Player reviews, everybody.
1. Alex Fasolo
Played damn near every position bar key position and ruck at different points in the game. Started back, played a bit of wing, went back again, went forward, then went back again. Was clearly our most threatening player when it came to scoring, finishing up with 1 goal from 4 shots. Butchered a fair few early, but gradually (to use the cricketing term) got his eye in. Can walk away with his head held high.
2. Sam Dwyer
Copped the hard tag in the absence of Kyle Martin (Wade Lees had the job) and lost the matchup by some distance. Lees kept Sam contained, but managed to pick up a fair bit of the ball going the other way as well, which he often used effectively.
For someone who is noted for being a class above this level, a lot of Sam's kicks were just God awful. Got to the stage where he kicked a couple of up-and-under mung floaters when dropping back to help out our besieged backs. Recipe for disaster. Barring a couple of injuries or suspensions, he stays at this level, for mine.
4. Brodie Grundy
Started really well and looked set for a big game, but trailed off towards half time. Won a couple of important taps in the 3rd as we started our mini-resurgence, but petered out again and was comprehensively beaten by Russell Gabriel in the last, both in the hitout stakes and around the ground in general play.
He did clunk a couple of nice marks as a tall linking outlet on the wing and even finished up as our leading goal scorer for the day, but in the end, he was ineffectual when it mattered in the final term. He'll want to bounce back next week, where he will likely cross swords with a genuine AFL ruck in David Hale...
9. Martin Clarke
Woeful with a capital 'w', just God damn woeful. I'll be stuffed if he had a direct opponent (it might have even been Tim Harper, who tore us asunder). Either way, he's done as a professional footballer. I wouldn't mind if he decided to retire effective immediately, because I doubt any opposition recruiter who might have been in the crowd would have liked what he saw from Clarke yesterday...
21. Quinten Lynch
Competed well enough in his first game back. Gave us a decent tall target to kick to, but ended up getting the Cloke treatment (multiple opponents at once, ball kicked to his disadvantage). I was actually shocked that he didn't get switched into the ruck in the last when the Dolphins were nutting us. A bash-and-crash job from Lynchy could have helped combat Gabriel's physical dominance. I know I've raised this before, but Hudson would have been useful...
Also executed a great chase and tackle in the 2nd half which resulted in a free kick. Jesse White should look at the vision of that one and see how it's done...
Lynch is another who can also walk away from this one with his dignity intact.
24. Josh Thomas
Took a while to work his way into it, but was one who stood up from about midway through the 2nd quarter, when the Dolphins were making their 1st half charge. Played really well for the better part of the 3rd quarter, before fizzling in the last. Actually, I'm pretty sure they sent a tagger his way as well (might have even been Dwyer's man in the end). Was one of our worst culprits for ball slaughter on the day...
On balance, it probably wasn't the sort of game that
screamed 'pick me for the seniors', but he's certainly there if we decide to move past Ball next week...
27. Tony Armstrong
Played mostly on the wing, where his lack of real attacking drive and propensity to give opponents a ton of space can be masked. Actually, he played a solid, if not entirely damaging, game for the first half. Had one nice moment in the 3rd quarter where he drilled a sizzling pass into space for Lynch to clunk (and goal). I was actually hoping he would go on with that kind of more attacking play...
He gets a fail though, for that one God awful, soul-annihilating, coach-killing outburst where he decked the guy who got him for holding the ball. That 50 metre penalty swung the momentum, and the dam wall burst not long after that.
As I said after Martin did something similarly stupid against Casey, I hope Tapping rips Armstrong's head off and hands it back to him wrapped in newspaper for that blunder. And for a player who has been in the system as long as Tony has, you expect far higher standards of behaviour and leadership...
28. Ben Sinclair
Played the first half only, before being 'subbed out' at half time for Scharenberg. Didn't mind his physical work and pressure, but his kicking is still bloody awful. For instance, there was one embarrassing moment where he missed Armstrong, standing 15 metres away on the half back flank, by a considerable margin, the only saving grace being that the Dolphins didn't cash in on the scoreboard.
It's inevitable that he'll come back in, but don't expect to see him for a few weeks yet, seeing as he only got half a game this round...
31. Jackson Ramsay
It was the rough with the smooth for Jackson. Gave us plenty of run and dash from half back, but he slaughtered the ball something spectacular at times. I might be getting him mixed up with Nick Gray, but I think Ramsay had the job on Ben Cavarra, one of Frankston's dangerous smalls.
If we take last night's loss to Adelaide as the effective end of our season, then I for one wouldn't mind seeing Ramsay get a berth in the seniors, just so we can get a look at him at senior level. Form wise, however, I certainly couldn't say he's earnt it...
33. Patrick Karnezis
In that great turn of Aussie slang, Patty had an absolute Barry Crocker. The only real highlight of his day was a nice leading mark he clunked, courtesy of Ben Moloney, which he duly converted. At stages, the ball didn't look anywhere close to getting into our front half, so Pat had to push up the ground and get a couple of touches in the back half.
The momentum he was starting to develop prior to his second hamstring has well and truly been snapped. He'll want to bounce back next week, and the team will need him firing as well, otherwise our VFL forward line will be as impotent as our senior one has been.
And now, the one you've all been waiting for...
35. Matthew Scharenberg
Spent the whole 1st half on the pine, a man-management strategy which doubled as a nice piece of trolling by the club of those supporters who only came for the first half, hoping to catch a glimpse of him, before alighting to the MCG. Was 'subbed in' from the first bounce after half time. Found himself on a few different opponents at times, but started on Corey Buchan.
He executed a couple of beautiful passes by foot that made me smile and think "oh, I'm gonna enjoy this!", but was otherwise unremarkable. The other thing that stood out is just how calm and composed he is. Didn't once look like crapping himself. Mind you, he did slip over a few times, but there were plenty who did that on our side, often at the most inopportune times.
May have only had 8 or 9 touches, by my rough count, but after what he's gone through to get to this point, his game was a clear pass. Seems to have survived as well, which the most important thing. Do yourselves a favour: if you can, get down to Victoria Park next Saturday to see him grace our true home deck. I'm confident that you won't be disappointed with what you see...
38. Peter Yagmoor
In the absence of Marsh and Riddle, Yagmoor was forced to stand Frankston spearhead Michael Lourey, and while he only conceded 6cm, Lourey plays a lot taller for his height. Consequently, Lourey dominated Yagmoor, with only inaccuracy in front of goal stopping what would otherwise have been an absolute bloodbath of a matchup.
That being said, Yags tried his heart out and probably did as well as he could. Gets a pass for effort. This is the latest of a few occassions this year where we have forced Yags to play tall (his manful effort against Josh Walker springs to mind). Each time, the opposition have sought to exploit Peter's lack of height and experience by isolating him deep 1-out. And each time, we've persisted with playing 6 on 6 in the back 50.
I know you just can't magic the matchups you would want in an ideal world, but surely the common sense thing to do would have been to try and generate a spare man to help him out? In particular, Scharenberg's presence after half time presented an ideal candidate for the role.
(I'm digressing here, but the one player I think the VFL team is really missing is actually Adam Oxley. When he has played this year, he has performed quite well as the spare defender)...
Again, I hope Yags can bounce back next week, hopefully with a Marsh and/or a Riddle to help out (although going by what JW said, I wouldn't get my hopes up on those guys getting back in by Saturday)...
44. Corey Gault
Kicked the one goal and took a couple of decent marks as a leading forward. Played as the relief ruckman, and was comprehensively beaten by both Gabriel and Haretuku, save for one or two contests where he came 3rd man up. What little impact he did have on the game vanished after half time. I was actually hoping Lynch's return and the presence of Howe in the side would unshackle him from the ruck and give him the chance to play as a pure key forward, but alas...
A set back after a month of reasonable footy. Another who will want to atone next week.
48. Caolan Mooney
Found the ball at both ends of the ground, but was completely ineffectual with it. Barring maybe one desperate tackle, he didn't offer us much in the way of pressure, or for that matter run. Can't really find a positive from his game, actually...
From the VFL boys...
- Hellier was probably our most consistent mid for the day. Played pretty well but went missing in the last. Needed the skipper to stand up when the game was on the line.
- Jake Williams worked bloody hard all day and often got himself into dangerous positions. Used it reasonably well and provided good dash.
- With Martin promoted and Suckling injured, Moloney was back in his natural habitat as an inside mid, but was arguably beaten in his position on the day. Did some pretty good things, such as that lace-out delivery to PK, and some nice strong tackles, but didn't do what he is there for - win clearances.
The rest were all either average, ordinary or serviceable. I did like Matheson in patches, though, and that was a ripping goal he kicked in the first.
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