Willy today

[hujsh]

They're on TV. I haven't paid too close attention but i have noticed our old friend Walsh kicking 3 in he 2nd quarter on Tiller.

It's 72-48 and I like what I've seen of Ward.

[hujsh]

To any Doogs out there He didn't play.

Sam Reid may have an ankle injury. They may try to get him back on the ground so it's hopefully just a niggle.

[hujsh]

Reid's fine. Finsihed the game on the field.

Main contributors on the stat sheet were Skipper with 3 goals, O'Keefe with 18 kicks 2 handballs and 2 goals and Tiller with 11 kicks and 5 handballs.

[GVGjr]

I went along to both games today. Probably not worth writing a report on the 1st's as it was a televised game but the reserves might interested a few.

Williamstown played Box Hill in the 2nds and there was just 4 listed players in the side.

Boumann - moved between key forward and even some ruck duties and while he really did put on a show, the coaches experienced some issues with him when he came off the ground without warning. Gotch was going to have a quiet word to him about that very point. Early on his energy levels seemed to be down but other than that, he moved well and held some nice marks and made some great rundowns of opposition players but to be critical he isn't as aware defensively as he should be. This is something that can be taught though.

Wood - played mainly around the midfield but spent a fair bit of time off the ground which I think was attributed to not having the orthodic's fitted into his boots. The club was not going to risk him but he spent significant minutes on the ground after half time. He is a powerful boy who is blessed with enough speed but his overall awareness of who is around him and if the opposition players are closing in on him is a fair way off the mark at the moment.

Mulligan - was the primary ruckman and did spend some time forward and even in defence. He contested well and is a nice mover. Like a lot of young ruckman he has plenty to learn.

White - played on a wing for most of the game and at times displayed a great burst of speed. His kicking was quite effective today with both feet which isn't something that I have previously regarded as a strength of his. Sill a long way to go for him but today was a good outing for him.

For the Williamstown listed players, Lockwood (a surprise to be in the 2nds) Brant Dickson and Jacob Graham all did OK.

[LostDoggy]

Great to see most senior players there as well, hopefully they will continue to go and watch. Didnt noticew will there tho :(

Josh hill got asked for an autograph so he signed it, then the little girl asked his name, he replied with jarrod harbrow :)

[mjp]

For the Williamstown listed players, Lockwood (a surprise to be in the 2nds) Brant Dickson and Jacob Graham all did OK.

I thought he was suspended? He copped a week for charging only a week ago! Good to see the rest of the Jets kids still playing at the highest level they can and going OK.

[Go_Dogs]

For those of us who are interstate any comments on Stack, Ward and a few others who could be getting close to senior action would be awesome. Hopefully Gotch will keep doing his reports too, as the one from last week was very insightful.

Thanks for the report on the reserves players GVGjr.

[hujsh]

For those of us who are interstate any comments on Stack, Ward and a few others who could be getting close to senior action would be awesome. Hopefully Gotch will keep doing his reports too, as the one from last week was very insightful.

Thanks for the report on the reserves players GVGjr.

Stack was down back for most of the game. He was ok.

Ward seemed to play in the middle mostly and I felt like he was so close to having an excellent game but wasn't quite there yet. They seem to give it to him in the middle of the ground to deliver to the forwardline. A few daisycutters just bounced before reaching the target and he should have gobbled a mark a few meters from goal in the last quarter that was really uncontested.

But he does move well and while his kicking wasn't perfect you could still see that he can definitely kick well.

[GVGjr]

I thought he was suspended? He copped a week for charging only a week ago! Good to see the rest of the Jets kids still playing at the highest level they can and going OK.

That makes sense. The 2nds game was a practice match I guess. I think they start officially next week.

[Mofra]

Didn;t see the start, however I was really impressed with O'Keefe, taken late in the draft but knows where to run & how to finish. Expected just a development year from him but looks set to play the whole year in Willy 1sts. Ward is a pre-season away from regular AFL time, has the ability to will himself to contests which seems to set good juniors apart from the rest.

Grant played an "opposite forward" game from what I saw, wasn't getting to contests but was chasing & laying tackles. Skipper looked dangerous, had a great contest which put the ball to our advantage, laid the shepherd to set up a goal to go with his 3. He will play AFL football this year.

[hujsh]

Grant played an "opposite forward" game from what I saw, wasn't getting to contests but was chasing & laying tackles. Skipper looked dangerous, had a great contest which put the ball to our advantage, laid the shepherd to set up a goal to go with his 3. He will play AFL football this year.

Did well when he stripped the backman of the ball and then had a shot. Shame he missed.

The boundary rider someone Boyd said that Gotch called for an improvement from Grant in the last quarter

[Mantis]

Agree with Mofra that Grant played almost the entire game as a 'decoy' forward. Presented well, but just wasn't the preferred option.

Liked Ward's game, made alot of mistakes with his disposal, but seemed to be pretty hard on himself and obviously sets himself very high standards. He did get pushed off the ball a bit, but that is to be expected as he was probably the youngest player on the ground.

Stack and O'Keefe were both good.

[LostDoggy]

Score and goal kickers anyone?

[The Coon Dog]

Score and goal kickers anyone?

Williamstown 25.12-162 def. Collingwood 14.10-94

Williamstown
Goal Kickers: P. Rose 5, D. Galea 4, C. Urch 3, W. Skipper 3, B. Johnson 2, B. Jolley 2, N. Lyons 2, G. O''Keefe 2, J. Beaumont, D. Stretton
Best Players: B. Johnson, J. Cloke, P. Rose, D. Galea, G. O''Keefe, D. Stretton

Collingwood
Goal Kickers: T. Walsh 5, N. Carmody 2, C. Dawes 2, S. McDonald 2, B. Holland, D. Nicholls, R. Cook
Best Players: S. Cox, M. Clarke, T. Walsh, J. Crow, R. Cook, C. Dawes

We had 8 'Seadogs' playing & the Pies had 13 Collingwood listed players. Good to see Tim Walsh do well for Collingwood, deserves some luck.

[Mofra]

Worth noting that Ward, despite perhaps lacking a yard in pace, still manages to get to contests by sheer will. Very good signs for the kid, as plenty of players who weren't great with pace still make themselves excellent footballers (ie Greg Williams, Geelong's almost entire midfield etc)

[kickit22]

From what i saw of the game i thought O'Keefe was one of the best on the ground. looks quick, very clean, ran to the right spots and used the ball very well with a beautiful left foot kick. kicked 2 but was involved with atleast 5 or 6 in the first half alone. Should play senior footy this year.

i thought Ward was good in his contests and presented well. thought his dispoal was up and down but overall a solid performance. took some solid marks to.

Grant was disappointing. couldnt get a sniff. dont think he registerd a score for the whole day. pressure was the only positive i thought.

the others were in and out of the game in Reid, Skipper, Stack and Street. IMO willy will win the flag and win it easy.

[Bulldog Revolution]

Thanks GVGjr for the insights into the VFL ressies

What I saw of the game on TV I was relatively pleased with the Sea-Dogs. Clearly Willi have a core of very good VFL players of their own, and probably more of them than I'd really expected. Hopefully our players development will still be prioritised in that set up.

Skipper and Street are obviously great assets for their structure and the dash and zip of OKeefe, Ward, Stack, Grant and Reid were mostly helpful but they are all relatively inexperienced at a VFL level and so its the Will guys who take more of the more prominent roles at this stage.

[The Doctor]

I'm a bit late with my comments but I'll offer them anyway. I was pleasantly surprised by the standard of play and this was made more appealing by the contrasting styles of either side. Pies tending to run and handball more and Willy tending to kick a bit longer.

I enjoyed the way Willy played and from what I saw definately a step up in standard from what I saw of Werribee last year. While it's early in the season, Seadogs > Beedogs.

Of the Doggies;

Callan Ward: I concur with the thought of others already posted but I'll add that while he was not best afield I thought he was the classiest player on the field. We do have a lot to look forward to. I hope he can have an injury free year and get a good solid season behind him in preparation for what lies ahead in the future. Don't be surprised if there is a surge in his form as he adapts more to playing at the faster pace before possibly seeing a dip later in the year as a gruelling season, study and physical immaturity take it's toll.

Peter Street: Doing much more around the ground than we are accustommed. Looked to link up often and generally disposed well. Good game from the big fella. Must be pressing for a senior spot.

Wade Skipper: Looks like he is nicely running into a bit of form after a long lay off. Kicked goals and contested well especially up forward. Some nice taps in marking contests to crumbers. Seemed to play a bit smarter by getting into good positions, knowing when to mark or when to bring it to ground, running to good spots etc. Probably needs a few more weeks to hit top form.

Guy O'Keefe: A terrific game from him. Always did something useful in possession and dangerous up forward. Nice player.

Brennan Stack: Showed glimpses of real flair and looked very classy on the move then would drop a simple mark. A mixed bag I suppose. I would like to see him inject himself into the play more. Maybe this will come.

Jarred Grant: Not his day today. Couldn't get into the play. Not sure if he was used as a decoy forward or what his role was but he wasn't the go to man up forward.

Sam Reid: Did what he had to do without doing much or without doing little. Was off the groung for a fair while with an ankle concern.

From Willy

I reckon Callum Urch should still be on AFL list. Hopefully it will be ours. He would add great depth to our side as he is a mature young player ready to come into his prime. He is very versatile and only injury has prevented him from becoming a decent player in my view.

[Raw Toast]

Thanks for the detailed report Doc.

I liked the way Ward seemed to keep bobbing up in the right places.

Skipper seemed really confident in the bits I saw which was a plus.

It looks like we might be developing a bit of depth, and the new alignment (with Gotch and Dalrymple) might be one of the best of our off-season changes.

How did you see O'Shea's game, and also that of Tim Walsh.

If Urch's hammies stay ok this year he could be a great pick up, and would be an excellent story as well.

[The Doctor]

How did you see O'Shea's game, and also that of Tim Walsh.



Didn't really notice O'Shea which is why I didn't make any comment.

Walsh had a fair game, especially from what we were used to seeing from him previously. Got a couple of lucky goals where it was put on a platter for him and a dodgy mark. But then again he put himself into position to make the most of his luck and if anyone ever deserved a decent run of luck it is Walsh. For a player his size I would have liked to see him exert more presence but in fairness his confidence is probably not all that high. This game may help him get some.

[Sockeye Salmon]

How did you see O'Shea's game, and also that of Tim Walsh.


O'Shea was barely sighted for the entire game. Took a good defensive mark early but would have been lucky to have had half a dozen touches. No howling errors, no fantastic spoils/marks/runs. Just a bonus to get senior VFL footy into him at this stage.

Walsh kicked 5 straight from - at a guess - 6 kicks and 2 handballs. His first goal was a banana from a standing start (handball receive) from about 20m out deep in the pocket. His second was a low mark on the lead that probably bounced, his third was a good contested mark from a high kick it that didn't really favour him. His fourth was a free in the square where a defender jumped on his head Josh Hill style and his fifth was another diving mark (sideways rather than on the lead) that probably hit the ground as well.

Grant was pretty bad. Ran around in circles and barely touched it. When he did do something right, like create a turnover he butchered the shot at goal.

Ward's game was the 'nearly' game. He nearly got enough of the ball, his disposal was nearly always on target, he even nearly took a strong mark in the goalsquare (roved by Nathan Lyons who goaled). Nothing quite came off for him. He has a very long body like Shane Birss and is much bigger than I imagined he would be.

Street and Skipper were both good and both look like they've bulked up a fair bit too. I thought it was just because they were playing against underdeveloped players but Street was playing on Chris Bryan. Street got more of the ball than you would expect and was prepared to play on and kick. He did drop a mark when competing against Brodie Holland and really, for someone who's 7 ft tall that shouldn't happen.

O'Keefe was really good and was one of Willi's better players. Don't think he's just a forward because he spent a fair bit of time up the ground and finished with 20 touches. He hardly ever handballs and his kicking is excellent.

Tiller was another who played fairly well at both ends. His body has caught up with him and he looks a lot better proportioned and co-ordinated these days. He's not the skinny prospective tall forward any more, he's a smooth moving, skillful flanker with an excellent build. I've been wondering what position Tiller could play in AFL but he could easily play forward or back flank without being shown up for agility. A year ago I thought he was strickly a forward pocket.

Stack started off terribly but improved (a bit) as the game went on. Very hesitant and had a bit of the 'Sam Power's" about him - no risks, kick 20m sideways. He's miles away from AFL footy at the moment and will probably get dropped to Willi reserves when Lockwood, Ray, Williams and Everitt come back.

Reid must have spent a lot of time on the bench because he was another one not seen for long periods. Got a lot of the ball in the last but his kicking needs plenty of work. Likes to run but needs to be a bit more selective about when. He's a fair size for a midfielder and well built for his age.



PS. Mike, Nathan Lyons is a beauty but looks a little too much like Nathan Brown. Played very well, marks above his height and is a good kick. He would be draftable.

[GVGjr]

O'Shea niggled away at Walsh nearly all game. Walsh did well not to get distracted by it.

It's good to see O'Shea getting some senior games with Williamstown but he also needs to get a bit of the footy if he is to improve on his decision making and skills.

[mjp]

PS. Mike, Nathan Lyons is a beauty but looks a little too much like Nathan Brown. Played very well, marks above his height and is a good kick. He would be draftable.

Nathan Lyons IS a beauty, isn't he. Good team footballer as well - understands that tackling, blocking etc is part of the game and does them well.

I suspect too many people have marked his cards though and he will never get an opportunity. As I understand it, there is one guy who thinks he can play (and he was at Melbourne but I think has moved to Richmond).

[Bulldog Revolution]

O'Shea niggled away at Walsh nearly all game. Walsh did well not to get distracted by it.

It's good to see O'Shea getting some senior games with Williamstown but he also needs to get a bit of the footy if he is to improve on his decision making and skills.

I thought OShea came off injured in the first half and was not sure that he went back on, but perhaps I am wrong.

Sockeye - I agree with many of your observations on the game. OKeefe spent more time in the second half in the centre square. Tillers game is really developing, and his kicking is becoming increasingly a feature of his game. Skipper has put on considerable muscle, and was solid up forward and on the ball. Street is doing far more around the ground, as a link man, than he has done previously and is kicking the ball a lot more trying to get quick forward entries.

I think I rated Stacks game a bit more than you though. I thought he did some good things, although a few of those short sideways kicks, but he did take some nice overhead marks and I like the development of him at half back. I dont think he is far off playing very good senior VFL footy.

[Raw Toast]

Thanks for that SS, another great report to read and enjoy.

From the little I saw I really liked Tiller's willingness to throw himself into contests, and to get the ball moving quickly. I agree that he looks much more versatile now - his selection prospects have probably been hurt a bit by the recruitment of Walsh but should get a chance sometime this year, and I'm increasingly confident that he might make a decent fist of it.

[hujsh]

From Doggies site


Big win for Williamstown



11:45 AM Tue 08 April, 2008


Undefeated sides Williamstown and Collingwood met in bright sunny conditions at Burbank Oval. Williamstown made three changes from its side that defeated Werribee in Round 1. Dean Galea returned from suspension, Brennan Stack returned from injury and young Western Bulldogs draftee Sam Reid was promoted from the reserves. Out of the side went the injured Liam Picken, suspended Cameron Lockwood and Jarrod Harbrow was promoted to the Bulldogs senior side.

1st Quarter

Williamstown started brilliantly with Bulldog’s Peter Street continuing his fine form and Wayde Skipper kicked the opening goal. Jason Cloke was a dominant player in the midfield and David Stretton was providing plenty of drive from his wing. Collingwood looked dangerous as Chris Dawes, Tim Walsh and Ryan Cook kicked goals. Patrick Rose snapped a fine goal and although inaccurate kicking for goal was proving costly, Williamstown led by nine points at quarter time.

¼ Time: Williamstown 4.6.30 Collingwood 3.3.21

2nd Quarter

The second quarter proved to be a shootout with both sides kicking seven goals. On two occasions Williamstown opened up a 26 point lead only for Collingwood to respond with goals from Walsh, Nigel Carmody, Daniel Nicholls and Brodie Holland. Williamstown’s multi pronged attack of Callum Urch, Galea, Skipper and Bulldog Jarrad Grant with crumbers Rose, Nathan Lyons and Ben Jolley continued to put the Magpie defence under pressure. James Beaumont was continuing his fine form and took a great mark and then converted with a goal.

½ Time: Williamstown 11.7.73 Collingwood 10.5.65

3rd Quarter

Williamstown opened the third quarter in attacking mode with Brett Johnson, Bulldog’s Guy O’Keefe and Callan Ward dominating the midfield. In defence Adam Cook, Scott Meyer and Bulldog’s Paul O’Shea and Stephen Tiller were providing plenty of rebound. Collingwood responded with Shane McDonald kicking consecutive goals but the Seagulls seemed to be strengthening their grip on the game with goals to Rose and Galea before the last break.

¾ Time: Williamstown 16.11.107 Collingwood 13.8.86

4th Quarter

Williamstown was very conscious that Collingwood overran Port Melbourne in the final quarter in Round 1 and Brad Gotch implored his players to stand and deliver in the final quarter. The final 30 minutes saw Williamstown completely dominate the game and responded by kicking nine goals to one to run out winners by 68 points.

Final scores: Williamstown 25.12 (162) Collingwood 14.10 (94)

Goalkickers: Rose 5, Galea 4, Urch 3, Skipper 3, Johnson 2, Jolley 2, O’Keefe 2, Lyons 2, Beaumont 1, Stretton 1

Best Players: Johnson, Cloke, Rose, Galea, O’Keefe, Stretton

Reserves Wrap

Round 1 of the Reserves Competition saw Williamstown with a bye and as a result Williamstown played Box Hill in a Practice Match.

Williamstown 3.3 6.4 12.7 17.13 (115)
Box Hill 2.2 4.4 5.4 8.6 (54)

Goalkickers: Dickson 3, Boyd 2, Boumann 2, Graham 2, White 1, Black 1, Young 1, Cartelli 1, Knight 1, Miller 1, Clark 1, Jenkins 1

Best Players: Lockwood, White, Young, Dickson, Cravino, Black