Casey Scorpions v Coburg

[Go the mighty Dees 0]

I was there for 90% of the game. Left at the 15 min mark of the last quarter. The highlights:

- jack watts to that stage kicked 4 goals, although none of them I would describe as dominant. His teammates looked for him on the lead and he kicked really well particularly beyond 50 but was regularly beaten one on one in marking and dropped or juggled easy chest marks. Frankly a lot of the time he was a spectator but has a great engine but is mostly an outside player. Having said that he does some things which are just sublime; his third goal was amazing and he gave away three others two of which he had no reason to be anywhere near;

- we won by over 50 points, but we were playing Richmond reserves;

- Brad Miller was by far the dominant forward on the round and one of the best on the ground

- no-one in my opinion is a stand out inclusion in the senior side right now

- the Demon list platers:

Morton: clearly needed the run. Was good at times, but i doubt whether he will be included next week

Wonna: I had forgotten how quick he is. A genuine talent. Will be promoted next week

Watts: as above

Miller: the best on the day

Gysberts: very skillful but is still very light framed and lacks stamina

Maric: has skills but is not the answer in this position in the seniors

Jetta: see Maric

Newton: Newton is Newton, good at times, but far too inconsistent

Spencer: ok tap ruckman, but not the answer in the long term.

Cheney: good game overall, but doesn't have the involvement of say a Grimes

Joel Mac: quiet

McNamara: regularly beaten in one on one marking contests in defence. Has a long way to go

Bleeze: i understand he appeared in the first quarter of the 2s before i arrived. went off injured again unfortunately

Fitzpatrick: appeared neither in the 1s or the 2s but does not appear either on the injury list. What is going on here?

Edited May 8, 2010 by Go the mighty Dees

[Felix 92]

I was there for 90% of the game. Left at the 15 min mark of the last quarter. The highlights:

- jack watts to that stage kicked 4 goals, although none of them I would describe as dominant. his teammates looked for him on the leada d he kicked really well particularly beyond 50 but was regularly beaten one on one and dropped or juggled easy chest marks. Frankly a lot of the time he was a spectator but has a greAt engine but is mostly an outside player. Having said that he does some things which are just sublime; his third goal was amazing and he gave away three others two of which he had no reason to be anywhere near;

- we won by over 50 points, but we were playing Richmond reserves;

- Brad Miller was by far the dominant forward on the round and one of the best on the ground

- no-one in my opinion is a stand out inclusion in the senior side

- ranking in order of performance in this game:

http://demonland.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=20749

http://demonland.com/forums/index.php?showforum=20

[RalphiusMaximus 5,993]

I was there for 90% of the game. Left at the 15 min mark of the last quarter. The highlights:

...

You did say you actually went to the game, right? I respect everyone's right to an opinion, but this one seems to be at odds with most other spectators pretty much across the board. Still, I will be very interested to see Gotch's player review next week.

[KC from Casey 6,617]

Not that it means much at this stage but the win today catapulted Casey to top spot. However, that could change with North Ballarat and Williamstown both playing tomorrow.

[MadAsHell 4,088]

Not that it means much at this stage but the win today catapulted Casey to top spot. However, that could change with North Ballarat and Williamstown both playing tomorrow.

Great news KC, they looked very good today. Lets just hope when September comes around this year, a few more of the Melbourne players are made available for Casey to play?

Any news on if Fitzpatrick will be right to return next week for Casey reserves? Was a shattering 1 point loss for them.

[Demons 32 235]

- jack watts to that stage kicked 4 goals, although none of them I would describe as dominant. His teammates looked for him on the lead and he kicked really well particularly beyond 50 but was regularly beaten one on one in marking and dropped or juggled easy chest marks. Frankly a lot of the time he was a spectator but has a great engine but is mostly an outside player. Having said that he does some things which are just sublime; his third goal was amazing and he gave away three others two of which he had no reason to be anywhere near;

Everyone is entitled to their opinion and respect people views games differently............ however, I will fight you to the death over this.

Watts was easily top 3 best on ground, a view shared by all around me. Not sure why his goals weren't dominant?

One was from a contested mark, one was from a lead that hit him on the chest, one was a freaky mark and play on, one was from a free kick because his opponent scragged him to stop Watts.

I guess if you consider them all gimme's then he was lucky.

But surely the two direct and great handballs that set up goals were pretty good.

Also he missed 2 shots at goal.... would 6 have been dominant?

Yes, his team mates did look for him on a lead.... thats what is supposed to happen. It means he was leading to the right spaces more than anyone and making lots of leads. So not sure how he was spectating at all?

Im not saying Wayne Carey was out there, but you've sold him short in almost everyway and im truly shocked that this is your opinion.

Sounds like you were at last weeks game, or at least in that negative mindset.

[Swampfox 190]

I was there for 90% of the game. Left at the 15 min mark of the last quarter. The highlights:

- jack watts to that stage kicked 4 goals, although none of them I would describe as dominant. His teammates looked for him on the lead and he kicked really well particularly beyond 50 but was regularly beaten one on one in marking and dropped or juggled easy chest marks. Frankly a lot of the time he was a spectator but has a great engine but is mostly an outside player. Having said that he does some things which are just sublime; his third goal was amazing and he gave away three others two of which he had no reason to be anywhere near;

- we won by over 50 points, but we were playing Richmond reserves;

- Brad Miller was by far the dominant forward on the round and one of the best on the ground

- no-one in my opinion is a stand out inclusion in the senior side right now

- the Demon list platers:

Morton: clearly needed the run. Was good at times, but i doubt whether he will be included next week

Wonna: I had forgotten how quick he is. A genuine talent. Will be promoted next week

Watts: as above

Miller: the best on the day

Gysberts: very skillful but is still very light framed and lacks stamina

Maric: has skills but is not the answer in this position in the seniors

Jetta: see Maric

Newton: Newton is Newton, good at times, but far too inconsistent

Spencer: ok tap ruckman, but not the answer in the long term.

Cheney: good game overall, but doesn't have the involvement of say a Grimes

Joel Mac: quiet

McNamara: regularly beaten in one on one marking contests in defence. Has a long way to go

Bleeze: i understand he appeared in the first quarter of the 2s before i arrived. went off injured again unfortunately

Fitzpatrick: appeared neither in the 1s or the 2s but does not appear either on the injury list. What is going on here?

ok so his 4 goals were nothing special

yet his 3rd goal was amazing

will be promoted alongside Wona

Still confused

[MadAsHell 4,088]

I'll paste what I put up over in the Casey Scorpions message board:

Based on todays game.

Watts: Great game, kicked 4 and looked a touch of class above a lot of the other players, will be pushing for selection next week.

Gysberts: Very impressive, can't remember seeing him turn it over by foot and will be a very good player, I'd expect to see him in the red and blue before seasons end.

Miller: Played well and provided a strong target. Should have kicked about 6 but ended with 3. Missed some very getable goals but is a very good VFL player, not sure if he'll ever play AFL again?

Morton: Kicked a very nice goal and will be better for the outing. Could do with another week but was good to see Cale running around again and getting some quality possesions.

Maric: I thought he was pretty good today Maric. Tried to do to much at times but there's no doubting his talent is there, the forward line looked very dangerous with he, Wonna and Jetta running around at the feet of Miller, Watts and Newton.

Bell: Played a good defensive game today Bell after receiving a heavy knock in the 1st quarter right in front of me from Tom Hislop. Like Miller not sure of Bell's career after this year?

Cheney: Dominated across hald back today, seems to have a very good understanding with Tom McNamara. Pushing for senior selection but who do you drop for him?

MacDonald: I rarely sighted Joel today, after Rivers solid performance last night it may take a few weeks for Joel to get back in.

Newton: Tried hard all day today Newton and presented. See Miller and Bell's comments for Newton's long term career at MFC.

McNamara: Played a very good game across half back and was very damaging on the counter attack. Forming a formidable Half Back line with Kyle Cheney.

Wonna: Very dangerous around goals and could have easily kicked 3, but had 3 posters instead. Creates a lot of forward line pressure and will probably play for Melbourne in round 9. Was concerened when I saw the trainers working on his hammies at 3/4 time but was just a rub down. Thank god!

Jetta: Similar game to Wonna but also pushed into the midfield. Kicked a few goals and will be battling with Wonna to get into the the senior team. All our indigenous players look the goods long term!

Spencer: Dominated the ruck against Angus Graham, a player who's had more AFL experience then Jake. Took some nice marks also but is a horrible, horrible kick.

Healey: First time I've seen Rhys play and I was impressed. Provided them with a lot of run through the midfield and could be a very handy utility. With our depth though not sure if he'll make it at this club, but if he was on Richmond's list I'd be saying bring him in next week!

Edited May 8, 2010 by Tall Defence

[Roost It 1,434]

What happened to Strauss?

[MadAsHell 4,088]

What happened to Strauss?

Must be injured. Wasn't out there.

[titan_uranus 22,635]

So having seen none of the game, and basing these comments on those that are written here, it seems that out of Wonaeamirri, Jetta and Maric, Maric is a long way back, and Jetta looks good. Mind you, Bennell played well enough on Friday to keep his spot, but the pressure is on for forward pocket positions.

And Cheney (and, to a lesser extent, McNamara) plays yet another good game for Casey, but I doubt there's an opening for him in the Melbourne side. Which is kind of sad when you consider that Johnson and Dunn are in there. Cheney's best bet might be Bartram's spot, but Bartram tagged Cooney and did a good job there, so I think he's continuing to play his role.

[jacey 333]

Cale Morton - Was good to see Morton again,

Daniel Bell - As always Belly works hard,

Addam Maric - Despite 1 goal and a few nice pieces of skill

Brad Miller - Lead very well and used his big body,

Juice Newton - Juice did ok.

Tom Mac - Had some really great marks

Joel Mac - Macdonald is just a man.

Rhys Healey - Didn't see alot of him,

Jordan Gysberts - Gizmo is all class.

Jake Spencer - Strong game in the ruck.

Neville Jetta - Love the way he pressures his opponents,

Jack Watts - I just want to start this by saying one thing.

Austin Wonaeamirri - Good effort from Aussie,

Kyle Cheney - He is such a solid boy.

Jordan McMahon - Feel like I should mention.

Beautiful. Love to see all the MFC boys get a mention.

Maric is a worry too.

[PeterJames 46]

After viewing the game the one thing with Maric is he needs to go in and get the footy more. Is very classy and uses it well. But fails to want the footy and get it on his own.

Watts was very good and found space. took a great one hander then weave around and kick the goal. The one thing he needs to do is demand the ball more. He was open a few times after good leads and should have been used but needs to yell and scream and demand it. As his confidence grew he did this.

Not sure why people are rating millers game. Dropped some very easy marks. Got on the end of some good play at times and didn't stand out. Newton worked harder than miller, used his body well just didn't get any reward. His only goal came from diving in the goal square when the ball was 70m away.

Gysberts was very good. Uses the ball very well. Very smart player too and is quick.

Joel mac was ok. Didn't dominate but was good.

Still don't think Spencer can play.

Cheney was good. Very solid and is coming a long nicely.

Wonna is still getting fitness and touch back. Still a few weeks off but is getting better.

Jetta is dangerous, gets himself into good positions. He isn't lightning quick but chases hard.

Morton still hasn't added a kilo. Looked classy with a good goal. The one thing that impressed me was in the 3qtr and the result known he was in defence and the ball was bombed over his head. He stood his ground and got crunched for it. Got straight up and went on with his game.

[ucanchoose 1,804]

I took the boys out for the afternoon for a look - so a big sorry to anybody that had to listen to my grisly two

I thought Watts was good, but not outstanding. Mind you the ground conditions were heavy, having a kick on the ground it was surprising how heavy it was. I'd have him in next week though on that performance, but as a high half forward flank otherwise Glass will have a field day.

What about Coburg though? Mouthing off like superstars in the 3rd quarter. The worst of the Mortons was the worst though, call out Newton for being "soft", then giving away pissweak free kicks and kicking the ball out on the full. There is a reason that West Coast got rid of this bloke, he's an idiot. Number 33 (whoever he was) continually having a crack at Watts was a disgrace too. I would have thought that being down by 50 points at that stage would shut people up. Clearly not.

The best moment of the day was in the 4th quarter. McMahon was about to take a kick-in after a point and there was a delay for some reason. Someone in the crowd right behind piped up, THANKS FOR SCULLY AND TRENGOVE. Priceless, he couldn't do much about it and let out a bit of a smile.

BOG 1st half was Cheney. Didn't have anything to do in the second half because we dominated.

BOG 2nd half was too close to call. We just were too dominant in the midfield.

[Guest watts04]

I was there as well and just to comment on watts. He has time, silk and great speed and im convinced will be a star. Needs another pre season and we wont see consistent footy for 2 years from him but when he is ready he will be a gun. We need to have patience here......I hope he doesn't play seniors for another few weeks as he needs more fitness. Has all the attributes of a good afl player in the future.

ie - gets 5m off his man easy, great lateral movement, great kick, good hands etc

Can I comment that playin key possie in the VFL ain't easy, windy and delivery is often poor so I can excuse watts and miller for having some downers. It's really made for midfielders.....

Gys - impressed and surprised me how tall he was. will compliment our small brigade of jones, moloney, scully etc really well. clean and moves well

Aussie - really happy to see him run out a game, needs a month of consistent footy but hasn't lost that knack of bobbin up in the right possies

Jetta - really impressed with workrate and hardness, pushin for seniors

CHeney - see above

Spencer - years off, not worth chattin bout till then. Focus on PJ, Martin and Jamar until then

Maca/Morton - wouldnt think either would get a recall this week, week after maybe

Miller - tryin hard but continues to drop marks and miss goals. Gold Coast????

That's all i can think of, love the set up at Casey. More should get down there

[Guest watts04]

I think the goose havin a go at Watts was Connors and agree with Morton - loose unit

[pringle 42]

My impressions from Yesterday were:

Gysberts: Looks to be a very classy player. Excellent skills, clean hands and a really good decision-maker. The surprise of the day for me. Looked very much at home out there. Is quite tall and, as many have said, a bit thin, but not as thin as I expected from previous reports. He is certainly big enough to play AFL footy and would probably weigh as much or more than Cale Morton.

Miller: Played well, but still can't kick. Is definitely good enough in general play and contested situations to play AFL footy, but loses immeasurable value by virtue of the fact that he can't kick to save himself and makes poor decisions. Should not play again except in an emergency.

Morton: Was just OK. Nothing special, but will be better for the run. Needs another couple of weeks. However considering Garland made the jump up to seniors almost straight away after over a year out, may be a surprise inclusion.

Maric: People are a bit harsh. He was fine today. Didn't dominate, but didn't do too badly either. Set up a Watts goal with a clever pass and played a part in quite a few nice passages of play. Also kicked a classy goal from 50 on the run around his body. I don't really know what people are expecting from the kid. He got caught a couple of times trying to do a bit too much. He'll learn. That's what the VFL affiliation is for. To learn your trade in a good quality competition without losing your confidence. The small forward role is very hard to play. He has the ability to do some very classy things on a footy field but he needs to learn when to try and when to do the team thing. I still think he can make it if he learns the lessons he's supposed to be learning.

Bell: bell was very solid today. Doesn't do anything spectacular but would not look out of place back in the AFL. Handy depth at worst.

Cheney: Was probably the pick of the Melbourne listed players today. Really solid defensively and then ran off his opponent with monotonous regularity to set up countless forward thrusts for the Scorpions. Looked very quick and made good decisions. Skills were impeccable. Deserves a call-up more than anyone else out there, especially given his reported consistency over the whole season to date. MUST get a chance soon.

MacDonald: A quiet game for Joel today. had an excellent wrestle with Tom hislop on the wing at one point. Casey got a free kick out of it as Hislop had Joel's face buried 4 feet under the boggy Casey turf for a good minute. That was about it for Joel. Hard to see him back next week. Even if we had an injury in the backline, it would be unfair to Cheney to bring macDonald in ahead of him.

Newton: See Miller. Is good enough in general play. Works hard nowadays. Would be fine with him playing AFL if we needed him desperately. Can't kick.

McNamara: Was very similar to Cheney this week but just a bit behind him. As someone else mentioned, they seem to have good communication these two and regularly passed between eachother or conspired to foil an opposition attack. One query is his size though. He is neither tall and strong enough to play a key position not nimble and quick enough to play small defender. But has good skills and will get a chance if he continues to play as well as he did yesterday.

Wonna: Wet my pants every time he went to ground or tried to lay a tackle. Was it just me or did it look like he was about to grab a hammy or was a bit slow to get up every time he hit the deck? Consistently fell awkwardly when tackling from behind. Could that be due to the new tackling technique? Or am I just paranoid? Didn't do very much. Took a gutsy mark running towards the goal line and then hit the post with the snap. Otherwise didn't have any impact. Got close on numerous occasions to pulling off a tackle and I guess that made the opposition get rid of the ball more hastily than would otherwise have been the case. But just a smidge away still. 1-2 more weeks at Casey at least I would think.

Jetta: Was excellent today. Showed great defensive pressure and used the ball well along the wings and through the corridor. Has a tough edge to him as well. Will be a player. I think they are just trying to build his tank. In my opinion though, he is not a forward pocket. Not sure why people think he is. I think he is a midfielder. So he and Bennell and Davey and Wonna and Jurrah could all easily play in the same team together one day.

Spencer: Is massive. Does little. Can't kick. REALLY. CAN'T KICK. Project player??? My grade 3 school project volcano had more potential to play AFL than Spencer. NEXT.

Healey: Impressed by his few posessions. Seems to lack a bit of composure at times. Don't really know too much about him, but acquitted himself nicely.

Watts: Was VERY good yesterday. Not only was this my opinion, but also the opinion of the opposition players and support staff, who were all very impressed. The boy has oodles of class. I'm really not sure which game theat bloke was at who reckons he was just ok. He wasn't BOG, but he was clearly the classiest player out on the field yesterday. He did some things that were unteachable. Little things. Things that people don't always notice. He took marks, turned players inside out, had great acceleration, found space, kicked a couple of majestic 50+ meter goals straight through the middle that came flush off the boot like a Tiger Woods drive down the fairway. He gave off goals unselfishly as well and hit the post from a difficult boundary line set shot. Could have kicked 6. And all this despite the fact that at times he was being manhandled. I have no problems with our selection of Watts over Naitanui. He is exactly the type of player we need going forward. Unless you are the MFC marketing people dreaming up dreadlock holidays as prizes for the Naitanui fanclub competition, if you saw yesterday's game and understood the deficiency Melbourne has in terms of lacking a KPF you would be absolutely content with our choice. Don't think I'm trying to comment on Naitanui's ability. He is good. So is Jack. We NEED Jack. I don't think we NEED Naitanui. We would LIKE to have Naitanui. But we don't NEED him.

Anyway, the most pleasing thing for me about watching the game yesterday was that it is now clear that we have incredible depth. In previous years there were players wearing a MFC guernsey that would not get a spot in any other team in the comp. Now there are players playing in the VFL who would get a spot in quite a few other AFL teams. The tide is turning.

P.S. Every player looks good when you demolish a team like that, so this week's opinions may be skewed. Still... they were all actually very good.

[kieranbj 111]

Jetta: WIn my opinion though, he is not a forward pocket. Not sure why people think he is. I think he is a midfielder.

Right on the money Pringle. I too think Jetta is a midfielder (maybe it is his size and indigeneity people assume he is nothing more than an opportunistic forward). I think he was close to best on yesterday.

[GOLF 13]

Still, I will be very interested to see Gotch's player review next week.

Gotch's player review will be constructed from repeated versions of the following template:

(Insert Player Name) was good/very good/exceptional (strike out two that don't apply). He did (stuff) and finished with (status). He will be better for the run/pressing for senior selection (strike out whichever doesn't apply) next week.

[Jaded No More 58,652]

In regards to Morton, has he lost any pace or lateral movement as a result of his knee injury?

I ask because my knee is completely stuffed now after a fracture and after 6 months or so I still can't walk properly or run. I know I ain't no footballer, but if Morton is running as normal then that's the main thing. Fitness and ball handling will come with a bit more time and getting used to the pace of the game again.

Knees are a complete nightmare. I have no idea how footballers recover from reconstructions!

[DemonDave 1,078]

Where was the Stefan Martin Experience? From all the excellent in depth player reviews I've read here, I cant see him mentioned once?

[DeeSpencer 23,295]

Where was the Stefan Martin Experience? From all the excellent in depth player reviews I've read here, I cant see him mentioned once?

Pretty sure he didn't play, but I have no idea why.

[pringle 42]

Stef didn't play. That may be the reason PJ got the call-up in the end. Stef may have not been 100% and therefore they decided to give him a rest rather than risk having him as a liability in the AFL game. And if he's not 100%, no point risking him in the VFL either.

With respect to Morton, Jaded, seemed to move fine. His main improvements will come with more match fitness and reading of the play (touch). This shouldn't take him too long to recapture. PCL (posterior cruciate ligament) strains aren't so bad in terms of recovery and returning to full mobility. They take a while before becoming completely stable (hence 10 wddks out) But certainly nothing like an ACL (anterior cruciate ligament) or "knee fracture" (I assume you mean you fractured your tibial plateau?).

[burn in hell 0]

Can anyone post a description of player performance at Casey, inc. Wonna.

[Jaded No More 58,652]

(I assume you mean you fractured your tibial plateau?).

I fractured my patella, and was told at the time that is a relatively "good" knee injury to sustain as it is easier to recover from.

Personally I think it's [censored], because my knee is a disgrace and it's been 6 months.

Very good news about Morton though. His knees are far more important than mine!