Port Melbourne v Casey Demons - Round 8

[Whispering_Jack 29,812]

Well, this has been interesting.

Let’s return to the wrap up of today’s game, can we?

[monoccular 17,413]

2 hours ago, Drunkn167 said:

Apologies for the late writeup, we went out for tea after the game.

Today was a hard slog but Casey's class and pressure won them the day. We were definitely lucky with Ports poor accuracy in front of goal, but that can be attributed to Casey's pressure not allowing them easy shots on goal. The 3 talls in defence in Keilty, Frost and Petty were fantastic and in a game with many momentum swings and the boys were able to hang on and get the win.

Tyson - Started poorly with many turnovers and wasted possessions but improved as the game went on too finish well and have a big impact on the game

Garlett - Quiet game, kicked a great goal but otherwise didn't do a lot

Keilty - His best game for the year. Found the ball plenty and mostly used it well. Had some great defensive marks and when thrown forward in the last quarter was able to be the key link up man for Casey. He's goal was reminiscent of the TMac out the back of the pack, where he just read it best and was able to get it off hands and turn around for an easy kick.

Frost - Some great marks and was solid all day. Had some nice run too.

Petty - Keeps improving each game, strong in the air and hardly beaten one on one.

Baker - Very strong second half, found plenty of the ball running from half back and had some impressive line breaking runs through the middle.

Stretch - Bounced back from a quiet game last week to be Caseys best midfielder for the day.

Balic - Was lively up forward and kicked 2 very nice goals, continues to improve each week.

Bugg - Quiet but I thought he did his role well, needed to find more of the pill.

JKH - About the same as his previous few games, nothing special

Smith - Had some really good one on one wins and was a good user.

King - First game back from injury, needs to build back into playing footy at this level

Filipovic- Did well in the ruck and got his hands to a lot of contests, just needs to hold some more marks.

Wagner - Had a solid game through the midfield and half back

Johnstone - Started to show better signs today, had some important defensive efforts today

 

Some bad news, Mitch White copped a heavy knock and seems to have done some damage to his AC ligament in his shoulder, might be done for the season.

 

Overall it wasn't pretty and Port played some hard, strong football but in the end the class of a few key players stood up and allowed Casey to win the day.

 

Thanks for the summation Drunkn and to you and others for their reports on  all Casey games.

A few specific queries when you get a moment.

Petty - how is he developing, what role is he playing and is he close to a call up? If so whose spot would he be competing for?

Baker - same questions  and how is his pace  you mentioned some runs.  Were these runs based on super pace or evasiveness and reading the play?

Balic - is he a HFF FP type or can you compare him with anyone in the seniors? How is his pace?

Smith - last year started on fire as a HBF type until Riewoldt did his shoulder.  He hasn’t seemed (from reports) to have regained any of that form.  What is his current role? Does he appear to have made a full physical recovery?  Has he recovered mentally? 

Thanks so much  

 

[WERRIDEE 5,445]

2 hours ago, Drunkn167 said:

Apologies for the late writeup, we went out for tea after the game.

Today was a hard slog but Casey's class and pressure won them the day. We were definitely lucky with Ports poor accuracy in front of goal, but that can be attributed to Casey's pressure not allowing them easy shots on goal. The 3 talls in defence in Keilty, Frost and Petty were fantastic and in a game with many momentum swings and the boys were able to hang on and get the win.

Tyson - Started poorly with many turnovers and wasted possessions but improved as the game went on too finish well and have a big impact on the game

Garlett - Quiet game, kicked a great goal but otherwise didn't do a lot

Keilty - His best game for the year. Found the ball plenty and mostly used it well. Had some great defensive marks and when thrown forward in the last quarter was able to be the key link up man for Casey. He's goal was reminiscent of the TMac out the back of the pack, where he just read it best and was able to get it off hands and turn around for an easy kick.

Frost - Some great marks and was solid all day. Had some nice run too.

Petty - Keeps improving each game, strong in the air and hardly beaten one on one.

Baker - Very strong second half, found plenty of the ball running from half back and had some impressive line breaking runs through the middle.

Stretch - Bounced back from a quiet game last week to be Caseys best midfielder for the day.

Balic - Was lively up forward and kicked 2 very nice goals, continues to improve each week.

Bugg - Quiet but I thought he did his role well, needed to find more of the pill.

JKH - About the same as his previous few games, nothing special

Smith - Had some really good one on one wins and was a good user.

King - First game back from injury, needs to build back into playing footy at this level

Filipovic- Did well in the ruck and got his hands to a lot of contests, just needs to hold some more marks.

Wagner - Had a solid game through the midfield and half back

Johnstone - Started to show better signs today, had some important defensive efforts today

 

Some bad news, Mitch White copped a heavy knock and seems to have done some damage to his AC ligament in his shoulder, might be done for the season.

 

Overall it wasn't pretty and Port played some hard, strong football but in the end the class of a few key players stood up and allowed Casey to win the day.

 

Great write up again as usual.

Just 2 questions.

Feel sorry for White he was just starting to show good form. Any chance Hutchins will be his replacement?

Who is more advanced out of the 2 young rucks King or Filipovic or are they still to raw to tell?

[Drunkn167 5,093]

16 minutes ago, monoccular said:

Thanks for the summation Drunkn and to you and others for their reports on  all Casey games.

A few specific queries when you get a moment.

Petty - how is he developing, what role is he playing and is he close to a call up? If so whose spot would he be competing for?

Baker - same questions  and how is his pace  you mentioned some runs.  Were these runs based on super pace or evasiveness and reading the play?

Balic - is he a HFF FP type or can you compare him with anyone in the seniors? How is his pace?

Smith - last year started on fire as a HBF type until Riewoldt did his shoulder.  He hasn’t seemed (from reports) to have regained any of that form.  What is his current role? Does he appear to have made a full physical recovery?  Has he recovered mentally? 

Thanks so much  

 

Petty- he plays as a lock down defender like OMac. Developing well and has good skills for a KPD. Probably needs a few years to really hit AFL level like all tall players do

Balic- yeah he’s a HFF that can do midfield, probably like ANB. Pace isnt fantastic but is skillful

Smith- had a few nasty injuries so will take some time to get back to his best, but has been solid. Plays similar to the Jeremy Howe role. He seems fine physically but have no idea of his mental recovery sorry

Edit: Forgot Baker- Both. He reads the play well and is evasive as well as good running speed.

Edited May 26, 2018 by Drunkn167

[Drunkn167 5,093]

3 minutes ago, WERRIDEE said:

Great write up again as usual.

Just 2 questions.

Feel sorry for White he was just starting to show good form. Any chance Hutchins will be his replacement?

Who is more advanced out of the 2 young rucks King or Filipovic or are they still to raw to tell?

Hutchy should be back in a week or two but White was playing good footy so hard to replace

Flipp is better in the Ruck but Kingy is better around the ground, but yeah probably too early to tell

[deelete my account 1,194]

Any non-demon Casey VFL players to look out for this year like Fritsch last year?

Edited May 26, 2018 by John Demonic

[WERRIDEE 5,445]

5 minutes ago, John Demonic said:

Any non-demon Casey VFL players to look out for this year like Fritsch last year?

Corey Wagner got 28 disposals and has had a good year.

You won't find a player like Fritsch again he's a freak.

[Drunkn167 5,093]

5 minutes ago, John Demonic said:

Any non-demon Casey VFL players to look out for this year like Fritsch last year?

Jay Lockhart is pretty damn good. An inside midfielder with huge skills and composure. Came from Tasmania and won last years TSL best and fairest medal. I believe.

Melbourne have enough inside mids but I wouldn’t be surprised if he gets picked up late in the draft or as a rookie by another team.

[Drunkn167 5,093]

1 minute ago, WERRIDEE said:

Corey Wagner got 28 disposals and has had a good year.

You won't find a player like Fritsch again he's a freak.

Exactly, Fritta is an absolute gun and probably shoulda been drafted higher. Probably won’t see someone like him come through the VFL for a while.

[deelete my account 1,194]

14 minutes ago, WERRIDEE said:

Corey Wagner got 28 disposals and has had a good year.

You won't find a player like Fritsch again he's a freak.

I'm curious which other clubs may have had their sights on him that prompted us to use our second* pick in the draft? Or was it just a matter of taking the best available player and not leaving it late?

Edited May 26, 2018 by John Demonic

[whatwhat say what 22,702]

16 minutes ago, John Demonic said:

I'm curious which other clubs may have had their sights on him that prompted us to use our second* pick in the draft? Or was it just a matter of taking the best available player and not leaving it late?

Meth Coke, apparently

[KingDingAling 3,752]

34 minutes ago, John Demonic said:

Any non-demon Casey VFL players to look out for this year like Fritsch last year?

It is unlikely we will find another of that quality coming out of Casey, but we could find another gem elsewhere.

[Drunkn167 5,093]

On 5/26/2018 at 6:48 PM, Diamond_Jim said:

must confess to the same problem (apologies to Drunk'n)

 

On 5/26/2018 at 6:30 PM, Baghdad Bob said:

Dec and Harrison Petty I find hard to distinguish. I wonder if others do to.

 

To be honest even I get them mixed up sometimes, both similar height, similar build, same hair colour and same position. So don't feel too bad if you get them mixed up 

[dpositive 1,663]

Thanks all for great thread.

 

[Wrecker45 3,378]

5 hours ago, John Demonic said:

Any non-demon Casey VFL players to look out for this year like Fritsch last year?

I had to find another Casey supporter with a record to ask who number 2 was. It was ex Melbourne listed player Mitch White. He did a shoulder later on and might not play again this year but he looked to me like he would easily play at the top level.

[Diamond_Jim 12,551]

8 hours ago, John Demonic said:

I'm curious which other clubs may have had their sights on him that prompted us to use our second* pick in the draft? Or was it just a matter of taking the best available player and not leaving it late?

Fritsch was relatively well known after his great year at Casey. He was considered a certainty for a third round pick at the latest. The question was would he last until that time or go in the second round. MFC took the decision not to risk waiting and took him mid second round.

Of course being at Casey the club had inside knowledge on his strengths and weaknesses which helped them relative to other clubs to make a decision.

If the draft was held today I expect he would go about 4-6 picks higher.. ie early second round.

[What 18,810]

Garlett is a real worry, hes been back in the VFL for a month and has struggled.

Hope Dean Kent comes back cherry ripe in  a couple of weeks,  I bet hes gonna get back into the senior team as our main small forward.  He was looking great before he got injured.

Also if we rotate players in the 2nd half of the year to avoid fatigue and have a strong run home, we likely aren't done with debutantes either.  Keilty , Balic and Baker must all be a chance for a sneaky debut.   Joel Smith to get a gig at some stage too.  Nice to also have Frost as a backup.

I love our depth.

Edited May 26, 2018 by Petraccattack

[dazzledavey36 54,336]

8 hours ago, Drunkn167 said:

 

To be honest even I get them mixed up sometimes, both similar height, similar build, same hair colour and same position. So don't feel too bad if you get them mixed up 

Hey mate, good work on the write ups. My question is do you think Dec is a chance to debut this year?? I've always rated him since watching him back in the 2016 finals series.

Has he had any talk this year to the coaching staff in regards to what he needs to do to get a game? 

With our backline pretty set, I just worry that he might struggle to get a sniff this year.

[pewpewpew 738]

Thanks for all of these fantastic wraps ups for those of us that cannot attend Casey games but are keen to follow the young Demons.

[Micksdemons 131]

Agree with Pew appreciate the reports and thoughts - Thanks 

[Vogon Poetry 2,095]

I headed down to the Port Melbourne v Casey game yesterday for the annual Burra burger and chips.  The day was perfect for footy with a one to two goal wind in the first half but it virtually disappeared in the second.  The ground was in great condition and the PM crowd are a lot of fun as long as you don't take your support for their opponent too seriously.

This is how I thought the Demons went:

Dom Tyson: There has been much talk about his game and like most things it's probably somewhere in the middle of discussions.  He got the ball a lot.  He was the main clearance player for us on the day and he bullocked and pushed and competed for everything.  He was off the pace early, got caught once or twice and kicked poorly into the wind at times.  As the game went on he got lots better and by the last part of the game he was close to the most influential but that is not to say he's a walk up start next week.  On form ANB and Harmes have gone past him and he is down on form but he can play.                     

Billy Stretch:  BOG for mine.  Got it lots, used it pretty well (with a cavaet I'll come to) and was clean and pretty strong in the clinches.  I'm a fan of Billy so keep that in mind when you read these comments.  I've seen Billy in his last three games and he's been BOG twice IMO.  He's played all games as an inside mid and he's done well against the strong opposition and poorly against the poor opposition.  Interestingly in the game he was poor in we were killed in the ruck and he was the number one mid.  Billy knows where to run and can run all day.  He sees options and makes good decisions.  He was very clean with his hands yesterday which is not always the case and his handballing was good.  He kicks it well in most cases but yesterday in both practice before the game and in the game itself he repeatedly left his passes a metre short of his target.  Very frustrating because those easy 25 metre passes have to be bread and butter at AFL level.  But good signs for Billy and if his opportunity comes he will at least be in good form.

Sam Frost:  Good and solid.  He's really too big and strong for his opposition at this level but it's his execution and decision making that can go astray.  He's in good form at this level and like many will wait his chance.

Jay Kennedy Harris:  I thought Jay played a solid game, found plenty of it, ran well and generally disposed of it well. He's come good in the last 6 quarters he's played but he's down the pecking order in getting a game in the seniors.  He's pretty good at this level.

Harley Balic:  Not as prominant as some other weeks but dangerous around goal and doesn't need many opportunities to hurt you.  Kicked a fantastic goal in the last from a very tight angle to get us going when we needed it.  He's got sure hands and is good above his head for his height and he knows how to find space and link play.  He's a smart player and in previous years at the club would have been quite valuable but where he fits with Kent to come back and Garlett still in the seconds who knows.  He has a little bit of that trait basketballers have when they convert to footy - that ability to find time and space.  Was he a BBer before footy?  Looks like it to me.  If he played today I'd be confident he'd competently play his role.

Tomas Bugg: Quite early but played a fair game by his standards.  He played quite deep forward for most of the day and it really didn't work.  But when he moved up the ground a bit we got involved and was always a danger although he didn't get it a lot.  He's a bit quicker than I thought too and his kicking was good yesterday.

Oscar Baker:  Good game overall and fantastic second half, particularly third quarter where he really dominated.  Quick, clean hands, runs hard and provided options.  Not sure his possessions really hurt the opposition yet but he is improving.  I don't think he's really close to getting a game but he's certainly showing some AFL attributes.

Mitch King:  First game back and just went.  Started forward and didn't have much impact and then shared rucking duties.

Harrison Petty:  I thought he was good.  Was outmarked in the goal square in the first and lost another marking contest later in the game.  Had one of his kicks intercepted later in the game but otherwise was terrific.  He's really good in the air and kicks very well.  This kid is just a guaranteed AFL footballer of the future and to me is showing more than Oscar did in his first year.  Already a favourite of mine.

Jeff Garlett:  I thought he was alright but only alright but do we expect too much of players when they go to VFL level.  He did some very good things, kicked a lovely goal and had a hand on some others but also had a number of uncharacteristic mistakes.  Not banging the door down.

Josh Wagner:  Just a game.  Solid and reliable but didn't catch the eye all that much.  He's a good size and athlete but just doesn't impose himself on games at the moment.

Joel Smith:  Didn't have a high possession game but looked very good in what he did.  Can't remember any clangers and he kicked a nice goal.  I liked the comparison to Jeremy Howe, very similar athletic abilities.  He looked a class above in what he did but he didn't do a whole lot.

Dec Keilty:  Solid game from Dec and like others have trouble separating him and Petty, they look very similar and being such a fan of Petty I might have attributed some good Dec things to Harrison.  But Dec went forward in the last and did well I thought.  Took some good marks and kicked a goal but more importantly gave us a target that the others hadn't.  I don't know where he stands in the pecking order with Frost and Petty but he's a capable and reliable (and brave) footballer.

Lachlan Filipovic:  Did quite well in the ruck but very little around the ground..  Seems to be just a young ruckman learning his craft and about 3 or 4 years away from maturity.  Watching and judging ruckman at this age must be difficult for supporters and FD alike wondering if they will flurish or fail.  It's too early to call for me on both our young rucks.

 

[dieter 3,325]

1 hour ago, Vogon Poetry said:

I headed down to the Port Melbourne v Casey game yesterday for the annual Burra burger and chips.  The day was perfect for footy with a one to two goal wind in the first half but it virtually disappeared in the second.  The ground was in great condition and the PM crowd are a lot of fun as long as you don't take your support for their opponent too seriously.

This is how I thought the Demons went:

Dom Tyson: There has been much talk about his game and like most things it's probably somewhere in the middle of discussions.  He got the ball a lot.  He was the main clearance player for us on the day and he bullocked and pushed and competed for everything.  He was off the pace early, got caught once or twice and kicked poorly into the wind at times.  As the game went on he got lots better and by the last part of the game he was close to the most influential but that is not to say he's a walk up start next week.  On form ANB and Harmes have gone past him and he is down on form but he can play.                     

Billy Stretch:  BOG for mine.  Got it lots, used it pretty well (with a cavaet I'll come to) and was clean and pretty strong in the clinches.  I'm a fan of Billy so keep that in mind when you read these comments.  I've seen Billy in his last three games and he's been BOG twice IMO.  He's played all games as an inside mid and he's done well against the strong opposition and poorly against the poor opposition.  Interestingly in the game he was poor in we were killed in the ruck and he was the number one mid.  Billy knows where to run and can run all day.  He sees options and makes good decisions.  He was very clean with his hands yesterday which is not always the case and his handballing was good.  He kicks it well in most cases but yesterday in both practice before the game and in the game itself he repeatedly left his passes a metre short of his target.  Very frustrating because those easy 25 metre passes have to be bread and butter at AFL level.  But good signs for Billy and if his opportunity comes he will at least be in good form.

Sam Frost:  Good and solid.  He's really too big and strong for his opposition at this level but it's his execution and decision making that can go astray.  He's in good form at this level and like many will wait his chance.

Jay Kennedy Harris:  I thought Jay played a solid game, found plenty of it, ran well and generally disposed of it well. He's come good in the last 6 quarters he's played but he's down the pecking order in getting a game in the seniors.  He's pretty good at this level.

Harley Balic:  Not as prominant as some other weeks but dangerous around goal and doesn't need many opportunities to hurt you.  Kicked a fantastic goal in the last from a very tight angle to get us going when we needed it.  He's got sure hands and is good above his head for his height and he knows how to find space and link play.  He's a smart player and in previous years at the club would have been quite valuable but where he fits with Kent to come back and Garlett still in the seconds who knows.  He has a little bit of that trait basketballers have when they convert to footy - that ability to find time and space.  Was he a BBer before footy?  Looks like it to me.  If he played today I'd be confident he'd competently play his role.

Tomas Bugg: Quite early but played a fair game by his standards.  He played quite deep forward for most of the day and it really didn't work.  But when he moved up the ground a bit we got involved and was always a danger although he didn't get it a lot.  He's a bit quicker than I thought too and his kicking was good yesterday.

Oscar Baker:  Good game overall and fantastic second half, particularly third quarter where he really dominated.  Quick, clean hands, runs hard and provided options.  Not sure his possessions really hurt the opposition yet but he is improving.  I don't think he's really close to getting a game but he's certainly showing some AFL attributes.

Mitch King:  First game back and just went.  Started forward and didn't have much impact and then shared rucking duties.

Harrison Petty:  I thought he was good.  Was outmarked in the goal square in the first and lost another marking contest later in the game.  Had one of his kicks intercepted later in the game but otherwise was terrific.  He's really good in the air and kicks very well.  This kid is just a guaranteed AFL footballer of the future and to me is showing more than Oscar did in his first year.  Already a favourite of mine.

Jeff Garlett:  I thought he was alright but only alright but do we expect too much of players when they go to VFL level.  He did some very good things, kicked a lovely goal and had a hand on some others but also had a number of uncharacteristic mistakes.  Not banging the door down.

Josh Wagner:  Just a game.  Solid and reliable but didn't catch the eye all that much.  He's a good size and athlete but just doesn't impose himself on games at the moment.

Joel Smith:  Didn't have a high possession game but looked very good in what he did.  Can't remember any clangers and he kicked a nice goal.  I liked the comparison to Jeremy Howe, very similar athletic abilities.  He looked a class above in what he did but he didn't do a whole lot.

Dec Keilty:  Solid game from Dec and like others have trouble separating him and Petty, they look very similar and being such a fan of Petty I might have attributed some good Dec things to Harrison.  But Dec went forward in the last and did well I thought.  Took some good marks and kicked a goal but more importantly gave us a target that the others hadn't.  I don't know where he stands in the pecking order with Frost and Petty but he's a capable and reliable (and brave) footballer.

Lachlan Filipovic:  Did quite well in the ruck but very little around the ground..  Seems to be just a young ruckman learning his craft and about 3 or 4 years away from maturity.  Watching and judging ruckman at this age must be difficult for supporters and FD alike wondering if they will flurish or fail.  It's too early to call for me on both our young rucks.

 

Great stuff. Thanks.

[DeeZone 9,704]

Hear hear.!!!!!!??

[rolling fog 1,207]

1 hour ago, Vogon Poetry said:

I headed down to the Port Melbourne v Casey game yesterday for the annual Burra burger and chips.  The day was perfect for footy with a one to two goal wind in the first half but it virtually disappeared in the second.  The ground was in great condition and the PM crowd are a lot of fun as long as you don't take your support for their opponent too seriously.

This is how I thought the Demons went:

Dom Tyson: There has been much talk about his game and like most things it's probably somewhere in the middle of discussions.  He got the ball a lot.  He was the main clearance player for us on the day and he bullocked and pushed and competed for everything.  He was off the pace early, got caught once or twice and kicked poorly into the wind at times.  As the game went on he got lots better and by the last part of the game he was close to the most influential but that is not to say he's a walk up start next week.  On form ANB and Harmes have gone past him and he is down on form but he can play.                     

Billy Stretch:  BOG for mine.  Got it lots, used it pretty well (with a cavaet I'll come to) and was clean and pretty strong in the clinches.  I'm a fan of Billy so keep that in mind when you read these comments.  I've seen Billy in his last three games and he's been BOG twice IMO.  He's played all games as an inside mid and he's done well against the strong opposition and poorly against the poor opposition.  Interestingly in the game he was poor in we were killed in the ruck and he was the number one mid.  Billy knows where to run and can run all day.  He sees options and makes good decisions.  He was very clean with his hands yesterday which is not always the case and his handballing was good.  He kicks it well in most cases but yesterday in both practice before the game and in the game itself he repeatedly left his passes a metre short of his target.  Very frustrating because those easy 25 metre passes have to be bread and butter at AFL level.  But good signs for Billy and if his opportunity comes he will at least be in good form.

Sam Frost:  Good and solid.  He's really too big and strong for his opposition at this level but it's his execution and decision making that can go astray.  He's in good form at this level and like many will wait his chance.

Jay Kennedy Harris:  I thought Jay played a solid game, found plenty of it, ran well and generally disposed of it well. He's come good in the last 6 quarters he's played but he's down the pecking order in getting a game in the seniors.  He's pretty good at this level.

Harley Balic:  Not as prominant as some other weeks but dangerous around goal and doesn't need many opportunities to hurt you.  Kicked a fantastic goal in the last from a very tight angle to get us going when we needed it.  He's got sure hands and is good above his head for his height and he knows how to find space and link play.  He's a smart player and in previous years at the club would have been quite valuable but where he fits with Kent to come back and Garlett still in the seconds who knows.  He has a little bit of that trait basketballers have when they convert to footy - that ability to find time and space.  Was he a BBer before footy?  Looks like it to me.  If he played today I'd be confident he'd competently play his role.

Tomas Bugg: Quite early but played a fair game by his standards.  He played quite deep forward for most of the day and it really didn't work.  But when he moved up the ground a bit we got involved and was always a danger although he didn't get it a lot.  He's a bit quicker than I thought too and his kicking was good yesterday.

Oscar Baker:  Good game overall and fantastic second half, particularly third quarter where he really dominated.  Quick, clean hands, runs hard and provided options.  Not sure his possessions really hurt the opposition yet but he is improving.  I don't think he's really close to getting a game but he's certainly showing some AFL attributes.

Mitch King:  First game back and just went.  Started forward and didn't have much impact and then shared rucking duties.

Harrison Petty:  I thought he was good.  Was outmarked in the goal square in the first and lost another marking contest later in the game.  Had one of his kicks intercepted later in the game but otherwise was terrific.  He's really good in the air and kicks very well.  This kid is just a guaranteed AFL footballer of the future and to me is showing more than Oscar did in his first year.  Already a favourite of mine.

Jeff Garlett:  I thought he was alright but only alright but do we expect too much of players when they go to VFL level.  He did some very good things, kicked a lovely goal and had a hand on some others but also had a number of uncharacteristic mistakes.  Not banging the door down.

Josh Wagner:  Just a game.  Solid and reliable but didn't catch the eye all that much.  He's a good size and athlete but just doesn't impose himself on games at the moment.

Joel Smith:  Didn't have a high possession game but looked very good in what he did.  Can't remember any clangers and he kicked a nice goal.  I liked the comparison to Jeremy Howe, very similar athletic abilities.  He looked a class above in what he did but he didn't do a whole lot.

Dec Keilty:  Solid game from Dec and like others have trouble separating him and Petty, they look very similar and being such a fan of Petty I might have attributed some good Dec things to Harrison.  But Dec went forward in the last and did well I thought.  Took some good marks and kicked a goal but more importantly gave us a target that the others hadn't.  I don't know where he stands in the pecking order with Frost and Petty but he's a capable and reliable (and brave) footballer.

Lachlan Filipovic:  Did quite well in the ruck but very little around the ground..  Seems to be just a young ruckman learning his craft and about 3 or 4 years away from maturity.  Watching and judging ruckman at this age must be difficult for supporters and FD alike wondering if they will flurish or fail.  It's too early to call for me on both our young rucks.

 

Great analysis Vogon, as someone who was also there I think you've pretty much nailed it.

Particularly accurate re: Tyson I think. Very hard to believe that ANB and Harmes, along with a couple of others, have now gone ahead of him but it's probably true at this point. He's clearly out of form but looked to regain some of what we're familiar with in the second term. Still not a walk up start at this point. 

[Engorged Onion 10,215]

In reading the Casey files over the past 6 weeks or so, I'm interested in Harley Balic, I get a sense he may be knocking on the door, and is putting forward a solid body of work - fair to say he could be close to getting a call up? If anyone has any observations?