have got them all in the 3rd quarter, where she played really well and made goals by winning one on one and one on two battles. In taht3rd quarter she had space and played like a female Eddie Betts. However, the only other smaller girl to do much was Tilly Lucas-Rodd, who was required up-field. We do need to work in this area, as we tend to get crumbing goals from Darcy Vescio primarily.
[6] Taking them on:
One of the better things our team has done recently is show more daring and dash in taking their opponents on. Yesterday Sarah Hosking did the dash and it paid off with a Vescio goal. I’d like to see more.
Best players:
Darcy Vescio – considering the opportunities she had, she was able to change the game.
The ruck girls – All of them deserve a mention, especially Alison Downie
Bella Ayre – sticky fingers were good to watch. She has to earn to stop hitting the post so often!
Bri Davey – really slow early but was dynamic after half time.
Danni Hardiman – another solid offort in defence.
Tilly Lucas-Rodd - not that quick, not that big, but gives her all.
Live Long and Prosper!