Intra Club Game - Friday 15 February 9:30am @ Casey Fields

[leehow 303]

Byrnes came off in the last quarter with a tight calf, don't think it was anything to worry about. Tynan spent last quarter and a bit with ice on his foot/toe, again, didn't look at all serious.

Wouldn't be too worried about the out on the fulls. The boundary line on the grandstand side seemed a lot further in than normal, and it was very windy.

[Guest José Mourinho]

Strauss is best 22, and will remain there for the majority of the season, if fit.

[Yencks 8]

Pederson???

[RalphiusMaximus 6,053]

It was an interesting morning. Blue team was clearly the "A" Side, although they put a couple of the senior guys in white to be the leaders (Frawley and Sylvia to start). They often pulled things up at stoppages and moved the ball to somewhere else on the ground to do a different drill/set play. It made things a touch hard to follow at times. Also, there were so many new faces out there it was sometimes hard to know who was doing what.

Saw Dawes, Howe and Bail (I think it was Bail) heading to the running track at the start of the game. It was a little disappointing to not see Dawes but better to keep him fit and healthy for the real thing I guess.

I was very impressed with Hogan. He looks to be a really good prospect. Did some great work early on, clean hands in one on one marking contests and showed great vision spotting Davey in the goalsquare and hitting him from the boundary with his left on the run. He suffered a little when Frawley went and sat on him later in the game.

Viney is an animal at the contested ball. He was doing really well in the stoppages. I do think his kicking under pressure let him down a bit today.

Toumpas is every bit as classy as people have claimed. Some of his kicking was awesome, although on one occasion he tried to be too cute and kicked a soft ball right into the man on the mark.

Watts put in well. Made some very good spoils, set up play and had a dashing run through the middle where he showed that he still has pace to burn. He and Dunn look to be hte designated kickers from defence. He also looks to team well with Tom MacDonald.

I didn't notice Pedersen all that much. He beat Fitzpatrick in the ruck when they went into the centre, but I don't know that he did too well as a forward. I admit I wasn't really looking fro him, so he may have had more of in impact than I realise. In the last quarter he joined the Whites and seemed to break even with Davis.

Fitzpatrick took a few strong marks, but I don't think he goaled. He did do some good work on the ground fighting for the loose ball and trying to release teammates.

Obviously Byrnes was very good today. He just managed top be in the right place at the right time, always giving the option to be the last man in the chain and converting his chances. He's going to be real value for us this year.

Strauss, like Pedersen, I didn't notice all that much. Looking at other reports he had a good game, but I just didn't see him do much. I suspect this is due to my focus on other players more than a comment on his play.

All in all, it looked to be a significantly improved team to last year. I don't think they are in the same league as the big boys just yet, but they are certainly getting closer.

[The Chazz 4,077]

Strauss is best 22, and will remain there for the majority of the season, if fit.

Buggered if I see it Jose, but I hope you're right. Big year for the boy, could go either way if you ask me.

[H_T 3,047]

I reckon Blease was good too as was Strauss which was a good viewing, Grimes will be better this year.....backs and forwards will be ok, midfield will be very average again this year which is why we are some years off being a good side. Got to remember the injections into the midfield (jones, toumpas, viney etc) are first year players at our club and by no means stars

Was pretty average and if someone thought it was great or good then id recommend them to get to a top 4 teams training. Improvement is there but some forget how far back we are coming from that we have to pick up discards rodan, byrnes etc just to have decent role models in the club

Got to keep it real i guess. I do credit neeld and craig for making it more professional at our club though, very thorough so congrats to the footy department

Thanks for the reports farmerwiz - but hey! - using words like that^ can make people nervous in this day and age.

[Hannibal 5,814]

Casey is always windy, which leads to the odd skill error, but in the main I thought the standard was pretty good, certainly better than recent years. And there's an evenness across the ground now. We really do have a lot of players fighting for the same spot. If they're all crud it means little, but most are solid.

Gillies- really liked him today. I've questioned his kicking previously, but it was reliable and he moves well and makes decent decisions

Terlich - no world beater, but looks like a pretty reliable defender who moves to the right spots

Couch - played well, especially in the forward-line, plus did a ripping pass to Taggert for a goal

Taggert - looked OK. Played on Dunn for a bit at half-forward and didn't look out of place and did a couple of nice things

Byrnes - was dominant. It's easy to scoff at a reject, but he's actually a quality player that will add heaps as a small forward

Frawley - made a couple of errors, but looked the best I've seen him for 3 years. Now that he has some decent support around him he'll take the game on like he used to

Garland - very effective in a shut down role

Davey - barely sighted. Not best 22 imo

Kent - I love the look of the bog Kent - I rechon he'll become a good player

Tynan - got a bit of it, but will struggle to cement a spot down back with others ahead

Watts - will be a quality distributor - used it well, but just not aggressive enough for me in a first quarter marking contests

Grimes - didn't see much of it

Barry - didn't touch it much, but he's all class. Speed and a great kick. Did one lightening handball like it was hot potato that got his team on the move

Toumpas - not prolific, but just such a smart player with skill. Moves beautifully and will be an A grader in years to come

Viney - made the odd error, but just gets so involved. Quieter in the latter stages, but will become our most important midfielder quickly

McDonald - typical effective game. Swapped sides at one point

Spencer - did OK. No worse than Jamar these days

N. Jones - not bad, without having heaps of it.

M. Jones - I really like this guy. May take time to find his feet, but a great size, fast, and a lovely kick. Has a footy brain

Magner - got a bit of it and was OK.

Nicholson - got involved. His kicking is just too big of an issue for me

Jetta - looks good. I like him down back and reckon he's close to being best 22

McKenzie - typical dogged game. Did quite well

Hogan - not bad for a 17 year old. Didn't look out of place and did a couple of very nice things. Spent time on Frawley, who made it tough. WILL be a gun forward

Rodan - did really well. Spins on a dime and is effective in stoppages. Will add short-term value

Dunn - was pretty good - turned it over a couple of times

Strauss - played well. Got a lot of it and used it well. He's not always in my side when I pen my best 22, but I will have to reconsider

Stark - got a bit of it

Blease- lively. Will be a weapon this year. Looking really fit.

Sellar- got a few spoils and touches. Competed well.

Sylvia - while he didn't star, he looked to have got back some of his power. He did a couple of nice runs through the middle where he backed himself to get around players. A bit to like.

Fitzpatrick - took a nice grab and did OK.

Pedersen - OK without being great. Will be a handy third tall. Moves well.

There's a lot more voice, which is significant and they seemed far more organised than last year. They know their roles. The midfield is the key. It needs to be able to compete far better. We'll definitely be more competitive, but can the midfield get on top of sides like North, Essendon, Saints, and Richmond ?

Saw Howe, Dawes and Bail doing lots of repeat sprinting on an adjacent oval with a number of fitness staff.

[Hannibal 5,814]

I reckon Blease was good too as was Strauss which was a good viewing, Grimes will be better this year.....backs and forwards will be ok, midfield will be very average again this year which is why we are some years off being a good side. Got to remember the injections into the midfield (jones, toumpas, viney etc) are first year players at our club and by no means stars

Was pretty average and if someone thought it was great or good then id recommend them to get to a top 4 teams training. Improvement is there but some forget how far back we are coming from that we have to pick up discards rodan, byrnes etc just to have decent role models in the club

Got to keep it real i guess. I do credit neeld and craig for making it more professional at our club though, very thorough so congrats to the footy department

I watched quite a lot of Collingwood on Tuesday doing MS and there were a number of missed kicks and turnovers. It happens when 35 players from the one club are all on the park. And they didn't have the type of wind we saw today. It's best to measure it against other years and there's been a marked improvement.

Just keeping it real.

[DemonDave 1,089]

The overall standard today I'd say was good, but hardly crisp, never hitting the deck football.

Plenty of the usual suspects kicks went astray at times (McKenzie, Nicholson, Spencer).

Some of the players who were unusually quite for their relative experience were Grimes, Tapscott and Davey.

As the game wore on, some players seemed to get more involved. Strauss and Couch in particular got better

as the game wore on.

I loved the look of Jetta running off a half back flank, he didnt get a lot of the footy but when he did he really

stood out with his pace, class and decision making.u

Jamar had the better of Spencer in the ruck duels, but around the ground they were fairly evenly matched although

Jamar has far more presence at marking contests.

There werent a lot of centre square bounces, as this was a game that could be stopped by Neelds whistle at a whim
(he patrolled on the ground the whole game) and could then be moved 100 metres down the ground to try a different

setup just outside of goal. Also quite often goals resulted in point kickouts etc etc.

Pederson was fairly quiet throughout. Gillies after a fantastic first half went a bit quieter but showed good signs.
Toumpas didnt get that much of it but looked slick when he did. Viney was Viney, if you saw him play U18s or VFL

last year you know what to expect, the stepup in intensity didnt faze him in the slightest.
Rodan was very busy, in the first quarter alone he and Byrnes combined passes about 5 or 6 times.

Byrnes clearly BOG, his goals werent as a result of crumbing but of working hard to offer himself to teammates all

over the ground.Hogan definitely shows he has 'it', attacks the ball well I think he will acquit himself very well at VFL this year.

[Satyriconhome 10,878]

Oh look it was the first competitive hit out for six months, and some kicks missed.....damn!!!!!

[H_T 3,047]

Byrnes - was dominant. It's easy to scoff at a reject, but he's actually a quality player that will add heaps as a small forward

Thanks again for the report to all and you B-H. Much appreciated. I know it was only intra club, but I'm prepared to cop some egg on the face for my comments on the free agent pick up of Byrnes. *Putting hand up and being accountable* Admittedly I was cold on it, but I do see his value on (up forward and leading by example) and off the field.

I dislike pumping up MFC players (see my comments early days on Jurrah; and look how that turned out) but I feel as though I'm jumping out of my skin with regards to a fit and firing Blease this year. Everything crossed that he remains injury free. I've heard Jade Rawlings say that he hasn't seen a quicker player accross the ground with the ball in his time.

Some good comments here about Gillies, which is pleasing, whilst still early days at intra club stage.

[olisik 4,060]

I hope Jetta has a break out season, really like the kid

[Rod Grinter Riot Squad 5,654]

1. Hogan - star in the making, clean up his kicking a touch and he could be anything. Next years rising star winner.

2. Jones - good performance, didn't dominate but was good.

4. Watts - sublime skills, along with Strauss we will have 2 punishing rebounding defenders

5. Toumpas - lot of his work was on other side of ground from me, but looked good

7. Viney - dominated second quarter, overall one of the games best

8. Frawley - some signs he may be up for a big year.

10. Byrnes - awesome display, best on ground in the first half, kids have their work cut out if they want to take his spot in the team.

12. Sylvia - pretty quiet game IMO, expected more

13. Jordie -worked his butt off, but kicking needs to improve

14. Dunn- some good signs, also some signs of why I sometimes call him Dumm.

15. Rodan- great first half, bit quieter in second

17. Blease - see above

19. Strauss - this kid may surprise many this year

20. Garland - belted Davey

21. Pedo - did some good things, overall positive but was disappointed at inability to impact on a couple of contests

23. Tynan - hardly noticed him, think he was on Byrnes early and was hobbling a bit after game

25 TMac - can see him having a real crack at the bluey this year

26. Nicho - kicking was actually alright, but didn't notice him enough

27. Gillies - not a bad game, guarantees there will be some fierce competition in back 6

31 Frank - didn't have a big influence

32 Evans - put in but see Frank

33. Barry, took his time getting into game, looked good the few times he did

34 Kent - put in, needs to be cleaner, but liked what I saw

35 Tappy - was hoping for more from him, but looked OK

36 Davey - disappointed with his input, needs to improve to avoid being Caseys highest payed player

39 Jetta, did some nice things, am expecting a good year from Nev

40. Jamar - in danger of being remembered as a one year wonder

41. Davis - didn't spray most of his kicks, which I found positive

42 Pencil - if only he could kick!

43 Taggert- goes hard this kid, slotted a nice set shot goal from decent angle

45 Jones - like this kid, expecting some time in firsts this year.

46 Terlich- saw him do some nice things, but didn't notice much

48. Fitzy - struggled to have an impact, as did most forwards for the whites due limited supplies, had one nice pack mark but was hoping for more.

Overall I was disappointed with our kicking, but is their first hit out, but without improving this facet of the game, the 9-10 wins I am hoping for will be a struggle.

[DemonDave 1,089]

Oh look it was the first competitive hit out for six months, and some kicks missed.....damn!!!!!

Yeah but it was the same old suspects. Sorry for reporting what I saw. How was your view of the match?

[Demon_spurs 1,853]

I thought the second half was better than the first, mind you there was a lot less stopping the play by the coaches in the second half, noticeable events, Dunns long kicking from defense, Jetta's delivery along the wing, Chippa prepared to take on a forward and run out of defense (like he used to), Spencer took a couple of nice grabs, Byrne loves a goal (love these types of forwards), Kent impressed although it took me till half time to work out who he was (my first time at training). I saw Toumpas grab both ankles and looked a little stressed at the end of the first break, but it didn't seem to hamper him for the rest of the day. Jones awareness of players around him gets better every year. Still too early in the season to judge the skill factor, Players never seem to hit targets early in Feb, reassess in April.

[Satyriconhome 10,878]

Yeah but it was the same old suspects. Sorry for reporting what I saw. How was your view of the match?

I wasn't at the game so I was hoping to glean some information from the reports, found them all very interesting, but the harping on about the kicking in the first hit out for the year is a bit grating.....

I am not wearing rose coloured glasses, been to enough training sessions....and hoping for a break even season.....

the kicking will improve,it will have to or you wont't get a game.... the intensity will lift, but we are like a lot of other teams, the plan will be to get the ball in the hands of the good kickers if we need to

[Maldonboy38 6,403]

I was there today and some of it was really interesting rather than a highlights reel. The first thing to note was that apart from a couple of the young boys, we are a much physically stronger list than last year. No skinny legs, Muppet arms etc... Even a lot of the newer recruits have some serious size about them.

The scratch match seemed to be planned around ball movement from defence to attack. At times, when the umpire blew the whistle or there was a goal/behind, one of the coaches would move the play to the other end of the ground or the wing, and give the ball to the defensive position team. If any of you guys remember that Dean Bailey's main practice emphasis was on running patterns when Dees had the ball, you would have been happy to see the succession of handballs moving the ball forward today. There were few poor kicking options chosen. If things were closed down, they ran and handballed in patterns until a gap was found. It was refreshing to see. If the half-backs had no options forward they would simply run into spaces between half-back and centre line until a gap was found - a little like Hawthorn or Fremantle.

There was no Mitch Clark, no Dawes, and Pederson hardly ever went forward after the first 5 minutes. So the emphasis was not on our forward structure whatever it might be. It was on moving the ball out of defence. Some of the interchanges of handballs was outstanding to watch because it looks like the horrible Melbourne habit of panicking and handballing to a stationery target is gone.

1. Hogan - have to agree - star in the making. Leads well, contests well. Was bumped off the contest or led under it by mature defenders but his leading and contest at the mark is of a very high standard. .
2. Jones - Very vocal around stoppages and efficient with the ball..
4. Watts - With the ball in his hands he is simply a gun. He still hangs back a bit when he could contest and did it a few times in the first half. However, it seems he was being instructed to play wide and loose at times.
5. Toumpas - His pace of the mark is amazing. Didn't get a lot of it but was clean when he got it. Hits the ball at full pace which is exciting to watch.
7. Viney - was in and at every contest, but was unclean and sloppy at times. Obviously loves the hard stuff.
8. Frawley - Definite backline general and I reckon I saw a bit of his old arrogance at times. He is in for a huge 2013.
10. Byrnes - Everywhere, quick, accurate and knows where the spaces are. Those looking for a forward spot have to get past him. BOG today. .
12. Sylvia - Hardly saw him, but was efficient when he had it.
13. Jordie -Usual great work rate, but a few times handballed when kicking was clearly the right option. Other players let him know this each time.

14. Dunn- was everywhere today, often in the right place at the right time. He reads it so well and with Watts looks to be the rebound 50 designated player. His kicking still is outstanding. Also some fumbles and strange choices.
15. Rodan- Amazing first half. He was in everything and leading into spaces other players could not find.
17. Blease - One of the best today. His running to the next play after disposal was excellent. His kicking a little wobbly sometimes but he just kept running and getting it.

19. Strauss - Some people don't like the phrase "elite kick" but I can now confirm he is one. Great game down back and after watching our defensive kicking out from the backline over the past 5 years, he is a must for starting 22.
20. Garland - Didn't notice him a lot but he is that quiet 'humphrey' type. Efficient but not brilliant.
21. Pedo - OK, but didn't impact contested opportunities when he could have.

22. Magner - As usual went hard at every contest and did some good set up work through the wing at times.
23. Tynan - grew in confidence in the second quarter and had about 6 good, solid touches in a row. Cleaner by foot than I expected and seemed to understand our defensive structure quite well.
25 TMac - Didn't stand out but his spoiling, reading of the game and defensive positioning was good.
26. Nicho -didn't notice him a lot.
27. Gillies - He makes our starting back 6 more problematic. Reads the play OK and is very aware once he has the ball. A good game.
31 Grimes- Spent a fair bit of time on the bench but was OK when in play. His kicking was cleaner than previously.
32 Evans - didn't notice him a lot - just OK.
33. Barry - didn't get into the game much and might be a year away. Very quick.
34 Kent - Liked what I saw. Looks ready to match it physically and is team oriented. Skills might need some refinement.
35 Tappy - Was playing as a forward and the emphasis was on defense, but was quite good in patches.
36 Davey - Chased and tackled really well but we want him kicking. Didn't win or receive a lot of the ball.
39 Jetta - Didn't get a heap of it but when he was involved looked really, really good. Ran well, kicked well, made options well.
40. Jamar - Bustled at the bounces and throw ins but provided nothing around the ground. I thought he was out done by Spencer today.
41. Davis - Looks made for defence and positions well. Still not convinced of his kicking but he was marginally better today.
42 Pencil - Broke even in ruck contests with Jamar but provided run and options around the ground. A good game.
43 Taggert- Really goes at it but doesn't win a lot of it.
45 Jones - Really surprised me, did some top notch stuff and could challenge for a spot.
46 Terlich- saw him do some nice things, but didn't notice much

47. Couch - Got better as the game progressed and ended up playing really hard and really well. Looked more ready than last year.
48. Fitzy - He is SO unco but played a good game at times. His pace and second efforts for his size are surprising. On today's performance will definitely challenge Pederson for that 3rd forward/ruck help position.

It was a game that highlighted the half-backs and the midfielders. All of them had a go and showed their wares at times.

I have picked Viney in my Supercoach starting 22 but on today's performance I am not sure if he is ready.

Tynan, M. Jones, Terlich and Fitzy were the ones who surprised me today.

Davey and Sylvia were disappointing

Loved it - the footy is back!

[Bimbo 940]

Many thanks for all report from another office bound computer watcher, particularly BH and RGRS as I know how difficult it is to try and refer to each player individually

and Maldon Boy

Edited February 15, 2013 by Bimbo

[mdemonski2 403]

Casey is always windy, which leads to the odd skill error, but in the main I thought the standard was pretty good, certainly better than recent years. And there's an evenness across the ground now. We really do have a lot of players fighting for the same spot. If they're all crud it means little, but most are solid.

Gillies- really liked him today. I've questioned his kicking previously, but it was reliable and he moves well and makes decent decisions

Terlich - no world beater, but looks like a pretty reliable defender who moves to the right spots

Couch - played well, especially in the forward-line, plus did a ripping pass to Taggert for a goal

Taggert - looked OK. Played on Dunn for a bit at half-forward and didn't look out of place and did a couple of nice things

Byrnes - was dominant. It's easy to scoff at a reject, but he's actually a quality player that will add heaps as a small forward

Frawley - made a couple of errors, but looked the best I've seen him for 3 years. Now that he has some decent support around him he'll take the game on like he used to

Garland - very effective in a shut down role

Davey - barely sighted. Not best 22 imo

Kent - I love the look of the bog Kent - I rechon he'll become a good player

Tynan - got a bit of it, but will struggle to cement a spot down back with others ahead

Watts - will be a quality distributor - used it well, but just not aggressive enough for me in a first quarter marking contests

Grimes - didn't see much of it

Barry - didn't touch it much, but he's all class. Speed and a great kick. Did one lightening handball like it was hot potato that got his team on the move

Toumpas - not prolific, but just such a smart player with skill. Moves beautifully and will be an A grader in years to come

Viney - made the odd error, but just gets so involved. Quieter in the latter stages, but will become our most important midfielder quickly

McDonald - typical effective game. Swapped sides at one point

Spencer - did OK. No worse than Jamar these days

N. Jones - not bad, without having heaps of it.

M. Jones - I really like this guy. May take time to find his feet, but a great size, fast, and a lovely kick. Has a footy brain

Magner - got a bit of it and was OK.

Nicholson - got involved. His kicking is just too big of an issue for me

Jetta - looks good. I like him down back and reckon he's close to being best 22

McKenzie - typical dogged game. Did quite well

Hogan - not bad for a 17 year old. Didn't look out of place and did a couple of very nice things. Spent time on Frawley, who made it tough. WILL be a gun forward

Rodan - did really well. Spins on a dime and is effective in stoppages. Will add short-term value

Dunn - was pretty good - turned it over a couple of times

Strauss - played well. Got a lot of it and used it well. He's not always in my side when I pen my best 22, but I will have to reconsider

Stark - got a bit of it

Blease- lively. Will be a weapon this year. Looking really fit.

Sellar- got a few spoils and touches. Competed well.

Sylvia - while he didn't star, he looked to have got back some of his power. He did a couple of nice runs through the middle where he backed himself to get around players. A bit to like.

Fitzpatrick - took a nice grab and did OK.

Pedersen - OK without being great. Will be a handy third tall. Moves well.

There's a lot more voice, which is significant and they seemed far more organised than last year. They know their roles. The midfield is the key. It needs to be able to compete far better. We'll definitely be more competitive, but can the midfield get on top of sides like North, Essendon, Saints, and Richmond ?

Saw Howe, Dawes and Bail doing lots of repeat sprinting on an adjacent oval with a number of fitness staff.

Thanks BH.

Good summary and similar to how I saw most of the individuals you have outlined.

One thing though...you described Sellar's game. I am not sure he played though - I noticed him at the game but not involved in the playing.

[FarNorthernD 5,861]

First game isn't till March 31 so there is still 6 weeks skills improvement to come. Also only 18 or so from today will line up in round 1, hopefully most of those will be ones with better disposal.

Add in Howe, Trenners, Clark, Dawes etc and we will look considerably better across the park

[Demonland 72,213]

SERIOUS HIT OUT OR DANCING WITH YOUR SISTER? by the George on The Outer

Intra-Club Casey Fields 15 February 2013.

I think it was Kevin Sheedy who coined the phrase “dancing with your sister” to describe intra-club practice matches. Both could never be taken too seriously and a lack of true physical
contact would be a no no ...

So what to make of a “match simulation” for the same event, as described in press releases from the Club? Well, they had umpires. It all looked serious enough without the serious physical aspects, but keeping score was irrelevant especially when points scored saw the ball taken to the opposing half-back line for a restart.

Anyhow you looked at whatever it was called, it was more than a normal training run, but less than the real McCoy. It certainly provided the opportunity to gauge how the newer recruits would hold up in a more intense atmosphere.

No shows, as would have been expected were Clark, Dawes, Trengove and Gawn. Didn’t sight Jack or Max, but the other two were seen on the boundary, with Dawes doing the warm-ups. So he can’t be too far away from more serious work. Joel McDonald sat out and only did slight warm-ups with one of the training staff.

Four quarters of about 15-20 minutes in 30 degree temperatures was testing for everyone, but it must be said that it was hard to find anyone seriously affected by the heat and exercise.

No-one lying half dead on the ground after, as the whole group just walked calmly from the oval. Good signs, and the benefits of the current fitness regime and the Darwin trip may be showing already.

The two sides were in blue and white respectively, and while the blue side had the ascendancy on the day, with only a few exceptions, it would be the side that we can see on the park next week.

So just some observations:

■ Jack Viney is a seriously good player. He is simply into everything and just doesn’t stop. His natural ability is matched with a ferocious competitiveness that mean he makes the ball his time after time. He will play plenty this year,providing he can tolerate the demands of AFL at senior level.

■ Jimmy Toumpas is silken class and another natural footballer. Still working his way into the rhythm and speed of the game, he shows more than glimpses of his underlying talent.

■ Get excited about “Hulk Hogan”, and make sure you get down to Casey to see him play this year. This kid could be anything. At just 17 he is seriously scary and already can hold his own against long established players.

■ Shannon Byrnes went off in the last with icing to his calf, but probably because he overused his leg from the number of kicks he was getting.

■ David Rodan will be another positive in the mid-field with strong body and simply superb vision in the packs. He can dance through bodies and finds space effortlessly, the hallmark of a truly gifted player.

■ And Cam Pedersen will be another more than useful pick-up from last year. Strength, height and the ability to open space in front of himself produced options that we simply didn’t have last year.

■ Mark Jamar is back to his best. He is jumping off the ground again, unlike last year, and gave Spencer an absolute bath in the ruck. Sadly, Spencer still is not concentrating on the ball, despite his enormous height advantage, and apart from a good single mark, he did not touch the ball in general play or at ruck contests. By that I mean he did not touch the ball …

■ Overall, it was good to have so many players on the field at this time of the year. The fitness staff have to be congratulated as it will give us options in the weeks to come.

■ Impressive was the speed of movement of the ball. Yes, it is difficult to judge when we are playing amongst ourselves, but some of the change of direction and ability to break through lines with swift and accurate handball was a delight to watch.

■ Don’t expect too much from Aaron Davey this year. While his delivery is simply sublime when he has it in his hands, he has simply lost the yard necessary to make the electrifying moves of years past. He was unable to open space between himself and his opponent constantly, and barely touched the ball. A loose bouncing ball in the goal-square would have been a certain 6 pointer years ago, but today only resulted in a scrimmage and ball-up.

■ Have to give Rory Taggert a rub for a beautiful 50 metre goal from the boundary line ... and because his mum wasn’t too far away from where we were sitting ...

Overall, the session was more than a dance ,,, it was quick, efficient and lacking in howler type blunders. There was plenty to be pleased about with lines of players like Watts, Strauss, M. Jones, Sylvia, Frawley, Barry, Tom McDonald, all showing the skills that they have consistently, repeatedly and properly.

Take this into the season, and we have plenty to hope for.

See you all next Friday …

[olisik 4,060]

Dont know if anyone cares and dont mean to derail the thread though I thought it was worth a mention.

http://www.afl.com.au/news/2013-02-15/tigers-keep-petterd-back?utm_medium=RSS

Petterd shines in Richmonds intra-club game off half-back.

Still wish we persisted with the kid.

[Maldonboy38 6,403]

Are you sure about this quote, Demonland?

"Are you Mark Jamar is back to his best. He is jumping off the ground again, unlike last year, and gave Spencer an absolute bath in the ruck. Sadly, Spencer still is not concentrating on the ball, despite his enormous height advantage, and apart from a good single mark, he did not touch the ball in general play or at ruck contests. By that I mean he did not touch the ball …"

I am not sure if you were watching the same game as me but Jamar was nowhere near his best, and in front of me was beaten three times in the air by Spencer in one-on-one ruck contests. Also, Jamar did nothing around the ground where Spencer at least ran forward, gave 2nd and 3rd attempts, went for marks and presented.

[Whispering_Jack 30,173]

I know one has to be careful when talking about injuries but I think it's been a while since we had a situation like this at this time of year. First interclub and a small group of injured players with no need to draw on Casey to make up the sides. I think they usually get 6 to 8 Scorpions for the intraclub but this time there was no need.

Fingers crossed that the trend continues ...

[Bring-Back-Powell 14,842]

I know one has to be careful when talking about injuries but I think it's been a while since we had a situation like this at this time of year. First interclub and a small group of injured players with no need to draw on Casey to make up the sides. I think they usually get 6 to 8 Scorpions for the intraclub but this time there was no need.

Fingers crossed that the trend continues ...

Agreed.

The last time we had a reasonable run with injuries was in 2010, which had been our best season since 2006.