Essendon V West Coast - Practice match updates

[kelvin_sheedy]

Bsides the 50, Pev did some good things for your club last night.

Worked hard around packs in the D5o to release the Murrays, Nashs etc.

Still you'd all know your club better than I would.

A lot of Pev haters around these parts.

People have personal biases and they just can't see that he's in our best 22 and will probably be in it all year.

 

[Shane Hird]

This game was played at nearly full pace all night.I was impressed how we didn't fade out at all and kept the pressure up right to the end. It was sort of warm and humid, but the drizzle for most of the 3rd qrt cooled things down.The secound half was a battle to pick up the greasy ball and our blokes won their fair share of contested ball.The bench rotations were unbelievably high and a steady stream of players swaped every 5 minutes.

Me and my young son plonked ourselves right behind the Essendon bench and you could actually here what they were saying as they ran off the ground and see the pain in the midfielders faces from the gut running. Dyson looked like he was about to pass out every time he came off...working hard Ricky.


First thing I have to say is...In the second qtr, Jetta fought for a ground ball close to the dugout and after it cleared,called for the trainer. I thought "You little weak bugger calling for a drink". But he wanted to come off and jogged over the line. I heard him say to the doc as he grabbed right up in his groin
" I think I just pulled it". They rubbed him down till the siren went and he ended up coming back on later and playing,but he doesn't look like he's running at full pace..something is not good in Leroy's groin.

I'll just go thru the players and give a brief rating of their game.

Bellchambers- Hardly impressed at all. In one embarrassing moment he took a mark,played on thru the mark and got caught from behind because he had no idea what was around him. He reminds me of a slow Justin Madden.

Davey- Excellent game. One of our best. Multiple numbers of tackles,got the contested ball time and time again.

Dempsey- Excellent game. Did well all night. Great skills. Has to learn but to stick to his man when the ball is turned over. Chad Fletcher tricked him a few times by running off and taking easy marks on the wing.

Dyson- Did ok. Ran around alot without getting the ball but did have some good disposals. Refuses to go in packs but maybe thats what hes been told to do. Outside receiver....

Hille- Did well,took some nice marks. Good game

Houli- Another outstanding game from the young gun. God knows ow many times he got the pill but it was heaps. Every time he comes off the bench he is straight into it and continuely gets his hands on the ball and does something good with it.

Jetta- Flashed in and out. Did some nice things.

Johns-Played in backline and did quite well actually. Good double fisted punch spoils in contested marks and showed abit of flair in some parts. Good game.

JJ- Limited game time. Did ok.

Laycock- Took an absolute screamer of a mark at one stage. Top game. Worked hard all night.

Lonergan- Really impressed with this kid. Did some really good work around the ground. Not afraid to go in a pack and bring the hard ball out. Good stuff.

Scotty- Not his best night.

Lloyd- Hardly took a contested mark. I'm worried...but it was wet

Monfries- Made mistakes (but who didn't in those conditions) but played a really good game I thought in the end. Ran his guts out.

Nash- Another excellent effort. One of our best.

Pev- Worked hard and had a typical Pev night. F-up bad sometimes but also did some good things.

Rama- One of our best imo. Did so much work in the backline and has mastered the art of punching from behind. A must for rd 1.

Ryder- Best on ground for us. Took a blinder on top of three Eagle heads just
seconds before the half time bell. Jeez he can jump and take a grab.
Sensational all night. People around me got sick of hearing me yell 'Well done Paddy" all night. He's a gem.

Slats- Did alright,worked hard.

Stanton-Top game. He was everywhere.

Jobe -Same as Stanton.


Considering WC really only had Kerr out,we did really well to lead almost all night. We made them work hard for the ball and our defence was solid.

Scotty and Lloyd had struggling moments and Jay Neagle would have come in handy last night to put pressure on the WC defenders.

10,000 fans. A good Friday night hitout

 

[Merv]

Thanks for the feedback Nobby, muchly appreciated.

How was Dempseys disposal?

 

[Colin D'Cops]

Top stuff Nobby....

 

[Lance Uppercut]

good stuff Nobby

A lot of Pev haters around these parts.

People have personal biases and they just can't see that he's in our best 22 and will probably be in it all year.

agree, he'll never be a star, but he gets the job done. Unfairly maligned for the most part

 

[swannies]

A lot of Pev haters around these parts.

People have personal biases and they just can't see that he's in our best 22 and will probably be in it all year.

I think that goes for a lot of players who are at the bottom of the packs and get the ball out Kelvin. People only see the guy streaming past and kicking the ball to another team member. I do it with Masten and Palmer in the U18s and East Freo, you notice Palmer and think Masten does nothing. In reality a team has got to be made up of all types and the guy at the bottom of the pack is not rated the highest by spectators. But ask the club... You guys seem to have a pretty good mix of all types.

Good to see Stanton continue to improve, he was a DT bargain for me last year and I reckon I'll be tempted again.

 

[Shane Hird]

Thanks for the feedback Nobby, muchly appreciated.

How was Dempseys disposal?[/QUOTE]


Very good I thought. Looks confident with-in him self the way he moves.
Excellent baulking skills. Works his way around blokes with ease.

I thought he played a top game.

 

[SirJimi05]

I think that goes for a lot of players who are at the bottom of the packs and get the ball out Kelvin. People only see the guy streaming past and kicking the ball to another team member. I do it with Masten and Palmer in the U18s and East Freo, you notice Palmer and think Masten does nothing. In reality a team has got to be made up of all types and the guy at the bottom of the pack is not rated the highest by spectators. But ask the club... You guys seem to have a pretty good mix of all types.

Good to see Stanton continue to improve, he was a DT bargain for me last year and I reckon I'll be tempted again.

Opposition supporters rate Pev higher than Essendon supporters. The reason is because Essendon supporters are eager to see our younger players get games and players like Pev are taking the spot of a younger player.

Pev is in our best 22 at this stage and deserves to be on current form. He will add invaluable experience to a young inexperienced midfield and will be a good rotation player for us this year. He will also get a tagging job if needed.

Better get used to a long season of Pev bashing on the Essendon board.

 

[SirJimi05]

This game was played at nearly full pace all night.I was impressed how we didn't fade out at all and kept the pressure up right to the end. It was sort of warm and humid, but the drizzle for most of the 3rd qrt cooled things down.The secound half was a battle to pick up the greasy ball and our blokes won their fair share of contested ball.The bench rotations were unbelievably high and a steady stream of players swaped every 5 minutes.

Me and my young son plonked ourselves right behind the Essendon bench and you could actually here what they were saying as they ran off the ground and see the pain in the midfielders faces from the gut running. Dyson looked like he was about to pass out every time he came off...working hard Ricky.


First thing I have to say is...In the second qtr, Jetta fought for a ground ball close to the dugout and after it cleared,called for the trainer. I thought "You little weak bugger calling for a drink". But he wanted to come off and jogged over the line. I heard him say to the doc as he grabbed right up in his groin
" I think I just pulled it". They rubbed him down till the siren went and he ended up coming back on later and playing,but he doesn't look like he's running at full pace..something is not good in Leroy's groin.

I'll just go thru the players and give a brief rating of their game.

Bellchambers- Hardly impressed at all. In one embarrassing moment he took a mark,played on thru the mark and got caught from behind because he had no idea what was around him. He reminds me of a slow Justin Madden.

The dinosaur was as slow as the come. Are you saying he is a slower version of a slow Justin Madden? God help us all if this is what you are saying.

 

[Shane Hird]

Forgot about Pears.


He battled hard all night in the back line. Love the way he attacks the ball and although he was beaten one on one a lot of the time,for a young bloke,he did really well i thought. He's got the height and a pretty solid body and wouldn't be surprised if he plays alot of senior footy this year.

I was very impressed with him considering he was up against the Hansons,Stakers and other Eagle giants. Did well

 

[Shane Hird]

The dinosaur was as slow as the come.
Are you saying he is a slower version of a slow Justin Madden? God help us all if this is what you are saying.

Yep. He's unco to the max

 

[jimmy5]

wow nobby thats not great news on Leroy... was also at the game lastnight don't have time right now to type up much, but personal highlights ..

Stanton and Jobe both had very good nights, both pushed forward often and created chances, Jobe had one special moment in the pocket (you could see him think his way out of trouble) to set up a mark right in front.

Thought Johns was good in defence some good spoils and was well positioned to tidy up.

But my favourite was Jason Laycock chasing Glass the length of the ground. Glass pushed down from fullback to create a target in the eagles pocket, only to be denied by a last second fist from Laycock. To see that type of effort in a scratch match was great.. given that he has been maligned for laziness inthe past.

But all in all a solid hit - out and i was a impressed with the majority of what i saw.

To quickly answer the Who played on Hansen question Pears did for the majority and was solidly beaten. Had it not been a scratchy i think a move may have come sooner. I like the kid but just didn't have the size or help needed to beat hansen. who was in good touch and played alot closer to goals than usual. He took some super grabs for a ranga.

Ps. Alwyn Davey is a Superstar

 

[Embers]

Very impressive games from both sides. Id say the biggest positive coming out of it from your lot is you thoroughly beat us in the clearances. Whats changed from last year to this year is when you took of the likes of Stanton Watson your midfield got absolutely smashed but this year you seem to have the players able to rotate in there and hold their own.

Houli was VERY good last night. His disposal is crazy good. Ryder is one of the most intelligent footballers around. I was a bit skeptical at first what position he was gonna play at AFL level but he reads the play so very well atm. Stanton was good but for some reason we decided to rotate youngsters on him trying to tag him and quite simply he was just wayyyyyyy too fit for the lot of them. I still wish he would increase in size so he can break the tackles like a Kerr can. Very underrated player is Stanton. I must be the only one person in the country who will have him in my Dreamteam.

Negatives I would say is Tom Bellchambers. What was he doing. Insanely slow and very far of being AFL ready. You lacked a bit of mobility in the ruck contests and the younger defenders like Pears really need to learn to play infront, they were yards behind so many times.

Positive thing also for your lot is our backline destroyed your forward line all night. Lord knows that wont happen many times during the year. All in all the most highly skilled pre season game ive ever seen

 

[Bombermania]

Thanks Nobby8,

Bellchambers slower than Justin Madden

Johns as a defender, now that could be interesting, he has a good build maybe Knights has found the solution.

Jetta groin sounds a worry.

I agree with the comment that Pev is rated higher by non Essendon people, I'm mixed when it comes to him for we need a good tagger who will put 110% in, I just wish he could hit more targets with his disposal.

 

[Embers]

Thanks Nobby8,

Bellchambers slower than Justin Madden

Johns as a defender, now that could be interesting, he has a good build maybe Knights has found the solution.

Jetta groin sounds a worry.

I agree with the comment that Pev is rated higher by non Essendon people, I'm mixed when it comes to him for we need a good tagger who will put 110% in, I just wish he could hit more targets with his disposal.

Hes slower then Justin Madden.

 

[bomba4eva]

Good hitout. Nice to see Houli, Dempsey, Watson, Stanton, Laycock playing well. Lloyd/Lucas quiet which is great to hear as we dont really expect that too much to happen, so there is much room for improvement. Peverill works his guts out, love his commitment but I cant see him maintaining a position in the team for the entire season. No Myers yesterday which is disappointing.
Extremely disappointed to hear that piece of news about Jetta from Nobby. Pleasing at least to hear he went back onto the ground. He has two weeks to fix the problem and if not 100% shouldnt be risked. With Gumbleton also injured this leaves the door open for Neagle to get a game in Round 1. Hope Knights doesnt try Johns there again as he has had numerous chances and not capitalised unfortunately.
Good pre season by the boys. Certainly instilled a sense of anticipation in the supporters. We got plenty out of the past 4 weeks.

 

[High Ryder]

Very impressive games from both sides. Id say the biggest positive coming out of it from your lot is you thoroughly beat us in the clearances. Whats changed from last year to this year is when you took of the likes of Stanton Watson your midfield got absolutely smashed but this year you seem to have the players able to rotate in there and hold their own.

Houli was VERY good last night. His disposal is crazy good. Ryder is one of the most intelligent footballers around. I was a bit skeptical at first what position he was gonna play at AFL level but he reads the play so very well atm. Stanton was good but for some reason we decided to rotate youngsters on him trying to tag him and quite simply he was just wayyyyyyy too fit for the lot of them. I still wish he would increase in size so he can break the tackles like a Kerr can. Very underrated player is Stanton. I must be the only one person in the country who will have him in my Dreamteam.

Negatives I would say is Tom Bellchambers. What was he doing. Insanely slow and very far of being AFL ready. You lacked a bit of mobility in the ruck contests and the younger defenders like Pears really need to learn to play infront, they were yards behind so many times.

Positive thing also for your lot is our backline destroyed your forward line all night. Lord knows that wont happen many times during the year. All in all the most highly skilled pre season game ive ever seen

Thanks for that mate, appreciate that. Any word on how Dempsey and Jetta went?

 

[Tyler16]

great report nobby, did fletch play??

 

[Biggie]

great report nobby, did fletch play??

Im no Nobby but Fletcher was off in the 2nd half, had a Bombers shirt on.

Didnt look injured though.

 

[Schmick]

Did Johns play on Lynch? How did he go?

Disapointing news about Jetta

 

[jimmy5]

Did Johns play on Lynch? How did he go?

Disapointing news about Jetta

Johns did spend most of the night on Lynch. I thought he did well not only made quite a few spoils, but was also surprisingly good when the ball hit the deck.

 

[Schmick]

Johns did spend most of the night on Lynch. I thought he did well not only made quite a few spoils, but was also surprisingly good when the ball hit the deck.

Good to hear. After seeing him play down back late last year i thought that if he were to make it at AFL level it would be down back because he looked just looked comfortable there and was too one dimensional as a forward.

Iv'e always had faith in Johns that he'll make it, and the more time he spends down back, the better he'll get and will hopefully be able to step straight into Mal's position down back when he retires.

 

[Shane Hird]

Good to hear. After seeing him play down back late last year i thought that if he were to make it at AFL level it would be down back because he looked just looked comfortable there and was too one dimensional as a forward.
Iv'e always had faith in Johns that he'll make it, and the more time he spends down back, the better he'll get and will hopefully be able to step straight into Mal's position down back when he retires.

I honestly think his destiny is playing in the backline. On Friday night he showed me that he actually has some good defensive skills. Maybe its because the pressure of playing up forward is a bit too much and he can relax more in the BL knowing he doesn't have to mark every ball and slot thru a goal every qrt.

There's hope for him yet...

 

[Shane Hird]

Just on that Jetta groin issue...


He sort of did the splits while battling for the ball and then stood up slowly and instantly waved to the bench which was only 10mtrs away. He didn't grab his groin straight away but jogged over to the line. Only after he was off did he reach in and grab it with a pained look on his face.

I reckon it was just a little tweak of tightness that happened and he was just being extra careful by coming straight off and getting it rubbed.

He came back on and ran around but maybe it was my imagination that made me believe he was running slower.

If his groin had've went bang for real, theres no way the doc would have let him come back on and play the rest of the game.

I don't think there was any major damage. After all those problems last year,he was just worried I think and got a fright. But a slight niggle could be the start of bigger problems...

Lets hope he has no major groin strains for this season..fingers crossed.

 

[Merv]

There's hope for him yet...

Agreed, there is a massive shortage of potato farmers, he has a bright future