Sandy game scores

[Redleg 40,895]

From Beach Road Barry. Sandy 6.10.46 to 2.6.18.

Wheatley 3 goals and BOG. Newton 2 goals. Dunn has an injury to the face. Yze is going ok.

I presume it was a half time score. Barry said Bartram was playing and doing well.

I will post more as he updates me.

[Edited by mod]

[Beach Road Bazza 0]

Indeed it was Clint Bartram who played only a half a game today and he was one of the best coming off half back.

Redleg got the message a bit wrong. It was Paul Wheatley who I had as BOG up to the main break and he continued on in that vein until he went off around three quarter time.

Michael Newton ended with 5 goals 2 behinds and he could've kicked a couple more.

The final score saw Sandringham win by 2 points 13.15.93 to 13.13.91. The Zebras were down to no reserves and a couple of players not 100% on the ground and they did well to hold on. Chad Liddell and Ezra Poyas only played half a game and Gallagher was also off in the final quarter.

Lynden Dunn copped a bad whack to the face early in the game and we're hoping there was no fracture.

PJ got a lot of the ball and marked and rucked well today. Shane Neaves played a good game as his back up. Godders worked hard and took a few knocks but kept bouncing up. Kicking still nothing much. Heath Neville was quiet early but got some of the ball later on.

Adem Yze worked pretty well in the middle but was by no means outstanding. All in all, not enough to win a place back in the best 22.

Sandringham 1.4.10 6.10.46 9.12.66 13.15.93

Port Melbourne 2.5.17 2.6.18 6.9.45 13.13.91

Goals: Newton 5, Wheatley 3, Yze 2, P Johnson, Neaves, Summers.

Best: Wheatley, Summers, P Johnson, Bartram, Yze, Newton, Monahan

Had a chat with Isaac Weetra who is pretty much recovered from his hamstring injury and is confident of getting some valuable game time in next week's practice match.

Reserves: Port Melbourne 22.16.148 defeated Sandringham 7.7.49

[Jumping Jack Clennett 1,780]

Newton should remain at Full Forward(I presume he was). Sautner to HFF(is there such a position?)

[mikeod 21]

Was happy with most of the MFC listed players. Bartram came off at half time as said, and had ice strapped to his ankle, but looked happy enough...

Lots of MFC players down there - Robbo was walking the dogs.

Newton looked really good, as did Wheatley in the first half. Godders tried hard but the skills still aren't there (surprise!). No Byron Pickett this weekend, which I found a bit interesting.

[Dappa Dan 2,188]

Just got back from the game. A pretty good 2 point victory, played at a pace that was perhaps a fraction quicker than your average praccy, but not quite like a H&A match.

Yze had a busy first quarter, then Port players were rotated on him in the second. He came out and lifted a little in the third, kicking an opportunistic receiver's goal, then had a fantastic last quarter where he snapped a very important one from 40 out on a 45 degree angle, then drove a player into the ground, winning a free that resulted directly in a goal. Got up gingerly too. At 3/4 time I was unsure about whether he did well or not, but by the end I had him in my best 3 on the ground. At worst you could say it was a solid match as he was consistent throughout, played in the guts, and was tagged out of it only for the second quarter. If what they wanted was a solid performance to select him, then that's what he gave. Up to half time I thought he was playing fairly outside, but then he mixed it up as the game went on. Still not sure what will happen to him. I snuck him into my 22, but not with ANY confidence.

Dunn was smacked in the face and went off after 30 seconds, never to return. I was [censored] as it was exciting to see he and Juice in the square.

Newton was sensational. Led and marked absolutely flawlessly all day, sometimes up against 2 defenders. GENUINELY exciting, and seemed to excel when given such a difficult task. PJ and Neaves drifted forward at times, but neither did very well in the forward line. Neaves took one strong grab and goal in the opening few minutes, and PJ did some good things, But Newton was our solo target and was definitely my BOG for Sandy. Worked his proverbial off, absolutely no sign of attitude problems, went in hard, tackled ferociously, bumped and hassled at every opportunity while playing smart footy not giving away frees. Marks like he has superglue on his hands. In the first half he drifted in and out of the game, but just got more and more dominant as the game wore on and ended up the most dominant forward in the game. Besides Ooze obviously, the story of the day for me.

It warmed the cockles of my heart to see Bartram running around again. Gee he looked good. He was blowing pretty hard at the end of the half and didn't come back on after half time along with Chad Liddell and maybe one other. From the beginning he worked his way into the contest and started to look a cut above this level before he was rested. Wonderful player really, considering his setbacks. He won't be missing for long you'd suggest. "Converted Dee" reckons he'll be back round 4 at the latest. Probably true given today's performance.

Nick Smith was nowhere to be seen all day. It's a big call, but I don't reckon he'll play for the dees this year...

Godfrey was Godfrey. Didn't do a lot until the last quarter when we needed some hard bodies and experience to keep the ball in our possession. At this stage he appeared to lift. You can always count on effort from him, that's never been the problem. He's actually a pretty good player at this level. No matchwinner today though.

PJ had his moments, but to be honest I only saw glimpses of a Liston medal(trophy?) winner. One thing I love about him is his pace and work below his knees. At a number of points he'd send smaller/quicker players into a spin running around them and delivering into the forward-line. In one such incident he did just that and drilled it down the oppositions' throat, kept running and aaaaaalmost retireved the resulting clearing kick. It's very pleasing to see a player who hasn't made it working and running that hard. While he wasn't sensational, I still have hope for him. Ruckwork is still a worry though, but then how much can we expect from a guy who's been recovering over the pre-season. He's certainly fit, however.

Neaves really didn't impress me today. I've certainly seen him play way better. When he got to the ball he made a number of pretty bad blues and skill errors. He's a pretty good contested mark, and is just enormous, even next to PJ. He was played in Dunn's spot, but didn't do enough realy. His ruckwork predictably was better than PJ's.

Neville moves pretty well actually. Got a little bit of it, and looks like an ok VFL player, but when you compare him to guys like Buckley/CJ/Wheatley he's just too far off. I'd like to see him get 20+ touches a few times and really have some sort of impact on a game. Yet to see that happen.

Wheatley started pretty slowly, but then kicked either 2 or 3 goals in the second quarter to set up a lead that basically won us the game. Went off after 3/4 time and iced up his hammys or groin. Looked fairly unhindered by lack of fitness/bad form/injury. Wouldn't say he was BOG, but he was good when he was on.

Saw Bate, Bruce, Buckley, Jones, Brock, Rivers, Robbo, Petterd, Ward, Weetra and Garland wandering around and standing in a big group on the beach rd wing of the ground. Bate doesn't look nearly as tall in person. Brucey is fit as a fiddle, Buckley has a bigger chest than most girls I know, from the neck down Brock looks like Sly Stallone circa 1970-80s, Rivers is a bigger boy in person, Petterd seems very popular with the senior players (and some of the better looking girls), Garland is eating healthy and is taller-looking and wider when you stand next to him. I learned something new today. Weetra wears glasses.

A good day out at Sandy considering the relative importance of the game. Encouraging signs. Still have no idea if Ooze will play round 1 though, unfortunately. But Newton was fantastic all on his own, and not even in the reserves. A joy to watch.

[Rhino Richards 1,467]

Thanks Dappa. Its long trip from Kogorah. B)

Good summary. How did you view Yze'z game given he played in the centre? Apart from a couple of cameos did he appear to work hard all day?

If you were to play him in Rd 1 was he good enough for the AFL midfield where he has not been for two years or would you let him play up forward?

Very good news about Newton. I assume there was no Sautner. Is that correct?

Nice call on Nick Smith...were you serious? He got delisted at the end of last year.

[mikeod 21]

Yze played probably a quarter in the middle.

Layed a couple of very good tackles, but was certainly not in my top 5.

Correct in thinking Sautner didn't play RR.

[maximum bob 462]

Thanks for the reports. As always much appreciated.

Great to here that Newton is putting in and delivering. He could be a gun and it would surprise me if ND hadn't had an up close and personal chat with him during the off-season along the lines of 'Well, it's up to you son. Make up your mind.'

For whatever faults ND might have, suffering fools gladly isn't one of them.

[Wrecker45 3,378]

Nick Smith was nowhere to be seen all day. It's a big call, but I don't reckon he'll play for the dees this year...

Not much of a concern I hear he'll be back in 4 2 6

[John Dee 445]

I slipped down to watch the game today. I missed the first 5 minutes, but, now I know what happened to Dunn. I was on the wing next to the main scoreboard sitting with a couple of Port supporters. Newton impressed me greatly; It was the first time I have seen him live. He should have got 6 or 7. What impessed me most was his judgement; He seemed to judge the flight of the ball far better than the players around him and knew when to work to the front and take the mark and, also, showed that he could drop to the back and take a basically uncontested mark. Early days, but, showed plenty.

Godders was Godders; Yze was Yze. Godders was head down bum up, in the packs, forcing the ball forward more by will than skill. Yze was on the outside, showing ridiculous skill. A mark that Yze dropped near me typifies his game; Yze came out on a lead and the ball was kicked to him. The kick was not perfect, but, a little extra effort would have got Yze an easy mark, The effort was not there, the mark was dropped, but, Yze gathered the ball on the ground and it was no contest for him to get around the onrushing Port defender. Yze has far too much skill to play at VFL level. Yze does not have class, class is skill and committment combined.

[Dappa Dan 2,188]

Thanks Dappa. Its long trip from Kogorah. B)

Good summary. How did you view Yze'z game given he played in the centre? Apart from a couple of cameos did he appear to work hard all day?

If you were to play him in Rd 1 was he good enough for the AFL midfield where he has not been for two years or would you let him play up forward?

Very good news about Newton. I assume there was no Sautner. Is that correct?

Nice call on Nick Smith...were you serious? He got delisted at the end of last year.

Back in Vic now, for good. (Thank god! Too many riots in Kogarah)

Yze played more than a quarter in the guts, I thought. Much more. He also played the entire game on the pitch, despite getting a niggle towards the end of the match.

The short answer to your question is no. He didn't work hard ALL DAY, at least not in the way I think you're suggesting. There were flashes, and particularly in the last quarter he had a fair dinkum dip, but if I ever see him take a tackler on I'll be stunned. You had guys like Bartram getting set up by his team-mates and getting crunched, but not taking a backward step and winning possession or free kicks, or walking through tacklers. When similar plays happened to Ooze he'd try to think his way through it. A smart toe-poke to advantage, a shepherd to let someone else do the work. There's nothing wrong with that, as someone has to do the shepherding and smart things, but there's a clear difference between the way he approaches the contested footy and the way Brock/Bate/Bartram etc approach it. Yze will always do the smart thing, which is admirable if appropriate, but those others will do the courageous thing at EVERY opportunity. Can't help but feel as though there's a bit of CAC & ND in that, but I can't prove it.

I suppose, now that I read that back to myself, that I may be being a bit harsh. He made good position and had a high workrate, and he was ok in that sense, but I have a feeling you meant more "did he work hard in the contested situations."

I reckon you're right that he's not quite been sharp enough for the midfield in a couple of years, but he has played there as recently as in the Saints final last year. I'm not actively against him being played there as second or third tier option, but not at the expense of a raft of hard, gun mids we have already (Bate, Moloney, Jones, McLean, McDonald... the list goes on). My feeling, and that of "converted dee" is that he was only being played there to find some more of the footy and accelerate his improvement in confidence. Would I play him up forward? To be honest, despite his two goals and wonderful tackle on the fifty, I've not seen anything to make me think I'd change his positioning in the past 4 weeks. He can get you 25 kicks (and 4 opposition goals) in defence, can net you 2+ goals as a sneaky marking or crumbing option up forward, or he can run around a wing. His performance today was pretty strong, but it was just a VFL praccy. It has done NOTHING to convince me he's changed the way he plays the game, and I'm still sceptical about his involvement in round 1. For example, when running free he looked good, but not scintillating, then he was tagged out of the game by a young Port bloke. I honestly don't know RR, like I said, he's still 50/50 for mine.

If he plays round 1, have him start on the bench like Trav, then come on when you find a hole in attack or defence. If he fails, let him find some confidence in the VFL. Personally I wouldn't trust him with the responsibility of 120 minutes in one position, and a role on one of the oppositions main players. Too risky.

That was the best thing about Newton's game as compared to last year. No Sauntner, Dunn, Smith, Holland, Summers (?), and even Neaves and PJ didn't feature too much today. He was pretty much on his own as a tall. Right at the end Ooze was at CHF for a centre-bounce! The cynics will say Juice had a paddock to work in, and a midget VFL player to play on, but despite those criticisms he was mouth-watering today. Sanutner played last week and was woeful. He sat out most of the second half, and when he came on he looked disinterested. I don't think he was injured, but I can't come up with an explanation for his being in a Green shirt talking to the demons all day.

Oh, and on Smith... I expect better from you than to think I wouldn't know THAT....

ed: I've just read the report on MFC.com, and found that Ooze had 25 touches and over a dozen tackles. I think you may find the tackles stat is an exaggeration, but I could be wrong. It'd surprise me anyway.

Also...

Bartram had 17 touches in a half

Wheatley had 23 in 3 quarters, including 3 goals in the second.

Godfrey collected 25 touches.

Sylvia will play VFL next week... Apparently.

[Dappa Dan 2,188]

Not much of a concern I hear he'll be back in 4 2 6

boom boom

[maximum bob 462]

I slippd down to watch the game today. I missed the first 5 minutes, but, now I know what happened to Dunn. I was on the wing next to the main scoreboard sitting with a couple of Port supporters. Newton impressed me greatly; It was the first time I have seen him live. He should have got 6 or 7. What impessed me most was his judgement; He seemed to judge the flight of the ball far better than the players around him and knew when to work to the front and take the mark and, also, showed that he could drop to the back and take a basically uncontested mark. Early days, but, showed plenty.

Godders was Godders; Yze was Yze. Godders was head down bum up, in the packs, forcing the ball forward more by will than skill. Yze was on the outside, showing ridiculous skill. A mark that Yze dropped near me typifies his game; Yze came out on a lead and the ball was kicked to him. The kick was not perfect, but, a little extra effort would have got Yze an easy mark, The effort was not there, the mark was dropped, but, Yze gathered the ball on the ground and it was no contest for him to get around the onrushing Port defender. Yze has far too much skill to play at VFL level. Yze does not have class, class is skill and commiiment combined.

A perceptive point - 'class is skill and commitment combined'. When Yze plays a full game of hard, committed footy as a team player then I'll revise my current opinion of him. Skill has never been in doubt. His attitude has.

[mikeod 21]

Ooze had 25 touches and over a dozen tackles. I think you may find the tackles stat is an exaggeration, but I could be wrong. It'd surprise me anyway.

I'm not too surprised at his tackle count - he had a couple of ripping tackles in the last quarter, one that directly resulted in a goal...

[Dappa Dan 2,188]

I'm not too surprised at his tackle count - he had a couple of ripping tackles in the last quarter, one that directly resulted in a goal...

Correct, as I pointed out in an earlier post. He certainly tackled players. But over a dozen times? That can't be right... Surely.

[deetail 0]

Lynden Dunn copped a bad whack to the face early in the game and we're hoping there was no fracture.

Dunny in surgery tonight to have a compressed fracture of the cheek repaired from an elbow early in the first quarter today.

[Rhino Richards 1,467]

Correct, as I pointed out in an earlier post. He certainly tackled players. But over a dozen times? That can't be right... Surely.

Thanks for that. I guess the issue with Yze is its hard to tell if fails if you play him on the bench.

Unlike a TJ, who can float into a game for 15 minutes and with brilliance change a game, I think Yze needs to be on the pitch to add value I am not confident he give you anything but a flashy receiver if he comes on in the heat of the game.

My view is if he is not deemed good enough to play in the main 18, I wouldn't pick him and would play him at Sandy. I could not bear any further half arsed front running performances from him.

With his skill and ability he should towel the VFL opposition (much like Newton did today without the AFL experience). However I am concerned that despite the stat sheets showing a number of possessions, Yze just did enough.

I'd like to see Yze retained at Sandy until he shows he WANTS to play AFL football. He needs to provide the performance where frankly he spanks the opposition and shows hunger to win the ball. Its cheap and easy on the outside and even more so in the VFL.

I dont believe Yze has the hunger or the WANT to play. I trust he looked good in 66 for the Zebras. He might make it his own until he works out what he truly wants to do football wise.

[Guest dee'viator]

Just got back from the game. A pretty good 2 point victory, played at a pace that was perhaps a fraction quicker than your average praccy, but not quite like a H&A match.

A good day out at Sandy considering the relative importance of the game. Encouraging signs. Still have no idea if Ooze will play round 1 though, unfortunately. But Newton was fantastic all on his own, and not even in the reserves. A joy to watch.

Thanks for your thoughts 'Dappa Dan'..

[BrownlowBruce 1]

OMG

yze was asked to perform in the VFL and wat did he do?

PERFORM, YZE is not a known big tackler, and from reports he did alot of hard work.

Maybe its a coincidence but it sounds to me he is fair dinkum. Yze will never be a hard nut. DEAL WITH IT.

Yze round 1- forward pocket.

uve got to be kidding urself if u think he wont play.

[DEES 0]

great stuff dappa, glad to hear about newton, yze and bartram, but it sucks about what happen to dunn. Even though newton hasn't played any senior footy he is one of my favourite players and i hope dunn gets better soon. Does anyone know how bad the injury is? also its good to hear how yze went, but from your reports i'm still unsure about how he'll play this season. i reckon he'll be in the best 22 come round 1, but i hope he starts playing for the team instead of himself and can find the consistency and effort that made him such a good player .

[Whispering_Jack 30,019]

Some at the club think Adem Yze did OK - http://melbournefc.com.au/Season2007/News/...px?newsId=39732

My view is that he's still borderline at the moment but it might be good for him and the club if he spends a couple of weeks at Sandringham.

As for Newton, let's not get too carried away. He's potentially good but still a fair way off although, strangely enough, Lynden Dunn's injury might help him get closer to his first AFL game.

[Guest]

great stuff dappa, glad to hear about newton, yze and bartram, but it sucks about what happen to dunn. Even though newton hasn't played any senior footy he is one of my favourite players and i hope dunn gets better soon. Does anyone know how bad the injury is? also its good to hear how yze went, but from your reports i'm still unsure about how he'll play this season. i reckon he'll be in the best 22 come round 1, but i hope he starts playing for the team instead of himself and can find the consistency and effort that made him such a good player .

Lynden Dunn was elbowed in the face in the 1st minute of the game...

1. No free kick was given and

2. The Port Melbourne player was not reported

Hopefully video evidence will be used and the offending player suspended for a number of weeks...it was a cowardly act and totally unnecessary. I had a clear view of the incident

Also heard that Colin Sylvia is a few weeks away

[Lord Travis 10,728]

According to Fagan, Sylvia will play for Sandy next week? Read that in an article today I'm positive. He is still weeks away from AFL you would think. Still needs to complete a preseason of some form to get reasonable match fitness.

Thanks all for the report.

[Dappa Dan 2,188]

Dunny in surgery tonight to have a compressed fracture of the cheek repaired from an elbow early in the first quarter today.

I can't believe it. Just as we came off our 4 pre-season games injury free, we get our first serious injury the day after... Lynden Dunn. And if the Biz's facial injury of a few years ago is anything to go by (I'm pretty sure it was the Biz) then Dunny may be 6-8 weeks away. Some thoughts spring to mind...

- If you had to cop a 6-8 weeker, this would be one of the more desirable ones. He can run, do light drills, do plenty of weights and cardio. At least he'll come back fit, when he comes back.

- In terms of weeks missed, it may not be all that severe. Consider that he will miss next week, which is only VFL anyway, and the fact that at least for round 1 he is widely considered only an outside chance to get selected, after Miller's game at Geelong. Effectively you could argue that that's roughly 3 weeks that he wasn't going to play in the red and blue ANYWAY. Think Rivers last year. We missed him for that first match but then he was back with Bells on. On the other hand, if Miller goes missing on Friday week we'll be ruing his injury quick smart.

- If we lose another tall option in attack, we have players that can play there like Holland, PJ, Jamar and White who are already in the 22. But if ND wants to include a tall forward that WOULDN'T have been in the 22 otherwise, the next options really are only Newton and Garland. Could Juice's praccy have an impact here? If I was a betting man (and I am) I'd say if Newton went in with the kind of endeavour he showed today for the coming weeks he'll debut sooner than people think (though probably not round 1). His style of play, reading of the footy and hardness would translate successfully to AFL I reckon, though with probably less scoreboard impact.

- Dunn's injury may improve his looks???? Ok, now I'm reaching for the positives.

Thanks for that. I guess the issue with Yze is its hard to tell if fails if you play him on the bench.

My view is if he is not deemed good enough to play in the main 18, I wouldn't pick him and would play him at Sandy. I could not bear any further half arsed front running performances from him.

That's fair enough. In truth, I came up with the bench idea on the spot. Rohan Smith and Riccardi did it with some success, maybe it's a role Yze can fulfill for a few of his twilight years later on? At least for now, and certainly in round 1 you can't go into a game planning to only use a guy for a half or so. If that's how you go about it you're basically carrying him. I think it could work if one of the younger guys got hurt, or was getting soundly beaten early on, but when you boil it down I have to concede the point. Yze is too expensive, talented and young to be played for partial games. This is round 1 of an AFL season. The Saints will turn up with at least 20 fully fit players who COULD play 120 minutes each. We have to play 22.

YZE is not a known big tackler, and from reports he did alot of hard work.

uve got to be kidding urself if u think he wont play.

Don't take those reports too seriously. There's a difference between tackling a guy front-on, and dispossessing him from behind. There's no doubt that tackle was absolutely sensational (and didn't his team-mates let him know), but there were a number of players today that more than once for the match. Speaking of which, maybe Beach Road Bazza can enlighten me as to who it was that grounded that enormous number 5 for Port on the wing near the Sandy bench. The little Sandy player was about up to my waist, and he just about swallowed that ruckman/forward whole. I would have looked at his number but I was too busy laughing...

And you've gotta be kidding yourself if you don't think his position is at least under threat at the moment. If we're a serious club, it HAS to be.

For the record, yes Yze worked hard, but I'm not convinced he worked any differently than he has his entire career. I had a thought before. No-one was complaining when he was playing soft but kicking 4 goals a match. I'm happy for him to play soft if he does that, but does anyone think he can kick 4, week in week out? If he did he'd win the Coleman. Nope... Just look at Green. Does the important, less flashy things now, never gets spoken about outside of MFC and he's improved immesurably over the last 16 months.

Yze CAN do that, I just want to see evidence he's altering his game. Which I haven't. Simple really.

[brey9186 102]

Byron pulled out of saturday's game at geelong, as he was still a bit sore