FREE WILLY by Barry from Beach Road

One the largest crowds at a VFL game in many years turned up to Burbank Oval to watch traditional rivals Williamstown and Sandringham battle it out on Sunday and even though admission was free, the crowd still got more than it's money worth - especially those who supported the local side which easily outclassed the visitors in both the seniors and reserves matches.

Many sides have travelled to Point Gellibrand in the past and had their hopes wrecked by the difficult conditions that often prevail in this part of the world. The ground abuts Hobson Bay and the tricky winds blowing off the shore and across the ground have always proved a handful for teams coming from the other side of town.

Sandringham went into the game missing two clever forwards in Ezra Poyas and Adem Yze and, with Nick Sautner well held by his opponent for most of the day, the Zebras struggled after an inaccurate opening quarter. They fought back a little in the third quarter but allowed the Seagulls to run all over them as the wind strengthened in the last.

The damage was done early when Sandy kicked poorly at what should have been the scoring end of the ground. Williamstown got on top and would have been happy with the 3.1.19 to 1.4.10 score line at the first break.

After conceding three early goals in the second term Sandy lifted but failed to retake the initiative thanks to some poor attempts at conversion at the grandstand end. Addam Maric, who was lively early, broke through for his team's second goal but the Seagulls had all the answers and goal from a free kick on the half time siren gave them a handy five goal lead.

Sandringham had few stars in the first half. Matthew Whelan had been strong in defence early in the game, but with him off the ground, Andy Lovell's charges were in trouble.

The Zebras threatened to make a game of it in the third quarter with Peter Summers and Shane Valenti providing drive from the middle and Sautner finding the goals at last. Rod Crowe was working hard up forward and Paul Johnson, back from an injury layoff, was impressive on the ball and in the ruck while the defence led by Andy Biddlecombe tightened up and repelled the Willy attacks. Late in the quarter, the visitors had closed in to within a kick but a late flurry of three goals to the home side left them in a strong position at the final change of ends.

The final term was a procession for the Seagulls as some poor lapses from some of the Sandy players often left their Willy opponents free to cause havoc and they finished up booting ten of the last eleven goals scored in the game to run out easy winners by 64 points.

The Zebras are out of the top four for the first time in many years and must regroup for their clash against an improved Tasmanian Devils outfit in an AFL curtain-raiser at Aurora Stadium on Saturday morning.

HOW THE DEMONS FARED

Jace Bode - got a fair bit of the ball but was often under pressure and didn't really do enough with it.

Simon Buckley - another strong performance from the youngster who has good pace and showed improvement in his decision making. Impressed.

Kyle Cheney - manfully applied himself to his task. He is learning the game at senior level and should be a valuable defender in the future.

Lynden Dunn - spent most of the game as a tagger through the midfield with the occasional stint up forward. Solid but should be doing much better at this level.

Ben Holland - looked a little out of sorts in the first half and was a better in the second but he was well covered and did nothing spectacular.

Chris Johnson - another good performance. However, while he did some good things they were probably not enough to convince one that he can consistently do the same at the higher level.

Paul Johnson - had a good battle with beanpole Peter Street. Has improved his marking, his ground skills are excellent and his ruckwork is of acceptable standard. It shouldn't take him too long to win back a place in the Melbourne team.

Addam Maric - there's a lot to like about this talented young player. He was well in the game early when many of his team mates were not and his disposal is generally a treat to watch. He is also learning the defensive side of the game which is so necessary for him to become a well rounded player at the elite level.

Stefan Martin - played as a key defender with the odd stint in the ruck and was impressive at both tasks. Amazingly agile, a strong mark and he's definitely been working on his kicking which is getting better.

John Meesen - probably played his best game at Sandy but, given the Demons' ruck situation, will need to wait a while longer and develop his game further before he gets a chance at AFL level.

Shane Valenti - got a lot of the ball and worked hard in midfield but he hasn't grown or gotten any faster in the past week and these things will always hurt his prospects.

Matthew Whelan - started well in the last line of defence but went off (presumably injured) and wasn't seen after half time.

Williamstown 3.1 19 8.6.54 12.10.82 19.16.130

Sandringham 1.4.10 3.6.24 8.10.58 9.12.66

Goals

Wlliamstown Little Skipper Rose 3 Ward 2 Galea Harbrow Johnson McDougall O'Keefe Ray Stretton Urch

Sandringham Maric Sautner Summers 2 Buckley Crowe P Johnson

Best

Williamstown Jolley Ward Street Skipper Harbrow Meyer

Sandringham Biddlecombe Summers Crowe Buckley Valenti Holland

The reserves were in the hunt until the main break of their top of the table clash. At that stage it was a high scoring affair but the home sight got right on top and Sandy failed to score a goal after half time and Willy ran completely over the top of a bedraggled visiting team to win by 105 points.

Sam Monaghan pressed hard for senior selection with a solid performance while Marc Johnston was steady but it was a disappointing way for the team to end its four game opening winning streak and a pointer to the hard work that is necessary to be a top side in any competition. They have a fortnight to lick their wounds as a result of this week's bye.

HOW THE DEMONS FARED

Jake Spencer - struggled after being dropped to the reserves following some reasonable performances at senior level.

Isaac Weetra - virtually unsighted and disappointing.

Trent Zomer - rotated between the forward line and the ruck and did well in both roles. One of his side’s better players.

Williamstown 7.1.49 13.4.82 20.10.130 29.13.187

Sandringham 7.1.49 12.5 77 12.8 .80 12.10.82

Goals

Williamstown Cook 8 Chiu O'Shea 3 Keddell 2 Mulligan Reid 2 Cravino Dullard Jenkins Lynch Lyons McKenzie White Wood Young

Sandringham Cleeve Zomer 3 Gilchrist 2 Eaton Lyall McConnell Vickers

Best

Williamstown Cook Langlands Cravino Reid Grossman White

Sandringham Monaghan Johnston Gilchrist Plymin Cleeve Liddell

FREE WILLY by Barry from Beach Road

John Meesen - probably played his best game at Sandy but, given the Demons' ruck situation, will need to wait a while longer and develop his game further before he gets a chance at AFL level.

I don't know what game you were watching. He was ordinary. And played most of his game as a forward in a negative role on Cloke. He will never be up to AFL standard as a ruckman.

When do you think Stef Martin is going to be ready to play at AFL level. He turns 22 this year so it's not as if he's a young rookie.

When do you think Stef Martin is going to be ready to play at AFL level. He turns 22 this year so it's not as if he's a young rookie.

IMO he's not ready, he might get a sniff of 1 or 2 games this year but isn't really ready this year. He's starting his footy career from a long way back with not much experieces.

He's learning some of the hardest tasks in footy playing as a tall backman in todays rules.

Give him time, he's worth it. If your in a hurry to see him watch the Zebra's live.

OMG Sandy Reserves, what a capitulation!

16 goals to 0 in the second half after being all square at half time, never seen anything like that before!

Except by Melbourne in the first 2 rounds

ANDY LOVELL'S PLAYER REVIEW - ROUND SIX

Highlight (for deelicious9):

John Meesen (8 kicks, 11 handballs, 10 marks)

John played his best game for Sandringham, and has been steadily improving over the past three weeks. His work rate was up and he marked the ball well around the ground. John competed well in the ruck at the centre bounces, and also played forward as a lead up target. He still has some development to go before he plays AFL football, but he is showing some really good signs of improvement.

Understatement(?):

Paul Johnson (11 kicks, 13 handballs, 8 marks, 1 goal)

This was Paul’s first game back after missing five weeks with a hand injury. He played a reasonable game, and rucked against two AFL ruckmen in Peter Street and Wade Skipper. He competed really well, and was able to get a bit of the ball around the ground, finishing with 24 possessions. We also moved him forward, which meant he led up the ground well and was a dangerous target. Overall, his first up effort was pretty good.

By me, 24 possessions from a big man in his first game back from a broken hand injury is more than "pretty good".

Simon Buckley's detractors should take a long, hard, look at Andy Lovell's comments and Buckley's stats. As WJ says - he's the best Buckley playing in the AFL ATM!

Is Weetra the woorst player to play for Melbourne in the last 20 years??, 4 possesions in sandy reserves.

Is Weetra the woorst player to play for Melbourne in the last 20 years??, 4 possesions in sandy reserves.

Isaac Weetra (2 kicks, 3 handballs, 1 mark)

Isaac is struggling at the moment with his decision making, work rate and confidence, which is at a low level. Isaac is a terrific kid and we really need to help him work through this stage. We need to coach him and educate him, and help him to get his confidence back. We will keep his role pretty simple, and he needs to start enjoying his footy again.

very concerning... i guess getting dropped back to sandy reserves shortly after playing AFL just really shot his confidence... unless he turns it around quickly surely he's gone at the end of the year..?

worst player in 20 years? he wasn't that bad when he played in the red and blue, so I'm sure we've had worse...

ANDY LOVELL'S PLAYER REVIEW - ROUND SIX

John Meesen (8 kicks, 11 handballs, 10 marks)

John played his best game for Sandringham, and has been steadily improving over the past three weeks. His work rate was up and he marked the ball well around the ground. John competed well in the ruck at the centre bounces, and also played forward as a lead up target. He still has some development to go before he plays AFL football, but he is showing some really good signs of improvement.

I must have been at a different game.

very concerning... i guess getting dropped back to sandy reserves shortly after playing AFL just really shot his confidence... unless he turns it around quickly surely he's gone at the end of the year..?

worst player in 20 years? he wasn't that bad when he played in the red and blue, so I'm sure we've had worse...

It's hardly concerning. He was the last player we took, a year ago. He was a true smokey who was only ever a minor chance to make it. If he was taken in the top 5 it might be a concern. At the moment it looks as if it was just an extremely low risk gamble that hasn't paid off.

Judging by Dean Bailey's comments early in the pre-season, I'd suggest that Weetra was getting a game because he was one of the last men standing. Now he has been brought back to Earth by a full list, and he has to earn his stripes. Confidence is a funny thing, but it's not the difference between playing in the AFL and struggling in the VFL reserves. He just needs to continue to work on his game and get back in to the Sandy 1s.

I'm not that confident that he'll make it, but he's still got plenty of time to prove us wrong (anyone remember Jace Bode's sudden rise last year?), and it's no great tragedy if he doesn't anyway.

Is Weetra the woorst player to play for Melbourne in the last 20 years??, 4 possesions in sandy reserves.

Grgic will always provide stiff competition for that title...plenty of skill, zero nous.

One of my lasting memories of him is a spectacular one handed mark he took on the members wing.

I immediately started cursing him under my breath...my mate looked at me in astonishment!

Grgic promptly handballed into the man on the mark.

"Psychic powers?" she asked..."nope" I replied "pattern recognition"

I must have been at a different game.

Perhaps he was a bit more physical than in previous games? I've heard that Meesen is regarded as soft by some members of the Melb coaching panel and that this is his biggest problem (a view I would endorse based on the one game I've seen him play in down at Geelong in the NAB cup).

I must have been at a different game.

OR you have no idea what Lovett expected of him today.

Coaches perception is generally the best (along with the players) because they know exactly what the players should be doing

"Psychic powers?" she asked..."nope" I replied "pattern recognition"

Haha.

He certainly was something.

Coaches perception is generally the best (along with the players) because they know exactly what the players should be doing

That's correct. However, they don't necessarily write a brutally honest report on the MFC website...

That doesn't necessarily apply to Lovell's comments re: it being Messen's best game, but most of Lovell's player reviews are fairly sugar-coated.

It's hardly concerning. He was the last player we took, a year ago. He was a true smokey who was only ever a minor chance to make it. If he was taken in the top 5 it might be a concern. At the moment it looks as if it was just an extremely low risk gamble that hasn't paid off.

I'm not that confident that he'll make it, but he's still got plenty of time to prove us wrong (anyone remember Jace Bode's sudden rise last year?), and it's no great tragedy if he doesn't anyway.

He may have been a smokey but have a look at some of the players that were taken after him in the draft. Quite a few of them could have provided more to the club than Weetra. Actually I would have thought two kicks in the Sandy reserves... he doesn't need to be bagged as surely those stats is enough!

4 62 Melbourne Isaac Weetra Melbourne 2

4 63 Collingwood Tyson Goldsack Collingwood 22

4 64 Adelaide Nick Gill Adelaide 7

4 65 Sydney Peter Faulks Sydney 0

4 66 Western Bulldogs Malcom Lynch Western Bulldogs 2

5 67 Carlton Joe Anderson Carlton 5

5 68 Essendon PASS

5 69 North Melbourne Ben Warren North Melbourne 0

5 70 Brisbane Sam Sheldon Brisbane 0

5 71 Port Adelaide Justin Westhoff Port Adelaide 23

5 72 Hawthorn PASS

5 73 Richmond Andrew Collins Richmond 0

5 74 St Kilda Matthew Ferguson St Kilda 2

5 75 Collingwood PASS

5 76 Western Bulldogs Paul O'Shea Western Bulldogs 0

5 77 Fremantle Calib Mourish Fremantle 0

5 78 Adelaide Bryce Campbell Adelaide 2

5 79 Sydney Jesse White Sydney 1

5 80 West Coast James Thomson West Coast 0

6 81 Carlton PASS

6 82 North Melbourne Aaron Edwards North Melbourne 24

6 83 Port Adelaide Ryan Williams Port Adelaide 0

6 84 Richmond PASS

6 85 St Kilda PASS

7 86 Port Adelaide David Rodan Port Adelaide 32

7 87 St Kilda PASS

8 88 Port Adelaide PASS

8 89 St Kilda PASS

looking at that list there are 4 who seem to have played enough games to make it count. rodan is an exception because he is older, not your typical pick meaning 3 other players in that list have done alright in terms of games played.

hardly 'quite a few'...

looking at that list there are 4 who seem to have played enough games to make it count. rodan is an exception because he is older, not your typical pick meaning 3 other players in that list have done alright in terms of games played.

hardly 'quite a few'...

Two is a couple and three is a few!!

so whats the difference between a few and 'quite a few'

Edwards was at West Coast for a few years, nobody other than Port had heard of Westhoff (he was about 22 when picked up anyway).

So really Goldsack was the only kid of the lot