Scratch Matches 2020

[Diamond_Jim 12,120]

8 minutes ago, Wells 11 said:

Interesting re weid. Im not a fan but Id love t see him step up and at least make Jackson work really hard to keep his spot. The trouble is that these scratch matches really give very little real indication of how a player would fare in 18 a side games. So the step up will be huge for players between the levels. Strange times. 

Weid rarely dominated at VFL level so this is a positive. I agree however that this match was not a great test if both he and Brown can kick 6 a piece.

Wonder who rucked while Weid was up forward

[Dee Zephyr 18,276]

We got a couple of mentions on the Carlton site. Jimmy Plunkett was one of the umps and we had 17 players enabling us 3 rotations whilst all 14 Blues played the entire 3x20 min periods.

[Diamond_Jim 12,120]

Did we ever get a report. From the Blues report it sounded like a decidedly low key affair. Marginally better than nothing I suppose.

 

[DistrACTION Jackson 6,973]

Really have to take these games with a grain of salt.

14 v 14 is really only good to keep players somewhat match fit.

The openness of the game would be so different to an actual match and it's no surprise Weid & Brown each kicked a heap of goals, as there would be no real zones.

Glad to see Weid kick some goals, but obviously coaches will be aware of the difference in conditions.

[La Dee-vina Comedia 16,534]

On 6/14/2020 at 11:50 AM, Dee Zephyr said:

We got a couple of mentions on the Carlton site. Jimmy Plunkett was one of the umps and we had 17 players enabling us 3 rotations whilst all 14 Blues played the entire 3x20 min periods.

Not that it matters, but that's an odd number (excuse the pun) of "quarters" (should I say, thirds?). Particularly if the wind was blowing consistently one way.

I'm just glad the players had an opportunity for something a bit more than traditional training although somewhat less than real match practice.

Edited June 15, 2020 by La Dee-vina Comedia

[spirit of norm smith 13,655]

On 6/14/2020 at 11:31 AM, drysdale demon said:

The biggest problem with Sam I think is confidence. He has shown he can perform, he just needs a major boost of confidence.

 Confidence and intensity 

[drdrake 3,066]

Sam is an almost there player, he is getting to the right spots, he is getting hands to the ball but he just didn't hold on to the mark.  If he can start hanging to the ball he will be a good player.

Not much to beat at the moment Tmac can't mark, is getting outmarked by his opponent, push off the ball to easy and offers nothing once it hits the ground.  At least Jackson has an excuse and will get better with each game, not sure about Tommy though he seems a spent player

[Watts the matter 1,235]

7 minutes ago, drdrake said:

Sam is an almost there player, he is getting to the right spots, he is getting hands to the ball but he just didn't hold on to the mark.  If he can start hanging to the ball he will be a good player.

Not much to beat at the moment Tmac can't mark, is getting outmarked by his opponent, push off the ball to easy and offers nothing once it hits the ground.  At least Jackson has an excuse and will get better with each game, not sure about Tommy though he seems a spent player

He doesn't know how to play against an opponent. He just wants to run and jump at the ball. So many times if he just put a little body to protect the drop spot of the ball he would be able to take easy marks. He is very easy to defend for this reason and while he will get away with it at lower levels, it won't translate to AFL.

Hoping we stick with Jackson but Max has said they basically flipped a coin on who to select for round 2 so wouldn't be surprised to see them swap this week.

[old dee 23,268]

14 players for 3 periods! what is that?

The Blues flung Preston so where does that leave them in relation to a reserves team in the future?

It was supposedly done for economic reasons. The Blues must be in trouble.

Does any one know the situation re the VFL moving forward?

 

[old dee 23,268]

1 minute ago, Watts the matter said:

He doesn't know how to play against an opponent. He just wants to run and jump at the ball. So many times if he just put a little body to protect the drop spot of the ball he would be able to take easy marks. He is very easy to defend for this reason and while he will get away with it at lower levels, it won't translate to AFL.

Hoping we stick with Jackson but Max has said they basically flipped a coin on who to select for round 2 so wouldn't be surprised to see them swap this week.

Fills me with convidence about team selection but says alot about who was selected.

[Rodney (Balls) Grinter 10,588]

On 6/14/2020 at 11:26 AM, Wells 11 said:

Interesting re weid. Im not a fan but Id love t see him step up and at least make Jackson work really hard to keep his spot. The trouble is that these scratch matches really give very little real indication of how a player would fare in 18 a side games. So the step up will be huge for players between the levels. Strange times. 

It honesty baffles me that Jackson was selected ahead of Weid against Carlton.  To me Jackson's lack of performance in preseason games had shown that he was some way off being ready for AFL footy.  It's not that Weid set the world on fire during the preseason, but he looked more competitive from Jackson, particularly considering Weid was being played somewhat out of position as an undersized ruckman. 

At least Weid has more of a mature body now than Jackson and the Weid has a reasonable track record of what he can do when fit.  Would have been a fair slap in the face for Weid to have Jackon selected ahead of him on the weekend.

If it was me, I'd be selecting Weid in 22 against Essendon.

Edited June 15, 2020 by Rodney (Balls) Grinter

[old dee 23,268]

11 minutes ago, Rodney (Balls) Grinter said:

It honesty baffles me that Jackson was selected ahead of Weid against Carlton.  To me Jackson's lack of performance in preseason games had shown that he was some way off being ready for AFL footy.  It's not that Weid set the world on fire during the preseason, but he looked more competitive from Jackson, particularly considering Weid was being played somewhat out of position as an undersized ruckman. 

At least Weid has more of a mature body now than Jackson and the Weid has a reasonable track record of what he can do when fit.  Would have been a fair slap in the face for Weid to have Jackon selected ahead of him on the weekend.

If it was me, I'd be selecting Weid in 22 against Essendon.

There are a lot more than you and I wondering on that one.

We gave the Weid a new contract last year and Recruited Brown from essendon as a KPF. First Game in 3 months comes and we pick a kid who has played nothing above under 18's last August? Why give a new contract to the Weid and why recruit Brown and why play Smith as a backman? Our FD beggars belief.

[Diamond_Jim 12,120]

20 minutes ago, old dee said:

14 players for 3 periods! what is that?

The Blues flung Preston so where does that leave them in relation to a reserves team in the future?

It was supposedly done for economic reasons. The Blues must be in trouble.

Does any one know the situation re the VFL moving forward?

 

There's a working group looking into it. (Of course)

Hard to tell but from what little you hear they are looking at an East Coast league that would mean the end of non aligned VFL clubs. Not sure where the aligned clubs would fit in... they have to get the extra players from somewhere

[old dee 23,268]

12 minutes ago, Diamond_Jim said:

There's a working group looking into it. (Of course)

Hard to tell but from what little you hear they are looking at an East Coast league that would mean the end of non aligned VFL clubs. Not sure where the aligned clubs would fit in... they have to get the extra players from somewhere

Thanks DJ, I miss a number of things at present going to see Casey play is one of them.

What we dont know at present would fill Port Philip Bay

[Lord Travis 10,333]

Weids drop in form has coincided with a lack of stability in his assigned role. He was drafted young and is still only 22 years old. He was on a clearly upward trajectory and was regularly kicking goals in the VFL when not playing at AFL. His last two months in 2018 at AFL level were very good and showed he has the tools to be a damaging forward. 

Fast forward to 2020 and he keeps getting thrown around, not being given a stable role up forward that he suits. His development has been poor, and I have no doubt if he leaves the club he will excel at another club. He's just another example of a talented youngster going backwards over time due to poor development. Look at Brayshaw - pick 3 and seven years on he's barely contributing. Petracca has taken forever to "shows signs" he could be a great player. Oliver stagnated years ago and is less damaging now than he was two years ago. And they're the more successful high draft picks. Look at others before them and it's embaressing. Until our club gets better at development, we will not be a competitor. 

Weid needs to come in for Jackson this week, and needs to play as a tall forward for a block of games, not thrown around the ground in a hybrid ruck role.

[MyFavouriteMartian 572]

3 hours ago, old dee said:

There are a lot more than you and I wondering on that one.

We gave the Weid a new contract last year and Recruited Brown from essendon as a KPF. First Game in 3 months comes and we pick a kid who has played nothing above under 18's last August? Why give a new contract to the Weid and why recruit Brown and why play Smith as a backman? Our FD beggars belief.

Its obvious the club wants TMc to play deep,  the main target, so he's put on weight to hold ground.  

Brown is a runner,  tall who IMO has been recruited to fill the old TMc role of leadup half-forward,  roaming outside the F50.

That brings us back to Weide,  who I think will play the pocket, alongside TMc;  with TMc helping Weide develop in that role.

 

I'm expecting to see the 3 talls swapping in and out of the team, as needs.  JacksonBrownWeide.

.

Edited June 15, 2020 by MyFavouriteMartian

[binman 39,697]

8 minutes ago, MyFavouriteMartian said:

Its obvious the club wants TMc to play deep,  the main target, so he's put on weight to hold ground.  

 

Tmac got the memo and has done his bit. Stacked on the kegs binge watching Netflix. Gary Ablett got the same memo i reckon.

But the coaching staff can't have got the memo.

Because i don't reckon he set up deep once. That was left to the skinniest player in the team, who was the main target - even after getting smashed by Jones in the second half.

[MyFavouriteMartian 572]

9 minutes ago, binman said:

Tmac got the memo and has done his bit. Stacked on the kegs binge watching Netflix. Gary Ablett got the same memo i reckon.

But the coaching staff can't have got the memo.

Because i don't reckon he set up deep once. That was left to the skinniest player in the team, who was the main target - even after getting smashed by Jones in the second half.

We won't setup with Fritta there like that, all the time.

Do you expect that will be the lineup each week, with all forwards playing out,  and Fritta  one-on-one,  in the goal square.?

[dazzledavey36 49,849]

Player review by Matty Egan.

https://www.melbournefc.com.au/news/706162/the-reserves-practice-match-all-17-players-reviewed

[Demonland 66,987]

https://www.melbournefc.com.au/news/706162/the-reserves-practice-match-all-17-players-reviewed

WITH no VFL in action due to COVID-19, the AFL clubs have had to come together and find another way to give the players outside their best 22 a hit-out.

For Melbourne, that came in the form of a 14 v 14 practice match against Carlton on Saturday morning.

The clash at Ikon Park, which took place ahead of the Demons one-point Round 2 win, saw 17 players take to the field in a bid to put their hand up for selection next week.

While scores weren’t recorded, the Dees were in control of the game, kicking close to 10 goals more than their opposition.

This is how the boys performed, according to the side’s coach, Matthew Egan.

Sam Weideman

“Sammy Weideman played up forward and in the ruck and his aerial work was very good. He really jumped at the ball, provided a really good target and his goal kicking was very good as well. Him and Mitch Brown both kicked five (goals).”

Mitch Brown

“Browny’s movement was very good – his leading at the ball was excellent. The whole forward line just functioned really well, they took their turn and Browny got off his man really well.”

Mitch Hannan

“It was just good to see him back playing footy and he moved really well. His speed and power was definitely on show and his ability to get off his opponent with multiple leads was really good. He played a really selfless role as well – he gave a few off. He didn’t look rusty at all – he came back and was straight back into it.”

Aaron vandenBerg

“Again, it was good just to see him play out a full game. He played mainly in the midfield and his contest work, as always, was really solid, and his ability to get out of contested areas was a highlight as well.”

Kysaiah Pickett

“Kozzy mainly played forward, but we used him on-ball a little bit and he ended up with 19 possessions and a few clearances. He looked dangerous, his decision making with the ball was very good and he was moving across the ground really well – he gets right up and races back into the forward line.”

Michael Hibberd

“Hibbo played a little bit down on game time just in case he was needed for the AFL, but when he was on he was defending really well. He took four intercept marks and looked very comfortable with the other backs.”

Jay Lockhart

“He missed a little bit of training with a sore quad, so he was a bit stiff to miss out on selection, but he was really influential – in particular in the second half. He helped out his teammates in the air and used the ball really well coming out of defence – he looked really good.”

Toby Bedford

“Toby kicked a couple of goals on the run. It was a tough day for small forwards, but he used his speed and run and carry. When he got his chances, he made the most of them, so it was a good game by Tobes.”

Charlie Spargo 

“Spargs moved around a little bit – he played high half-forward, on-ball and a little bit on the wing. The ball went over his head a bit because we were kicking it to the keys a fair bit, but he ran really good patterns and was really clean.”

Oscar McDonald

“His aerial presence was pretty dominant. He jumped at the ball really well and took a few really good intercept marks in a few contests down the line.”

Kade Chandler

“He’s been down back for a couple of weeks in the match sim and he’s been going really well there. We’ve been using him as a high half-back that can join in offence because he’s a really good ball user. His game was good, he understands what he needs to do as a defender and he beat his man a lot of the time, so it was a good first game for him in 10 months.”

Josh Wagner

“He had a really good game and his defending was the highlight. There was a lot of space, there was only four v four in the backline, and he just gave his opponent no areas to work in.”

James Jordon

“JJ’s ability to hit bodies, lay tackles and win the hard ball was a highlight of his pre-season and particularly his last four weeks. That’s why he was named emergency, so he’s developing really nicely.”

Tom Sparrow

“Along with JJ, his physicality around the ball was good, but more so his ability to get out of contested areas. He has genuine power and speed to leave the contest and that was really on show. It was good to see his inside and outside run on Saturday.”

Kyle Dunkley

“He played mostly on the wing, where he’s been going really well the last three weeks. The game was a bit more through the middle and didn’t get out to the wingers a lot, but he played his role really well.”

Oskar Baker

“Oskar was on the other wing and it was one of his better games. He knew what he needed to do, and he had a few highlights with a goal from 60m and a squaring pass to Weids while running inside 50.”

Austin Bradtke

“It was probably his best game for the club. He rucked for most of the game and his work at the centre bounce and follow up around the ground was really good. He followed up and kicked a goal at one stage and had 13 possessions which was good to see.”

Corey Wagner didn’t partake in the game, being carried over as emergency.

[old dee 23,268]

30 minutes ago, binman said:

Tmac got the memo and has done his bit. Stacked on the kegs binge watching Netflix. Gary Ablett got the same memo i reckon.

But the coaching staff can't have got the memo.

Because i don't reckon he set up deep once. That was left to the skinniest player in the team, who was the main target - even after getting smashed by Jones in the second half.

I have a feeling that FD struggle with the written word.

[Pates 9,562]

Sounds like we dominated, good sign in terms of depth and it puts pressure on the players in the 22.

[binman 39,697]

1 hour ago, MyFavouriteMartian said:

We won't setup with Fritta there like that, all the time.

Do you expect that will be the lineup each week, with all forwards playing out,  and Fritta  one-on-one,  in the goal square.?

Who knows. I only have the one game to go on. Where precisely that happened.

What makes think they will change that and play TMac deep?

[Earl Hood 5,890]

Would love Sparrow to get a guernsey to see what he has got. But gee as an inside/outside mid he is going to struggle to get a run with Oliver, Viney, Tracc, Brayshaw and Harmes and newbies Langdon and Tomlinson ahead of him. Only so many midfield/wing spots available I suppose. 

[Wiseblood 24,636]

Bit of a nothing game really.  Lots of positives, sure, but we can't take a massive amount of it.

What I do like is that we have a pretty fit list, and there is still some players who can come into the side and have an impact going forward.  Hopefully that puts pressure on those in the AFL side and helps to ramp up the performances going forward.