Bankers & Anchors: Rnd 6, 2025 vs St Kilda

[Yankee Hotel Foxtrot]

This is the Round 6 2025 edition of the weekly Bankers and Anchors thread. Once this evening's game against St. Kilda 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

[Dry Rot]

Bankers

The rapid improvement in Sanders and FJ

Dolan - I reckon he's going to be really a good player, doesn't do that much, but what he does do is really good

The return of BonT

Anchors

Obviously the Darcy injury

Bramble is a bit of a worry

Goalkicking accuracy

[dog town]

Bankers

The rapid improvement in Sanders and FJ

Dolan - I reckon he's going to be really a good player, doesn't do that much, but what he does do is really good

The return of BonT

Anchors

Obviously the Darcy injury

Bramble is a bit of a worry

Goalkicking accuracy

I know Bramble makes errors but we are a slow side. Has to play in my opinion purely on our athletic profile and his production has come back up over the last two weeks.

[Scorlibo]

Bankers

Sharing the ball around - heard Bevo mention this as a positive I think at half time last week and seems to be a bit of a team mantra to use players whenever they're in space. I like it a lot, brings the whole team into the game and makes the guys more predictable to each other.

Bont - I confess that I forgot the sheer magnitude of his influence. He can do it all but wow his long kicking (goal and field) is so pure, a joy to witness.

A few lesser lights - JOD, Cleary and Williams - just nailing their roles today.

Anchors

Big Sammy - it's horrible for the lad, especially given the season he was putting together. Great character shown to get back involved with the game on the boundary line. It's heartbreak right now but he's young and has a good head on his shoulders, I've got no doubt he'll be back even better and stronger next year.

Behind reviews - the camera is not positioned well to assist for behind line reviews and given they're not as critical to get right as goal reviews I'd prefer to see the goal umpire's decision stand, hate how these are interrupting the play all the time. They also have an impact on teams' ability to rebound quickly from a kick in.

Advantage to JJ - great running goal but how can you pay a fifty and then give advantage to a player who firstly has no idea that a fifty has been paid and secondly isn't even ahead of where the fifty metre penalty would be awarded? Bont would have been having a set shot from 40 straight in front.

[BornInDroopSt'54]

Bankers were the young guys tonight, were at home and will get better. Freijah is seamless and Dolan has the skills.
The team effort was great, everyone part of it.
Anchors: intuiting the giraffe legs of the Darcys would get Sam when was drafted, I looked at the lad and was immediately anxious of those legs and what losing Luke to it, knackered our chances.

[GVGjr]

Bankers

The rapid improvement in Sanders and FJ

Dolan - I reckon he's going to be really a good player, doesn't do that much, but what he does do is really good

The return of BonT

Anchors

Obviously the Darcy injury

Bramble is a bit of a worry

Goalkicking accuracy

Goal kicking accuracy? The way I score it there was about 7 rushed behinds tonight and Naughton missed one by a fair way.

[Bornadog]

Goal kicking accuracy? The way I score it there was about 7 rushed behinds tonight and Naughton missed one by a fair way.

We kicked 8.6 from set shots

[Bornadog]

Bankers

1. Great team effort tonight, with multiple goal kickers as well.

2. The Bont - his influence is tremendous.

3. Sanders, his best game. He is starting to show why we gave up a lot for him.

Anchors

Of course Sams injury
That's it

[BontlowSzn]

Bankers

1 - Bont. Hasn't played a game of footy for the best part of months. Unbelievable performance. Shout out to Ed for copping the tag and still contributing heavily.

2 - Sanders. I've held concerns over the price we paid for him. But he is arriving. I have great faith in his inside ability, so it was pleasing to see him play so well on the outside. 32 touches only 4 contested.

3 - Bailey Williams. He's really turning into a reliable player. I feel safe when he's in the contest.

Anchors:

1 - Darce.. Gutted.

2 - Lobbs been a bit off the last couple of weeks. We really need him back to his best this next month of footy.

3 - Hynes. Not ready. Enough there to see he will make it though.

[Bornadog]

n2 - Lobbs been a bit off the last couple of weeks. We really need him back to his best this next month of footy. .

Marking has been an issue for him like English, Naughton and a few. Ball seems to have soap on it

[hujsh]

JJ looking back to his best (or close enough to it)
Bont immediately reminding us of how good he is
Naughton lifting when he had to (like a switch flipped)
Bonus for Sanders getting better each week. Navigates the space so well and makes good decisions. Looking more and more like his draft highlights package.

Only anchor is Darcy injury. Just hope it's anything but an ACL

[SonofScray]

B

Libba. It’s like he draws from an ancestral pool to embody the spirit of the Club in his efforts. He’s a genuinely special player and it’s a privilege to watch him across his career. Efforts like the chase down are ones to savour. They also signal to the Dolans and Freijah et al that there is a level they can aspire to that’ll go beyond just being a good player. You can live forever in the colours if you get that side of the game right.

Westy. Could have maybe filled his boots a bit more but an otherwise terrific game up front in his role. His efforts went up as the game went on too. Made of the right stuff.

Bont. Nothing more to say about Bont.


A

injury to Darcy was deflating.
English, getting better but no where near a reprieve from me.
15m rule for kicks, a mess out of nowhere.

[bulldogsthru&thru]

JJ looking back to his best (or close enough to it)
Bont immediately reminding us of how good he is
Naughton lifting when he had to (like a switch flipped)
Bonus for Sanders getting better each week. Navigates the space so well and makes good decisions. Looking more and more like his draft highlights package.

Only anchor is Darcy injury. Just hope it's anything but an ACL

Sanders looks like he's finally getting used to the pace of afl. Last year and early this season it looked like it overwhelmed him. Hoping he only gets better and better.

Re goal kicking it was generally good with the exception of a couple howlers (Naughton and Hynes).

[Scott2016]

B
the bont
the defensive efforts to stop saints after first 5 minutes
midfield clearances

A
darcy injury
naughtons dropped marks and kicking for goal
McNeil giving us nothing