Summer Loving - The intra club game

[LostDoggy]

Todays game was the first major hit out before the NAB cup campaign.
I arrived a the ground early actually about an hour before the game started it was already very warm and it was tipped to get a lot warmer.
The players were already on the training track and most noticeable was the rehab group who were all working together

Walsh, Hargrave, Stack, Cooney, Hahn, Murphy and Eagleton went through various drills.
Eagleton does not appear to be to far away and Hargrave was running well but I suspect he is not as far advanced as the club has been indicating. Muprhy and Hahn worked very hard today and Walsh had a lighter session.

Missing from the training track was Grant, Darcy, Morris, Robbins, Tiller, Hughes, Baird, MWest and Street.

The match itself was the Bulldogs Jumpers vs the Red Jumpers however, given the number of players missing it was a fairly lackluster contest.

Some of the noticeable match ups were.
Wight vs McDougall with Wight performing above expectations
Everitt vs Hill with Hill trashing Everitt in what was an impressive display. If Hill can improve his kicking then he will be a fine player. He also kicked the first goal of the day.
Minson vs Skipper in the ruck and I would have had Skipper in front
Akermanis vs Gilbee with both players doing very well. As a side note Rohan Smith yelled out to Gilbee early that there was plenty of goal kicking opportunities for him off half back.
Aker just gave a grin.
Power vs Johnson was a very one sided result to Johnson who is in great form.


Pask played forward and did OK, Hill, Lynch and Harbrow are exciting. Harbrow did some unbelievable things but at times made some poor decisions.
Cam Faulkner got plenty of it but let himself down with his kicking and one or two times he just fumbled too often even when he was in the clear.

The standouts of the day were mainly from the established of Griffen, Johnson, West, Higgins who was sensational, Skipper, Gilbee Cross and Akermans

A number of Werribee list players also played today.

I can try to answer any questions and will write a bit more later today

[Dry Rot]

Who played on Griffen and Higgins?

[LostDoggy]

Who played on Griffen and Higgins?

A bit hard to say. There was heaps of midfield changes however both players played mainly in the middle. Griffen is in prime form and he was often the target for the kick outs in a one on one contested situation so that he run the carry the ball for 2 or 3 bounces and then drive it long into the forward line. Gilbee seemed very adept at spotting him and delivering it too him perfectly.
Higgins was good in the clinches and very good running with the ball. I didn't think he was as quick as he displayed today. The occasional kicking error but he is going to be a great replacement for Scott West one day.

[GVGjr]

I was very impressed with Gilbee today. He really has become a composed football capable of playing against the games best players. His was very good against Aker and exploited any errors in concerntration or skill by Aker when they were match-up.

Griffen is just progressing beyond belief. He just moves so well and shrugs off tackles so easily plus hurts teams with his kicking. I was talking to someone in the crowd today who compared him to Tim Watson. I'm not sure if that is a good or bad thing. :)

The club must be very happy with their selection of Higgins. He is a versatile midfielder and uses the ball well. He doesn't mind it in traffic either which bodes well for the future. On todays effort he should be a regular senior player all season.

McMahon was good today and ran the ball so very well. His kicking skills were also what you would normally expect from him.. I can see him spending some more time in the midfield in 2007.

Johnson, Cross and West just never miss a beat and Ray and Giansiracusa look like they have another level. Monty was his typical crafty self.

Addison made some errors but glimpses of his ability. Harbrow is super quick and exciting as is Lynch and Hill has some nice height and jumping abilities.

McDougall was too quiet and I have some questions over Pask.

Not a great preparation for our NAB chances but our midfield could be very dangerous.

Morris's injury is a soft tissue one but he should be right for next week.

[Dry Rot]

McDougall was too quiet and I have some questions over Pask.

Not a great preparation for our NAB chances but our midfield could be very dangerous.



And with Darcy out, it's business as usual with no tall forwards for next week.

[GVGjr]

And with Darcy out, it's business as usual with no tall forwards for next week.

Looks like it. No Robbins either to help Johnson out as leading targets.

[Raw Toast]

Who will we play up forward against the Swannies?

I can't see McDougall starting, though he might get a place on the extended bench. I'm not that convinced about Pask either but at least he was offering a contest. Monty was good up forward early so I guess he'll get a gig. And perhaps Hill will as well, though he seems very slight and might need to work on second efforts in some situations...

I know we've spoken about it before, but Griffen's a chance to play CHF next week.

[bulldogtragic]

One thing i noticed is with a few talls the ball is coming to ground nicely for crumbers. Sometimes today it was done well, and at other times looked like we haven't had a tall drop it down at their feet. Gotta improve in this area if we're going to play talls.

[GVGjr]

Who will we play up forward against the Swannies?

I can't see McDougall starting, though he might get a place on the extended bench. I'm not that convinced about Pask either but at least he was offering a contest. Monty was good up forward early so I guess he'll get a gig. And perhaps Hill will as well, though he seems very slight and might need to work on second efforts in some situations...

I know we've spoken about it before, but Griffen's a chance to play CHF next week.

I think you are spot on about Pask and McDougall. Doogs should be on the bench with Street not likely to be ready and so that he can support Minson and Skipper in the ruck.
Griffen at CHF might work but I think he is better value kicking the ball into the forward line.

I guess the only certainties up forward are Aker and Johnson at the moment but with a heap of guys pressing their claims.

By the way Morris being out is a concern although the club is hosing it down. I heard him tell Kretiuk that he put on 3kg in the off season and that his arms were a lot bigger. Kretiuk looked very fit.
Atkins was there and mentioned that he is very excited about this year.

[Raw Toast]

Todays game was the first major hit out before the NAB cup campaign.
I arrived a the ground early actually about an hour before the game started it was already very warm and it was tipped to get a lot warmer.
The players were already on the training track and most noticeable was the rehab group who were all working together

Walsh, Hargrave, Stack, Cooney, Hahn, Murphy and Eagleton went through various drills.
Eagleton does not appear to be to far away and Hargrave was running well but I suspect he is not as far advanced as the club has been indicating. Muprhy and Hahn worked very hard today and Walsh had a lighter session.

Missing from the training track was Grant, Darcy, Morris, Robbins, Tiller, Hughes, Baird, MWest and Street.

The match itself was the Bulldogs Jumpers vs the Red Jumpers however, given the number of players missing it was a fairly lackluster contest.

Some of the noticeable match ups were.
Wight vs McDougall with Wight performing above expectations
Everitt vs Hill with Hill trashing Everitt in what was an impressive display. If Hill can improve his kicking then he will be a fine player. He also kicked the first goal of the day.
Minson vs Skipper in the ruck and I would have had Skipper in front
Akermanis vs Gilbee with both players doing very well. As a side note Rohan Smith yelled out to Gilbee early that there was plenty of goal kicking opportunities for him off half back.
Aker just gave a grin.
Power vs Johnson was a very one sided result to Johnson who is in great form.


Pask played forward and did OK, Hill, Lynch and Harbrow are exciting. Harbrow did some unbelievable things but at times made some poor decisions.
Cam Faulkner got plenty of it but let himself down with his kicking and one or two times he just fumbled too often even when he was in the clear.

The standouts of the day were mainly from the established of Griffen, Johnson, West, Higgins who was sensational, Skipper, Gilbee Cross and Akermans

A number of Werribee list players also played today.

I can try to answer any questions and will write a bit more later today

Good report Billy.

I agree that Wight was very impressive. Seems both to be developing the ability to read the play, to contest well and to create as well. Of course his opposition wasn't that good but the signs are promising for him.

I didn't think Hill thrashed Everitt - for mine Everitt kept him under control for fair portions of the game, and then towards the end they both got a bit of it. Hill finished in front and might get a pre-season game, but I don't think Everitt is too far behind.

I also thought Power was ok against Johnson. Power arguably had the toughest gig on the ground and while Johnno got some easy goals, Power beat him in a few contests and was better on the ground I reckon, and also created well. Johnson's work rate is pretty amazing though, and Power didn't play him close enough at times for mine.

Aker's game was probably more noticeable for the way he set up others through quick hands and feet and good vision, than for the spectacular goals (of which he didn't kick any). Kind of more a Scott West game. He looked to me to play more in the middle than anywhere else, and showed he'll certainly be able to contribute there as well as up forward.

For me Higgins looked like a mini Johnson - just moved so nicely whenever he was up forward. Ray didn't have many clues when Higgins dragged him back, but Higgins also found space on other defenders and was good when it hit the ground.

I also thought Faulkner's disposal was generally impressive. Hit a few players lace out and seemed to give it off quick and well, as a rule, instead of trying to do too much. Did fluff his across the body pass though (he's fluffed everyone of those I've seen him try).

The Skipper Minson duel seems to have led to very different conclusions. I was surprised at how much Skipper got it, and while Skip dropped an easy mark, he was much better than I thought he would be. Minson didn't seem to do much to me, but others had him winning hte duel.

[bornadog]

What shape is Minson? Has he put on weight or is he a bit leaner and fitter? His fitness is a big concern as he just can't play too long without huffing and puffing.

[GVGjr]

What shape is Minson? Has he put on weight or is he a bit leaner and fitter? His fitness is a big concern as he just can't play too long without huffing and puffing.

He looks real fit and strong but wasn't convincing today. I agree about his fitness level although everyone was huffing and puffing today. He needs a good hair cut thats for sure. :)

[Twodogs]

Yesterday was a hard one to judge player fitness-it was just so hot.

[westdog54]

Yesterday was a hard one to judge player fitness-it was just so hot.

Agreed. We were struggling just sitting in the stands.

For me the stand-out in terms of improvement out of sight was Higgins. He was everywhere and anywhere and played extremely well. Worked very well in the forward line.

And as others have stated, its getting a bit repetitive, but I could watch Lindsay Gilbee's kicking all day. You name me another player who can hit 80 metre drop punts, or hit a target laces out 50 metres away 10 times out of 10

[Go_Dogs]

How did Dmac go? Heard a lot of conflicting reports on him so far.

Very happy with the news on Faulkner and McMahon though.

[GVGjr]

How did Dmac go? Heard a lot of conflicting reports on him so far.

Very happy with the news on Faulkner and McMahon though.

D-Mac went OK but not much better than that. I thought he stalled a bit late last year and I haven't seen that much progression in his since. Addison shows a bit though.

[Go_Dogs]

I wouldn't be surprised to see Addison running off a half back flank by years end. How do you rate his defensive skills?

[GVGjr]

I wouldn't be surprised to see Addison running off a half back flank by years end. How do you rate his defensive skills?


He gives away a few free kicks and he needs to get a bit tougher in a contest but he has all the attributes that are needed for a rangy HBF. With a bit more development he will be a good player for us.