Top Five - Hawthorn vs West Coast Eagles
Hawthorn 5.3 5.6 12.7 15.9 99
West Coast Eagles 2.2 5.6 6.9 8.16 64
Top Five
1. Will Judd get off?
Arising from the match Chris Judd is staring down the barrel at a one match ban for getting his hand in the face of Campbell Brown. It’s not good. If Judd misses it will be the first game since he’s been at the club that the trio of Cousins, Kerr and Judd have missed. Throw in Norm Smith medalist Andrew Embley and it is not looking too sharp for our midfield this Saturday.
2. Forward-line Ineptitude
Talking of the midfield, I didn’t think it was the midfield that was our weak point in this game. If ever I wished for a return to the free flowing football of 2002/03 it was Saturday. We had the same number of scoring shots as Hawthorn (24 - 15.9 vs 8.16) but couldn’t put it on the board, yet lost by 35 points!
Our half forward line was woeful and it meant we needed to bring Big Q out from the forward 50 to get the ball further up the ground. He can play well there but it left our forward line bereft of targets with the Hawks Ruckman dropping back into the hole with good effect. It was painful to watch. I’m hoping for changes this week.
3. Moving the ball
The theory is if we handball the ball lots we win. Well not quite so. We did lots of handballing on Saturday - in fact our 432 possessions represents a record for a losing side. It’s what we did with it that let us down.
Like the game in Geelong, too much sideways and backwards movement, particularly out of defence - is a killer against a team prepared to run like the Hawks. Add to that a high number of clangers and we were under the pump for a lot of the game. If our game plan is to work (and it is risky) then we need to have spot on disposal and we need to work hard to move the ball quickly up the field.
4. Rowan Jones Snap
His second remarkable goal for the season after his monumental effort vs. the Dockers in Round 2. He’s kicked a third some where in the course of the season but it was nothing like the other two.
5. LeCras
Kicked three opportunistic goals but I’m still unsure what to make of his game. The first one came during the quarter one, but the other two could be considered to be garbage time. I think he’ll keep his place in the side, and with our forward line spluttering we need him to be in form on Saturday.
Incidentally, I like Morton’s game. He looked like a keeper.
Molly’s bet payoff is coming. I just need to build up the courage….
May 29th 2007
There are a few things that came out of Saturday for me.
Firstly, I’m not too sure what to make of Woosha’s comments over the last month in relation to our kicking at goal. He has stated he does not view it as an area of concern and that it is a consequence of kicking at goal from difficult positions on the ground. Surely, it would then be a good idea to put a system in place which provides opportunity for a 20m kick to a player in a better position. Also, they have brought over a kicking expert to work with our fowards. There seems to be an inconsistency there. It may just be the case that Woosha is worried that admitting to a kicking problem is akin to accepting it, I’m not too sure, but it is certainly an area that needs work and should not be brushed over due to the success of the team.
Secondly, despite his poor kicking at goal, I’m starting to get pretty excited about the development of Brent Staker. He’s 23, played 70 games, is 196cm tall and seems to be getting better and better with every game. I’m not too sure what position he’ll settle in, but I think he will end up being just as good as Glass and Hunter.
Finally, life’s pretty good when we can be upset when our team is 7 and 2. Maybe we’ve been a bit spoilt as supporters. I reckon if I were to draw a “textbook” plan for the Eagles season, it would be to get off to a good start in the first third of the season, play solid but not great football through the middle of the year then really start to build toward top performance leading into the finals. So far, I think the Eagles are on track toward doing that and with a bit of luck with player fitness, come round 14, we should be ready to start building towards having a big crack at the finals.
May 29th 2007
Well said Geoff. I thought Staker was good in the last two games, after a bit of poor one vs. the Cats. Still has heaps on untapped potential IMO - maybe as a midfielder in the Goodes mould?
True about the forward play. It has to be an area of improvement for us. I think the forward set-up needs a bit more flexibility because we’re relying on too few at the moment.
I’ll take 7-2 with, as you say, the back third of the season being where it counts.