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Rookie Me scouting notes for last week's game.
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dejavoodoo,
Having only just discovered RWO is back on line I do enjoy your insight on the academy. Keep up the great workComment
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Ta.
The team for the match against the Oakleigh Chargers.
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By the way, a live stream is available through the Talent League app.Comment
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Oakleigh kicked a couple of late goals, to get out to a 21-9 lead at the first break. Despite having marginally the better of the play, our only goal was to King, who intercepted a rebound attempt and put through the set shot from about 45m. Meyrick and Andreacchio have been useful in the middle. Jenkin twins are popping up a lot. Chamberlain has looked good leading up from half forward to the wing.Comment
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Behind 31-36 at the half. I don't know who got our first goal, because I tuned in about 40 seconds into the quarter and it had already happened. Chamberlain and McCartney got our others. The Chamberlain goal was a nice bit of roving and a snap at pace, while the McCartney effort was a running shot from about 50, that just beat the siren.
Possibly should be in front, as King and McCartney both missed easy set shots. Also punished on the rebound a bit, after dropping marks that should have been taken and missing targets that should have been hit. I also thought that we were punished by some odd umpiring decisions: especially when Oakleigh got a couple of holding the ball frees, after tackles that slung our players heads into the ground.
Perhaps our best in that quarter was Carmichael, who was quietly efficient in the back half. Andreacchio continued to be useful in the middle. Jenkin twins not quite as prominent, but both impressed me with some defensive efforts. Especially Will, who saved a near certain goal, when Oakleigh was up 36-18 and may have skipped away.Comment
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51-51 at the final break. The highlight of the quarter was King collecting the ball in traffic on the wing, accelerating away, taking a bounce and then putting it through from 60m. Of course, he then missed a set shot a few minutes later, from about 20m. The other goals were to Chambers and McCartney, both from obvious frees.Comment
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That was an enjoyable game to watch between two fairly evenly matched sides.
From a Swans perspective, we have a lot of players who don't appear to be express-paced by eye but who can cover the ground very well. They look well drilled in their running patterns, with a good understanding of how to make themselves a useful target. Across the whole team, I am also impressed by how clean they are off the deck.
On the other hand, the kicking skills are, collectively, a bit so-so. There's no Campbell or Heeney running around this year. And the set shot kicking looks unconvincing all round, with a special mention to McCartney.
Andrecchio was, again, hugely important through the middle of the ground. He finds his way through traffic at pace and was one of those who showed clean hands at ground level. The Jenkins were also influential, especially no 20.Comment
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He certainly has the potential to go high, but I find him a bit frustrating at the moment. He played probably his best game for the season today, with three goals, including a snap from the boundary, but he almost missed a few set shots, that he really should have got. But still, plenty of time to become more consistent, over the next fifteen months or so.Comment
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Ended up winning an enjoyable, hard fought and perhaps slightly frustrating game 70-65. The fact that we kicked 9-16 was the frustrating part, as a fair few of those misses were set shots, that could have made the margin a bit more comfortable. Goalkickers were: McCartney 3, King 2, and one each to Chamberlain, Chambers and Luke, plus one that I didn't see. The goals in the final quarter were to Luke, with a very sharp bit of roving close to goal, and McCartney, who snapped from deep in the pocket.
Andreacchio was probably our best. He was consistently useful over the four quarters and provided plenty of drive through the middle. Carmichael was efficient in defence and just as effective when given a run in the midfield in the final quarter. McNamara was also moved around a bit and was also effective. He seemed to be playing half forward flank in the first, then alternated between midfield and half back for the rest of the game. He can get the ball at ground level in the middle, but he seems to have an advantage over other mids, when it comes to taking contested marks. He's also a good ball user when rebounding. It'll be interesting to see if he's given more of a chance to convert into a big bodied midfielder.
Most of the defence did pretty well. Ryan and Kyle both had some strong efforts, while I'm starting to hope that Morahan will make the Allies side. He looks to be a no nonsense key defender, who really doesn't like forwards kicking goals on him. If he does make the Allies squad, it's easy to see him keeping a highly rated forward quiet and thus becoming a smoky for the draft.
In the midfield, I'm becoming increasingly enamoured by the Jenkin twins. I might be repeating what I've said in previous weeks, but, I really like their second and third efforts, I really like their gut running and I really like how they win most of their one on one contests. Possibly the only knock on their games, is a tendency to do chip kicks that hang in the air a bit too long.
Also in the middle, I thought our rucks, Clifton and Lenarduzzi, had decent games. Clifton is an athletic 197cm, while Lenarduzzi is listed at 205cm. I'm not sure he's actually that big, as he doesn't appear to tower over other players? If he is, then he's quite athletic for his size, and might be a prospect, even if he's an over-ager.
Apart from McCartney in the forward line, who I mentioned in the above post, King had the sort of game that would continue to interest recruiters, without confirming a place high in the draft. His best moments were very, very good, he did plenty of decent things, but botched a few simple things. Luke had a few really nice touches. If he can get the ball more often and stick a few more tackles, plus gain a bit of size, then he could be a prospect for the 2026 draft. Chamberlain was also effective when he got the ball, but perhaps needs to have a few higher possession games, to justify his high draft rating?Comment
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It looks like Andreacchio was the other goalkicker.Comment
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Last year he did well to make the Allies squad as a small defender. This year he's spending a lot more time as an inside mid and is providing plenty of drive. Since he made the Allies in his draft year, I don't think he can be selected this year, so I suspect that the club will give him some VFL time later in the season, just to see if he's worth a rookie spot. Like Harrison and Ryan, who are also having an overage academy season, I'm sure that he's at least up to VFL standard. Whether that's enough to make the rookie list, I'm not sure?Comment
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