Player by Player: NAB Cup Round 1

[bergholt]

Just watching the replay, here's a quick run through of thoughts on the players from the Collingwood game:

2: Yeah, ya know, King was fine. Always breaks even in ruck contest, but doesn't get much around the ground. Not bad, but also pretty close to slipping third in line in the ruck...
3: Only glimpses from Jack before getting injured, but still some pretty solid signs - gotta love his energy.
4: The usual. CJ really never just lets ya down, though this was a relatively quiet game for him. Still destroyed Didak, though.
5: McEvoy improves every time he plays. Such good hands and really gets near it around the ground. Will be a really good player in a year or so.
6: Not a great game for Zac, as his man had about eight shots. I wish he'd make more spoils - just not as good at staying in the contest as Max was.
11: Joey looked pretty relaxed and definitely wasn't going full pace, but was by no means bad.
12: An off-season has done Riewoldt good, looked motivated and full of energy. No strapping! Good signs.
13: I reckon this proved that Schneider could actually be a midfielder, but maybe not for a whole night. Got his hands on it a lot, especially at centre bounces, and his field kicking is good - and gets goals, obviously. Good move.
14: Geary seemed to get a small defender role, and was pretty quiet. I think he could be better used than deep in defence.
18: Unaccustomed role for BJ, playing inside mid for most of the night. He's wasted there, but his huge body means he usually breaks even, at least - it's a useful plan B for him. Looked solid in defence in the last.
19: Gilbo was probably the best of the established defenders, still looks composed and strong.
20: Armo was in absolutely everything all night and was almost best. Nine clearances! Made some mistakes, but he just needs to improve disposal slightly and he'll be a really good player.
21: Heyne seemed to be thereabouts a bit without doing anything great, but presented pretty well across half-forward and pressure seemed decent. Lots of learning still for him.
22: Dunno, don't remember seeing much Ray. Let's hope he's focused on taking the next step this year. I'm not worried about him yet.
23: Usual Kosi game - bashed about a bit, didn't get heaps of it, but justified his spot.
25: Not S Fisher's greatest game, but came into it and broke free towards the end.
27: Blake probably played in defence, didn't see much of him except his supergoal.
28: Rhys didn't get near it a huge amount and was a bit unlucky a couple of times, but wow! Seriously exciting, this kid - great hands, quick, strong and smart. Looks like he could be anything.
30: Peake looks like he's been in the side forever, which isn't entirely a good thing. Lacked the sense of urgency and excitement that the young kids have, but his experience will be useful, despite the turnovers.
32: Pretty much the same McQualter game that he played all last year, a few good assists, a good goal, but waxed in and out a bit. I wouldn't mind a bit more consistent impact from him, as he's definitely one of the bottom six in the first team.
33: Standard Jimmy Gwilt game, looked pretty solid when he got near the ball but didn't get near it enough.
37: I dunno, I guess L Fisher's still in the squad, and didn't look that bad in limited game time. Could still be an option as a small back, maybe? Unlikely, though.
39: Apparently Smith knows how to find the ball and uses it really well when he does. Also some great second efforts. I wasn't expecting anything and now he's really in calculations for a midfield spot. Excellent!
44: Lively, and showed a dimension through the midfield and across half-forward that Milne doesn't always bother with. His spot's under a little pressure and on this showing he wants to keep it.
45: Miles was beaten by Medhurst, in my opinion, and didn't look that great. Worth persisting with because we don't have enough small defenders, but I sense he might not be quite good enough.
49: Didn't see enough Gaertner to really make a call, but looks mobile for his size.

[AnythingsPossibleSaints]

Agree with pretty much all of that. Interesting move if they play Geary down back. They could be grooming him to replace Bakes down there and he could be a good option. He looks much more physically solid now and would give good drive from down there. Worth persevering with I reckon, especially with Steven and Smith ideally suited to playing midfield, down the track.

[stinger]

good summary...agree with most comments...

"22: Dunno, don't remember seeing much Ray. Let's hope he's focused on taking the next step this year. I'm not worried about him yet."


...ray had a good game imho....

[Quixote]

Riewoldt looked in unbelievable nick.

Smith was a real positive, as was Schnieder, McQ and McEvoy.

Stanley showed signs.

Armitage plays Rnd 1 & onwards barring injury.

One that not many have mentioned is Gwilt. I thought he went very well and is beneficial to our structure. Would have him in the 22 every week.

I hope Blake hasn't slowed down too much.



On a lighter note - how many times have we lost with Jimmy Gwilt in the team? He'd certainly be well ahead of the ledger.

[Quixote]

Oh and thought Geary was excellent.

[stinger]

actually....big mac has never played in a losing saints side......

[st_Trav_ofWA]

was a typical first game lots of errors and misskicks ,
the effort of CJ is still his greatest asset he just wills himself to beat his opponent

Smith really took his chances with both hands .. dont think he will be a big impact in the seniors this year but he has really shown the saints they were right to show faith in him

Gwilt i though was solid no "deer in the headlight" moments and provided a physical presence .. i really liked his game

Steven was good early but that injury ended that

Geary looked a bit rusty but still got to the right places at the right time

Heyne looked a bit lost but there is some promiss there

Stanley had a great game will give him a heck of alot of confidence moving forward .. comentators liken him to Roo

[kosifantutti23]

actually....big mac has never played in a losing saints side......

Not in the regular season, but he played last year against Brisbane in the NAB cup.

[PJ]

It's an interesting one with McEvoy and Stanley presenting well, taking clean grabs and kicking goals. What's the future with Kosi, McEvoy and Stanley all able to play the tall forward role.

Will Kosi get overtaken by the younguns in the next year or 2? This is the up side of our recruiting.

Obviously Kosi is the man at the moment but with what we saw last Friday - for how long?

[bigred]

Geary needs to run harder.

Just my opinion, but I used to say the same about Joey.

[saint64]

I think Miles will be okay. Didn't show much Friday night but I was impressed with him when he was over in Perth a couple of weeks ago - seems very level headed.

[bergholt]

Geary needs to run harder.

Just my opinion, but I used to say the same about Joey.

yep, and after a few years in and out of the side, joey started running harder and turned into a top-class midfielder. let's hope the same penny drops for geary.

[St DAC]

McQualter was directly involved in about 4-5 goals, as well as his defensive efforts. A pretty good game from him I thought.

[Wrote for Luck]

IMO Miles showed good signs playing in back, good speed, should improve. Also, Nick Heyne had a bit of a crack at Ball, which was nice work, I'm liking his aggression (had a crack at Schneider in intraclub) - choked with the shot on goal, however, I reckon he'll improve and become decent flanker or winger. Leigh Fischer was sound for the short time on the pitch.

[ThePunter]

King - we dominated the ruck in the first half.
Steven - I thought he was reasonably quiet before going off.
Jones - Didak didn't touch it, but still an adventure whenever Jones kicks the ball.
McEvoy - provides a goalkicking dimension that King does not. Equally dominant in the ruck in the first half.
Dawson - needs to focus on the ball more and his opponent less.
Montagna - a dirty day, but has earned a mulligan for a NAB Cup match.
Riewoldt - did everything expected.
Schneider - close to BOG, good to see him play well up the ground.
Geary - drifted in and out of the game, but looks to be playing half-back.
Goddard - disposal was first rate.
Gilbert - quiet but Collingwood bottled him up well.
Armitage - BOG comfortably. Guy looks to arrived.
Heyne - Typical crumbing forward game. Needs to get his hands on the ball more.
Ray - In our best four or five until substituted.
Koschitzke - Had Presti, which made things tough. Attacked the contest well.
S Fisher - his usual reliable self.
Blake - see S Fisher
Stanley - doesn't need much of the ball to make an impact. Impressed with his hands.
Peake - for Luke Ball, at least we have a speed upgrade. Not a walk up start for Round 1.
McQualter - Just keeps getting better at doing the small stuff and the basics. Wonderful kick.
Gwilt - What he did was certainly good enough, but didn't seem to have a set position.
L Fisher - reliable as always but unspectacular.
A Smith - the good news story of the night. Milney should be nervous.
Milne - Just didn't get in the game quite enough, but has earned a pass.
Miles - back pocket plumber. Did some good things, but not sure if he is good enough.
Gaertner - on the field for (the last) five minutes, but liked what I saw.

[kosifantutti23]

Koschitzke - Had Presti, which made things tough. Attacked the contest well.

I don't think Presti came on until the 2nd half.

[Saint_Ash]

Koschitzke - Had Presti, which made things tough. Attacked the contest well.

I don't think Presti came on until the 2nd half.

Correct. Presti was the sub and only came on mid way through the 3rd qtr.

[bigcarl]

Dawson - needs to focus on the ball more and his opponent less.

agree. no-one can touch him when he's playing the ball, but he can be outpointed when he goes body to body.

Jones - Didak didn't touch it, but still an adventure whenever Jones kicks the ball.

well, he'll never get points for style, but generally he's more effective than he looks imo.

Peake - for Luke Ball, at least we have a speed upgrade. Not a walk up start for Round 1.

showed a bit of pace and flair, but disposal was a little wayward i thought. will need to learn to play the st kilda way. but could be handy in a good side like ours.

Stanley - doesn't need much of the ball to make an impact. Impressed with his hands.

very impressive for a 200cm 19-year-old. if he can back it up in the rest of the nab cup, he could push for round 1. appears to have all the attributes needed.

Milne - Just didn't get in the game quite enough, but has earned a pass.

needs to stop second-guessing himself and go with his natural instincts, which are very good. it's when he thinks about it too much that he comes unstuck.

[meher baba]

Gwilt - What he did was certainly good enough, but didn't seem to have a set position.

Is the club developing Gwilt as effectively as they might be?

Last season, I always thought Gwilt looked better when played at half forward for extended periods. In some games last season, and again on Friday night, he seemed to be used in short bursts in a variety of positions.

I had assumed that it might have something to do with managing his asthma, but maybe it's just that the coaching staff don't feel enough confidence in him to use him as a KPP, so they just keep throwing him in as a rotating utility player.

Towards the end of the season, he also had several weekends where he was selected as an emergency and didn't get a game anywhere.

I think it might be better to give him, say, two months at Sandy to practice playing exclusively as a half forward and then bring him back.

[thequarry]

A bit difficult to judge in a NAB Cup game...

I thought Milne did some good things - yes, he went missing and blew a couple of opportunities, but he looked good when he pushed up the ground and took a few marks from well outside the 50m arc. Both him and Schneider doing that (the latter did it far more effectively and damagingly on Friday night) would really improve our versatility going forward.

Smith looked great - definitely a player of the future (not sure how ready he is for this year though). I loved his eagerness to get to the footy, and his quick smarts, particularly his recovery from the almost great mark he took going back which wasn't paid, to get down to the footy and dish it off; also his setting-up of Milne in the final term.

Steven was unfortunate to go off injured. It would be nice to get some game time into him before the season proper.

Stanley was exciting, but I doubt he'll be in the firsts until next year, depending on injury to Gardiner and King (admittedly prone), but then you have both McEvoy and Pattison assumedly queued ahead of him.

Miles was a bit up and down - he lacked some strength in the contests and was outbodied by Medhurst a couple of times, but he did some nice things with the footy coming out of defence. His effort in the dying seconds of the match was huge - he didn't flinch.

[Mr X from the West]

Peake was a disappointment.

Will need to play a blinder or two to be in the running for selection for Round 1. Seems to get lost in the play - needs to watch how Farren Ray goes about getting himself involved in matches.

[bergholt]

A Smith - the good news story of the night. Milney should be nervous.

Milne? They play different positions, surely. Smith seems to me to be a midfielder, pure and simple; far more than Milne and more than McQualter or even Ray or Schneider. Anyone who can find the ball that much through the middle would be wasted in a forward pocket.

[ThePunter]

I felt Al Smith looked like he could be a very good small forward. He was creative and quick, and there are too many spots open in the midfield.

[spert]

I thought Montagna showed he was a class above most of the pack early on, but didn't need to push himself for the game.
Stanley is a season away yet.
Peake showed nothing.
Milne's a problem and although he has a few tricks, he is proven finals flop and do we blood someone else in his place?
Smith was a surprise
McEvoy is up there for a position in the seniors.
Schneider showed class and determination
McQualter will be better this year
Kozi needs to do a bit more than bash and crash.
Armo will be in the seniors no problem
Geary is better on the forward line or on the ball than down back
Miles may need a couple more games to show what he has.
Gilbert is a bit one-sided and can be caught out by slippery forwards.

Looking good for 2010

[plugger66]

I thought Montagna showed he was a class above most of the pack early on, but didn't need to push himself for the game.
Stanley is a season away yet.
Peake showed nothing.
Milne's a problem and although he has a few tricks, he is proven finals flop and do we blood someone else in his place?
Smith was a surprise
McEvoy is up there for a position in the seniors.
Schneider showed class and determination
McQualter will be better this year
Kozi needs to do a bit more than bash and crash.
Armo will be in the seniors no problem
Geary is better on the forward line or on the ball than down back
Miles may need a couple more games to show what he has.
Gilbert is a bit one-sided and can be caught out by slippery forwards.

Looking good for 2010

Not if you take notice of what you have written.