Essendon's AFL err VFL team this week

[GOALden Hawk]

Final score Essendon 15.8.98 def Box Hill 12.10.82.

Certainly nothing for Essendon to be proud of, they struggled most of the day.

Better players for the Dons were Mark Bolton (who thrashed Mark Passador), Daniel McAlistar (yes, I can't believe it either) and Ken Hall.

Shane Harvey was their top possession winner, but mostly soft ball gets...actually all soft ball gets.

For Box Hill skipper Matthew Brewer was inspired with 31 possessions, Daniel Harford played very well, and Matty Banks played the game of his life at full back.

Essendon would be very concerned with the form of some supposedly senior players. Cory McGrath - 6 possessions (5 of which were ineffective), Henneman struggled, and Rioli seemed more intent on heading to the kiosk than getting a kick.

Oh, and the crowd was massive for a VFL game. But I wouldn't say Essendon were brilliant.

 

[SydneyBomber]

Originally posted by GOALden Hawk
Final score Essendon 15.8.98 def Box Hill 12.10.82.

Certainly nothing for Essendon to be proud of, they struggled most of the day.

Daniel McAlistar (yes, I can't believe it either)

lol!

Essendon would be very concerned with the form of some supposedly senior players. Cory McGrath - 6 possessions (5 of which were ineffective), Henneman struggled, and Rioli seemed more intent on heading to the kiosk than getting a kick.

I'm prety sure McGrath has struggled with injury most of the year - I think the best he's managed is being named Emergency once or twice this year.

Henneman - not surprised.

Rioli-Poly - not surprised! I had heard he'd lost a bit of weight over the last few weeks - yes/no?


Cheers for the report.

 

[GOALden Hawk]

The only weight Rioli has lost is when he took his training top off. He is still ridiculously overweight, and was the subject of much "encouragement" from the Box Hill faithful during the day. He was eventually dragged in the final quarter.

The absence of a ruckman hurt Box Hill. Usual defenders Michael Georgiadis and Clint Alleway were forced to battle against Alessio and Hille.

But I don't think the kids who were dropped would have been too happy.

 

[Dan26]

Thanks for the report GOALden. Any injuries?

 

[SydneyBomber]

Originally posted by GOALden Hawk
The only weight Rioli has lost is when he took his training top off. He is still ridiculously overweight,

Bugger....

Get thee to the fat farm turtle boy!

and was the subject of much "encouragement" from the Box Hill faithful during the day. .

I'm sure!

Did regular senior essendon players given a lot of gametime, or just a bit of a run around?

Please tell me there were no injuries?!

 

[Lethal]

GOALden Hawk, how'd Mercuri go?

 

[Chris_23]

Mercuri played most of the day. He was on fire early on while he was loose across half back. Daniel Harford was moved on to him after quarter time and i didn't notice him as much.

All the other senior players played at least 3 quarters. Mark Bolton was absolutely dominant. He killed Passa and took the ball away with ease.

 

[windyhill]

Originally posted by GOALden Hawk


I'm sure Matthew Banks is looking forward to clashing with his old side, apparently he is very fired up for the game!

Thankfully this ******* is in your colours,believe me, you are more than welcome.

 

[The Hitman]

Originally posted by windyhill

Thankfully this ******* is in your colours,believe me, you are more than welcome.

Banksy was BoG for us today. Killed it.

The Hitman

 

[Dan26]

Originally posted by Chris_23
Mark Bolton was absolutely dominant.

Excuse me? You're not serious are you?

 

[Finnigan]

Originally posted by Dan26


Excuse me? You're not serious are you?

Matt Burgan
afl.com.au

Mark Bolton played some great attacking football from defence, restricting leading goalkicker Mark Passador to just two goals.

 

[Chris_23]

Looks like i was serious.

As for Banksy, he's no champion, but he's a very capable VFL footballer.

 

[-GB-]

Any crowd figures yet?

 

[go team]

Originally posted by GOALden Hawk
Final score Essendon 15.8.98 def Box Hill 12.10.82.
Essendon would be very concerned with the form of some supposedly senior players.

But they all seemed to put on a pretty good game - the Essendon best as listed in the paper "Bolton, McAlister, Hall, McVeigh, Foster-Knight and Mercuri". These supposedly senior players funnily enough played in the seniors last week
From the report in the age newspaper today sounded like Rioli played all right - a "decisive" performance they descirbed it as. And his "dragging" was a result of "Sheedy and his VFL counterpart Terry Daniher satisfied that they had sen what they wanted ahead of next Friday."

 

[The Hitman]

Forster-Knight was definately not in their best. McVeigh did okay, but was soft. Mercuri was quiter after half time.

The Hitman

 

[SydneyBomber]

Originally posted by The Hitman
Forster-Knight was definately not in their best.
The Hitman

No that was last week....


Keep up the good work there young Robbie FK!

 

[GOALden Hawk]

The Hun also described Rioli's game as solid - the only thing solid was the giant gut hanging around his waist!

Rioli had 17 possessions, but to say he was anything better than average would be very generous.

And the way Jon Ralph craps on in the Hun, you would reckond Mercuri had managed 40 possessions. In fact it was 20, and I reckon nearly half came in the first quarter. After he went on to Harford he was well beaten.

Yes, it's true, Mark Bolton played a superb game, and I don't rate him so I wouldn't be saying it if it was true!

And finally, a big up yours to Kevin Sheedy, who described the match "as little more than a Sunday training run"

If that's the case Sheeds why did it take you 3 quarters to get in front?

For all his talk about promoting the game at grass roots level, condescending comments like that do nothing to promote the game at VFL level. Maybe he should worry about getting enough depth so his side can actually make the VFL finals before mouthing off.

 

[The Ewok]

Originally posted by GOALden Hawk

For all his talk about promoting the game at grass roots level, condescending comments like that do nothing to promote the game at VFL level. Maybe he should worry about getting enough depth so his side can actually make the VFL finals before mouthing off.

At least Essendon have their own VFL side instead of raping and pillaging the former Box Hill Mustangs and bastardising their history and club tradition

 

[GOALden Hawk]

Originally posted by The Ewok


At least Essendon have their own VFL side instead of raping and pillaging the former Box Hill Mustangs and bastardising their history and club tradition

Tell that to all the top up players who have tried their guts out for your VFL side all season, only to be given the arse because Sheeds feels his precious stallions are short of a gallop.

The Box Hill/Hawthorn partnership has been one of the most successful in the competition, hence us WINNING THE FLAG last year.

Clubs like Essendon and Carlton are too pig-headed to admit the days of reserves footy are long gone. Before Hawthorn joined with Box Hill I hardly ever watched the VFL, and the reserves competition was such a joke I didn't bother as much either. But now I follow the competition much more closely.

But I suppose you would prefer it to be the VFA with 2 men and a dog there and clubs folding left, right and centre?

 

[mantis]

Originally posted by GOALden Hawk
But I suppose you would prefer it to be the VFA with 2 men and a dog there and clubs folding left, right and centre?

OI GH, the is the Bomber fans trade mark, get your own.

 

[The Ewok]

I was a junior footballer with Box Hill in the VFA in the late 80's/early 90's and played all of 7 sensational senior games in 1992/3 and spent 6 years in total there, the Box Hill club I played for no longer exists and since they got gobbled up by Hawthorn I don't give a rats arse about them anymore

Long live the Box Hill Mustangs, Box Hill Hawks can go to hell, a feeling that is not alone amongst former VFAites

 

[windyhill]

Originally posted by The Hitman


Banksy was BoG for us today. Killed it.

The Hitman

Good luck to him,even better luck for us we no longer have to suffer the pain.

 

[Dave]

Originally posted by GOALden Hawk
And finally, a big up yours to Kevin Sheedy, who described the match "as little more than a Sunday training run"

And a big up yours to you for deliberately taking it out of context. His description of the match as a "Sunday training run" was in relation to the senior players who would not have normally played in that match but did so due to the split round.

 

[Rusty Brookes]

Originally posted by The Ewok
I was a junior footballer with Box Hill in the VFA in the late 80's/early 90's and played all of 7 sensational senior games in 1992/3 and spent 6 years in total there, the Box Hill club I played for no longer exists and since they got gobbled up by Hawthorn I don't give a rats arse about them anymore

Long live the Box Hill Mustangs, Box Hill Hawks can go to hell, a feeling that is not alone amongst former VFAites

The fact of the matter is that the Box Hill Football Club would have ceased to exist without the support of the Hawthorn Football Club. The VFA competition was decimated by the then VFL's decision to play games on Sundays. I lived across the road from City Oval for 20 years and the drop in crowds was dramatic once the VFL/AFL scheduled games on Sundays. Even VFA powerhouses like Port Melbourne and Williamstown have aligned themselves with AFL clubs in order to survive. Box Hill was one of the weaker clubs in terms of both finances and success (spent most of their time in the second division): the fact that they outlasted some of the more established teams (e.g. Brunswick) would be due to Hawthorn's involvement in the club.

 

[go team]

Originally posted by GOALden Hawk

And finally, a big up yours to Kevin Sheedy, who described the match "as little more than a Sunday training run"

If that's the case Sheeds why did it take you 3 quarters to get in front?

For all his talk about promoting the game at grass roots level, condescending comments like that do nothing to promote the game at VFL level. Maybe he should worry about getting enough depth so his side can actually make the VFL finals before mouthing off.

Yes, Kevin Sheedy is on an evil hell bent mission to destroy VFL football - the far superior league of Australian Rules Footabll nationwide. His plan - stack the reserves side with senior players raising crowds and exposure (second page in the age sports section).

I think that match can only work as a positivie for the EFC both at AFL and VFL level. The VFL get a much needed win, this keeps them in contention for a finals spot at 5-6. In return the AFL players keep their skills in touch, and the VFL players benefit from this as the Essendon team would learn from playing with the more experienced senior players. . I'm sure many of the players eg. Mercuri, Alessio, Hille weren't taking this game as anything more than a Sunday morning training run. Proof can be seen in the numerous mentions of the Essendon senior players only winning soft possesions. They aren't stupid. Put yourself in their shoes, Golden Hawk. Would you be going 100% in a VFL match, risking injury, or would you just go through the motions, get an easy kick and remain in touch for the following week? But whether they were going 100% or not, they've still played footy at the highest of levels - just watching how mercuri and alessio find the footy would provide a great learning experience for the regular VFL teammates and even more so for the box hill hawks.