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Re: Williamstown vs Port Melbourne
I won't go over board as there have already been a number of excellent reports.
Reserves Observations
I thought Jamason Daniels was great in the second half. He's clearly still recovering touch after an extended injury lay off but some of his ground ball scoops, and his evasiveness in close were really impressive. Couple that with his genuine speed and improved kicking, he's a definite bargain and one I'll be keenly following.
Lynch is so clearly above VFL reserves level but speaking to a few people, it seems his attitude on the training track might still be an issue. Will the penny drop for him? IMO if it hasn't yet it probably won't which is a real shame as his pace, defensive pressure and class around the goals would've been extremely handy for the Bulldogs in the next few years.
I saw Chris Ogle's first game a few weeks ago and he looked absolutely out of his depth. Yesterday he made a few errors, but his disposal was more assured, as was his decision making. I'm hopeful that he can keep improving and crack a senior Willy game later in the year.
Seniors Observations
I've been driving the 'Get Boumann into the seniors' bandwagon and he finally got a run yesterday. Thankfully, he didn't disappoint. As GVG said, his disposal was great other than one OOB kick and he peeled off his man to become a link man in attack. His footy brain is getting better every week and he moves fantastically well for someone who stands at 196cm. He has all the tools to become a very good player, hopefully in a utility role like Waite or Tarrant.
Cordy did some classy things - a roving goal from about 25 metres out was a highlight. IMO he looked tired throughout the game and probably needs to be carefully managed over the next few weeks, as I overhead someone close to him say he was pretty sore during the week after extended weights sessions. If he does get a rest, I'd like to see Boumann play forward or at least see Roughead get a promotion.
Reid was powerful in close, and also found space when moving the ball forward. He's actually developed into an attacking weapon and would've had a number of inside 50s. His major concern remains his kicking - his ball drop reminds me of Mitch Hahn. If Higgins doesn't get up, I'd be confident that Reid could do a job against the hard nosed Swans.
Grant was petulant again at times - his once only leading really needs to turn into multiple leads. That will come with increased fitness and I can only hope he is busting his butt to improve that. A positive is his disposal, which was good yesterday and has been in most of the games I've seen this year.
As an aside, Willy will be very hard to defeat this year. The may lack a bit of pace in the midfield, but they have an abundance of hard, smart footballers, a solid defensive group and a forward line that is hard to match up on.
I won't go over board as there have already been a number of excellent reports.
Reserves Observations
I thought Jamason Daniels was great in the second half. He's clearly still recovering touch after an extended injury lay off but some of his ground ball scoops, and his evasiveness in close were really impressive. Couple that with his genuine speed and improved kicking, he's a definite bargain and one I'll be keenly following.
Lynch is so clearly above VFL reserves level but speaking to a few people, it seems his attitude on the training track might still be an issue. Will the penny drop for him? IMO if it hasn't yet it probably won't which is a real shame as his pace, defensive pressure and class around the goals would've been extremely handy for the Bulldogs in the next few years.
I saw Chris Ogle's first game a few weeks ago and he looked absolutely out of his depth. Yesterday he made a few errors, but his disposal was more assured, as was his decision making. I'm hopeful that he can keep improving and crack a senior Willy game later in the year.
Seniors Observations
I've been driving the 'Get Boumann into the seniors' bandwagon and he finally got a run yesterday. Thankfully, he didn't disappoint. As GVG said, his disposal was great other than one OOB kick and he peeled off his man to become a link man in attack. His footy brain is getting better every week and he moves fantastically well for someone who stands at 196cm. He has all the tools to become a very good player, hopefully in a utility role like Waite or Tarrant.
Cordy did some classy things - a roving goal from about 25 metres out was a highlight. IMO he looked tired throughout the game and probably needs to be carefully managed over the next few weeks, as I overhead someone close to him say he was pretty sore during the week after extended weights sessions. If he does get a rest, I'd like to see Boumann play forward or at least see Roughead get a promotion.
Reid was powerful in close, and also found space when moving the ball forward. He's actually developed into an attacking weapon and would've had a number of inside 50s. His major concern remains his kicking - his ball drop reminds me of Mitch Hahn. If Higgins doesn't get up, I'd be confident that Reid could do a job against the hard nosed Swans.
Grant was petulant again at times - his once only leading really needs to turn into multiple leads. That will come with increased fitness and I can only hope he is busting his butt to improve that. A positive is his disposal, which was good yesterday and has been in most of the games I've seen this year.
As an aside, Willy will be very hard to defeat this year. The may lack a bit of pace in the midfield, but they have an abundance of hard, smart footballers, a solid defensive group and a forward line that is hard to match up on.
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