Dear Dan,
You might have noticed that our teams unexpected success - I think avid readers would recall that you were calling for the coach's head only 12 weeks ago, but that and your opinion on the tenure of our coach would be interesting reading for another time - has coincided with overseas travel.
After round 3 things were not looking so good and our friend Rob went overseas, and we started to win, he came back and we lost a couple and then you went overseas and we started winning again ... I think it might be realistic for you to consider going away again.
There has been a disturbing trend that has emerged in the aftermath of the Drew Petrie show against the Bulldogs. Facing the media both Drew and Dean made somewhat disturbing references to "actioning the moment." In the dizzy hysteria that followed this game it was easy to think that this was some nonsensical phrasing that had been used to inspire a team that surely needed no inspiration. One more cheap motivational ploy in the pantheon of cheap motivational ploys - hats in the ring etc.
But ever since that time there have been repeated references in the club's increasing media coverage to "the moment" and "being in the moment" and other variations on this inane expression. I am now attempting to introduce references to "the moment" into my daily speech. I can definitely detect a theme for they year.
Maybe there are some things that are better of unspoken. Still, it has to better than Corey Jones self-motivational document based on a word starting with each letter of Whycheproof.
I look forward to seeing you on Sunday so we can "action the moment."
Justin
20.7.07
13.7.07
A fatwa on the Australia network
Dear Justin,
Well, as you know I've spent the past three weeks in Cambodia and Sri Lanka.
Sadly, this meant that I missed attending the Great Man's 300th. I was in fact in a hotel room in Phnom Penh with cable TV, including the Australia Network, at the relevant moment. But, to add particular insult to the injury of missing the game, some nuff nuff had decided that the Adelaide-West Coast and Collingwood-Hawthorn games should be shown to the world, so I missed out altogether. I will bear a grudge for life. Surely showing the Great Man (and the great team) would build understanding and respect for our nation overseas. No wonder, forced as our neighbours are to watch crap like Adelaide's gameplan, some have come to hate our way of life.
Once again demonstrating the uncanny knack for the big occasion, the Australia Network did decide to telecast the North-Richmond game. I had left my Phnom Penh by that time, and was in Bangkok, in a much nicer hotel, but without football coverage. I gather I missed very little of note, apart from the continued resurgence of Drew Petrie. AGAIN no coverage of North this week here in Sri Lanka. Endless coverage of Collingwood and Hawthorn.
Many people, as Denis would have said, do not want to see North Melbourne Football Club succeed. Clearly, this extends to television executives and foreign affair department types at the Australia Network.
I'll be back in time for the Melbourne game on Sunday the 22nd. I hope to see you then, and hope that we can beat the dees without the heart failure and frustration from last time. And shout at your telly loudly for me this week.
Dan
Well, as you know I've spent the past three weeks in Cambodia and Sri Lanka.
Sadly, this meant that I missed attending the Great Man's 300th. I was in fact in a hotel room in Phnom Penh with cable TV, including the Australia Network, at the relevant moment. But, to add particular insult to the injury of missing the game, some nuff nuff had decided that the Adelaide-West Coast and Collingwood-Hawthorn games should be shown to the world, so I missed out altogether. I will bear a grudge for life. Surely showing the Great Man (and the great team) would build understanding and respect for our nation overseas. No wonder, forced as our neighbours are to watch crap like Adelaide's gameplan, some have come to hate our way of life.
Once again demonstrating the uncanny knack for the big occasion, the Australia Network did decide to telecast the North-Richmond game. I had left my Phnom Penh by that time, and was in Bangkok, in a much nicer hotel, but without football coverage. I gather I missed very little of note, apart from the continued resurgence of Drew Petrie. AGAIN no coverage of North this week here in Sri Lanka. Endless coverage of Collingwood and Hawthorn.
Many people, as Denis would have said, do not want to see North Melbourne Football Club succeed. Clearly, this extends to television executives and foreign affair department types at the Australia Network.
I'll be back in time for the Melbourne game on Sunday the 22nd. I hope to see you then, and hope that we can beat the dees without the heart failure and frustration from last time. And shout at your telly loudly for me this week.
Dan
27.6.07
300 cheers for our glenn
Dear Dan,
Some time ago a friend of mine and I had this idea that we would start a blog about our football team. We thought it would be great to use this idea that we would write to each other in a hopefully insightful and occasionally humorous way. It seemed to start of ok and I even got a couple of messages from my friend when I was remiss in posting to the blog. But for a while now I haven't heard from my friend ... I am still waiting for his tribute to simmo in honour of his 250th game.
Anyway, I don't quite know what to do about my friend? What do you think?
And this week is quite the week. 300 games for our Glenn Archer. Such an amazing footballer - the media has been full of the typical cliches and tributes one would normally associate with glenn, but there is something special and intangible about our glenn that is only really appreciable to the north melbourne supporter. more than just being the "heart and soul" of the club he represents something human that we can identify with more than just being a footballer. the way that he took care of stevo and dragged the club into the finals when they could have fallen apart. the image of arch and stevo being chaired of the ground in round one 2002 is one of the most moving of football memories.
i think that it was martin flanagan who once wrote that glenn archer was rare in a footballer in that the more you knew of him the more you wanted to know.
the 90s was a time to savour and arch seems to symbolise the pagan era of uncompromising football where victory never seemed impossible and the opposition was already at a disadvantage before the game had even begun.
an undersized archer regularly beating matthew richardson, being thrown forward, punching goalposts, cursing weak willed opponents and just never ever giving in.
and now the cement truck in footy shorts is almost at the end, but before then there is the opportunity to give him the recognition, appreciation and thanks he deserves.
See you on sunday,
Justin
Some time ago a friend of mine and I had this idea that we would start a blog about our football team. We thought it would be great to use this idea that we would write to each other in a hopefully insightful and occasionally humorous way. It seemed to start of ok and I even got a couple of messages from my friend when I was remiss in posting to the blog. But for a while now I haven't heard from my friend ... I am still waiting for his tribute to simmo in honour of his 250th game.
Anyway, I don't quite know what to do about my friend? What do you think?
And this week is quite the week. 300 games for our Glenn Archer. Such an amazing footballer - the media has been full of the typical cliches and tributes one would normally associate with glenn, but there is something special and intangible about our glenn that is only really appreciable to the north melbourne supporter. more than just being the "heart and soul" of the club he represents something human that we can identify with more than just being a footballer. the way that he took care of stevo and dragged the club into the finals when they could have fallen apart. the image of arch and stevo being chaired of the ground in round one 2002 is one of the most moving of football memories.
i think that it was martin flanagan who once wrote that glenn archer was rare in a footballer in that the more you knew of him the more you wanted to know.
the 90s was a time to savour and arch seems to symbolise the pagan era of uncompromising football where victory never seemed impossible and the opposition was already at a disadvantage before the game had even begun.
an undersized archer regularly beating matthew richardson, being thrown forward, punching goalposts, cursing weak willed opponents and just never ever giving in.
and now the cement truck in footy shorts is almost at the end, but before then there is the opportunity to give him the recognition, appreciation and thanks he deserves.
See you on sunday,
Justin
28.5.07
bert's favourite number is six
Dear Dan,
At the moment I think that I am taking greater comfort from the bigger picture. It's great to look at the ladder and see that we are in sixth, having won six in a row for the first time since 1999. That's the kind of happy thought any well-meaning north supporter can relate to. It's only when you start thinking about the sixth of those "wins" that it gets more complicated.
It started out like any normal day at the footy - and in some ways i guess it ended like a normal day at the footy - and all seemed well. There was a bit of a shaky start but we were always looking comfortable if only due to the fact that melbourne seemed more inept than i would have thought possible.
There were some lucky goals, there were some frees we should have had but didn't and they missed some shots as well as making continual errors. Of course, we were able to be entertained by their pre-historic duo - neanderthal jamar and cro-magnon neitz - which is always the best part of playing melbourne. unfortunately, we weren't seated near that crazy dee woman who wears one red and one blue glove and, for some not obvious reason, yells out "play it again, sam" at regular intervals.
the game itself was tedious, and even shagger's four-goal second quarter was oddly amateurish. despite our wasted third quarter dominance it seemed as though we were headed to a comfortable win. of course, a comfortable win is something that we, as north supporters, appear to have no acquaintance with. why, i ask you, why cannot there be the occasional crushing, the run away victory, the game so far beyond doubt that not even we could lose?
it feels like in most games we have got to some point that is 5 to 7 goals in front before the inevitable begins ... as you know i had enough and had to vacate my seat about halfway through the melbourne version of the inevitable due to extreme stress and frustration. unable to find a car to overturn and set alight i paced the standing room enclosure which was sparsely populated with a few north supporters who wore the expressions of people who had been trapped in front of some repeatedly painful episode of hey dad.
at this point i was engaged in frustrated conversation with one of our fellow roos who had been similarly driven to leave his seat in search of plastic explosives. by the time they were one goal behind i was resigned to the inevitability of our defeat - there appeared to be no way we could get the ball out of our backline, let alone win. in this state of zen calmness i started chatting with jane and stefanie (a two-week old new roo). not even corey jones' repeated errors or the surprise of brady rawlings missing an easy goal held any earthly meaning for me.
the final siren came and we had won. but had we? sure, we have the "four points" but could i sing the song? no.
i read with interest this morning that the team spends a lot of time practising what to do if they are behind in the last five minutes of a match and wondering whether this practise had some subtle psychological effect that leads the team to create the circumstances where this practise has some application.
can't we do more of that practise of being 15 goals up at the 20 minute mark of the last quarter, so a win can be enjoyed properly?
i don't think this is too much to ask.
Justin
At the moment I think that I am taking greater comfort from the bigger picture. It's great to look at the ladder and see that we are in sixth, having won six in a row for the first time since 1999. That's the kind of happy thought any well-meaning north supporter can relate to. It's only when you start thinking about the sixth of those "wins" that it gets more complicated.
It started out like any normal day at the footy - and in some ways i guess it ended like a normal day at the footy - and all seemed well. There was a bit of a shaky start but we were always looking comfortable if only due to the fact that melbourne seemed more inept than i would have thought possible.
There were some lucky goals, there were some frees we should have had but didn't and they missed some shots as well as making continual errors. Of course, we were able to be entertained by their pre-historic duo - neanderthal jamar and cro-magnon neitz - which is always the best part of playing melbourne. unfortunately, we weren't seated near that crazy dee woman who wears one red and one blue glove and, for some not obvious reason, yells out "play it again, sam" at regular intervals.
the game itself was tedious, and even shagger's four-goal second quarter was oddly amateurish. despite our wasted third quarter dominance it seemed as though we were headed to a comfortable win. of course, a comfortable win is something that we, as north supporters, appear to have no acquaintance with. why, i ask you, why cannot there be the occasional crushing, the run away victory, the game so far beyond doubt that not even we could lose?
it feels like in most games we have got to some point that is 5 to 7 goals in front before the inevitable begins ... as you know i had enough and had to vacate my seat about halfway through the melbourne version of the inevitable due to extreme stress and frustration. unable to find a car to overturn and set alight i paced the standing room enclosure which was sparsely populated with a few north supporters who wore the expressions of people who had been trapped in front of some repeatedly painful episode of hey dad.
at this point i was engaged in frustrated conversation with one of our fellow roos who had been similarly driven to leave his seat in search of plastic explosives. by the time they were one goal behind i was resigned to the inevitability of our defeat - there appeared to be no way we could get the ball out of our backline, let alone win. in this state of zen calmness i started chatting with jane and stefanie (a two-week old new roo). not even corey jones' repeated errors or the surprise of brady rawlings missing an easy goal held any earthly meaning for me.
the final siren came and we had won. but had we? sure, we have the "four points" but could i sing the song? no.
i read with interest this morning that the team spends a lot of time practising what to do if they are behind in the last five minutes of a match and wondering whether this practise had some subtle psychological effect that leads the team to create the circumstances where this practise has some application.
can't we do more of that practise of being 15 goals up at the 20 minute mark of the last quarter, so a win can be enjoyed properly?
i don't think this is too much to ask.
Justin
13.5.07
Watching the football with my sister
Dear Justin,
Let me apologise for being so slow to reply. But what a fortnight it has been for North Melbourne! First a good win over Sydney, of which we were able to watch half together, followed by the defeat of Ess'tn - a less impressive performance, perhaps, but a more satisfying win. And we find ourselves in the eight, with Carlton and Melbourne in the next two rounds.
Suddenly we look like a decent side. Our midfield has a good combination of ball-getters - with Harris, Swallow, Simpson and Grima - and faster, skillful players like Wells and Harvey. Our no-name defence is looking ok, with Firrito and Gibbo doing the job, Pratty having fewer brain fades than previous years, Arch being Arch (I loved that 50 he gave away this week), and Smith coming in and looking a million dollars. And as for our forward line, people just keep bobbing up and doing to the job - Petrie, Brown, Grant, Boomer, Campbell and of course Edwards (more on him later).
I've had the chance these past two weeks to watch the footy with my sister Em. As you know, Em and I became fanatics together in the early to mid 90s, including going to training (when no one else in the world seemed to) and watching Denis coach the under 19s at Arden St. Watching with Em is a reminder of how much football has changed - for starters, Glenn Freeborn no longer wears 17, nor Mark Lisle 1. Also, she noticed how negatively we barracked, as if expecting to lose - whereas in the mid to late 90s we always thought we'd win. That's true, although if she'd lived through some of our last quarter fadeouts of late, she might change her style. And, without sounding like a 3AW talkback caller, footy is softer these days (Glenn Archer excepted).
Anyway, watching the footy on TV at home on Friday, we found a new favourite, wearing Darren Crocker's old number (As an aside, it's nice to have someone worthy of the jumper again - no offence to John Baird and that lumpy young forward... what was his name?). Although Edwards started slowly, once he got going he was very important... it's great to have someone who can mark the ball again. She started to call him 'Sticky', as in Sticky Fingers. I like it.
No doubt being at the game was great. After the Sydney game there was plenty of spontaneous singing of the club song, as there has been in previous years when we've beaten Essendon. No doubt the same thing happened on Friday.
Speak soon,
Dan
Let me apologise for being so slow to reply. But what a fortnight it has been for North Melbourne! First a good win over Sydney, of which we were able to watch half together, followed by the defeat of Ess'tn - a less impressive performance, perhaps, but a more satisfying win. And we find ourselves in the eight, with Carlton and Melbourne in the next two rounds.
Suddenly we look like a decent side. Our midfield has a good combination of ball-getters - with Harris, Swallow, Simpson and Grima - and faster, skillful players like Wells and Harvey. Our no-name defence is looking ok, with Firrito and Gibbo doing the job, Pratty having fewer brain fades than previous years, Arch being Arch (I loved that 50 he gave away this week), and Smith coming in and looking a million dollars. And as for our forward line, people just keep bobbing up and doing to the job - Petrie, Brown, Grant, Boomer, Campbell and of course Edwards (more on him later).
I've had the chance these past two weeks to watch the footy with my sister Em. As you know, Em and I became fanatics together in the early to mid 90s, including going to training (when no one else in the world seemed to) and watching Denis coach the under 19s at Arden St. Watching with Em is a reminder of how much football has changed - for starters, Glenn Freeborn no longer wears 17, nor Mark Lisle 1. Also, she noticed how negatively we barracked, as if expecting to lose - whereas in the mid to late 90s we always thought we'd win. That's true, although if she'd lived through some of our last quarter fadeouts of late, she might change her style. And, without sounding like a 3AW talkback caller, footy is softer these days (Glenn Archer excepted).
Anyway, watching the footy on TV at home on Friday, we found a new favourite, wearing Darren Crocker's old number (As an aside, it's nice to have someone worthy of the jumper again - no offence to John Baird and that lumpy young forward... what was his name?). Although Edwards started slowly, once he got going he was very important... it's great to have someone who can mark the ball again. She started to call him 'Sticky', as in Sticky Fingers. I like it.
No doubt being at the game was great. After the Sydney game there was plenty of spontaneous singing of the club song, as there has been in previous years when we've beaten Essendon. No doubt the same thing happened on Friday.
Speak soon,
Dan
30.4.07
highway to heaven
good evening daniel,
despite the title of this post there will not be a discussion of little house on the prairie and other tediously good-willed christian drama. this is all about just how great an afternoon sunday was.
as you know i have been fairly positive about our form this year - with the exception of the indoor debacle against hawthorn of which the less that is said the better - and i was optimistic about our chances against gee-long.
it was truly a great victory, and ultimately satisfying because it was built on an unwavering attack on the ball and the opposition. it was as if the determination and resolve that characterised the pagan era had been reawakened. the relentlessness was too much for geelong and was entirely heartening. i see that dean has labeled this as potentially a turning point for the team and also used the opportunity to throw in the word "imprimatur" in a reminder of the way that he played the game. i noticed that this reminiscence did not include any reference to exceedingly tight shorts or a shocking mullet. still, if the team keeps playing with this type of attitude he may well be coaching in 2008.
our simmo was magnificent all day and his hard work in and around the packs was decisive, his constant presence meant that we were going to win more of the contested possession and he was ably assisted by daniel harris and andrew swallow. it was pleasing to see that swallow's kicking was better and that he wasn't being run down from behind.
and what about hamish? he looks like he can barely run with the weight of his enormous freak head but he has been great - the absence of david hale has not been keenly felt (speaking of which the club is advertising the AFLPA mother of the year award, although it is unclear if yvonne hale has been nominated for any awards). according to the age hamish is the second best player in the competition this year. his skills around the park have been great and his ruckwork continues to improve.
i was also impressed with aaron edwards - his hands are excellent - who works hard and uses the ball well. i have a feeling that a bag of goals is just around the corner for him and i have the surveillance tapes to prove it. josh gibson and michael firrito were excellent in the backline and it seems that they are given a little latitude if they continue to provide attacking options. arch was good again, although he does seem to be averse to having an opponent these days.
i do wonder, though, about shagger. had the umpiring been more sensible he may well have finished with four or five goals, but he seems to have lost a little of what zip he still had and even though he reads the play beautifully he can no longer find the space take advantage of this.
this week against sydney will be a real test. hopefully, we can keep the ball moving quickly and avoid being bogged down in the kind of game that sydney love. apparently, adam goodes has been offered a week by the match review tribunal although, like in the case of adam selwood, he may be found guilty and innocent all at the same time. we have really struggled with goodes in the past and this would be a bonus if he were to miss. they also seem to have a couple of injuries which could also help us out.
our selections will be interesting - will jesse smith be brought back for corey jones? will hale come in, if so, for who? will leigh brown play yet another game of ineffective swill - well, most probably. does lindsay thomas come back in? who plays on hall - i would think spud would get the job, but there don't appear to be too many other options. watt is quick enough but would get touched up as both he and brown have in the past. petrie is probably too slow and he may be used in the forward line again, although this is a worrying tactic. gibson may be the next in line but i think he will play o'loughlin and watt or green will play on o'keefe.
i wonder, also, whether two hard games will start to take a toll on some of the younger players ... still if we keep winning i am sure that there will be no feelings of tiredness.
lets keep this roll a'rolling ...
justin
despite the title of this post there will not be a discussion of little house on the prairie and other tediously good-willed christian drama. this is all about just how great an afternoon sunday was.
as you know i have been fairly positive about our form this year - with the exception of the indoor debacle against hawthorn of which the less that is said the better - and i was optimistic about our chances against gee-long.
it was truly a great victory, and ultimately satisfying because it was built on an unwavering attack on the ball and the opposition. it was as if the determination and resolve that characterised the pagan era had been reawakened. the relentlessness was too much for geelong and was entirely heartening. i see that dean has labeled this as potentially a turning point for the team and also used the opportunity to throw in the word "imprimatur" in a reminder of the way that he played the game. i noticed that this reminiscence did not include any reference to exceedingly tight shorts or a shocking mullet. still, if the team keeps playing with this type of attitude he may well be coaching in 2008.
our simmo was magnificent all day and his hard work in and around the packs was decisive, his constant presence meant that we were going to win more of the contested possession and he was ably assisted by daniel harris and andrew swallow. it was pleasing to see that swallow's kicking was better and that he wasn't being run down from behind.
and what about hamish? he looks like he can barely run with the weight of his enormous freak head but he has been great - the absence of david hale has not been keenly felt (speaking of which the club is advertising the AFLPA mother of the year award, although it is unclear if yvonne hale has been nominated for any awards). according to the age hamish is the second best player in the competition this year. his skills around the park have been great and his ruckwork continues to improve.
i was also impressed with aaron edwards - his hands are excellent - who works hard and uses the ball well. i have a feeling that a bag of goals is just around the corner for him and i have the surveillance tapes to prove it. josh gibson and michael firrito were excellent in the backline and it seems that they are given a little latitude if they continue to provide attacking options. arch was good again, although he does seem to be averse to having an opponent these days.
i do wonder, though, about shagger. had the umpiring been more sensible he may well have finished with four or five goals, but he seems to have lost a little of what zip he still had and even though he reads the play beautifully he can no longer find the space take advantage of this.
this week against sydney will be a real test. hopefully, we can keep the ball moving quickly and avoid being bogged down in the kind of game that sydney love. apparently, adam goodes has been offered a week by the match review tribunal although, like in the case of adam selwood, he may be found guilty and innocent all at the same time. we have really struggled with goodes in the past and this would be a bonus if he were to miss. they also seem to have a couple of injuries which could also help us out.
our selections will be interesting - will jesse smith be brought back for corey jones? will hale come in, if so, for who? will leigh brown play yet another game of ineffective swill - well, most probably. does lindsay thomas come back in? who plays on hall - i would think spud would get the job, but there don't appear to be too many other options. watt is quick enough but would get touched up as both he and brown have in the past. petrie is probably too slow and he may be used in the forward line again, although this is a worrying tactic. gibson may be the next in line but i think he will play o'loughlin and watt or green will play on o'keefe.
i wonder, also, whether two hard games will start to take a toll on some of the younger players ... still if we keep winning i am sure that there will be no feelings of tiredness.
lets keep this roll a'rolling ...
justin
22.4.07
Everything suddenly seems ok
Dear Justin,
Well, everything suddenly feels a lot better after a win: only our first win, a win against a fellow struggler, a win described in the paper as scrappy, but a win nonetheless.
Now I know you didn't have the chance to see the game, so I'll try to be a little more descriptive than usual. We went in to the match small - much too small, in my (pre-match) view. But Dean pulled a surprise by playing Firrito on their Brown, freeing up Petrie to play (ineffectually) at full-forward and in the ruck. Our Brown also played forward (more on that later).
We started well. Shagga had more touches in the first ten minutes than he did last week. Uncharacteristically, we took our chances while they didn't. I remember good goals from Wells, Thomas and Brown. Their Brown was inaccurate, as he would be throughout. Although they could have matched us if they'd kicked straight, on balance we were still on top in the middle.
In the second quarter, things turned around. Their midfield got right on top, although they still couldn't kick for goal. So, although we were just up a halftime, you'd have to say that you felt they might run over the top of us, a la the past few weeks (as they'd say in Paris).
However, we managed to turn things around in the midfield in the second half. Wells and Simmo, in particular, were instrumental in this (each had 18 touches in the second half). Monster continued to ruck well (more on that below too). In fact, we failed to capitalise on our dominance in the third - due not so much to kicking for goal, but due to such incompetence as CJ dropping two chest marks on his own, 30 from goal, in two minutes.
So we started the last about a goal up. Thanks in part to a gem of a soccer goal from Hamish, we found ourselves two goals up as the game tightened. It looked like we were going to go negative and try to lose it. But thankfully Arch went crazy tackling and smothering, and we hung in in defence. And then, for the first time in a long time, we kicked two late goals so that the margin flattered us (including a ripper from Wellsy).
Undoubtedly, BOG was Hamish. He rucked alone for much of the game, got about 20 touches, and kicked a goal. One key contest in their goalsquare in the last, he got down to make a contest, then kept his feet to push it through on the ground. He suddenly looks like he will be a top-line player - the first player to show that since Wells.
Wells was good again. Although he still does team thing too much, he is our best player now by a mile (possible apologies to Boomer, who was good again). In fact, he was probably the classiest player on the ground.
Our backline actually impressed me. Firrito did a good job on their Brown, although if he'd kicked straight I might not be saying that. Arch was, well, Arch. Pratt was solid again, as were Watt and Gibbo, who impressed me last week too. And we should have Petrie to go back there next week, and Smith to come in soon.
As for the forward line... Edwards impressed, playing more at half forward. He presented, contested, and showed he can contribute other than out of the square. A smart player. By contrast, CJ was abject. And not smart. Petrie had no impact in the forward line, but will be back "at home" on Mooney next week. Brown was patchy, but kicked a couple of goals. One in particular, where he got in front and marked a quick, miskicked ball, was impressive. Campbell impressed again, keeps trying, even though he weighs as much as Jonathan Brown's left leg.
So all in all, a satisfying win (although at this stage, there isn't any other type). Dean almost cried with relief, and I felt sorry for him. I'll leave any negative comments for this week.
Big game in Geelong next week. Hopefully this win, and the lack of any expectation of rolling them down there, will see us play some good footy next week.
You should buy the DVD.
Dan
Well, everything suddenly feels a lot better after a win: only our first win, a win against a fellow struggler, a win described in the paper as scrappy, but a win nonetheless.
Now I know you didn't have the chance to see the game, so I'll try to be a little more descriptive than usual. We went in to the match small - much too small, in my (pre-match) view. But Dean pulled a surprise by playing Firrito on their Brown, freeing up Petrie to play (ineffectually) at full-forward and in the ruck. Our Brown also played forward (more on that later).
We started well. Shagga had more touches in the first ten minutes than he did last week. Uncharacteristically, we took our chances while they didn't. I remember good goals from Wells, Thomas and Brown. Their Brown was inaccurate, as he would be throughout. Although they could have matched us if they'd kicked straight, on balance we were still on top in the middle.
In the second quarter, things turned around. Their midfield got right on top, although they still couldn't kick for goal. So, although we were just up a halftime, you'd have to say that you felt they might run over the top of us, a la the past few weeks (as they'd say in Paris).
However, we managed to turn things around in the midfield in the second half. Wells and Simmo, in particular, were instrumental in this (each had 18 touches in the second half). Monster continued to ruck well (more on that below too). In fact, we failed to capitalise on our dominance in the third - due not so much to kicking for goal, but due to such incompetence as CJ dropping two chest marks on his own, 30 from goal, in two minutes.
So we started the last about a goal up. Thanks in part to a gem of a soccer goal from Hamish, we found ourselves two goals up as the game tightened. It looked like we were going to go negative and try to lose it. But thankfully Arch went crazy tackling and smothering, and we hung in in defence. And then, for the first time in a long time, we kicked two late goals so that the margin flattered us (including a ripper from Wellsy).
Undoubtedly, BOG was Hamish. He rucked alone for much of the game, got about 20 touches, and kicked a goal. One key contest in their goalsquare in the last, he got down to make a contest, then kept his feet to push it through on the ground. He suddenly looks like he will be a top-line player - the first player to show that since Wells.
Wells was good again. Although he still does team thing too much, he is our best player now by a mile (possible apologies to Boomer, who was good again). In fact, he was probably the classiest player on the ground.
Our backline actually impressed me. Firrito did a good job on their Brown, although if he'd kicked straight I might not be saying that. Arch was, well, Arch. Pratt was solid again, as were Watt and Gibbo, who impressed me last week too. And we should have Petrie to go back there next week, and Smith to come in soon.
As for the forward line... Edwards impressed, playing more at half forward. He presented, contested, and showed he can contribute other than out of the square. A smart player. By contrast, CJ was abject. And not smart. Petrie had no impact in the forward line, but will be back "at home" on Mooney next week. Brown was patchy, but kicked a couple of goals. One in particular, where he got in front and marked a quick, miskicked ball, was impressive. Campbell impressed again, keeps trying, even though he weighs as much as Jonathan Brown's left leg.
So all in all, a satisfying win (although at this stage, there isn't any other type). Dean almost cried with relief, and I felt sorry for him. I'll leave any negative comments for this week.
Big game in Geelong next week. Hopefully this win, and the lack of any expectation of rolling them down there, will see us play some good footy next week.
You should buy the DVD.
Dan
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