Game Day: Melbourne v Essendon

[Wolfmother 182]

I saw the Dons staff do the same thing after 3qtr time too, including a very very stricking blonde staff member who caught the attention of a lot of lads around us....

We must of been standing ten metres away from each other because I had those exact same thoughts.... I wonder what she does at the football departments was my thinking until the fourth qtr started

[Wolfmother 182]

Wolfmother....almost 2000 words in your post.....seriously......

Thanks for taking the time to count... I just needed to get it out after some of the posts on here....

Wish I could knock over 2000 uni essays as easy

[Dee Dee 1,117]

Agree with your assessment.

And I back what you said about Jordie McKenzie: he was very good and deserves to be promoted asap. The kid showed a bit of class and courage.

Interesting to read over at Bomber Blitz someone said that they were beaten in the middle by a bunch of snotty nosed punks! Lovely!!!

[DemonDing 56]

does anyone know what happened to moloney? i saw him after the half time break limping with his calf strapped pretty heavily.....?

[Keyser Söze 0]

I heard calf - an old man's injury.

Let's hope not.

[DemonDing 56]

yeah i was just asking coz it was strapped funny i was hoping it wasnt hes achillies.....

[Cards13 9,117]

We must of been standing ten metres away from each other because I had those exact same thoughts.... I wonder what she does at the football departments was my thinking until the fourth qtr started

[torpedo 33]

Cant believe nobody has mentioned Grimesy's 4 centre clearances to I50s in the first 10 minutes of the 3rd. Fruit.

This kid has gotta play midfield permanently, one of the most dominant spurts of centre clearance work I've ever seen. If he was moving it into a functioning forwardline he would have been a clear matchwinner.

Very, very excited about this kid. Finally someone who can step up & turn games at will. Now we just needs some players to finish off his hard work.

[Craig Drinker 179]

Who do we play next and where?

[Lil_red_fire_engine 11,233]

Jones: A steady game missed two set shots which weren't difficult. Had a few turnover but was largely

dependable. Almost kicked goal of the year.

Diablo I seriously struggle with your summation of Jones game. You state he was steady yet he missed 2 goals that any decent player should kick. He nearly kicked goal of the year but the right thing to do was to give the ball off to Sylvia 2 bounces prior or kick the ball to advantage to Jamar who was on his own 25m out from goal. He then late in the last highlighted his game by taking the ball from stoppage and running 30 metres backwards to kick the ball directly across ground to a 2 on 1. He showed some good improvement at times last year but for mine he has regressed back to some old habits.

[Straight Sets Simon 23,113]

Wolfmother....almost 2000 words in your post.....seriously......

It's seriously appreciated by those who couldn't get to the game.

[RalphiusMaximus 6,088]

Diablo I seriously struggle with your summation of Jones game. You state he was steady yet he missed 2 goals that any decent player should kick. He nearly kicked goal of the year but the right thing to do was to give the ball off to Sylvia 2 bounces prior or kick the ball to advantage to Jamar who was on his own 25m out from goal. He then late in the last highlighted his game by taking the ball from stoppage and running 30 metres backwards to kick the ball directly across ground to a 2 on 1. He showed some good improvement at times last year but for mine he has regressed back to some old habits.

That would be the play where he took the ball in traffic, won the clearance, avoided multiple tacklers, refused to pass to a teammate under pressure and eventually found a man in a decent position to pass to? Had the ball gotten there half a second sooner it was the best play of the day. Sadly it was read by an opponent who left his man and ran to intercept.

[RalphiusMaximus 6,088]

Quote from Bomber Blitz.

Umpire #23 was very handy today , snuffed 'em out a few times with some timely decisions . Hope we get 'im for a few games during the season , bomber supporter for sure .

That about sums it up. Who was that guy anyway? There is no 23 listed on the AFL umpire profiles. Perhaps the Umps were letting their new guys have a run as well?

[Allen Jakovich 516]

That would be the play where he took the ball in traffic, won the clearance, avoided multiple tacklers, refused to pass to a teammate under pressure and eventually found a man in a decent position to pass to? Had the ball gotten there half a second sooner it was the best play of the day. Sadly it was read by an opponent who left his man and ran to intercept.

Sorry mate but that kick from Jones was the worst kick I saw all day from either team. He tried to switch it 60 metres across ground to 1 demon with four essendon blokes around him. THat pass was never going to end up anywhere but over the opposition goal umpires hat.

If he had of run over there and marked his own kick and run in and goaled it would have been the play of the day also, but it was never going to happen.

I'm not faulting his endeavor, but that was a very, very poor decision.

Edited February 28, 2010 by Allen Jakovich

[Keyser Söze 0]

My synopsis of a few of the player's performances based on the final 2 & 1/2 quarters:

Warnock: Solid yet unspectacular.

A sub-par game compared to what I expect from him these days.

Jones: Steadily improving still.

His disposal and decision making is getting better, and it would want to.

Bartram: Not up to standard in today's game where taggers are expected to be able to use the ball well.

Made some very very poor decisions with the footy. Ran in a circle twice with the footy in the back pocket in the 3rd.

Not sure what he was trying to do, but he looked overwhelmed.

Gysberts: Nice handballing in traffic.

Looks strange though, the way he turns on his side and sort of pushes it away with his support hand.

Managed to find the footy. Looks a good size frame to build on.

Miller: Solidly created a contest and continued to do the 1%ers.

Same old story - not blessed with the greatest skills, but still gives his all.

Frawley: held Mark Williams well. A beast.

I don't mind him taking the kick-outs either.

Only a matter of time before he makes AA.

Trengove: relatively quiet game with the requisite flashes of brilliance.

Coming along nicely.

Morton: didn't do enough for my liking. Great courage going back with the footy when he was injured.

Looked to me like he knocked knees with the essendon forward. We'll know soon enough.

Needs to put on more size - nothing new here.

Sylvia: Tough as nails, got a bit of the footy. Should have a good year.

McKenzie: coming along nicely. I like his attack and his long raking kicks.

I see him as our main tagger going forward.

Petterd: great cameo up forward. Couldn't ask too much more from him at this stage.

Grimes: drifted out of the game at times, but when he was in it he was dominant.

Scary good. So much faster than I thought he'd be.

Maric: Much better showing. Was really happy with his endeavour and ball use.

Skill mistakes come from not being able to deal with the pressure but he's getting more and more comfortable out there.

Bell: Kicked a goal. Not quite Max Rooke.

Jurrah: strapped elbow, looked frustrated being played so deep in the forward line.

Enjoyed moving up the ground when he could.

Cheney: Fetta is hard at it and smart.

I worry about his speed for a guy who will likely play BP, but it didn't affect his performance on this day.

Rivers: Looked real good at stages. Struggled against Ryder, as did Warnock.

MacDonald: Not sold on him. Not a bad player, but I can't figure out what makes him good either. Vanilla.

Scully: Continues to impress. Got a lot of touches and managed to feed the ball off to teammates in tight spots when i didn't think he could.

Tried to get away from Alwyn Davey and almost did, but was caught.

Linked play beautifully a couple of times.

Still adjusting to the pace of the game, but i think just as important will be his teammates adjusting to playing with a guy like him who can create opportunities like he does.

Martin: was disappointed with his game. I thought he was our ideal backup ruckman, but I'm starting to reconsider.

Jamar: Surprisingly good, not just in the ruck contests. Took a really nice pack mark in the backline.

No question he is our number 1 ruckman (who'd have said this 12 months ago?)

Bennell: Finds the footy, dodges and ducks and weaves but his disposal is letting him down.

Finding a good option to kick to is a big part of it. I'm confident that with time he'll become much better in this respect.

Bail: Nothing bad to say about him, but he just hasn't done anything to impress me yet.

Strauss: Amazing footskills. Haven't noticed him do much else though.

Fitzpatrick: What we would call a 'project'. Your Kosi-type. Will take a few years.

[RalphiusMaximus 6,088]

Sorry mate but that kick from Jones was the worst kick I saw all day from either team. He tried to switch it 60 metres across ground to 1 demon with four essendon blokes around him. THat pass was never going to end up anywhere but over the opposition goal umpires hat.

If he had of run over there and marked his own kick and run in and goaled it would have been the play of the day also, but it was never going to happen.

I'm not faulting his endeavor, but that was a very, very poor decision.

How are you counting that? He was 1 on 1. It was unfortunate that another bomber read the kick early and ran flat out to get a hand on it at the last moment. Had he been a foot slower it was a mark to us. I agree that the result was terrible, but it came very close to being a great pass.

[rusty_kingswood 0]

Miller: Solidly created a contest and continued to do the 1%ers.

Same old story - not blessed with the greatest skills, but still gives his all.

Interesting to see that The Age today, gave him one of the best on grounds.

he has (suprise suprise) coped a bit of stick again.

[H_T 3,049]

Top summary wolfmother. Thanks. Some great and well balanced detail there. I've been reading quite a few positives on Strauss of late from a variety of posters from the Essendon game, which is great.

[RalphiusMaximus 6,088]

Interesting to see that The Age today, gave him one of the best on grounds.

he has (suprise suprise) coped a bit of stick again.

He cops stick because he does the 1%ers but fails to perform at his primary task of kicking goals. Consider the last quarter pass from Straus. I was sitting with a Bulldog supporter who'd come along to watch. He couldn't understand why I was upset that Straus had passed to Miller rather than taking a low percentage shot himself. How could it not be better to have a set shot from 25 m directly in front than a running shot around the body from near the 50? Observe as Miller misses the unmissable yet again.

[Curry & Beer 5,444]

Top summary wolfmother. Thanks. Some great and well balanced detail there. I've been reading quite a few positives on Strauss of late from a variety of posters from the Essendon game, which is great.

yep Wolfmother love ya work

[Keyser Söze 0]

Interesting to see that The Age today, gave him one of the best on grounds.

he has (suprise suprise) coped a bit of stick again.

It wasn't a criticism of Miller, so I wouldn't say he "copped a bit of stick again".

He'll never be a Riewoldt or Barry Hall, but he does create a contest and do the 1%ers.

People do tend to focus far too much on his deficiencies and ignore all the positives he brings to the table.

Edited February 28, 2010 by Keyser Söze

[Bay Riffin 1,480]

went to the game and this is my take on it:

Came away a lot happier than the perth game. my gut feel was there is something there.

The biggest difference was Jamar today gave us first use of the ball when he rucked. He moved well and played a fair chunk of the match, probably over half I would say. My summary on some of the players are as follows:

Jamar – surprisingly good against Hille and Ryder and beat them. Easily our number one ruck.

Grimes – killed it today, kicking goals and racked up possessions. Used it well generally. Showed a bit of toe.

Sylvia – excellent in the wet in the first half and cameos thereafter. Agree he looks cherry ripe for a big year.

Scully – canned for his kicking on this site, don’t know why because his kicking was ok. Missed occasionally but generally good by foot, some short passes were very good. He got to the ball but we have no idea how to use him yet. Often caught as he was ready, shaping for a handpass often, but had to hold onto it, or take on 3 blokes without support.

Trengove – good early but not a lot of it today. Used the ball well.

Morton – thought he was good and showed real guts to go back with the flight and got injured.

Frawley – excellent. Did most things right and was aggressive all day.

Warnock – disappointing. Looks down on confidence. Ryder turned him inside out and his disposal was average.

Rivers – not a lot to notice but generally good.

Strauss – kicking at times was superb. Low rocket passes were effective. Also quite quick and reckon they will be happy for him to develop like he is at present.

Bennell- undecided about him. Has the attributes of a good footballer, worried Davey out of it a lot today but turnovers cost us dearly. Takes the game on though so that is forgiveable for now.

Maric – good game. Gets canned on here but don’t know what game people are watching. He was good today, very competitive and nice mover. Used it well. Only thing is he lacks a yard for a goal sneak.

Martin – terrible at times, then really good, then terrible again. If only he could kick !!!

MacDonald – led our backline early when we were in disarray. We need this bloke right now, was aggressive, hard with ok disposal. Won’t be a world beater but important for us if Davey and Grimes can spend less time trying to mop up down back.

p.s spoke to Sam Blease and he said he is 3 weeks away from full training and maybe another 3 weeks till playing, so expect him out there in the early rounds. Looks very fit.

[armstrong35 262]

brad miller isnt the best player but i actually thought he played pretty well

he ran and ran and created play

and had shots on goal which we dont see much

he is playing better footy now then he ever has.

one thing melbourne did wrong how many times was handball handball handball then turned it over, they never learn

[torpedo 33]

Entertaining game. Practice games are just that for the seasoned players so I'll only focus my review on the kids & fringe players.

Grimes – Schwing. And to think only a couple of weeks ago he was a 'potential' midfielder. Brownlow, Captain... the possibilities are endless.

Scully – I actually like that he's been getting caught, he's the ultimate professional and he'll work harder because of it. Has an ability in close well beyond his years, cant wait till he finds his feet.

Trengove – suprised he was in our 'best'. Thought he showed potential without being particularly noticeable. Caught in 2 on 1s a couple of times and broke even, definetly a step above most rookies.

Morton – looks timid in crunch situations, dont expect him to be the next Glen Archer but would like to see more animal instinct. Like that Bailey is playing him in a more accountable role, geez it really exposes how much he needs it though.

Frawley – good game but needs to back himself more, I'd like to see him take the game on & run & carry more, perhaps a result of teammates not allowing him to though.

Strauss – still finding his feet, nothing to excite yet. Cant say I noticed the kicking effeciency we've heard so much about.

Bennell- similar to Frawley, at his best when takes the first option, not always there though & then gets into trouble. The fact he held his man well shouldnt go unnoticed though, solid base & will only get better.

Gysberts - was super clean in close at times, really grabbed my attention early.

Maric – involved which was good, still well and truly learning though, would like to see more hunger, seems to wait for things to happen when small forwards need to make their own opportunities.

Martin – like the idea of him becoming our , had just as many Leigh Brown-esque moments though.

MacDonald – brilliant pick-up, would look a million bucks surrounded by Geelong or St Kilda players.

Jordie - hard bastard, look forward to seeing him get more games under his belt.

Bail - showed promise in patches, set up some forward plays in second half.

Fitzpatrick - learning. Has good size, did some ruck work in our F50.

LJ - couldn't handle Fletcher at all, neither could any of our forwards though. Hopefully just warming into form, certainly will have to adjust to more attention this season though.

Bell - improved but nothing new to report.

Nate Jones - didn't get caught as much as last year, still get caught though. Does any midfielder in the AFL get tackled more than Jonesy?

Shame Greeny wasn't playing. Geez I hope he plays forward this year, strong mark & straight kick, would find it baffling if our best utility was used anywhere else other than our weakest line.

The biggest difference was Jamar today gave us first use of the ball when he rucked. He moved well and played a fair chunk of the match, probably over half I would say. My summary on some of the players are as follows:

Jamar – surprisingly good against Hille and Ryder and beat them. Easily our number one ruck.

Not suprising at all, Jamar smashed it last time he played against the Bombers & that was when Hille was in career best form.

Fitness & disposal are his issues, not his opponents. He was great in the ruck but his disposal still hurt us several times, he has no confidence in his kicking & he continues to handball to teammates out of position. You want your ruckman dictating play, not giving it off to the first bloke he sees. No point having a marking target if they cannot set up a clean passage of play.

I've been ultra critical of his disposal in the past but I've accepted that for the next couple of years at least he is clearly our best ruck option & we need him out there, his decision making has to improve dramatically though. A player of his age & experience should be leading the way, too often he seems to sherk responsibility by giving it off to whoevers closest.

[Jerry Lundergard 420]

Grimes – Schwing. And to think only a couple of weeks ago he was a 'potential' midfielder. Brownlow, Captain... the possibilities are endless.

It is a ridiculous longshot, but i did take the $261 they were offering for Grimes for a top 3 finish in the Brownlow.