Match Thread Rnd3 Sydney V GWS

[Conor_Dillon]

It should be noted that generally Reid is a beautiful field kick, he's obviously just struggling for confidence which comes with playing a new position on the ground. Defensively he was pretty sound.

GWS were really impressive and they will beat some quality teams this year. They've built their list perfectly at the beginning then traded in really well in the last couple of years.

We seemed to lack intensity at times which can often happen coming off a game like last week, I'd say a few boys had an eye on next week in Perth during that last quarter.

Hannebery is a jet...our most important player with Bud. Apart from him though thought our midfield was beaten comprehensively. Kennedy, Parker both down by their standards.

Benny was good first up, Jetta and Rohan seem to be getting better every week. Cunningham impressed as well. And Lloyd just does everything well, seems to have so much time - very similar to McVeigh who was also good.

There's not much more to say about Heeney, can't wait to see what he can do in the midfield. Our backline looked a bit lost at times but I think that was more to do with the lack of pressure on the Giants ball movers in the corridor. We really missed Smithy, him being out didn't allow Rampe to play with his usual freedom.

Tippett is great in the ruck but needs to give us more in the forward 50, having said that though our entries into the forward 50 were atrocious at times last night...lucky Bud is simply a freak.

Said it before the Port game and I'll say it again now, I'm very confident heading into the Freo clash this weekend. They'll be bruised, battered and ripe for the picking 6 days after a derby. Ballantyne is also a massive, massive out...they rely on him immensely for forward pressure given they often have a 'land of the giants' type forward line. We definitely need Smith back to blanket Walters though.

[royboy42]

I tried unsuccessfully to start a SCG v ANZ thread simply to divert that discussion from other more specific threads.
Perhaps someone else could be more successful?

[Scottee]

Isaac Heeney - 10 disposals, 4 goals, 3 goal assists, 100% efficiency. WOW!

PS - GWS will more than likely make the 8.

[Ampersand]

Don't understand all the negativity with Reid I thought he was Ok. He is not the only one with kicking problems how many times did we kick to GWS players,Grundy and Laidler 2 of our worst but here were a lot of others, Need to improve here.

What game were you watching? Reid had a disposal efficiency of 53%. Any less and he may as well be playing for the other side.

Laidler performed the LRT sweeper/goalkeeper role perfectly with a way better DE%. Grundy fumbled a few times here and there but when he did dispose of the ball he did so to our advantage 85% of the time. He also did a bunch of important 1%ers. His shepherding in the backline and spoiling is completely underrated by fans.

For all the criticism Cunningham gets, he clunked 10 marks mostly around the middle of the ground when our defence was under pressure, which suggests to me that he worked his tail off all night to provide an option.

Stats and the majority of people on this board aren't making this stuff up. Reid had a shocker.

[mcs]

Isaac Heeney - 10 disposals, 4 goals, 3 goal assists, 100% efficiency. WOW!

PS - GWS will more than likely make the 8.

Just wait to see what he can do when he is unleashed in the midfield. He is so very clean with his ball use, its fantastic to see.

The best moment yesterday for me came from a guy sitting a few seats away from me - when Heeney kicked his second goal. It dawned on him them that he wasn't a natural left footer, despite the lovely shot for the first goal..... you could just hear in his voice the moment it clicked in his mind about just how good this kid is going to be.

[Matt80]

I've only seen one quarter of the game, but I'm not sure where we would be without Lance Franklin. It was a 21 point margin and he contributed 5 goals. Four of those guys would be low probability chances for most AFL players. Quite simply, we would not have won without him.

Without Buddy we most probably be 1 win and 2 losses now. He has been the difference in the Essendon win and the GWS win.

What an investment by the club. It's a bargain at an average of 1.1 million a year.

[S.S. Bleeder]

I've only seen one quarter of the game, but I'm not sure where we would be without Lance Franklin. It was a 21 point margin and he contributed 5 goals. Four of those guys would be low probability chances for most AFL players. Quite simply, we would not have won without him.

Without Buddy we most probably be 1 win and 2 losses now. He has been the difference in the Essendon win and the GWS win.

What an investment by the club. It's a bargain at an average of 1.1 million a year.

Buddy's a great player, the best in the comp IMO, but if you take him out of the side someone else is going to come into the side who can kick goals. Your point assumes that we would be playing with one less player.

[aguy]

I was at the game but missed most of it as my son was playing half time auskick. From what I saw and he quarter of the replay that I've watched I will be gob smacked if Heeney doesn't get the rising star nomination this week. I too have loved watching his left footed goals and then the right footed set shots. Very clean in both ball gathering and disposal. I wish ed and derms was still on just to watch Eddie seething about Heeney

[Matt80]

Buddy's a great player, the best in the comp IMO, but if you take him out of the side someone else is going to come into the side who can kick goals. Your point assumes that we would be playing with one less player.

Not at all. A phrase this another way. If there was no Franklin and Sam Reid was playing his position, would we have beaten Essendon and GWS?

[erica]

I've only seen one quarter of the game, but I'm not sure where we would be without Lance Franklin. It was a 21 point margin and he contributed 5 goals. Four of those guys would be low probability chances for most AFL players. Quite simply, we would not have won without him.

Heeney got four goals so you could equally say we wouldn't have won if he hadn't played.

[mcs]

Not at all. A phrase this another way. If there was no Franklin and Sam Reid was playing his position, would we have beaten Essendon and GWS?

Your straying into a world of hypotheticals Matt80.... who knows what the result might have been - there is no value add from playing the 'what if' game...

You know, if we had of had Paul Kelly, Bob Skilton, Paul Roos, Tony Lockett all in their prime playing on GF day in 2014, we might have won that too....

[Cheer_Cheer]

Ok, so if we had Sam Reid up forward then we may have had a genuine defender down back who may have stopped 21 points for GWS..

[Matt80]

Heeney got four goals so you could equally say we wouldn't have won if he hadn't played.

That is true. As well as the four goals, what about the beautiful vision with his handballs. The Rugby League community in Newcastle would be devastated. Heeney has the vision to be the next Andrew John's if he had chosen Rugby League.

[0918330512]

Your straying into a world of hypotheticals Matt80.... who knows what the result might have been - there is no value add from playing the 'what if' game...

You know, if we had of had Paul Kelly, Bob Skilton, Paul Roos, Tony Lockett all in their prime playing on GF day in 2014, we might have won that too....

While we're what if-ing, what if our team of the century were all playing together in their prime (we'd have to drop some guys are there are a few walk up starters who have played since) ... on their day out best would beat all comers! ... what if ...

[Conor_Dillon]

We would still have Mumford, Malceski, Everitt and probably Joel Patful as well...stupid hypothetical