Read some of his other posts and you'll understand why.
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AFLW 2024 - Round 9 - Indigenous Round - Chat, game threads, injury lists, team lineups and more.
Watts, Bate, Garland, Gysberts among others to play for Casey tomorrow.
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Read some of his other posts and you'll understand why.
Thought I might share some thoughts on the melb boys performances
Watts: I arrived 5 mins into the first and struggled to spot the boy until I noticed that he has shaved in an attempt to toughen up. Unfortunately it did not work, too often I saw him baulk at a contested ball and only use his arms when attempting to tackle. He also struggled to make himself dangerous and position himself well, which is troubling for our next great key forward.
In the first quarter he looked lost and dont think i saw him get a touch. He improved slightly in the second quarter getting some good handballs further up the ground with a cool head in traffic. Then close to half time he was fortunate to be the closest one to an errant opposition out of bounds on the full and received what I believe to be his first and only kick for the day. On a tight angle, despite a stiff wind, and a screaming Fitzpatrick he decided to back himself and have a shot. He thought the kick through and I watched from directly behind as he placed the ball out in the wind with a beautiful drop punt and let the wind take it straight through the middle, magic.
That was pretty much all for Jack who played no further part after entering the rooms at half time, rumors were rife that there was a social gathering at one of brightens stately residences. Despite all this I stop short of criticising the lad too much, it was his first game for around 9 months and he may still be sore. I would definitely not play him in round one, if he could not cut it in a VFL practice match he is still a little raw for the big time. Give him a few weeks in the magoos
Bate: very impressed with him, vast improvement on his game against the eagles where I thought he looked lost. Bate looked V dangerous especially close to goals. Managed to kick more than a few goals and is a definite start for round one. Hopefully Watts can emulate his rate of recovery.
Newton: was also very impressed, strong on the lead, marked well and got himself into dangerous positions, even tackled well. BUT he still can’t kick! I don’t know what he has been doing over the summer but if I were Bailey I would have given him and miller a bag of footys each and told them that they were not to come back and speak to me until I could no longer tell whether the ball was a Sherin or a Ross Faulkner (I know one is fat and the other thin but u know what I mean). And then he seemed to lose it in the last quarter or so and seemed to be trying to take mark of the year again at any opportunity.
He was continually missing from similar positions and simple kicks so I would not put him in the team until he can kick despite the alternative.
Fitzpatrick: showed a bit and used his body well, always went in for a crack and some cleaver tap outs to others advantage when he was contesting the ball even a few cameos in the ruck where he was leaping quite well at times. He looks like he is a chance to play some time in the big league this year if he continues to improve.
Spencer: not his best game, looked awkward and often found himself either out of position or on his arse. Even his rucking was not up to scratch often jumping light years early. Took some marks and made a few good contests but was often seen to be getting up too slowly holding his arm or limping or picking body parts off the turf. Despite all this I still like him for some reason, think he will play games this year.
Gysberts: I like the way he goes about his football he is quick, v hard at it, tallish, not afraid of players 10X his size, seems calm in a crisis and smart. Today he spent most of his time in the guts and was busy around the packs. He chases well and has a good tackling technique, he caught one guy that had at least a 20m head start on him. He handballed a lot and hopefully, with some more confidence and size he will start to use his foot skills and speed. I hope he is playing AFL sooner rather than later but still wonder whether he was worth pick 11.
Garland: played well in the backline didn’t set the world on fire but held his man and kicked a good goal from beyond the 50m arc (or is it the 40m arc at casey). Couldn’t really fault his game but our defence didn’t see much of it. Put him in the team.
McNamara: disappointing from what I saw compared with his games last year was dropping uncontested marks that he simply should have taken. Apart from that I didn’t notice much of him.
Hughes: did a few good things cant fault his endeavor. He just seems to lack something from what I‘ve seen, know he is just back frm injury so will give him a chance b4 hanging shit on him.
Bailey: just on an aside note went to the car to see if I could find a jacket or something to keep the wind off and noticed none other than yours truly turning up at half time in his Volvo. He then proceeded to slink to a back entrance where he had to ring for someone to come to let him in. This means he missed watts’ whole game as he didn’t play after half time. Then saw him leave the game even before the boys had got into the rooms, walking hand in hand with mama and papa Watts, would have expected a bit more TBH.
Sorry for the essay and if I missed anyone.
Watts: I arrived 5 mins into the first and struggled to spot the boy until I noticed that he has shaved in an attempt to toughen up. Unfortunately it did not work, too often I saw him baulk at a contested ball and only use his arms when attempting to tackle. He also struggled to make himself dangerous and position himself well, which is troubling for our next great key forward.
In the first quarter he looked lost and dont think i saw him get a touch. He improved slightly in the second quarter getting some good handballs further up the ground with a cool head in traffic. Then close to half time he was fortunate to be the closest one to an errant opposition out of bounds on the full and received what I believe to be his first and only kick for the day. On a tight angle, despite a stiff wind, and a screaming Fitzpatrick he decided to back himself and have a shot. He thought the kick through and I watched from directly behind as he placed the ball out in the wind with a beautiful drop punt and let the wind take it straight through the middle, magic.
That was pretty much all for Jack who played no further part after entering the rooms at half time, rumors were rife that there was a social gathering at one of brightens stately residences. Despite all this I stop short of criticising the lad too much, it was his first game for around 9 months and he may still be sore. I would definitely not play him in round one, if he could not cut it in a VFL practice match he is still a little raw for the big time. Give him a few weeks in the magoos
Bate: very impressed with him, vast improvement on his game against the eagles where I thought he looked lost. Bate looked V dangerous especially close to goals. Managed to kick more than a few goals and is a definite start for round one. Hopefully Watts can emulate his rate of recovery.
Newton: was also very impressed, strong on the lead, marked well and got himself into dangerous positions, even tackled well. BUT he still can’t kick! I don’t know what he has been doing over the summer but if I were Bailey I would have given him and miller a bag of footys each and told them that they were not to come back and speak to me until I could no longer tell whether the ball was a Sherin or a Ross Faulkner (I know one is fat and the other thin but u know what I mean). And then he seemed to lose it in the last quarter or so and seemed to be trying to take mark of the year again at any opportunity.
He was continually missing from similar positions and simple kicks so I would not put him in the team until he can kick despite the alternative.
Fitzpatrick: showed a bit and used his body well, always went in for a crack and some cleaver tap outs to others advantage when he was contesting the ball even a few cameos in the ruck where he was leaping quite well at times. He looks like he is a chance to play some time in the big league this year if he continues to improve.
Spencer: not his best game, looked awkward and often found himself either out of position or on his arse. Even his rucking was not up to scratch often jumping light years early. Took some marks and made a few good contests but was often seen to be getting up too slowly holding his arm or limping or picking body parts off the turf. Despite all this I still like him for some reason, think he will play games this year.
Gysberts: I like the way he goes about his football he is quick, v hard at it, tallish, not afraid of players 10X his size, seems calm in a crisis and smart. Today he spent most of his time in the guts and was busy around the packs. He chases well and has a good tackling technique, he caught one guy that had at least a 20m head start on him. He handballed a lot and hopefully, with some more confidence and size he will start to use his foot skills and speed. I hope he is playing AFL sooner rather than later but still wonder whether he was worth pick 11.
Garland: played well in the backline didn’t set the world on fire but held his man and kicked a good goal from beyond the 50m arc (or is it the 40m arc at casey). Couldn’t really fault his game but our defence didn’t see much of it. Put him in the team.
McNamara: disappointing from what I saw compared with his games last year was dropping uncontested marks that he simply should have taken. Apart from that I didn’t notice much of him.
Hughes: did a few good things cant fault his endeavor. He just seems to lack something from what I‘ve seen, know he is just back frm injury so will give him a chance b4 hanging shit on him.
Bailey: just on an aside note went to the car to see if I could find a jacket or something to keep the wind off and noticed none other than yours truly turning up at half time in his Volvo. He then proceeded to slink to a back entrance where he had to ring for someone to come to let him in. This means he missed watts’ whole game as he didn’t play after half time. Then saw him leave the game even before the boys had got into the rooms, walking hand in hand with mama and papa Watts, would have expected a bit more TBH.
Sorry for the essay and if I missed anyone.
cant remember final scores but casey thrashed the bullants i think it was close to an 80 point margin
rhaz
Cancelled
- Jun 30, 2008
- 8,490
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- Melbourne
Sounds like Watts needs to have something done to get more mongrel/effort into him? Rather than "you'll play when your body is ready son 
", he should be getting "mate, you've gotta prove yourself as tough enough for AFL footy but you're a hell of a long way off. get it right"
", he should be getting "mate, you've gotta prove yourself as tough enough for AFL footy but you're a hell of a long way off. get it right"
afterburner
Senior List
You and I must have seen a different game yesterday it seems. I went down with a mate of mine who supports Carlton and wanted to check out Murph and Waite.
Spent most of the first half hanging over the fence behind the Casey bench so got to hear most of the instructions before the guys went out. Glad to see the boys run out the game. Casey won 16-19:115 to 8-8:56 after being up by 12 goals with about 10 minutes to go.
Watts and Tommy Mac only played a half and were hanging around just outside the rooms for the whole of the second half. I saw them both leave once the game finished.
I though Bate and Spencer were the two best Melbourne players out there. Bate worked hard the whole game and finished with three or four goals (and handed off another couple), and is a walk up start next week. Spencer dominated the ruck and linked up well through the midfield by hand. Didn't see him kick much through.
I agree that Newton was busy, but he is not a smart footballer. He had 2 goals 4 behinds to half time and sprayed a further 2 shots. Two goals from eight shots (against a VFL defence) is not an acceptable return and he shouldn't be elevated for round 1. He also leads into the space of others, and the last quarter saw him try to take mark of the year at least 3 times.
Garland spent much of the first half maning up on Waite and he kept him quiet. The second half he was given game time was was quiet. This was however more due to the ball going into the Bullants forward line infrequently than anything else. He did however, run out the game and appeared to finish unhindered. Kicked a goal in the second quarter from about 30 out after receiving a 50m penalty.
Watts. The first quarter was spent in the midfield. He found plenty of the ball and dished it off by hand to a team mate in space. He moved well laterally and didn't get caught. The second quarter he played forward and kicked a goal after an OOB on the full. It was a difficult shot which he thought his was through and slotted nicely - incident after Newton had sprayed three shots from directly in front. Had 3 of 4 opportunities on th lead in the second quarter that we cut off by Newton running into his space or trying to take mark of the year over the top of him. Watts has put on some size, looks bigger than Morton!
I also thought Fitzy was good. He ssemed out of his depth in the nab cup/challenge but seemed comfortable at VFL. He rucked when Spencer was off the ground and spent time at CHF. He has got some size about him already and surely the longest neck on an AFL list.
And Finally I like the look of Gysberts. He looks like he wants to get out there and be a part of it. Finds the ball and seems to find space well. He is fast by hand and always seemed to get the ball out of congestion and find a teammate in space.
Last point on the Gys, I spoke with a mate of mine who has a support role with the AIS acadamy kids and was on the last tour in South Africa. He rates Gys as the kid with the most upside from the group who toured. He thinks Gys will end up as one of the best midfielders from last years draft.
Didn't see Bails at the game but did see Wellman hanging around.
There's a report from someone on Demonland that says Newton kicked 3 goals.
afterburner
Senior List
He did...... Read my post again, it said to half time!
Just went through the Demoland match reports.
Seems everyone was impressed with Gysberts and Bate was a standout. I expect Bate to dominate VFL level but good to hear Gysberts showed a bit. Not really fussed about JW, I'll admit I want him to get a bit harder at it but Morton was soft at one point and now seems to have turned the corner. I'm not going to judge a game that I didn't see but at least Watts was out there. It is all about getting gametime into him (FWIW I wouldn't have him in our team for the first half of the season).
If Newton kicked 3.4 with two OOF like reported seems like much hasn't changed. Should only be an emergency key forward if EVERYONE else is injured.
Interesting to hear Garland played back, wish he'd been given a go up forward. I think he's in our best 18 but against a Hawks team that is unlikely to boast a tall forwardline do we really need Frawley, Warnock, Rivers and Garland in the same defence? I'd give Garland a go up forward.
Seems everyone was impressed with Gysberts and Bate was a standout. I expect Bate to dominate VFL level but good to hear Gysberts showed a bit. Not really fussed about JW, I'll admit I want him to get a bit harder at it but Morton was soft at one point and now seems to have turned the corner. I'm not going to judge a game that I didn't see but at least Watts was out there. It is all about getting gametime into him (FWIW I wouldn't have him in our team for the first half of the season).
If Newton kicked 3.4 with two OOF like reported seems like much hasn't changed. Should only be an emergency key forward if EVERYONE else is injured.
Interesting to hear Garland played back, wish he'd been given a go up forward. I think he's in our best 18 but against a Hawks team that is unlikely to boast a tall forwardline do we really need Frawley, Warnock, Rivers and Garland in the same defence? I'd give Garland a go up forward.
I have to disagree. More than anything in our forward line, we need a target... Even if Juice doesn't convert enough, he's still going to provide a better target than anyone else. It straightens us up, and makes us play better football...
I'd much rather a target who can't kick straight, but straightens up our midfield so we can play the gameplan we're actually trying to implement, than having no forward target at all...
I thought our reports were quite similar really I admit I couldnt remember the final margin of the game but I know casey won by a considerable amount and I was only 20 points of the mark and I qualified it with the words close and think.
I think that u might be sugar coating watts game, he was playing out of position to get handballs up the ground not what we need from a key forward and I did see him pull up short of a few contests hopefully this was just self preservation. However he did show a few good things for his first game in a fair while. The line about watts not coming out after half time and leaving for a brighton was a bit of a joke if you couldnt tell by the tone.
Think u were a little harsh on newton he presented well and realistically he was casey's key forward so if anything he was leading into his own space. Having 9 shots shows he can get the ball but it is disapointing that he still can't kick as most were quite straight foward shots. And i also said he should not be elevated because of his kicking ability.
Our sentiments on the rest of the boys was pretty much the same, in fact a carbon copy in most parts, maybe I was a little harsh on Spence but he just looks unco.
While its only VFL level... I think most of the forwards we are going with in round 1, would still struggle to get 9 shots on goal.
Never been a huge fan of him, but out of great need im thinking of firing up the Newton bandwagon for 2010
Never been a huge fan of him, but out of great need im thinking of firing up the Newton bandwagon for 2010
afterburner
Senior List
I liked the look of Spencer yesterday tbh. He imposed himself on the contest in the ruck and linked up through the midfield. When used as a link man he dished off by hand rather than foot, so seemed to be mindful of his limitiations. I believe we are going to see some big improvements from the Spence this year and think he will lock down the no 2 ruck position.
I might have been sugarcoating Watts but in light of his preseason (ie non existant) half a game of footy and a goal is a fair return. He will benefit from gametime and an extended run of consecutive games. Lots to like though, for a big man he moves extremely well and his skill level is top shelf. I think the second half of the year should see him playing games off a HFF.
Lastly, I understand the calls from some for a key forward to 'straighten us up' but Newton is not this man. If he plays it will be as a last resort, not a preferred option. The club made this clear when they demoted him to the rookie list. Yeah, nine shots on goal is a fair return but this is against a VFL defence. He has been given ample opportunities at AFL level to show he has something to offer, and he is not AFL standard. Being a target for the sake of 'helping out the midfield with something to kick to' is a waste of a spot in the 22. Better off painting an arrow on the ground with the words "Kick it Here" underneath and having the midfield aim at.
At AFL level, Newton doesn't even offer a contest. Miller, Petterd, Maric, Green, Bruce, Jamar can all offer a contest. Hell, even Fitzy showed in the nab cup/challenge he can offer a contest. Newton as FF in round 1 is a backwards step IMO.
I agree Newton has never set the world on fire, but horses for courses. If we play Newton in round 1, the best the Hawks will be able to come up with as a matchup is Josh Gibson.
Besides highlighting his previous failed attempts is no way to get a bandwagon rolling.
Newton for the Coleman 2010!
Besides highlighting his previous failed attempts is no way to get a bandwagon rolling.
Newton for the Coleman 2010!
afterburner
Senior List
That's one bandwagon I'm happy to miss.
Whos jumping on the bandwagon???
Bandwagon started 3 years ago. Fools would have jumped off.
MFCforever
All Australian
Bandwagon started 3 years ago. Fools would have jumped off.
I'm 1 of those fools Newton is a spud! I hope I'm wrong but a player that gets delisted and told if no other club picks him up we'll re-draft you isn't a player a club values.
