Round 10: Sydney Swans Reserves v NT Thunder

[Matt80]

Robbo got the hoodie for best player on the opposition team awarded by the thunder coach

Ludwig is a big rap for Robinson so it's good to see him doing well.

How did Rohan go of half back? With Rampe under an injury cloud he may come into selection calculations. Is he ready for 30 minutes in the Subs vest?

Membrey kicked four goals. How were the other parts of his play?

How did Tom Mitchell go?

How did Heeney go?

Who got the job on Davey?

Apologies for all the questions.

[707]

Looking forward to a full report/s from the ressie watchers :-) Looks like a good win albeit home ground advantage.

[Ludwig]

The game was the best of the video streams this year. NT played good hard contested footy and it was a good game by the Swans reserves. There were lots of good performances. It seemed Mitchell, Robinson, Lockyer and a kid wearing number 5 all got plenty of the ball. There was plenty of scrambling and tackling in close.

Lockyer played on the wing and looked solid and relaxed. Perris and Hewett also got a lot of the ball and used it well.

Nankervis and Naismith both look capable of playing senior footy. Personally, I would take either one over Derickx.

Towers got injured. Looked to be a shoulder. Walsh went off as well with perhaps an ankle injury.

Heeney was impressive and Abe Davis took some good marks and kicked a nice goal from around 50. Both would be good additions to our list.

The star of the day for me was Membrey. We have to make sure we keep this kid. He can mark, he can tackle and he has to be one of the best goal kickers on our side. He even played a bit in the midfield and looked okay. I hope we find a spot for him during the second half of the season so we can see if he can step it up to AFL level.

[mcs]

The game was the best of the video streams this year. NT played good hard contested footy and it was a good game by the Swans reserves. There were lots of good performances. It seemed Mitchell, Robinson, Lockyer and a kid wearing number 5 all got plenty of the ball. There was plenty of scrambling and tackling in close.

Lockyer played on the wing and looked solid and relaxed. Perris and Hewett also got a lot of the ball and used it well.

Nankervis and Naismith both look capable of playing senior footy. Personally, I would take either one over Derickx.

Towers got injured. Looked to be a shoulder. Walsh went off as well with perhaps an ankle injury.

Heeney was impressive and Abe Davis took some good marks and kicked a nice goal from around 50. Both would be good additions to our list.

The star of the day for me was Membrey. We have to make sure we keep this kid. He can mark, he can tackle and he has to be one of the best goal kickers on our side. He even played a bit in the midfield and looked okay. I hope we find a spot for him during the second half of the season so we can see if he can step it up to AFL level.

I really liked Membrey's game as well. The guy can obviously play, and looks a long way in front of Towers (in my opinion anyway) in terms of closing in on a start in the top team. Would be a perfect foil in a forward line containing Buddy and Tippett as well (maybe Goodes' heir apparent - not in terms of talent, but in terms of role in the team as the 3rd forward.). Really liked what he did today a lot.

[Mug Punter]

A very enjoyable afternoon at Drummoyne Oval. A full strength Swans well too professional for a quite entertaining NT side, our lack of injuries was telling

Some random comments....

* Mitchell and BJ streets ahead as BOGS for mine, Tom may not have had 64 touches today but he would have had 40+
* Robinson was definitely another that stood out
* Heeney a real prospect and with half a season with the Ressies setup and a good off-season will be a strong first year player
* Naismith an absolute beast and surely cannot be far away from getting a senior call up
* Abe Smith looked OK
* ROK strong and was clearly taking a leadership role
* Thought Hewitt and Perris we OK but still way too early for thinking about senior footy
* Jones looked very assured and he could well develop quickly I think

Hard to be too critical of a good team effort BUT.....
* Patrick Mitchell way off the pace, looks lost even at that level
* I personally wasn't that impressed by Membrey, he did some good things but for mine was not screaming out that he was ready for senior AFL footy. Not a bad match by ant stretch, just not convinced he is a senior player in the making
* Rohan was quiet for mine and did not stand out as I would have hoped for

So, for mine, regardless of efforts today, I reckon Mitchell, Rohan, BJ, Naismith are ready to go for the ones. Robinson, Jones and Membrey as maybes. I'm probably being a bit of a harsh marker but our depth is not an issue..

[Mug Punter]

I really liked Membrey's game as well. The guy can obviously play, and looks a long way in front of Towers (in my opinion anyway) in terms of closing in on a start in the top team. Would be a perfect foil in a forward line containing Buddy and Tippett as well (maybe Goodes' heir apparent - not in terms of talent, but in terms of role in the team as the 3rd forward.). Really liked what he did today a lot.

Towers was very disappointing for mine, just not AFL standard. The club clearly has to make a call re Membrey, if they think he is of AFL standard then he deserves an opportunity. It is hard to see how they could extend his contract if he deosn't play a game in his first two years

[ugg]

Big call on Towers for the ~15 minutes that he played today!

[Mug Punter]

Big call on Towers for the ~15 minutes that he played today!

Yes, a little unfair, didn't see him go off but what I did see wasn't anything special

[ugg]

Nice suburban ground, with a healthy crowd gave it a lively atmosphere. Certainly more than you would get at Blacktown.

The Swans win was built on top a very solid defensive performance, with their tackling especially in-close preventing the Thunder from exploiting their outside running power. The back six worked well together as a unit and a lot of our scoring opportunities were generated from a Swans spoil or a Thunder turnover. Midfielders were also strong on with the tackling, and had superior hand skills over the Thunder on-ball division which gave us cleaner use of the footy. However, going forward we probably weren't as clean as we would have liked, which might be a strange comment given we were on 11.1 at some stage in the 2nd quarter, but many goals were kicked on the run or a snap under pressure rather than a Swans forward being pinpointed with a pass in the forward 50.

Note the Swans played most of the game with just 1 on the bench so it was a great effort by all the players and there will be a few tired boys resting up tonight.

Crouch certainly had the player name magnets moving all over the place on the whiteboard with quite a number of players playing in unfamiliar positions. For example, Biggs started in the forward line (although this didn't last long) while ROK and T.Mitchell found themselves at half forward for quite long periods allowing BJ, Membrey and Perris to play in the middle at times.

Quick player notes:

• Membrey - Led hard when in the forward line and kicked straight yet again (4 goals). The time in the midfield would indicate they're trying to add another string to his bow in order to make him AFL ready
• O'Keefe - Started in the midfield but progressively spent more time forward as the game went off. I have to admit feeling nostalgic about the 05 flag, seeing him take marks on the lead coming out of the forward 50 arc. A little wasteful with his goalkicking finishing with 3 behinds. Very vocal in the three quarter time huddle. Along with Rohan, kindly stayed back after the game to sign autographs and take photos with the kids.
• T.Mitchell - Like ROK but probably not as much, also spent time off the ball in the forward line. His quick hands are still a feature of his game and generated many clearances for the Swans.
• Jones - I fail to see how anyone cannot like his attack on the ball. Also quite proficient in the use of his body to gain an advantage in a one-on-one marking contest. Played on Davey when the ex-Bomber was in the forward line but also released late in the game to play on the wing.
• Nankervis - The number 1 Swans ruckman for the day and his height was a distinct advantage both in the ruck and when he went forward where he towered over the Thunder defenders. Very good kicking skills as well and finished with 3 goals straight.
• Rohan - Playing off half back again and was very energetic especially in the second quarter where his dashes through traffic were exhilarating to watch. They didn't always come off but when they did, it opened up scoring opportunties for us. Didn't seem to have any trouble with his leg which is a good sign as he has come off at times during previous reserves game grabbing at it.
• Walsh - Positioned at fullback and was keeping Liam Patrick very quiet. He injured an ankle in the 2nd quarter landing after spoiling a ball, immediately coming off and having it strapped. He tested the ankle out on the touchlines, went back on, was involved in a few plays but then came back off again and was not seen even on the sidelines after that.
• Lockyer - Started on a wing, played some defence as well. Probably better suited to the wing for me where he linked play well.
• Towers - Played okay in the time he was out there, he was crunched by Musgrave early on in what looked to be a perfect shirtfront but the umpire gave Towers the free, which he subsequently missed the set shot. He played on after that so I don't think the injury was directly caused by that bump, I think there was another contest in a forward pocket where he must have hurt a shoulder. Went off after that, came back in a tracksuit top in the 2nd quarter and they managed to improvise a sling for his left arm.
• Robinson - Another great performance by Robinson, who's starting to show that he offers value across half-forward as well as in the guts. Uses the ball very well with his kicking a real feature of his game today.
• Hewett - Has bulked up since the last time I saw him. Continues to impress me with his disposal, very smart user of the ball, equally adept on both sides of the body, and like any talented player seems to have that extra split second to use the ball well. One to keep an eye out on.
• Roberts-Thomson - Named in the team but was on the sidelines in the full tracksuit looking as happy as Larry.
• Marsh - Started in defence and performed a number of courageous acts coming across as third man to help a fellow defender or backing back with the flight of the ball.
• Jack - His best game this year by far, a really energetic and dynamic performance. Not normally a big wall winner, he collected many possessions in a purple patch in the 2nd quarter and the first half of the 3rd. Hit the packs hard, at speed but clean gathers and a good conversion rate. Tackling was also fierce.
• Naismith - Very, very agile for a guy his size (205cm), still raw in some aspects of his game but if he can refine those areas, could turn into a ruckman who is capable around the ground.
• Aliir - Mixed review for me. Did some things really well, including his coolness with the ball and his spoiling, but gave away some unnecessary free kicks when pushing his opponent in the back when they went up for a mark.
• Perris - Best game I've witnessed from him this season, intelligent footballer who thinks his way through tough situations.
• Richards - Started on the goalkicking machine that is Ewing, and I thought save for the one mark he conceded in the 2nd quarter had him well held. But Aliir was shifted onto Ewing in the 2nd half and that freed Xavier up.
• P.Mitchell - Many areas still to work on for Mitchell, but the number one priority has to be his kicking. You can't keep squandering 30m straight in front set shots as he has been today and in past games. Probably the best area of the game is his shepherding, he managed to protect a few Swans kicks going through the big sticks. With Naismith and Nankervis in the team, it's hard for the Swans to engineer time for him in the ruck, which would allow him to utilise his athleticism. Right now, he's getting stuck at full forward with little idea of when to correctly lead.
• Biggs - Started forward as mentioned previously but didn't last long there and was soon back into his usual spot in defence. Mopped up in defence but nothing too memorably from memory.
• Heeney - With only one on the bench, the two top-ups certainly received more game time than they were expecting. I really liked Heeney's creativity, especially with the handball, he was setting up runners by hitting them at the right spot when they were running at pace. Had at least 3 assists by my count to go along with his 1.1
• Davis - Kicked 2, grabbed a few more marks but what impressed me most was his willingness to chase and tackle and get in amongst the hard stuff.

Spotted at the ground - Longmire, Teddy, Nick Smif

Swans 6.1 12.6 18.8 23.12 (150)
Thunder 2.3 5.6 8.8 12.11 (83)

Goals: Membrey 4, Jack 3, Naismith 3, Davis 2, Hewett 2, T.Mitchell 2, Robinson 2, P.Mitchell 2, Nankervis 2, Heeney (I had Nankervis 3 and P.Mitchell 1)
Best: Robinson, Membrey, Lockyer, Jack, Jones, Hewett

[ugg]

PS With that win we go top up the table on percentage.

[dimelb]

Thanks ugg. I watched most of the stream and liked what I saw but your summaries give an added perspective I'm glad to have. Great work.

The ones that stood out for me were Membrey (he MUST get a gig in the firsts this season), Robinson, Rohan, B Jack, Xav and Nankervis. The succession looks good.

[Matt80]

Nice suburban ground, with a healthy crowd gave it a lively atmosphere. Certainly more than you would get at Blacktown.

The Swans win was built on top a very solid defensive performance, with their tackling especially in-close preventing the Thunder from exploiting their outside running power. The back six worked well together as a unit and a lot of our scoring opportunities were generated from a Swans spoil or a Thunder turnover. Midfielders were also strong on with the tackling, and had superior hand skills over the Thunder on-ball division which gave us cleaner use of the footy. However, going forward we probably weren't as clean as we would have liked, which might be a strange comment given we were on 11.1 at some stage in the 2nd quarter, but many goals were kicked on the run or a snap under pressure rather than a Swans forward being pinpointed with a pass in the forward 50.

Note the Swans played most of the game with just 1 on the bench so it was a great effort by all the players and there will be a few tired boys resting up tonight.

Crouch certainly had the player name magnets moving all over the place on the whiteboard with quite a number of players playing in unfamiliar positions. For example, Biggs started in the forward line (although this didn't last long) while ROK and T.Mitchell found themselves at half forward for quite long periods allowing BJ, Membrey and Perris to play in the middle at times.

Quick player notes:

• Membrey - Led hard when in the forward line and kicked straight yet again (4 goals). The time in the midfield would indicate they're trying to add another string to his bow in order to make him AFL ready
• O'Keefe - Started in the midfield but progressively spent more time forward as the game went off. I have to admit feeling nostalgic about the 05 flag, seeing him take marks on the lead coming out of the forward 50 arc. A little wasteful with his goalkicking finishing with 3 behinds. Very vocal in the three quarter time huddle. Along with Rohan, kindly stayed back after the game to sign autographs and take photos with the kids.
• T.Mitchell - Like ROK but probably not as much, also spent time off the ball in the forward line. His quick hands are still a feature of his game and generated many clearances for the Swans.
• Jones - I fail to see how anyone cannot like his attack on the ball. Also quite proficient in the use of his body to gain an advantage in a one-on-one marking contest. Played on Davey when the ex-Bomber was in the forward line but also released late in the game to play on the wing.
• Nankervis - The number 1 Swans ruckman for the day and his height was a distinct advantage both in the ruck and when he went forward where he towered over the Thunder defenders. Very good kicking skills as well and finished with 3 goals straight.
• Rohan - Playing off half back again and was very energetic especially in the second quarter where his dashes through traffic were exhilarating to watch. They didn't always come off but when they did, it opened up scoring opportunties for us. Didn't seem to have any trouble with his leg which is a good sign as he has come off at times during previous reserves game grabbing at it.
• Walsh - Positioned at fullback and was keeping Liam Patrick very quiet. He injured an ankle in the 2nd quarter landing after spoiling a ball, immediately coming off and having it strapped. He tested the ankle out on the touchlines, went back on, was involved in a few plays but then came back off again and was not seen even on the sidelines after that.
• Lockyer - Started on a wing, played some defence as well. Probably better suited to the wing for me where he linked play well.
• Towers - Played okay in the time he was out there, he was crunched by Musgrave early on in what looked to be a perfect shirtfront but the umpire gave Towers the free, which he subsequently missed the set shot. He played on after that so I don't think the injury was directly caused by that bump, I think there was another contest in a forward pocket where he must have hurt a shoulder. Went off after that, came back in a tracksuit top in the 2nd quarter and they managed to improvise a sling for his left arm.
• Robinson - Another great performance by Robinson, who's starting to show that he offers value across half-forward as well as in the guts. Uses the ball very well with his kicking a real feature of his game today.
• Hewett - Has bulked up since the last time I saw him. Continues to impress me with his disposal, very smart user of the ball, equally adept on both sides of the body, and like any talented player seems to have that extra split second to use the ball well. One to keep an eye out on.
• Roberts-Thomson - Named in the team but was on the sidelines in the full tracksuit looking as happy as Larry.
• Marsh - Started in defence and performed a number of courageous acts coming across as third man to help a fellow defender or backing back with the flight of the ball.
• Jack - His best game this year by far, a really energetic and dynamic performance. Not normally a big wall winner, he collected many possessions in a purple patch in the 2nd quarter and the first half of the 3rd. Hit the packs hard, at speed but clean gathers and a good conversion rate. Tackling was also fierce.
• Naismith - Very, very agile for a guy his size (205cm), still raw in some aspects of his game but if he can refine those areas, could turn into a ruckman who is capable around the ground.
• Aliir - Mixed review for me. Did some things really well, including his coolness with the ball and his spoiling, but gave away some unnecessary free kicks when pushing his opponent in the back when they went up for a mark.
• Perris - Best game I've witnessed from him this season, intelligent footballer who thinks his way through tough situations.
• Richards - Started on the goalkicking machine that is Ewing, and I thought save for the one mark he conceded in the 2nd quarter had him well held. But Aliir was shifted onto Ewing in the 2nd half and that freed Xavier up.
• P.Mitchell - Many areas still to work on for Mitchell, but the number one priority has to be his kicking. You can't keep squandering 30m straight in front set shots as he has been today and in past games. Probably the best area of the game is his shepherding, he managed to protect a few Swans kicks going through the big sticks. With Naismith and Nankervis in the team, it's hard for the Swans to engineer time for him in the ruck, which would allow him to utilise his athleticism. Right now, he's getting stuck at full forward with little idea of when to correctly lead.
• Biggs - Started forward as mentioned previously but didn't last long there and was soon back into his usual spot in defence. Mopped up in defence but nothing too memorably from memory.
• Heeney - With only one on the bench, the two top-ups certainly received more game time than they were expecting. I really liked Heeney's creativity, especially with the handball, he was setting up runners by hitting them at the right spot when they were running at pace. Had at least 3 assists by my count to go along with his 1.1
• Davis - Kicked 2, grabbed a few more marks but what impressed me most was his willingness to chase and tackle and get in amongst the hard stuff.

Spotted at the ground - Longmire, Teddy, Nick Smif

Swans 6.1 12.6 18.8 23.12 (150)
Thunder 2.3 5.6 8.8 12.11 (83)

Goals: Membrey 4, Jack 3, Naismith 3, Davis 2, Hewett 2, T.Mitchell 2, Robinson 2, P.Mitchell 2, Nankervis 2, Heeney (I had Nankervis 3 and P.Mitchell 1)
Best: Robinson, Membrey, Lockyer, Jack, Jones, Hewett

Brilliant. Great reading. Thanks for providing.

[rojo]

Thanks guys (gender neutral!) for your reports. I watched or listened to the live stream for the third and some of the last quarter. The commentators were an interesting pair. They got sick of the Swans kicking goals. So good to hear your opinions on how the players are shaping up from what you saw. Watching on a small screen you don't get much of an idea.

Ugg, as always I am amazed at how you manage to report in detail on each player. I wondered if John Longmire would take the opportunity to cast an eye over his up and coming players in a challenging match situation, so thanks for that detail.

[Ludwig]

Great writeup as usual Ugg. Spot on with the player assessments.

Allir looked so promising at times, yet you are right about the mistakes. Could you imagine Allir and Reg in the same backline? But if he can get those mistakes out of his game, he could be a valuable player.

I keep wondering about X Richards. I can't decide if he's showing enough to indicate he can make it.

I was hoping Heeney would fly under the radar and we could pick him up with our second draft pick. But he's just too good and certainly looks worthy of a 1st round pick.

[ugg]

I just watched the goals on the YouTube video. Nankervis definitely kicked 3 and Patty Mitchell 1.

And the shirtfront by Beugelaar on Towers was perfect! No way was that a free kick.