Smack and Francis were both rubbish for the majority of the day, but hey, seven goals.
3 Likes
JFTR, the score at Punch Bowl ended up, BSD & Co, 2 Snapper, 1 Trevally, 2 Leather Jackets, and 6 or 7 immediately returned Salmon,ā¦
Ocean / freak waves NIL.
4 Likes
The chips were a good size, and very crisp.
However, the potato was fluffy so I can only give them a 6/10.
But the donuts were a delight.
Just a sprinkling of sugar, so unlike the caked on outer shell you get with inferior donuts.
The dough was light and the jam was sweet and perfectly placed, avoiding those awful incidents when all the jam is on one side of the donut.
I canāt praise them highly enough. 10/10.
Smack is frustrating. So much talent, but I reckon I see more gyms than he does, just driving past them.
Long is miles off it, his disposal today was terrible.
Langford needs to do more. He still looks like he canāt be arsed getting to the fall of the ball, but of course when he does heās silk.
I have no idea why Franga isnāt being played higher up the ground. Needs to make his marks stick, gets his hands to plenty.
Bird does some nice things.
I very much like the look of Ridley, but he doesnāt get to where the ball is enough.
No. 3 for them goes alright.
The systems out of the backline were very pleasing. Chain after chain of handballs and overlap.
A pleasant day out against rubbish opposition.
12 Likes
Appreciate the call, DJR, ta 
2 Likes
Dea didnāt play.
Ridley a decent return at CHB. Smooth mover.
Begley struggled.
Hocking had sparks but nothing to suggest heās getting back to the seniors.
Mutch got a fair bit, but was uncharacteristically sloppy with some of his disposals. Clarke forward and mid and a contributor.
Francis all over it early, should have taken around seven soaring clunks today but they just wouldnāt stick. So little between a drab day (albeit with three goals) and a Big Statement.
The Langfordā¢ is too good for this level. Stewart on notice tonight, surely.
McKernan: when he was good, he was very very good. But when he was badā¦
Loony had his day disrupted by a squashed nose, but was very good in the first half. He and Draper helped us consistently win the clearances, both via taps and ground work. Both also did alright around the ground.
Birdy Num Num still delivering. But no point playing seniors unless a slow is removed for him.
The rest (mostly small defenders) were meh.
From the VFL players, Carr finally got to actually play (named many times in the squad) and got himself three goals.
HepA spent more time on the ball ā will be interesting to see his stats as he certainly doesnāt stand out visually any more sans the hair!
Nobby is back in āgreater than 30 disposals every weekā form.
14 Likes
Nth Ballarat percentage rose from 40.15% to 44.94%
Ours went from 130.65% to 131.94%. Richmond is the only team between that and 96%, on 119%.
Key game on the ladder this round is Williamstown-Geelong, on telly tomorrow as we donāt pull the ratings.
For a moment I though the stats were already up, but instead the VFL site has us playing two round seven games and it was last weekās instead. So broken.
Goal timeline is here though:
http://websites.sportstg.com/round_info.cgi?c=1-118-0-436949-0&pool=1&fixture=124787054&a=PLAYBYPLAY
Some comments on the first half.
Leuny responded well, covering ground, providing a target, not stuffing up his link play (and doing a lot of that)
Langford is a cut above as a mid. - not only does he get it cleanly, but his teammates expect him to, and heās choosing good options.
Bird - in and under workmanlike - more damaging with his possessions today.
Hocking - hits and gets hit- just keeps going.
Draper- he will be a beauty. As I mentioned after the Colingwood game his ruck work is potentially the best weāve had since Ryder. Can follow up, took a good forward pocket mark, and is coordinated when kicking, even under pressure.
Forward line was tactically a bit strange today
Lots of positional movement with Francis, Fridge up the ground and behind the ball at times, Clarke and even Redman forward at times. A real merry go round.
This is a problem because the players are obviously not sure whoās supposed to lead, whoās going to fly, who will create space when the ball is coming in.
The result is lots of overly cute attempted precision kicks, alternating with it being banged in high to a pack.
This is doing Francis and Fridge no favours and encouraging them to fly for speccies or try and break too many tackles.
Both play better when they keep it relatively simple and their natural ability shows through.
Each had their moments. Francis maybe has inherited BJs white line fever though - trotted around banging into blokes for fun before the bounce at the start of the second quarter.
This unco forward set up is also responsible for some of Long & Mutchās poor kicking. They are trying to do too much every time, - dinky kicks, threading the needle, or kicking 50 metres trying to go over the opposition defence.
Ridley good first up, got more confident with his kicking as the game went on.
Redman - potential off the backline
Mutch is good overhead and better by hand.
Clarke gets it but kicking is hit and miss.
11 Likes
You be careful mate, can be a scary piece of water.
2 Likes
Well according to Tom Hawkins, the human throat is now considered the chest, so heāll be fine.
1 Like
Cheers mate. Yeah, been going there since I was about 15, so we know it pretty well.
Nearly lost my little brother there once when we were in our twenties, ā¦ it was a very close run thing.
He got a bit cocky back then, but has never turned his back on the Ocean since.
2 Likes
Not much to add, posters above covered it very well.
Langford played like the skillfull big-bodied mid we want him to be.
Long did turn it over but still he showed me composure than he sometimes does. He didnāt try the baulks and party tricks. Played simple footy.
Francis inconsistent.
Draper shows something.
Ridley does not miss with short kicks.
Morgan no good. Cannot win a contested ball.
3 Likes
31 and two goalsā¦ define āmoreā
2 Likes
Go any good?
Younan wasnāt horrible today. With no Peters, he played a more defensive role up forward.
Astounding.
You went blind after the first of two sentences you quoted, yet still managed to reply.
Well done.
Just back there a bit^^
2 Likes
Thanks guys. Draper exciting
He got it 31 times, by your own admission he was āsilkā when he got it.
I read all you wrote. Iām interested in what more youād like him to do.
As I said, Iād rather him look like heās interested in a loose ball five metres away.
Iād like his hip to look like it had a hinge, rather than a bolt.
Iād like to see him run a bloke down. Iād like to see him put pressure on the ball carrier even if heās no chance of running him down.
Itās great that he got 30 possessions as a mid. Against a team as bad as we played, he really should.
But I donāt see any improvement in what was my biggest issue with him in the first place.
Now whether the coaches have the same opinion, I have no idea. But thatās mine.
So to summariseā¦Reread that second sentence.
1 Like