NAB CHALLENGE: GOLD COAST SUNS v MELBOURNE

[Goodvibes 3,596]

Goodvibes, what was our tackling and disposals like, where were we turning the ball over the most, forward, back or midfield.

Our kicking was ok and hanballing was hit and miss. Our tackling and defensive pressure certainly didn't match what I saw in the Renmark replay. Similar conditions too. Howe, Magner, Tapscott and Jones were the better tacklers. Strauss was ok in this department. Nicholson and Byrnes let a couple of opposition players slip past. We seemed pretty well structured defensively but didn't create many turnovers through our pressure.

[waynewussell 4,092]

The report I've been waiting for Goodvibes! Thank you for your depth and insight.

[3Dee 1,153]

To anyone who was at the game...What was the GC list like today?

Were they at full strength?

Or is that still too hard to work out as they are only 3 years old?

forgot to mention.. they were at FULL STRENGTH

far out there are some heavy overreactions on here, I honestly think with our easy draw we will prob finish just outside the 8 this season

[Guest Spirit of 39]

forgot to mention.. they were at FULL STRENGTH

far out there are some heavy overreactions on here, I honestly think with our easy draw we will prob finish just outside the 8 this season

They did have Harley Bennell out. I'd take him over any of our mids. (Or listed players for that matter.)

[Hannibal 5,814]

How Gold Coast lined up:

Out: Wilkinson, Brown, Martin, Gorringe, Weller

In: Ablett, Harbrow, Hunt, Russell, Shaw

FB: Broughton, Warnock, Murphy

HB: Shaw, Thompson, Harbrow

C: Rischitelli, Bennell, O'Meara

HF: Stanley, May, Matera

FF: Dixon, Day, Hall

Fol: Smith, Swallow, Ablett

Int: Brennan, Horsley, Lonergan, Prestia, Hunt, Russell

Outside of Bennell (who was named), Tom Lynch and McKenzie this is the Sun's best line up.

Out of my best 22 (others may disagree): Frawley, Clark, McDonald, Dawes, Trengove, Blease, Jetta, Viney and Kent - 9 players.

Unlike some, I don't agree that this match meant nothing, but just as clearly if you take out your entire spine, as well as other good users and decision makers then you're clearly weakened as a unit. Especially when you're playing in exceedingly hot conditions interstate. It's not an excuse it's fact.

Practice matches ARE important and once again the coaches would have got a lot out of it and the players will be involved in the review. But to be making an all encompassing determination of our preseason and likely prospects for season 2013 on a game such as this merely highlights more inept offerings by the footy stupid dolts that frequent this site.

At least you're consistent.

[jabberwocky 2,301]

Fol: Smith, Swallow, Ablett

4 Goals at least there

[H_T 2,941]

Just got back to Brisvegas and walked in the door and jumped straight on Demonland. Not sure how much analysis from those who were at the game exists above this post but I thought I'd share my thoughts anyway.

Firstly, I love going to Southport. Ground is always in good condition and there's lots of good vantage points. I was lucky enough to be standing on the fence for the whole game directly behind the Melbourne interchange entrance. I really enjoyed this unique perspective as I was able to get a bit of insight into the personality of the players in terms of their footy brain, communication, positivity etc . . Interestingly one of the most quiet players appeared to be Jack Grimes. Rodan (who didn't seem to get much of it) was really impressive. At one point when Watts marked on the wing closest to us, he was basically coaching him. Told him to slow down, look through the options, pick the right one and then when his kick went to the right option reinforced his effort with a positive. Might seem like a little thing but highlighted for me why he and Dawes and Byrnes have been brought to the club.

Before I talk about the match, it's important to note that it was bloody hot. Hottest day we've had up here in over a month and 11. 50 - 2.10 would be the hottest part of the day. Little breeze to speak of. We noticeably tired in the second half.

The main reason I ventured down to the Coast today was to watch Hogan and Toumpas and in the first quarter I could have happily headed back up the coast because Hogan made it pretty clear that he is the real deal. He faded a little in the last quarter but he took a series of contested marks and could have easily taken more. More than once he overcame being in the least preferred one on one position to win the ball (in the air and at ground level) and created space for those around him. Can't wait to see him in 2014! Casey watchers are in for a great year. Like many have suggested throughout the pre-season Jimmy Tompas has given an obvious insight into why he's so highly rated but it also becomes obvious that he will need some time. He had one sublime moment on my wing when the ball was poorly handballed by a team mate and he was seemingly left to contest a hot 50/50 ground ball. I thought to myself at the time, that I would find out whether this kid goes hard or not. Not only did he go low and hard, he actually beat his opponent to the ball and spun imperiously out of confestion. Smacked of class. Give him time but he'll be a beauty. Don't think he's played too many games in heat like this. He was really struggling with the conditions but kept working hard. He's a confident young kid and seems to be coping well with the structural demands of the team rules and doesn't hesitate to tell his team mates where they need to be.

My other highlight for the day was Dean Terlich. I really like the cut of his jib. He's an intelligent footballer who seems to have jelled really well with the team. He knows his role, he knows the team structures. He'll become more and more comfortable with the tempo and he'll better utilize his good kicking skills. I'd definitely have him in the team ahead of Strauss at the moment. Strauss had an intersting game. He was really good in the areas that I have questions marks about him. He competed well one on one and was strong in the contest but his run and carry and end product was a little disappointing. Matt Jones shows a bit too. It was clear that he got better and better when the early fiz had gone out of the game. He got alot of the pill. He's clearly a neat kick who works hard from contest to contest. Decision making and adjusting to the tempo of AFL footy will be his challenges.

When we were up and about and travelling well in the first half I was marvelling at the fact that with what was basically our entire spine missing we still had some quality tall targets up forward. In addition to Hogan, Pedersen and Sellar are genuine players. They both have big bodies are flexible and can take a mark. Pretty good back-up in the key position department. Likewise down back with Frawley and McDonald out we still had Gillies, Garland, Dunn and Watts capable of matching it with the bigger Gold Coast bodies. But just as I started to marvel at our depth in this area, Dixon started to get on top of Gillies and the game turned. Gillies tries hard and is a great size and certainly worth persisting with. Dunn was ok one on one but his much talked about kicking was poor today. Watts was good. Calm with the ball in hand and bad good decisions but didn't do anything over hard or courageous that would have you going home thinking we'll see a pack bursting Watts this year.

Also wanted to make mention of Magner. I've had him pigeon holed as a slow, hard working trier but having seen him today and watching the Renmark replay I think he deserves a spot in our starting 22. He reads the ball really well in the centre. Today he got it first dibs numerous times and his hardness and tackling pressure are of a very high standard. He and Jordie might find them fighting for a position if Viney consolidates as expected.

Good to see Grimes get a few touches. He spent alot of time off the ground early in the second half. He's clearly being carefully managed given his history of injury and if this has been the case all pre-season it could account for his lower than usual disposal numbers. Sylvia was Sylvia. He failed to find much space when in the midfield and didn't hurt on the scoreboard when he went forward. He's at the crossroads.

I thought Jamar looked it great nick and was getting around the ground pretty well given the conditions. I think he'll definitely have an improved season if he stays healthy.

All in all, I wouldn't be slashing my wrists over the final result. McDonald, Clark, Dawes, Frawley, Trengove, Blease, Viney and Jetta all out of my best 22 missing and the heat was a genuine factor. Disappointing we couldn't get anything close to our best team on the park this pre-season but the positive is that we're not far away from doing exactly that and it might make round 1 all the more interesting.

Potato cakes surprisingly good.

Happy to answer any specific questions.

Thanks GV for the very informative report! And what strikes me to date out of the last 3 matches in trying conditions is our great starts in each of the first quarters.

I've been thinking along the same lines between Terlich-Strauss.

I stated last week after the last game that I was staggered that for two weeks in a row it was:-

Injuries:

Melbourne: Nil.

Now I'm flabbergasted that its now three from three.

[damon the demon 57]

How did N. Jones play? Haven't heard his name.

[dee-luded 2,958]

So no McDonald, Frawley, Clark Dawes, Davey, jetta, viney, trengove, garland for the 2nd half... Not anywhere near the strength we'll be at come round 1... Obviously a dissapointing result but probably not a great indication of what we'll dish up against port imo.

sounds like we're tanking B)

look out, for a blackout, coming soon @ the 'G' !

[Goodvibes 3,596]

How did N. Jones play? Haven't heard his name.

Jones was solid. Got a fair bit of ball on the inside but didn't find much of it in space or forward of centre. In the heat the rotations were at a very high level and Jones was the one midfielder who came off every time looking in pretty good nick. He's ready to go.

[Josh 1,420]

The ground did look amazing and if the potat cakes were as good as you say sounds like you had a good day at the footy. Thanks for the write up

[rpfc 27,531]

When do we ever get anything out of PS games.

We beat Collingwood last year and it foretold nothing.

We beat NM, lose to the Tigers by a few, lose to the Saints by a few, lose to the GC by a few, and beat PA in SA.

What does that foretell?

Absolutely nothing.

Go and watch the real games and critique some actual evidence of how we will play.

Just wasting your time and embarrassing yourselves howling at the moon they way you are.

[3Dee 1,153]

Goodvibes nails it.. The potato cakes were fantastic.

Edited March 16, 2013 by Bailin Out

[DemonOX 8,541]

Geez it was bloody hot today at the ground. After the warm up I would have been stuffed.

Considering the conditions today and the players we had out we did ok.

Watts did really well as did Jamar. Sylvia continues to frustrate. So much talent but bigger all ticker. Hogan will be terrific ( I think we may have got this one right for a change) contested really well and is a big unit for 18. Toumpie is a cracker and will work in well with the mids. Stellar looks to have improved since last season too. He presents well and second efforts are good. The players seem to understand and be able to execute the game plan better than last season which is good to see. There is progress being made.

I was standing behind the GC interchange and it gives u a totally diff perspective on the game. One thing I noticed is how hard Ablett works. His work ethic is outstanding and GC are going to be stuffed when he heads back to the cats. He is clearly the hardest worker in that team. My son asked him if he can play for us and he looked at him and smiled. So it wasn't a no!!!!

All in all a good effort would have been nice to win but whoever scheduled the game at 11.30 (which didnt start till 11.50) in Brisbane in March must have rocks in their head.

Round 1 will be a good indicator for whats in store as was last season.

[KC from Casey 6,562]

Goodvibes nails it.. The potato cakes were fantastic.

Well, all I can say is bully to all those who went to Southport and had their potato cakes because the canteen at Casey Fields was understocked today after the pounding it must have taken last week. No chocolates, ice creams or dim sims. The BBQ was working at half capacity - no BBQ dogs or burgers.

After that, all I can say is that we're really in for a tough season!!!

Edited March 16, 2013 by KC from Casey

[Watts Jurrah Dunn? 735]

How Gold Coast lined up: Out: Wilkinson, Brown, Martin, Gorringe, WellerIn: Ablett, Harbrow, Hunt, Russell, Shaw FB: Broughton, Warnock, MurphyHB: Shaw, Thompson, HarbrowC: Rischitelli, Bennell, O'MearaHF: Stanley, May, MateraFF: Dixon, Day, Hall Fol: Smith, Swallow, Ablett Int: Brennan, Horsley, Lonergan, Prestia, Hunt, Russell Outside of Bennell (who was named), Tom Lynch and McKenzie this is the Sun's best line up.

Missing Bock as well mate.

[Hannibal 5,814]

Missing Bock as well mate.

Good point. And I've since found out that Stanley didn't play even though he was named.

[Fitz Fitzpatrick 886]

of course its the preseason and it could all change for those clubs that have underperformed during NAB cup but for me whats concerning is the reasons Melbourne has under performed. Its the lack of team work, the poor field kicking and the fade outs. thats what is concerning. that stuff cant be switched on in 2 weeks. i have realistic expectations of 2013 so , baby steps, as they say, but my point is i disagree with posters who write our poor nab cup off as just pre season form. our problem areas run deeper than that. thats where the Dees differ to those other sides in the league that havent really performed as expected in teh NAB cup. the hawks, swans etc no doubt will switch on in 2 weeks. we have a bit more work to do .

Still, i love what neeld and co are doing and the direction the FD is taking. but lets not kid ourselves by thinking its only a practice match , we are in for a bit of pain yet. the best thing we can do thouugh is to pick out the positives (eg Watts game today), and enjoy the ride. Carn the DEES!!

Edited March 16, 2013 by Munga

[stuie 7,374]

The result is important and somewhat indicative, but geez there's a lot of game analysis going on here based on either nothing or twitter updates...

(Thanks to the Brissy fellas that have posted at least informed views)

One thing that worries me though, is we're hearing the same old pre-season views we've heard for a long time. "Oh it's only NAB Cup", "Oh we had players out", "Oh Neeld was finding out about players"... Which is all fine and for the most part true, but it has an ominous deja vu to it.

[RalphiusMaximus 5,993]

Thanks for the write-up Goodvibes. It gets said over and over, but for the people who can't get to a game, these insights are a huge bonus.

[DeeZee 6,770]

We seem to lack a bit of midfield pace....enter Blease, Jetta and Davey, they must play round one.

We also missed our fullback, centre half back, centre half forward and full forward, in Frawley, McDonald,Clark and Dawes.

It just feels like we are saving our best for round one.

[Vagg 2,422]

I was at the game. Really can't add much to what GoodVibes had to say. As I have been saying all along, a game in the middle of the day up here is absolute lunacy. However, I'm wondering whether Melb had anything to do with that. Think the team only flew up yesterday, before the game (and apparently their bus got lost -- hence the later than scheduled start). And, I heard they were booked on a flight home around 4:30 pm...

I also wondered about the team numbers. Pretty sure 27 players were named for this list, but five of them (Frawley, Davey, Spencer, Jetta and Evans) didn't play. Hence, according to my calculations, we had just 22 players. What happened to the 6 man bench in the pre-season matches? A couple of other departures from the norm were ther quarters were exactly 25 minutes in length (no time on), and there were no super goals (because the scoreboard wasn't equipped to show them?)

I spent the entire day upstairs in the section of the Club that has big windows overlooking the ground. Nice breeze coming through the open windows. But, was crazily hot outside in the sun.

While the condition of the ground was good, I am still baffled as to why the game wasn't played at Metricon. I heard someone saying the Suns seconds team was actually playing there, while our game was on at Southport. Very curious! Why not play BOTH games at Metricon?

Biggest thrill for me was to meet the Toumpas clan. There was a heap of them at the game, include Jimmy's Dad, Uncle and Grandfather. All as proud as punch, and excited to see Jimmy out there in the Red & Blue. They seem like a great family, and it gave me a buzz just watching them and their genuine excitement for their boy.

At the end of the day, it was what it was. A practice match. Really don't think the score meant a whole lot, especially given it was a game played in crazy 30 degree conditions, with a large number of our best 22 on the sidelines. I can only hope that the coaching staff were able to achieve some of their goals from the event, as they prepare for the real thing.

[Range Rover 1,935]

Okay, I was there yesterday as well. Some random dot points ...

- No-one should be playing football in sauna like conditions like that. Ludicrous. There's the pain barrier ... and then there's just plain dangerous.

- Once again the midfield was found wanting. We were okay early, but the Ablett-led class of the Suns assumed control as the game wore on. Suspect this may be the story of our season.

- Watts was our best player. Wonderfully skilled for a guy of his height. Get him in your fantasy sides because he will rack 'em up this year across half back. A break-out, possible AA season beckons.

- Terlich was impressive and will play round 1. Capable of kicking goals running at full tilt - not an easy skill.

- Cam Pedersen was disappointing again. Here's hoping his efforts this pre-season is just a case of flat form. Because he's shown nothing. Will start at Casey.

- Sellar will get the nod in his place, although like others I'm not yet convinced. Has that not-quite a ruckman ... not quite a KPP look about him.

- Jamar has trimmed down and looks seriously fit. Played well I thought. Another you should get in your fantasy sides coming off a weak 2012 (cheaply priced).

- Not sure Toumpas is ready based on what I saw. Suspect he'll need a stretch at Casey to find his feet.

- I thought Matt Jones and Tom Gillies did okay. I'd pick Jones ahead of Jordie McKenzie every day of the week.

- Where the hell is Viney?? Is he injured? Can anyone shed light?

- Sylvia, McKenzie, Dunn and Grimes didn't do enough. Not good enough from senior players. I'm going to be on their case this season. 'Raise The Bar' boys.

- 'Hulk' Hogan is absolutely a special talent. Even more impressive was watching the 17yo confidently bark orders at seasoned senior players. Finally a player with swagger!

- Howe was virtually unsighted all game. Another with fairly ordinary pre-season form.

- Rodan and Byrnes need to provide greater support to Nate Jones. They both went missing for large chunks of quarters. It's all about work-rate, although granted the heat was unforgiving.

- On the Suns ... Dion Prestia will be a gun. Makes good decisions and is relentlessly hard at it. We should have a serious crack at him.

- The Suns will be 20% better than last season and will put the frighteners on a few more fancied sides. Some of their young tall-timber types like Sam Day, Gorringe and Dixon are really coming on, particularly Day.

- I'm chucking a $50 on the Little Master for a second Brownlow.

Took some photos as well. I'll try and get around to posting them tonight.

Cheers, RR

Edited March 17, 2013 by Range Rover

[TheoX 1,218]

Okay, I was there yesterday as well. Some random dot points ...

- No-one should be playing football in sauna like conditions like that. Ludicrous. There's the pain barrier ... and then there's just plain dangerous.

- Once again the midfield was found wanting. We were okay early, but the Ablett-led class of the Suns assumed control as the game wore on. Suspect this may be the story of our season.

- Watts was our best player. Wonderfully skilled for a guy of his height. Get him in your fantasy sides because he will rack 'em up this year across half back. A break-out, possible AA season beckons.

- Terlich was impressive and will play round 1. Capable of kicking goals running at full tilt - not an easy skill.

- Cam Pedersen was disappointing again. Here's hoping his efforts this pre-season is just a case of flat form. Because he's shown nothing. Will start at Casey.

- Sellar will get the nod in his place, although like others I'm not yet convinced. Has that not-quite a ruckman ... not quite a KPP look about him.

- Jamar has trimmed down and looks seriously fit. Played well I thought. Another you should get in your fantasy sides coming off a weak 2012 (cheaply priced).

- Not sure Toumpas is ready based on what I saw. Suspect he'll need a stretch at Casey to find his feet.

- I thought Matt Jones and Tom Gillies did okay. I'd pick Jones ahead of Jordie McKenzie every day of the week.

- Where the hell is Viney?? Is he injured? Can anyone shed light?

Think he was listed as neck injury-1 week on the last injury list

[Brian Wilson 331]

- Watts was our best player. Wonderfully skilled for a guy of his height. Get him in your fantasy sides because he will rack 'em up this year across half back. A break-out, possible AA season beckons.

Did I read that correctly? Have you been through some kind of Watts reeducation program?