Round 16: Sydney Swans Reserves v Eastlake Demons

[ugg]

I hear we are at Lakeside Oval again.

[Big Al]

I hear we are at Lakeside Oval again.

Yep, they are setting up the tents now.

This is a bloody joke....

[ugg]

SUn is out too

[stellation]

This is getting a bit absurd, totally understood it for when there was going to be the Foxtel Cup clash as well but surely they don't count the whacky "celebrity" match as an actual game to rip up the turf?

I assume it's the SCG Trust making the call? Kind of smacks of "oh, we did it that one time- let's do it all the time!"

[BSA5]

How does Jack Jr look?

[liz]

How does Jack Jr look?

Do we know what number he is? I had guessed he was 52 but when 52 scored a goal, the reaction from the Jack camp on the boundary was quite restrained. There are quite a few skinny kids out there today who look, physically at least, a year off playing at this level.

[ugg]

It's 52 and I thought the jacks were quite ecstatic

Dre walking with crutches but he can put weightnon both feet

[liz]

Great performance this morning to hang on for a win with such an inexperienced side.

Anyone see or know what happened to Heath?

[ugg]

Dunno both him and Meredith weren't there for the second half

[liz]

I assumed Meredith sat out as emergency, though admittedly I don't think he was named as emergency. I think Heath wa missing from midway through the second quarter.

For second half we had Moore, Seaby, Otten, McNeil, Bevan, McKaigue and Gordon as the only "senior" contingent.

[ugg]

Good effort by the ressies today who were severely undermanned in terms of listed players. They dominated the 1st half and it was only in the latter stages of the 3rd, when the number of 'irregular' toppies taking the field started to rise, did Eastlake manage to draw within 3 goals and make it a contest. However in a tight last quarter, the team hung on for the win by restricting Eastlake to just 1.1.

Nathan Gordon was my BOG playing as a forward. He sprang out of the blocks and had the first 3 shots on goal, converting 2 of them. He dropped off a little in the second quarter where he wasn't as clean but bounced back to finish the game with a solid second half. He showed good attack on the football, but he's not just a bash and crash player, he does have good evasive skills, a big leap and can take a strong grab.

Jarred Moore is way too talented for this level. He led the way with strong work around the half-forward area with his contested work and tackling. He was moved into the midfield in the later stages of the game and snapped what turned out to be the Swans goal and a much needed consolidator. He took the toss before the game so I assume he was the skipper for the day and he led well with his directing and encouragement of all players, but especially the younger topups.

Mark Seaby dominated the taps against good opposition and was a major reason for the domination of possession. Up forward he took some marks on leads but didn't seem all that threatening as a contested marking option.

Paul Bevan always attacks the ball hard leading out of the forward line and managed to hang to the mark of the day - a classic hanger riding ont he back of the Eastlake defender. As with Bulldog, he also moved to the midfield in the last quarter.

A good defensive performance by Chris McKaigue today. He spoilt well as usual but I thought his recovery and followup work was much better today. He ended up conceding 2 to his direct opponent but one was from a really soft free kick which wouldn't have been out of place in the main game.

Max Otten was used in the LRT-esque 2nd ruckman/resting forward role and while he didn't shine I thought it was a good role for him as it brought him into the game. He tended to go missing for long periods in previous matches, not always his fault as playing in the defensive end can usually be a lonely place, so having him go run around and follow the ball was good to see. He made some telling interceptions and his ruckwork was passable.

Quiet game from Dylan McNeil today in an inside midfield role. Besides a clever snapped goal on his non-preferred left foot I didn't think he had much impact on the game.

Campbell Heath and Brett Meredith both played in the midfield. Both didn't play in the 2nd half although it took me until the end of the 3rd to notice that Heath was missing and the end of the game that Meredith was missing so they have disappeared earlier. Heath pushed back in many contests to assist the defence while Meredith started okay but his propensity to fumble or not pick up the ball cleanly under pressure was quite noticeable. Meredith doesn't seem to be the same player that we saw impress in his first few games, that shoulder injury seems to have curtailed his explosiveness in his kicking and speed.

Now for the toppies:
#11 Mitch Crawford - A Bevan lookalike, he played as a forward and sometimes as the only player in the forward half when the ball was down in our defensive end. Being a bit younger than the 'regular' toppies it was no surprise to note that he needs to bulk up.
#46 Peter Lake - Skinny but tall half-forward. He was handy when he received the ball as he laid off two goal assists after crumbing the loose balls, one to Brandon Jack and the other to Kane Murphy. He was cleaned up (fairly) by the much bigger Chad Gibson in a brave attempt to contest the loose ball. He stayed down for a while but got back up and could run off to the bench.
#47 Jackson Potter - Can't recall much about him after the first quarter, he might have gone off too? Played as a back pocket which was an unusual role for him.
#48 Blake Guthrie - Midfield/halfback. Lively in the first quarter where he was involved in 2 scoring chains - goals to Nipper and Seaby
#49 Nathan Kenny - Only noticed him early in the first quarter where he was quiet and late in the last where he was more prominent playing in defence. Made a very brave decision to run off his man and go for the spoil when Eastlake attempted a switch and was successful in doing so.
#50 James Brain - Great game from Brainy playing as a midfielder. Really stepped up once Heath and Meredith went off. He kicked a very nice goal under pressure in the right forward pocket, managing to roll it home whilst being tackled. His tackling was also a highlight, he didn't fall away from too many of them.
#51 Rory Pryor - BIG lad, probably the biggest topup this season - I'm pretty sure he dwarfs Jack Lynch. He held down one of the key defensive posts (McKaigue was the other).
#52 Brandon Jack - The most anticipated toppie debut ever. Played mostly off the half back flank and worked hard off the ball. Didn't disappoint with a calm finish after receiving a handball from Lake. For some reason I've believed he was a right footer but after watching today he's definitely followed in his brother's footsteps as a leftie. Also needs time in the gym.
#53 Kane Murphy - Lively as usual across half-forward and later in the midfield. A lot to love about this kid - shows little fear when facing up to much bigger guys, cleverly runs to the correct spaces in the forward line, knows where the big sticks are and loves a celebration too.
#54 Tim Wales - Another left footer, he has turned into a reliable option down back.
#55 Tom Green - Didn't notice too much about him, also a very skinny lad playing most of his time forward.
#56 Mitch Daly - Gave a good account of himself across half-forward but his smaller frame meant that he was easily beaten in some contests.
#57 Stephen Wray - Looks a lot like Seaby, could probably pass as his kid brother. Mostly used in the back half and was effective in transitions from defence to attack. Showed very nifty evasive skills a couple of times in tight and is a tidy kick. I like what I see and I hope he keeps developing.

Injured player sightings:
Currie - in leggings and running around the oval before the game
Everitt - Two crutches but could walk on both feet
Johnston - Hobbling with one crutch?
Haren - Didn't see anything wrong with him, seems to be in good spirits too.

Papa Garry and Brother Kizza were there to watch Brandon.

Goals
Goals
First Quarter
1.1 1.0 - Guthrie pumps it long into the 50 and Gordon, playing in front, hangs on to the grab with typically strong hands.
2.1 1.0 - Gordon goals again after smart work by Meredith
3.1 1.0 - From the boundary throw-in, Seaby taps it down to Heath who receives a lucky head-high free kick. Goals from 35
4.2 1.0 - After good defensive work by McKaigue and Guthrie the Swans move it forward with pinpoint passes finally finding Seaby on the lead
5.2 1.0 - Ball up in the forward 50. Murphy crumbs and snaps a goal. Nice celebration too
Second Quarter
6.3 1.3 - Quick break from the centre square. Moore spots an unmarked Murphy 45m out.
7.3 1.3 - Lake clean pickup of the loose ball, handballs to the running Jack who slots it with his left
8.3 1.3 - Bevan marks in the middle of the ground, looks up and sees Otten on his own. Quickly plays on and drills the goal.
9.3 2.3 - Bevan intercepts across the halfback line, moves it onto Moore. Bulldog goes long to Seaby who uses his body well to mark from behind. Goals from 40.
10.3 5.4 - Another quick handball by Lake sets up Murphy who snaps truly on his right.
11.3 5.4 - Brain gathers the loose ball in the right forward pocket, runs into the goal as opposition closes in. Just gets the kick away and it dribbles home.
Third Quarter
12.5 5.4 - Daly executes a great tackle, the ball spills for Brain to run in and goal from 45m
13.5 5.5 - Swans chip it around the boundary from Lake to Murphy and onto Gordon tight in the pocket. But it's a wonderful kick for a goal.
14.5 6.7 - Seaby scrapping on the ground manages to push the ball out to McNeil who snaps with his left foot and just gets home.
Fourth Quarter
15.7 11.8 - A short throw in allows Seaby to catch it and quickly release a handball to Moore who characteristically bulldozes his way through a few feeble tackles and snaps a goal.


Gotta love these shorter reports.

[liz]

Huge round of applause to all the toppies today for putting their skinny bodies on the line for the whole game, especially in the second half when the senior numbers were down. When Eastlake decided they might be a sniff of winning the game, they decided to start dishing out some physical punishment to the youngsters but they all stood up to it and kept going in for more.

There was an incident in the second half when young Jack went for a bit of a run along the boundary line and optimistically tried to bounce the ball in slippery conditions. He fumbled it, and an Eastlake player gave him a good old shove as the ball went over the boundary line. A handful of team mates (and mostly other toppies) ran into show their displeasure, and it took some of the older heads to break things up.

In terms of their actual contribution, Brain and Murphy were the best, but both are 19 I think, so not surprising. Potter was good in parts, but I've seen him play better games. I look forward to watching the likes of Pryor, Wray and Jack develop over the next 15 months.