Player Review- Round 1

[dcstkfc]

1 Gram- After slow start provided run out of defence.
2 King- Solid and serviceable, some nice tap ruckwork.
10 Baker- Great to see him back, tackled hard and looked every bit his former self.
11 Montagna- Not dominant, but got enough of it.
12 Riewoldt- Well nullified by Swan defence, will be looking for more next week.
13 Schneider- Always dangerous, and very good pressure.
14 Ball- Worked hard in the middle and played a good game,
15 Gardiner- Perhaps his best game for the club, the best key-forward option on the night and moved reasonably well.
16 R.Clarke- Quiet before injury. Disappointing for him after end to last year but he'll be back.
18 Goddard- Undisciplined start but once he got going he was very effective.
19 Gilbert- Got a lot of the ball, good pressure and run as well.
22 Ray- Speed allowed him to get to a lot of contests, and he provided a lot of run and carry.
23 Koschitzke- Excellent after slow start, sensational marking was a pleasure to watch.
25 S.Fisher- Led the defence well, as organisation improved after quarter time.
26 Dal Santo- Silky skills supplemented with genuine hardness and a couple of goals. Best on ground for mine, a great sign.
27 Blake- Solid and dependable, has come a very long way.
32 McQualter- Brilliant goal capped a good night. Tackled excellently and worked very hard.
33 Gwilt- Quiet night, looked promising at times but made a few errors. Will need to improve to keep his spot.
42 Geary- Solid game should give him confidence.
43 Dawson- Infinitrely better than NAB Cup, did a very good job on Hall. Pleased for him.
44 Milne- Provided the spark that got us going, livewire as always at the Dome, challenge will be to back it up in Adelaide.

[Broodruff]

16 R.Clarke- Quiet before injury. Disappointing for him after end to last year but he'll be back.

Over-all I'd agree with most points there, a lot of good signs early,
However I don't agree with Raph, using only supercoach as my guide! Racked up 66 points before his injury, not too bad!

Watching his game as well, he looked a lot more sure of himself and was a lot quicker to make decisions than most people are used to, think he played a very important role in the second quarter! Dissapointed to see him injured just as it seemed he was really starting to fire

[meher baba]

33 Gwilt- Quiet night, looked promising at times but made a few errors. Will need to improve to keep his spot.

As I said on another thread, which errors were these? He couldn't catch a bullet-like handpass from Gardi which I think only Robert Walls thinks he should have been able to catch. And he had a shot on goal from 55 out which fell short.

If these are the errors you are talking about, you are certainly a harsh marker.

From my recollection, Geary, Goddard and Gram made a lot more errors than Jimmy.

[meher baba]

Oh, and I don't know where you got the idea from that Raph was quiet before his injury.

Also, I think you have damned both Gilbert and Joey with faint praise: they were both terrific for mine.

Otherwise I agree.

[meher baba]

Oh, and you haven't assessed Jones.

[Sobraz]

Agree with the op aside from Raph and Geary....

Thought Raph was clearly our best going into qtr time.... Was everything but quite... Peeled off his man to help out down back, some dashing runs and interceptions...

Geary's game was nowhere near solid... Fumbled and went backwards nearly every time, and was a direct result in 2 swan goals... This game would diminsh his confidence I would think....

[evertonfc]

33 Gwilt- Quiet night, looked promising at times but made a few errors. Will need to improve to keep his spot.

As I said on another thread, which errors were these? He couldn't catch a bullet-like handpass from Gardi which I think only Robert Walls thinks he should have been able to catch. And he had a shot on goal from 55 out which fell short.

You're being generous on Gwilt. He did a few good things but looked a bit behind the pace of the game.

A lot of the time it's not what he does but what he doesn't do. He simply doesn't make enough contests or provide enough pressure. Doesn't win enough ball. I feel like he hovers too much when he needs to get stuck in, a criticism I've made of McQualters and NDS in the past. Gwilt has the body to do it, but just doesn't.

I said it was a night for McQualter, Dawson and Gwilt to stand up and prove themselves because they are the one most likely to make way. The former two stood up, but Gwilt didn't do enough in my book.

Remember, we've got to make room for Max, Goose, Hayes, X and possibly some of Armitage, Steven and Eddy, so some players might have to make way.

[BackFromUSA]

My 2 cents worth

1 Gram- After slow start provided run out of defence. Butchered the ball - his kicking was shocking

2 King- Solid and serviceable, some nice tap ruckwork. Could not jump and umpires are now watching his chest push. Was pinged for it.

10 Baker- Great to see him back, tackled hard and looked every bit his former self. God bless him. Tough as nails. Makes teammates harder.

11 Montagna- Not dominant, but got enough of it. Held all night literally by Shaw. Illegal tactics frustrated him and he was sucked in. After half time umpires were more aware (paid 3 quick frees to us for them hanging on off the contest) and this meant Shaw held on less.

12 Riewoldt- Well nullified by Swan defence, will be looking for more next week. Delivery to Riewoldt was CRAP. Hudson, Pratt and Coventry would have struggled with delivery like that.

13 Schneider- Always dangerous, and very good pressure. Took two marks that helped define the tone of the game.

14 Ball- Worked hard in the middle and played a good game, Was not in the centre square enough for ball ups early and god knows why ... he is by far our best clearance player yet we started with outside players like Dal and Joey at ball ups ... there must be a paln or Roos won the match ups early

15 Gardiner- Perhaps his best game for the club, the best key-forward option on the night and moved reasonably well. A very good step forward. Turned the game with his tap work in the second quarter.

16 R.Clarke- Quiet before injury. Disappointing for him after end to last year but he'll be back. Was a big influence on our boost in confidence in the second quarter - a few great efforts got us rolling.

18 Goddard- Undisciplined start but once he got going he was very effective. Was the star of quarter 2 and 3.

19 Gilbert- Got a lot of the ball, good pressure and run as well. Stood up defensively and helped Dawson out with a chop out AND provided run and carry.

22 Ray- Speed allowed him to get to a lot of contests, and he provided a lot of run and carry. Very impressive with his one / twos and our players know he is going to keep running for a receive.

23 Koschitzke- Excellent after slow start, sensational marking was a pleasure to watch. Looked like a champ when behind the ball. Amazing anticipation, strong hands and field kicking was superb. CHB against the right opponent is a possibility ... Brown, Tredea etc

25 S.Fisher- Led the defence well, as organisation improved after quarter time. Looked flat footed to me and indecisive when he had the ball. NOT his best game.

26 Dal Santo- Silky skills supplemented with genuine hardness and a couple of goals. Best on ground for mine, a great sign. Along with raph sparked our revival.

27 Blake- Solid and dependable, has come a very long way. Still lets himself down with disposal - prime example in the last minute of the game. Still one of my favourite players. Rarely beaten.

32 McQualter- Brilliant goal capped a good night. Tackled excellently and worked very hard. Agreed.

33 Gwilt- Quiet night, looked promising at times but made a few errors. Will need to improve to keep his spot. Agreed.

38 Jones - tagged McVeigh out of the game once given the assignment in quarter 2 and it was McVeigh cutting us up in 1st quarter.

42 Geary- Solid game should give him confidence. Runs very well.

43 Dawson- Infinitrely better than NAB Cup, did a very good job on Hall. Pleased for him. Also pleased but he had loads of support from a great defensive unit.

44 Milne- Provided the spark that got us going, livewire as always at the Dome, challenge will be to back it up in Adelaide. A typical Milney night at the Dome

[Spinner]

16 R.Clarke- Quiet before injury. Disappointing for him after end to last year but he'll be back.

Over-all I'd agree with most points there, a lot of good signs early,
However I don't agree with Raph, using only supercoach as my guide! Racked up 66 points before his injury, not too bad!

Watching his game as well, he looked a lot more sure of himself and was a lot quicker to make decisions than most people are used to, think he played a very important role in the second quarter! Dissapointed to see him injured just as it seemed he was really starting to fire

Raph was starring before coming off......

[evertonfc]

Agree with the op aside from Raph and Geary....

Thought Raph was clearly our best going into qtr time.... Was everything but quite... Peeled off his man to help out down back, some dashing runs and interceptions...

Geary's game was nowhere near solid... Fumbled and went backwards nearly every time, and was a direct result in 2 swan goals... This game would diminsh his confidence I would think....

I felt Raph was nowhere near as good as some people on here think. It was a typical Raph game in my book. Did some good things, did some shockers. Still a long way for him to go.

Geary was really good for mine. Had a terrier look about him. His hungriness and physicality was noticable. He looked like a senior player. Made one or two mistakes but he looks like he'll add some midfield depth to our team.

[dcstkfc]

I'll admit I was harsh on Raph.
As for CJ, he really was quiet, although it seemed he did a good tagging job.

[ace]

Gee! they were that good!
Was the final score something like 45 goals to 2.

[CURLY]

Geary out for X or Eddy. Gearys disposal is poor at best he just doesnt have the speed through the air in his kicks.

[mad saint guy]

1 - Solid game. Couple of crap kicks but provided good run and had a more physical side to his game.

2 - Ok, nothing more. Wasn't particularly effective but didn't do much wrong.

10 - Very good return. Great inside game.

11 - Good game. Started slowly but really worked his way into the game and was an effective player.

12 - Looked way, way off match condition. Hopefully he can kick a couple next week and then start working up to his usual form.

13 - Got in the play lots but looked a bit rusty, Still did some good things.

14 - Was nowhere to be seen in the first quarter but improved and finished with a good game.

15 - Showed how influential he can be. In the first quarter we were getting slaughtered in the centre before Gards went into the ruck. We then win the next 3 clearances and he kicks our first goal. Also rucked for the majority of the second and third quarters. Well ahead of King IMO.

16 - Playing very well until injury.

18 - Looked scrappy at the start but built up to his usual brilliant self.

19 - Probably our most consistent performer for the night. Lead the defence and looks like a true senior player now.

22 - Surprisingly effective. Hardly put a foot wrong and got plenty of the ball.

23 - Started horribly but was very good after the first quarter. Needs to be played as a loose man around defence/midfield.

25 - Unusually quiet. Good, but not up to his usual standard.

26 - Also did nothing in the first quarter but played well after that.

27 - Good game in defence.

32 - Reasonable tagging game. No big influence but did some nice things.

33 - Poor game. Looked too slow and failed to make the most of his opportunities.

38 - Did nothing of note but kept his opponent reasonably quiet.

42 - Still looks like he's learning how to play seniors but is improving.

43 - Very impressive performance. Did not lose a one-on-one contest all night and did some good things aroud the ground.

44 - Hasn't changed. Still one of the best small forwards going around.

[goodie]

13 Schneider- Always dangerous, and very good pressure.

You're much kinder than me. He came into it well, but his disposal early was poor, the kicks far too low and resulted in a few turnovers

[bigcarl]

16 R.Clarke- Quiet before injury.

[InkerSaint]

Remember, we've got to make room for Max, Goose, Hayes, X and possibly some of Armitage, Steven and Eddy, so some players might have to make way.

TBH I can't see Goose unless there are some consistently ordinary performances from some of the other players. As per Goddard's post-match comment - just about everybody did a fair job on Sat night. For mine the only players at risk would be Gwilt and Geary, and Geary at least deserves another chance.

Gwilt out, Lenny in... maybe Geary will make room for Max. But other than that it looks to me like we are fielding our best 22.

[InkerSaint]

right behind you i see the millions
on you i see the glory
from you i get opinions
from you i get the story

OT, I hung out just outside the Grand Prix grounds last night to hear the Who. They did Pinball Wizard for an encore, with an extended Tommy suite coda. I found myself able to sing along to those words thanks to your sig!

[older saint]

1 - Solid game. Couple of crap kicks but provided good run and had a more physical side to his game.

2 - Ok, nothing more. Wasn't particularly effective but didn't do much wrong.

10 - Very good return. Great inside game.

11 - Good game. Started slowly but really worked his way into the game and was an effective player.

12 - Looked way, way off match condition. Hopefully he can kick a couple next week and then start working up to his usual form.

13 - Got in the play lots but looked a bit rusty, Still did some good things.

14 - Was nowhere to be seen in the first quarter but improved and finished with a good game.

15 - Showed how influential he can be. In the first quarter we were getting slaughtered in the centre before Gards went into the ruck. We then win the next 3 clearances and he kicks our first goal. Also rucked for the majority of the second and third quarters. Well ahead of King IMO.

16 - Playing very well until injury.

18 - Looked scrappy at the start but built up to his usual brilliant self.

19 - Probably our most consistent performer for the night. Lead the defence and looks like a true senior player now.

22 - Surprisingly effective. Hardly put a foot wrong and got plenty of the ball.

23 - Started horribly but was very good after the first quarter. Needs to be played as a loose man around defence/midfield.

25 - Unusually quiet. Good, but not up to his usual standard.

26 - Also did nothing in the first quarter but played well after that.

27 - Good game in defence.

32 - Reasonable tagging game. No big influence but did some nice things.

33 - Poor game. Looked too slow and failed to make the most of his opportunities.

38 - Did nothing of note but kept his opponent reasonably quiet.

42 - Still looks like he's learning how to play seniors but is improving.

43 - Very impressive performance. Did not lose a one-on-one contest all night and did some good things aroud the ground.

44 - Hasn't changed. Still one of the best small forwards going around.

Have to disagree with a couple of these.

1. had a more physical side to his game- You must have been at a different game to me. Didn't put his body on the line a few times especially in 1st and 2nd quarters. Dissappointed at his lack of hardness when it was is time to go.
2. I thought was terrible and when 15 came on the game changed. Jolly killed him.

32 &42 Played forward a lot specifically for pressure on Swans runnin out. Thought they did that role very well.

33. New kicking boy obviosuly - Not great but not bad either. Blew one handball receive but really not too bad.

[degruch]

33. New kicking boy obviosuly - Not great but not bad either. Blew one handball receive but really not too bad.

Haha...that poor bastard, that was the hottest handball in the history of footy. Lucky it didn't break his fingers! However, his obvious assumption that a big lopey ruckman was gonna run on and bang at goal from 50 meters out shows he lacks a little awareness of what's going on around him...you'd expect this to improve as the season goes along. I reckon he'll be in the starting 22 all season, unless something drastic happens.

[skeptic]

10 Baker- Great to see him back, tackled hard and looked every bit his former self.

Got to disagree with this. Baker played a solid game but was nowhere his former self.

Don't get me wrong, I'm not knocking the guy or saying he should be playing his best football right away but he only had a solid game at best (not that there's anything wrong with that)

Good football for Baker is much much better than that performance. At his former self, he's a star.