VFL Round 14

[Dark Beanie]

Pies vs Bombers (away)

Saturday 29 June @ 1.05pm. Venue Windy Hill.

Match centre:

https://www.afl.com.au/vfl/matches/6499

Telecast via VFL website and app.

Ladder: Pies 19th (2 wins, 9 losses, 78.7%) Bombers 18th (3 wins, 8 losses, 80.6%)

[The Black and White Lion]

https://www.collingwoodfc.com.au/news/1586770/vfl-team-selection

IN: Finlay Macrae, Tew Jiath, Reef McInnes, Ed Allan, Ned Long, YuYu Ashwin, Angus Seivers, Jed Longmire.
OUT: Wil Parker (Injured), Jonathan Tomasiello, Josh Mathey, Jet Hartman, Connor Wills, Harry Mahoney, Chad Mulvogue, Harry Flynn.

ESSENDON v COLLINGWOOD
B Harry DeMattia Josh Eyre Jakob Ryan
HB Cooper MacDonald Campbell Lane Tew Jiath
C Ed Allan Ned Long YuYu Ashwin
HF Sam Glover Harry Kennedy Ben Crocker
F Ash Johnson Reef McInnes Angus Seivers
R Iliro Smit Jack Bytel Finlay Macrae
INT Kaden Schreiber Jed Longmire Ryan Sparkes
Hayden Brown Tom Wilson

[The Black and White Lion]

Well at least Josh Eyre has been named at FB. Prefer to see Sam Glover back there intercept marking, don't understand the team sheet selection otherwise why we try to make it so hard for our VFL defense.

VFL Pies best midfield mix for a while with Long, Macrae, Bytel and Sparkes so looking for this group to dig in and win the ball forward. Good ops for Allen and DeMattia today.

Looking for good signs today from TJ.

Awful wet and cold conditions though so Ash Johnson is probably going to tear it up with impossible marks and goals today.

[Dark Beanie]

EMG: H. Flynn, N. Christian, J. Hartman, R. Penny, J. Tomasiello, C. Mulvogue

NEW: Angus Seivers, 20, 194cm, Greensborough, A forward, formerly on Box Hills playing list.

Disapointing that Parker is out for a month with a knee injury.

Interesting to have Glover at half forward but then there is still the option to move to the backline if needed.

Team never usually starts as named, so there may be some changes.

Yep, its good to see we have a reasonable midfield for todays game.
Hopefuly we can get some decent delivery into the forward 50, no bombing it in. Not the conditions for long bombs (unless the is a brezze at your back kicking fof goal).

Rain is supposed to clear a bit later this arvo but willl still be windy.

[The Black and White Lion]

Dark Beannie I guess we've been vindicated with Glover going back but they're persisting with Eyre at FF and we can't resist a long kick to an outnumber in the F50. Eyre trying hard getting to the front of the pack but has missed 4marks without the ball coming to ground in our favour.

Fortunately AJ has kicked the first goal off the ground from the square.

The mids and HBs have been messy so far but the Dons VFL making more skill errors than us. Bryan's height and experience a bit much for Smit so far. Smit ok around the ground but has that slow high looping kick style that's easy to pick off, needs to work on that technique.

Allen getting sucked into the contest too much. Needs to get out in space to use his attributes.

McInnes has had lots of opportunities at HF in the first without taking any. Struggling with the slippery ball and taking too long when in posession.

Pretty even in the first quarter Pies by 2 points 1.3.9 to 1.1.7
Tough conditions, going to be a tough day

[Dark Beanie]

Half time:

Bombers 5.7.37 lead Pies 5.5.35

Goals: Eyre 2, Long, Macrae, Johnson

Top disposals: Bytel 15, Macrae 13, Lane 11

Only watching bits of the game in btw other Saturday arvo tasks.

Very greasy conditions, players slipping over, difficult to get ground balls.
Quite a few rolling mauls & ball ups. As usual, VFL umps reluctant to call anything other than the absolute obvious.

Smit getting beaten in the ruck but Pies just winning the clearances.

Bombers using handball and run better than the Pies who are trying to get the ball on the boot in an effort to clear it.

[The Black and White Lion]

even second quarter goal for goal, pies got out to a 14point lead early but the dons pegged them back to take a 2point lead on the siren.

some good goals from Long Macrae and Eyre. Some lazy defending late let the dons back in it.

all to win in the second half

[Dark Beanie]

A few players looking a bit knackered at the end of the 2nd quarter.

And lucky that silly 50 metre penalty late in the 2nd didn't cost them.

[stui magpie]

I like Eyre up forward, he was originally drafted as a CHF. He's having a crack but it's a shit day for overhead marking, the ball must be like a cake of soap.

I assume he doesn't have the stamina atm after that Hamstring lay off but I'd love to see him playing like Travis Cloke, roaming up around the 50m arc where you can get a better look at marks and he can kick goals from outside 50, he's got a thumping boot.

Reef having a quiet one, he should be parked in the goal square as the leading forward with short bursts in the midfield, the way Jordy started out.

Macrae getting a bit of the ball, but I'm still not seeing it.

Smit trying hard but Bryan is a big unit and this is his 5th year in the AFL system.

[KenH]

Watching the 3rd quarter, we look very ordinary with no-one putting their hand up. Remember the Bombers aren't a good side and we are nowhere near them.

[Dark Beanie]

Final score:

Bombers 14.14.98 defeated Pies 9.9.63

Goals: McInnes. Long, Johnson, Eyre 2, Macrae 1

Top disposals: Bytel 28, Macrae 24, Lane 22, Glover 21

AF Points: Macrae 95, Bytel 88, Lane 86

Outscored 9.7 to 4.4 in the 2nd half.

Bryan had a field day in the ruck against a younger & less experienced Smit.

[Pies2016]

I read it that Charlie Dean missed the game as the carry over player ?

[Dark Beanie]

Yes, emergency for the AFL.
The other 2 were Macrae and Jaith who played today.

[The Black and White Lion]

Well i missed the second half and sounds like a I got lucky based on the final score and stats.

Despite all the players who've gone up and done jobs at AFL level we are awful this year in the VFL. We had a good first month but have been nowhere near it since.

This can only be by design. We have no defense and refuse to support the rest of the team by failing to set up the back half of the ground. Many of our VFL listed players are not up to it. For a wealthy club, I get the feeling we pay peanuts at VFL level.

No VFL level ruck support. No key forwards or key defenders. A few medium size players imitating talls and we have plenty of small plodders. Sparkes the exception. I still don't understand Eyre playing forward whilst we have the mess down back although he was good in the first half at FF. We're routinely beaten by opposition talls due to our dwarf like defense and lack of tall support. No doubt they can perform for a bit but not the whole match.

But the performances today and in recent months (is that 8 or 9 losses on the trot now) aren't impacted by the players going up or down as we've pretty much only played one key defender the entire time. Dean did well with little support. Glover does amazingly for a mid size player.

Poor Sam Glover. Not sure why he would want to play VFL Pies again next year.

ah well VFL pies hopefully there is a better performance coming soon. Needs a change in structure for me down back otherwise it's going to a be a long time coming.

[Dark Beanie]

Coaches votes:

8 Nick Bryan (ESS)
7 Dylan Shiel (ESS)
5 Jack Jedwab (ESS)
4 Elijah Tsatas (ESS)
3 Jared Eckersley (ESS)
2 Reef McInnes (COL)
1 Harry DeMattia (COL)