What’s the to with Noah Scott? Always bobs up with goals.
1 Like
Poor in first half as a forward, then they moved him to backline where he has been much better
1 Like
66 Cats v 52 Dons
1 Like
Smart playing well
59/67
2 Likes
We need a 35 min quarter
I must have watched a different game then. He is barely VFL standard.
Davey: Farcically, had to climb the fence and walk the steps of the grandstand to try to find the ball in the first quarter. He was unsuccessful but, other than that, he found lots of the ball (when it was actually on the field). As has usually been the case with him since his move to defence, he got a lot of the ball and used it well. That said, he missed his target at the start of the third quarter and it resulted in a shot at goal for the Cats. Playing forward, possessions are sometimes few and far between, but playing back he gets his hands on it more often. When he gets it, he gives and then runs on to receive again. He also defends surprisingly well in one-on-one contests in the back half and he laid a number of tackles today. It was an impressive game and perhaps even his best for the year. He did a basketball-style bounce to himself after he had a kick smothered in the third quarter. His pinpoint pass threaded the needle to hit Scott on the chest in the final quarter. Scott converted for a goal. Truth is that at the moment Davey is playing the best football of his three years at Essendon, yet probably isn’t going to get an AFL game despite the fact the coach is ringing around the local suburbs to scrounge up a team every weekend. Until today, I wouldn’t have picked him for the seniors either, but now I am thinking there is nothing to be lost by bringing him in for one last roll of the dice.
El-Hawli: This bloke usually looks too good for VFL but early on he seemed off the pace today. He had a set shot for goal in the second quarter that he kicked into the man on the mark—it was symptomatic of his first half. A strong intercept mark at the start of the third quarter signalled a better second half, but his kick on that occasion resulted in a turn-over and Cats’ goal. Danced through, around, and under about six Cats at one stage in the third quarter—cool, calm, and composed despite the heat. Two tackles in one passage of play won him a free in the last quarter. His second half was much better than his first half.
Gerreyn: Had started well in defence but dropped an easy mark mid-first quarter. In the second term, he should have provided Johnson with a shepherd, but peeled off to receive the handpass instead—in the absence of the shepherd, there was no possession. As with the missed first quarter mark, it was a young player still learning the game. However, he did lots of good things too. I still rate him highly as a long-term prospect.
Johnson: Racked up a lot of the ball in the first half (eight kicks, twelve possessions) without ever really seeming to have a huge impact. Similar in the second half (he finished with 26 possessions) where he got the ball but did not have a big impact. This was unusual because he uses the ball so well and that was the case again today. Perhaps he might be more lethal if tried in the middle (as has been the case with Unwin) or even as a forward. Took a goal-saving mark in the final quarter and the ball was taken the length of the field for a Bombers’ inside-50.
Unwin: Started in the middle with O’Neill and Hately again this week and received some early physical attention, but he seemed to hold up well. Whether by design or accident, the Cats seemed to want to remove his head from his shoulders early on. Unwin took a three-bounce run along the wing and half forward in the second quarter—evidence of his increased confidence borne of last week’s good game. Good smother in the third quarter too—good to see a skilful player also execute smothers.
Smartt: Got an early mark and kick on the outer wing. Later in the quarter he ran from the side and competed in a pack marking contest—it probably went largely unnoticed but it was extremely courageous. Kicked a point in the third quarter after he used his strength to keep his feet despite a tackle. Kicked a set shot goal in the last quarter after running back into space and receiving from Brodie. Seconds later he cleverly got an inside-50 and then, a few minutes later, he missed a snap on goal. Then a strong tackle went unrewarded. It was that type of game for him—he flashed in and out and did some good things without being a star. His last quarter was certainly his best. As well as playing forward, he occasionally attended centre bounce contests.
Langford: Has had a wretched season with injury and people forget how good he is; has missed the previous ten weeks and only played six games this season. His first kick today was a left footer that went out on the full—it was his only kick for the quarter. Throughout the first half, he looked slow and rusty, however, you could see that he knew where to be—he read the play well to give himself opportunities to be involved. Took a strong mark in defence towards the end of the second quarter and another one in the same position early in the third. With May out injured, you would think he is a chance to come in next week but I wouldn’t bring him in on the back of this performance (perhaps Visentini is coming in to play forward next week). His third quarter was much better than his first half, but he played primarily in defence throughout that third quarter and then was rested in the last quarter. Again, he should not come in to the seniors on the back of this game.
Day-Wicks: Clever gather on the half-volley early, but possession led to a turn-over. He was, however, heavily involved in the first quarter. After recent struggles, this was a good start for him but he disappeared again in the second term and never was able to be involved very often. Laid a crunching tackle in the last quarter.
Foley: Played in the backline as usual but pushed forward to have our first shot on goal for the day (he missed). Mostly had a quiet day but was able to pick up possessions here and there.
Hoare: Outmuscled by Pike in a one-on-one marking contest early in the first quarter—result was a goal to the Cats. Hoare and El-Hawli flew the flag when Gerreyn copped a whack across the ears in the second quarter. I like to see this sort of thing in a young team (if it is controlled and not ill-disciplined). Later on, Hoare copped a heavy knock in a contest and he seemed to struggle from thereon and his second half was quiet.
McKay: Largely unsighted in the first half except for when he harassed and tackled to prevent a Geelong goal late in the second term. It was a strong first and second effort, so that was good to see him having an impact without getting a lot of the ball. Similarly battled on without having a big impact in the second half.
Uerata: I like what this bloke brings to the game—he is courageous and determined, but he also has pace and skill. He is almost 20 and so as ridiculous as it sounds, he might have missed the boat already, but that is a shame if it is true. He took a strong and courageous mark on the outer wing in the second quarter and later in the same quarter he laid a strong tackle to hold up the Cats on the near side wing.
Brodie: Had a big game last week, but with Scott back in the team this week, Brodie seemed a bit lost. His kick to the top of the goal square set up a goal for Scott in the second term. In the final term he ran with the ball and then used it well to hit Smartt inside fifty. That also resulted in a goal. Despite these two important goal assists, mostly Brodie struggled to be involved. However, he came to life late in the game—He dropped a mark and missed a soccered shot at goal late in the game but then followed up a few minutes later with an important goal to bring us within eight points.
Sellers: After struggling to get into the game last week except for two late goals, he was in everything early this week, pushing up the ground and covering territory. He took a strong mark on the lead and converted a long set shot goal with his kick. Although he only had three possessions, his first quarter was one of the best quarters he has played this year—he competed fiercely and used his size well. Unfortunately, he seems to have a pattern of good quarters followed by quiet quarters and such was the case again. He was largely unseen in the second term and, indeed, continued to be quiet throughout the whole second half. Won a free and set shot at goal as a result of a tackle in the third quarter. He kicked around the corner but missed everything.
Eckersley: Roamed far and wide to get involved. In one passage in the final quarter he provided four or five efforts as he tried to harass and tackle to keep the ball in the forward fifty.
O’Neill: He laid a strong tackle in the first quarter that went unrewarded. He doesn’t always tackle a lot, so I thought this was a good sign and he ended with three tackles in the first quarter to really lead from the front. He ended up with seven tackles for the game. He got a lot of the ball and it was a good captain’s game.
Hately: The usual Jackson Hately game—lots of ball, lots of tackles, tough and dependable. Took a long shot for goal after the half time siren and kicked truly for an important goal.
Monteath: Started in the ruck in the absence of Visentini and had to play against the much heavier and taller Toby Conway (and also Mitch Edwards in the second half after Conway sat out the second half). Monteath, therefore, had his hands full all day and, indeed, was smashed in the ruck contests. Pleasingly, however, he used his athleticism to try to get involved around the ground and, even more impressively, he led the tackle count for the Bombers.
Nyko: Sat out the second half with an injury last week and I feared his season might be done but he was out there again today and got plenty of early possessions in defence. Had his head ripped off in the third quarter but his free kick was a turn-over to the Cats. Shortly thereafter, Clohesy crashed into his back for another Nyko free.
Busuttil: He went into the middle when Unwin did not—they played as the traditional rotating rovers. He used his pace well to get to the front in a footrace in the second quarter and, in doing so, he won a free and converted an easy set shot for goal.
Scott: Back from suspension this week and a strong early tackle showed that his aggression was not tempered by the week out. He is only small, but he is strong in the contest and can shrug tackles. He looked determined to make up for his absence last week because he was full of energy and intent. He earned a free kick and converted from outside 50 in the second quarter. Shortly thereafter he roved his own missed mark and kicked another goal. Received a pass from Davey and then kicked a set shot goal in the fourth quarter to finish with three for the day and seven goals in his last three games.
Leedham: If I played alongside this bloke I would be frustrated that I could walk faster than he runs. However, I would love knowing he was there beside me somewhere because he uses his weight to good effect and doesn’t mind clearing a path for himself and his smaller teammates. Mostly he had a quiet day today but he kicked a nice set-shot goal in the last quarter. A few minutes later he missed a soccer shot at goal from close to the line.
Akuei: Late “in” for the missing Visentini. Akuei had two early intercept possessions, including one from a brave mark going back with the flight. Took another strong intercept mark at the start of the second term. In the final quarter he went for a big fly and then recovered well enough to lay a strong tackle. Despite these few noteworthy highlights, he was mostly quiet today.
Visentini: Did not play. Visentini has sat out of the VFL in the week before each of his two AFL games, so we might assume he is a good chance to be back in the seniors next week. Alternatively, a couple of weeks ago I said he looked tired and I worried he might end up with an injury, so perhaps he was just being rested to try to prevent him breaking down with fatigue. I will be interested to see who comes in for May—will it be Visentini or Langford?
My best for the day: O’Neill, Davey, Scott, El-Hawli, Johnson, Hately
57 Likes
Great write up mate, we’ll done… 
8 Likes
Surely Davey gets one last chance in the last few games?
12 Likes
Is Mackay, Ben Mackay?
When did he come back?
Nope, a VFL player
1 Like
Solomon McKay, number 80
3 Likes
I thought he really did well in the final quarter. Unfortunately I didn’t see the rest of the game so you may well be right.
In the last quarter he did a few nice things, but for the rest of the game he was extremely ordinary.
I’m glad for him that he made it on an AFL list and has played a few games. He will always be an AFL player.
But a really simple decision at the end of the season.
@Greg - amazing write up
5 Likes