NAB Cup Rd 1 Official match thread

[The Fireman]

is there a way I can watch the Geelong game on the net somehow? Download or some sort of replay?
any help would be appreciated.

[Sam23]

Ross Ledger and Saad were the positives out of tonight.

[Darren]

AFL website in 11 hours time, they'll have the full replay up

[Quixote]

*** EDIT: These files seem to have disappeared. I was able to watch the first half of the Cats game but that's it.


Check these out Fireman, just found them myself on Bigfooty:


*** Just realised, these files are from the new Bigpond mobile-AFL deal!

the rest of the games....should be up very soon:

syd vs geel 1st:

http://win-cdn220-is-1.se.bptvpd.ngc...st_half_2M.mp4


syd vs geel 2nd:

http://win-cdn220-is-1.se.bptvpd.ngc...ll_game_2M.mp4

stk vs geel 1st:

http://win-cdn220-is-1.se.bptvpd.ngc...st_half_2M.mp4


stk vs geel 2nd:

http://win-cdn220-is-1.se.bptvpd.ngc...ll_game_2M.mp4

[Bardon Saint]

Ledger, Saad, Sippos were the shining lights for me.

Ledger has great ball winning ability and great in clearences (dare I say, probably better than Armo but there is room for them both).

Saad's pressure is great. He's so quick off the mark. Caused a few turnovers and looks dangerous.

Sippos looked great through the midfield and half forward line. A bit of an Aaron Hammil role (without the bone brusing tackling).

[The Redeemer]

Oh hey guy ^

Ledger, Saad, Sipposs and Cripps should get games really early if not round 1.

We need to improve our team so the likes of Polo and Clarke do not get back in. From the games tonight the youngens make our team better. Not the two mentioned prior.

[iceman]

Thought Ledger, Saad and Sipposs were really impressive. Sipposs will hopefully be a player who demands high pressure moments, seems to love the ball in his hands!
Ross seemed a bit off the pace, reminded me a bit of armitage 4-5years ago. Lenny looked as ferocious as ever.

[The Fireman]

Thanks Quixote & Darren.

[vacuous space]

Enjoyed seeing the younger players. Siposs in the Midfield was awesome. Enjoyed my first look at Seb Ross and Ahmed Saad as well. Great to see the Ledge log heavy minutes on the ball - clearly that sort of player. Cripps can play anywhere. How many of these guys can we start round one?

Great to see Lenny back.

[SainterK]

Siposs in the Midfield was awesome.

Wasn't he just...

[Armoooo]

I hate to get too far ahead of myself but does anybody see a bit of Fyfe in Siposs?

He's not as good in the air as Fyfe but he has a far, far better kick on him, could be very hard to match up on if he were to play on the wing.

[AnythingsPossibleSaints]

Ok, so the Saints were playing a game of footy, so I went along.

From the Sydney game:
Lenny Hayes. That's all I have to say about that. Well not really. It was like he had played all last year and tonight was just another game of footy for him. Trademark Lenny all over the place. Tough stuff, centre clearances, good kicks, etc.

Centre clearances- We got a lot of them, even though Sydney had Jude Bolton, Jarrad McVeigh and Adam Goodes in there a lot. Even when we were getting well beaten, we got something like 5 or 6 clear kicks out of the centre bounces in a row, from memory. It was at least two each to Lenny and Ledger. Unfortunately we just didn't capitalise on them.

Jack Steven also got a lot of it and looks to be continuing on from his excellent season last year.

With those three, plus Joey, Dal, BJ, Armo and CJ, our midfield is looking a LOT better.

Sam and Sam did extremely well down back, especially Sammy Fish. Hopefully Gilbo will put last year well and truly behind him and have another year like he did in 2010 (or better). Neither of them played against Geelong.

Wilkes kind of struggled at full back.

Rooey just isn't his old self. Doesn't have the same sort of aura and confidence that he used to. Hopefully that will return ASAP. Did hold onto a couple of strong marks at full reach, though and managed to slot a sausage from a 45 deg angle, that he could easily have missed.

Kosi was Kosi and took a good mark.

Newnes started on Adam Goodes, when Goodes started the match forward. Newnes ended up with the 5th or 6th most possies for us for the game, which I was surprised to see.

Tommy Walsh only had one kick and didn't play their next game.

FROM THE GEELONG GAME:

(Riewoldt, Lenny, Fisher, Gilbert, Steven, Kosi, Dempster, Geary, Newnes didn't play, after all playing the first game. Crocker didn't play either game. Blake, Gram, Jones, Milera, Peake, Polo, Ray, Simpkin, Winmar all came in for the 2nd game)

Man am I excited about Siposs. Reminds me physically of a slightly taller and stronger version of Joel Smith. Just oozes class and moves like Smith did when he first burst onto the scene (maybe without the sidestep). Like Smith, has an exceptional kicking technique and can kick well on both feet, although he certainly kicks it longer than Smithy did. At one point tonight he had a shot for goal from 70-75m out, I s*** you not (I also saw the replay on Fox, when I got home). He got the ball just behind the centre circle and burst across the centre line and without taking a bounce, had a shot for goal (as there was no-one within 25m of goal). It landed about 10m out, but was a bit left of target and bounced through for a point. I don't think he realised he had a bit of time (which he gained through his acceleration), otherwise he probably would have taken a bounce, steadied and gotten better balanced and I reckon he would have nailed it, if he'd kicked it from about 65 (possibly on the full). Dwane Russell joked in commentary that it should have been for a a "16 pointer", not for a 9 (for a supergoal), as he was so far out. He could almost be a right-footed version of Gold Coast's McKenzie.

The other thing I learned about him tonight is that he has some serious acceleration on him. A couple of times he burst clear of the pack with the footy and it was mighty impressive. I didn't realise he had that sort of speed. He also has a very good footy brain, by the looks of it. Had 10 possies for the game, which was second only to CJ, I think, who had 14 (the most in any of the other games for any team was about 12 or 13).

Ever since Aaron Hamill started missing lots of footy we've been looking for someone to fill that role and Siposs looks very likely to be able to do it, maybe even better (albeit without the amazing tackling). Having Sammy there to teach him will also help considerably, I imagine. Physically and footy wise, he looks to have all the tools. Started the game at FF, but eventually moved up to the wing.

As I said, CJ got a lot of it. Hard as nails and gave 120%, as per usual. Apparently he had an interrupted pre-season last year, but has had a much better one this year and reckons he's feeling the best he has in a while. His game tonight reflected that, although he really butchered a couple of kicks, but we're used to that.

Simpkin was very impressive at FB, more so than Wilkes, who played the first game there. Simpkin made some big blunders in his two senior games last year, but looked more assured tonight. May not be quite big enough to handle the "monsters", but I'm not sure we'll have anyone who is perfect for FB, so he may be our best option. Got some really good spoils in and has a real go. Has also shown in the VFL that he has some mongrel in him.

Milera has a lot of talent and ability. Good kick, including on the run, very quick and not as thin as I was expecting, from the reports. Kicked a good goal on the run and also tried to take a Winmar style hanger across a pack. Might have held onto it, too, if someone didn't spoil the mark. He did land on his feet like a cat, though and managed to extract the ball from that marking contest after it hit the ground, with good poise and balance.

I was impressed with how Winmar went about things and attacked the contest overall

Our backline in the 2nd game was very inexperienced and not very big or tall.

FROM THE NIGHT OVERALL:

Saad looked impressive and is seriously fast. Could play round one, although might be fighting for a spot with Steven and/or Ledger, who could also play forward, if squeezed out of the midfield.

I didn't see Seb Ross do a lot, but he did get our 3rd most possies in the 2nd game and went head to head with both Adam Goodes and Jimmy Bartel in the two games, which would have been great for him.

Cripps put on some really terrific tackles, but I didn't see him get a lot of the footy, in either game, which I was disappointed about.

Ledger is like Leigh Montagna, part two. Good build. Kicks both feet. Fast. Same sort of height as Joey. Me likey.

Rhys Stanley didn't do a lot over the two games, but did make a couple of nice leads, which led to marks and kicked a goal at the end of the 1st game, with a good kick from 45m. He has a genuine hoof on him. Had one other shot for goal just in front of us from the 50m line and it went through 3/4 post height. He can genuinely kick it 60m (which I've also seen him do in the VFL) without a lot of effort.

Armo didn't do a lot for the two games, but was in our top 5 for possies in the 2nd game. Blake was OK, Geary serviceable and was in our top 4 for possies in the 1st game, Goddard was OK, Milne was very good, Mac was OK, Peake, Ray and Polo were Ok, Schneider was pretty quiet, as was Wilkes in the 2nd game.

You hear some go on and on and on about how these games mean "nothing", but that's not true. Sure they're not as intense, or anywhere near as relevant, as a regular season game, but you can still learn a lot about the younger ones, especially, from games like these. So they do have some value.
And that is because, even though these games are not at the usual AFL standard and intensity, they are still almost certainly more intense and quicker than the U18's, VFL, SANFL, WAFL and so on games that they usually play. They are also more in the spotlight, with the bigger crowd there, plus being on TV to tens or hundreds of thousands more. So if they do well in these games, against the likes of Adam Goodes and Jimmy Bartel and Harry Taylor, there is a good liklihood that they will be able to make the step up to AFL senior footy. Moreso, I believe, than if they do well in a VFL game, or WAFL or SANFL game, that they are largely judged on during the season.

[mr.wobble]

Is Ledger still eligible for the Rising star?

[Wrote for Luck]

thought Simpkin was tops! MR SLEDGEHAMMER

[The Fireman]

*** EDIT: These files seem to have disappeared. I was able to watch the first half of the Cats game but that's it.


Check these out Fireman, just found them myself on Bigfooty:


*** Just realised, these files are from the new Bigpond mobile-AFL deal!

the rest of the games....should be up very soon:

syd vs geel 1st:

http://win-cdn220-is-1.se.bptvpd.ngc...st_half_2M.mp4


syd vs geel 2nd:

http://win-cdn220-is-1.se.bptvpd.ngc...ll_game_2M.mp4

stk vs geel 1st:

http://win-cdn220-is-1.se.bptvpd.ngc...st_half_2M.mp4


stk vs geel 2nd:

http://win-cdn220-is-1.se.bptvpd.ngc...ll_game_2M.mp4

links don't work

[stevie]

Great review work guys, very much appreciated!!!!!!

[SainterK]

Is Ledger still eligible for the Rising star?

I'm pretty sure he would be, good chance to have a few nominations this year don't you reckon?

Steven was elegible last year, so you'd think the likes of Ledger, Cripps, Siposs are available for it.

[perfectionist]

Is Ledger still eligible for the Rising star?

"To be eligible to be nominated for the award, a player must be younger than 21 years of age on 1 January of the award year and have played 10 or fewer senior games before the beginning of the season."

Tom played 2 games last year and is still 19. Will be a champ Saints player because he can run, kick and think (unlike a couple of popular duds). Strength is his main problem at the moment, but given how much that has improved in 12 months, I'm not concerned.

[plugger66]

Is Ledger still eligible for the Rising star?

"To be eligible to be nominated for the award, a player must be younger than 21 years of age on 1 January of the award year and have played 10 or fewer senior games before the beginning of the season."

Tom played 2 games last year and is still 19. Will be a champ Saints player because he can run, kick and think (unlike a couple of popular duds). Strength is his main problem at the moment, but given how much that has improved in 12 months, I'm not concerned.

Havent got the courage to say Steven is your opinion of a popular dud?

[saintbrat]

http://www.afl.com.au/nabcup/tabid/74/default.aspx
the ladder to date.

[gringo]

Siposs looking very good on the wing.

Ledger will play every game of 2012.

Cripps a little quiet, was hoping he'd be a prolific rebounder.

Ross looks ok but not as big as I thought he'd be, probably a year or two away.

Saad looks food to go.

Milera has a bit of class but too slight, probably doesn't have the intensity.

Winmar can kick the footy.

Milne is Milne.

Simpkin will be our first choice defender.

Simpkins closes in well and is clean with the loose ball just a little short. Cripps and Ledger will both play footy this year. Jamie didn't get much of a chance to show his stuff because the ball didn't come near him that often.

Saad is exciting as is Milera both could play but probably only one at a time.

Winmar doesn't get enough of it but kicks like a surgeon cuts.

Ross was really good at that little bit of a touch on the ball in traffic that feeds it to our advantage, selfless intense footy player and will be something special I hope Lenny tutors him for a year or two and makes him into a star.

[AnythingsPossibleSaints]

Just seen most of the replay of both games and Cripps did better (got more of it) than I though he did, from watching it at the ground last night. Also used it well by both hand and foot and is certainly quick.
The likes of him, Ledger, Siposs, Saad and maybe Ross and Milera will hopefully put a lot of pressure on our much maligned "bottom 6", which will be really good.
Watters obviously saw first hand what Collingwood giving the likes of Sidebottom and co a lot of games in 2010, when they weren't necessarily better than the older ones they were replacing, (especially early) did for their footy and how it payed off by the end of the year, so he may look to do that with us.

[gringo]

I liked the fact that Gram and Steven both look a lot more unrestricted by their groins. Steven is like a bee in a bottle when he plays and the pace was back last night. Gram looks to be moving a lot better and had some side step back and more mobility.

CJ is still so under rated by even our own fans. we have some really exciting players this time around. I love all our players but Ross had a way to take the fun out of footy for guys. Geary started as a nuggety Bakes type who would scrap on his hands and knees and ended up a stodgy plodder that kept his feet and tried to bore the opposition into submission.

Polo looked more at home last night and ran down guys and was pressuring well when he didn't have the ball. Beau looks like a freight train when he gets moving and should at least be handy against gorilla FFs. Sipposs has become less one dimentional and looks like he has bulked up.

[saintmont]

What I like about the Games I saw, was that we have 2 players who could go into the blackline in Simpkin and Wilkes I liked both players games. I liked how Winmar, Ledger and Siposs have bulk-up. I also liked the look of Saad, Ross and Milera.
They all look like they will put pressure on some the more senior players. I thought CJ was great.

[Dr Spaceman]

What I like about the Games I saw, was that we have 2 players who could go into the blackline in Simpkin and Wilkes I liked both players games. I liked how Winmar, Ledger and Siposs have bulk-up. I also liked the look of Saad, Ross and Milera.
They all look like they will put pressure on some the more senior players. I thought CJ was great.

Winmar didn't do much last night but there was just something about him that said..... maybe.