by George Habib for the Floreat Pica Society
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Sunday was never going to be easy
Tim’s son Ned and I joined the hordes of travellers from Clifton Hill station to the ‘G with a level of trepidation. Last week, the first of a number of weeks without Treloar, was concerning given the barrenness of the 2ndand 3rdquarters, and before the first bounce the news spreads that there was no Cox for the game. This news was on top of Le Cras, Kennedy and Darling being back in for the Weagles. In the end, their three did the job, where really only one of ours did out of Moore, Crocker and Varcoe. At the end of the game I was left wondering why I had put my hand up [to report] for Round 17.
The first quarter: Best part of the game was the first 15 minutes – we were all over them despite kicking a number of points which should have been goals. Jordy got us going with a great left foot snap roving the pack. Within 11 minutes it’s 20 to zip before Darling and Kennedy get going with three between them before Jordy kicks another. We had 17 inside 50s to their 9 and only a 10 point lead which we all know came back to bite us. The highlight for me was steak knives playing in his 100th game tackling Naitanui with a monster of a tackle earning a free kick.
In the second quarter it was back to an arm wrestle with both sides’ game style starting to take shape – their goals much cleaner and to be honest they were already appearing to play our ground better than us. McGovern and Hurn starting to intercept quite a few with no one apart from Checkers able to take a pack mark in the forward line compared to their tall timber. Within the first 5 minutes they are already starting to catch up on possession count and inside 50s. We have our chances through the quarter with Stephenson missing one he would normally get, Jordy scoring another and Naitanui in the rooms with what we find out later is another knee. He was monstering Brody at this point. Adams has 10 disposals for the quarter but the Weagles lead by 4 following with Le Cras and Kennedy both scoring late in the term.
Third and fourth quarter – the less said the better. They wrested control in the way Hawthorn would do to us – slowing the tempo using the wings and opening us up, holding possession. At the end of the third quarter the only thing that saved us from being 30 down was their inaccuracy where finally they started to kick some points. Rioli classy and McGovern just doing what he wanted. Howe had a couple of Howlers (pardon the pun) and Greenwood seemed very slow moving. Checkers missed one early in the 3rd quarter but we then wrest some momentum with two goals – a fourth by Jordy and one by Checkers from bang on in-front and we hit the lead at the 13th minute mark. After that it was all over – they kick three and dominate with a number points to be 22 points in front. We look lethargic and a little bereft of ideas. As Steven Fahey said that when it was their time to go at the end of the third and then the fourth we couldn’t arrest the slide. In the end, despite no Nic for them, they dominated in the air – with Lycett playing a good one, and Hurn and McGovern just toying with us. They are a good team when their forwards are back in it.
A couple of things:
– Crocker sounds like a great kid but not yet up to it.
– Pendlebury made some bad decisions
– Sidebottom was tagged out of the game. 18 disposals! When did that last happen?
– Scharenberg needs to be the plus 1 in defence – he did some good things but much better when he is freed up and had the ball in hand.
– Howe is great but can make some bad choices at times.
– I think Daicos needs some time again in the VFL team with Brown to come in.
– Varcoe made three really bad disposal decisions.
– Moore was fabulous. Took the game on, read the play well and tested those hammies. I hope they hold because we need him. I have heard Goldy is a chance to play this year – if Reid and Goldy can be ready by the finals and we can free up Moore I’m excited.
– We missed Cox – who would have thought he would become integral to the team this year but he is. Cox with Stephenson, Jordy and Thomas around him is a potent forward line. Imagine with Fasolo and Billy Elliott! And I think Checkers adds to the mix.
– If we can get Aish, Treloar, Elliott, Reid, Cox, Fasolo and Goldie back over the next 5 weeks, we could be very, very good but it is a very tough run ahead.
So my votes:
3: Adams – it was hard one to choose but he was tireless all day and kept on putting his head over the ball
2: Moore – Just for taking the game on and one passage of play where he smothered a pass from Rioli.
1: Checkers (Mihocek) – The one mark against McGovern showed he is going to get better each week. If he kicked straight this week which he usually does he would of gone up the rankings.
Notable commendations to both Jordy who kicked 4 and to Phillips who ran all day.
What a crap game.
Spent the last term with my ‘Jordy Degoey’ poster folder over my face. It was a better view.
Have thought all year that lack of height and marking power was the Pies Achilles heel. Proved that way on Sunday. Agree about Greenwood looking slow and past it. With some players back and Cox to straighten up your attack you can win some finals, but I don’t reckon manic intensity can take you all the way. Get Eddie to loosen the purse strings for Tom Lynch.
Very fair and insightful match report. Thanks George.
Glad I went down last week, not this week, for that epic struggle against Essendon which I will treasure for all time, similar to the 1 point win against the Swans last year. We were always one bad loss away from that shocking mess of a team that scored 2 goals in 3 quarters of football in Canberra against the Giants pre-season. We are now vulnerable, the vultures are circling, it is time to dig deep – thanks Eddie.
we need a centre half back – oh that’s right he’s injured…
we need a nippy rover- oh that’s right he’s injured…
we need a full forward – oh that’s right he’s injured…
Need to get more players back.
As for Schrodinger’s Cat, I will pass judgement on it later in the season…
Enlarging on Peter’s comments, I will post some comments that I first made yesterday on the Floreat Pica Society’s thread.
Club decision makers should also accept some blame for yesterday’s outcome.
Firstly, those responsible for trading and recruiting at the end of last season. The club (rightly) delisted Jesse White and it knew that Ben Reid has spent as much of the last few years unavailable through injury as he has playing and that we had been short of key position players last season. Yet we acquired only one tall in the trades and drafts. When Lynden Dunn went down we had no real replacement.
Secondly, at selection, we included no genuine talls amongst our four emergencies even though we must have known that the Weagles were likely to add Kennedy and Darling to their team. When Cox was unable to play and withdrew at the last moment we replaced him with a bloke 23 centimetres shorter. It would have been smarter to list McLarty as an emergency.
It would be both interesting and deflating to know how many games the Reid brothers (Sam and Ben) have missed through injury during their respective careers.
Given the medical history of both brothers I have always assumed that “Reid” was Anglo-Saxon for permanently injured.