Originally Posted by
i'm-uninformed2
Some good posts and thoughts on the game. And yes, it was ridiculously warm and muggy - and I’m accustomed to it. But last night was something else.
In general, we played with the heat, run and spread you’d hope. The superior speed and foot skills across the ground were noticeable from up high, as was our defensive pressure on the ball carrier. I also liked the mix we kept around the ball, between the bulls and the runners.
As a long time Stephens devotee, last night made me super happy. He really does have all the assets, but what I really loved last night was his willingness when the chance arrived, to grab the ball and just take off like a jet in an instant or put a shimmy on his man. He can be one of those rare 80m players. The other thing watching live is the amount of ground he and McInerney cover is just ridiculous. Stephens had a bit more polish and impact last night, but they are so important to our ability to play with dare and McInerney is just fearless for a light bloke.
Chad really is an all round player now. He can both clear chaos with two quick steps or a smart handball, or go on one of his rampaging runs. What a gem. Same with Errol, but more due to his footy IQ. Watching his running patterns and decision making is something else.
A few others. Rampe was just brilliant, Tom Mc will have the odd moment but he wins a lot of contests, and Logan worked hard up the ground and got some rewards in the first half. The ‘slippery’ game in the second half didn’t really allow for it as much. I also thought Ladhams was good. Witts will beat most in hit outs, but Ladhams was very good otherwise. He has clean hands.
All up, a good win in what could have been a tricky game.
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