I'm worried about Sanders.

[The Bulldogs Bite]

He's been poor for a few weeks now. Disappointing because he had made strides forward, but some of his criticisms have come back to haunt him a little. The HB to Kick ratio is just far too skewed to the former, he's been very flat-footed which makes him look even slower, and he hasn't been as aggressive/assertive as he was a month or so ago.

Still only in his second year, but I'd rather see him making mistakes by trying to get better at what's holding him back... And we're not seeing that at the moment.

[1eyedog]

Does he move it quickly, and does it go to someone in a better position to help us score?

I'm all for handball chains to players in better positions, which help us pressure the oppositon D50 and contribute to scores, but I'm not big on short backaards and sideways handballs just to make it the next person's problem.

I hope he succeeds for us. We need him to and he had some good tools to work with.

The problem for me is the positions he's in when he handballs. It great that he continually provides an option it means he's working hard but as soon as he gets it there is zero creativity or forward motion. He seems to rush the process and panic handball to a person who has no option themselves other than to kick quick anyway. I suppose he's been told first option is the right one?

Liked it better when he was pushing deeper as a forward option and hitting the scoreboard.

[Bulldogs201616]

Played pretty well tonight.

[Bornadog]

Played pretty well tonight.

His kick to handball was alot better - 11 kicks 10 handballs and 2 handy goals

[SonofScray]

His kick to handball was alot better - 11 kicks 10 handballs and 2 handy goals

Better balance to his game. The reflex to handball is really obvious when he takes possession, has a clear tell. He needs to keep getting those kick numbers up and probably disguise that reflex a bit.

[GVGjr]

Getting those 2 goals was the icing on a vastly improved game.
I was a bit disappointed that he really wanted to make a handball over the top rather than kick that 2nd goal but he still nailed his shot.
Some of his defensive efforts especially pushing back deep to help the the defenders was encouraging.
He will get there quickly if he can string some more games like this.

[Eastdog]

I liked his game tonight. He is getting there.

[BontlowSzn]

Getting those 2 goals was the icing on a vastly improved game.
I was a bit disappointed that he really wanted to make a handball over the top rather than kick that 2nd goal but he still nailed his shot.
Some of his defensive efforts especially pushing back deep to help the the defenders was encouraging.
He will get there quickly if he can string some more games like this.

Agree greats signs tonight.

I wasnt critical of him trying to give that 2nd goal off. I actually thought he should've handballed that one, Darce was completely on his own. Was happy for him to get the reward though.

[josie]

More tackles from my recollection tonight, however he needs to pin arms as oppo player still able to release ball a fair bit. Nice game though. His vision to find a loose player outside a pack is very good, as is his goal kicking.

He’ll repeat good games like tonight against top teams sometime soon I reckon. Onya Colonel.

[SquirrelGrip]

Also played on the wing for the first time tonight, so more opportunity to kick with more space. With Treloar back, if he can make an impact on the wing, it makes our team better as it also gives means Williams and Freijah spend more time in defence.

[Critter]

Also played on the wing for the first time tonight, so more opportunity to kick with more space. With Treloar back, if he can make an impact on the wing, it makes our team better as it also gives means Williams and Freijah spend more time in defence.

Agree. We had much more flexibility last night with player movement through the middle of the ground. With Sanders joining Davidson, Williams and Friejah we were able to move quality players in and out of defence as needs dictated.

[Sedat]

Getting those 2 goals was the icing on a vastly improved game.
I was a bit disappointed that he really wanted to make a handball over the top rather than kick that 2nd goal but he still nailed his shot.
Some of his defensive efforts especially pushing back deep to help the the defenders was encouraging.
He will get there quickly if he can string some more games like this.

Yep, that was more like it last night. There were a couple of occasions where he held off from the instinctive handball dish-off and held onto it looking for a better option by foot and also taking territory in the process. He is actually an elite user of the ball by foot, and the instinctive dish-off actually detracts from his overall game. There were a couple of beautiful hit-ups into F50.

[GVGjr]

Yep, that was more like it last night. There were a couple of occasions where he held off from the instinctive handball dish-off and held onto it looking for a better option by foot and also taking territory in the process. He is actually an elite user of the ball by foot, and the instinctive dish-off actually detracts from his overall game. There were a couple of beautiful hit-ups into F50.

I was seated in a FP which isn't ideal for viewing but it does allow you to have a closer look how the forwards and defenders set-up for the games rather than being more midfielder focused
Sanders on a wing was pushing back and helping out the defenders and at one stage this allowed Lobb the chance to switch opponents. Later Sanders did it again and it meant Lobb was the free defender for the longer set shot.
Then seeing him kick a couple of goals showed that he worked hard forward as well.
He has a couple of flaws but I'm hoping he can fix these soon enough.
2 goals, a goal assist and 350 meters gained was a productive night for him.

[ledge]

Sanders is definitely a good player but one of those slow burners where he will just improve one step at a time . Not the kind of player to have a huge burst .
He is starting to get his head around the game plan and his job in it .
He is Macrae like but more damaging as he will kick goals .

[GVGjr]

This was Sanders heat map from last night.
The wing seems to be a better fit for him
One or two more kicks rather than handballs on a performance like this should be his aim.

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