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
No comments:
Post a Comment