Round 16: Tuggeranong Hawks v Sydney Swans Reserves

[Primmy]

Noticed Rohan at the singsong, sooo...... still in Perth?

My thoughts are this. SOMEONE is going to have to have a blinder if they are going to force their way into Benny's spot......Ves?........Byron?......

Small crumber......just do what Roosy says, and prove that you are ready and right to go, and are the best option. Prove something.

[liz]

I'd have thought they'd be very keen to get a game into Rohan this weekend, given he's the most likely next in. Though maybe Bevan could get the Benny role, with Smith slotting into the backline.

[aardvark]

. Though maybe Bevan could get the Benny role, with Smith slotting into the backline.

I think thats the most likely scenario. Roosy seems to want Bevo in the team no matter what.

[BSA5]

1/4 time, 4.2 to 3.1, Swans ahead. All emergencies playing. Got here towards the end of the quarter so I don't know who has kicked goals.

[ugg]

Thanks BSA5, good to hear that the Red Rooster is playing.

[BSA5]

6.6 to 5.2, Swans favour. MOD and Merry kicked goals that quarter.

Also, Smith is wearing 27 for some strange reason...

[BSA5]

7.9 to 6.4, Swans lead. Reid with the only goal that quarter. Sumner very busy, bloody he'll he's a good kick! Johnston playing right up the ground, basically as a HFF. Vespa having a shocker. Dull game overall.

[sidswan]

BSA5 you deserve a medal for being out in this weather and so do the players (really cold wind AND drizzle)

[Primmy]

Emergencies deserve a medal for even being in Canberra!!

[ugg]

I hear we are heading for a loss. BSA to confirm.

[ugg]

BSA may have been frozen.

Tuggeranong, for the 3rd game in a row, storm home after trailing for most of the game.

[BSA5]

Sorry guys, phone ran out of battery midway through the last quarter. In the end we just couldn't find the goals, and really over-possessed across half forward. Tuggers won 10.7 to 8.11. Vespa kicked a goal from a Dill give off 55 out, after moving into the midfield. Summer probably our best.

OK, I now have access to a keyboard. Much better. OK, this report is from just before quarter time onwards.

Brett Meredith: Found some ball, got free into dangerous space a couple of times, but didn't dominate. Not recallable on that performance, but not shocking.
Daniel Currie: I thought he was quite poor actually. He probably won the ruck battle overall, but not by much, and at this level you expect an AFL-listed player to really influence the game.
Patrick Veszpremi: Did very little that I saw. I hope he had a big first quarter, because he was missing for the rest of the game. While he seemed to work quite hard, he really lacked that trademark spark, self-assurance and x-factor. Just another player, and one that made a fair few mistakes too. Played up forward until the last quarter when he was switched into the midfield, and that brought him into the game a bit more.
Gary Rohan: Had an off day, as did many players, but tried his guts out to make up for it. Played all over the ground, but mostly between FF and the wing. His second, third, fourth efforts were fantastic, but things just didn't go his way; he'd read the play perfectly and sprint to chop off an opposition kick, but lose his feet in the final lunge to take the mark, ball spills out and they're off anyway, that sort of thing. If a place opens up with no obvious replacement, then Rohan could come in based on last week's form, but he hasn't forced the door down.
Sam Reid: I'm turning into a big fan of this guy. Played predominantly up forward, usually as a CHF, took some strong grabs and worked really hard. I really like him as a forward, and can see him holding down CHF in the not-too-distant future, but he could also find himself at CHB like his brother.
Also, I just want to emphasise how freakishly wide his shoulders are. He has a lot of room to hang a lot of muscle on that body; he will be a powerful, powerful man in a couple of years.
Byron Sumner: Alongside Reid, fast becoming the player I most want to get ready for senior action. Easily the best kick on our list. Sometimes choosing which option to take by foot lets him down, but that's the only time he misses targets. Otherwise, he's dishing out flat, centimetre-perfect bullets. He hit up a toppy (might have been 56?) on the lead with a pass that was so flat and fast it didn't get above 2 metres off the ground, and was travelling with far too much force for the toppy to handle. I swear the guy flinched as it smacked his hands and went flying. But on top of that, he's skinny but he's bloody strong, and when he fills out he'll be a force to be reckoned with. Also has a good leap on him which allowed him to compete in the air against taller opponents. Anyway, played in defence and set up innumerable forward thrusts from half back. Hit up LJ on the wing too many times to mention! Liked his game a lot.
Lewis Johnston: Worked very hard, but like Rohan things just weren't happening for him. Took a lot of marks about 75 out from goal, but was devoid of options further forward. Really, he should have been playing closer to goal, as he and Reid spent a lot of time in the same space. LJ at FF and Reid at CHF would have produced more goals, but I guess they just wanted to see LJ work hard. In any case, he took a lot of uncontested marks, but misread the flight of some contested marks a few times (come to think of it, everybody was doing that; unfamiliarity with the breeze up there maybe?), and just wasn't that effective, despite winning a fair bit of ball.
Dylan McNeil: It can be hard to tell how involved he was, because he's so predominantly inside, but from what I could see he looked to be typically strong in close, shovelled the ball out a lot, linked up in handball chains, that sort of thing. I tell you what, he has more in common with Kirky than being an unfashionable inside mid from Albury; he also can't kick it more than 40 metres! Still, he was effective, and was definitely one of our better players.
Campbell Heath: Spent time in defence and in the midfield. It can be hard to gauge how well Campbo plays at times because so often he has defensive jobs, and it's difficult to keep track of his opponent's influence when you don't know who he is, what he looks like, etc, but he didn't screw much up. Did give away a few frees however. It wasn't a bad game, but I'm sure he has played many better.
Chris McKaigue: Acquitted himself reasonably well in defence. A fair way off senior football, but at the same time, he looks comfortable, he's a good kick, has a good instinct for the game, and he's progressing along very nicely indeed.
Nick Smith: He was reasonably involved, did some good things, basically ticked all the boxes required for a return to the seniors next week. It took me a quarter to realise he was wearing 27 instead of 40. I have no idea why he was wearing that, but yeah. Expect him to make a return against the Doggies.
Matthew O'Dwyer: Was quite lively across half back, though not as involved as Sumner. Spent some time in the midfield as well. One of our better players, but he's not bashing the door down, and I can't figure out why; he's definitely good enough.
Nathan Gordon: Quite lively, again one of our better players. I'm still far from convinced he'll be anything more than a very good Canberra/solid VFL player, but he's certainly putting in the hard yards. Probably deserving of a senior list spot next year.
Taylor Gilchrist: Did some very good things, but just wasn't involved. Same as every other time I've watched him. He has a beautiful kick on him, and he's a very good decision maker, but he struggles to get involved big-time. Anyway, spent most of his time across half back.

Scholarship players:

Jack Lynch: Didn't seem as tall as I remember/was led to believe. In any case, he was reasonably involved. A level above the toppys, but below the listed players.
Mitch May: Did some good things, but lacks athleticism and intensity. I can't see us picking him up to be honest.

Toppys:

47. Sam Ash: From behind, looks like a fat u13s player. From the side or front, looks like a body-building hobbit. Very stocky and powerful, played with a lot of intensity, got involved, but lacked polish and smarts.
48. Harry Treloar: Didn't notice him.
50. Brendan Dess: Did some decent stuff. Was quite impressed actually.
51. Kieran Emery: Played in defence. If this guy was just a bit quicker and a bit more agile, he'd have huge potential, but he's just not mobile enough. I reckon he could play VFL quite easily though, and who knows? If he played at that level long enough he could figure out how to make the most of his strengths and minimise his weaknesses, and then try to do a JPod. Exactly the sort of player that could follow in the Pod's footsteps.
53. Daniel Dickerson: Quite reasonable.
54. Rhys Hartwig: Didn't notice him.
55. Jackson Maloney: Barely noticed him.
56. Zachary Sheather: Was quite good, played a bit up forward and found himself at the contest a few times. Reasonably involved.

Just want to make something clear, we did NOT lose because of the top-ups. Too many senior players farted around with the ball far too much, especially across half forward. The top ups just tended to bang it forward, and that's what was working.

[ugg]

Tuggeranong 3.1 5.2 6.5 10.7 67
Swans 4.2 6.6 7.11 8.11 59

SYDNEY SWANS
Goal Kickers: D. MCNEIL , G. ROHAN , M. O''DWYER , P. VESZPREMI , S. REID , B. MEREDITH , N. GORDON , D. DICKERSON
Best Players: D. CURRIE, G. ROHAN, S. REID, B. SUMNER, C. MCKAIGUE

Less than 6 players in the 'Best' again, looks like the coaches aren't happy.

[Ratna]

Less than 6 players in the 'Best' again, looks like the coaches aren't happy.

I went out to the game today and I'd say they did well to pick 5. Was a miserable day. I agree with BSA5 Sumner looked OK, Rohan tried hard and couldn't argue with the other three listed in best, but highlights were few and far between.

[ugg]

I went out to the game today and I'd say they did well to pick 5. Was a miserable day. I agree with BSA5 Sumner looked OK, Rohan tried hard and couldn't argue with the other three listed in best, but highlights were few and far between.

How did Nick Smith go? Is he ready for a return to the seniors?