NAB Cup Round 2 - Essendon v Brisbane Lions Official Thread

[Lace Out]

Roe is more advanced and deserves game time.He could be very good if we stick with him for a bit longer.If it was up to me I would play Roe ahead of Collier at this stage-maybe just for half a season.I wonder if Collier could play forward pocket ala micky ?

Barring numerous and or collossal injuries it seems our depth is as good as it has been since 05.

On a side note,is Hodge a poor man's Drummond?

 

[Rawhead]

Personally I was impressed with what I saw last night. Still a bit sloppy in kicking execution, but the boys chased hard, tackled well, and played out the game plan consistently. We would have to be in the top 3 physical teams in the league, and you can be sure opposition teams will worry about meeting us.


Considering virtually our entire spine was missing, I personally have nothing really to complain about....other than Selwood. Slow decision making, poor judgement, nothing to recommend him to our best 22.


I've never been on the 'dump Selwood' bandwagon, but I'm about to purchase a ticket and hopefully sit next to the driver away from the rest of the scum.





From Leighs game comments too, sounds like his heart is still firmly with the Lions, had a distinct note of pride in their performance last night.

 

[Haggis McHaggis]

Roe's awareness is still top notch

Watching him run down from behind for the thousandth time was painful and frustrating to watch. It's an inate instinct he just lacks and I can't see how it's going to improve. It's a fatal flaw in someone we expect to run out of a back pocket or off half back as turnovers in this area will hurt us on the scoreboard nearly every time.

Selwood, you could see was dirty on himself, and the pass he put on Bradshaws chest there at one stage was nice but yeh, his decision making is too slow and often to our detriment. A quality tagger can shut his man down and hurt him when he takes possession. Troy does half of this except on the rare occasion. He's in serious danger of being usurped. I have a feeling it'll be Sherman that puts the squeeze on him.

And yes I know it's only preseason. Unfortunately these aren't new issues and this is the time of year a fringe player gets to demonstrate where they've improved.

 

[Ceebee]

Had a nice ,warm fuzzy feeling with Leigh in the commentary box and Vossy in the coaches box.Not hard to see where Leighs heart still lies and it was interesting to listen to his comments, knowing his closeness with most of the boys.Vossy seems pretty much at ease, has certainly put in a big pre season, hope it pays dividends.

 

[Helix]

There are some harsh critics for Selwood here, and based on Friday's game, they are a little surprising. Must be residual hate. I thought he was good on Friday, not nearly as frustrating to watch as he was in the first round. Gets enough of it, and disposed of it as well as some that are getting some accolades here.

 

[BigCat2]

Troy's kicking is never going to be elite, we've accepted that. It's hit and miss, but if he can take options in players with space, or to handball off quickly, that's manageable.

What he tends to do though when he gets the ball is to stop and prop, taking far too long to look around while jogging on the spot. His indecisiveness and unwillingness to move it on quickly I'd say is more detrimental than his kicking.

 

[Lehmo87]

I have to say, on a slightly different note, it's awesome sitting on level 2 of the Dome. You get to see all the players quite easily as well as all the plays developing across the field.

 

[awesome_assassin]

I was extremely pleased with the way the boys ran out the game. I kept thinking 5 more minutes and we'll win this. Their skills were a little hit/miss but the dedication, commitment, chasing and tackling were all there.
(The heat may have been a factor? )

Considering the players we had out, and the near full strength Dons side we played at the Dome which we play poorly for some reason, I can't really complain.

 

[whizkizz]

The 4th qtr, which is when we put them under the pump and went inside 50 more times than i could count, was due to great pressure and actually running and carrying the ball, breaking the lines and drawing the defenders. When we run and carry the ball, it gives us space in our 50.

I 100% agree. I actually get annoyed sitting at the footy and hearing supporters yelling 'just kick it already!!'. What do we kick to? A 50/50 contest down the ground?

The game has changed now, every team seems to be setting up a Hawthorn-like zone, which is extremely difficult to break through. We know we're not the best team by foot, so our best chance through is via chains of handballs and a couple of 1-2's. Run and carry to beat the zone. Ash McGrath (and Drummond) in particular took the game on with this style and I think that play is exciting when it comes off. Late in 2007 we were running in waves, and I see Voss going down a similar path.

I think this was the happiest I've ever been after a loss. I think we took more out of the game than Essendon, and we're now out of the spotlight.

 

[royboy96]

with all the chat bout roe and selwood and the like just curious on who thinks our best 22 would be for the year this would be mine


B: collier merritt patfull

HB: drummond roe mcdonald

C: brennan power dalziell


HF: mcgrath brown harding

FF: hooper bradshaw clarke


R: Charman Black johnstone

INT:leuenberger adcock notting rischitelli

emg: rich sherman selwood

 

[whizkizz]

Virtually the same team as yours, although I'd play Rich, and Proud should be at least an emergency. He's getting close...

B: Adcock Merrett Patfull

HB: Drummond Roe Macdonald

C: Brennan Power Dalziell

HF: Hooper Clark Harding

FF: McGrath Brown Bradshaw

R: Charman Black Johnstone

INT: Leuenberger Notting Rich Rischitelli

EMG: Proud Collier Sherman


Handy Depth: Hawksley, Polkinghorne, Selwood, Stiller, Henderson


I see the players in bold as the only players who aren't instant selections. I think they are the only fringe players. It's good to see our 22 getting pretty settled

 

[royboy96]

Virtually the same team as yours, although I'd play Rich, and Proud should be at least an emergency. He's getting close...

B: Adcock Merrett Patfull

HB: Drummond Roe Macdonald

C: Brennan Power Dalziell

HF: Hooper Clark Harding

FF: McGrath Brown Bradshaw

R: Charman Black Johnstone

INT: Leuenberger Notting Rich Rischitelli

EMG: Proud Collier Sherman


Handy Depth: Hawksley, Polkinghorne, Selwood, Stiller, Henderson


I see the players in bold as the only players who aren't instant selections. I think they are the only fringe players. It's good to see our 22 getting pretty settled

interesting to see u having brown at ff and bradshaw in the pocket with mitch at chf.
But i would really like ash mcgrath to play a little like how johnno used to,with the dash out of the backline and take them on.
t notting i think is in need of a big year this year or it will be curtains for his career.
but still it looks a handy side on paper.
i just hope we stay injury free especially in the ruck charmo needs to stay injury free and out of trouble.

 

[whizkizz]

interesting to see u having brown at ff and bradshaw in the pocket with mitch at chf.
But i would really like ash mcgrath to play a little like how johnno used to,with the dash out of the backline and take them on

Agreed, I think McGrath or Adcock are our best players to play on small forwards like Milne. Either could play the back pocket/half back position.

I would like to see Brown stay closer to home with Bradshaw, they work pretty well together. Clark could move further up the field, with his great hands he can act as a target to help us out of tight defensive zones. Brown or Clark could play that role I think, but personally I'd want to preserve Browny closer to home.

 

[royboy96]

its a big ask for mitchy though. He did look pretty good on friday. i just dont know wheather he can stand up all year at chf. I honestly think forward pocket or flank might be his best position at the moment until he bulks up a little more. But still its a good problem to have as to who play in our back 6 and our front 6 and what position. Good luck vossy lol

 

[Viceregal]

Agree with the comment about being happy after the loss!

The things that stood out to me because they were not thoughts but feelings I became aware of after they were there ...

When Roe was run down - no emotive shock as apparently I am used to that happening by now

When Selwood passed accurately into the fwd 50 for a chance on goal it was along the lines of 'hey that was actually an effective disposal that had a hurt factor involved'

When Notting kicked long to goal and missed to was a warm memory of when he used to do that better and hey well sometimes it still works.


More normally I was pleased with Proud's attack on the ball and work off of it, enjoyed Rich's long kick into the '50 and a lot of other good signs to go on with especially with some of our senior and known to be reliable players out (still weird thinking of Brennan as senior and reliable but I have totally lost that cringe feeling I used to get whenever he got the ball).

The only bad part about the loss is not being able to see the next game

Roll on Round 1

 

[Tassie4ever]

Maybe I'm a glass half empty person, but I am obviously a lot harder to please than some of the posters here. From the first 2 NAB games- our "second tier" have quite a long way to go before they become legit AFL players. On this point, in fact, apart from Dalziell and possibly Collier [allowing for my Tassie bias], I can't think of one player who has had a major breakthrough to senior ranks in the past 2 seasons. Then again, my short term memory isn't all that flash.

Maybe this is a bit tough, but although we have many who have tremendous promise- Clarke, Hawksley, Harding, Proud, Hooper, Dfuzer, Henderson, Sherman, even Rischa etc none of them can yet demand automatic selection. And let's face it, there are any number of positions up for grabs. Our draftees can't be put in the same place as those above who have been around a while.

That we are still sending out poor old Tim is a symbol of this situation.

Our game plan is obviously a work in progress. Those who suggest we go back to our old tried and failed low handball, low possession game are way off the mark. We should persist with Vossy's strategy, but our handball and disposal under pressure needs to improve markedly.

We still play a very naive game style- our off the ball blocking, shepherding and simply bullocking is light years behind the top teams. Is this a deliberate plan, undersize bodies, or am I just wrong as usual.

Lastly, as we all saw against the Dons, yet again we do not have a competitive ruck situation, and that is to in no way to bag the Berger who did as well as could be expected in his return after long absence. Sadly, the reality is that we once again thrashed in the centre and at ball ups and it is a testament to our persistence that in spite of this major deficiency we should have won the game.

At the risk of provoking other posters as per, we will never be competitive while we are not competitive throughout the game in the middle- ie, with strong rucks as we had with Keating and McDonald. Don't see any solution here, but if we want to preserve Black and Powers careers we need to come up with something.

 

[Hollow Knight]

This just in: team of kids looks scratchy in NAB Cup, needs to improve.

Did you expect that a team that finished 10th last year would somehow just come out and look like world beaters? We all know there is plenty of work to be done.

All you can look for in NAB CUp games is improvement. Considering our young players are also faced with the adoption of a new game plan, I am pretty pleased with the improvement I saw.

Polkinghone, Collier, Hawksley, Harding, Proud, Henderson have all showed clear improvement for mine. I'm feeling okay.

 

[POBT]

On this point, in fact, apart from Dalziell and possibly Collier [allowing for my Tassie bias], I can't think of one player who has had a major breakthrough to senior ranks in the past 2 seasons. Then again, my short term memory isn't all that flash.

I'd probably add Patfull, Macdonald, Drummond, Merrett and Brennan. None of them were automatic selections before 2007 (I don't think...)

I also don't think you could elevate Collier above the likes of Clark and Leuenberger who I would argue are ahead of Collier in terms of securing a spot in the best 22 (even allowing for your bias as a Taswegian and my bias as player sponsor and bandwagon driver!)

 

[PaddleFoot]

Ah .. again the Dons at the Dome. Last year we did the ol' shootout and got smashed in the clearances .. and, again, we were well down at 1/2 time in that area ( as well as free kicks !! ) .. and a few of our on-ball configurations were pretty green. Hille was having a field day ( again ) and if he'd kicked straight we'd have been toast. Fortunately a few big hits from Albert brought a bit of intent to the game ( that 2nd quarter was deadly - I don't think I could endure another season of that high-possession-inevitable-turnover stuff ) and amazingly the frees started to 'readjust'. Was waiting for a 'stretcher moment' - when your hopes are dashed again .. but no ! Started seeing no 3? somethings flash in and out - clearly new blood - and Ash really got a rev up ( shades of bygone era ! ). Couple of things tho'

Mitch - have some FAITH in your kicking .. he basically gave up before connecting. What is it with those white posts and the inner child ? Braddd was again terrific and I liked the way we dealt with Lucas. Has to be Lloyd's last year .. was a funny moment when he almost forgot to toss up the grass as he took a few hours to have a shot. All we can do is hope that Josh D. holds together - but no doubt he'll be clutching a shoulder very soon.

And let's kick straight .. more goals that points sort of thing. No more 2008.

 

[Tassie4ever]

This just in: team of kids looks scratchy in NAB Cup, needs to improve.

Did you expect that a team that finished 10th last year would somehow just come out and look like world beaters? We all know there is plenty of work to be done.

All you can look for in NAB CUp games is improvement. Considering our young players are also faced with the adoption of a new game plan, I am pretty pleased with the improvement I saw.

Polkinghone, Collier, Hawksley, Harding, Proud, Henderson have all showed clear improvement for mine. I'm feeling okay.

If you're satisfied well and good. As I've said, obviously I am harder to please. I fully appreciate we will take time to adapt to a new game plan, but even allowing for this our overall hand and foot skills are often below par even under no particular pressure.

I don't give a rats about winning an NAB game, but maybe a bit unrealistically I had hoped one or two or more had emerged from the pack to say unequivocally "I've arrived".

Any suggestions to solving our perennial ruck problem? Or don't you think this is a problem. Personally I don't enjoy seeing us smashed out of the middle.

 

[Hollow Knight]

Any suggestions to solving our perennial ruck problem? Or don't you think this is a problem. Personally I don't enjoy seeing us smashed out of the middle.

Fit ruckmen with Simon Black, Luke Power and Jared Brennan at their feet.

 

[Tassie4ever]

Fit ruckmen with Simon Black, Luke Power and Jared Brennan at their feet.

You mean like last year? And the year before?

Seriously, how good would Black be with an armchair ride provided by the likes of Hille.

And perhaps with a few big bodies to clear the way, and to sort out the taggers, Black might complete a season without the body being totally banged up.

I don't know what the odds are for Charman and the Berger completing all 22 games together, but I think this is a totally predictable problem.

I know we're not supposed to go into "what ifs" in these pages, but what if we'd recruited Ben Hudson as back up.

 

[Hollow Knight]

The AFL have confirmed that we'll be playing Richmond at Cararra in the final round of the NAB Cup. Most likely on the Friday.

 

[BuntonRules]

Still p...d off. Dudes, we threw that away. Both teams kicked for goal poorly, but we had 4 chances to ice it, and blew it. 2 - 8 for a final quarter that we dominated is just not good enough. We have just had a season of nearly, and we start that again.

What is going to help our developement, the Pies at the dome, or the Demons in Cairns? We need a new sponsor, so ask the same question as to how hard it is to sell the club.

All well and good, young players are developing, and we are competitive without established players. But football is about winning, NAB or real.

 

[Chezzalenko Reborn]

The AFL have confirmed that we'll be playing Richmond at Cararra in the final round of the NAB Cup. Most likely on the Friday.

Damn! I'll be at Uni until 6 wish it was on Saturday or Sunday