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In terms of the overall game I feel we were more of the same that's been seen through pre-season, steady rise in intensity through the game, decent zone set up and using the corridor a bit more with a tendency to find an open channel and belt the ball up through it. Works great on the counter attack, but can stifle things a bit if the ball movement isn't swift.
As others have noted, we were really poor setting up the kick outs mostly due to the lactic fatigue from pushing too hard in setting up a scoring chance, and it was at its worst late in the 3rd as one player slung the ball straight up off the turf after a behind to the Geelong kicker, who obliged by immediately hitting up the free man in the central channel at the 50, who then spun around and hit a free team mate at true CHF, who then ran inside 50 and kicked long, dribbling the ball through in an empty forward line. Both sides scored a few of these before Geelong came out of his slower tempo late to score a few more. Nothing to worry about as we seemed to have played fewer numbers than the Cats today.
Just a quick note that I've attempted to jot down the rough positions of each player I watched today.
Hampson - Ruck/FF - Dominant ruckman on the ground, further evidenced by the statisitics posted earlier in this thread. Ran hard, marks stuck, brought it down to ground neatly when they didn't. Dominated the taps and was handy up forward. Potential nightmare for the footy department on the horizon.
Simpson - Mid/HF - Intensity was on the whole up on last week, but the shot sprays came back. I honestly think he doesn't know how to settle his shot, partly through his approach and partly through his line up for the kick. Understandable as he has historically been one to ride his natural hook. Showed some nice controlled aggression to keep us competitive for the loose ball when Geelong had a numbers advantage.
Gibbs - Mid/HB - Cruising around most of the time and probably ignited Selwood who went nuts in the link-up play but Bryce looks fine for round 1 as far as I'm concerned. Presented well for link-up, ran back hard and showed a good turn of speed (more slender through the shoulders but still strong through the hips compared to last season). Got out of second gear for the first time all pre-season but only in fits and starts. Was definitely paying attention in the game, just not pushing it.
Collins - HF/Mid - Strong lead option and clean kick and surprised me with his chase downs in midfield despite lacking a little agility and should be a good release option when we force the turnover. Still a bit of rust in his set shots, but there were far worse out there in both jumpers today.
Garlett - One of the best on the ground today, ran hard all the time and got a lot of opportunities on the back of it. Squared the ball beautifully in the forward 50, setting up clearly better scoring opportunities as a result. Didn't lose his footing in a contest and laid a few good bumps going for the ball to boot. Will do a lot of damage this season and seems to nail every snap he tries. Work ethic, talent and flair; they don't come much better as a combination. The only knock I would give is that when in possession in midfield he has a tendency to spread towards the boundary too much, and also while in possession he pushes wide and attempts to cut around opponents like a running back would turn the corner. Won't always work and needs to be prepared to make a sidestep or two.
Duigan - HB - Thrived against the stronger bodies of Geelong and positioned himself well enough to attack the loose ball. Worked in some superb one-handed pickups and is deserving of the mini-Kouta tag in that sense. Kicking looked better today but was already AFL standard; the more he irons out the loop in it, the better it will be. Loves to get to the aerial ball, smash an opponent and does so in a controlled fashion so as to prevent a soft possession/goal. Will be good for round 1 although I still see him being forced out due to matchups through the season if we're not confident on Russell pushing up into the middle.
Yarran - HB - Blitzed it, and only the heat stopped him from having a truly superb game. He is progressing at a rate of knots now that his speed and agility are back and is rewarding our supposed faith in selecting him. Exactly the kind of player we need structurally.
Russell - HB - Good game back, although it ended with about 3 or 4 cases of the cramps, and he really should have wound it up after the first two. Clean kicking out of defence 95% of the time was a plus and handled the 1-on-1s well. Perhaps puts himself under pressure to deliver off HB when he gets possession, even in the thick of it when he could look for a team mate, although our spread was a bit subpar today in the heat. Should be ok for round 1, and may suit up in the red & white to get some more miles in the legs.
Casboult - Ruck/F - Did his best work through the middle of the park with his mobility and a strong pair of hands, although he probably has the worst agility of all our ruckmen (which is hardly a knock to be honest). Not as strong through the shoulders as he was when he arrived at the club but that will improve through this season; showed a bit more in the ruck this week compared to previous outings and appears to be adjusting to what will be a potential role for him for the forseeable future. Still a bit wonky with his kicking but is clearly concentrating more on the ball drop and follow through, and you can see he's a bit more confident about his play as a result. Won't get the nominated rookie slot, but you can see him coming into the mix with a ruck injury.
Robinson - Mid/HF - Ran very hard and provided a great chop-off and chop-out through midfield in his entire stint there, was prepared to kick long and flat to advantage and it paid off more often than not. Much more disciplined with his disposal and that's what needs to happen for him to succeed. Looks a fantastic midfield prospect but perhaps not just yet. Rotated with Walker to HF when he ran out of a bit of puff.
Scotland - Mid - Didn't let loose any free kicks this go around and copped a few for his troubles, was a bit scrubby gathering off the deck like most today but was clean and composed and set up play with regularity. Still has it, and has now played more minutes in midfield than anyone else this pre-season if I'm not mistaken. Only Yarran, Duigan & Laidler would have more game time.
Jamison - FB - Did his job all day and did a good Scarlett impersonation too. Improved further with his run off HB and showing that he still has plenty of improvement in him, but most of it is between the ears. His rebound will need to get better still as he won't be afforded an open channel to run straight up through in the regular season. Will be a boost to the team in round 3.
Laidler - B - Held his own against bigger opponents and does damage on the rebound with his loping (but hard) runs and clean kick. A real asset so long as he can lock down an opponent or teams will start to play through him. I'm confident at this point.
Watson - CHB - Showed he means business even with a bit of puppy fat. Reads the incoming ball really well and is creative in moving the ball on. Raking left foot that like Laidler does damage when he lopes up field. Can sometimes look a bit inflexible reaching down for the loose ball, but at 197 cms with seasons of conditioning ahead of him I'm not stressed. Could suit up as Jamo's replacement (though not directly).
Lucas - Mid/HB - Disappointing today and really didn't look like he was focussed. Can run all day, and is generally clean in his gathering of the ball but seems to have gone backwards with his play in possession. Was swung into defence with limited success later on, and perhaps needs to settle in at HB/behind the ball at either VFL or AFL level to regain his touch/read. Doubtful for round 1 on today's efforts.
Judd - Mid/HB - Yep, he actually sat around HB on the edge of the square at a couple of bounce downs and suspect it will be a tactic to free him up for the centre clearance. Happy to see even the best of our midfield working on defensive aspects of their game and while he's ironing out a few bugs in the Judd 5000 system, he probably still has round 1 & 2 to do so. Several direct assists in the minutes I saw.
Waite - FF - Good game and probably the dominant forward along with Garlett. Didn't lose a 1-on-1 contest in what I saw and was generally a reliable kick. Worked hard on the roll down and the subsequent movement forward although perhaps sprayed a few opportunities to release Garlett on the break. Touch is good (when he doesn't wheel around wildly) and will be fine come round 1.
White - B - Very limited viewing of him and may have suffered a recurrence of his knee issues. Disappointing for him as he was a chance for selection for Richmond if fit.
Curnow - Mid - Strong with the tackle and strong in the tackle, having the ability to stand up or break out of the hold to fire the ball away. Quick release of the ball by hand and showed more willingness to run, carry and kick long as the game wore on. Has a turn of speed and a reasonable side-step and I suspect as the strength returns through his ankle this will improve further. Personally I would select him ahead of Robinson as I feel he can run out the game better. With Robinson developing, this bloke and one B. McLean I am feeling a lot better about our clearance/inside mid stocks.
Walker - F/HF/Mid - Also strong in the tackle and was lively up forward despite a few up and under kicks to team mates. Has taken it a bit easier the last few weeks and will them a new one come round 1. Whether that's in a defensive HF role or as a lead target is anyone's guess, but he can do both and is quickly becoming a reliable set shot. Had some minutes in midfield and acquitted himself well defensively, but not overly involved in the play otherwise.
Carrazzo - Mid/HB/HF - Definitely featured in 3 of the 4 quarters, and am surprised that he got that many minutes first up so his fitness base must up to scratch, leaving him in contention for round 1. Just a good solid game for him although another wonky shot on goal and a silly attempt to pass on his left hard up on the left flank. I presume he was trying to ride a hook but he completely gaffed the placement onto his boot and sailed OOB. Spent the majority of his time through midfield.
Henderson - Another who played a lot of minutes all things considered and while he was a pinch slow in terms of separating from his opponent in the 50, his motor is still in good nick so he made plenty of hard leads right up the ground. Not feeling confident about his shooting from the pocket, and at one point fired it all the way back to a team mate on the 50 when he was about 20 m out. Needs to hit up the training track if he keeps that up. Genuine chance for round 1, and will likely play VFL next weekend.
Bower - Played but I didn't get to see him. Should be right for round 1 and really could have sat this one out.
Armfield - Same as Bower.
Twomey - Dare I say it but he's a Scotland clone. Classical disposal by both hand and foot, and his kick trajectory will become flatter as he increases his conditioning, which will also seem him become a type who runs much harder through the 4 quarters. Could feature in the second half of the year or when injury strikes, though mostly from a HF role at this point. Can see him having a good season and being elevated next year.
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