Post Match v Port...All comments here thanks

[neil]

Some shocking performances by some senior players, Obree was useless and I doubt any of his disposals went to a Collingwood player. Licca wasnt very good, Presti had a poor game and Davis was missing for most of the game.

Richards is a waste of oxygen.

Davis and Dick cannot play in the wet. OK it was Dicks second game and he is far too lightly built for this type of game.

Fraser was average

The midfield let us down, the disposal to the forward line was, after half time Shit.

The pluses were the Shaw Brothers magnificent, Thomas great Pendlebury gets better every game Lockyer continues his great form this year. Swann good

[neil]

David you said Cloke should be dropped? While he wasnt that good there are a lot more player who should be dropped ahead of him.

Such as Richards, Obree, Davis and Dick

[David]

Generally agree but some odd ones there;

Richards - to your ok? What were you watching. Had 3 touches and 6 HOs.
Cloke - Wet day, 20 yo, hardest spot on ground, got a dozen touches or so. Kicking into him poor...must be another CLoke hater.
OBree - 16 disposal, so ok??? He turned it over in the middle a couple of times. If your going to knock Cloke be fair - he was poor.
Licca - yeah was ok when he got it but like OBree did not get it anywhere near enough, senior blokes need to be much better. These blokes hould have excelled in wet.
Presti - ???? He beat his man but his skills were woeful...even for a wet day.
Lockyer - beaten badly in last.

As I said, I thought he seemed OK but the stats show he was clearly beaten. I just seemed to recall a number of contests where he either beat Lade or made things difficult for him.
I don't hate Cloke at all. The simple fact is he has been playing poorly all year, and today was his worst game yet.
As I said, I did not notice O'Bree at all, so can't comment.
Agree with you with Licca, he did have a quiet one.
Presti's kicking may have let him down in the last, but some of his punches were superb. He also kicked quite well under pressure at times, and we all know kicking is not a skill he is renowned for. I thought he was great.
Didn't see much of Lockyer in the last, so you might be right, although afl.com.au named him in our best.

David you said Cloke should be dropped? While he wasnt that good there are a lot more player who should be dropped ahead of him.

Such as Richards, Obree, Davis and Dick

Dick and Richards will almost certainly be dropped next week, not sure about O'Bree (who has been playing well this year) and I didn't think Davis was too bad.

[loki04]

Pies lose by 18pts.

Essentially we lost this game for two reasons;

1 - Ruck and Clearances. They doubled our clearances and in the wet that is crucial. Licca, OBree had little control on the game. FCS Mick - get us a ruckmen. Richards terrible and Fraser ok.

2 - We did not put them away when we had the chance. Fair to say we were better than them up until half way thru the 3rd. Their fwd pressure was sensational in the last 45 mins. We let them kick late goals every qtr.

The good news is that we fought it out and they tried hard. Umps were terrible. Cost us a goal thru play on and gave away a coouple against us in the middle which helped them stay in it.

The last qtr we just hung on and after some crucial turnovers by Burns, Johnson, Fraser, Davis and Presti 3 times we just were not getting it into the fwd line enough. They went in something like 15 to 5 up until the last 5 mins. How can the fwds work with that.

I thought OBree and Licca should have had more influence. To be fair to Licca he was good when he got it but he didnt get it anywhere near enough.

H.Shaw good again and Lockyer was ok although Mahoney got away late along with Lonie to hurt us.

Whilst Clement and Presti beat their men - they both made dumb errors. Clements mistakes cost us 3 goals in first half and Presti kicking ensured we fell down at HF. Davis was woeful. He gave away some frees and was far to cute at times for the conditions.

Fraser tried hard - ruck is not his spot. Cox was ok for game to as was Toovey although he got beaten late.

Port were good - they were relentless in the last qtr which is usually where we dominate.

Best: R.Shaw, S.Burns, D.Thomas, OBrien, Swan

Richards will not play Wednesday. Nor will D*ck who unfortunately needs to learn to put his head over the footy.

100% agree with everything you said , I'll add that cloke should be played at CHB he has a nice build good hands and nice kick to rebound he is not as confident/good playing forward.

[Farfalla Vendetta]

For mine, a disappointing loss, but not unexpected. Port are great in the clearance dept - we are not so good, and it all starts with the ruck.

Rather than criticise though, I will say that I am more than please with the progress of Thomas and Pendlebury- superstars in the making

[piedys]

Plus on a wet day surely a big bodied Bryan would have been much better eg keating in 2002. Time for Bryan to be given a go. Was Bryan still injured? This should be the only reason he was not playing today.

Bryan should have played today, it's not like they had no idea how strong Lade is. All Australian FFS! Bryan could have at least put some physical pressure on Lade, because the other two just aren't capable against a man of his size. Their clearences killed us at Lade's hand.
And if we're 2/3 next Weds' arvo - crunch time looms.
We're gonna need it to belt down rain again with the form the Dons are in. I'm already worried.
Didak and Medhurst back in would cheer me up though...

[Big T]

This is the best time for us to play the Bombers - we are ALWAYS better when we are underdogs, we are ALWAYS better when we are expected to lose and have our backs against the wall. Essendon will be strong favorites. The biggest concern is SEN commenting that (1) Presti won't play - we need him on Lloyd (2) Thomas won't play - this game is made from him (3) Burns won't play - could be his last anzac day (4) one other injury i can't remember.

But with dids and meds back, lookout, kick it long to the square, big rock crashes the pack with Bryan looming and scaring the crap out of everyone and small forwards running rampant, we will KILL the Bombers on Wednesday.

[Northern Pie]

stole your list added my own comments, hope ya don't mind dave

Here's a summary of how I saw the pies' 22.

Scott Burns: Continues to defy logic...He is simply Collingwood
James Clement: Definately still not 100% I think Clem is having some trouble adjusting to the "No hands in the back rule" I am sure he will rebound well against the Dons though.
Travis Cloke: What do you do with him? so much potential but suffers from severe brain farts at times, I would like to see him go down back at CHB to see whatg he might be capable of, I mean his disposal is not fantastic which is the only thing letting him down, so why not turn him into the next Billy Picken?
Shannon Cox: He is still a kid and made some kid errors, I think he will get better, but you might see him dropped soon, if not before Anzac Day
Leon Davis: Really went missing, wonder if this was due to player management?
Brad Dick: I still think this kid is going to be a champion, just needs to put his head down, bum up and have more confidence in his ability, a few times there I am sure he could have slotted them himself but chose to centre it and his light frame did not help him in the wet conditions as he certainly did not involve himself in the ground contest at all, may be dropped, but I hope not, he is a great kid.
Josh Fraser: Will be good to see him at CHF one day and not having to be relied upon to sholder the whole rucking responsibility. Just not strong enough for Lade.
Ben Johnson: Solid match, really wonder if he is 100% has got into a terrible habit of running sideways and kicking accross his body, was much more effective when he was going front on and running in a direct line
Paul Licuria: Workhorse and I suspect had a tagging role as well. why do people constantly bag him?
Tarkyn Lockyer: This guy is so hard at it, almost made my top 3 this week, just getting better and better, his work ethic is amazing.
Nick Maxwell: Went forward, set up one and kicked one, was going Ok and then moved to the bench then to the backline? I wonder why MM does that? played ok down back but failed to get back for a contest on anumber of occasions leaving Ports forward line way to open.
Shane O'Bree: Needs to lift, worked hard but the old clangers set in again, which cost us possession and in the wet it is all about trying to keep as much of the footy as you can.
Harry O'Brien: Beaten, but still good, I don't know, he seems very laconical at times and other brilliant, just needs to use his footy head a bit more in some situations.
Scott Pendlebury: Great Performance, this kid continues to get better each week, has a great mind for footy,some nice goals as well.
Simon Prestigiacomo: Never thought that I would say this but Presti cost us the game in the last Qtr, on 4 occassions he just could not deliver which all resulted in a minor or major score for Port. Can never ever question his endeavour, work rate and courage but his skill let himself and the Pies down today.
Guy Richards: I recommend a hot bath, a massage and to be shown the door....certainly not AFL standard to me.
Anthony Rocca: Hard at it, just no real delivery to him, hard to be best on ground when the breakdown is at CHF and you are deep in the forward line...wodl have liked to see him rotate through the ruck, but how good is his kicking for goal lately, dead straight!.
Heath Shaw: Looked a little lost at times, i think alot of clubs have done their homework on him and he will have to adjust qucikly to a different style of play, still I mean sheez he is a great kid.
Rhyce Shaw: 30 Disposals, majority hit the Tit for me he was best on ground today.
Dane Swan: As Fev said on the Footy Show..He must Stink? he just keep racking up the possessions, I like him in the forweard line but I would have liked it if Medhurst was there and Swan in the midfield.
Dale Thomas: Superb game, courageous and he is everywhere, buckle up boys and girls we have the next Nathan Buckley in our midst!.
Alan Toovey: Was a bit quiet, but was given a different role to last week and did not really hold up that well to the challenge, really liked him as a 2nd option down forward but I guess MM has to see if a player that young isn't too one dimensional.

Over all still not bad to be 2-2, a tough game might see us be challenged by the Bumers, but i think yo might see the inclusion of Bux this Wednesday, possibly Dids as well...

For Wednesday:

Out: Richards, Cox, Toovey

In Bryan, Buxs & Dids

My best for today

3-R.Shaw
2-D.Thomas
1-S.Burns

My best for Port

3-Central Umpire
2-The other Umpire
1- Lade

My prediction against the Bummers....Pies by 11 points with Bux kicking 4 on return.

Cheers

[1eyedpie]

Pies lose by 18pts.

Essentially we lost this game for two reasons;

1 - Ruck and Clearances. They doubled our clearances and in the wet that is crucial. Licca, OBree had little control on the game. FCS Mick - get us a ruckmen. Richards terrible and Fraser ok.

2 - We did not put them away when we had the chance. Fair to say we were better than them up until half way thru the 3rd. Their fwd pressure was sensational in the last 45 mins. We let them kick late goals every qtr.

The good news is that we fought it out and they tried hard. Umps were terrible. Cost us a goal thru play on and gave away a coouple against us in the middle which helped them stay in it.

The last qtr we just hung on and after some crucial turnovers by Burns, Johnson, Fraser, Davis and Presti 3 times we just were not getting it into the fwd line enough. They went in something like 15 to 5 up until the last 5 mins. How can the fwds work with that.

I thought OBree and Licca should have had more influence. To be fair to Licca he was good when he got it but he didnt get it anywhere near enough.

H.Shaw good again and Lockyer was ok although Mahoney got away late along with Lonie to hurt us.

Whilst Clement and Presti beat their men - they both made dumb errors. Clements mistakes cost us 3 goals in first half and Presti kicking ensured we fell down at HF. Davis was woeful. He gave away some frees and was far to cute at times for the conditions.

Fraser tried hard - ruck is not his spot. Cox was ok for game to as was Toovey although he got beaten late.

Port were good - they were relentless in the last qtr which is usually where we dominate.

Best: R.Shaw, S.Burns, D.Thomas, OBrien, Swan

Richards will not play Wednesday. Nor will D*ck who unfortunately needs to learn to put his head over the footy.

100% agree with everything you said , I'll add that cloke should be played at CHB he has a nice build good hands and nice kick to rebound he is not as confident/good playing forward.

Mabey, but I think our hearts would be in our throats when he would be kicking. I think we should persist with CHF whith Cloke, but mabey a spell at Willy would be the rocket he needs at the moment as his decision making/kicking form are terrible! best to give some of the other kids a go IF they warrant it.

[Joel]

I was very happy with our attack on the football early in the game. We were playing good footy, but just didn't put the score on the board.

Positives: Pendles, Thomas, Rhyce (sensational game), Heath, Toovey (for his attack on the ball - he didn't have a great game though) and Swan were all very good. They are our youngsters, and they are the guys that are playing very well.

Pendles is class. Pure class. Usually uses the ball very well whenever he touches it. Rhyce started amazingly, and continued his form throughout the game. Well done Rhyce!

Thomas is also class. The kid just all the right stuff.

Toovey attacks the ball very hard for a first year player. I've been very impressed with him so far.

Swan, he just runs all day, and kicks a couple of goals.

Negatives: Fraser must have an injury, otherwise he is just plain playing crap atm. His attack on the football isn't great, and I fear some of it may be a result of being bashed around the head as the lone ruckman since he was drafted.

Disposal in the last quarter was disgraceful. Yes, it was wet, but our disposal early was better when it was raining.

Is holding the ball paid anymore?

Travis Cloke. He has been very quiet so far this year. He needs to realise that he has a big body, and he needs to learn how to use it very soon.

Clements kick off the ground towards Port's goal. What were you thinking Clemo?

Johnson's disposal when kicking into the forward line.

We deserved the win, but we just weren't good enough in the end.

[DaVe86]

In all honesty....its hard to be overly critical of todays performance. We ask for 100% every week...and we got it today. They played their hearts out. Licuria, Thomas and Burns all got injured last quarter, and we ran out of legs. Add to that the fact that Mick lost all confidence in Richards and played Fraser for the entire last quarter. That effectively meant we did not have a fresh player to come on.

Add to that the countless players sidelined...and the fact that we barely won a clearence...its amazing we were in the lead at all for 3 quarters. It was a realyl gutsy effort. The only sad thing is that it is probably going to cost us the game next week.

As i said in my topic i just posted...we will seriously feel the effects on today on ANZAC day, so a few changes will have to be made to bring in some fresh legs. If Bryan is ready, he should come in for Richards because Hille is a big body, and Fraser and Richards consistenyl get beaten by bigger opponents. They are both very skinny.

Dick and one of Cox or Toovey are going to be good players...but will feel the effects of today badly this week, and i do not want to carry so many youngstars into such a big occasion. They will hopefulyl make way for the 2 dangerous forwards in Medhurst and Didak. Bring those 2 back and we have 4 more goals minimum.

Buckley and Lonie must be close as well....if they are 90% bring them back...because the rest of the boys will be 50% after today.

[Joel]

I think we need to play Bryan this week. Fresh legs - especially in the ruck.

[swooper]

Not long back from the G...couple of things:
Once again, ineffective disposals and poor skill errors. We were out-classed in the end by a pretty good footy side. I dont think you could fault our endeavour today, we tried and tried but at times (at least in the second half) we were just running around in circles, particulary in our forward line.

R. Shaw and Daisy - fantastic stuff.

We played in the wet, Essendon played in the dry confines of the Dome - how will this effect us with a 3 day turn-around next week? Just thought some of our players looked pretty tired at the end.

Some dreadful umpiring decisions (nuff said...)

Positives?? Melbourne got some good rain today!!!

Lets hope nobody backs us on ANZAC day, backs to the wall yada yada yada and we can re-group in time, because we werent
terrible today, but there certainly room for improvement (note: improve skills and disposal!)

[Big T]

According to SEN Cox was very good and they are predicting big things, that is great to hear as its not often they jump on a relatively unknown like that, The Ox in particular thinks he will be very special.

So surely on todays performance with that description he will retain his spot this week, and stats show he improved, comments anyone?

[swooper]

Oh, another thing... where was our cheer squad today????? Didnt see them or hear much from them at all.......