Post Match. Pies beat Port - all comments please

[Raw Hammer]

Ben Johnson had an outstanding start to the season but has only been serviceable at best over the last 4-5 weeks.

Looked slow tonight and only gathered the 13 touches at 46% disposal efficiency.

If Buckley could play a blinder in the VFL might he be a viable alternative to Johnson against the saints?

Johnno has struggled in recent weeks, yes, but I was at the game, and BJ played as a defensive half forward on Pearce. Completely nullified his influence. BJ didn't get much of it, and got tackled a bit, but his number one job was to tag Pearce...and destroyed him. Oh, and the wind was horrific. We had a bad 1st quarter, but it was so freakin' hard to clear it from our defensive half against that gale.

[john b]

fraser for cloke,

play anthony back, he did a bit there - seems to lack a bit of the head over stuff up forward,

thank god for dawes!!

whats with medders???quote]

Remember guys, dont smoke crack.

Imagin Gilbert playing on him, he (Gilbert) will take the all time record never to be broken, un contested marks in the back 50.


If Cloke gets suspended, Anthony wont but may get dropped. We should just go Dawes, with a little bit of Leigh Brown and Jolly. Besides that just go small forwards against the Saints.

[mudlark]

^Yeah but if we lose Cloke Anthony would be needed IMO.

What for? Really he has been not much better than a witches hat all year. No disrespect to Jack intended but lets face it, he aint setting the world on fire and he is not a key forward. Bring Fraser back while Cloke is out and see how he goes in the forward line.

Why no disrespect Big T??? Anthony is next to useless, makes BAD decisions and turned the ball over every time,4 times ?? he got it. No more chances for Jack. Fraser is a much better option and will give great motivation against the aints in his 200th.next week.And if Scott Pendelbury continues to put his team mates under pressure with stupid look away hospital passes in the backline and passes that miss the mark while commentators wet thier pants about his suppossed "silky skills" then St Kilda will give us a motha of a flogging.

[Dark Lord]

Watching the game now on TV (WA) and I have to say this is one of the most disgraceful display of umpiring I've seen for a long, long time. How the f%ck Jolly wasn't getting a free kick for being held every second ruck contest I don't know.

Given the weather, the situation and the umpiring was heavily weighted in the favour of Port the boys did extremely well to come away with a convincing win.

The only downside is the reporting of Cloke, and he will go for a couple of weeks as a result of that brain fade. Haven't seen the JA incident(s?) yet so I won't comment on them.

Agreed. The Umpiring was very poor last night. They were very quick to blow the whistle.

Cloke is gone. Anthony may have to serve a week or two as well.

[nomad pie]

I cannot remember a recent game where we have been absolutely flogged in the first and come back to win convincingly. It's what good sides do. It is important to have come from behind wins. A confidence booster.

Swan was back to his best and with support from Didak, Dawes, Beams and Thomas ripped the game apart in the second. I thought Thomas and Beams were important and Dawes got better as the game went on.

Blairs second half was good. When he bulks he will be a weapon. He seems to be a good decision maker, genuinely quick with his hands and mind and prepared to put his head over the ball.

Jolly while beaten by Brogan early came back to pretty much break even. What is it with the free kicks? He needs to sit down with the umps and work out what they are for and change what he is doing.

The back line never really clicked. Could it be because we focused on putting players around the ball? After the 1st qtr, our back line looked ok without being great. Presti, Obrien (2nd half) and Goldsack (stood up all game) were good with Toovey and Shaw providing some run as the game went on.

I can't see this team beating the saints, but then a different team with a different attidude will run out next week. If fit I would like Davis and Dick in. Should Davis and Dick be included and inform (a big if) I think they would worry the saints. Our back line will need to be switched on!

Anthony needs to take his game to a new level. He is just not quite good enough at the moment and has not improved at all since last year. Pretty tough playing the swingman role, but for mine he doen't have any single attribute capable of hurting the good sides and has too many negatives (mainly poor decision maker and doesn't get enough of it for a non-KPF) to be anything but a net negative. However tried hard, adds some pressure and did some ok things. Not enough to hold his spot.

Tarks is such a warrior I hate to see hime trying to keep up with the game. I hope to be wrong and he turns it on again, but I think he will struggle against the better sides - he has slowed down.

Someone noted that Johnson tagged Pearce out of the game. I missed this and thought he had a poor game - lacked intensity, poor ball use and looked a bit slow. Has slipped over the past few weaks. We need johnson at his best.

Can we recall the Wellingham at the start of the year? Not that he is bad, he is playing as a good average player at the moment, while earlier in the year he was a game breaker. Looking like an A grader.

One of the positives is that while a number of players were well below their best, we still one convincingly. Something good sides do. We will need a much better and even effort next week.

My votes:

1. Swan (far and away BOG)
2. I didn't think there was any stand out number 2 & 3.

To share between Dawes, Pendles, Jolly, Brown, Goldsack, Beams, Thomas.

[Piethagoras' Theorem]

And if Scott Pendelbury continues to put his team mates under pressure with stupid look away hospital passes in the backline and passes that miss the mark while commentators wet thier pants about his suppossed "silky skills" then St Kilda will give us a motha of a flogging.

Oh, get a freakin clue will ya!!!

Sorry but these sort of throw away comments really shit me!

30 disposals, mostly in heavy traffic and at 80 % efficiency!!!!

12 of those were contested (a team high)

4 centre clearances (2nd only to Swan and equal with Wellers)

5 tackles

2 clangers - WOOPTYPHUCKINGDOO!!

Take out Swan and he's clearly BOG!

[nomad pie]

They are gret stats for Pendles - however, just really what we expect from Pendles and a little more! The sort of players we need against the Saints, etc.

[Joel]

How did we get away with that? Seriously?

I went to the local RSL and watched it and they nearly kicked us out because we were yelling at the TV. Hehe. That said, the President was there and he was a Pies supporter so he gave us 2 jugs of beer for free. Bonus!!

Anyway, good win in the end. I really wasn't sure we'd pull it off after the first quarter.

[suedehead]

Pendlebury was second only to Swanny. If you want to find fault with last night's performance, there are much richer veins.

[R_T_RUSH]

I cannot remember a recent game where we have been absolutely flogged in the first and come back to win convincingly. It's what good sides do. It is important to have come from behind wins. A confidence booster.

Swan was back to his best and with support from Didak, Dawes, Beams and Thomas ripped the game apart in the second. I thought Thomas and Beams were important and Dawes got better as the game went on.

I thought Blairs second half was good. When he bulks up could be a weapon. He seems to be a good decision maker, genuinely quick with his hands and mind and prepared to put his head over the ball.

Jolly is very important to our side and while beaten by Brogan early came back to pretty much break even. What is it with the free kicks? He needs to sit down with the umps and work out what they are for.

The back line never really clicked. Could it be because we focused on putting players around the ball? With most being beaten one on one at some stage, the back line looked ok without being great. Presti, Obrien (2nd half) and Goldsack (stood up all game) were the pick for me with Toovey and Shaw providing some run as the game went on.

I can't see this team beating the saints with-out some significant form reversals. However, should Davis and Dick be included and inform (a big if) I think they would worry the saints. Our back line will need to be switched on!

Anthony needs to take his game to a new level. He is just not quite good enough at the moment and has not improved at all since last year. Pretty tough playing the swingman role, but for mine he doen't have any single attribute capable of hurting the good sides and has to many negatives (mainly poor decision makes) to be anything but a net negative. However tried hard, adds ome pressure and did some ok things. Not enough to hold his spot.

Tarks is such a warrior I hate to see hime trying to keep up with the game. I hope to be wrong and he turns it on again, but I think he will struggle against the better sides - he has slowed down.

Someone noted that Johnson tagged Pearce out of the game. I missed this and thought he had a poor game - lacked intensity, poor ball use and looked a bit slow.

Can we recall the Wellingham at the start of the year? Not that he is bad, he is playing as a good average player at the moment, while earlier in the year he was a game breaker. Looking like an A grader.

One of the positives is that while a number of players were well below their best, we still one convincingly. Something good sides do. We will need a much better and even effort next week.

My votes:

1. Swan (far and away BOG)
2. I didn't think there was any stand out number 2 & 3.

To share between Dawes, Pendles, Jolly, Brown, Goldsack, Beams, Thomas.

That's a great summary of events. Wellingham definitely down 50% compared to start of the season.

In the crunch 2nd qrt it was was clear we have two A+ Graders - Swan and Didak.

I'm wearing thin of Pendlebury's hospital handballs and quick gives to stationary players in worse positions. Is it confidence? When he learns to hang onto the pill longer, like he did in the 3rd, I'll move him up a grade.

[Dave The Man]

How did we win after the Pathetic 1st and a bit QTRS?

[kickit2me]

This was a win for the true believers, not those that wrote us off 5 minutes into the second quarter.

[Dave The Man]

Loved Dawes Game and played on a Good Oppenent too

[jack_spain]

We will miss Clokes work up the ground but not on the scoreboard, because there is nothing to miss there.

Nonsense! Cloke regularly misses everything!

We lose Cloke, we lose. The boy is a vital cog up forward for us regardless of how the stats play his game up as.

This kid is the best CHF in the league at the moment, bar none.

Never thought I'd have to pull these out for you Stui!

[Cam]

People are looking too simply at Anthony.

He is a man without an official part in our structure, that's what's hurting him imo. Last year, he settled into the structure, knew when and where the ball would come from. This year, Dawes is in that slot. Jack must often shake his head and go 'f, that was me last year' [which it indeed was]. What I like is the way he is busting his a trying to contribute. At the moment he is being swung around, and possibly is struggling ala James Clement at Freo. Now it might be that he goes back, or *fingers crossed* he doesn't get rubbed out [but unfortunately if Trav does] he might play CHF in his absence.

The boy simply needs a position. Maybe its at full back, maybe its CHF/HF [move trav to a roving wing ala Richo]. Wherever it is he needs something concrete. Give him that and he is too talented a footballer to let you down. He is all at sea because he is thinking in 360 degrees about a million things. My take anyway.