AFLX match Saturday February 17, 2018

[BulldogBelle]

I thought that we might as well have a look at this series of matches.

Pool C, Allianz Stadium, Sydney, Saturday February 17
Brisbane Lions, Gold Coast, Greater Western Sydney, Richmond, Sydney, Western Bulldogs

Saturday, February 17 from 4:10pm
Allianz Stadium, Moore Park

Pool A: GIANTS, Richmond, Brisbane Lions
Pool B: Swans, Western Bulldogs, Gold Coast SUNS

Schedule:
4:10pm GIANTS v Richmond
4:38pm Swans v Western Bulldogs
5:06pm Richmond v Brisbane Lions
5:34pm Western Bulldogs v Gold Coast SUNS
6:02pm Brisbane Lions v GIANTS
6:30pm Gold Coast SUNS v Swans
7:03pm Grand Final

The playing time is 20 minutes, consisting of 2 halves. Those teams with the most wins and percentage from each sub-pool playoff in the grand final. It all starts and finishes on the same night. The first team that we play is The Sydney Swans at 4:38pm.

We are supposed to have selected 20 players and have that reduced to 10 on competition day. But we just announced 12 players. The playing team is 7 on-field and 3 interchange.

Here is our squad.

2 Lewis Young
19 Lukas Webb
20 Ed Richards
26 Billy Gowers
27 Patrick Lipinski
28 Callum Porter
30 Fergus Greene
33 Aaron Naughton
37 Roarke Smith
40 Nathan Mullenger-McHugh
43 Jack Redpath
44 Tim English

Jack Redpath is to be the Captain and Rohan Smith the coach. I don't know if we could have named a more inexperienced team. The club is certainly not serious about winning the competition. This is a good time for players to show that they have something to offer this year.

Some comments on players:

2 Lewis Young
I think that he is our most promising player on the list. He reminds me so much of Kelvin Templeton.

19 Lukas Webb
He has had up and down form and has not shown his best in the senior team. A big chance for him to impress.

20 Ed Richards
New recruit said to have what it takes.

26 Billy Gowers
Has a good football brain and can do well in the forward line. Up graded from the Footscray team.

27 Patrick Lipinski
Unknown potential. Could be a great player.

28 Callum Porter
New recruit that we will find out something about this week-end.

30 Fergus Greene
Has shown flashes of good play while playing for Footscray.

33 Aaron Naughton
New recruit that we will find out something about this week-end. Came from WA with big wraps.

37 Roarke Smith
Has an elite high leap. Has had damaged knees over the last few years that have seriously restricted his play. I would have delisted him two years ago. This is a chance to prove himself.

40 Nathan Mullenger-McHugh
Did very little last year at Footscray. Not impressed at all. I would have delisted him last year. This is a chance for him to prove himself.

43 Jack Redpath
Our second-best goal kicker, averaging about a goal and a half a game. Seems to improve each year. Nice guy who bothers to stop and talk to fans. Captain.

44 Tim English
Very impressive. Very tall. Can he take a mark!

Most of the information below can be found on the Western Bulldogs' website.

Some of the Rules:

1. Ground Dimensions
60 meters to 70 meters wide by 100 to 120 meters long.

2. Goal Posts
Standard configuration

3. Scoring
Standard scoring except if goal kicked outside of 40 meter arc, 10 points will be awarded.

4. Team Size
7 on ground and 3 interchange.

5. Backwards kicks
No mark paid.

6. Last touch Out of Bounds
Free kick.

7. Other
Kick in from behind goal line (not 10 meter square) after all scores. (No 10 meter square).
Deliberate rushed behind gives free kick from 40 meter arc directly in front.
At start of game must have at least 2 players in forward and defensive arc.
No flags waved by umpires for scores.

Sydney Swans AFLX squad (20 players)
1. James Rose
6. Jordan Foote
7. Harry Cunningham
13. Oliver Florent
20. Sam Reid
22. Dean Towers
24. Dane Rampe (c)
25. Ben Ronke
27. Daniel Robinson
28. Nic Newman
29. George Hewett
30. Tom McCartin
31. Harrison Marsh
32. James Bell
38. Colin O’Riordan
40. Nick Smith
41. Jake Brown
42. Robbie Fox
44. Jake Lloyd
45. Angus Styles

Brisbane's AFLX Squad (14 players)
1. Ben Keays
3. Allen Christensen
5. Mitch Robinson
7. Tom Bell
8. Rohan Bewick
10. Daniel Rich (capt)
19. Jacob Allison
20. Cedric Cox
26. Tom Cutler
33. Zac Bailey
36. Rhys Mathieson
39. Corey Lyons
42. Mitchell Hinge
43. Jake Barrett

Gold Coast SUNS AFLX Squad (14 players)
11. Touk Miller (c)
6. Alex Sexton
8. Brayden Fiorini
10. Kade Kolodjashnij
12. Sam Day
15. Aaron Young
18. Brad Scheer
23. Sean Lemmens
29. Jack Bowes
34. Mackenzie Willis *
36. Josh Schoenfeld
38. Jesse Joyce
39. Nick Holman
44. Darcy Macpherson

Steve's son young Darcy to play against us.

Richmond AFLX Squad (15 players)
7 Daniel Butler
11 Jason Castagna
15 Jayden Short
27 Sam Lloyd
28 Jack Higgins
30 Reece Conca
32 Corey Ellis
35 Nathan Broad
36 Callum Moore
38 Noah Balta
41 Mabior Chol
43 Derek Eggmolesse-Smith
44 Tyson Stengle
46 Ben Miller
48 Liam Baker
3 premiership players.

GWS GIANTS Squad (16 players)
6. Lachie Whitfield (Captain)
9. Tom Scully
10. Aiden Bonar
11. Will Setterfield
13. Isaac Cumming
31. Jeremy Finlayson
20. Adam Tomlinson
25. Lachlan Keeffe
33. Lachie Tiziani
34. Nick Shipley
36. Harry Perryman
38. Daniel Lloyd
41. Jack Buckley
42. Jake Stein
43. Dylan Buckley
50. Sam Reid


Who makes the Grand Final if multiple teams are on the same wins?
Wins, losses and draws will be tallied up throughout the tournament, with the two pool winners on each night playing off in the Grand Final. However, if there are multiple teams on the same wins, percentage will be the deciding factor.

What happens if scores are tied at the end of the Grand Final?
While draws can happen during pool games, you won't have to worry about coming back the following week to see the Grand Final again, if scores are level at the final siren. Time on will be added with the first team to score a point or a goal the premiers.

How long do games go for?
AFLX consists of two, 10-minute halves with a two-minute break. There will be a five-minute breather in between each game, with a 15-minute break before the Grand Final takes place.

How does each game start?
Each half is started with the umpiring throwing the ball up in the center. Two nominated ruckmen will compete, however they aren't allowed to run and jump at the ball, or wrestle with each other. Basically, it's more like a basketball-style tip-off with the two competing rucks to stand toe-to-toe. Each team will also need to have three players inside their forward and defensive 40m arcs before play starts. Teams will start kicking towards the side of the ground that their interchange bench is on, before swapping for the second half. The pre-game tradition of running through a banner before a game with the club song blaring has also been scrapped.

Where will the coaches watch?
There will be no aerial view for the coaches when it comes to AFLX. The coach's box won't be in use come match day, instead they'll bark orders directly to their players on the interchange bench. Given the smaller size of the field, there won't be any runners either, so the coaches will have to do their own dirty work and deliver their messages straight to their charges.

Can players be reported?
Yes, they can. Just like the JLT Community Series, a player can be cited by the match review officer or the officiating umpire on match day. Any suspensions handed out, will be served during the home and away season.

Do AFLX games count towards life membership?
No. Just like the JLT series, AFLX games won't count towards a player's eligibility for life membership. Only premiership season games are taken into consideration, and the old format of the pre-season competition where there was a genuine prize or winner at the end of the series.

How many umpires are there?
There will be a total of six umpires for each game. Two field umpires, two boundary umpires (who essentially act as touch judges), and two goal umpires. There won't be any flags for the goal umpires to wave, due to the fast nature of the game. Be on the lookout as well for a new motion to signal a 'Zooper' goal, with the goal umpire to cross their arms above their heads to create an 'X'. As for what colour the umpires will be wearing, well that remains a mystery. One thing is for sure though, you won't be able to miss them with the whistleblowers set to don a very loud and bright uniform.

Where can you watch it?
7Two and Fox Footy provide telecasts. Also watch on the AFL Live App.

There will also be a radio call on SEN in Melbourne and affiliate stations.

AFL.com.au will have highlights shows after each of the three tournaments.

[Eastdog]

Honestly haven't really gotten into this AFLX but Go Bulldogs!

[G-Mo77]

Lol. Honestly who comes up with this shit? I didn't read much about this leading up to it and went in with an open mind but this is a shambles.

[HOSE B ROMERO]

Thought i'd give it a look... swans leading 50- zippo. :eek:

[lemmon]

Naughton the highlight. Some nice high grabs and has slotted a couple of goals. Looking good as a forward...

[bornadog]

Naughton the highlight. Some nice high grabs and has slotted a couple of goals. Looking good as a forward...

Looks like we have recruited some players that can kick a ball. Agree Naughton the highlight.

Just remember folks, it is a training run for a bit of fun - not serious football

[GVGjr]

English not suited to the game. Naughton can play either end of the ground and looks a very good prospect. Greene disappointing
Redpath very good. Webb up and down and Gowers off the pace. Young OK but quiet same for Porter. Lipinski quiet.
Mullenger-McHugh probably not suited to the quicker game.
Richards and Smith not played in the first game.

[GVGjr]

Looks like we have recruited some players that can kick a ball. Agree Naughton the highlight.

Just remember folks, it is a training run for a bit of fun - not serious football

In my opinion once the players pull on the jumper that theory gets blown out the window.

[josie]

If coaches had picked one of regular seniors and they had sustained a serious injury I would have been very, very upset. Agree nothing at stake at all.

Good to see young ones given a go and looks like we have a pearler in Naughton. Also though Webb’s long kicking looked great too.

[GVGjr]

If coaches had picked one of regular seniors and they had sustained a serious injury I would have been very, very upset. Agree nothing at stake at all.

Good to see young ones given a go and looks like we have a pearler in Naughton. Also though Webb’s long kicking looked great too.

Josie, I saw Darcy get injured in the last couple of minutes of a practice game. I think we have to accept that injuries can happen in a number of different training or sanctioned games. By the way I have no problem with playing youngsters but one or two more experienced types or players better suited to the game would be worth considering.
When the Hawks were at their best they trecked Kokoda and Clarkson accepted that it might cost them with some injuries.

Very impressed with Naughton, he could play as a forward as well.

[Eastdog]

Was driving in the car before and listening to Triple M and they said we lost to the Crows by 7 points in the AFLX but we aren't playing the Crows?

[GVGjr]

Was driving in the car before and listening to Triple M and they said we lost to the Crows by 7 points in the AFLX but we aren't playing the Crows?

They meant the AFLW

[Eastdog]

They meant the AFLW

Yes that's what they meant. I think they mixed it up as I'm pretty sure I heard AFLX.

[GVGjr]

Copping a pumping from GC. Redpath has been the go to target for our kick ins and he's made a few errors.
Ed Richards impressive. Greene and Lipinski aren't strong in contests yet. Plenty of time though

[GVGjr]

Greene bounced back well with 2 goals and Richards kept at it but we copped a hiding

[Hotdog60]

Meh, I'll give it a pass no interest. I tried to watch it but the commentary was doing my head in and a close up of Buddy in the middle of play was the final straw.

[Twodogs]

Greene bounced back well with 2 goals and Richards kept at it but we copped a hiding


Do you remember the centenary lightning premiership they had at VFL park to celebrate the centenary of VFL football? I hope in 21 years time AFLX will be a similiar memory. I tried to get angry and upset that we were losing but my emotion doesn't seem to run that deep.:)


I just sat through Callan Ward mumbling something about training sessions (the boy is called Cement Head for a good reason.) Then the interviewer turned to Brian Griffith to get some words of wisdom from him so I muted the sound. Although I must admit that the prospect of Brian saying anything remotely sensible didn't seem likely.

[GVGjr]

Meh, I'll give it a pass no interest. I tried to watch it but the commentary was doing my head in and a close up of Buddy in the middle of play was the final straw.

It says a lot of the audience they are targeting when they conduct interviews of players coming off thew ground or even ones that weren't part of it. Terrible production

[Chicago1]

It reminded me of the plastic BBL. GWS should have done well in this. Flashing lights and fart machines are sooooo American 90s. ;)

[Testekill]

I reckon that if we had the option then we wouldn't have even bothered turning up

[Flamethrower]

Now I know why Trump is building that wall......it is to keep AFLX out.

This abomination has sealed Gil's nomination as worst CEO in sports history.

[Eastdog]

I reckon that if we had the option then we wouldn't have even bothered turning up

Yeah would suit me fine if we chose that if there was an option. The pre season will get my interest and sure there are always risks with injuries but at least it's regular footy with very minor tweaks (shorter quarters and the 9 point super goals).

[GVGjr]

I get that a lot of people don't rate the contest, fair enough I suppose, but I really don't appreciate our team not performing in any format of the game.

What did people think of Tim English? He's put on some size but he's very slow and this is not a good contest for slower players but he also gets caught napping or watching a contest rather than committing to it.

The standouts to me were the one game performances of Naughton and Richards. Webb was OK but we might struggle to find a spot for him in the seniors. Greene and Lipinski need another pre-season in the gym. Young looks to have added some size.

I'd be very interested to see if Naughton and Richards have the tank to play in the seniors early this year.

[chef]

Surely this will follow the lightning premiership into extinction.

Didnt anyone turn up? Crowd looked terrible.

[Hotdog60]

I get that a lot of people don't rate the contest, fair enough I suppose, but I really don't appreciate our team not performing in any format of the game.

What did people think of Tim English? He's put on some size but he's very slow and this is not a good contest for slower players but he also gets caught napping or watching a contest rather than committing to it.

The standouts to me were the one game performances of Naughton and Richards. Webb was OK but we might struggle to find a spot for him in the seniors. Greene and Lipinski need another pre-season in the gym. Young looks to have added some size.

I'd be very interested to see if Naughton and Richards have the tank to play in the seniors early this year.

I think we went in with the idea to see how the tank was on these players. With more of a training drill approach. English looks like he is still a year or two away which I understand for big blokes. He does look bulkier so that maybe affecting his mobility. I did like the look of Naughton.

[Testekill]

Surely this will follow the lightning premiership into extinction.

Didnt anyone turn up? Crowd looked terrible.

They did but the AFL in their genius had all of them on the hard camera side so you can't actually gauge crowd size.

It's like event filming 101, have the audience on the side that the camera focuses on

[Bulldog Revolution]

So we were young but also selected a squad that looked ill suited to playing AFL X - we were far too top heavy Young, English, Redpath, Naughton, Mullenger-McHugh and far too inexperienced

Be inter sting to see what we do in the JLT post this performance

[bornadog]

I get that a lot of people don't rate the contest, fair enough I suppose, but I really don't appreciate our team not performing in any format of the game.

What did people think of Tim English? He's put on some size but he's very slow and this is not a good contest for slower players but he also gets caught napping or watching a contest rather than committing to it.

The standouts to me were the one game performances of Naughton and Richards. Webb was OK but we might struggle to find a spot for him in the seniors. Greene and Lipinski need another pre-season in the gym. Young looks to have added some size.

I'd be very interested to see if Naughton and Richards have the tank to play in the seniors early this year.

I appreciate you are trying to get into this but to me this was no different to a training drill on a thursday morning. This is not a game of football, it's almost kick to kick.

Rohan Smith even admitted we were treating this as part of the development programme.

[Eastdog]

So we were young but also selected a squad that looked ill suited to playing AFL X - we were far too top heavy Young, English, Redpath, Naughton, Mullenger-McHugh and far too inexperienced

Be inter sting to see what we do in the JLT post this performance

I think will play more experience in the JLT games. Will take the JLT a bit more seriously compared to the AFLX.

[GVGjr]

I appreciate you are trying to get into this but to me this was no different to a training drill on a thursday morning. This is not a game of football, it's almost kick to kick.

Rohan Smith even admitted we were treating this as part of the development programme.

I like going to training sessions as well and I also find it frustrating when we don't perform well in those sessions.
I don't buy into the argument that we should play the youngsters because we don't want players to get injured because I've seen that happen in training sessions and practice games. Sometimes you just have to accept that there will be injuries.
Clarko didn't have a problem pushing players on the Kokoda trail and accepted that it in the bigger picture the risk was worth it.

At some point we have to expose the players to an element of risk to get the most out of them. I mentioned before I don't mind using the series with a development focus in mind but we should have put a better team on the park.

[bornadog]

I like going to training sessions as well and I also find it frustrating when we don't perform well in those sessions.
I don't buy into the argument that we should play the youngsters because we don't want players to get injured because I've seen that happen in training sessions and practice games. Sometimes you just have to accept that there will be injuries.
Clarko didn't have a problem pushing players on the Kokoda trail and accepted that it in the bigger picture the risk was worth it.

At some point we have to expose the players to an element of risk to get the most out of them. I mentioned before I don't mind using the series with a development focus in mind but we should have put a better team on the park.

I agree injuries can happen anytime. Players have done an ACL on the training track

[divvydan]

JLT is only 2 matches now and most senior players like to have a couple of games in the preseason so basically this AFLX has replaced that middle JLT game where we play all the kids. As BR mentioned above, the type of players we chose were ill-suited to the format and it showed in the outcome of the games. Hopefully all of them will get some chances in the coming two JLT games.

[Twodogs]

I agree injuries can happen anytime. Players have done an ACL on the training track

I know of a AFL ruckman who did the ligaments in his ankle running through his house so he could throw something at his next door neighbour from his front yard. Tripped over a toy his kid had left on the floor and missed 8 weeks

[GVGjr]

JLT is only 2 matches now and most senior players like to have a couple of games in the preseason so basically this AFLX has replaced that middle JLT game where we play all the kids. As BR mentioned above, the type of players we chose were ill-suited to the format and it showed in the outcome of the games. Hopefully all of them will get some chances in the coming two JLT games.

My guess is a lot of our players will go into the season with just one JLT game behind them so we are placing a premium on our own internal practice matches and drills to get the players match ready.
Looking at some of the footage of our players there has a been a fair bit of physical development in a number of the players so I'm confident we will be fit enough. Come round one there will be a number of disappointed players that won't be in our starting 22.

[GVGjr]

I know there were some concerns on selecting another tall defender in the draft last year but while yesterdays effort was nothing more than a cameo Aaron Naughton really impressed. His marking and mobility were very good and he didn't look out of place at either end of the ground. If they have enough miles in the legs both he and Richards could easily be in round one considerations. They might not make it but they will be close.

Also based on yesterdays effort Lewis Young has put in a solid summer and has added some size to his lean frame. Competition for spots in our back line will be full on but Young could easily hold his spot again this year.

Redpath also looks fit and sharp and it will be very interesting to see how we set-up our forward line for the early rounds.

[Happy Days]

I know of a AFL ruckman who did the ligaments in his ankle running through his house so he could throw something at his next door neighbour from his front yard. Tripped over a toy his kid had left on the floor and missed 8 weeks

Go on.

This is the internet after all.

[bornadog]

Redpath also looks fit and sharp and it will be very interesting to see how we set-up our forward line for the early rounds.

I like the way he was moving around, looks like he is trained hard for this year.

[SonofScray]

I like the way he was moving around, looks like he is trained hard for this year.

Meat and potatoes FF, with an emphasis on contributing up the line and when the ball hits the deck.

If he is going to hold a spot, he'll need to mark more often when the ball is long and wide to him as an outlet on the wing etc. we've got good options in Shache and Roughead for that long kick up the boundary. That being said, if we get the ball in his hands 10 times on a lead I50, you'd back him in for a decent goals per game average.

[The Underdog]

I know of a AFL ruckman who did the ligaments in his ankle running through his house so he could throw something at his next door neighbour from his front yard. Tripped over a toy his kid had left on the floor and missed 8 weeks

How long did he live next door to you for?

[Twodogs]

Go on.

This is the internet after all.


Oh it was Spida Everitt. I wasn't meaning to be mysterious. I thought it was well known. It was when he first signed for Hawthorn.

[Twodogs]

I just got told to shut up by Campbell Brown. He was crapping on about our squad yesterday saying it would affect membership so I sent a few "what so we pick the Bont and he does his knee? How does that help membership?" and a fre more, so they come back from the break with" and Carl from West Footscray just take a breath. Cheeky bastards.

[kruder]

It wasn't the inexperience that was the issue yesterday it was just that fact we played a team of key position players in what is ultimately a running mans game. It was great to see Naughtons kick hold up at the level the kid is a talent indeed and Richards looks to have that little bit of class something our group is so desperately lacking.

[GVGjr]

It wasn't the inexperience that was the issue yesterday it was just that fact we played a team of key position players in what is ultimately a running mans game. It was great to see Naughtons kick hold up at the level the kid is a talent indeed and Richards looks to have that little bit of class something our group is so desperately lacking.

A bit of both there Kruder but yes we were way too tall and slow.

Agree on both Naughton and Richards. I think both of them missed some of the work during December and they might be just a little underdone with their running.

[kruder]

A bit of both there Kruder but yes we were way too tall and slow.

Agree on both Naughton and Richards. I think both of them missed some of the work during December and they might be just a little underdone with their running.

I know we didn't take it seriously but Webb was bloody poor yesterday. There is no way he is an inside mid and he also struggled behind the ball. For mine he plays forward if he gets an opportunity or else I can see him off the list by the end of the year.

One things for sure Bailey Dale is made for AFLX he would have torn it up if allowed to play.

[bornadog]

Is that it for AFLX for this year?

[Twodogs]

I know we didn't take it seriously but Webb was bloody poor yesterday. There is no way he is an inside mid and he also struggled behind the ball. For mine he plays forward if he gets an opportunity or else I can see him off the list by the end of the year.

One things for sure Bailey Dale is made for AFLX he would have torn it up if allowed to play.


Those first two tap outs in the first half that went straight to Webb were instructive I thought. We set up our whole centre circle strategy around him getting first hands on the ball but the first time he went half heatedly at it with one hand (I really, really hate when a player only uses one hand. It's two hands for beginners.) and then the second time he actually got his hands on the ball first but just stopped. There are a lot of places and times where you can stop what you are doing and have a bit of a think and get it right. The centre bounce at a game of footy isn't one of them.

[Testekill]

Is that it for AFLX for this year?

Yup, fingers crossed it's the last time they ask us to take part

[craigsahibee]

I reckon that if we had the option then we wouldn't have even bothered turning up

I have been told by someone that works at the club that our guys only flew into Sydney on the morning of the games and had their first and only AFLX training session 45 min prior to their first game, and were back on the plane almost immediately after the second game.

[bornadog]

I have been told by someone that works at the club that our guys only flew into Sydney on the morning of the games and had their first and only AFLX training session 45 min prior to their first game, and were back on the plane almost immediately after the second game.

So we did take it seriously :D

[Twodogs]

So we did take it seriously :D


As seriously as it deserved.

[Eastdog]

Is that it for AFLX for this year?

Yes.

[GVGjr]

I like the way he was moving around, looks like he is trained hard for this year.

Redpath has been selected in the leadership group because he apparently doesn't cut corners and calls out others who might be trying it. When he is available for selection he will be ready to go.

[Eastdog]

Redpath has been selected in the leadership group because he apparently doesn't cut corners and calls out others who might be trying it. When he is available for selection he will be ready to go.

Jack at times when he has played in the seniors has looked very good up forward. Certainly was given us that forward presence.

[BulldogBelle]

Sydney Swans 88 d Western Bulldogs 36
Aaron Naughton
Tim English
Lukas Webb
Patrick Lipinski
Callum Porter
Jack Redpath
Nathan Mullenger-McHugh
Billy Gowers
Fergus Greene
Lewis Young

Gold Coast Suns 87 d Western Bulldogs 22
Richards
Tim English
Lukas Webb
Patrick Lipinski
Callum Porter
Jack Redpath
Nathan Mullenger-McHugh
Roarke Smith
Fergus Greene
Lewis Young

Not a nice week-end with the AFLW side getting beaten as well.

I am not happy with the club's effort, sure I don't want injuries to good players, but not doing any training in this form of the game before going up to Sydney and picking possibly our worst possible side is not my idea of giving it a good go. There are a couple of players that you could have put into that side to made it worse, so I suppose it wasn't our worst. Our opposition also had young players.

This game is for fast, agile and accurate kicking players. Some of our players such as Gowers and English are not suited to the game. The matches showed that we have not improved our kicking for goal, quite a few misses including a few from Young. There was a lack of proper tacking. The intensity wasn't there from most of the players.

Here is my take on a few of the players:

Lucas Webb
He might have been our best player as he played in both matches. He did nice long-kickins from behind the goal line but needed to better spot-up a man. Did win a contested ball once and passed to Redpath who snapped a goal. He kicked a nice long goal that bounced through. A great run down tackle by Webb was one of the plays of the night.

A bit slow paced at times, unsure ball-handling and made a few sloppy kicks such as that one after he received a hand-ball from Smith.

Didn't do his stocks much good although being one of our best

Jack Redpath
He covered quite a bit of ground and it must have been a reasonable hit-out for him. He kicked a wonderful long-range snap goal.

He dropped simple marks and his kicking was often poor. He has to show more intensity and passion; not just sort-of go for a mark and sort-of chase the opponent. But then again, most of our guys seemed to be like that.

Gowers
He was involved in some good clever play that showed that he had a good football brain. He only played in the first game so had limited opportunity to show his skills.

He has to be a bit cleverer when going for a high mark over an opponent who is straight in front of him. Stick your knee in his back and nudge him forward a bit. FFS. And no more one-handed marking attempts please. He was shown up for his lack of pace, firstly by Towers then later by Marsh, both of whom comprehensively beat him. In one of those chases he had, it really looked like he was just going through the motions.

Not a good hit-out for him.

Tim English
He got the first hit-out for us in AFLX history. It went a bit short to Webb who lost it. He took a few nice high contested marks and showed some agility around the ground. Did a couple of good accurate kicks.

He has to mark those high balls that come to him. Not just stick his hands up and hope the ball falls to one of our guys. At the tip-off for the second game English went for a micro-nap just as the ball was being thrown up - and of course missed everything. I didn't like his lack of desperation in chasing marks and letting a ball, (that we had last touch on), dribble out of bounds.

He is not suited to this game.

Naughton
We can get excited about this prospect as he took some nice high contested marks on the forward line and kicked well at the goals.

Young
Two matches but not a lot of game time. He is able to mark well in the forward line but his kicking was terrible, nothing like KT I'm afraid. Also he showed little desperation and intensity especially that time when he was outmarked and he let a free-kick against us ball just slowly roll out of bounds.

Greene
Some nice intercept marks and goals. But a shocking kick at goal too. He will have to improve on that performance.

Lipinski
Some nice play, some poor kicking.

Mullenger-McHugh
Showed that he can take a good grab and kick well. Just please do it more than once.

Richards
Showed he has some class with good run and carry and accurate passing. Was a promising debut.

Smith
Some nice things but not up to this level. VFL may suit better.

Porter
Seemed to try hard.

[Bulldog Revolution]

Sydney Swans 88 d Western Bulldogs 36
Aaron Naughton
Tim English
Lukas Webb
Patrick Lipinski
Callum Porter
Jack Redpath
Nathan Mullenger-McHugh
Billy Gowers
Fergus Greene
Lewis Young

Gold Coast Suns 87 d Western Bulldogs 22
Richards
Tim English
Lukas Webb
Patrick Lipinski
Callum Porter
Jack Redpath
Nathan Mullenger-McHugh
Roarke Smith
Fergus Greene
Lewis Young

Not a nice week-end with the AFLW side getting beaten as well.

I am not happy with the club's effort, sure I don't want injuries to good players, but not doing any training in this form of the game before going up to Sydney and picking possibly our worst possible side is not my idea of giving it a good go. There are a couple of players that you could have put into that side to made it worse, so I suppose it wasn't our worst. Our opposition also had young players.

This game is for fast, agile and accurate kicking players. Some of our players such as Gowers and English are not suited to the game. The matches showed that we have not improved our kicking for goal, quite a few misses including a few from Young. There was a lack of proper tacking. The intensity wasn't there from most of the players.

Here is my take on a few of the players:

Lucas Webb
He might have been our best player as he played in both matches. He did nice long-kickins from behind the goal line but needed to better spot-up a man. Did win a contested ball once and passed to Redpath who snapped a goal. He kicked a nice long goal that bounced through. A great run down tackle by Webb was one of the plays of the night.

A bit slow paced at times, unsure ball-handling and made a few sloppy kicks such as that one after he received a hand-ball from Smith.

Didn't do his stocks much good although being one of our best

Jack Redpath
He covered quite a bit of ground and it must have been a reasonable hit-out for him. He kicked a wonderful long-range snap goal.

He dropped simple marks and his kicking was often poor. He has to show more intensity and passion; not just sort-of go for a mark and sort-of chase the opponent. But then again, most of our guys seemed to be like that.

Gowers
He was involved in some good clever play that showed that he had a good football brain. He only played in the first game so had limited opportunity to show his skills.

He has to be a bit cleverer when going for a high mark over an opponent who is straight in front of him. Stick your knee in his back and nudge him forward a bit. FFS. And no more one-handed marking attempts please. He was shown up for his lack of pace, firstly by Towers then later by Marsh, both of whom comprehensively beat him. In one of those chases he had, it really looked like he was just going through the motions.

Not a good hit-out for him.

Tim English
He got the first hit-out for us in AFLX history. It went a bit short to Webb who lost it. He took a few nice high contested marks and showed some agility around the ground. Did a couple of good accurate kicks.

He has to mark those high balls that come to him. Not just stick his hands up and hope the ball falls to one of our guys. At the tip-off for the second game English went for a micro-nap just as the ball was being thrown up - and of course missed everything. I didn't like his lack of desperation in chasing marks and letting a ball, (that we had last touch on), dribble out of bounds.

He is not suited to this game.

Naughton
We can get excited about this prospect as he took some nice high contested marks on the forward line and kicked well at the goals.

Young
Two matches but not a lot of game time. He is able to mark well in the forward line but his kicking was terrible, nothing like KT I'm afraid. Also he showed little desperation and intensity especially that time when he was outmarked and he let a free-kick against us ball just slowly roll out of bounds.

Greene
Some nice intercept marks and goals. But a shocking kick at goal too. He will have to improve on that performance.

Lipinski
Some nice play, some poor kicking.

Mullenger-McHugh
Showed that he can take a good grab and kick well. Just please do it more than once.

Richards
Showed he has some class with good run and carry and accurate passing. Was a promising debut.

Smith
Some nice things but not up to this level. VFL may suit better.

Porter
Seemed to try hard.

Pretty reasonable summary

Greene's passage where he converted a nice set shot then stole the kick in and snapped the goal was probably the highpoint of the two games. A few of Naughtons were nice grabs and his kicking looked solid.

[The Bulldogs Bite]

Watched it last night. Horrible on all aspects is AFLX.

I take little from it but one thing to note is our poor skills.

The amount of simple missed kicks from Webb, Redpath, Lipinski, Smith and Young was criminal. I also have grave concerns about Webb's severe lack of pace.

As crap and modified as AFLX is, it didn't alleviate any of my concerns about those who were playing for us (ie. Young's kicking, Webb's pace, Lipinski's pace, Greene/Smith being up to the elite level).

Although he made a few mistakes by foot, at least Richards looked dangerous and was trying to make a positive impact on the game by running and carrying the footy. Looks like he has 'it', ditto Naughton who moves well and takes a nice mark. I can't say the same for some of our other younger players yet.

[Greystache]

Watched it last night. Horrible on all aspects is AFLX.

I take little from it but one thing to note is our poor skills.

The amount of simple missed kicks from Webb, Redpath, Lipinski, Smith and Young was criminal. I also have grave concerns about Webb's severe lack of pace.

As crap and modified as AFLX is, it didn't alleviate any of my concerns about those who were playing for us (ie. Young's kicking, Webb's pace, Lipinski's pace, Greene/Smith being up to the elite level).

Although he made a few mistakes by foot, at least Richards looked dangerous and was trying to make a positive impact on the game by running and carrying the footy. Looks like he has 'it', ditto Naughton who moves well and takes a nice mark. I can't say the same for some of our other younger players yet.

That's pretty much how I saw it. I didn't take the game seriously, but it's reassuring to know our depth can also be relied upon to turn the ball over by foot consistently (particularly at half forward), bomb the ball long inside 50m exclusively to the disadvantage of the forwards, and be little better than a 20% chance of kicking a set shot anywhere outside the goal square.

Early indications are the areas we were the worst at in the competition last year should be worse again this year.

[jazzadogs]

Thanks for the summaries of how the players went. I didn't watch any of the Dogs games but it is a slight concern that individually our players did not perform well.

Having said that, I don't see any criticism of the club's approach to AFLX being warranted. We effectively treated this as a training drill for our 1-3 year players, as such a silly format deserved. The fact that we didn't perform well as a team is inconsequential - however, just like we would comment on training sessions, missing simple skills and not showing appropriate intensity is not good enough.

[Twodogs]

That's pretty much how I saw it. I didn't take the game seriously, but it's reassuring to know our depth can also be relied upon to turn the ball over by foot consistently (particularly at half forward), bomb the ball long inside 50m exclusively to the disadvantage of the forwards, and be little better than a 20% chance of kicking a set shot anywhere outside the goal square.

Early indications are the areas we were the worst at in the competition last year should be worse again this year.

Why can't we fix it? It's not difficult to take your profession seriously enough that you'd want to be able to perform a fundamental aspect of the game.

This whole "we are shit kicks but there is nothing we can do about it" theory has holes in it.

[Eastdog]

Why can't we fix it? It's not difficult to take your profession seriously enough that you'd want to be able to perform a fundamental aspect of the game.

This whole "we are shit kicks but there is nothing we can do about it" theory has holes in it.

Surely it's something that can be addressed. How hard could it be. Speed is really at the forefront of the game nowadays but what's concerning is skill level of players which really need addressing.

[bornadog]

Why can't we fix it? It's not difficult to take your profession seriously enough that you'd want to be able to perform a fundamental aspect of the game.

This whole "we are shit kicks but there is nothing we can do about it" theory has holes in it.

I thought the young players that played in AFLX all had a beautiful kicking style. Certainly Naughton, Richards, Greene, all kicked the ball beautifully. We have recruited footballers who can also kick.

[Rocket Science]

I thought the young players that played in AFLX all had a beautiful kicking style. Certainly Naughton, Richards, Greene, all kicked the ball beautifully. We have recruited footballers who can also kick.

I didn't watch a second of AFLX but if Naughton's kicking begs the term beautiful our skills coachs deserve a medal.

[bornadog]

I didn't watch a second of AFLX but if Naughton's kicking begs the term beautiful our skills coachs deserve a medal.

Maybe that's my bias coming out :D

[bornadog]

Summary from AFL

With just 65 senior games between them the Dogs went into the tournament undermanned and it showed in two big losses.

Jack Redpath's form was solid and the big man was constantly presented himself as a target,

while Aaron Naughton showed plenty playing as a forward, as did fellow draftee Ed Richards, who impressed with his speed.

Ruckman Tim English had his moments although he was clearly not suited by the format,

Lewis Youngstood out in defence, as did Lukas Webb through the midfield,

and Roarke Smith in defence.

The day was a good opportunity for the likes of Patrick Lipinski, Callum Porter, Billy Gowers, Fergus Greene and Nathan Mullenger-McHugh, who will all benefit from the opportunity.

[kruder]

I was hoping Lipinski was going to be able differentiate himself from Dunkley by his kicking but what I have seen so far they are basically clones. I think both can become permanent AFL players I just don't think with the midfield group we have that they are able to bring anything different to the table.