Training 2023 Preseason + training discussion

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Mattis Match Sim Reporrt - 17/02/23
Ok, I have a keyboard again! Time to do a proper write up.
In general, good game to watch, clear ball movement patterns and not many howlers. Difficult to truly know what you're seeing when it's nearly best vs. the rest, so the individual write ups are probably the best feedback possible.

1. Sturt: Did what he had to do, dealt a rough hand and made a play with it. Every Freo supporter wants to see Sturt live up to his potential, and based on today he should be getting some games, needs to take his chance when given the opportunity.

2. O'Meara: So classy, an AFL pro that knows how to do the little things, like putting his body in the right spot to give a team mate space. Looking set for a huge first year with Freo.

3. Serong: Projecting to be one the best in the game, has lightening fast decision making, excellent skills, is an energiser bunny, and is such a pleasure to watch. Has taken another big step this off season and looks at the same level as O'Meara.

4. Darcy: Did not play due to bereavement.

5. Schultz: typical Shultz game, popping up in the goals, applying pressure. Will be hard for challengers to dislodge from the starting 22.

6. Clark: Our secondary distributor off half back, had plenty of it and hit just about every pass. No fuss game, nothing super flashy, but did a great job.

7. Fyfe: Building very nicely, having a bull like Fyfe roaming the forward line is going to be a scary prospect for opposition teams. Is great on the lead but also 1 on 1, and having a midfield bull at every fwd 50 stoppage is a luxury for Freo. Still learning the craft for sure, was not a perfect game, got caught a couple of times trying to do too much, but he looks good.

8. Brayshaw: Did not play due to illness, but watched on from a distance.

9. Jackson: This man will revolutionise how we play. Is so dynamic at stoppages and becomes an extra mid when the ball hits the ground. Honestly has the potential to become a top ten player in the comp, can look unstoppable at times.

10. Walters: Did not play, was helping to coach team grey.

11. Aish: Solid effort playing mid for grey, Mr. Reliable, a good game.

12. Davies: Tough day in the sun for the kid up against a full strength purple forward line. No real comment to make.

13. Ryan: Typical Luke Ryan game marshalling the defence. Seems to have given distribution responsibilities to Clark and Young and is playing within his limits. Did his job and didn't notice any errors.

14. Wilson: Played half back for grey and did his best to push his case. I don't think he did enough and will need injuries to crack a game this year. Great depth though.

15. Hughes: Actually pretty good, you know what you're getting with Ethan. I don't think he's in the best 22, but he's not far from it, played a good wing game for Purple.

16. Brodie: Admitted to hospital with leather poisoning. Was a beast at the clearances. Trouble with Brodie is he doesn't do as much away from the stoppages. Really a stoppage specialist with outstanding ability to get the ball out to space.

18. Emmett: A good first up game for grey, was involved, but nothing spectacular.

19. Corbett: Kicked a couple of snags and will be a handy back up, not best 22.

20. Taberner: had an almost game with a few opportunities, I thought he was overshadowed by other forwards, however, Tabs was getting up the ground a lot. Seems to be building nicely though.

21. Hamling: Good depth to have, but got absolutely torched by Kuek for pace a couple of times. He's good when the play is on his terms.

22. Knobel: If he was playing I didn't notice him.

23. Henry: Couldn't have done more, I reckon he had the pill at least 25 times, but the best thing is he received it all up and down the wing, right from deep in the back pocket all the way to HFF. Best thing with Henry is his skillful delivery to others. Looks like he has developed AFL level strength and fitness, one to watch closely in the pre-season games.

24. Amiss: Gee this lad gets me excited. An intelligent forward with excellent field kicking, leads straight at the kicker. Is he best 22, I'd think so but gee it's a close call with so much competition. Definitely needs a bit more physical development, but has a sky scraper ceiling.

25. Pearce: A General down back, an imposing game, gave nothing to his opponent.

26. Young: Shoutout to my buddy, on his way to superstardom. Does everything well, collects the ball clean in the air and on the ground, uses his body well, changes direction, finds the right option, and executes his kicks. Reckon he'll go close to our best ever half back.

27. Chapman: Building nicely. Lots of good plays and clean kicking, a couple of errors, but think he was still adjusting to the pace. Looks to have taken another step forward over the off season, definitely best 22.

28. Erasmus: Strong young mid who will have to bide his time. Will be a great inside mid when his opportunity comes.

30. O'Driscoll: Did not play.

31. Walker: License to take the game on, exciting when he gets it right, but had a few mistakes again, got caught by Sturt in the pocket and should have been HTB in my opinion. I still have him starting ahead of Wilson.

32. Frederick: Sadly did not play do to untimely quad strain.

33. Colyer: Not much to say, I'll be surprised if Travis plays an AFL game this season. He was involved, but has fallen back in the pack.

34. Wagner: Not sure he was out there?

35. Treacy: Wow! JT you are building nicely. Very impressive first three quarters playing FF and ruck. Faded late and was not sighted much in the last quarter. Learning to impose himself on the contest and his work in the clinches while playing ruck was actually quite impressive.

36. Cox: Did not play, but an imposing figure on the boundary line!

37. Draper: Did some nice things, good project player.

38. Benning: Benning only had a few touches, but did some good things with them. A nice goal to cap off a decent day from Eric.

39. Switkowski: Seemed to drift in and out of the game, can be a real game changer when he goes on ball, just has that max level intensity and makes good decisions. Would like to see him get more of it!

40. Worner: Not too bad off half back for grey, but a long way from B22 currently.

41. Banfield: Pretty solid from Bailey, like Hughes above, you know what you're going to get.

42. Reidy: To be honest, didn't seem to notice Reidy much, overshadowed by Jackson.

43. Kuek: Great project player, so much to work with. Incredible leap and lightning across the ground. Body seems to move quicker than the mind though, has trouble making the right decisions and executing his skills. Some real attributes to work with however. Could be an excitement machine if puts the whole package together.

44. Johnson: Very solid game for grey playing inside mid, got quite a lot of the ball and used it well. Should debut at some point this season.

45. Williams: Opposed to Henry on the wing for large parts and got slaughtered.

Thanks for reading!
 
Both Erasmus and Johnson continued their mouthwatering trajectory today. Erasmus racking them up in an uphill challenge on the Grey Team, while Johnson really shone with his contested work. He is hard to tackle and when he more often than not stands up in them and bullocks out an effective disposal. Grey's first goal (iirc) started with Johnson's bullocking play out of the centre. Really reinforced they're both not far off it and no doubt will contribute this year at some stage.
 
Ok, I have a keyboard again! Time to do a proper write up.
In general, good game to watch, clear ball movement patterns and not many howlers. Difficult to truly know what you're seeing when it's nearly best vs. the rest, so the individual write ups are probably the best feedback possible.

1. Sturt: Did what he had to do, dealt a rough hand and made a play with it. Every Freo supporter wants to see Sturt live up to his potential, and based on today he should be getting some games, needs to take his chance when given the opportunity.

2. O'Meara: So classy, an AFL pro that knows how to do the little things, like putting his body in the right spot to give a team mate space. Looking set for a huge first year with Freo.

3. Serong: Projecting to be one the best in the game, has lightening fast decision making, excellent skills, is an energiser bunny, and is such a pleasure to watch. Has taken another big step this off season and looks at the same level as O'Meara.

4. Darcy: Did not play due to bereavement.

5. Schultz: typical Shultz game, popping up in the goals, applying pressure. Will be hard for challengers to dislodge from the starting 22.

6. Clark: Our secondary distributor off half back, had plenty of it and hit just about every pass. No fuss game, nothing super flashy, but did a great job.

7. Fyfe: Building very nicely, having a bull like Fyfe roaming the forward line is going to be a scary prospect for opposition teams. Is great on the lead but also 1 on 1, and having a midfield bull at every fwd 50 stoppage is a luxury for Freo. Still learning the craft for sure, was not a perfect game, got caught a couple of times trying to do too much, but he looks good.

8. Brayshaw: Did not play due to illness, but watched on from a distance.

9. Jackson: This man will revolutionise how we play. Is so dynamic at stoppages and becomes an extra mid when the ball hits the ground. Honestly has the potential to become a top ten player in the comp, can look unstoppable at times.

10. Walters: Did not play, was helping to coach team grey.

11. Aish: Solid effort playing mid for grey, Mr. Reliable, a good game.

12. Davies: Tough day in the sun for the kid up against a full strength purple forward line. No real comment to make.

13. Ryan: Typical Luke Ryan game marshalling the defence. Seems to have given distribution responsibilities to Clark and Young and is playing within his limits. Did his job and didn't notice any errors.

14. Wilson: Played half back for grey and did his best to push his case. I don't think he did enough and will need injuries to crack a game this year. Great depth though.

15. Hughes: Actually pretty good, you know what you're getting with Ethan. I don't think he's in the best 22, but he's not far from it, played a good wing game for Purple.

16. Brodie: Admitted to hospital with leather poisoning. Was a beast at the clearances. Trouble with Brodie is he doesn't do as much away from the stoppages. Really a stoppage specialist with outstanding ability to get the ball out to space.

18. Emmett: A good first up game for grey, was involved, but nothing spectacular.

19. Corbett: Kicked a couple of snags and will be a handy back up, not best 22.

20. Taberner: had an almost game with a few opportunities, I thought he was overshadowed by other forwards, however, Tabs was getting up the ground a lot. Seems to be building nicely though.

21. Hamling: Good depth to have, but got absolutely torched by Kuek for pace a couple of times. He's good when the play is on his terms.

22. Knobel: If he was playing I didn't notice him.

23. Henry: Couldn't have done more, I reckon he had the pill at least 25 times, but the best thing is he received it all up and down the wing, right from deep in the back pocket all the way to HFF. Best thing with Henry is his skillful delivery to others. Looks like he has developed AFL level strength and fitness, one to watch closely in the pre-season games.

24. Amiss: Gee this lad gets me excited. An intelligent forward with excellent field kicking, leads straight at the kicker. Is he best 22, I'd think so but gee it's a close call with so much competition. Definitely needs a bit more physical development, but has a sky scraper ceiling.

25. Pearce: A General down back, an imposing game, gave nothing to his opponent.

26. Young: Shoutout to my buddy, on his way to superstardom. Does everything well, collects the ball clean in the air and on the ground, uses his body well, changes direction, finds the right option, and executes his kicks. Reckon he'll go close to our best ever half back.

27. Chapman: Building nicely. Lots of good plays and clean kicking, a couple of errors, but think he was still adjusting to the pace. Looks to have taken another step forward over the off season, definitely best 22.

28. Erasmus: Strong young mid who will have to bide his time. Will be a great inside mid when his opportunity comes.

30. O'Driscoll: Did not play.

31. Walker: License to take the game on, exciting when he gets it right, but had a few mistakes again, got caught by Sturt in the pocket and should have been HTB in my opinion. I still have him starting ahead of Wilson.

32. Frederick: Sadly did not play do to untimely quad strain.

33. Colyer: Not much to say, I'll be surprised if Travis plays an AFL game this season. He was involved, but has fallen back in the pack.

34. Wagner: Not sure he was out there?

35. Treacy: Wow! JT you are building nicely. Very impressive first three quarters playing FF and ruck. Faded late and was not sighted much in the last quarter. Learning to impose himself on the contest and his work in the clinches while playing ruck was actually quite impressive.

36. Cox: Did not play, but an imposing figure on the boundary line!

37. Draper: Did some nice things, good project player.

38. Benning: Benning only had a few touches, but did some good things with them. A nice goal to cap off a decent day from Eric.

39. Switkowski: Seemed to drift in and out of the game, can be a real game changer when he goes on ball, just has that max level intensity and makes good decisions. Would like to see him get more of it!

40. Worner: Not too bad off half back for grey, but a long way from B22 currently.

41. Banfield: Pretty solid from Bailey, like Hughes above, you know what you're going to get.

42. Reidy: To be honest, didn't seem to notice Reidy much, overshadowed by Jackson.

43. Kuek: Great project player, so much to work with. Incredible leap and lightning across the ground. Body seems to move quicker than the mind though, has trouble making the right decisions and executing his skills. Some real attributes to work with however. Could be an excitement machine if puts the whole package together.

44. Johnson: Very solid game for grey playing inside mid, got quite a lot of the ball and used it well. Should debut at some point this season.

45. Williams: Opposed to Henry on the wing for large parts and got slaughtered.

Thanks for reading!

Who did Hughes play opposed to?
 

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Wobbly Punt Match Sim Report - 17/02/23
Hey Folks,

Great game threading from mattis, superb work. I missed the first quarter but got 3 in so will give my 2c.

Firstly, although Daniels was wronger than Clive Palmer in a Mankini about Henry, I’d give him the benefit of the doubt. I thought the same about Sturt until chatting with someone after and then reading the mattis work. Sometimes you just don’t notice stuff. For the record, Henry was NOT quiet and was, in fact, better than busy. A mate I know there had him for 6 touches in q1 and 8 in q2. He was there for only the first half and is thinking of him for Fantasy so was keeping score for himself. He was just as active in Q3 & 4.

I’ll echo everything said on Treacy, he was big today. Playing out of position a bit too but he was all over the place and clearly the best big forward on the ground in my mind. Even his ruck work was handy. The boy is hungry and playing like it. He worked well with Tabs, Fyfe and Amiss and he created opportunities at ground level for the smalls. He actually lined up at HFF at times for some CB’s which I think is great. His pressure is much better than you’d expect and his ball use to a leading target is excellent. If Banfield plays as a HF instead of Treacy I won’t be able to justify it. Treacy is quicker, better defensively, more dangerous in every way.

Tabs was the least impressive of the big guys but I offer the caveat here on that point by saying that to say he was the least impressive is to lay the shine on the other guys who were really good. Tabs was ever present and really organising things well. He got his hands to a lot and dropped them which is something he’ll build on.

Amiss was only a smidge better than Tabs in my view but crikey it looked good at times. They regularly had Jackson, Treacy, Fyfe, Tabs and Amiss on the ground. It worked very well. I will say there were times the ball came out and went to the other end a bit too quickly so I don’t know how sustainable it’ll be but when we had the ball it worked very well. Fyfe was very good again today and went up the ground regularly to contests on the wing and even up to HB.

I don’t know the venn diagram of those who dislike Henry and those who dislike Hughes and what the overlap is but each group should ready themselves for the possibility of a Hughes, Henry wing combo, especially if Noddy’s foot keeps him out for long. It’s by no means locked but it’s not the impossibility I thought it was either. Henry we’ve covered as being good. He was matched against Colyer a lot and today his ball use was spotless. He’s played himself in to my B22 and gets the start on one wing if I’m picking the team. Really encouraging.

Hughes was decent too. I’m not a huge fan of his but it’s hard to argue with what he’s currently doing. He had 3 shots on goal today, got 1 and the others were tough-ish ones on the run. He did the things those who don’t want him playing hate to see. Sometimes slow with the ball, sometimes not the best with the decision etc. I don’t think it’ll be terrible. We certainly shouldn’t rule him out because in a WAFL final playing about his 6th game on a wing he didn’t play well. He’s working hard and he’s being more adventurous with the ball too so I’m hopeful. Hughes was on Williams for a lot of what I saw so that’s not a fair match but when he was up against the AFL bods he acquitted himself just as well.

Jackson was very good. He doesn’t have the strongest hands in a marking contest and his leap isn’t huge either, but the rest of the package is super exciting. If he spills the mark, he’s the most likely guy to get the crumb. It’s amazing. He takes good options and today in particular, his tap work in the CBA’s was arousing. I wish I’d counted but there were numerous times when a tap from Jackson went straight to a pair of purple hands, and I mean straight there. It was great to watch. Just as impressive was the defensive work done by Johnno and Ras as well as Aish in there as very rarely did they allow clean breakaways. They hung tough and were very good defensively.

Both Ras and Johnno had patches of untidy work with disposals but both had better periods of getting hold of it. Ras did one pickup of a spilled ball where he grabbed the ball as he exited the contest, felt the pressure, changed his mind about which way to gor and spun on his heel to get out of trouble and away. He botched the kick but the gathering of the ball was absolute 100% bullshyyttery.

I too was surprised by Aish donning the grey. I agree I think he was asked to apply increased defensive pressure to the purple as a nod to his likely roles this year and also get Serong ready for some of that gear too. He was handy I thought.

Wilson had some top moments including the great goal already pointed out. Most impressive to me was his effort to make himself available. I was sitting close to a father of one of our young guys who I can say is NOT a Wilson fan but I’d have to say I couldn’t have disagreed with him more. He called him selfish for wanting to take the ball so much. I saw it as a guy running hard to give his mates options.

Worner was decent again too. He’s quite vocal out there as well which I like in a young kid. At one point in the last Henry evaded a few would be tacklers near half back after a stoppage, as he broke away and started a handball chain that drove purple forward, Worner yelled “someone put some F*****NG pressure on him!”. Good stuff I thought.

Little Ando from Peel is an eye catcher. Would not surprise me a bit if he got some real attention this year. Very nippy and dangerous.

Reidy has a leap on him I hadn’t noticed before. He’s got a bit of upness in his pins. He jumped over Jackson a few times. I really like him.

As already mentioned, Hamling got Coxy’s spot and did some good stuff. He was unlucky enough to be caught in the chase mattis mentioned and didn’t quit. He clearly has his ankle very heavily strapped as he remains a bit proppy on it when just moving normally but he gets to the contests and kicks the ball as well as ever. We lose a bit of class with him in for Cox but we gain a lot in intensity. Cox is the better player but Hamling won’t let us down.

Our big ranga sun worshipper was better today than I’d seen him previously. He did pretty well. How he’s not bright pink is beyond me but he’s a big and hard to move unit. Him and Draper as a defensive combo will be quite the handful. The rock and the athlete.

If Switta was more deadly around goal it’d be amazing. In fact if he was I don’t think there’d be a comp for him. Maybe Cyril? I hope he can get more dangerous around goal but his worth in the team is undeniable.

Finally JOM. Great get. Sublime composure and contest. Will be massive.

That’s about it for me folks.

PS - just saw mattis and I have the wing matchups the different way around. I's suggest they rotated in the halves. I'm sure Colyer and Henry were the matchup in H1 as they lined up right in front of me on the outer and it was something I watched closely when first there. Hughes was on Williams for at least 2 CB's too as I was disappointed Henry had gone to the other side and was harder for me to spot. I didn't pay as much attention later so I'd guess they all spent time on each other via the rotations and maybe switched for good later.
 
Regardless of what a lot of us think, Sturt has to push out Banfield as well as all those other names in front of him. Sturt will basically need to tear Peel apart to get close to a look in
He’s a pretty good replacement for Freddy as he has similar explosive pace. Freddy’s injury might just be the opening he needs.
 
Ok, I have a keyboard again! Time to do a proper write up.
In general, good game to watch, clear ball movement patterns and not many howlers. Difficult to truly know what you're seeing when it's nearly best vs. the rest, so the individual write ups are probably the best feedback possible.

1. Sturt: Did what he had to do, dealt a rough hand and made a play with it. Every Freo supporter wants to see Sturt live up to his potential, and based on today he should be getting some games, needs to take his chance when given the opportunity.

2. O'Meara: So classy, an AFL pro that knows how to do the little things, like putting his body in the right spot to give a team mate space. Looking set for a huge first year with Freo.

3. Serong: Projecting to be one the best in the game, has lightening fast decision making, excellent skills, is an energiser bunny, and is such a pleasure to watch. Has taken another big step this off season and looks at the same level as O'Meara.

4. Darcy: Did not play due to bereavement.

5. Schultz: typical Shultz game, popping up in the goals, applying pressure. Will be hard for challengers to dislodge from the starting 22.

6. Clark: Our secondary distributor off half back, had plenty of it and hit just about every pass. No fuss game, nothing super flashy, but did a great job.

7. Fyfe: Building very nicely, having a bull like Fyfe roaming the forward line is going to be a scary prospect for opposition teams. Is great on the lead but also 1 on 1, and having a midfield bull at every fwd 50 stoppage is a luxury for Freo. Still learning the craft for sure, was not a perfect game, got caught a couple of times trying to do too much, but he looks good.

8. Brayshaw: Did not play due to illness, but watched on from a distance.

9. Jackson: This man will revolutionise how we play. Is so dynamic at stoppages and becomes an extra mid when the ball hits the ground. Honestly has the potential to become a top ten player in the comp, can look unstoppable at times.

10. Walters: Did not play, was helping to coach team grey.

11. Aish: Solid effort playing mid for grey, Mr. Reliable, a good game.

12. Davies: Tough day in the sun for the kid up against a full strength purple forward line. No real comment to make.

13. Ryan: Typical Luke Ryan game marshalling the defence. Seems to have given distribution responsibilities to Clark and Young and is playing within his limits. Did his job and didn't notice any errors.

14. Wilson: Played half back for grey and did his best to push his case. I don't think he did enough and will need injuries to crack a game this year. Great depth though.

15. Hughes: Actually pretty good, you know what you're getting with Ethan. I don't think he's in the best 22, but he's not far from it, played a good wing game for Purple.

16. Brodie: Admitted to hospital with leather poisoning. Was a beast at the clearances. Trouble with Brodie is he doesn't do as much away from the stoppages. Really a stoppage specialist with outstanding ability to get the ball out to space.

18. Emmett: A good first up game for grey, was involved, but nothing spectacular.

19. Corbett: Kicked a couple of snags and will be a handy back up, not best 22.

20. Taberner: had an almost game with a few opportunities, I thought he was overshadowed by other forwards, however, Tabs was getting up the ground a lot. Seems to be building nicely though.

21. Hamling: Good depth to have, but got absolutely torched by Kuek for pace a couple of times. He's good when the play is on his terms.

22. Knobel: If he was playing I didn't notice him.

23. Henry: Couldn't have done more, I reckon he had the pill at least 25 times, but the best thing is he received it all up and down the wing, right from deep in the back pocket all the way to HFF. Best thing with Henry is his skillful delivery to others. Looks like he has developed AFL level strength and fitness, one to watch closely in the pre-season games.

24. Amiss: Gee this lad gets me excited. An intelligent forward with excellent field kicking, leads straight at the kicker. Is he best 22, I'd think so but gee it's a close call with so much competition. Definitely needs a bit more physical development, but has a sky scraper ceiling.

25. Pearce: A General down back, an imposing game, gave nothing to his opponent.

26. Young: Shoutout to my buddy, on his way to superstardom. Does everything well, collects the ball clean in the air and on the ground, uses his body well, changes direction, finds the right option, and executes his kicks. Reckon he'll go close to our best ever half back.

27. Chapman: Building nicely. Lots of good plays and clean kicking, a couple of errors, but think he was still adjusting to the pace. Looks to have taken another step forward over the off season, definitely best 22.

28. Erasmus: Strong young mid who will have to bide his time. Will be a great inside mid when his opportunity comes.

30. O'Driscoll: Did not play.

31. Walker: License to take the game on, exciting when he gets it right, but had a few mistakes again, got caught by Sturt in the pocket and should have been HTB in my opinion. I still have him starting ahead of Wilson.

32. Frederick: Sadly did not play do to untimely quad strain.

33. Colyer: Not much to say, I'll be surprised if Travis plays an AFL game this season. He was involved, but has fallen back in the pack.

34. Wagner: Not sure he was out there?

35. Treacy: Wow! JT you are building nicely. Very impressive first three quarters playing FF and ruck. Faded late and was not sighted much in the last quarter. Learning to impose himself on the contest and his work in the clinches while playing ruck was actually quite impressive.

36. Cox: Did not play, but an imposing figure on the boundary line!

37. Draper: Did some nice things, good project player.

38. Benning: Benning only had a few touches, but did some good things with them. A nice goal to cap off a decent day from Eric.

39. Switkowski: Seemed to drift in and out of the game, can be a real game changer when he goes on ball, just has that max level intensity and makes good decisions. Would like to see him get more of it!

40. Worner: Not too bad off half back for grey, but a long way from B22 currently.

41. Banfield: Pretty solid from Bailey, like Hughes above, you know what you're going to get.

42. Reidy: To be honest, didn't seem to notice Reidy much, overshadowed by Jackson.

43. Kuek: Great project player, so much to work with. Incredible leap and lightning across the ground. Body seems to move quicker than the mind though, has trouble making the right decisions and executing his skills. Some real attributes to work with however. Could be an excitement machine if puts the whole package together.

44. Johnson: Very solid game for grey playing inside mid, got quite a lot of the ball and used it well. Should debut at some point this season.

45. Williams: Opposed to Henry on the wing for large parts and got slaughtered.

Thanks for reading!
Legendary write up again mate! Agree with you 100% re Young.
 
Hey Folks,

Great game threading from mattis, superb work. I missed the first quarter but got 3 in so will give my 2c.

Firstly, although Daniels was wronger than Clive Palmer in a Mankini about Henry, I’d give him the benefit of the doubt. I thought the same about Sturt until chatting with someone after and then reading the mattis work. Sometimes you just don’t notice stuff. For the record, Henry was NOT quiet and was, in fact, better than busy. A mate I know there had him for 6 touches in q1 and 8 in q2. He was there for only the first half and is thinking of him for Fantasy so was keeping score for himself. He was just as active in Q3 & 4.

I’ll echo everything said on Treacy, he was big today. Playing out of position a bit too but he was all over the place and clearly the best big forward on the ground in my mind. Even his ruck work was handy. The boy is hungry and playing like it. He worked well with Tabs, Fyfe and Amiss and he created opportunities at ground level for the smalls. He actually lined up at HFF at times for some CB’s which I think is great. His pressure is much better than you’d expect and his ball use to a leading target is excellent. If Banfield plays as a HF instead of Treacy I won’t be able to justify it. Treacy is quicker, better defensively, more dangerous in every way.

Tabs was the least impressive of the big guys but I offer the caveat here on that point by saying that to say he was the least impressive is to lay the shine on the other guys who were really good. Tabs was ever present and really organising things well. He got his hands to a lot and dropped them which is something he’ll build on.

Amiss was only a smidge better than Tabs in my view but crikey it looked good at times. They regularly had Jackson, Treacy, Fyfe, Tabs and Amiss on the ground. It worked very well. I will say there were times the ball came out and went to the other end a bit too quickly so I don’t know how sustainable it’ll be but when we had the ball it worked very well. Fyfe was very good again today and went up the ground regularly to contests on the wing and even up to HB.

I don’t know the venn diagram of those who dislike Henry and those who dislike Hughes and what the overlap is but each group should ready themselves for the possibility of a Hughes, Henry wing combo, especially if Noddy’s foot keeps him out for long. It’s by no means locked but it’s not the impossibility I thought it was either. Henry we’ve covered as being good. He was matched against Colyer a lot and today his ball use was spotless. He’s played himself in to my B22 and gets the start on one wing if I’m picking the team. Really encouraging.

Hughes was decent too. I’m not a huge fan of his but it’s hard to argue with what he’s currently doing. He had 3 shots on goal today, got 1 and the others were tough-ish ones on the run. He did the things those who don’t want him playing hate to see. Sometimes slow with the ball, sometimes not the best with the decision etc. I don’t think it’ll be terrible. We certainly shouldn’t rule him out because in a WAFL final playing about his 6th game on a wing he didn’t play well. He’s working hard and he’s being more adventurous with the ball too so I’m hopeful. Hughes was on Williams for a lot of what I saw so that’s not a fair match but when he was up against the AFL bods he acquitted himself just as well.

Jackson was very good. He doesn’t have the strongest hands in a marking contest and his leap isn’t huge either, but the rest of the package is super exciting. If he spills the mark, he’s the most likely guy to get the crumb. It’s amazing. He takes good options and today in particular, his tap work in the CBA’s was arousing. I wish I’d counted but there were numerous times when a tap from Jackson went straight to a pair of purple hands, and I mean straight there. It was great to watch. Just as impressive was the defensive work done by Johnno and Ras as well as Aish in there as very rarely did they allow clean breakaways. They hung tough and were very good defensively.

Both Ras and Johnno had patches of untidy work with disposals but both had better periods of getting hold of it. Ras did one pickup of a spilled ball where he grabbed the ball as he exited the contest, felt the pressure, changed his mind about which way to gor and spun on his heel to get out of trouble and away. He botched the kick but the gathering of the ball was absolute 100% bullshyyttery.

I too was surprised by Aish donning the grey. I agree I think he was asked to apply increased defensive pressure to the purple as a nod to his likely roles this year and also get Serong ready for some of that gear too. He was handy I thought.

Wilson had some top moments including the great goal already pointed out. Most impressive to me was his effort to make himself available. I was sitting close to a father of one of our young guys who I can say is NOT a Wilson fan but I’d have to say I couldn’t have disagreed with him more. He called him selfish for wanting to take the ball so much. I saw it as a guy running hard to give his mates options.

Worner was decent again too. He’s quite vocal out there as well which I like in a young kid. At one point in the last Henry evaded a few would be tacklers near half back after a stoppage, as he broke away and started a handball chain that drove purple forward, Worner yelled “someone put some F*****NG pressure on him!”. Good stuff I thought.

Little Ando from Peel is an eye catcher. Would not surprise me a bit if he got some real attention this year. Very nippy and dangerous.

Reidy has a leap on him I hadn’t noticed before. He’s got a bit of upness in his pins. He jumped over Jackson a few times. I really like him.

As already mentioned, Hamling got Coxy’s spot and did some good stuff. He was unlucky enough to be caught in the chase mattis mentioned and didn’t quit. He clearly has his ankle very heavily strapped as he remains a bit proppy on it when just moving normally but he gets to the contests and kicks the ball as well as ever. We lose a bit of class with him in for Cox but we gain a lot in intensity. Cox is the better player but Hamling won’t let us down.

Our big ranga sun worshipper was better today than I’d seen him previously. He did pretty well. How he’s not bright pink is beyond me but he’s a big and hard to move unit. Him and Draper as a defensive combo will be quite the handful. The rock and the athlete.

If Switta was more deadly around goal it’d be amazing. In fact if he was I don’t think there’d be a comp for him. Maybe Cyril? I hope he can get more dangerous around goal but his worth in the team is undeniable.

Finally JOM. Great get. Sublime composure and contest. Will be massive.

That’s about it for me folks.

PS - just saw mattis and I have the wing matchups the different way around. I's suggest they rotated in the halves. I'm sure Colyer and Henry were the matchup in H1 as they lined up right in front of me on the outer and it was something I watched closely when first there. Hughes was on Williams for at least 2 CB's too as I was disappointed Henry had gone to the other side and was harder for me to spot. I didn't pay as much attention later so I'd guess they all spent time on each other via the rotations and maybe switched for good later.
Yes, the wings were swapping sides, so they matched up on both Williams and Colyer at times.
 
Hey Folks,

Great game threading from mattis, superb work. I missed the first quarter but got 3 in so will give my 2c.

Firstly, although Daniels was wronger than Clive Palmer in a Mankini about Henry, I’d give him the benefit of the doubt. I thought the same about Sturt until chatting with someone after and then reading the mattis work. Sometimes you just don’t notice stuff. For the record, Henry was NOT quiet and was, in fact, better than busy. A mate I know there had him for 6 touches in q1 and 8 in q2. He was there for only the first half and is thinking of him for Fantasy so was keeping score for himself. He was just as active in Q3 & 4.

I’ll echo everything said on Treacy, he was big today. Playing out of position a bit too but he was all over the place and clearly the best big forward on the ground in my mind. Even his ruck work was handy. The boy is hungry and playing like it. He worked well with Tabs, Fyfe and Amiss and he created opportunities at ground level for the smalls. He actually lined up at HFF at times for some CB’s which I think is great. His pressure is much better than you’d expect and his ball use to a leading target is excellent. If Banfield plays as a HF instead of Treacy I won’t be able to justify it. Treacy is quicker, better defensively, more dangerous in every way.

Tabs was the least impressive of the big guys but I offer the caveat here on that point by saying that to say he was the least impressive is to lay the shine on the other guys who were really good. Tabs was ever present and really organising things well. He got his hands to a lot and dropped them which is something he’ll build on.

Amiss was only a smidge better than Tabs in my view but crikey it looked good at times. They regularly had Jackson, Treacy, Fyfe, Tabs and Amiss on the ground. It worked very well. I will say there were times the ball came out and went to the other end a bit too quickly so I don’t know how sustainable it’ll be but when we had the ball it worked very well. Fyfe was very good again today and went up the ground regularly to contests on the wing and even up to HB.

I don’t know the venn diagram of those who dislike Henry and those who dislike Hughes and what the overlap is but each group should ready themselves for the possibility of a Hughes, Henry wing combo, especially if Noddy’s foot keeps him out for long. It’s by no means locked but it’s not the impossibility I thought it was either. Henry we’ve covered as being good. He was matched against Colyer a lot and today his ball use was spotless. He’s played himself in to my B22 and gets the start on one wing if I’m picking the team. Really encouraging.

Hughes was decent too. I’m not a huge fan of his but it’s hard to argue with what he’s currently doing. He had 3 shots on goal today, got 1 and the others were tough-ish ones on the run. He did the things those who don’t want him playing hate to see. Sometimes slow with the ball, sometimes not the best with the decision etc. I don’t think it’ll be terrible. We certainly shouldn’t rule him out because in a WAFL final playing about his 6th game on a wing he didn’t play well. He’s working hard and he’s being more adventurous with the ball too so I’m hopeful. Hughes was on Williams for a lot of what I saw so that’s not a fair match but when he was up against the AFL bods he acquitted himself just as well.

Jackson was very good. He doesn’t have the strongest hands in a marking contest and his leap isn’t huge either, but the rest of the package is super exciting. If he spills the mark, he’s the most likely guy to get the crumb. It’s amazing. He takes good options and today in particular, his tap work in the CBA’s was arousing. I wish I’d counted but there were numerous times when a tap from Jackson went straight to a pair of purple hands, and I mean straight there. It was great to watch. Just as impressive was the defensive work done by Johnno and Ras as well as Aish in there as very rarely did they allow clean breakaways. They hung tough and were very good defensively.

Both Ras and Johnno had patches of untidy work with disposals but both had better periods of getting hold of it. Ras did one pickup of a spilled ball where he grabbed the ball as he exited the contest, felt the pressure, changed his mind about which way to gor and spun on his heel to get out of trouble and away. He botched the kick but the gathering of the ball was absolute 100% bullshyyttery.

I too was surprised by Aish donning the grey. I agree I think he was asked to apply increased defensive pressure to the purple as a nod to his likely roles this year and also get Serong ready for some of that gear too. He was handy I thought.

Wilson had some top moments including the great goal already pointed out. Most impressive to me was his effort to make himself available. I was sitting close to a father of one of our young guys who I can say is NOT a Wilson fan but I’d have to say I couldn’t have disagreed with him more. He called him selfish for wanting to take the ball so much. I saw it as a guy running hard to give his mates options.

Worner was decent again too. He’s quite vocal out there as well which I like in a young kid. At one point in the last Henry evaded a few would be tacklers near half back after a stoppage, as he broke away and started a handball chain that drove purple forward, Worner yelled “someone put some F*****NG pressure on him!”. Good stuff I thought.

Little Ando from Peel is an eye catcher. Would not surprise me a bit if he got some real attention this year. Very nippy and dangerous.

Reidy has a leap on him I hadn’t noticed before. He’s got a bit of upness in his pins. He jumped over Jackson a few times. I really like him.

As already mentioned, Hamling got Coxy’s spot and did some good stuff. He was unlucky enough to be caught in the chase mattis mentioned and didn’t quit. He clearly has his ankle very heavily strapped as he remains a bit proppy on it when just moving normally but he gets to the contests and kicks the ball as well as ever. We lose a bit of class with him in for Cox but we gain a lot in intensity. Cox is the better player but Hamling won’t let us down.

Our big ranga sun worshipper was better today than I’d seen him previously. He did pretty well. How he’s not bright pink is beyond me but he’s a big and hard to move unit. Him and Draper as a defensive combo will be quite the handful. The rock and the athlete.

If Switta was more deadly around goal it’d be amazing. In fact if he was I don’t think there’d be a comp for him. Maybe Cyril? I hope he can get more dangerous around goal but his worth in the team is undeniable.

Finally JOM. Great get. Sublime composure and contest. Will be massive.

That’s about it for me folks.

PS - just saw mattis and I have the wing matchups the different way around. I's suggest they rotated in the halves. I'm sure Colyer and Henry were the matchup in H1 as they lined up right in front of me on the outer and it was something I watched closely when first there. Hughes was on Williams for at least 2 CB's too as I was disappointed Henry had gone to the other side and was harder for me to spot. I didn't pay as much attention later so I'd guess they all spent time on each other via the rotations and maybe switched for good later.
Also a legendary write up!
We are seriously spoiled on this board.
 
Fremantle ticked off their last intra-club hitout before turning their attention to facing Adelaide next Friday.
It was a case of ‘best’ vs ‘the rest’ on Friday morning as the Dockers preferred purple line-up went head to head with the underdog grey team.


Here’s how every Dockers player fared.

TEAM PURPLE​

Nat Fyfe: Was probably the most effective forward on the ground playing deep. Was great aerially and impacted most contests while adding three goals from set shots in a promising display.

Hayden Young: Took the kickouts and delivered as usual but seems to have gotten even better aerially with his contested marking and spoiling.

Joel Hamling: Looks to be a placeholder for the injured Brennan Cox but didn’t do much wrong when the ball ventured into defence.

Luke Ryan: Won his fair share of intercept possessions by getting to the right spots and executed some strong body spoils.

Liam Henry: Spent the game on the wing. Played with a new level of urgency but some of his leads went unrewarded.

Bailey Banfield: The prototype role player, Banfield spent most of his time in attack but looked best delivering the ball to his fellow forwards.

Ethan Hughes: Found plenty of the ball on the wing but his kicking let him down at times. Did go back courageously with the flight at one stage.

Caleb Serong: All class and up there with the best midfielders on the track. His foot skills under pressure were exceptional, as was his pressure – hassling and worrying his opponents into turnovers which he usually cleaned up.

Luke Jackson: One of the best on ground for purple, certainly in the first half. Crumbed the ball far better than a big man should, his ruck work was excellent in the absence of Sean Darcy and his aerial work around the ground was even better.

New recruit [PLAYERCARD]Luke Jackson[/PLAYERCARD] has hit the ground running. Picture: @freodockers/Twitter

New recruit Luke Jackson has hit the ground running. Picture: freodockers/Twitter
Jye Amiss: Locked in a battle with Josh Treacy to be there round one. Started on the bench and kicked two goals. Started steady and built into it.

Brandon Walker: Got himself in the right spots to have an impact.

Lachie Schultz: Strong pressure game and work rate to get up the ground and provide a relieving option. Kicked two.

Josh Treacy: Looks to be building an impressive pre-season to date. Took some impressive marks inside 50 and around the ground. Chipped in in the ruck and kicked two for the day.

Matt Taberner: Didn’t show enough if he wants to be there round one, failing to hit the scoreboard. But he did get through his managed minutes unscathed.

Sam Switkowski: Suffered a bit from purple having so many strong targets up forward, leaving no crumbs for him to swoop on. Kicked one late.

Heath Chapman: Looks stronger, more confident and his ball use was excellent.


Jordan Clark: Another strong performer down back for team purple, using his pace to impact further up the ground.

Jaeger O’Meara: Has slotted into Fremantle’s midfield seamlessly. Navigated traffic with ease and his ball use inside 50 was a standout, hitting up Fyfe on the lead.

Alex Pearce: Was agile and athletic in defence. Solid without having to do a whole heap.

Will Brodie: Excellent in the midfield. His work at stoppages was a highlight. Looks to have grown in confidence after a breakout season and won plenty of clearances.

TEAM GREY​

Nathan Wilson: In the top two for team grey. Enhanced his bid to secure a spot in Freo’s starting side with a balanced game down back. Often the last line of defence, Wilson’s field kicking opened up new avenues for grey and he even kicked two goals himself.

Travis Colyer: Had a few darting runs in the middle of the ground but was otherwise quiet.

Roy Benning: Managed to get on the end of two lead-up marks around the 50m mark for mixed results.

Sam Sturt: Built into the game as it wore on and was physical up forward. Set up a number of goals.

James Aish: Was a surprise addition to team grey but he led an inexperienced midfield in the contest.

Sebit Kuek: The most dangerous forward for team grey. Almost produced the highlight of the day with a stunning run down the wing. Took some impressive marks and kicked three.

Sebit Kuek showcased impressive agility across the ground. Picture: @freodockers/Twitter

Sebit Kuek showcased impressive agility across the ground. Picture: freodockers/Twitter
Liam Reidy: Spent most of his time in the ruck but was worn down by Jackson and Treacy.

Max Knobel: Stationed in attack but was rarely sighted.

Hugh Davies: Showed some composure but had a lot of work to do in defence.

Matthew Johnson: Was one of grey’s best, playing inside midfield. Won plenty of it and tackled strongly but will struggle to find a spot there come round one.

Neil Erasmus: Won his own ball but his kicking let him down. Lacked some x-factor.

Josh Draper: A member of grey’s under-siege defence, fighting hard to contain the opposition’s variety of tall threats.

Karl Worner: Has been moulded into a defender by Freo despite being drafted as a wingman. Took grey’s kickouts.

Josh Corbett: Kicked two goals from limited opportunities and presented well up the ground.


Tom Emmett: Wore a red non-contact cap after a minor ankle injury earlier this summer but played without restraint, kicking two goals including one from a low diving mark.

Conrad Williams: Has potential, namely his speed and skills, but will need some time to reach it.

Missing in action: Ruckman Sean Darcy remains in Victoria due to family reasons. Gun midfielder Andrew Brayshaw is still sick. Brennan Cox stayed involved on the sidelines as he continues to overcome a knee infection.

Michael Frederick will miss a couple of weeks with a quad injury sustained on Tuesday. Nathan O’Driscoll (foot) and Corey Wagner (hamstring) are also recovering from injury, while veteran Michael Walters was managed after pulling up sore.
 

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I went down for the first half, Geez we're gonna be a better team with O'Meara in it, everything he does is clean and well executed , his delivery into the forward line is second to none. he's so clean with his disposal it makes other players look good. we definitely got the better end of that trade with the Hawks
O'Meara was doing a lot of talking in the 1/4 break too. His experience is priceless.
 
Lol and they could've had Erasmus as an NGA too

Would this have been the same as us and Motlop though, or could they have actually matched a bid on him at pick 10 or whatever it was?
Exactly the same as Motlop or Andrew. Bid came well before they could match. They were never getting Ras as NGA even if he did file the paperwork.
 
Freo should just pay for them to be grassed while they are waiting to be developed. We've got 7m in the bank.
I was at a Harboir Master function last week and Garlick addressed this. The club is more than aware how ugly it is. They are again in talks to do something about it but nothing has eventuated. Given he gets to look at it more often than the rest of us it’s pretty clear he hates it too.. just need the owners to agree to change it…
 
I was at a Harboir Master function last week and Garlick addressed this. The club is more than aware how ugly it is. They are again in talks to do something about it but nothing has eventuated. Given he gets to look at it more often than the rest of us it’s pretty clear he hates it too.. just need the owners to agree to change it…
What’s the bet the owners are eagles fans. ****ing campaigners.
 
I was at a Harboir Master function last week and Garlick addressed this. The club is more than aware how ugly it is. They are again in talks to do something about it but nothing has eventuated. Given he gets to look at it more often than the rest of us it’s pretty clear he hates it too.. just need the owners to agree to change it…
The owners being City of Cockburn?
They had very decent plans prior to Covid. Should just develop a grandstand and have WAFL games.
 
A few short takes from todays hit out from me..

Henry was impressive. Clean with footy, didn’t try take on too much and applied good pressure. Also went back with the flight twice and wore a big hit for his effort. Credit when it’s due. Has the penny dropped ?

Brodies dirty work goes unrated, getting it in tight and then out to the other mids allowing the to be more damaging / creative is something that probably needs to be acknowledged more.

Wilson you could argue was the best on today. Looks a different player. Must be the shaved head lol. Awesome depth. Probably gets a regularly game at most another clubs. Type coasters are screaming out for. Taste!

Aish definitely doing a run with roll on Serong. Is the tag back?

All the Young hype is legit, was trying to stay neutral but even with all the talent back there he still shone through as the best.

Pearce clearly making and effort to be the most vocal out there, knows he’s going to be captain ?


On some less positive note, as was the story last year the A team struggled to score even with all the dominant play. The spread from the backline was amazing and got it up the ground with relative ease but struggled to score for all the entries I thought. Probably to many options out there today making guys uncertain who to kick to…

And finally if you ever decide to sit on the eastern bank to watch please take a chair, the ants up there are unbearable and have eaten me alive!
 
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