| 1. Seaby | Seaby was excellent all day - this was his best home game this year. Gold Coast were down to their 5th/6th ruck choice (Thompson/Dixon after Z.Smith/Fraser/Gorringe/Nicholls) and it was clear from early on that Seaby was dominating the taps and in some cases just plucking them straight from the bounce/throw-in. He played mostly in the ruck with only short spells up forward - his contribution at ground level and around the ground notable as well. It will be hard forcing his way into the seniors though, LRT did a solid job backing up Mummy, but perhaps with Hawthorn's two tall gun forwards Buddy and Roughy coming to town, LRT might be needed in defence, opening up a spot for Seaby. I think he deserves a shot. |
| 7. Meredith | It was the best game from Meredith this year by a country mile. He had an important job (perhaps not a hard tag but definitely keeping a close eye) on Harley Bennell early on, and kept him under wraps. I don't recall much of Bennell after the first quarter, he might have been injured but it did open up Meredith to contribute more offensively. He did end up kicking 2 goals but both were from free kicks, the 2nd for a very, very soft fifty. Meredith was very solid in his disposal and his intensity, which seemed to be lacking in the past, was back up to the level we expect from a fringe player pushing for a spot in the seniors. |
| 8. Dennis-Lane | My feeling straight after the game was that TDL had another game in which his output on the scoreboard exceeded his contribution on the day. However, upon a re-reading of my notes, I can only pinpoint one goal where he was the recipient of a good pass or good work from a teammate for an easy or cheap goal. The rest were not simple at all, and two of them were a result from a good strong lead and mark. He worked really well with Johnston, as he was the beneficiary of two Lewis assists - one already mentioned by liz and the other was a strong LJ mark and quick, clever kick into space for TDL to run onto, shrugging off the despairing tackle of the GC defender and rolling it home. He'll come under serious consideration for a senior spot next week, probably taking Nipper's spot. |
| 9. Malceski | It was fantastic to watch him out there, running around and directing traffic as usual. His kicking was its usual high quality, pinpointing many grateful teammates in the forward 50 - one in particular a long directed bomb right to Johnston's advantage for him to mark 10m out in front. He did kick a goal but that was a result of Mav Weller running over the mark giving him a point blank shot (As an aside, the umpires were really strict on players going over the mark, a few GC players paid the penalty). He played all of the first half and a few minutes in the 2nd before being taken off. |
| 10. Currie | Another solid contribution from the Crusher, spent all day as a tall, marking forward and managed to pull down some strong grabs. He left his kicking boots at home though, and didn't trouble the scorers. He's also a great chaser and tackler for a guy of his size and he ran down a smaller opponent today. |
| 18. White | Jesse began the game deep at full forward being marked by Joel Tippett. He didn't seem to contribute much and probably only got his first touches after relieving Seaby in the ruck. He was swapped with Johnston early on in the second quarter, going onto the monster-sized Dixon. As liz already mentioned Dixon did beat him a few times on one-on-ones but there were some good marks and spoils intercepting kicks into the defensive area intended for other GC targets. Jesse also looks incredibly stylish and threatening with the ball in hand, rebounding from defence. |
| 23. Johnston | I've already expressed my incredulity at his omission from the best list, and I'm still befuddled by it after reviewing the notes. It didn't start particularly well for Lewis as straight from the opening bounce, a quick clearance by a GC midfielder headed towards a contest between LJ and Dixon. Dixon managed to hold position and mark comfortably in front of him and I thought it may be a long day ahead for LJ. What impressed about Lewis in defence was his calmness under pressure, again his distribution was very classy. After he switched forward, he presented well, marked strongly and left his defender Tippett trailing in his wake. His usage of the ball was excellent as highlighted by the 2 TDL assists already mentioned above. He finished with 3 goals including a wonder snap from deep in the right pocket for his 2nd. I was particularly sad that he was taken off in the last quarter (as a precautionary emergency for the seniors). The big question now is whether this switch back as a key forward will become permanent or was due to matchup issues with Dixon. Unfortunately for Lewis, Sam Reid played really well and Everitt contributed as tall forwards so unless a injury hits I can't see Lewis forcing his way in, just yet. |
| 28. McNeil | Dylan had a fantastic battle with one of the better GC players on the day Marc Lock. It was an interesting matchup as Lock is one of the bigger sized midfielders for them and McNeil one of the smaller sized ones for us. I'm not sure who was tagging who but both stuck close to each other throughout the whole match and I would declare the result this matchup a draw. |
| 33. Moore | Whenever Moore comes back down to reserves level and is given a midfield role he usually dominates and today wasn't any different. The fact that he was tagged by Mav Weller, whom the Gold Coast envisages as one of their better taggers, and still dominate as he did gives you an idea of how good he was today. What does it mean for his chance of a recall? Was he dropped for match fitness reasons or poor form? It's hard to say as it's unlikely he will play in the midfield in the seniors and his cleverness and cunning with the ball in hand is diminished with the lesser time and space afforded to players at the elite AFL level. He could well be fighting TDL for a single spot in the forwards. |
| 35. Heath | Campbell managed to play out the whole game which was surprising given it was his first game of the year. He must have been training really hard in the weeks leading up to this game. He didn't have a permanent opponent for most of the day, playing on a number of half-forward types that the Suns rotated through. He spoiled well and provided a solid physical presence in defence. |
| 36. McKaigue | With the return of Malceski and Heath into the backline, McKaigue seemed to be playing further up the ground, perhaps even pushing onto the wings at times. He seemed to be playing on the dangerous Roland AhChee, where his pace was invaluable in countering the quick GC player. His goal was a ripper, having a speculative shot from fifty that bent back and just snuck past the right hand post. |
| 42. Bevan | I was more happy with Bevo's game than liz seemed to be. I agree that he did fumble quite a lot but perhaps because it's what I've come to expect and from him I didn't mark him down for it. I liked his attack on the ball and his launches into pack situations. He managed to mark 3 times for shots on goal, but alas could only convert one of them. It was interesting to see him at the centre bounces in the last quarter where he was much more effective than his previous stint there last year. |
| 43. Kruger | Not too many memories of Kruger's game to be honest, I do remember some hard running but not such great disposal at the end of it. In fact, the one piece of play I have etched into my brain wasn't a great one, he tried to baulk and step the bigger Lewis Moss who didn't buy the dummy for a single second and proceeded to grab hold, tackle and dump Kruger for a holding the ball decision. Kruger seemed to be playing a little behind the ball lately - this would be a great learning position for him. It allows him to follow his man to the ball where his fast closing speed will come into play, while it also gives him plenty of opportunities to improve his disposal coming out of defence. |
| 44. Otten | There is a certain R.Brabazon over in WA who will be delighted that liz has a new reserves whipping boy (all in good humour of course). I'm not so harsh on him (yet), but only because he hasn't really done much for me to pass judgment on. He was a tad unlucky when he had an early goal that was called touched by the umpire. He spent most of the game in a defensive post on Jacob Gillbee who also had little impact on the game. Once Johnston was removed for the last quarter, Otten was his replacement up forward and he provided a nice assist for the little topup Moody (I think it was Eric but the scorecard says Andrew so who am I to argue?) with a great centering kick. Needs to get more involved, quick smart! |
| 46. Haren | It was his first time in defence (for me anyway) and had a good tussle with Lewis Moss. Haren kept Moss quiet for most of the day but Moss started getting more of the ball in the 2nd half and ended up as one of the Suns better players. I wish Ben hadn't dyed his hair black, because both the topups Potter and Guthrie have a similar colour and similar numbers (47/48 vs 46). It was easier to spot Haren with his carrot top  |
| Toppies | Another big wrap to the toppies that played today, they are playing a big part in why we are unbeaten with such a great percentage (400+). In the past, opposition sides have identified the skinny kids and used their larger size to physically intimidate our toppies, this year and it was on show again today, the toppies great right into the physical side of things with their tackling and contesting. Individually, Potter played mostly in the forward line where his brief was mainly to harass and chase. Guthrie I only spotted in the last quarter but can't remember too much about his involvement. Brain was in the midfield and more prominent in the 1st half, but today his possession wasn't as clean as it has been. Mightily impressed with Lynch who stood out in defence, he has a bit of speed about him and moves really well for a tall guy. A lot of trust was placed in Thompson, he was up and about the wing/half forward area and probably played as much as any other toppie. The Moody brothers were small (Eric) and smaller (Andrew) yet stood out with their kicking skills. They must have sat on the bench for most of the first half but received more game time in the second period. I have dubbed Robinson the DOK lookalike (DOK-alike?), not in his footballing ability but int the way he looks, moves and kicks the footy. He took a nice grab in front of us today, and he took a similar one at the last home game. |
Originally Posted by Wardy
Well Brad Pitt is in charge allegedly - perhaps that is the real distraction!
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