Williamstown v Casey Scorpions

[Disco Demons 92]

Did anyone from Gws dare show up at the game?

[Longsufferingnomore 1,604]

In a perfect world you would leave Scully for another week but we are definitely on another planet at the moment so I think Tom may get a recall. Gawn was definitely the standout as far as MFC goes and I agree seems to be more a complete package than the unfortunate Spencer. Not sure about McDonald whether he would cope with AFL but we will never know until he is tried. I liked Aussies work rate and tackling (yes TACKLING) today. Blease gave some great chase downs. One thing I noticed that Tom does not get in and under (might be wrong here)but certainly stays on the periphery and pounces on any loose ball. His body is always moving and reads the play so well. Howe did some nice things and I think it was him that kicked a great goal.

Just on Fev - he certainly has fitted in at Casey and certainly (for Casey)provides a great point to kick to - Liam and Ricky should have been there today to learn how to lead etc.

I saw Kelvin Lawrence limping after his match

So all in all possible INS for next week: Scully, Trengove, Gawn, McDonald (possibly Davey if avail. to tag not to be tagged), Aussie

OUTS: Newton, Warnock - definites and others depending on match ups - possibly putting Morton in with that lot.

Jurrah one more week and the same with Pettard

[ucanchoose 1,816]

Did anyone from Gws dare show up at the game?

Mate, you wouldn't know. Everybody that was anybody was wearing street clothes. Walked right past Bailey and Viney the first time without recognising them. Probably some Essendon guys there, you just wouldn't know

[MadAsHell 4,209]

Was Tom Mcdonald played down back?

I thought he was drafted as a forward? Or are we too top heavy in the forward line down at casey?

Didn't go to the game today but I've been to 2 of Casey's matches this year and on both those occassions he was played down back and last time also pinch hit in the ruck when Gawn went off.

I've been very impressed so far with Tom McDonald and he should keep pressure on Rivers to keep producing long term. Pressure for spots is always a good thing.

[Arrow 1,257]

Interesting to see people's comments and whether they were at the game or just posting others thoughts.

Gawn today was excellent. I've never been a huge admirer and his foot skills are skills so-so but his overhead and stamina are exceptional.

Howe was great with limited opportunities for mine but the one that throws me is Blease.

Granted he's been injured but the kid runs circles and than misses targets. When he takes on an opponent he runs into trouble than dishes off thus killing the next bloke. I personally just can't see the hype. McDonald turns the ball over way way too much. Strauss' kicking was exceptional and his hardness was improved. Sadly a few melbourne boys suffer by dropping off their opponent to help a teammate but noone is left to cover theirs. Common for

Vfl I'm sure.

My potential ins would be gawn, Strauss, and Howe!

[Arrow 1,257]

P.s this is purely me however I would be mindful reading reports on scully good but in my opinion far from lighting the house on fire and didn't look up to last year. Only played 2 1/2 quarters also those who are placing him in the best are placing him purely on name

[Demon Dynasty 17,080]

I didn't see Scully after 3/4 time, think he may have been rested in the last. Could possibly come back in but will take a couple of weeks to get full fitness and touch. Up to the footy dept to decide if an underdone Scully is better than other options. Personally I'd like to see him play, maybe sub him off at 3/4 time if we still have the option.

Gawn may not look it but he's very strong imo. Held his ground well at boundary throw ins and around the ground ball ups against Hudson. His body work was excellent and I thought he won the ruck duel although Hudson was good around the ground. Some sublime tap work to hit Scully on the [censored] at full pace on several occasions was the most exciting thing for me today. Is this the first time these two have played together or did they team up as juniors. Just curious because they seem to work very well together already. They'll be an awesome combo down the track. Gawns skills and coordination are miles ahead of Spencer.

Howe was excellent today. He's runs, chases, takes a good grab and hits the scoreboard. Thought he might be a flashy type from his youtube vids after he was drafted but he worked hard all day and was one of Caseys better players. Blease played well, took the game on at every opportunity and seems to be moving freely. Beautiful chase down of Djerrkura in the third and some blistering runs, the kid is very quick. His kicking was off early but improved as the game went on. I don't know if 3 debutantes is too much in 1 week but I'd much rather lose getting games into Gawn, Howe and Blease than Bate, Newton or Macdonald.

Tom McDonald could surprise for a game before long. I'd prefer him to Warnock to be honest. His hands are excellent and he looked pretty composed under pressure at VFL level anyway. Solid kick, looks a player imo. Davis was good too. For a kid with a limited preperation he competed hard and did some really good things.

Great work furious, thank you

No better time than now re Gawn, the Hurricane Howe, Blease and Tom McDonald. Nothing to lose.

Personally i think Petterd out (for Hurricane) instead of Newton. Newton doesn't offer much more but at least he presents on the lead (at times), can hit/split a pack (on rare occasions) and he does chase and tackle (at times lol). At least Juice gives some value rather than none (Petterd).

Maybe the Hurricane as Sub for Newton seeing as it appears Newton hasn't the tank for a full game. Half a game each maybe. And no, for those Juice haters i don't see him as a long term viable option either. Just a stop gap. Very little else on offer forward wise atm sadly. Go the Hurricane!

Bate, Warnock and Nicholson the other outs. Alternatively if the FD deems Nicholson deserves another go at it and some consistency then leave in for the next few weeks until we've seen a little more and he has a chance to get a feel for the speed/pace/intensity of AFL standard. Good time to take a good look at some of our 2nd/3rd stringers and rookies while the chips are down and see what they can offer us for our future.

I note that the Swans have had 5 first gamers this year and have won all 5 games upon their inclusion. Stocks aren't as low as ours across the lines but just thought it worth noting. There is some hope once we start to get our regular more experienced seniors back. Unfortunately that's 3 - 4 weeks away before we'll see much of an impact.

Even then i think we're so far off AFL level (intensity/skill/game plan wise) i fear it will take a miracle to salvage much from this year (other than testing/trying out our rookies etc) from here.

Edited May 28, 2011 by Rusty Nails

[Striker475 696]

Underdone Scull is still better than the dross Morton offered up.

Thank god Trenners is back.

[ucanchoose 1,816]

This for some reason is really shitty quality on youtube. It was in HD originally

Ok, it's better now, must be the rendering they do on youtube.

Edited May 28, 2011 by ucanchoose

[PartyTimeJohnny 533]

great work on the vid; really wanting to see Howe get a run

[dee-luded 2,959]

We are not going to make 8 changes. Doubt we will make more than 4.What have Wonna and Davey done to deserve reprieve?

I think 3 or maybe 4 changes for the next match, and a couple the week after.

Out: Bate, Bennell, Petterd, Nicholson (unlucky),

Ins: Trengove, Scully, Howe, Davey

Emeg: Blease, Strauss, McDonald, Gawn

[DemonWorshipper 304]

I think 3 or maybe 4 changes for the next match, and a couple the week after.

Out: Bate, Bennell, Petterd, Nicholson (unlucky),

Ins: Trengove, Scully, Howe, Davey

Emeg: Blease, Strauss, McDonald, Gawn

I doubt Nicholson will be dropped after only one game, In comparison he showed more in 40 odd minutes of football than Evans showed in almost 90 mins.

In: Trengove, Dunn, Scully, Howe,

Out: Bennell, Bate, Newton, Evans

Edited May 28, 2011 by DemonWorshipper

[dee-luded 2,959]

I doubt Nicholson will be dropped after only one game, In comparison he showed more in 40 odd minutes of football than Evans showed in almost 90 mins.

In: Trengove, Dunn, Scully, Howe,

Out: Bennell, Bate, Newton, Evans

You've kept in Petterd,,, and brought back dunn.

[Don24 103]

We are not going to make 8 changes. Doubt we will make more than 4.What have Wonna and Davey done to deserve reprieve?

Obviously there was a bit of tongue and cheek in my suggested changes.

My point was there are several players who are in the mix to come in.

[Guest DeesPower]

Can Max Gawn go with the experienced ruckmen at Essendon?

I think it's a matter of necessity if we want to avoid the sort of spectacle we saw last night. The kid's a big ruckman and Newton as backup is a major fail.

(note: I'm Max's sponsor at the club but there's no bias in my views)

IMO MAx is a necessity this week. You can't go into a game like this week without a specialist ruckman. We have tried it for the last two weeks and got smashed. Gawn is an outstanding tap ruckman, and being 6'9" I'd be confident he could hold his own against most AFL opposition. What have we got to lose? We say we need to get games into the kids, and will play them if they do well at Casey. Max has been very good for the last two weeks. It is time to take the plunge.

As far as the others are concerned, I'd be inclined to wait another week with Scully. He looked short of a hit out to me, but Scully being Scully picked up 20+ possessions, although many of them were under pressure, and he did get caught a number of times. He is though a class player, and the Club may believe they need him sooner.

The other one they may like to consider is Howe. At least he provides a contest up forward, although if we were not downwith so many injuries I don't think he would come under consideration for at least another year, unlike Gawn.

Edited May 28, 2011 by DeesPower

[Guest DeesPower]

I didn't see Scully after 3/4 time, think he may have been rested in the last. Could possibly come back in but will take a couple of weeks to get full fitness and touch. Up to the footy dept to decide if an underdone Scully is better than other options. Personally I'd like to see him play, maybe sub him off at 3/4 time if we still have the option.

Gawn may not look it but he's very strong imo. Held his ground well at boundary throw ins and around the ground ball ups against Hudson. His body work was excellent and I thought he won the ruck duel although Hudson was good around the ground. Some sublime tap work to hit Scully on the [censored] at full pace on several occasions was the most exciting thing for me today. Is this the first time these two have played together or did they team up as juniors. Just curious because they seem to work very well together already. They'll be an awesome combo down the track. Gawns skills and coordination are miles ahead of Spencer.

Howe was excellent today. He's runs, chases, takes a good grab and hits the scoreboard. Thought he might be a flashy type from his youtube vids after he was drafted but he worked hard all day and was one of Caseys better players. Blease played well, took the game on at every opportunity and seems to be moving freely. Beautiful chase down of Djerrkura in the third and some blistering runs, the kid is very quick. His kicking was off early but improved as the game went on. I don't know if 3 debutantes is too much in 1 week but I'd much rather lose getting games into Gawn, Howe and Blease than Bate, Newton or Macdonald.

Tom McDonald could surprise for a game before long. I'd prefer him to Warnock to be ho

nest. His hands are excellent and he looked pretty composed under pressure at VFL level anyway. Solid kick, looks a player imo. Davis was good too. For a kid with a limited preperation he competed hard and did some really good things.

Agree generally with this post. I too think that given our current position with injuries etc and unlikely to make the eight, I would prefer to see games into Gawn, MacDonald, Howe and Bleese than McDonald, Newton, Bate and Warnock. I think they might surprise us.

[QueenC 74]

Thanks to everyone for their reports and opinions on this game.

Those of us not able to attend will always appreciate the effort that goes into it.

Not to mention the fact that these players such as Gawn, Howe, Blease, Strauss etc are what we should be seeing very soon.

not to mention the very encouraging signs from you Scully, this seemed like a good day to go to the footy....

Despite the result !!!

[H_T 3,032]

Btw, what I didn't really include in my report was Brendan Fevola. I may have mentioned him regarding the understanding between he and Cook in the forward line. I know many here wouldn't rather read about him, mainly regarding his off-field activities and behaviour. But I thought I would add, he still has it. Kicking for goal, not a problem. Beautiful kick. Still a nutcase though.

[Miracle 89]

Interesting to see people's comments and whether they were at the game or just posting others thoughts.

Gawn today was excellent. I've never been a huge admirer and his foot skills are skills so-so but his overhead and stamina are exceptional.

Howe was great with limited opportunities for mine but the one that throws me is Blease.

Granted he's been injured but the kid runs circles and than misses targets. When he takes on an opponent he runs into trouble than dishes off thus killing the next bloke. I personally just can't see the hype. McDonald turns the ball over way way too much. Strauss' kicking was exceptional and his hardness was improved. Sadly a few melbourne boys suffer by dropping off their opponent to help a teammate but noone is left to cover theirs. Common for

Vfl I'm sure.

My potential ins would be gawn, Strauss, and Howe!

I was at the casey game and I agree with this except for your oversight of Scully as a in.

When measuring a players performance you must look at the opposition. Willy are 2nd on the ladder.

I could not have been more impressed with Gawn's mobility. He often went passed for a handball receive, his foot skills good and tap work excellent. Must play this week and especially before Jamar comes back.

Howe was very good and deserves promotion after last two games.

Strauss had a good second half

Wona is a long way away from AFL standard. Thought other posters were kind on their comments. He played

midfield all day so you are supposed to get possessions. Big disappoinement for me.

Blease not ready for promotion . Runs hard but still not clean enough with ball skills.

So agree with your three ins and add Scully and Trengove

[Straight Sets Simon 23,113]

Any word on Robbie Campbell? Still injured?

[Bitter but optimistic 22,057]

Thinking of going to watch Scully etc today. Anyone know what the venue is like ? Parking, cover etc?

[loges 6,767]

Time for Howe in a forward line that can only kick 6 goals

[Arrow 1,257]

I was at the casey game and I agree with this except for your oversight of Scully as a in.

When measuring a players performance you must look at the opposition. Willy are 2nd on the ladder.

I could not have been more impressed with Gawn's mobility. He often went passed for a handball receive, his foot skills good and tap work excellent. Must play this week and especially before Jamar comes back.

Howe was very good and deserves promotion after last two games.

Strauss had a good second half

Wona is a long way away from AFL standard. Thought other posters were kind on their comments. He played

midfield all day so you are supposed to get possessions. Big disappoinement for me.

Blease not ready for promotion . Runs hard but still not clean enough with ball skills.

So agree with your three ins and add Scully and Trengove

You may be right the more i think about it now the more Scully did impress me. Just can't help but think one more week in the 2's for me in an unwinnable game isn't a bad idea. But if he does get elevated i certainly won't be raising hell!

Miracle you're assessment of Wonna is what really makes me happy. I cannot understand why he is getting talked up. He did one good move all day baulking two people and laying off a handball but other than that he was poor! Too slow and didn't make half of an effort. It wasn't until the third quarter until i realised he was even on the ground!

[reynolds46 1,048]

Did anyone from Gws dare show up at the game?

was the crowd about the size of the average GWS home game next year or bigger?

[Big Kev 340]

Thinking of going to watch Scully etc today. Anyone know what the venue is like ? Parking, cover etc?

You should have gone yesterday when the game was played.

Edited May 29, 2011 by Big Kev