Bankers and Anchors - Round 1 2016

[Eastdog]

This is the round 1 edition of the Weekly Bankers and Anchors Thread. Once the game against Fremantle is concluded post your nominations for:

The Bankers = 3 guys that you we banked on to do the right thing during the game
The Anchors = 3 guys that weighed us down by their errors or poor play

Please limit it to no more than three of each, but feel free to make honourable/dishonourable mentions. As usual try to make it constructive criticism.

Try and restrict it to individual players rather than aspects of the overall match.

The thread is named in honour of a popular WOOF Contributor, The Banker, who passed away on 22/04/2012 after a six month battle with cancer.

[GVGjr]

Bu,mp.

[bulldogtragic]

Bankers:

Debuts: Libba, Adams, Dunkley
Mid Range: Biggs & JJ 35 touches each and Roughy won the hit outs
Stringer. The Gary Ablett Snr comparison will start coming
Being top of the AFL ladder

Anchors:
3.9 in two quarters of footy.
Umpires, Tom Boyd was completely molested, held and blocked and can't get a free kick. It's disgusting really.
Umpires generally. Rubbish.

[1eyedog]

Bankers: Adams, McLean, Libba and Dunkley

Anchors: Our style of play for two quarters, we're clearly still learning to maintain control of the tempo and learning how to play in different ways.

[bornadog]

Bankers

* Roughead - Took his chance and won the ruck duels.

* Wood - One of the best marks I have ever seen, what an athlete

* Stringers goal in the 3rd quarter

Anchors

* Handballing - plenty at players feet - really need to work on our skills.

* The Deliberate out of bounds - umpires now making up their own interpretation - AFL needs to have a good hard look.

* Food at Etihad - Over priced, under quality, no idea from management.

[SonofScray]

Bankers:

Wood for his early MOTY nomination.
Uncle Toby for his effort at a MOTY nomination.
JJ/Biggs/Libba for being in my votes.


Anchors:
Flat patch, killed some of the joy you'd expect in a 10 goal win.
Handball, while it is a valuable tool for our style of play too many were not on target.
Goal kicking. Was a bit deflating seeing the points catch up to the goals in that flat period of the game.

[lemmon]

Bankers:
-Roughy, Boyd and Adams: all went a long way to solving the key position player questions. Roughy hasn't been mentioned much but that was the solid ruck outing we've all been waiting for.

-Libba: hasn't missed a beat, not that anyone thought he would.

-JJ: is like a little Murphy clone, he's gone to an extra level and looks to become an elite back flanker

Anchor:
-Didn't think 27k was a terrific crowd

[bulldogtragic]

Was 10,000 up on the corresponding game at Etihad last year. Tough man to please! :)

[F'scary]

Bankers: Macrae, Stevens and Picken for their hard nosed professionalism (could add a couple of others but will limit to three).
Anchors: not naming any players but we were guilty of over finessing going in to the forward line too often; umpires for being blind to the number of times Toyd was infringed against inside the 50 - there were two shockers in particular; Toyd has the yips, needs to work on his set shots.

[always right]

B:
Roughy dominated the ruck. Who saw that coming?
Our defence were incredible today. It's why we won as well as we did.
Stringer kicked 5 and was relatively quiet. Lots more quiet games like that please.

A:
Apart from the first quarter we were a bit sloppy and fumbly. Almost a banker in a sense we can get better.

[boydogs]

Bankers
Adams' marking in defense
McLean's Joel Selwood act
Stringer's one man show

Anchors
Over ambitious handballs
Set shots
Wood's shoulder

[jeemak]

B:

Structure. Ours beat theirs, they couldn't score to save themselves because of the way we set up and used our defence to launch and control the game.

Defence. It was good across the entire ground today and enabled us to choke the life out of Fremantle.

Libba. Happy he's back and improved his output from the preseason games. It's excellent he got through unscathed, he makes our midfield look harder.

A:

Handball and goal kicking execution. Too many missed handballs will cost us, there needs to be more respect for the football.

Two players not registering a tackle. Everyone should lay at least one tackle.

Over use and over thinking. Footy's not a game that should be complicated if it can be avoided.

[Remi Moses]

Bankers - intensity and effort was super throughout
- Adams, great debut
- stringer, just a sublime player
- roughy, thought he was very good
- JJ, went from Malinga to Eagleton
- seeing libba return
Anchors - the overuse of the ball in the second and third
- skill errors under perceived pressure
- the fans waiting to buy tickets !
Get a membership, and stop waiting to see how they'll go before getting one .

[SlimPickens]

Banker-

Tom Libba- from the games first clearance I knew he was back, and that goal on his non preferred in the first....stop it!!

Roughy- thought he was terrific.

JJ/Biggs- run, drive and carry was sensational

Anchors
Some of our goal kicking.

[jeemak]

* Food at Etihad - Over priced, under quality, no idea from management.

Mate, I'm not paying $6:50 for another bottle of water again and I won't be buying food there either. It's crap, expensive and not satisfying. I took my own rolls and water today, it was a good decision.

[Bulldog4life]

Mate, I'm not paying $6:50 for another bottle of water again and I won't be buying food there either. It's crap, expensive and not satisfying. I took my own rolls and water today, it was a good decision.

Yes good decision Jee we take our own food and drink too. Far better, cheaper and no waiting in a queue.

[Eastdog]

Mate, I'm not paying $6:50 for another bottle of water again and I won't be buying food there either. It's crap, expensive and not satisfying. I took my own rolls and water today, it was a good decision.

What a rip off just for a bottle of water. Went up to the Whitten Bar on Level 2 today at half time and I believe the beer is a bit cheaper up there.


Bankers:

1st quarter performance set up the game

JJ - great game and was in the thick of it today

Dunkley - His debut game but thought he had a good first game

Stringer


Anchors:

The 3rd quarter

Misses a few good chances at goal

[Murphy'sLore]

Bankers: I got a couple of sushi rolls made to order from the little Japanese place outside Gate 1, $5 for two, they were huge and fresh and delicious. Will be doing that again.

Wood's speccy. Sublime.

Anchors: Broken record I know, but something has to be done about our set shots. How many chances did we waste? So frustrating! Our percentage could have been even better!

[bulldogtragic]

A bottle of water at Etihad when the Foo's were playing was $10 and they took the cap off. $6.50 is cheap....

[bornadog]

Mate, I'm not paying $6:50 for another bottle of water again and I won't be buying food there either. It's crap, expensive and not satisfying. I took my own rolls and water today, it was a good decision.

I bought a pie for $3 and my mate brought in about 5 bottles of water (for his family) and gave me one. They cost him 30cents each

[Eastdog]

A bottle of water at Etihad when the Foo's were playing was $10 and they took the cap off. $6.50 is cheap....

Well compared to that then I guess its not too bad.

[bulldogtragic]

Well compared to that then I guess its not too bad.

The comparison is like being offered to be punched in the face or in the guts. Both are bad, ones just worse.

[Eastdog]

The comparison is like being offered to be punched in the face or in the guts. Both are bad, ones just worse.

Good analogy :)

[BulldogBelle]

Bankers:
The match committee; We had only 2 players over 193cm. Obviously based our game on our ability to run. Dockers talls were ineffective.
Jack Macrae; His first quarter dominance was enormous.
Debutants; Adams was fantastic and I think he will play a lot of games this year. Dunkley was good too.

Anchors; Really hard to find today but here's a clutch at straws.
Kicking for goal. We would not have got away with that against a Hawthorn or Geelong.
Field kicking. What's up with Rob Murphy? He missed a couple today as he did in the NAB Cup. Still a great game.
Disposal under pressure: Koby Stevens played well, but his disposal was ordinary compared against the rest of the team.

[G-Mo77]

Mate, I'm not paying $6:50 for another bottle of water again and I won't be buying food there either. It's crap, expensive and not satisfying. I took my own rolls and water today, it was a good decision.

Take a bottle with you. There is a drink fountain around Aisle 32 - 35 and I'm sure they're in other areas of the ground as well. I have issues with that though as I drink water when I'm nervous and the trip home is at least 1 stop and a rush to the can when I get home.

[GVGjr]

Bankers
- The back line just worked so well together
- All the debut players and I include Libba had good games
- Caleb Daniel just settles us down when the opposition look to be lifting

Anchors
- Set shot goal kicking continues to be a telling weak point of this club. Until we improve there has to be some doubts about how good we really are.
- Despite having a good game, Macrae frustrates me no end. I don't know why he stuffs around with his kicking.
- The last half of the last quarter covered over some of the cracks in our game. Plenty to work on

[jeemak]

Take a bottle with you. There is a drink fountain around Aisle 32 - 35 and I'm sure they're in other areas of the ground as well. I have issues with that though as I drink water when I'm nervous and the trip home is at least 1 stop and a rush to the can when I get home.

I did. It was after the Collingwood NAB game that I decided enough was enough...........

[Mantis]

Anchors
- Set shot goal kicking continues to be a telling weak point of this club. Until we improve there has to be some doubts about how good we really are.
- Despite having a good game, Macrae frustrates me no end. I don't know why he stuffs around with his kicking.
- The last half of the last quarter covered over some of the cracks in our game. Plenty to work on

Agree.. His kicking and decision making was well below an acceptable standard.. Got himself in a damaging spot on many an occasion, but fluffed it more times than note.

[The Underdog]

Agree.. His kicking and decision making was well below an acceptable standard.. Got himself in a damaging spot on many an occasion, but fluffed it more times than note.

Count me in too. Wasn't on his own today (some of the ball use by hand and foot in the 2nd and 3rd was atrocious) but seems to have picked up where he left off. Could be such a damaging player if he sorted it out.

[G-Mo77]

I did. It was after the Collingwood NAB game that I decided enough was enough...........

Yeah I hit breaking point to and discovered the fountains that day. I vowed never to buy a bottle of water at that stadium again after my discovery.

[jeemak]

I thought we saw the best and the worst of Jack today.

There were moments when he won and retained the ball when he had no right to, and there were other times when he tried to be too clever and lost out because of it.

This was also the case with his kicking. When he isn't trying to be too clever he's an effective user of the footy.

[Yankee Hotel Foxtrot]

Bankers:
-Roughy, Boyd and Adams: all went a long way to solving the key position player questions. Roughy hasn't been mentioned much but that was the solid ruck outing we've all been waiting for.

-Libba: hasn't missed a beat, not that anyone thought he would.

-JJ: is like a little Murphy clone, he's gone to an extra level and looks to become an elite back flanker

Anchor:
-Didn't think 27k was a terrific crowd
Considering we had only 18k to the corresponding game last year, I think this is a great achievement. If this is the barometer of what we can expect to interstate opponents then this is a very big improvement on our historical position.

[Yankee Hotel Foxtrot]

Bankers
1 & 2. Our recruiting team, plus today's two debutants. McCartney, Dalrymple and Co, Just keep making good list management choices in recent times. Dunkley, Adams, first game nerves??? Okay, we'll just slot in and contribute.
3. Dale Morris. at 33 still throws himself round like he's a first gamer trying to prove himself.

Anchors
1. Goal kicking. Game should've been over by half time, yet my teeth were still making short work of my finger nails til early into the 4th Qtr, in the knowledge that they were only a 2 or 3 goal burst away from getting a sniff.
2. Macrae- On the one hand I want to give him a pat for a good 4 Qtr game, yet despite what he brings to the table, his 'finesse' kicking is a concern. It's like every kick he is slicing the ball and it slows the revs on the ball and turns many of his kicks into slow moving floaters.
3. Me....I really thought we'd struggle this year, and perhaps we may still. But based on that opening round performance, what a complete bell-end I am for entering the season with such pessimism. uppercut to self.

[LostDoggy]

Bankers:
1. Stringer kicking 5 in a quiet game.
2. Woody's aerial acrobatics.
3. Shane Biggs. Great game of footy.

Anchors:
1. Toby dropping the knees for a free. He's letting that sneak into his game a bit. He had a great game otherwise so I'll forgive him.

[lemmon]

Considering we had only 18k to the corresponding game last year, I think this is a great achievement. If this is the barometer of what we can expect to interstate opponents then this is a very big improvement on our historical position.

Fair call, considering North/Adelaide only drew 25k last night you're right it's a good effort

[jeemak]

Fair call, considering North/Adelaide only drew 25k last night you're right it's a good effort

It is excellent considering Adelaide are a larger drawing team in Melbourne than what Freo is.

GVGjr is right, if we want to be considered for Good Friday then we need to keep the numbers us. That twit Brayshaw still thinks it should be Norf and Carlton, presumably at the MCG. Nobody wants that.

[GVGjr]

Considering we had only 18k to the corresponding game last year, I think this is a great achievement. If this is the barometer of what we can expect to interstate opponents then this is a very big improvement on our historical position.

I think we can now debunk some of the excuses given in previous years about people not wanting to attend 1pm games on a Sunday.

It was a sensational effort by our fans to get to the game.

[bulldogtragic]

It is excellent considering Adelaide are a larger drawing team in Melbourne than what Freo is.

GVGjr is right, if we want to be considered for Good Friday then we need to keep the numbers us. That twit Brayshaw still thinks it should be Norf and Carlton, presumably at the MCG. Nobody wants that.

If they don't want to work with us, fine, then let's find the opposition that's better than Carlton for a fixture. Maybe Essendon who we play for the EJ Whitten cup and play them twice a year. That's also two wins a year! :)

Geelong: Easter Monday (good money from Kardinia Park)
Hawthorn: Easter Monday (Tassie)
Collingwood: Queens Birthday, Anzac Day
Essendon: Anzac Day, Dream Time
Melbourne: Queens Birthday
Richmond: Opening game, Dream Time
Carlton: Opening game

Norf (Tassie games), Saints (NZ games) and Dogs (Ballarat) - no big set date game.

AFL would get two for the price of one with Dogs v North. Seems a game that both clubs should be gunning for. But If Brayshaw his hitching his wagon elsewhere then maybe we should too.

[soupman]

Anchors:
1. Toby dropping the knees for a free. He's letting that sneak into his game a bit. He had a great game otherwise so I'll forgive him.

He's been good at this for a while. Got 3 from memory today. He will surpass Joel Selwood in the high freekick stakes incredibly quickly.

[soupman]

Bankers:
Shane Biggs: The player I was least enthusiastic about in the 22 today. Was insanely good. Is reliable for one shocking turnover a match, but when he uses it nicely 34 other times it's hard to complain. Very impressive.
Marcus Adams: I was ok with his selection, but his disposal and ability under pressure scared me. Proved me wrong. Some of his kicks today were awesome.
The Crowd: Others are saying it wasn't particularly big, I thought it was great. I know they handed out lots of free tickets but pleasingly we put in a performance that will see alot of them very keen to return. I believe we have a core 15,000 that are very loyal and reliable and always turn up, but the rest are rather fickle and are very good at finding excuses as to why they shouldn't fully commit to the club as members or regular attendees. They're gonna struggle to find excuses when we play like that, and we are going to win alot of friends from other clubs in the process too. My twitter feed was full of non dogs fans loving the way we played.

Anchors:
-Goalkicking: The oh so predictable weakness of ours. We really need to improve this. The game could have been completely over half through the 2nd quarter, but instead Freo were still the slightest chance until part way through the last. We could and should have won today by 100 if we took our chances.
-Tom Boyds protection: I thought he was good today on the whole with his disposal being underwhelming, although it is very pleasing to see him stay involved for most of the match. But if he was Riewoldt or Hogan he would be cleaning up the free's for category.

[bulldogtragic]

He's been good at this for a while. Got 3 from memory today. He will surpass Joel Selwood in the high freekick stakes incredibly quickly.

I don't blame either though, or either Riewoldt diving. Umpires reward them with free kicks. Stop the free kicks, stop the incentive. And actually have the match review panel crack down on staging. For all the hullabaloo about penalising blatant staging (not dropping knees) I recall once or maybe twice its been used. If we play Geelong and Selwood gets three cheapies dropping his knees and Magic gets three dropping his knees, then at least we've levelled the playing field in this area. My preference is to stop incentivising knee dropping and staging, but that's not happening. So just drop with the program.

[jeemak]

Whilst Carlton get the opening game, they also get as many as the league can fit for them against Richmond, Essendon and Collingwood.

If North want to work with them, we should work with the Saints and leave Norf to freeze. The more I read from that prickish jackarse Brayshaw the more angry I get at his sense of self entitlement. Just because he hosts a really, and desperately horrible tripe session or two on channel nine it doesn't mean he's the only one lobbying the AFL for this.

[bornadog]

Whilst Carlton get the opening game, they also get as many as the league can fit for them against Richmond, Essendon and Collingwood.

If North want to work with them, we should work with the Saints and leave Norf to freeze. The more I read from that prickish jackarse Brayshaw the more angry I get at his sense of self entitlement. Just because he hosts a really, and desperately horrible tripe session or two on channel nine it doesn't mean he's the only one lobbying the AFL for this.

Carlton won't get it because Easter will again fall early in one year and then what, Carlton v Richmond and followed the next day by Carlton v North. Brayshaw is just another dickhead on the Footy Show.

[Greystache]

Anchor:
-Didn't think 27k was a terrific crowd

Yet "Powerhouse" Big 4 club Carlton last year got 16,000 vs GWS at Etihad, 27,000 against Port at MCG, 26,000 vs Hawthorn at Etihad, and 25,000 vs Norf at Etihad.

And their "Superpower" peer Essendon drew 23,000 vs Port at Etihad, and 25,000 vs Adelaide at Etihad.

Funny how when they don't get prime time fixtures against Melbourne based teams their crowds are actually very similar to our "poor" crowds

[comrade]

I don't blame either though, or either Riewoldt diving. Umpires reward them with free kicks. Stop the free kicks, stop the incentive. And actually have the match review panel crack down on staging. For all the hullabaloo about penalising blatant staging (not dropping knees) I recall once or maybe twice its been used. If we play Geelong and Selwood gets three cheapies dropping his knees and Magic gets three dropping his knees, then at least we've levelled the playing field in this area. My preference is to stop incentivising knee dropping and staging, but that's not happening. So just drop with the program.

Magic just has a knack for getting his head ripped off. It's not just a glancing blow, he somehow manages to draw a massive WWF style clothesline that makes it very hard for the umpire to ignore.

Pretty impressive and will absolutely destroy opposition fans in the coming years.

[dukedog]

Mate, I'm not paying $6:50 for another bottle of water again and I won't be buying food there either. It's crap, expensive and not satisfying. I took my own rolls and water today, it was a good decision.

The missus paid $5.40 for a diet coke. Good thing i was drinkin beers hahahaha. 12 bucks for fish and chips was a joke too.

[Smads57]

Bankers
- the men's club - able to constantly intercept and then launch another attack
- performance of debutants (incl Libba...) - all strong showing first up
- first quarter - what a way to start the 2016 season
Anchors
- frustrating shots on goal in 2nd and 3rd terms - need to nail every 2 out of 3 opportunities we create
- can't think of anything else....(is that a bad thing?)

[Dancin' Douggy]

I bought a pie for $3 and my mate brought in about 5 bottles of water (for his family) and gave me one. They cost him 30cents each

30c each? But You can get water for FREEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!!!!!! out of your own tap!!!!!

Just fill up a water bottle at home.

And no plastic bottles.

Cheaper and better for the environment.

It's a no brainer.

[Dancin' Douggy]

Bankers.
1. ROOF OPEN. A beautiful sparkling autumn day, felt great to take the kids to the game without taking them into a cold concrete bunker in the middle of such glorious weather.

2. Match committee and recruiting staff. Just keep surprising me and keep seeming to pull the right moves. I'm quite gobsmacked sometimes.

3. Easton Wood. Looked like he was out with an AC joint after Pavlich squared him up.
5 minutes later he's launching himself backwards to save an inevitable goal by taking mark of the year.
He was so not supposed to get to that ball, he was so hopelessly out of position, all the laws of physics said he couldn't get there.
It was a superhuman effort.

ANCHORS.

Just frittering away all our domination in the 2nd and 3rd quarters.
We should have won by at least another 6 goals without even magical thinking.
And possibly another 10 even.

No other anchors.

[azabob]

30c each? But You can get water for FREEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!!!!!! out of your own tap!!!!!

Just fill up a water bottle at home.

And no plastic bottles.

Cheaper and better for the environment.

It's a no brainer.

Don't you pay for water at your place?

[Dancin' Douggy]

Don't you pay for water at your place?

Yes, you're right. It's probably around 0.00001 cent per bottle I fill up.
Sorry, my oversight.

[Go_Dogs]

Bankers:

JJ - Has become a consistent, and highly damaging player. Can't wait to watch him strut his stuff for the balance of the season.
Wood - So courageous and important to our game style.
Stringer - Whilst a lot of our blokes struggled in front of the big sticks, he took his chances.

Anchors:
Umpiring, particularly for the number of non-decisions against Tom Boyd. At the ground they were noticeable. I was pleased to see on the replay the commentators highlighted a few that didn't go Tom's way too - we need to raise this with the AFL as it was an issue last year and will continue if we don't.

[westbulldog]

JJ, went from Malinga to Eagleton

classic

[Raw Toast]

Bankers:

Fantastic to have Stevens back into the midfield. You could hear some of the bone-crunching tackles and hits that he gave up on the third level. We were very sore and sorry after the Freo game last year, I suspect the pain was reversed after yesterday. Be very interesting to track how our opponents go in the game after playing us, if we can keep up that tackling and pressure.

Also liked the way we gradually worked to re-establish our run towards the end of the game. Freo had shut that down, but late in the piece we started linking and over-lapping with handballs again in the back half, and that helped spark our dominant finish.

Anchor

I don't mind (too much) the imprecision and sloppiness that comes from the first game, but don't like the tendency to play like millionaires as we did too much in the 2nd and 3rd quarters. Both T Boyd and Stringer were guilty of not giving the ball off, while Murphy fluffed a 'no look' kick where there was no advantage to be had from doing it without looking properly and setting his feet in the direction of his kick. I adore our risk-taking (when coupled with defensive pressure), but we need to maintain a rock-solid foundation of doing the basics right if we are to challenge (over time) for the major prize.

[G-Mo77]

Anchors:
Umpiring, particularly for the number of non-decisions against Tom Boyd. At the ground they were noticeable. I was pleased to see on the replay the commentators highlighted a few that didn't go Tom's way too - we need to raise this with the AFL as it was an issue last year and will continue if we don't.

There were several Zac Dawson classic spoils yesterday. Just fall over on the player while he's leading. I love watching Dawson play, such a spud.

[LostDoggy]

Bankers.

Membership tent. Took me all of 30 seconds to pick up my replacement card (yes I have already lost the first one) and at no charge

Open roof. Making the most of the good weather while we still have it

Attendance. Was very happy with 27k against an interstate team and on Easter Sunday when most people go away

Anchors.

Goal kicking. Very frustrating

Hand balling. So many at teammates feet

Commentators. Learn our players names, it's not that hard

[Happy Days]

Bankers

Beveridge - murked Lyon today, the piece de resistance being his move to switch actively and deeply; got 100 touches out of our back flankers and neutralised all of Freo's RTB-ness by forcing their press to move laterally and open up space for the gunners to kick into. When Lyon adjusted by moving the press up at half time then not only was it too late, but it rooted the press itself as there was way to much space to cover it. Then Lyon apparently threw the toys out of the cot. Just beautiful.

(Speaking of) The HBFers - 101 touches between them, with a special shout out to JJ for his best game ever. Keen to hear Mantis' thoughts on the new look.

Stringer - Stringer's so sick

There's so many more to list but I'm a stickler for protocol.

Anchors

Dahlhaus was quiet I guess?

McLean is going to get himself killed

Pav for being a sniping prick and making me think he broke Wood's collarbone

[AndrewP6]

Have to disagree with the Bankers for the open roof. Yes it nice with the sun out, but it was near impossible to see without holding your hand up to your eyes in the second half.

[Go_Dogs]

Anchors

Dahlhaus was quiet I guess?

I thought Dahlhaus was pretty good - won a lot of ball at the coalface and put in some great defensive efforts.

If 25 touches at 80% with 16 contested possessions, 6 tackles and 8 clearances is a quiet game, he isn't going to have many loud ones this year.

[Happy Days]

I thought Dahlhaus was pretty good - won a lot of ball at the coalface and put in some great defensive efforts.

If 25 touches at 80% with 16 contested possessions, 6 tackles and 8 clearances is a quiet game, he isn't going to have many loud ones this year.

I know! We had 500 touches yesterday, everyone had 25 and was awesome. I just thought he was the least awesome I guess?

[SonofScray]

I thought Dahlhaus was pretty good - won a lot of ball at the coalface and put in some great defensive efforts.

If 25 touches at 80% with 16 contested possessions, 6 tackles and 8 clearances is a quiet game, he isn't going to have many loud ones this year.
At the game I thought he was quiet, maybe even poor in a well performed team. I just finished watching the replay and he did a mountain of physical work, Freo put a bit of time into making sure he was closely checked and they didn't miss him in the clinches. Some heavy knocks. His hustle from go to woah was terrific and generated at least 3 turnovers which we ended up scoring from. If that was a quiet game from Luke, we'll take it every time.

[Mantis]

Yes, I nearly spat my beer out when we ran out on the ground... He may look like the 'Bald Eagle', but thankfully he doesn't play like him. Love how he backs himself to out run his opponent in tight situations.. It's the way we should and do play.

I watched the game at the Gol Gol pub, the number of neutrals in awe of the feats of 'The Package' surprised me.. He is just about the most exciting player in the comp.. And he is ours.

Also a special mention to the Bont.. Led the team in pressure acts.. He's a star.

[always right]

Yes, I nearly spat my beer out when we ran out on the ground... He may look like the 'Bald Eagle', but thankfully he doesn't play like him. Love how he backs himself to out run his opponent in tight situations.. It's the way we should and do play.. Just back yourself in.
Is it true he shaved his head after a colour job went wrong in the morning?

[GVGjr]

Is it true he shaved his head after a colour job went wrong in the morning?

Will Minson mentioned that we would all be surprised at how he would look. I can't recall him saying it was because of hair dye.

[Go_Dogs]

At the game I thought he was quiet, maybe even poor in a well performed team. I just finished watching the replay and he did a mountain of physical work, Freo put a bit of time into making sure he was closely checked and they didn't miss him in the clinches. Some heavy knocks. His hustle from go to woah was terrific and generated at least 3 turnovers which we ended up scoring from. If that was a quiet game from Luke, we'll take it every time.

It's become a common feature of his game.

He started as someone who was very noticeable for the things he did, but increasingly it's his physical work inside the contest that's the hallmark of his game. I wouldn't have thought he had 8 clearances at the ground either, but he looked very busy and as you say, on the replay (and stat sheet) you get a far better appreciation for his work.

[dukedog]

JJ doesn't even need 35 possessions to dominate a game. I would give him 3 votes for his run through between 2 freo defenders half tackled and still held his feet, handballed to libba then libba kicked on his non preferred. I was on the wing watching and nearly $#@! My pants that was so good

[hujsh]

Bankers.

Membership tent. Took me all of 30 seconds to pick up my replacement card (yes I have already lost the first one) and at no charge

Open roof. Making the most of the good weather while we still have it

Attendance. Was very happy with 27k against an interstate team and on Easter Sunday when most people go away

Anchors.

Goal kicking. Very frustrating

Hand balling. So many at teammates feet

Commentators. Learn our players names, it's not that hard
Gee it'll be great to get Tony Dickson back

[Eastdog]

Tom Boyd would he be between Banker or Anchor? Took some good marks yesterday but disappointing with one set shot that he missed it all.

[I'm Not Bitter Anymore!]

JJ, went from Malinga to Eagleton

classic

Liked JJs tribute to Nsthan Eagleton

[Go_Dogs]

Tom Boyd would he be between Banker or Anchor? Took some good marks yesterday but disappointing with one set shot that he missed it all.

If he'd finished his work on goal he'd have been a clear banker.

I thought he was pretty good yesterday, took some good marks up the field, created a contest most times inside the F50 and competed in the ruck.

[AndrewP6]

Is it true he shaved his head after a colour job went wrong in the morning?

Yep, Stringer mentioned it (Twitter I think). It had turned a silver colour apparently and he first shaved it with #2 clippers but it didn't do the trick.

[Bullies]

Bankers

Beveridge - murked Lyon today, the piece de resistance being his move to switch actively and deeply; got 100 touches out of our back flankers and neutralised all of Freo's RTB-ness by forcing their press to move laterally and open up space for the gunners to kick into. When Lyon adjusted by moving the press up at half time then not only was it too late, but it rooted the press itself as there was way to much space to cover it. Then Lyon apparently threw the toys out of the cot. Just beautiful.

(Speaking of) The HBFers - 101 touches between them, with a special shout out to JJ for his best game ever. Keen to hear Mantis' thoughts on the new look.

Stringer - Stringer's so sick

There's so many more to list but I'm a stickler for protocol.

Anchors

Dahlhaus was quiet I guess?

McLean is going to get himself killed

Pav for being a sniping prick and making me think he broke Wood's collarbone

Dahlhaus was heavily tagged and still did some good things. Bit harsh.

[G-Mo77]

Pav for being a sniping prick and making me think he broke Wood's collarbone

I was talking about this today. From what I saw at the game Wood wanted the contact to get a free. He seemed to turn back inside at the player coming towards him. Pav got cleared for it.

Still deserves an anchor for scaring us all like that so I do agree with you Happy Days. :)

[LostDoggy]

Bankers:

1.Our crowd of 27k.The Pack is Gathering.

2.Roof open on a great day for our club.

3.The 22 guys who represented our great club,and Bevo and the MC.

Anchors:

1.Kicking for goal in the 2nd and 3rd qtrs.

2.Umpires-If the non decisions against Toyd keep going the way they did yesterday,Dick Wolf will be giving him a spot in Law and Order SVU FFS!!!!!!!!!

3.Ummmmmmm..........

[F'scary]

Gee it'll be great to get Tony Dickson back

Troy, Troy Dickson.

[Ghost Dog]

Yes according to Sandy roberts, Bontempelli passed it to himself, and Billy Picken was involved too.

[LostDoggy]

Tom Boyd would he be between Banker or Anchor? Took some good marks yesterday but disappointing with one set shot that he missed it all.

If you watched him on TV, anchor. At the game? Banker. He provided far more than just goals. Rucked well, got to plenty of contests, brought it to ground a lot and straightened us up.

[ratsmac]

Bankers

1. Macrae - set the tone in the first quarter. He was everywhere.

2. Adams - firstly for a fine debut and secondly for making Pav look skinny. Easton Wood must have be spewing when Adams walked in the Whitten Oval because now he's got the 2nd best physique at the club.

3. Our back line. They were organised for the entire game. They made sure they didn't push up too high where we could get opened up with a fast break letting the opposition getting goal side of us. Hopefully they can make this a habit.

ANCHORS

1. Of course goal kicking. Everything you do on the footy field is for the end result of kicking a goal. It's so bloody important so practice getting better at it! And if your not getting better at it, get better teachers. Bring back Lindsey Gilbee as a specialist coach. Even if you have to poach him, other clubs do it to us.

2. Zac Dawson simply jumping into Tom Boyd's back every time with no free kick. If he wasn't holding him he was pretty much giving him a hip and shoulder in the back.

3. Wallis kicking a point at the start of the game. We would of had 2 goals in 35 seconds had he kicked it (yes I'm struggling for anchors).

[Remi Moses]

Yes according to Sandy roberts, Bontempelli passed it to himself, and Billy Picken was involved too.

Great to see Liam's brother Marcus back at the club also :rolleyes:

[boydogs]

Great to see Liam's brother Marcus back at the club also :rolleyes:

Don't forget Caleb Daniels

[I'm Not Bitter Anymore!]

Steve Wallis and Brad Boyd had quiet days

[Ozza]

Bankers:

- Crowd of 27K being about 11K bigger than our average home crowd v Freo since they've been in the comp. Great result.
- The Train Robber Biggs. Such good anticipation across half back. Moving well, and playing with such confidence.
- Adams - fantastic debut. Really surprised me how good he was in the air, and he kicked the ball well.
- Our overall skill level is/was insane. The skills of the modern footballer are amazing, and we may be one of the best teams (skill wise) in the league, based on that performance.

Anchors:

- Hard to find any. Even when the game was more level in quarters 2 & 3 - we really hung in there in the moments were weren't in control.

[bornadog]

Steve Wallis and Brad Boyd had quiet days

but Jesse Stringer kicked 5

[always right]

One thing worth noting was our use on the wrong foot. Libby's right foot goal, Biggs passing on his left, Bont's right foot pass to Hunter. Perhaps all the pre season work is already paying off.

[F'scary]

Tom Boyd would he be between Banker or Anchor? Took some good marks yesterday but disappointing with one set shot that he missed it all.

He seems to have the yips at the moment but definitely on the Banker side of the ledger.

His game was a marked improvement on last year and you can see the upside is still massive.

[Bulldog4life]

One thing worth noting was our use on the wrong foot. Libby's right foot goal, Biggs passing on his left, Bont's right foot pass to Hunter. Perhaps all the pre season work is already paying off.

Yes AR was thinking the same thing myself. Good point.

[Ghost Dog]

Bankers:

- Crowd of 27K being about 11K bigger than our average home crowd v Freo since they've been in the comp. Great result.
- The Train Robber Biggs. Such good anticipation across half back. Moving well, and playing with such confidence.
- Adams - fantastic debut. Really surprised me how good he was in the air, and he kicked the ball well.
- Our overall skill level is/was insane. The skills of the modern footballer are amazing, and we may be one of the best teams (skill wise) in the league, based on that performance.

Anchors:

- Hard to find any. Even when the game was more level in quarters 2 & 3 - we really hung in there in the moments were weren't in control.

Kicking for goal does count as a skill!

[Ozza]

Kicking for goal does count as a skill!

Ok - point taken...we missed some set shots for sure. But the clean hands and passing were unbelievable.

My favourites were;

Bonti's spin and right foot pass inside 50.
Libba's kick to Stringer.....and his unbelievable hands and vision in close.

[bornadog]

Ok - point taken...we missed some set shots for sure. But the clean hands and passing were unbelievable.

My favourites were;

Bonti's spin and right foot pass inside 50.
Libba's kick to Stringer.....and his unbelievable hands and vision in close.

I thought at times yes we showed some great skills, but in the second and third quarters, some of the handballing to feet was atrocious at best.

[Maddog37]

We missed a lot of handballs and there were quite a few Clanger kicks from both teams. We can improve on that performance.

We need to try and get the ball in Caleb Ds hands more.

[Ghost Dog]

I thought at times yes we showed some great skills, but in the second and third quarters, some of the handballing to feet was atrocious at best.

Hard to go past that spearing kick by Suckling out of defence. It's not often you see kicks like that low and far out of defence.
He has a good all round game and can really play anywhere.

[boydogs]

Hard to go past that spearing kick by Suckling out of defence. It's not often you see kicks like that low and far out of defence.
He has a good all round game and can really play anywhere.

I don't like Suckling's action. It's effective but he twists so far around it looks like he's going to kick it sideways instead of straight. He went to switch play at one stage but as it looked like he was going down the line, his target ran forward then had to double back and almost missed the mark

[Ozza]

I thought at times yes we showed some great skills, but in the second and third quarters, some of the handballing to feet was atrocious at best.

My view is that when you play the game that fast, and rack up around 500 disposals - there will be handballing and kicking errors occasionally. The fact that our skill level (not just disposals - but clean hands) is so high, means that we have the ability to move the ball quicker than opposition sides can move to set up their team defence to stop you.

We play a game that is higher on the risk curve than most (if not all) other sides. By nature this lends itself to errors - but comes with the benefit of cashing in when you're able to connect 10 or 12 times in a row, quickly.

Some of the end to end play was simply exhilarating on the weekend. I think sometimes the fans at the game start to expect it will just be 4 quarters like the first quarter. Often that's the problem (as a spectator) with starting so well....everyone around you expects its going to be a procession all day. Invariably, teams will pressure you better for periods and drag themselves back into the contest - but what we've been seeing in our last 24 games - is that more often than not, we are able to break the shackles again eventually - by our dare and high skill level.

[F'scary]

We also gave them a break with inaccurate kicking for goals in the 2nd and 3rd quarters.