Bankers and Anchors R1 2025 vs North Melbourne

[GVGjr]

This is the Round 1 2025 edition of the weekly Bankers and Anchors thread. Once this afternoon's game against North Melbourne has concluded post your nominations for:

The Bankers = 3 guys/aspects of the game that we banked on to do the right thing during the game
The Anchors = 3 guys/aspects of the game that weighed us down by their errors or poor play

Please limit it to no more than three of each player or aspect of the game, but feel free to make honourable/dishonourable mentions. As usual try to make it constructive criticism.

Try and restrict it to individual players rather than aspects of the overall match - I will allow more freedom now as the thread seems to be going down more of the aspects of the game path so you can have 3 for each made up of aspects of the game and individual players.

The thread is named in honour of a popular WOOF Contributor, The Banker, who passed away on 22/04/2012 after a six month battle with cancer.

[GVGjr]

Bump

[Yankee Hotel Foxtrot]

Bankers

1. The collective team. This is a game I reckon North had every right to believe they could win going into it. They weren't going to get a better opportunity to start a season with a confidence boosting performance against a good team struggling with key injuries. That feeling would've surfaced a few times in the game, especially as the game progressed and the respective shape both teams were in going into the start of the 4th Qtr. That we bent, but didn't break in both very hot conditions, with 2 men down and massive interchange management issues is hopefully a great foundation for these young men. Even our goal-kicking largely held up. Good signs for me.

2. The next tier stood up. Richard's game- particularly the first half - he stepped up and really looked like he performing that dynamic inside to outside contested ball game role we usually get from Bont. VDM - only 16 disposals, but he was a real important headache for North tonight. Freijah - very good performance, especially considering the minutes he got during the game in the middle are very new scenarios for him to be essentially 'learning on the job' with not much of a pre-season focus to give him confidence. So he enhances his stocks tonight too. McNeil did what he needed to do when he needed to do it. That's what we want. And I actually thought O'Donnell did very well. the scenario's he was in against Larkey weren't really one's you'd expect him to win more times than not. If he's isolated one on one with limited time and support Larkey is always going to kill him. I thought he was excellent and showing a lot more confidence to take the game on. Sanders too as the game wore on showed some hurt factor to his game.

3. Our fitness team need a shout-out. I think they've copped a bit, based only on some basic level correlation with some soft tissue injuries we've had. We ran that game out very well in hot trying conditions with very minimal interchange rotation in the last Qtr.

Anchors

1. Our inside mids got slaughtered. Not sure that's our game plan's intent. I wonder though if we've tried to tweak our game plan, accepting we'll win less clearances than we historically do... but I don't think any game plan, being revised or not, seeks an outcome with that much of a disparity in ball winning. A fair bit for our coaching and playing group to work on to get this balance right. Feels better having to do that with 4 points in the bank behind it, rather than a loss, especially in these conditions.. Next week against Collingwood is going to be tough enough!

2. Marvel Stadium's climate control? From TV reports it sounded like it was a microwave oven in there?

3. Of course the horrific collision that see's poor Cleary suffer a worrying injury. All the best young man in your recovery.

[Yankee Hotel Foxtrot]

Also a massive Banker to myself.. Because as much as I want to chat about the game, I also just got the latest version of Out of the Park Baseball, which dropped this morning. having successfully imported my OOTP25 save game, which I've put way too many hours into to publicly go on record stating I'm kinda addicted, and my alternative MLB historical universe is poised in an awesome position in 1951 with Mickey Mantle falling to me unexpectedly in the draft - because he refused to sign with his draft team the year prior, he re-entered this year. I had already traded for what I presumed would be an early pick 4 or 5 with a poor performing team so as to target some hot pitching prospects.... only to end up with pick 1 and finding myself able to get Mantle.....,to add to my already amazing outfield of Musial, an ageing DiMaggio, and a 19 yr old Willie May's whom I signed from the Negro league as a 17yr old prospect after Jackie Robinson came in and broke the colour barrier.

I'll probs be up late, so will try and pop back in later and post, otherwise will check in tomorrow. But for now, I am going to play with my shiny new baseball game toy! Go Doggies!!!

[Uninformed]

When did you last watch a sunrise?

[Bornadog]

Bankers

1. Ed - love that left foot it is so penetrating
2. Naughton getting back to his best
3. VDM - what we have been waiting for from him

Anchors

1. Some of the clangers and mistakes to give away easy goals
2. The umpire cheating, knowing the ball came off Lobb's hands - the whole stadium saw it.
3. Injury to Cleary and the reckless Dickhead Archer

[SonofScray]

B

McNeil - looked to really have his tail up and made an impact
VDM - as above. He’s playing with confidence.
Naughton - string game all around, without looking like he was off the chain.

A

Shut roof, was a furnace in there.
Norf as a club.
Mid game dip in physicality.

[Pottz]

A
- Richards, really stepped up in the absence of the star mids, his kicks into forward 50 are lethal
- Dale, my heart rate noticeably drops when I see him hovering just outside forward 50
- Darcy, how does a man that big move like that?

B
- Williams struggled, saw him at one point watching a replay as though he couldn’t remember what happened and then turned to apologise when he saw it.
- Lobb, albeit against a very good player so probably some forgiveness is warranted.
- Ground conditions, Bevo is either guilty of massive tax fraud and sweatily waiting for the Feds to knock on the door, or someone forgot to pay the A/C bill.

[Aidan7557]

A
- Freijah, ultimate man crush! 28 touches and a goal for a 19 year old playing his first game on ball. No one knows who he is!
- Dale, AA halfback and is lethal. Enough said
- Darcy and Naughton, boy these two look so good with no Marra and Cody jumping in front of them.....
B
- Midfield depth, North are loaded with talent in the middle and without Bont and Adz we looked thin for three quaters (got going in the last)
- Tim English, Battled for the first half but Xerri did get him in the end and it does worry me. English not getting a lot of disposals or intercept marks like he did in his AA year. It is only one game.
- Injuries, Odonnel looked strong despite Larkey kicking a few and it means Gardner or Buku comes in.... Cleary was ok, feel for him a lot, no idea who comes in for him. Is that now about 7 or 8 best 22 out now? World record pace. Hard to see us beating the pies on that wide MCG.

[JanLorMill]

B
Matt Kennedy - what a great pickup
Richards & Dale - good games despite the limited preparation
VDM - best game I’ve seen from him

A
West & Williams- poor games from experienced players
Clearance work- especially centre clearances. We work hard for a goal and then they would get an opportunity almost immediately
Marvel stadium-it’s enough to put with the inane match experience rubbish, on selling of bulldog area seats to opposition fans. Add the lack of any air. Open the roof!

[EasternWest]

A
- Freijah, ultimate man crush! 28 touches and a goal for a 19 year old playing his first game on ball. No one knows who he is!
- Dale, AA halfback and is lethal. Enough said
- Darcy and Naughton, boy these two look so good with no Marra and Cody jumping in front of them.....
B
- Midfield depth, North are loaded with talent in the middle and without Bont and Adz we looked thin for three quaters (got going in the last)
- Tim English, Battled for the first half but Xerri did get him in the end and it does worry me. English not getting a lot of disposals or intercept marks like he did in his AA year. It is only one game.
- Injuries, Odonnel looked strong despite Larkey kicking a few and it means Gardner or Buku comes in.... Cleary was ok, feel for him a lot, no idea who comes in for him. Is that now about 7 or 8 best 22 out now? World record pace. Hard to see us beating the pies on that wide MCG.

Freijah is going to be a super player

[Scott2016]

B
Kennedy great pickup and cannot wait to see what he offers once we get Bont and Treloar back
Freijah continued growth
Dale 2 goals


A
Tim in the ruck and the clearances differential until 3qrt
Goals kicked by opposition on the siren. I can recall 3 so far, 2 in last nights game and Caddy in the Essendon Praccy game. Happened alot last year too.
Sloppy errors Freijah across goal, Gallgher a couple of times. VDM 30m out directly in front. (Started Norths second qtr revival)

[merantau]

Bankers
Team performance. Lots of shoulders to the wheel

Kennedy- I'm on board

VDM - best game for the Club

Anchors
Bad turnovers committed under little or no pressure.

Junk time/red time goals.

Injuries to O'Donnell and Cleary

[HOSE B ROMERO]

Bankers:

The ultimate team effort in the final quarter. At 3 qtr time we only had 15 interchanges left while North had 22. We'd been getting smashed in the midfield and i wasn't in a good way. The fact that we dug deep while copping injuries got my juices flowing again.
Van Der .... sorry but i just love maiigned players working hard and having a night out.
Astro...doing astro things.


Anchors:

OPEN THE BLOODY ROOF...
SHUT OFF THE P.A.
MOVE THE COUPLE WHO NOW SIT BESIDE ME IN THE RESERVED SEATS. After putting up with their 'f bombing' last season i hoped they may not return..

[Rusty12]

Bankers (Aside from the math BOGs)
JOD - Until he got hurt, he was playing his but off; really impressive start to his season
M Kennedy - Great inclusion, provided physicality, run and elite ball use. We are getting serious bang for the buck for his contract and trade cost.
Defensive transition and scores from turnover, this is the way.

Anchors
Center Clearance - Not taking up more defensive positions at times, when the loose guy you created is Sanders vs Sheezel or LDU. Lock it up, get that second ball up, and end 6v6. If the free guy is Bont or Ed, then sure.
Not killing pack situations; too many times the ball got out the back. L Jones's absence was critical here; maybe too many are used to him killing it and cheating too much. Has to be fixed this week, or the Pies will murder us.
Marvel Stadium - F$%&K it was hot in there.