It’s Mitch Brown before Luke Jackson. The kid needs to develop, clearances aren’t a concern... getting goals are.

North's forward structure was dreadful, not going to get gifts like that every week.

Not much good that came out of this other than a win and no injuries, but good to get a game into everyone. Brayshaw's first half was ordinary but he was instantly better for the run after half time. Loved Forward Fritsch too.

I went to Arden Street today. It’s not the best viewing ground with no elevation to speak of, and they inexplicably didn’t sell any food or beverages despite a healthy crowd in on a Friday afternoon. Oh well, North’s $$$ they lost out on. 

Overall it was a nice outing and we were clearly the better side. Not often do I pay attention to the quality of opposition in a pre season game, but North were noticeably awful. 

We went really hard at the ball and had some really good overlap happening, particularly in the first three quarters. Goal kicking was abysmal but let’s get that out of the way in a game that doesn’t matter.

Rivers, twice in the space of 5 minutes in the third quarter, executed risky kicks down the corridor from the back 50 that both paid off and both resulted in Melbourne scores. I really liked the boldness and skill of that. He’s a dark horse to play early in the season. Hibberd better watch out if he brings his 2019 form.

Mitch Brown, 0.5 I think, but he is the next Pederson for sure. Really like what he brings.

 

For those who might be wondering - KOSI didn’t play at all in the last quarter. He was very impressive in the preceding three. 

Great spirit out there today.

North wanted to intimidate and were left in the dust

Tarrant and Daw both tried to intimidate Fritsch and hurt him but he just worked back into it and was courageous and skilful.....a really great clubman

Anyone have access to some stats? Interested to know what numbers people racked up. 

I was definitely expecting a loss from what the team was looking like, that we beat them can only be a good thing for the confidence in the boys. We started losing early in 2019 and kept that going, getting wins now just builds a bit of belief that they’re doing the right things. 

Go again for Hawthorn, get three wins with good forward momentum. (The Essendon game can barely count given it was essentially Casey Scorpions playing)

18 minutes ago, Supermercado said:

North's forward structure was dreadful, not going to get gifts like that every week.

Not much good that came out of this other than a win and no injuries, but good to get a game into everyone. Brayshaw's first half was ordinary but he was instantly better for the run after half time. Loved Forward Fritsch too.

Gus' game picked up after he got angry after a late tackle on him and a bit of aggro back and forth between him and his opponent. Perhaps he needs to get ruffed up before he goes out on the field during the season.

2 minutes ago, Pates said:

Anyone have access to some stats? Interested to know what numbers people racked up. 

I was definitely expecting a loss from what the team was looking like, that we beat them can only be a good thing for the confidence in the boys. We started losing early in 2019 and kept that going, getting wins now just builds a bit of belief that they’re doing the right things. 

Go again for Hawthorn, get three wins with good forward momentum. (The Essendon game can barely count given it was essentially Casey Scorpions playing)

On my third beer, does that count

17 minutes ago, No Plan B said:

I went to Arden Street today. It’s not the best viewing ground with no elevation to speak of, and they inexplicably didn’t sell any food or beverages despite a healthy crowd in on a Friday afternoon. Oh well, North’s $$$ they lost out on. 

Overall it was a nice outing and we were clearly the better side. Not often do I pay attention to the quality of opposition in a pre season game, but North were noticeably awful. 

We went really hard at the ball and had some really good overlap happening, particularly in the first three quarters. Goal kicking was abysmal but let’s get that out of the way in a game that doesn’t matter.

Rivers, twice in the space of 5 minutes in the third quarter, executed risky kicks down the corridor from the back 50 that both paid off and both resulted in Melbourne scores. I really liked the boldness and skill of that. He’s a dark horse to play early in the season. Hibberd better watch out if he brings his 2019 form.

Mitch Brown, 0.5 I think, but he is the next Pederson for sure. Really like what he brings.

 

For those who might be wondering - KOSI didn’t play at all in the last quarter. He was very impressive in the preceding three. 

The most impressive thing about that was the fact he'd butchered one earlier in the game that resulted in an uncontested mark and goal to Norf. Didn't dent his confidence at all as he was more than happy to back himself in and go for his kicks.

I don't recall seeing him in the last quarter either, did he sit it out also? If he did it suggests he's earned himself a spot in Marsh 2 I think. It wouldn't be a coincidence either that we half struggled to move the ball from defence in the last quarter.

18 minutes ago, No Plan B said:

I went to Arden Street today. It’s not the best viewing ground with no elevation to speak of, and they inexplicably didn’t sell any food or beverages despite a healthy crowd in on a Friday afternoon. Oh well, North’s $$$ they lost out on. 

Overall it was a nice outing and we were clearly the better side. Not often do I pay attention to the quality of opposition in a pre season game, but North were noticeably awful. 

We went really hard at the ball and had some really good overlap happening, particularly in the first three quarters. Goal kicking was abysmal but let’s get that out of the way in a game that doesn’t matter.

Rivers, twice in the space of 5 minutes in the third quarter, executed risky kicks down the corridor from the back 50 that both paid off and both resulted in Melbourne scores. I really liked the boldness and skill of that. He’s a dark horse to play early in the season. Hibberd better watch out if he brings his 2019 form.

Mitch Brown, 0.5 I think, but he is the next Pederson for sure. Really like what he brings.

 

For those who might be wondering - KOSI didn’t play at all in the last quarter. He was very impressive in the preceding three. 

Thanks for your little write up, lots of positives to speak of. 

How the Roos didn’t have the mental capacity to put on a couple of Sausage sizzles at either end of the grounds, hell even just do the profits for bushfire relief, is just plain bizarre. We complain about our club at times but really it sounds like North are amateur hour at times. 

A question for those that know these things 

how “strong” wS the north side, not full strength surely, the low scores for the first half. Meant I thought unskilled players mainly. 
thoughts please??

Go Dees 2020 !!

1 minute ago, 640MD said:

A question for those that know these things 

how “strong” wS the north side, not full strength surely, the low scores for the first half. Meant I thought unskilled players mainly. 
thoughts please??

Go Dees 2020 !!

I was wondering this also, expected us to get comfortably beaten 

2 minutes ago, 640MD said:

A question for those that know these things 

how “strong” wS the north side, not full strength surely, the low scores for the first half. Meant I thought unskilled players mainly. 
thoughts please??

Go Dees 2020 !!

Missing around 8 of their best

5 minutes ago, BW511 said:

I was wondering this also, expected us to get comfortably beaten 

No Cunnington, Ziebel, Goldstein or Brown, among others. Pretty important pieces of their puzzle, right there. Mind you, we were much the same as far as key players missing was concerned. 

Edited February 28, 20205 yr by Mel Bourne

Anyone know where any vfl 2020 premiership odds have been posted? 

18 minutes ago, Pates said:

Thanks for your little write up, lots of positives to speak of. 

How the Roos didn’t have the mental capacity to put on a couple of Sausage sizzles at either end of the grounds, hell even just do the profits for bushfire relief, is just plain bizarre. We complain about our club at times but really it sounds like North are amateur hour at times. 

I was all ready to spend my hard earned on 2 snags and a coke. North's loss and the sushi place up the road and my waistlines gain (or in the case of my wasitline a loss).

2 minutes ago, 640MD said:

A question for those that know these things 

how “strong” wS the north side, not full strength surely, the low scores for the first half. Meant I thought unskilled players mainly. 
thoughts please??

Go Dees 2020 !!

They were missing:
Forward: Ben Brown, Larkey, T Thomas, Garner, Simpkin
Mid: Higgins, Cunnington, Ziebell, Polec, Goldstein
Back: Luke McDonald?

We were missing:
Forward: T McDonald, Weid/Jackson/Petty, ANB
Mid: Petracca, Oliver, Viney, Langdon, Gawn
Back: Hibberd, Jetta, May, Lever, Salem, Harmes

Both teams missing their best 5 mids. I was impressed by our make shift backline doing a very good job but North didn't have much of a forward line in. And our forward line wasn't as depleted as our other units - given we don't know who is best 22 from that group - but apart from bad goal kicking they did well against a strong North backline.

 

Fritsch is genuine star full forward material, and Rivers is the perfect replacement for Hibberd if he doesn’t get his act back into gear.

Just now, DeeSpencer said:

They were missing:
Forward: Ben Brown, Larkey, T Thomas, Garner, Simpkin
Mid: Higgins, Cunnington, Ziebell, Polec, Goldstein
Back: Luke McDonald?

We were missing:
Forward: T McDonald, Weid/Jackson/Petty, ANB
Mid: Petracca, Oliver, Viney, Langdon, Gawn
Back: Hibberd, Jetta, May, Lever, Salem, Harmes

Both teams missing their best 5 mids. I was impressed by our make shift backline doing a very good job but North didn't have much of a forward line in. And our forward line wasn't as depleted as our other units - given we don't know who is best 22 from that group - but apart from bad goal kicking they did well against a strong North backline.

Given that and our wayward kicking I still believe we would have won comfortably with Brown in their team today.

Add in all their missing and ours we still win and I say that with an unblemished record of suffering a severe case of MFCSS.

Who was number 37 for us?  He is a seriously good footballer....

Just now, george_on_the_outer said:

Who was number 37 for us?  He is a seriously good footballer....

Mitch Lewis

26 minutes ago, Reader said:

Great spirit out there today.

North wanted to intimidate and were left in the dust

Tarrant and Daw both tried to intimidate Fritsch and hurt him but he just worked back into it and was courageous and skilful.....a really great clubman

Fritsch looks skinny, but woe betide anyone who thinks he can be intimidated - he is as hard as a cat’s head.

10 minutes ago, 640MD said:

A question for those that know these things 

how “strong” wS the north side, not full strength surely, the low scores for the first half. Meant I thought unskilled players mainly. 
thoughts please??

Go Dees 2020 !!

Honestly both sides were probably as strong or as weak as each other. They had virtually none of their top liners, with the exception of Tarrant who was really out their for a run around, while we were similar but with Melk and Brayshaw doing the same. They just had more AFL listed players.

What stood out was the game style of both teams, unlike last year where we seemed to go away from any real noticeable game plan, you could see all our players were on the same page, playing the same -quick movement, running support game plan. They got caught so often in our Fwd50, because it seemed like they had no idea where they should be heading. Really good signs for us, the test of course comes against better oppositions who like to run and know what where their teammates are going.

1 minute ago, WERRIDEE said:

Mitch Lewis

Thanks.....if he performs like that each week at Casey, he could be another Bayley type story....

2 minutes ago, Demonland said:

Given that and our wayward kicking I still believe we would have won comfortably with Brown in their team today.

Add in all their missing and ours we still win and I say that with an unblemished record of suffering a severe case of MFCSS.

It's just a hole different game with all the missing players back in. 

If we were able to generate the same forward pressure and the same wins in the clearances then I think we win the game based on the very good field position and pressure game we played today.

It was a tick for our system of play but maybe the Brown, Fritsch and 4 smalls that caused North a lot of trouble doesn't work against a proper AFL side. We won't even be playing such a small pressuring forward line come round 1. Too many variable to extrapolate overall results.

1 hour ago, JakovichScissorKick said:

I asked this question in the pre-game thread

Can Bedford step up and show what hes capable of?

 

I asked it for a reason...  I believe the kid has star potential.  And he showed plenty today.

I liked what I saw from him as well, not sure he has star potential, more skillful ANB, without the extreme fitness at the moment - clearly he's worked very hard on it though. If he continues Bedford and Kossie will be the perfect pairing for 10 years for us, Kossie withe the flash and scare, while Bedford will create goals through continual pressure and good decisions.