2011 Intraclub Match

[drdrake 3,119]

I has supprised how tall Strauss was, very good size and he will be OK.

On Stef Martin, when players take up AFL late you need to simplify the game for them. Stef IMO needs to play in the last line of defense, he has more upside as a fullback then Warnock and with the new Interchange rules every club will have a resting ruckman in a forward pocket his size is ideal for this.

[drdrake 3,119]

Great reports guys.

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

Cheers.

Morton moved well, kicked the footy OK, didn't dish out the pannick floating handballs that we have seen over the past few years in fact handballed very well. Looks a lot better on a wing, doesn't read the footy that well as a defender and is always a couple of metres behind his man. On the wing we runs hard into space and is a good option.

[1858 285]

Morton moved well, kicked the footy OK, didn't dish out the pannick floating handballs that we have seen over the past few years in fact handballed very well. Looks a lot better on a wing, doesn't read the footy that well as a defender and is always a couple of metres behind his man. On the wing we runs hard into space and is a good option.

Thanks for the response.

I agree, on the wing is how we would want him to best serve the side. He does get the footy out there a fair bit and is a nice option but did you notice if he went back over the mark to take most of his kicks or did he get around some opponents and play on at times to take full advantage?

[dazzledavey36 52,735]

some intresting comments about evans. i know that within the club they think he has enormous upside, and can make an impact like young jordie mckenzie did.

how did kelvin lawrence go?

[drdrake 3,119]

didn't notice, he moved the ball fairly well and quickly

[armstrong35 262]

http://www.melbournefc.com.au/news/newsarticle/tabid/7415/newsid/107275/default.aspx

News

Petterd suffers intra-club injury

[Je Roos Salem 661]

I was there today, it was a quite poor game in terms of a spectacle and the jumper-swapping thing made it hard to comprehend. The final score was blue- 5.5 35 to white- 5.7 37 I THINK, although the score didnt matter much it all, clearly the original white players wouldve won by a lot had there been no jumper swapping. Here's my take on a few players-

Kelvin Lawrence- Looks lively but still a while away from being a strong competitor. Did a nice ripping run through the middle at one point.

Michael Evans- Looks like a really promising roving-type for the future. Played some good minutes in the middle and kicked a nice goal.

Max Gawn- Played a strong role in the ruck and up forward. Kicked a goal early on, won some free kicks in the ruck and showed plenty of potential.

Jack Watts- Probably best on ground along with Scully. Picked up possession after possession, kicked 2 goals including a snap where he spun around past an opponent.

Sam Blease- Picked up plenty of possessions in the first quarter, playing in the back pocket. Looks promising.

In general id say best players were Watts, Scully, Trengove, Sylvia and Rivers.

[Keyser Söze 0]

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.

On Strauss today, he convinced me he could make it.

Until now, I had serious doubts.

He was also my highlight.

At the 2nd main break, when Royal was talking to the defenders on his squad, he took time to single out Strauss and tell that he now looks like he belongs out there.

As he was doing this Bails appeared from behind to pat him on the back and say the same thing.

The kid was chuffed. Seems a real confidence player.

Has done since day 1.

[Keyser Söze 0]

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

In the very first period, Sylvia and Jordie were jogging side by side as the ball had just been kicked away from where they had contested a boundary throw in.

Sylvia knocked Jordie to the ground, with not so much a bump, rather he just shrugged his shoulders and knocked Jordie flying.

Before the game I'd been impressed with Jordie's better size.

He looks a bit like a crowbot now.

Sylvia's many fend-offs on all sorts of opposition throughout the match, was another highlight.

The guy just doesn't really have any weaknesses.

[Deestroy All 14,262]

Sylvia was good, he has arrived, just needs a full season.

Jetta was very impressive. You wonder what his tricks are, well he doesn't really need any. He's just a smart footballer. I think we'll see him rotated through the middle a fair bit this season. He's very good in close, quick reactions, will tackle anyone and always succeed - great tackles.

Trengove was clean, looked good.

Loved Watts' game. Made 3 errors in the 3rd qtr, but they could've easily not been errors if that makes sense. He also kicked 2 goals in that quarter, one ripper out of traffic, also just missed one from a tight angle. Had his man doubled over gasping for air a couple of times. Also looked like he demands better if himself, didn't like his mistakes one bit, and he was also not happy when simple passes missed him - great signs here, I always thought he was going about it a tad willy nilly.

His delivery into the forward line is incredible.

Gawn can play footy no doubt about that, moves well, kicks well, nice hands, is massive. Hope he gets that body right.

Martin can't mark to save his life, even in the warm up, I'm talking below PJ level.

Liked Srauss' game, might just come on a bit.

Maric was everywhere, kicking was horrible, even in space and time.

Rivers and Garland did what they do, we have a very reliable defense.

Bail is one of the best movers we have, just glides. I hope he plays a lot of games this year, preferably in the forward half.

Was a decent hit out. We lack class big time any time Davey isn't on the field, showed today. Green too.

That's all I can remember now, went to Tool last night and still haven't slept, I'm going to bed.

[Keyser Söze 0]

Great reports guys.

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

Cheers.

His knee looked fine (no signs of the PCL from last year being an issue).

Ran a lot, as he always has. He has such good size for a player that covers so much ground.

Consistently managed to find space between the flanks.

He went on a few long loping runs as he does. Reasonable pace (deceptive).

His overhead marking was on display.

At times because of his run, I remember seeing Scully man him up.

With his marking ability, he's going to be damn hard to match up on.

Size-wise, I can tell he has put a bit on.

He even looked a bit fat next to Scully, but that is far from the case.

You can see the definition building in his arms and thighs.

It's taking time, but the guy is making slow progress.

[Bhima 0]

Intraclub Match Feb 3 2011-02-03

Hi All, there has already been plenty written about today by a number of posters and WJ will be providing a detailed report. My brother couldn't make it today and he asked me to put up a report, so here are some thoughts on the players out there today.

It needs to be said that in the first half the teams were randomly selected, however in the second half many of the players changed jumpers and it became obvious that the NAB cup team were wearing the home team colours. The away team was made up of rookies, Casey players and one or two senior players. The spectacle certainly improved after half time, as up until then it had been a pretty scrappy and uneventful first half.

1. M Warnock DNP

2. N Jones DNP (was used as a runner)

3. C Bartram Looking very fit. Collected a lot of the ball running out of defence but once again his kicking/decision making was inconsistent. I love the way he goes about it but I think teams will let him have the ball this season in the same way teams used to let Godfrey have the ball.

4. J Watts In my best players. Kicked 2 goals in the 3rd quarter and missed another. Played better when more selfish, but showed much improved match fitness and strength. He started on the wing and was often free in the middle of the ground. I am more than happy if teams want to leave him free there. Turned it over one or two times but looks an AFL player.

5. J Gysberts DNP

6. M Bate Kicked the first goal of the game and then took an excellent overhead mark on the lead in the second, hitting the post with the resulting shot on goal. He is fit, but in the second half he turned the ball over a couple of times and drifted out of the game a bit. A rather typical mixed bag, but certainly good to see him fit.

7. J Bennell DNP

8. J Frawley DNP

9. T Trengove Took some excellent marks overhead and showed his class for the most part. Looked a little sluggish around the packs, as if his feet were stuck in concrete when trying to take off. His left foot kicking continues to need work, but all in all he played well without dominating. Missed a gettable goal.

10. C Morton Was hardly noticeable in the first half. His frame is bigger but he doesn't seem to have lost any speed. He improved in the second half as the skills improved around him, taking a nice overhead mark on the wing. At one point he was open on the wing and ran into the forward 50 only to have M Bate not see him and turn the ball over in the middle of the ground. Morton was left standing on his own in the forward pocket, but he just got on with it. Once the team can get the ball in his hands in those situations and he starts kicking converting those opportunities he will become a really dangerous player.

12. C Sylvia Best on ground in the first quarter and one of the best for the day. His hardness at the ball and skill with it a highlight. He missed a number of overhead marks in the middle of the ground which is unlike him, however condutions were fairly slippery. There is a degree of recklessness to his attack on the ball the makes you fearful he will injure himself, but it is also what makes him a great player and today was a good hitout.

13. J Mckenzie Last week at training Jordie didn't look fully fit and today he still seemed a little flat. He put on some great tackles and worked well in close. He was kicking the ball more than usual today but didn't hit too many targets. Went okay.

14. Lynden Dunn Had a least 5 shots on goal (including 3 posters). He looks to be continuing his good form from last season and looked pretty dangerous all day around goal. His ability to kick goals from outside 50 is a huge weapon these days as he can kick over zones. Very vocal and was one of the best forwards on the ground.

15. Ricky Petterd Went off the ground in the second Q and didnt return, hadnt done much up to that point, not sure what the problem was, he just walked off.

16. J Grimes Stuffed up a few kicks coming out of defence early which would normally lead to a turnover and goal. Improved as play went on and took some trademark marks going back with the flight. Very fit and overall a good return for him.

18. B Green DNP

19. A Maric On Maric's performance today I would be selecting him for round 1. He played up the ground for most of the day and would have been one of the highest possession winners for the day. He is fitter and stronger than at any time I have seen him and his kicking was very good today. Copped an elbow from Beamer while putting on a tackle but kept going and would have been happy with his work today.

20. C Garland Didn't have to do much today, took a nice mark early, did not take the kick outs but came through unscathed.

21. L Cook Took a couple of marks on the lead but didn't see much of the ball, as he was playing for the awayteam. Showed okay pace, which is the main quiery on him. Although a beanpole, he is certainly bigger physically than Watts was in his first year.

22. B Moloney Was in the weaker of the two sides in the first half but really influenced the game in the second quarter. Many players were rushed but when he got clear he seemed to have time. At one point he switched the play across the ground which N Jetta intercepted, leading to a goal. He is an angry man on the field and often barks orders at other players…perhaps he needs to eradicate a few more errors from his own game before telling everyone else what they should be doing? Dunno.

24. L Jurrah DNP

27. J Rivers I though Riv kicked well today and was very solid as usual. He read the play well in defence and took a couple of courgeous marks.

28. J MacDonald Seems to have fully recovered from hip surgery and played well today, providing good run out of defence and keeping his man quiet. He and Bartram are terrific defensive players, however it the offensive side of the game for both of these two players that leaves a question mark on whether they have what it takes to make up a premiership side.

29. M Newton DNP (was on the sidelines and looking very slim compared to those photos posted of him on the couch playing computer games)

30. T Macnarama I havent always written favourable reviews of T Mac at training but today was about the best I have seen from him. He looks a little slimmer and very fit. In the VFL he often has pretty low stats but today had a lot of the ball in the back half and used it pretty well. Now that Frawley, Newton and Warnock are all injured, I wonder if the Dees will be tempted to promote T Mac? He played throughout the day in the away colours, it will be interesting to see if he can crack the NAB cup squad at some point.

31. T Scully After training brilliantly this summer I think expectations might have been a little high that Sculls would dominate today. His first kick went straight to the opposition, but after that he played well and won a number of quality contested possessions. There were some highlights such as winning the ball at the centre bounce, bursting clear and kicking long to the goal square. Sculls was good, but not dominant. He took his jumper off at half time and already he has a nuggety build solid muscle.

33. A Wonnaemirri DNP

34. S Martin Martin was impressive today with his tap work in the ruck, however as a forward he didnt take a mark all day and did not look threatening despite his physical attributes. A number of times he was in position to mark the ball, but it slapped out of his hands. Although I have seen Martin mark the ball well in defence, as a leading forward he still does not look comfortable. He and Spencer look to be competing for the second ruck spot and it will be interesting to see who is selected. Unconvincing today.

35. L Tapscott DNP

36. A Davey DNP

37. M Gawn Maxy made a surprise appearance in the first half today and kicked a goal in the first quarter from a free kick. As has been noted, his kicking style for a bloke well over 200cm is very good. He moved into the ruck briefly but did not have much impact, and clearly has a lot of work to do on his handballing. Great to see him out there regardless.

38. J Howe I've talked a little bit about Howe as a good prospect but I thought he was terrific today in the second half when playing with the senior side. Considering his lack of conditioning at AFL level, and only a short time with the club, he fitted right in today. He has a number of tricks (kicking skills, good marking, pace) and very few weaknesses. He kicked a goal and missed an easy one on the run. He delivered well by hand and foot and showed excellent vision at times. I would have put him ahead of Bate after todays performance.

39. N Jetta For me, and the blokes standing nearby, Nev Jetta was one of the best on ground today. He played for the away team, which in a way makes his performance all the better. His physicality was equal to that of Sylvia today, and at one point they collided going for the ball and Jetta came off just fine. He would have had one of the highest tackle counts today, but he was also super clean in the packs, winning the contested ball and dishing off by hand to receiving players. He intercepted a number of opposition kicks and racked up the possies. A great game and if he wasnt in line for the NAB cup he would have to be now.

40. M Jamar Dominated taps but was generally against weaker opposition all day. Did not do much but got through unscathed.

41. Troy Davis DNP (was there today but not playing)

42. J Spencer Jake had his knee fairly heavily strapped and was lumbering more than I have seen him at other training sessions. He was okay in the ruck and looked okay on the lead coming out of full forward. Took a mark at the end of the match but missed the shot on goal. Took a few marks around the ground and hit targets. If fit, he would be selected ahead of Martin for mine, but didnt do that much today.

43. T McDonald I really like how athletic McDonald is and his marking on the lead has been a feature at training. Didnt see much of him today, took a couple of good marks and kicked an easy goal ofter a turn over. He also showed some real hops in a brief stint in the ruck and looks as tall as Watts/Cook.

44. R Bail Bail played in the away colours all day today and he was one of the best in the weaker side. He attacks the ball fearlessly and showed some flare with his run and carry. He is really hard at it and his kicking is improving, great to see him out there and must be in line for the NAB cup.

45. J Fitzpatrick - DNP - Not sure about player numbers here Sadly for Fitzy he was on crutches today and wearing a moonboot. He has had a number of injuries to this point in his career and to have a foot injury is a real concern.

46. J Strauss Straussy played pretty well today, other than some pretty average torpedos when kicking out. Strauss took all the kick outs and played with the senior side in the second half and will be in the NAB cup squad. He looked more solid today and less nervous, was fit and didnt make too many errors. He is often matched up with players much taller than him and I think he will benefit when he is not giving away height and strength. A good hitout.

47. S Blease Played the first half in the back pocket. He won an early ball and kicked a beautiful 50 metre pass, then he won the ball again and kicked off his left foot straight to the opposition. I have now seen Blease kick on his non-preffered side on several occasions and stuff it up, even though he has been told to kick on the preffered side. In these instances his self-confidence his not helping him and until he can consistently hit targets on his left foot, he should be doing whatever he can to kick with his right and reduce his errors, otherwise he will stay in the VFL. Was good to see him amongst it regardless.

The rest D Nicholson was pretty good today and kicked a nice goal, great to see him recover so quickly after looking in a fair bit of pain last week.

M Evans Was terrific in the second quarter, running hard and kicked a really nice running goal. I thought the signs were great and a number of people in the crowd were talking him up after his performance today.

C Jonhstone was around the ball a fair bit today but not very clean, good intensity but needs time.

Overall the main highlights: Jack Watts really having an impact on the game and kicking some goals in the third quarter; Hard work paying off for Maric; No injuries to Scully and Trengove; Sylvia and Jettas hardness; Dunn looking dangerous; Grimes long kicking; Ro bail hard running and kicking; Evans and Howe looking good.

Lowlights Petterd going off; the number of players injured or not playing due to other commitments; the poor ball handling, kicking and marking in the first half.

I was standing next to Matty Lappin and Nathan Buckley in the first half, they seemed to have a few notes but didnt look too interested, and Im sure on the basis on what they saw wouldnt be feeling too threatened ATM.

Cheers.

Edited February 3, 2011 by Bhima

[Keyser Söze 0]

Michael Evans

- had 5 mins where he looked good enough to be in the 22.

Marks, precise kicking, providing run and finding options.

Still feeling his way around, but will develop nicely.

He belongs on a senior list somewhere, but I don't see him getting elevated at MFC for some time.

Definitely another find by BP, in any case.

Dan Nicholson

- saw him get the footy once and was anonymous after that.

Needs a bit of time.

Wouldn't expect him to play senior footy this year.

[Curry & Beer 5,444]

That's all I can remember now, went to Tool last night and still haven't slept, I'm going to bed.

I didn't realise you were in first year of uni, or did you puill a sickie?

[BLWNBA 733]

Was wondering if anyone could tell me how Wade Lees went (35 white)?

[H_T 3,032]

Some snaps from the intra-club this morning:

Watts coming in to kick for goal.

Bate on his knees under pressure.

Jetta spoils Watt's party.

Sweeping handball by Grimes to relieve pressure and set up play.

Sylvia for goal - I think a thick fog came in when taking this. Sorry about the focus.

Players that impressed for me were Bail & Strauss. As well as the obvious culprits in Scully, Sylvia, Trengove (couple of errors) & Watts did ok. But, but !...it was just an intra club scratch match. I'd prefer to see more intense footy with opposition. Sometimes intra-club can be like dancing with your sister - holding back on intense tackles, chasing, etc.

Agree with GGR regarding Moloney, on occassions he kicked long and overshot the target resulting in turnovers. Maric and Morton did ok, but like I have said it is only intra-club.

We had several missing too.

Apologies for the amateur photo's. Btw, I tried to nail Scully but he was too quick for me the bugger ! (Only managed to have time to see 3/4's of the scratch match).

[Disco Demons 92]

Were any players particulary good at bringing others into game? Ie., Cam bruce was great at this (sorry to re-open an old wound)...grimes has shown he can be the play maker off half back.

Was Watts beating his opponent? Who played on Watts? Reports on Watts are great! I read a report saying Watts looked like a deliberate target when the team was attacking today? did watts look at best when playing the link up player?

based on todays comments and reading preseaons reports i'm going to have a flutter on slyvia for brownlow. I think i'm a year early but col should offer some good value this year.

[Robbie57 2,001]

Were any players particulary good at bringing others into game? Ie., Cam bruce was great at this (sorry to re-open an old wound)...grimes has shown he can be the play maker off half back.

Was Watts beating his opponent? Who played on Watts? Reports on Watts are great! I read a report saying Watts looked like a deliberate target when the team was attacking today? did watts look at best when playing the link up player?

based on todays comments and reading preseaons reports i'm going to have a flutter on slyvia for brownlow. I think i'm a year early but col should offer some good value this year.

What odds is he atm?

I reckon he will be top 5 this year.

Very promising reports on Watts.

[drdrake 3,119]

Watts was OK, he played on Jack Grimes in the first half and is was fairly even. I thought on a couple of occasions he should of been able to use his height against Grimes but Grimes is a spoiling machine, he comes from nowhere and destroys the ball. Would love to see Watts start to take some contested marks or even some good strong overhead grabs.

[EVIL DEE 1]

my 2 cents...

Pretty scrappy game early had me worried, but by the second half they found their feet.

Howie has a leap but lets hope his not the next Newton.

Spencer has filled right out and looks good, if he could kick straight at goal he good be a real weapon.

Cale has filled out a bit as well, not sure if it suits him. He was screaming for the ball alot but didn't get to much love. He still knows how to find space.

Scully running as good as last year, still needs to hit the target better though.

Dunn has become a real leader. By example as well as being very vocal. Shouting guys into position. You can see they all really respect him.

Bartman was slick. If he stays healthy will have a great year.

Brent got stuck on the [censored] side early but came good. Rivers was brave as always.

Watts kept getting the ball. Looks grown up and one of the lads now. Kicked a few goals. This is the year he'll start to be judged fairly.

Here are a few pics I took. Pretty shitty just taken with my phone but thought you guys might like a peak...

[Whispering_Jack 29,179]

There have been so many reports on here already that I've decided there's no urgency with mine. Instead, I propose to incorporate it with my report on tonight's AGM and Members Information Night.

My general impression is that while the game never reached super high standards (which is as expected for a first hit out with a number of regulars injured or unavailable) it was good to see the commitment of the players, body on body and the way they seemed to get their structures in order.

Some terrific contributions from the Casey boys who would not have been used to that instense style of football.

[Demonland 70,255]

[Keyser Söze 0]

Have to agree with Bhima about Bartram.

He was very good defensively, but with the ball in his hands he is a danger to himself.

Sells himself into trouble very very easily.

Moloney I have to agree on also.

Can't believe posters earlier saying he was BOG.

He got a bit of the footy, but he seems to only know one thing: slam it on the boot and kick it long.

Even when he has considerable space.

[beelzebub 23,198]

Just amazing how they were able to distinguish between teams. You realize in Vlads world that would have been unacceptable lol. Golly how did the players manage it !!! (tfic)

Returning to seriousness., you can't really take too much out of games lime these, other than general fitness.

It is however an opportunity for wannabes to have a dip and put their hand up. Seems like a couple did just that and thats good.

Next Friday will be far more educating as to where we might be. Disappointing re Petterd as looking for big things from him from this year on. Watts just needs to keep stepping up and knowing(believing) he's very much a real part of the scene now. Well done and keep at it Jack.I rey think Beamer needs to swap a little of his anger for savviness. Big bang footy isn't always the best option.

Good to hear Rohan's keeping up the efforts. Think might be his 'co

Ing of' season. Surprised to hear of Marics kicking. S'posed to be his forte !

A question to those that watched today, any discernible improvement from kickins ? Who took them? Was the linking up improved?

Tia and great reports folk

[Keyser Söze 0]

Maric got a lot of the footy and in some tight spaces.

Some of his kicks were precise and found the best option.

A couple he sprayed.

I think posters are used to criticising him, but he played a good game and I'd have him in the side for round 1.

Could take Petterd's spot if his injury is bad.