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Thread: Round 16: Giants v Sydney Swans Reserves @ Spotless Stadium

  1. #37
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    Marsh is an interesting one. I thought he struggled in defence in the first half, let a few goals to Sproule and Tiziani. Shifted to the midfield in the second half and had 18 disposals and was instrumental in our big run in that period.

  2. #38
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    Firstly I have to say Shaw isn't making it easy for my powers of recall by making continuous changes throughout the game, I think only the defenders Maibaum, Talia & Murray and Leonardis as a forward didn't play more than one position.

    GWS gave a good contest especially for 2 and a bit quarters, they tackled and competed as well as the Swans did. There was definitely no chance of the 170 point margin from the last meeting repeating itself. Strangely though it was when they pulled within 5 points and the Swans down to 1 fit on the bench that they fell away badly. With the extra men advantage and the clear superiority of Simpson in the ruck, I thought the Giants had a chance to cause a major upset but the Swans increased their effort, piled on the goals to win easily. Perhaps it was the cumulative effect of carrying 16 topups and the tiring effect of their pressure game that finally took its toll.

    With Tippett out of the game and Pink assuming primary ruck duties, the role of the relief ruckman fell first to Dawson, then later on Edwards and right at the death Marsh. It was an interesting decision given Aliir has rucked in the past and had been shifted forward.

    Players:
    James ROSE - I gave him a bit of a bake in my last report a few weeks ago saying he looked frustrated and things weren't going his way. He was very good today started as a midfielder and won plenty of hardball in that role before reverting to his traditional forward role and kicking important (and difficult) goals. Looked lively and committed from start to finish.

    Alex JOHNSON - Started in defence which was encouraging to see and was involved early with a solid spoil and score assist to Rose. Had no issues following play up the field and while his kicking looks a little unorthodox and awkward, he consistently hit his intended targets. Had little to no impact in the second half. Not sure if he was meant to play the full game today but he looked buggered by the end. In the 4th quarter shifted to full forward as the Swans were down to 1 rotation which basically consisted of AJ rotating on and off with whichever lucky player earned a break.

    Jordan FOOTE - Started in the engine room, but also spent time as a half back. He racked up an amazing 12 tackles by half time and finished with 16 for the game. Ball use by foot a little iffy but you can't question his competitiveness.

    Will HAYWARD - Played the first half only but you could summarise it as a 1st quarter cameo. He had enough highlights in that period to last the whole game. I noted at quarter time he only had 4 disposals but such was his influence I rated him as the most influential Swan along with Tippett. The Swans isolated him at full forward to give him space to work his superior one on one skills and he didn't disappoint kicking one early goal, setting another up a set shot for Lee with a lowering of the eyes (which Lee missed). His best moment was his 2nd goal. MacDonald won the ball on the wing, kicked it directly to Hayward who had 3 defenders to deal with, the ball cleared the first defender but Will still had to have strong hands to grab the mark with two defenders in close attention. The siren went soon after, and he had to kick a non-so-simple set shot from just inside 50. However he was basically unsighted for the second quarter and then didn't run out for the 2nd half.

    Kurt TIPPETT - It was a real shame he was injured today because I thought he was one of our best 3 or 4 players in the first half. Playing mainly as a ruck, he was competing well with Simpson in the hitout department but also quite influential around the ground. Like Naismith did in the seniors game later on, he sat a kick behind play when the ball moved into our forward 50 and intercepted a couple of balls coming out of the Giants defensive 50. Also took Simpson to the forward 50 a few times, but just failed to complete a couple of hard marks. Started the 2nd half as a full forward with Pink in the ruck, and only a few minutes later did I notice he was on the bench with his left boot off and getting strapping around the left ankle.

    Shaun EDWARDS - An even contribution across both halves from Edwards, started as a winger and finished as an inside midfielder. Pace and endurance are the keys to his game and while his ball use can be questionable at times I thought it was pretty good today.

    Jack MAIBAUM - I thought he was okay overall, he did some good things but also struggled at times with some of the Giants topups, particularly 54 Gillespie who beat him in a few one on ones.

    Ben RONKE - First half only, played exclusively as a forward but couldn't get into the game in this role. Had a chance to soccer a goal in the first quarter after a smart centering kick by Hayward but he got his legs in a tangle and only managed a behind. Not sure why he didn't play the 2nd half.

    Tyrone LEONARDIS - Just not seeing it with Tyrone. Drafted as a running half back, he is playing out his AFL career as a medium forward who isn't skilful or clever enough to kick many goals, and his poor tackling technique means he isn't a great defensive forward either.

    Harrison MARSH - First half in defence on the likes of Tiziani and Sproule and conceded 1 goal each to those two. Second half Marsh was shifted on the ball and was a formidable presence in that role, his clearance work was clean and effective and he wont plenty of hardballs. I would rank him 2nd best to Dawson in this half.

    Michael TALIA - Just like Maibaum had his good moments but also not so good moments, but more attacking than Maibaum with the ball in hand.

    Brandon JACK - Won plenty of the ball but I wasn't as effusive about his game as the coaches obviously were. His kicking again was the main concern for me and should have really had at least 1 if not 2 goals today but couldn't convert. Started off a wing and then spent time in the middle as well as across half forward.

    Jordan DAWSON - Dawson was used as a key forward, inside midfielder and spent long periods in the 2nd half as our ruckman! He started up forward and kicked the first goal of the game after outbodying Lloyd, dropping what he should have marked but recovering quicker than his opponent and slotting the goal. 2nd goal was a more conventional mark on the lead and converting. Much quieter in the 2nd quarter but it was his second half that was the standout. His ability to get to contest after contest while in the midfield coupled with his strong hands in the forward line was a combination that the Giants couldn't deal with. Took a great contested grab from a wayward Marsh set shot for this 3rd and his 4th was a brilliant one handed attempt in the goal square that was deemed a free kick to him, but he played on anyway and goaled. His ball use was excellent in the 2nd half.

    Aliir ALIIR - Started at fullback and while his 1st quarter was on the positive side, he went missing in the second quarter. Not sure whether it was due to the Giants specifically targeting them, but Aliir and Murray who provide plenty of drive out of halfback for the NEAFL side, were non-entities in that quarter. In fact the one memorable Aliir moment was when he made a dangerous switch kick which almost resulted in a Giants goal but which was thankfully thwarted by some good AJ work. He shifted forward not long after Tippett's departure from the game and had some strong moments (including a great one handed mark on the wing) without being outstanding.

    Sam FISHER - An interesting player to follow, with his left foot and ability to play inside and outside he can remind me of Hannebery. What remains an enigma for me is his kicking, I'm not convinced he is a good kick despite a very eye catching kicking action. He was one of our better players in the first half but had little impact in the 2nd half.

    Sam MURRAY - I've been riding his bandwagon hard this year but however it just didn't click for him today. It's not to say that he didn't stop trying but the exciting, ball-carrying runs at full speed that have become his trademark were rarely sighted in this game.

    Toby PINK - Interesting stat at halftime where Pink had 8 tackles and 7 disposals. For someone playing key forward and relief ruck 8 tackles in a half is an amazing effort. It just highlights the work off the ball he does and his willingness and determination to chase and tackle the opposition. His offensive game still needs work at times but he isn't completely lost in this aspect of the game.

    Topups - MacDonald the most effective of the five with his big body and penchant for tackling but doubt he has what it takes to make it at AFL level. Wicks probably the most promising with his performances over the course of the year and was strong again in the first half. Deep found plenty of the ball as a forward in the first half. Bell good skills and quick in half back role. Lee serviceable forward.

    Giants 2.2 5.3 7.3 8.5 (53)
    Swans 4.3 7.7 12.9 16.16 (112)

    Goals: J.Dawson 4, J.Rose 3, A.Aliir 2, W.Hayward 2, J.Deep, S.Fisher, T.Pink, S.Wicks, H.Marsh
    Best: B.Jack, H.Marsh, J.Rose, J.Maibaum, J.Dawson J.Foote

    My bests: J.Dawson, J.Rose, J.Foote, H.Marsh, S.Edwards, B.Jack

  3. #39
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    Quote Originally Posted by ugg View Post
    Best Players: B. Jack, H. Marsh, J. Rose, J. Maibaum, J. Dawson, J. Foote
    Jack's first appearance in the bests? Noticed he gathered a lot more possessions than usual. Eight marks. Did he play up the ground?

    - - - Updated - - -

    Jack Maibaum that is, not Brandon.

  4. #40
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    I assume you are talking about Maibaum and not BJ. He's had two other games in the bests. Played up the ground when the Swans had locked the ball in the Giants half.

  5. #41
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    Ah, just read your review, Ugg; Maibaum played back.

  6. #42
    Hard to argue with Ugg's summary but here is my 20p worth

    Thought the scoreline flattered us today with our greater number of listed players shining through in the end.

    Dawson I thought was the pick of our players, not sure I have seen an ineffective kick. I'd have him in for Robbo next week because his precise delivery is elite and he could be an X factor for us.

    A few random comments
    * Maibaum looks like he has bulked up a bit and is quite aggressive, one for next year I hope
    * Thought Edwards was selfish at times and maybe I'm being harsh on Rose but I thought he lairised about a bit
    * Aliir looked pretty strapped up but did some sublime things but I just can't see him getting into our side today
    * Dawson Simpson is quite possibly the biggest spud on any AFL list
    * The kid Shipley did very well for them, good to see
    * Bell also looked good for us and moved well, definitely a third rounder in my opinion

    A good win in the end, we ran the game out well. Maybe I'm not paying GWS enough credit

  7. #43
    Appreciate your detailed review

  8. #44
    Finally, I spent quite a bit of time watching AJ today.

    The best thing of course is that he is getting through games unscathed but when I got there (start of Q2) he looked cooked, not running smoothly at all in my book. Looked like he was finding it hard to get into the game though I did see him throw himself in a few times.

    In no way a criticism of him, as what he has done to get back even at NEAFL level I find totally inspiring, but for mine it was a brutal reality check for how far he has to go. Any thought of him playing seniors this year is truly fanciful.

    Hopefully it is just a serious lack of match fitness and confidence being exposed at a pretty decent level of footy. Get through the rest of the year (I'd say performance secondary to fitness and running out games a bit more) and go away and have a bog pre-season with a view to genuinely challenging for a recall back half of next year.

    Of course the other possibility that none of us want to consider is that he does play injury free but is never the same player again and never plays seniors again.

    Only time will tell but it was great seeing him out there

  9. #45
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    Thanks Ugg, wonderful work you put in all year and a great post match summary.

    Really think we must get Dawson into the seniors as he would bring a different dimension to our forward line, seems to find the ball, mark and kick long and accurately. You can never tell but he may just add to our finals capabilities but needs games under the belt, Saints next week at the SCG seems the right time to give him another go, particularly as he'd be coming into a functioning team, unlike the rabble we were when he first played.

  10. #46
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    Quote Originally Posted by 707 View Post
    Thanks Ugg, wonderful work you put in all year and a great post match summary.
    +1.
    He reminds him of the guys, close-set, slow, and never rattled, who were play-makers on the team. (John Updike, seeing Josh Kennedy in a crystal ball)

  11. #47
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    Quote Originally Posted by Mug Punter View Post
    Finally, I spent quite a bit of time watching AJ today.

    The best thing of course is that he is getting through games unscathed but when I got there (start of Q2) he looked cooked, not running smoothly at all in my book. Looked like he was finding it hard to get into the game though I did see him throw himself in a few times.

    In no way a criticism of him, as what he has done to get back even at NEAFL level I find totally inspiring, but for mine it was a brutal reality check for how far he has to go. Any thought of him playing seniors this year is truly fanciful.

    Hopefully it is just a serious lack of match fitness and confidence being exposed at a pretty decent level of footy. Get through the rest of the year (I'd say performance secondary to fitness and running out games a bit more) and go away and have a bog pre-season with a view to genuinely challenging for a recall back half of next year.

    Of course the other possibility that none of us want to consider is that he does play injury free but is never the same player again and never plays seniors again.

    Only time will tell but it was great seeing him out there
    I am glad that someone else has seen the same thing as me Mug about AJ. I love seeing him back out there, but have been fairly vocal on here with my view that early 2018 is the best case scenario for him getting anywhere near seniors. He is a long way off being ready to challenge for seniors - it really is about the baby steps at the moment, completing more game time each week, finding some confidence in his body, and almost relearning to play footy again.

    The best part however of the 3 games he has played since returning is that each of them have had just couple of moments where you've seen that mark of class that AJ had at AFL level before the injuries. Last night he had a lovely piece of play with a couple of bounces down the wing and a nice delivery into the 50. In his first game back he had a crunching tackle and of course his goal. They are only snippets and he has a long way to go before he will be ready to challenge for a spot in the Seniors, but they are signs that in there lurking is still a very good player.

    The battle now continues to be as much mental as physical - having the mental strength to overcome the fear of re-injury, the mental strength to basically relearn the game. The mental strength to want it all enough to push himself hard enough to make those huge steps needed to be back to AFL standards. Given the mental strength AJ has shown over such an extended period, I have no doubt he has that ability.
    "You get the feeling that like Monty Python's Black Knight, the Swans would regard amputation as merely a flesh wound."

  12. #48
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    Quote Originally Posted by 707 View Post
    Thanks Ugg, wonderful work you put in all year and a great post match summary.

    Really think we must get Dawson into the seniors as he would bring a different dimension to our forward line, seems to find the ball, mark and kick long and accurately. You can never tell but he may just add to our finals capabilities but needs games under the belt, Saints next week at the SCG seems the right time to give him another go, particularly as he'd be coming into a functioning team, unlike the rabble we were when he first played.
    Dawson continues to impress me big time, with his game continuing to develop, and surely is next in line for a seniors chance.

    Rose played very well again I thought (although at times overused it a bit/tried to do too much) - I would be not surprised at all if we get more than a few inquiries come the end of the season about him, and it wouldn't surprise to see him move on for more opportunities. He still has rough edges to his game, but for mine he is too good to be trundling around in the NEAFL, but perhaps not quite good enough to fit our top 22, given the playing stocks we have. But there are plenty of other teams where I think he could play a decent role for them.

    I enjoyed the game of James Bell too - there is something about him. Quick and elusive, he made some errors and mistakes, but I enjoyed his endeavour and willingness to take the game on.
    "You get the feeling that like Monty Python's Black Knight, the Swans would regard amputation as merely a flesh wound."

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