2nds RD 5 VFL Pies vs North Ballarat @ Victoria Park ; Sat 30/4 at 2.00pm

[Bonuspoints]

Coming from a non football state and non football background, the club is doing the right thing by making him a footballer first. The rucking skills can come later.

He will HAVE to play ruck, at least as a backup, if he wants to play seniors long term. I'm not concerned that he doesnt do a lot of ruckwork in the VFL at this stage of his development.

Do you think it might be a case of not wanting to risk an injury? With N Brown done for the year and the fact that Tarrant hasn't played a full season for a long time I think it could be a bit of risk management. After Keefe who have we got to play KPD? No one comes to mind. By keeping him out of the centre we don't have another bloke leaping into him.

 

[jefffff34]

Hopefully the club is lying about Brett Eddy's size to keep other clubs off his scent.

He is most definitely a key forward.

 

[Number 10]

Where was Rounds playing? Hope to god not in the back again

 

[Knightmare]

Dave, I laughed at your optimism this morning and you were right. Your a legend mate, still cant believe we won as I just found out now via big footy. Howeve I saw the first half and left at ht thinking Fasalo and Keefe had good first halves and the umps were shocking!!! So happy we beat em.

The amount of good calls TD makes sometimes is frightening considering how many of us, myself included can at times question them. Loving the optimism on everything Collingwood from the great man!

Keefe's best chance at cracking an AFL game soon will be either as a direct replacement for Taz/Reid or as a 3rd tall defender. He has really good speed and played well on medium/small forwads in the NAB Cup, kills them in the air and can match them at ground level.

I'm calling it now, Keefe will play against Adelaide in a couple of weeks who have Tippet, Walker and McKernan.

Good call. Would love to see this! Keeffe's current form certainly suggests he is good enough to make his senior debut.

Even against teams without the 3 KPFs Keeffe could very easily play on an oppo KPF with Tarrant shifting over onto the oppo 3rd tall.

I forgot to mention Bolton. He didnt do a heap yesterday but gee he gives the impression he would slot into a higher grade and play. Got wonderful foot skills and vision. Doesnt lack guts either.

I second this. Been saying this since his first NAB Cup game. Absolutely outstanding pickup!

Could very easily slip onto a HFF/Wing and contribute. Doesn't look out of his depth at any level which really shows his maturity which is great to see from a young rookie! Fantastic endurance for age and seems to genuinely enjoy using the ball once he gets it.

Just on Ceglar and to an extent all developing rucks these days, due to the sub rule will clubs need to ensure that they can play in other areas of the ground?

Until a ruckman is ready to take the number one ruck position is their only hope of getting a game by becoming a forward/defender who can pinch hit in the ruck? Or do they sit in the VFL as back up ala Wood and only getting a game through injury/suspension?

Just wondering if any VFL watchers have a noticed a move by our coaches to play him more in other areas apart from ruck.

The fact that we have only the one VFL side and no VFL reserves means not all of these ruckman can play significant ruck minutes.

But non the less I think it is recommended having seen how Keeffe has developed and how Ceglar is going so far. Gives them a greater skill set for later in their careers and means they can shift into the ruck when they are physically ready.

Where was Rounds playing? Hope to god not in the back again

Down back.

Up forward has really been far too inconsistant and probably needed the position change along with Reed to regain confidence. Looked better down back and probably played one of his better games in a while.

 

[Knightmare]

Does that mean Shae has a glimmer of hope? I have to admit I was really wanting him to make it, for a guy who knew nothing about our game to come over and give it a real crack with such a positive outlook he would be a great story if he succeeded. But I've had my doubts whether he can this year, for mine he really needs to at least push into the emergencies by the end of the H&A season if he's going to avoid getting delisted, considering his age, and I dunno if he can manage to get enough of a handle on the things he's struggling with, with only 40 games of aussie rules under his belt in his entire life.

Certainly getting better and much better than last week! Goot involved more than we are used to which was a positive and by his standards had a good game, but wouldn't describe him as top 5 in that game.

Has games where he does good things, but even in his better games still makes rookie mistakes.

Still has a long way to go and I tend to agree with what you've said.

Would want to push pretty close to the top 30 to be retained. Many rookies get delisted after 2 seasons, and at his age, even though new to the game and being a ruckman, there really can't be any excuses made.

Likely his final year, but if he shows great improvement in the 2nd half of the season, then I would consider retaining him because he has the character + application as well as the raw talent + athleticism to still surprise us. But that won't make it an easy call.

 

[Quicky]

It's such a shame Keefe hasn't taken to the rucking that well. When Leroy is gone, perhaps by next year, there's going to be a spot up for grabs, and it'd be so good if we can get another guy that can ruck, but do other things to save us from playing someone like Wood as well as Jolly. Oh well, Ceglar looks like someone who can be a genuine forward option down the line, so there's hope there.

Thanks everyone for taking the time to do reports. Makes very, very good reading.

It looks like Ceglar is progressing well as a forward and he can certainly ruck. He might be the beneficiary if he continues his development. Although i'm unsure if he has the same ability to play as a linking half forward like Brown is often played.

 

[THATSGOLD]

i hate it when im right! leighhh brrrrrownnnnnnnn

 

[Seldom Seen Kid]

No Cribbin this week?

Good to see the reserves back on track this week

 

[bucksisbest]

Cribbin played and was decent. Coming along very well for a first year international player.

Keefe played as he probably should at this level, rather than imitating current day Josh Fraser against Werribee, and not as sparkling as pre-season form suggested in other games. He or Sundberg were BOG for mine.

Ceglar continues on with sticky hands and prescence in the air.

There were a few positive sign from some who have been a little worrying.

Positive for Shae was more ball around the ground and competitive in a hit-out situation, negative was meek, soft approach to a contested mark situation and weak hands overhead.

 

[The 10th Letter]

My apologies for this being a little later than promised, but I got caught up with a few things over the weekend.

Here's the player-by-player review of the VFL this week, plus a little something extra from the ACT Rams TAC Cup game.

VFL Player Review: Round 5
Collingwood Vs. North Ballarat
Victoria Park, 30th April 2011

3. John McCarthy

Got busy early in the piece as usual, before having some troubles with his knee just before half-time. Spotted him doing some run throughs near the bench when the team came back out from the break and he didn’t look comfortable or happy.

In the time that he was on the field, he made good position and managed to find a bit of the ball as usual. Unfortunately, his kicking - which had improved against Bendigo - deserted him again this week and he burned the ball quite badly at times. During his first year or so his kicking was one of his strengths, as he gets good depth when he strikes it cleanly.

Not sure if his continual injuries have played a part or whether it’s just his technique. I’m leaning towards consistency of technique at the moment, as he doesn’t allow himself to settle when on the move and when he does have time he seems to try and kick it too hard. When it comes off, he’s extremely damaging by foot but his strike rate has been low so far this year.

Hopefully this latest setback is minor, as he was stringing together some good form and wasn’t far off a run in the seniors.

6. Tyson Goldsack

Another good showing from Tyson without standing out, he’s combining well with Pendlebury in our back line despite how busy they’ve both been in recent weeks. Having Keeffe back there this week made a huge difference to our defence and enabled Moneybags to be a little more attacking.

He picked up some good numbers, admittedly aided by kicking to himself and playing on from kick-ins, but all the same he’s shown an ability to find the ball and use it fairly well so far this season. He’s very much our go to guy in the back line when we need to clear a zone and hopefully his improvement in accumulating possessions can translate at senior level when he inevitably gets a run.

After having an interrupted preseason he’s pretty much run himself back into readiness for a senior call-up when required.

14. Luke Rounds

After getting a run across half-back last week against Bendigo, which enabled him to get a little more involved, Lockyer continued with the idea this week with good results. I know that we’re all probably wanting to see Rounds get amongst the goal kickers and be damaging as an offensive player, but he’s also had a troubled preseason and has been working his way back into the game pretty well the last fortnight.

His defensive concentration and intensity was a strong point and he again this week had a few opportunities to call upon his pace. He’s got some jets and often manages to put distance between himself and the contest very quickly. He used the ball fairly well - particularly on his non-preferred - and I think as he gets his eye in a bit more we’ll see him return some of the performances he put up last year.

Considering he couldn’t get a sniff a couple of weeks back, he’s continued to work hard and get involved and is just starting to click. I’m actually pretty happy with him being run through the back line at the moment, as he’ll be a more complete player for it.

23. Lachlan Keeffe

I really looked forward to doing Keeffe’s write-up, because he was terrific on the weekend and from our listed players was the clear best on ground. After a nasty knock relegated Keeffe to the sidelines last week, he was clearly chomping at the bit to have an impact against North Ballarat.

There was an insightful article on Ben Reid a couple of weeks back, where he mentioned how Max Hudghton told him you have to despise losing a contest as a defender. Keeffe epitomises this approach, as he’s a real competitor and heads into every contest with intent and determination.

His work rate is phenomenal; for a guy his size to cover the amount of ground that he does and put in repeated chasing efforts is a real credit to him. Took several good contested marks, he’s got some sure hands when in the box seat. He also gets some good hang time when leaping for marks, he tends to judge it well and float with good timing and arm extension -- which at his height makes it near impossible for his opponent.

A couple of instances worth mentioning:

- In the second quarter, pushed up the field to effect a spoil in a pack contest across our half-forward line. Now, I would personally give him license to try and take the mark in the position he was in and considering where the play was unfolding, but you can’t fault him for playing the percentages and he spoiled with purpose. The noteworthy part however, was that North Ballarat won the consequent contest and rebounded quickly, shooting the ball deep within the forward line where - incredibly - Keeffe had made ground back and intercepted with a lovely relieving mark. Just an example of his work rate and ability to cover the field.

- In the last (to the best of my memory) he scrambled for a loose ball competing against two or three smaller opponents - one of which had a head start on him - on North Ballarat’s half-forward line close to the boundary. Showed a huge amount of concentration and smarts to play the situation brilliantly with little space or support, calling upon his soccer background to toe poke the ball around without over-committing or losing his feet. Managed to eventually win the ball before the noose tightened, bought himself some space with his dual-sidedness and got a left foot kick out of there. North Ballarat took the mark across their defensive side of the wing, but the effort whilst being outnumbered drew much deserved applause from the stands and bought us the time to setup across the back line.

He also deserves credit for returning to the field after pulling up very sore from a contest in the last quarter, to try and straighten us up so we could hold on for the last few minutes. After losing Nathan Brown early we’ve been rightly concerned about our defensive stocks and despite the fact that he’s still working on his game, anyone who watched Keeffe go about things on the weekend would feel a little more comfortable in what we’ve got in reserve.

25. Tom Young

An improved performance after struggling the last few weeks. His defensive efforts were extremely solid and he marked his man well for most of the game. Hasn’t really had the opportunity to provide us with the same amount of drive as he did last year, but did manage to get some run and carry happening from time to time on the weekend.

He’s got good closing speed and the ability to get his hands free when tackled. He’s yet to really hit his straps going by last year’s standards, but like Keeffe he has that same competitor’s zeal as a defender. His ball use was a bit of a mixed bag, using it extremely well to our advantage at times whilst also burning a couple of kicks. Not a huge game by any means, but a more concerted effort after getting lost a bit in previous weeks.

29. Jonathon Ceglar

What a great weekend it has been in regards to the usage of our first round pick last year. With Krakouer lighting up the MCG last night and Ceglar bringing VFL watchers to the edge of their seats on Saturday, as early as it is I’m making the call that we’ve done exceptionally well. We may be yet to decide who is the steak knives in the deal we made for our first round pick, but I’d like to put forward the idea that we’re bi-winning in a Sheenesque manner. Or Hine-winning perhaps?

We’re 5 rounds into the VFL season and already Ceglar has become a focal point in our forward line and given us cause for excitement. He clunked a couple more pack marks in general play on Saturday, but it’s his ability to seriously skittle packs (unfortunately Perham had front row seats in the last and paid the price) even when he doesn’t complete the mark that really opens up opportunities for our other forwards.

He had the North Ballarat defenders sweating buckets every time the high ball came in. He presents well to the point where he demands the ball, reads it well in flight and is not easily shifted by his opponent. In fact, on the weekend the defenders often had to operate at the brink of legality in order to compete with him in the air; he could have easily picked up a free kick or two within certain goal range, but anyone at Vic Park would tell you we weren’t getting nothing from the umps on Saturday.

Kicked a terrific goal on the run after receiving and carrying the ball 15-20 metres before sending it straight through the middle at post height from 40 odd metres out on a 45 degree angle. He played minimal minutes in the ruck, but was competitive in those short bursts.

We’ve got ourselves a genuine ruck/forward option to replace Jolly should Wood not work out. Our succession plan for our rucks provides Ceglar with plenty of time, but with the signs he’s showing I’d suggest he may not need as much time as we originally thought.

30. Brent Macaffer

I’ve been critical of Caff in recent weeks, but he stepped up when required on Saturday and was a work horse in the clenches during the all important final quarter. Worked hard to win the ball out of the middle when the intensity was picking up and also worked better into space to link up around the ground.

He wasn’t a stand out by any means, but some of those grunt traits were back on show with some excellent tackling efforts to lock the opposition down. Had one effort in the last where after hitting the deck in a contest he managed to bring down and wrap up two opponents to force a stoppage. He’s got runs on the board, so if he can continue to improve upon his latest effort and build from there we’ll see him given a run again soon enough.

35. Alex Fasolo

A very solid performance from ‘Solo, managed to find the ball across the course of the game by getting to the right spots and used it cleanly for the most part. He’s likely to feature in the VFL highlights also, with two extremely good long goals almost from the same position on a difficult angle that didn’t favour right footers.

With the first, he collected just forward of the wing before unloading from roughly 60 metres out, carrying over the defence and bouncing just on the line in a vacant goal square. The second, he collected and burst before unleashing from an identical angle, this time right on 50 but under much more pressure, with it sailing through truly once more.

It was good to see Fasolo find some space so he could demonstrate his ability by foot. I’ve said in previous reports that it wouldn’t surprise me if he got a run this year depending on who we decide to rest and if his form holds or improves. He reminds me a little of Sidebottom in terms of his football ability. Rusty is obviously the more prolific and has more tricks, but Fasolo has that similar football nous to run to the right spots and is also fairly solid overhead.

He’s not lightning across the pitch, but I may have undersold his pace a little previously. He’s a good build already but could do with some improvement in core strength, as he often takes on the tackler but just fails to shrug them. Pretty confident this will come with a preseason or two, as he projects as a player who’ll be strong through the hips; Chapman style. Wasn’t caught as often this week as in previous weeks and he does usually get his arms free for the feed, but if he could further improve his contested ball winning he’ll definitely be pressing.

I’m reasonably confident he’d be able to accumulate a bit of the ball over four quarters in the seniors through running to the right spots and linking up; he seemed to come into games during the NAB Cup at the death and does run games out well at VFL level, so his tank appears pretty solid at this early stage. He also shapes as a safe bet lining up for goal anywhere up to 50 metres out. He could be one of those half-forwards who can sneak forward and get spotted up around the perimeter when teams are flooding back at a set play.

37. Kirk Ugle

In what was a more open game - or less one sided perhaps - than previous weeks, Ugle managed to get a bit more clean ball yet still spent a lot of his day scrapping it out around the contest. Wasn’t as effective with his tackling as last week, but still won a free kick or two.

Managed to burst from a contest in the forward line and finished very well across his body, the sort of play we’ve been waiting to see from him. Without being eye catching, his defensive work rate has been commendable and he doesn’t shy away from contests in traffic. I’m hoping we’ll get to see him on the end of more passages over the course of the season.

38. Scott Reed

His best game of the year so far and hopefully the one that drives home the point that he’s better behind the ball than in front of it. Played a pivotal role in repelling North Ballarat and displayed very good closing speed to not only get to several contests, but influence them.

As the game progressed he seemed to grow in confidence and stuck it out well over four quarters. I’m still not entirely sold on his future prospects as he’ll be competing with the likes of Goldsack, Young and even Keeffe for defensive spots in the short term and he doesn’t come with the same versatility or size as any of them. With that said, he outperformed Young this week so it’s not a foregone conclusion.

If he can perform to that level week in and out for the remainder of the season, carry the ball a bit more and use it a bit cleaner, he’d create some lengthy discussion amongst those guiding our list management come year’s end. They should persist with him in the back line for the rest of the year, with perhaps a stint on a wing from time to time.

40. Paul Seedsman

I’m liking the early signs from Seedsman, as he’s gotten progressively more involved as each week has passed. He looked shaky in his first outing against the Bullants and shanked just about all of his kicks, but has settled over the last fortnight and doesn’t appear to be short of confidence.

He was one of the players that really set the tone early, starting at a frenetic pace and opening the play up for us with some dash down the wing. He covers the ground well and works just as hard back as he does forward, looks to help relieve our defenders and his eyes light up when he’s able to gather with space ahead. Competes willingly in the air whilst also being quite clean at ground level.

He had a few brain fades on the weekend where he came unstuck pretty badly by not playing the percentages, but also opened things up for us at times by showing that same sort of moxy. His kicking is still a little hard to gauge, as he does appear to be able to hit it hard and flat at times but can send it to the wrong spots and does have the occasional spray off the side.

He’s a work in progress considering his light frame, but he hasn’t shown any signs of shirking a contest and with his dash, preparedness to go the leap and willingness to take the game on, could bring some similar traits as Daisy in the future if he does come on. Just as a disclaimer, that’s without saying he’ll ever be in Daisy’s class, just that he brings a similar zest to the field.

I imagine they’ll look to advise him on trying to find more targets when he has it, even if he’s going sideways from time to time. He just needs to settle a little and take the first option, he doesn’t need to try and break things open constantly when the odds are against him achieving that result.

41. Daniel Farmer

He appears to be starting to build and find his feet. He’s the opposite of Reed in that he looks a lot more comfortable starting across the half-forward line than he does down back. I still think his performance from week to week will depend largely on how the team as a whole is doing, as he’s adjusting to the pace and bigger bodies at this level.

Could have finished with two goals on the weekend, but rushed himself and sprayed one on his left from close range early in the piece. Showed some good body work however and based on the few one out opportunities he’s had the last two weeks, once he has the box seat in a marking contest he keeps it and is strong overhead.

He’s been willing to work up the ground to create a switch of play or help out our rebounding backs and got on the end of a few passages. He’s beginning to work his way into the play and if we can continue with the form on the weekend, we might see him being afforded a bit more space to work in.

44. Tom Gordon

He seems a little reactive at this stage, but that’s obviously a confidence and experience thing. Against Frankston and under less pressure he peeled off well a few times to mark and switch, but that has been absent over the last couple of weeks. Nothing to be too worried about at this point for mine, as he’s also trying to work out where he fits amongst the more senior guys in Pendlebury, Sack and Keeffe.

Hopefully with further game time he can build his composure when he has the ball in defence, maybe take a few pages out of Keeffe’s book in this regard as Gordon does have the ability to go off his right or left foot. It’s worth noting though that no North Ballarat tall got a hold of us and he took what was a match winning mark in the final 20-30 seconds to ice the game. It wasn’t of the Leo Barry vintage, but he used his body well and took it strongly overhead in what was a high pressure situation and the last roll of the dice for the Roosters -- he’ll get something out of that.

47. Jack Perham

Was pleased with Perham’s game on the weekend, as he presented well and was more often than not our target when sending it to half-forward. Kicked the first goal of the game after some excellent body work that enabled him to out mark his opponent. Sprayed one from distance in the second quarter after earning a free kick and whilst he has seemed to struggle from set shots beyond 40 in recent weeks, I’ve seen him execute well from this range previously so I don’t think it’s the norm.

He’s consistently put on searching leads to give us a target coming out of defence and his ability to control the space in front of him when we’re heading forward has been very good. He puts himself in a good position to either win the ball and feed or draw the free kick, just by protecting the space and not letting his man move him off the line or get past him.

I can’t see him getting a shot this year, coming from the rookie list and needing to become a bit more consistent in his work during general play. At times he’s creative and clean, capable of going off either foot to set team mates up, but other times he can appear a little one dimensional if he doesn’t get it on the lead or isn’t setup one-out in best position.

He does time his leads well though and competed strongly when he wasn’t provided with the best sort of delivery. Did his best Lazarus impression in the last when he looked to be out cold after being crunched by Ceglar and the corresponding pack.

48. Jye Bolton

Struggled a bit to find space and link up on the weekend, but worked tirelessly in the clenches to try and get us moving forward or to prevent the Roosters from doing the same. Showed the same enthusiasm and hunger for the contest that has been on show since coming to the club and if he can continue with the same application whilst finding a bit more of the ball, he’ll come into calculations for a rookie elevation after impressing during the NAB Cup.

Took a very important contested grab from a high ball in the last quarter, something he’s making a bit of a habit of. Lacks nothing when it comes to courage or go, would just like to see him buy himself a bit more space so he can get some cleaner possessions. He works extremely hard defensively and played a big part in slowing down the opposition’s ball movement -- even if just pushing himself that extra bit to cover ground and hold them up. Hopefully Josh Thomas can return soon, along with Sinclair, so that the stoppage work can be shared around a bit more.

49. Paul Cribbin

Was active again and put on some good spoils, does have some real zip and he along with Young and Reed really covered the ground well to either contest in the air or hold things up. We didn’t get sliced open on the rebound at all this week and it was the work rate of these types who played a big hand in that.

Seemed to straighten himself up a lot more on the few occasions he found the ball, didn’t go around the body at all from what I could see. Obviously very much a project and he’s been given some time on the wing as well as in defence. Goes hard and low when the ball is in dispute.

50. Shae McNamara

A much improved performance from Shae this week, probably worthy of getting within the votes. He handled a bulk of the ruck work, winning some effective taps and also followed up with repeated efforts. Improved his work rate around the ground and managed to earn himself a couple of shots at goal, albeit from distance and on an angle.

Can sometimes go the seemingly lazy showtime option with kicks along the ground or attempted flashiness when he’d be better served to body line the ball. He seems to work well at getting the ball out by hand or a quick kick in congestion, but in contrast in general field play he can look cumbersome and robotic approaching a loose ball.

It was an encouraging performance that he should be proud of nonetheless. Without writing him off, I just struggle to see where he fits in the scheme of things down the track.

As a bit of an extra this week, I took in just over a half of the ACT Rams match against the Northern Knights, what follows are my observations of our scholarship boys in Witts and Hartley.

30. Jarrod Witts

Easily recognisable the minute they took the field, he’s a monster of a lad and whilst I expected him to be tall but stringy, he’s got some decent bulk on him. Got his hand to the ball at every centre bounce owing to his size, but was outbodied a little early on during throw ins and ball ups. He improved on this as the match progressed though.

He’s not tentative by any means, shows a fair bit of grunt the way he approaches each contest and works to shepherd for team mates and get body contact on the opposition in traffic to clear a path for his midfielders. Was switched regularly between ruck and deep forward but unfortunately wasn’t really presented with any one out opportunities during my time at Visy Park as the Rams had gotten well on top through the middle and were sending the ball over his head through the big sticks.

Played a hand in one excellent passage, where he read the play well and worked hard back into the Rams defence to plug the hole. Picked up on an incoming ball and moved with good speed to take an intercepting mark with a man coming at him, playing on immediately and delivering perfectly over 40 metres to a running target on the wing, resulting in a goal.

I only managed 5-10 mins of the third quarter before heading to Victoria Park, but in those 10 mins he was really beginning to stamp his name in the ruck contests and in general play. Would have racked up 4 or so disposals in short time early in the third, working hard to assist their defence and releasing midfielders by hand after winning the contested ball at stoppages.

Pleasing signs from one of our NSW projects.

58. Michael Hartley

Without getting a lot of the ball early, he showed a good level of maturity in defence as he seemed to be the one directing traffic and his team mates. Has good height and is a real athletic type, demonstrates very good closing speed. He was switching between half-back and full-back and wasn’t beaten once, getting a fist to the ball each time his man was targeted on the lead. As a defender, that’s all you can ask for and he was diligent in keeping his opponent in check.

Shows some good understanding in terms of positioning himself to receive from a team mate or when peeling to cut off an incoming ball. Flew across one contest to win the ball back for the Rams. Would have liked him to take the grab as he spilled it, but buttered up and got the ball moving for his team all the same. Was willing to push right up the field to create a wall/press for the Rams, but never got burned for pace getting back into position or finding his man.

He was mentioned within the bests in the end, along with Witts, so I was a little disappointed I didn’t get a chance to see their second half. Not too disappointed though, as the VFL match was a cracker.

I'll try and get these up in a timelier fashion heading forward, no promises though!

 

[TradeDraft]

^^^

Thanks for the 2 NSW Scholarship Reports

 

[TradeDraft]

Last QTR Highlights:

[YOUTUBE]79zNDf7IFOs[/YOUTUBE]

 

[Quicky]

That is truly epic write up 10th Letter!! Fantastic work. It is great to hear that the VFL team is improving and gelling more as a unit. With Keeffe, Ceglar, Pendles and Eddy performing well we seem to have a bit more structure. It is also interesting to read that we are following a similar defensive formula to the AFL side. When you think of Tooves, Maxy, O'Brien our VFL team has Goldy, Young and Reed playing very similar roles. It seems Reed must be played in defense now. He probably only has a year left and that seems his best chance. I think we will definitely get a boost in the guts when Thomas and Sinclair return. Thanks again for the write up it gave a real feel for the game and enough detail to keep the most hungry VFL fan happy.

 

[person_pitch]

Great stuff, 10th Letter.

 

[JOELY]

Incredible report. 10th letter. Thanks.

 

[half_back_flank]

Much appreciated 10th letter.

 

[Tippy78]

Does anyone know what the go is with Sundberg? Watched him on the ABC a few weeks ago and he appears to get in the best players each week. Are we in a position to lock him into the pies next year?

 

[Bay Pie]

From the highlights vid, that chase and tackle by Seedsman and then Fasolo on the same play was great to see.

 

[Daicos Mullets]

Does anyone know what the go is with Sundberg? Watched him on the ABC a few weeks ago and he appears to get in the best players each week. Are we in a position to lock him into the pies next year?

He's only on our VFL list, so if he were to nominate for the AFL draft at the end of the year, any club could draft him.

 

[Quicky]

How strong are the Northern Knights this year? And what was the result? Might be worth posting those Hartley and Witts comments in the FMW thread.

He's only on our VFL list, so if he were to nominate for the AFL draft at the end of the year, any club could draft him.

What he said.

 

[Heater39]

I hope we take a look at Sundberg, reckon he's worth a shot with a late or rookie pick. Kris Pendlebury goes alright as well but being a 3rd tall, we'd have no need for him. He is a very good VFL player however.

 

[Snoop Dog]

yeah i think if we took Sundberg we would be denying Bolton, Macca, Thomas and Sinclair a spot so its difficult.

 

[jackcass]

Went to the game and very happy with the performance of the kids and the result was reward for effort. Can't question the application of these kids, although execution does sometimes leave a little to be desired. Nth Ballarat are not the team they were last year but look at the Pies team. Goldsack, Macaffer and McCarthy the only players with senior experience and McCarthy was off early in the 3rd with some hamstring issues. Very inexperienced side.

Collingwood
B: Tom Young, Lachlan Keeffe, Luke Rounds
HB: Tyson Goldsack, Paul Cribbin, Scott Reed
C: Paul Seedsman, Pat Liston, Kirk Ugle
HF: Daniel Farmer, Jack Perham, Alex Fasolo
F: Kris Pendlebury, Brent Macaffer, Jye Bolton
R: John Ceglar, John McCarthy, Tom Gordon
Int: Tom Sundberg, Kalem Post*, Tom Couch, Robert Eddy, Shae McNamara

Some observations:
Macaffer's application at this level leaves a lot to be desired, probably our worst performed player on the day and not supportive of the kids.

Keefe, Shae and Cribbin as our "new to AFL" players look more AFL ready than Hunt and Falou. Still make execution errors but that's to be expected.

Fasolo is a gem. Definitely AFL ready when he gets his chance.

Ceglar shows great promise. His marking forward and around the ground a highlight.

Rounds down back is a great experiment and good for his development.

Sundberg and Eddy show promise. Couch was competitive.

Pendles very unlucky not to be on a senior list.

Post (#67) was good, his mark and goal to grab the lead was a fantastic effort for the kid. Spoke to his father after the game and he was pumped. Kid was a Richmond supporter but now a convert.

 

[bucksisbest]

Some observations:
Macaffer's application at this level leaves a lot to be desired, probably our worst performed player on the day and not supportive of the kids.

I have had similar thoughts over recent weeks, but seeing two trainers rub him down at every break and the thick hamstring warmers he was wearing suggest he is fighting through some stuff at the moment.

 

[PieBeast]

yeah i think if we took Sundberg we would be denying Bolton, Macca, Thomas and Sinclair a spot so its difficult.

Bolton is a massive chance to get elevated onto a senior list before next draft, a rookie spot will open up. Really rate Sundberg.