Post Match. Pies bury Blues. All comments.

[Pies2016]

Can’t overstate how good our make shift midfield was against the Blues.
Had a look at the numbers today and below is a summary of the numbers that really mattered..

Pies centre square midfield of Naicos, Pendles, Crisp, Lipinski and Sullivan after half time vs Blues midfield of Cripps, Walsh, Cerra, Hewett and Kennedy ( after 3/4 time )

Pies - Clearances 30, Tackles 33, Goals FIVE !
Blues - Clearances 24, Tackles 18, Goals NIL !

Special mentions must go to Crisp and Lipinski who don’t play centre square midfield every and Sullivan for remaining focussed and composed on the biggest day of his sporting life.
The scoring contribution by our mids is telling, just as it is as damning of the Blues mids

[dalyc]

[The Black and White Lion]

Yeah double H with the tap forward. He had a few goal assists across the night including the handball outside to Sully for his first goal. Harrison looks like he fits at senior level now and could be a half forward, half back or play the wing. Looks to have some body strength, some speed and has been clean with the ball under pressure

[stui magpie]

That was a good win. Shit, any win against Carlton is a good one, but it was the way we played.

Our intensity was back, pretty much from the start.

Pendles did a number on Cripps which buggered their clearances, Checkers took Weitering high, out of the way, to let our smalls go to work. That forward pressure, particularly in the last was just great. The ball lived in our forward line. We just have to get better at converting from those opportunities because when we don't, if the opposition manage to get out they almost have a free passage to goal. I was nervous in the last, we had it bottled in for so long I was expecting Carlton to get out the back and score but enter St Nick, the man who just keeps delivering presents of the best kind.

I thought Sullivan and HHH both look up to this level and with our system and honestly thought they both showed more than Fin has at this level. HHH seems to have both speed and strength as well as the desperation required.

Does Sullivan have a nickname? Dave or Uncle Harry would be for the older generation.

[Presti35]

Interesting night for me. My friends son (he's Brittish) came along with us for his first AFL game. In the first quarter he was spat on. In the final quarter he had a donut thrown at him.

We were on level 1 in the Ponny and yet some carlton people were in the 2 rows behind us. 1 of them was vile, racist, drunk, calling everyone a c, and just being unacceptable. It was the first time I'd considered smsing the antisocial behaviour number they advertise. At 3QT he left and didnt come back. Possibly asked to leave by his friends.

2 carlton women were carrying on all game long. Just being annoyingly obnoxious. They thought they had it won. "And how's the game going for you" she said to some Pies near us.

Well F-me. The siren goes and you think they didnt all cop it. It was a moment of pure justification. And boy were they cut.

[David]

Surprised there’s not more love for Harvey Harrison in the GB Medal votes. Thought he was sensational at both ends of the ground. Delivered the crucial goal assist to Nick too.

[Big T]

For me it’s a lot of love for Billy Frampton. He has been the one to lift us this year in the absence of Murphy. He has shown great courage and belief when many didn’t believe in him in the footy world and now he is our rock down there and does the job every week.

You are a star Billy Frampton!

[think better]

There was one great moment I thought when Frampton had been manhandled by McKay and probably should have got a free kick. He started having a go at the umpire and Sidebottom came in pushed him away and told him to get back in defence. Which he did.

Great moment from an on-field leader.

[Charlie Oneeye]

What a beautiful day today.

[What'sinaname]

Elliot's half volley pick up and hand ball to WHE was a cracker. Shame WHE hit the post with the kick.

[think positive]

[think positive]

[RudeBoy]

As a few others have noted, I think it's really important to acknowledge the great games played by a few of our 'unsung' heroes. In no particular order:

Lipinski - in career best form. He is one of our best uses of the ball, and now that he has confidence in his shoulders, he has added some real grunt with tackling and in and under footy.

Frampton - he has become the full back we've been longing for. He is very disciplined, and is a good decision-maker and disposer of the ball. He's been doing a great job on the monster full forwards, and McKay was another scalp he's taken.

Crisp - back to his best form as a mid-fielder. Over the last 2 seasons, Crisp's drive, run and carry through the middle of the ground have been integral to our great victories. It was on display again last night.

Cameron - is playing his best ever footy. This is just as well as imho Cox's form has declined.

Noble - this kid should never be dropped. He is fast and furious. Sure, he sometimes gets out-bodied by bigger opponents, but he makes up for that with his ferociousness, speed and great use of the ball.

Elliott - he may not be kicking bags of goals each week, but his physicality and ability to get to every contest, is enabling us to get team goals. Billy is a legend.

We are all thrilled by our 2 'newbies' in Harrison and Sullivan. We have found a couple of goers here. Harrison is powerfully built, a terrific reader of the play, and a great user of the ball. He should never play another VFL game. Sullivan may well prove to be almost as good. We needed someone to play the Mitchell role, and he did it with aplomb.

I think teams need to add 4 new players each year if they are to improve. Before yesterday's game, I was concerned we had only added Schultz. If Harrison and Sullivan cement their spots in our team, this will result in us adding 3 players. Who knows, by season's end we might also find Demattia or Eiyre are AFL players as well.

Overall, it was an incredible team effort - supplemented by the mind-boggling generational class of Nick Daicos - obviously well planned and prepared by our coaching staff. They should be congratulated.

[Nearly]

[Nearly]