Nab Cup vs. North Melbourne/Geelong Review

[LostDoggy]

Re: Nab Cup vs. North Melbourne/Geelong Review

Managed to see both games and thought it was a typical first round NAB Cup hit out. Skills were rusty and established players tended to cruise through the match whilst the kids bust their guts to try to impress. Given the type of match I don't think you can read too much into how guys went. You would hope that those who didn't play well will get a chance later in the comp. Of those the following caught my eye:

Grant - superstar in the making. If he stays fit, keeps his ego in check then his great form of last year should continue;

Higgo - just how good he is and just how much he means to the side was on display on the weekend. He stays fit and we are a 4 or 5 goal better side.

Panos - first time I've seen him and from what I saw I was impressed. Led well, marked well and generally used the ball ok. Had limited opportunities, but I like what I saw.

Skinner - has the potential to be a gun. Quick, tall and super athletic. Just needs to learn to do the basics well.

DK - reckon he copped a little bit of stick from a few people. First competitive hitout and he did ok. Got a bit of the ball and used it ok. I think he'll improve and add to our side.
Wood - star. He will be the pick of the guys from hisn draft (grant aside). Reckon if I were GWS he would be on my list!

Vez - thought he was good. Moved well, kicked well, marked well. Doesn't get much of the ball, but makes his possessions count.

Agree - I watched the game on TV and thought he was good and managed to have the intensity for afl perhaps without the polish of an A-grader (at this stage). Again it is first round of nab cup and a bit more confidence can fix this. Let's face it he is unlikely to be a Joel Selwood or Geelong would not have let him go. I notice he was playing a run-with role on Bartel for a bit - is this what he is being groomed for? Couldn't tell if he was doing this all game - if so he seemed to get a lot of the ball going the other way which is a good indicator

[soupman]

Re: Nab Cup vs. North Melbourne/Geelong Review

Lets face it, this is NAB cup, or practise match time. Marcovic is a below average player from what I have seen of him. I wouldn't take any notice of his or any other players performance in the preseason comp.

Completely disagree. This is the closest thing to an indication of a players ability to perform at AFL level that you can get short of playing in the AFL. I agree that a good performance in the NAB cup may not translate to the proper thing, but it is good enough to give an indication of a players ability to compete at htis level.


As for the comments on Djerrkurra coming off as harsh, I'm not sure people on here are criticising him outright as a poor player, I think people are more critical of the tend he showed on the weekend of not looking to use the footy when he got it. Instead he seemed to run in circles with it until support came or he got tackled. That's Geelong's gameplan, not ours, and he will be better when he stops doing this.

[Mofra]

Re: Nab Cup vs. North Melbourne/Geelong Review

Have you seen Markovic play forward? He was drafted as a forward.

He doesn't play forward, even at VFL level.

Are you sure he was drafted to us as a forward (forgetting his Hawks/Box Hill stint)?

[ledge]

Re: Nab Cup vs. North Melbourne/Geelong Review

We have recruited a few forwards and turned them into back man, Lake and Tiller being two, maybe even Harbrow.
Chris Grant was an example of a forward going back then forward again.

Eade I believe likes to put forwards in the backline to learn the defensive side, problem is if they blossom up back then he has a decision to make.
Aslo depends on whether you are short on that defensive position on your list.

[Mofra]

Re: Nab Cup vs. North Melbourne/Geelong Review

We have recruited a few forwards and turned them into back man, Lake and Tiller being two, maybe even Harbrow.
Chris Grant was an example of a forward going back then forward again.

Eade I believe likes to put forwards in the backline to learn the defensive side, problem is if they blossom up back then he has a decision to make.
Aslo depends on whether you are short on that defensive position on your list.

Jarrad Grant and Liam Jones seem to have played forward their entire time on our list.

Lake, Tiller and Harbrow all have their own stories for going back - Tiller was a tweener, Lake doesn't lead and Callan's bravery/stupidity gave Harbrow a chance to go from mediocre small forward to excellent rebounder.

[Maddog37]

Re: Nab Cup vs. North Melbourne/Geelong Review

Hard to tell in different jumpers but markovic looks a lot leaner this year.

[ledge]

Re: Nab Cup vs. North Melbourne/Geelong Review

Depends what the coach sees in a player and where he will get most out of them.
Exactly with Harbrow as my point started as a forward tried down back and blossomed.

[westdog54]

Re: Nab Cup vs. North Melbourne/Geelong Review

I was pretty disappointed in the way we used Hill. In the scratch matches I had seen (I didn't see the intra-club) I had thought that he had been pretty good playing up on a wing and had hoped he would spend some time in this position yesterday.

While he had some nice touches he gets lazy up forward, looking for the easy one over the back all the time and needs to be played up the ground.

It staggers me that Hill doesn't play on a wing more often.

I still remember one of his first few games against StKilda a couple of years ago where he went head to head with Nick Dal Santo. Dal showed him no respect whatsoever and he probably played one of his best games for the club. He's at his best when he has to do some work to get a touch.

[comrade]

Re: Nab Cup vs. North Melbourne/Geelong Review

It staggers me that Hill doesn't play on a wing more often.

I still remember one of his first few games against StKilda a couple of years ago where he went head to head with Nick Dal Santo. Dal showed him no respect whatsoever and he probably played one of his best games for the club. He's at his best when he has to do some work to get a touch.

Geez, that was an awesome game. We got belted in the first quarter, made our run in the second quarter and cruised home after half time.

You're spot on - Hill was great that night.

[Missing Dog]

Re: Nab Cup vs. North Melbourne/Geelong Review

Are you sure he was drafted to us as a forward (forgetting his Hawks/Box Hill stint)?

Sorry he was drafted to us as a key back, I meant when he was first drafted a fair few had a good wrap of him as a forward. That might not mean much, but all I'm asking is how do you know Roughead is a better forward then Markovic.

[LostDoggy]

Re: Nab Cup vs. North Melbourne/Geelong Review

Who was Geelong missing. I thought it was:
Ling
Corey
Blake
Mooney

Anyone else. Missing

[chef]

Re: Nab Cup vs. North Melbourne/Geelong Review

Who was Geelong missing. I thought it was:
Ling
Corey
Blake
Mooney

Anyone else. Missing

Scarlet.

[LostDoggy]

Re: Nab Cup vs. North Melbourne/Geelong Review

Scarlet.

Ling
Corey
Blake
Mooney
Scarlet
Chapman

With those guys to come in for Geelong they are still a very strong side and as much as people on the board are saying that they stacked the side they still had some best 22 out like ourselves.

[Doggy]

Re: Nab Cup vs. North Melbourne/Geelong Review

Ling
Corey
Blake
Mooney
Scarlet
Chapman

With those guys to come in for Geelong they are still a very strong side and as much as people on the board are saying that they stacked the side they still had some best 22 out like ourselves.

and Pods

[ledge]

Re: Nab Cup vs. North Melbourne/Geelong Review

I tend to think Ling is past it now.
Any young player would make up for Ling, not experience but pace.
A bit like Johnno last year.