aramari wrote:
Having a nightmare identifying players - the teamsheet had no numbers on it
There was a teamsheet?
Having said that Bower, Setanta, Kreuzer and one other swapped shirts at various intervals. Red 24 was Levi. Big kid with good mobility. Huge mis-match for his opponent (Anderson).
Virgin Blue wrote:
Wiggins, Murphy, Waite, Army, Simmo, Johnson all didn't play
Yeah I thought so, and I couldn't discern Kerr, Austin, White, Tuohy, Cachia, Tiller & Dare. Kerr and Gibbs had similar hair cuts and White & Austin are roughly the same build.
Labi played, and there were a few top up players obviously. I think it was 6 man benches with a few hitting the showers at half and three-quarter time for the red team.
I'll give a wrap on everyone I managed to identify, it was an understandably scrappy affair so there's not a lot on offer with regard to game style except there were usually 3 talls operating up forward and 4 back for each team (well certainly for team Red). Very tall at the book ends for both sides.
Anyway:
Yellow
--------------------------------------------------Scotland - Controlled and marshalled from start to finish, looked to be cruising out there. The usual polish, but his fitnesses levels are obviously in a better state than this time last year.
Judd - Was Judd, didn't even have to get out of 2nd gear. Can see what all the training talk was about. Pace is back.
Carrazzo - Another who happily controlled the game in midfield, and enjoyed having a few pegs from 50. Kicking was not up to scratch but he was not alone there. Not an issue with over a month until the real stuff starts.
Robinson - took an absolute screamer on the wing in the second quarter, but was otherwise left chasing a lot of tail. Didn't win much ball of his own, but was rotating through the forward line and midfield much like last year. Looked a little more mobile than last season.
Warnock - Monstered a lot of the ruck opposition and provided a target through midfield, but not used a particularly large amount. Didn't look out of place but didn't impose himself on the contest.
Hadley - smooth moving, little quicker than last season and skills were in good touch. Feel sorry for him as he is deserving of a 22 spot on paper and now form it would seem, but he's in a lengthy queue.
Fisher - played his regular link role on HF. Fantastic aerial ability and work rate, usual lack of pace and skill.
McLean - dominant in the centre square, and provided a bigger body to shepherd as well as link up play through the middle.
Kreuzer - Did it all easily. Had me thinking there were two of him out there for a while, only to discover he had swapped jumpers (and sides) with Setanta at the half. Starting ruck AFAIC.
Browne - Definitely a bit quicker and won plenty of ball in the first half, but skills were a bit off. Again, not alone there and he will certainly get a look in for the NAB Cup. Player a deeper midfield role but found opportunities to push into the forward half and get some I50 work in.
Henderson - Solid without really imposing himself; exactly what you would expect. Had no troubles with the pace of the game, but just didn't seem to conjure up opportunities in what was a congested game due to the low work-rate of both sides overall. No sense creating too many contests in such a game, and doesn't have the level of acceleration required to open the game up on the lead. I was impressed though; there's no doubt he's physically ready.
Ellard - Didn't particularly stand out to me, not sure if he'll secure the nominated rookie spot on this performance. Still lacks a yard of pace.
O'Keeffe - did a decent stopping job and showed he is moving more freely than last season. Didn't get to see much of him in possession but was clean with the ball.
Anderson - spent most of the game on Casboult and had a tough time because of it. Regularly dropped into other opponent's leads and looked decent in a defensive sense. Tried to get into the rebound efforts but his impact was very limited.
Davies - Didn't see a lot of him but definitely manned Betts in the second half and did a good job considering Betts should have a step on him in the pace department. Could pinch hit as a back pocket based on that performance. Reasonably composed player for his age.
Red
--------------------------------------------------Jacobs - looks a tiny bit more mobile but was still pretty sluggish. Can obviously ruck but he becomes a bit useless after the contest. Still 4th ruck in my book.
Walker - really stood out despite the 'training break'. Really impressed with his play which was in an attacking role very similar to Carrazzo's (midfield through to HF). Would have preferred to see him in and around goal as well because he could play a role for us there. Clean by hand and solid by foot, his agility was a real plus.
Betts - clearly the most hampered of the three exiles, but still caused problems for his opponents. Solid on the lead as per the last few seasons and skills need a bit of time invested so that they're back up to scratch for the season proper. Might see himself in the Bullants for a couple of weeks to get his touch together.
Hampson - the other dominant ruckman on the ground and proved a handful up forward, although wasn't getting as many handfuls as he'd have liked; several dropped marks when he had burned his opponent on the lead. Still the number two ruck in my opinion; his second and third efforts in stoppages provided a lot of support for his team mates.
Yarran - looked fantastic out there and played the HF role to perfection. Skills were scratchy like many others, but brought so much polish and flair to the attacking movements for the Red team he definitely looks in the mix for selection as hoped.
Garlett - regular head ache up forward and didn't let up through the game, pushing right up into midfield later on and providing drive down the wing. Kicking is still patchy but it's not a massive technique issue and should correct itself over the next 18 months. Should have a forward possie sewn up.
Gibbs - slick, polished although in and out of the game a little playing through midfield. Helped run the show for team Red.
Joseph - tagging role in midfield and definitely caused some havoc for team Yellow but ultimately didn't feature when Red had possession.
Casboult - secured a favourable mismatch and capitalised. Clean hands and bagged a goal or two. Very mechanical with his set shot but a long kick of the football it would seem.
Setanta - put his hand up to say he's the front runner for the CHF position. Played in defence and the ruck at times, but played the modern CHF role well in the second half, his skills were up and running for all to see. Definitely feeling the pinch fitness wise, but was still in the game the whole way through. G&D personified.
Donaldson - alternated between a deep forward and HF link role and looks like he will put his hand up for a spot this time next year. Athletically impressive and this allows him to feature despite a somewhat simplistic set of leads in his playbook. Might feature in the NAB Cup on the back of his performance.
Thornton - was Thornton. Controlled the defence, helped with the drive off HB. In excellent touch.
Jamison - see Thornton. Enjoyed assisting with the rebound out of defence.
Bower - see Thornton and Jamison. Tried a few blind turns with limited success, but his kicks looked fantastic given his usual efforts. Seems to better balanced on the steadying leg, thus he is stabbing through the ball and getting spearing passes out. Might not be bulked up enough to be considered a true CHB just yet. Swapped to yellow at 3/4 time.
Russell - another member of a very composed and in control defensive unit. Just kept doing things well and pushed up to provide some F50 entries for team Red. Should play a midfield role well when required.
Grigg - highly involved in the game but regularly caught in no man's land, but he was definitely working hard to correct this where possible. Needs to find a few yards after his initial burst of speed to be more useful after the stoppage.
Houla - in good touch and moved well. Will get a gig ASAP in the regular season.
Labi - another 'green' team Red forward who impressed me. Had a purple patch late in the game as he made some excellent leads up forward. Decent kick and definitely looks a prospect long term.
Lucas - featured well on the wing and demanded the ball in every sense of the word. Confident without being over-bearing or arrogant. Polished player.
I believe I caught a fair bit of White for team Red, but it may have been Austin (number 37). Whoever it was, they were impressive in keeping up on the lead against opponents and look to be a solid stopper with a taste for rebounding the ball out of 50. We've assembled a good set of disciplined and aggressive defenders.
If anyone has any questions on the players I've spoken about in detail, feel free to ask. Didn't keep score, but it was free flowing in that sense until late, and I believe Carlton won.
EDIT: Fixed formatting.
Login
Register
FAQ
