2011 Intraclub Match

[dazzledavey36 55,365]

can anyone do a half time report so far?

[Whispering_Jack 30,682]

Some players have switched sides and jumper numbers after half time. Colin Sylvia could end up best for both teams.

[dazzledavey36 55,365]

watts and dunn have 2 goals so far and watts doing well making space and working hard and now just kicked a point as i speak. the skills are bit sloppy but you would expect that in your first hit out. sylvia and scully dominating.

[Rocknroll 1,005]

This gets me exicited. From demon hq twitter

# Watts almost kicked his third - but just missed for a behind. Kicked from a set shot on an angle 3 minutes ago

# Watts kicks another goal - doing well in second half 5 minutes ago

# Jack Watts kicked a good goal. He has Bern involved in some impressive passages of play today 9 minutes ago

[Bring-Back-Powell 14,943]

Watts kicked 2 nice set shot goals in the 3rd qtr and missed another. Dunn kicked another and should be a lock in the fwd line this year. Scully came into it that qtr. Rivers has been dominant down back.

[Rocknroll 1,005]

From Mickrock twitter

# Jack Watts again. 40 out, tough angle... Misses. Getting more of the ball. A couple of dodgy kicks but it's still good. #DemonIntraclub 6 minutes

# Watts finding more space and more of the ball now. Working hard. Another goal - this time a set shot from 45m out. #DemonIntraclub 9 minutes

# Watts snags one from a contested situation. Intensity dropping off slightly. Maric with a nice piece of play too. Working.

[Red&BlueBlood 61]

Went and watched a half.

Player who impressed:

Sylvia - Looks like he is ready to do it every week, needs to be unleashed in the midfield.

Maloney - BOG for mine, just kept getting the ball and pumping it long. I saw him do a kick in after a point was scored and follow the ball, get it back at HF and pump it into the square.

Gawn - will be a very very good player, very good below knee level and isnt scared to into it.

Scully - if this kid goes to GWS, I will cry. Ball on a string, once he gets his body strength and core levels up, he will be another ablett

Jetta - played a bit in the midfield and was quick, evasive, and could well be a "rioli" like experiement.

Watts - found the right spots, and disposal amazing.

Stef Martin - Looked like a different guy. Bigger, trying to impose, and i think this could be a bit of a breakout year...

Luke Tapscott - Is clearly the biggest unit at the club. Makes Sylvia & Chip look anorexic in terms of width across back and arm size...

Backley, Lappin & co were watching from the boundary, lets hope they go home a little worried about the Demons...

I did see Pettard walk off, the play was right near him and he didnt seem interested, called a trainer from the boundary and walked off. They were clearly trying out resting jamar / gawn, etc in the goal square instead of on the bench.

All in all i left happy with what i saw, and also left praying that Scully doesnt go to the GWS...

[CP3 0]

Gday boys

Long time reader first time poster....loving the feeback from intraclub match.

Just wondering how sam blease went? Been hearing good things about his pre season

[Disco Demons 92]

hi guys- thanks for the reports!

has sam blease and strauss done anything?

[Demonland 73,165]

Whispering Jack will have a full report later and I have about 200 photos to upload.

[Bring-Back-Powell 14,943]

hi guys- thanks for the reports!

has sam blease and strauss done anything?

I only saw blease in the first half and only had a couple of kicks. Strauss's kicking is a feature and he had a decent game- he was wearing no 7 in the second half right?

Edited February 3, 2011 by Bring-Back-Powell

[Keyser Söze 0]

Yes, Strauss went into no. 7.

Beamer wore jordie's 13, and jordie wore 22 for some reason.

[Disco Demons 92]

did anyone see any GWS/etc scouts watching?

[drdrake 3,187]

Just got back, lots of positives but still some players making the same old mistakes.

Moloney was nowhere near BOG he continues to be the one trick pony with long kicking and lots of turnovers. We still need to take the first option, when we do this our ball movement looks good when we take on another defender we often turnover the footy.

The first quarter was as you expect a lot of eager players chasing the footy, skills were poor, pressure was good. As the players got over the initial 10mins the game opened up a bit and we started to see some good signs.

To focus on some of the younger players Spencer was the stand out. His ruck work was very good up against Jamar and his tap work was effective. Took a couple of good marks he looks stong, kicking has improved.

Strauss kick a couple of monster Torps from the kick ins he got a little bit of the footy and he has improved his defensive side.

Our Rookies looked very good, Evans showed good skills, Lawrence has a good defensive side plus nice Purple boots, Nicholson will play this year.

Maric got a lot of the footy but just tried to take on the world he was one that needs to take first option. His disposal was very bad today, his defensive pressure was great.

After Half time it seemed to be the best 22 V's the rest, I was very impressed by Jetta he was on the rest side and was clearly the best for them. Bail also played on the Rest side and these two stood out.

Very easy to get a kick if you were playing in the best 22, Watts stepped up, he wasn't bad the first half did enough. and Bate had a good first half and bad second half when he had other quality players sharing the forward 50m.

Scully, Sylvia, Trengove, Morton all got enough footy and used it well.

Our back six is fantastic, Martin was pushed back there in the second half he will get the first crack at Tippett next week.

[jayceebee31 761]

A great turn out today.Great to see Jimma and Gary Lyon together at the game.I will steal WJ's report although I want tosay, highly impressed with the development of Spencer and Gawn in the ruck and forward, Dunn,Maric, Scully ,Trengove whilst others were in the play at times. I will await other thoughts.Great to see vitaually all able players there.Warnock has a sprained ankle and he will start up again in full training Friday.Another to miss the practice match was young Davis.

[Disco Demons 92]

Our back six is fantastic, Martin was pushed back there in the second half he will get the first crack at Tippett next week.

thanks for your report drdrake!

great to hear martin is back on track. Martin at his best will be a great match up on tippet. Martin is extremely quick...and by all reports is in great shape.

I think Martin could be our Col Garland of 2011...injured for a year and come back and star....(yes i know martin played early last year but finished the year off injured)

[DemonDave 1,092]

Green had Gastro thats why he wasnt playing.

Jones got a knock on the back injury he had hence not playing.

Warnock got 'a knock' hence isnt playing.

I was hugely impressed by Strauss as the game wore on, I'm not a fan of his but may have to change my mind after today.

Scully was an absolute gem to watch, he was everywhere and silky.

Grimes was knocked up getting the footy with some of those trademark angled runs from defence.

Watts got better and better the more the game went on, he repeatedly found space and was able to read the play better than most.

There was a 'ranga sandwich' at one stage as Cameron Johnston laid a pack-forming tackle on Bate. THere were quite a few quips about the scenario around me.

So many players swapped sides at half time it was hard to keep up. Seemingly all the influential 'white' players changed to blue after the break.

Of the new boys, Cook is a good size albeit still obviously a bit light, but he seems to posess a good leap.

Howe definitely looks a prospect, although a shot for goal he had from 35 out barely made it over the man on the mark, it looked like nerves to me you could tell by the way he was fidgeting with the ball in his runup. He was involved in quite a few very nice passages of play.

First time I've seen Gawn and he looks likely although didnt come back out.

Disappointing Blease only had a very short run.

I wish we'd rookie'd Matt Fieldsend, the little nuggety bloke is a goer as anyone who saw Casey last year would know.

Finally, a taste of footy! Roll on next Friday.

[Lil_red_fire_engine 11,234]

General comments

Sylvia and Scully clearly the two best today.

Jetta and Strauss the two that showed the most improvement.

Evans and Howe the best of the new boys but no shot for round 1 on todays display.

Petterd only obvious injury with a hammy tweak.

Watts attacked the ball with alot more confidence. Was very impressive particularly second half.

Was what you would expect from a first hitout.

[bananas 428]

I was there. I won't try and do a proper report, just throw out some things I noticed.

* After half-time they threw away the selected sides and did a lot of jumper-swapping. It appeared obvious to me that the 2nd half 'Blue' team was very nearly the first choice team.

* Blease played deep in defence, but didn't reappear after half time. I saw him with his ankle heavily iced.

* Strauss looked neat and composed, though still one or two clangers. He wasn't alone there, the skills weren't amazing from anyone today. He did, however, put on a couple of big tackles, including stopping a rampaging Spencer, which was a pleasant surprise to me.

* In the first half, Spencer rucked against Jamar and Martin rucked against Gawn, which indicates to me that Spencer is still the #2 choice. Spencer contributed a bit around the ground, which was good to see, and even with his ridiculous ball-drop most of his kicks got where they were supposed to go. Martin and Gawn both showed good and bad signs, giving free kicks away to each other in the ruck, but then both making contributions as resting forwards. Martin split a few packs, and Gawn dobbed one after Scully (almost) hit him up on the lead and he earned a free kick.

* In the first quarter the White midfield (Sylvia, Scully, Trengove, Jamar) was way too good. In the second, however, McKenzie and Moloney became the two most important figures on the ground and hauled the Blues back into it. McKenzie appeared to be tagging Sylvia ... which I reckon is a good move. He's got the 'see-ball, get-ball' instinct, but this should teach him accountability and make him a better player.

* Jack Fitzpatrick was on crutches and wearing a moon-boot. I might have just missed that news, but it was a surprise to me. Petterd, Gawn and Blease all ended their match early, but I was on the far side of the ground, so have no detailed info, other than that Blease was icing his ankle at half-time.

* In the first half, whenever there was a stoppage, Jack Watts would set up as a link-man on the opposite side of the ground to the ball. If the Whites won the ball on the wing and found time, they would look to spot him up in the centre square, allowing him to use his skills to deliver inside 50. This happened consistently enough that it was obviously planned, and on a day when hitting targets was rare, Watts' ability to pick out a leading forward a few times did stand out.

* In the second half, Watts played closer to goal and Morton took on that role of 'fat-side quarterback' --- pardon the american terminology, but I dunno what else to call it.

* In the second half, all of Martin, Jamar and Spencer played for the Blues (Martin almost exclusively forward), which left Tom McDonald to ruck against them, with support from Casey player Luke Hill. McDonald was outclassed in the stoppages, but worked hard around the ground, trying to wear the bigger guys out. He was rewarded with running into an open goal after busting a gut getting forward, after Jetta intercepted a wayward Moloney pass.

* Other young'uns to impress: Howe, playing for the Blues in the second half, worked hard across half-forward and found a lot of space. Twice in a row he was involved in the lead-up to a Jack Watts set shot at goal. Nicholson got involved but just needs his kicking to be 5% more accurate. Michael Evans had a lovely passage of play steaming down the wing, combining with Casey player Aaron Purves for a one-two, then dobbing a running goal.

* In the second half both Rohan Bail and Neville Jetta were relegated to the White (inferior) team, but, as pretty much the most experienced guys on that team, both stood up and played really well. Bail is eye-catching with his run and carry, and Jetta is one of those smart guys who knows where to go.

* Sylvia is awe-inspiring at times. There were more than a few occasions where a crowded stoppage would just be split apart, and Sylvia would emerge, ball in hand, sprinting away from everybody. Jordie got on top of him for a bit in the second quarter, but Col came back strong, and was probably BOG over the whole match.

* The goals came from:

WHITES: First half: Bate, Gawn and Evans

Second half: Nicholson and Tom McDonald

BLUES: First half: Dunn and Casey player Matt Fieldsend

Second half: Howe, Dunn, and Watts x 2

* Understandably, the Blues dominated the second half, but didn't get the scoreboard reward they deserved. Dunn looked really dangerous and hit the post a couple of times, to go with his two goals.

I'm happy to try and answer questions, just don't expect too much of me!

Cheers, Bananas.

[Hannabal 4]

Blease only played a half, but had a lively first quarter with quite a few possessions, so I'm not sure where the "just a couple of kicks" report came from. He's clearly being groomed for a role in the backline this year.

Moloney banged it long to no-one.

Ordinary skills in the first half, but some excellent passages of play in the second.

Watts did OK, but never looked like taking an overhead grab in the forward line. He made 3 disposal errors (got smothered by Bail, short kick went over leading players head on the wing, another dropped short of leading player), but also did some nice things. Nothing to write home about, but it's just an early scratch match. By the end of the game he'd had a fair bit of it.

Scully and Bail went head to head for much of the game. Both got a fair bit of it. Some of Scully's inside handballs wouldn't get noticed by some. By the end of the match Bail must have had leather poisoning.

Trengove worked his way into the match nicely. I love this bloke. I often saw Scully and Trengove waxing.

Evans showed class.

I really like the look of Howe.

Grimes played well and used really good pace on occasions.

Nicholson looked like a neat left footer.

Sylvia was terrific despite a couple of rusty mistakes.

Maric was busy, but doesn't enthrall me. I still can't see him as best 22 despite the obvious effort and strong preseason. Others may disagree. He makes too many mistakes.

Morton is definitely filling out. He has that wiry frame, but his upper body has definitely got bigger. Did ok.

My last comment is for Strauss. He was the highlight of the game for me. He was terrific, especially in the second half. He's a very strong unit now and his kicking was a delight - short or long. I'd almost written him off due to a lack of intensity, but he was great today. He linked up well with good handball, ran off opponents, made space and didn't miss a target. He even got a good hardball and dished off to Scully in the backline. Contested ball hasn't been a forte of his. There's a spot on a half bank flank if he wants to claim it. He'd make us a significantly better team if he can fulfill his talent. It's only one game, but if he played like that every week he'd be a lock in the best 18.

No doubt other reports will be at odds with mine as supporters often have a very different take on things.

[Eth 4]

My last comment is for Strauss. He was the highlight of the game for me. He was terrific, especially in the second half. He's a very strong unit now and his kicking was a delight - short or long. I'd almost written him off due to a lack of intensity, but he was great today. He linked up well with good handball, ran off opponents, made space and didn't miss a target. He even got a good hardball and dished off to Scully in the backline. Contested ball hasn't been a forte of his. There's a spot on a half bank flank if he wants to claim it. He'd make us a significantly better team if he can fulfill his talent. It's only one game, but if he played like that every week he'd be a lock in the best 18.

No doubt other reports will be at odds with mine as supporters often have a very different take on things.

In line for a Round 1 debut?

I might just slot him into my Supercoach team.

[JACKATTACK 17]

That Sylvia bloke must be one hell of a player to get on top of a Jordie tag.

[bananas 428]

That Sylvia bloke must be one hell of a player to get on top of a Jordie tag.

Yep, he's a hell of a player ... but it helped that he and Jordie were on the same team in the second half!

[Hannabal 4]

In line for a Round 1 debut?

I might just slot him into my Supercoach team.

One swallow doesn't make a summer, but I just loved his kicking, the way he moved, the increased intensity and defensive pressure, his build, and I forgot to mention his really good pace.

But despite all of that glowing reference, at the end of the day I'd need to see efforts like that against quality opposition to get too excited.

Also, Lawrence can't kick.

Martin can't mark overhead. I don't rate him at all.

[1858 285]

Great reports guys.

So Morton has bulked up a bit, can anyone comment on his movement/agility and how he was played today.

Cheers.