Eagles v Norwood Saturday August 24

Premiers wrote:I'Jack Firns played a very good first half, strong intercept marking and tackles. When the floodgates opened in 3Q, of course Norwood's delivery to their forwards overwhelmed our entire backline. So "NO" Jack Firns bashing, please.

Don't know what you were watching his man was bog in 1st half

MichaelScott wrote:

Premiers wrote:I'Jack Firns played a very good first half, strong intercept marking and tackles. When the floodgates opened in 3Q, of course Norwood's delivery to their forwards overwhelmed our entire backline. So "NO" Jack Firns bashing, please.

Don't know what you were watching his man was bog in 1st half

I’d have to agree with Michael there.

His opponent was Binder who absolutely thrashed Firns in the first two quarters taking countless pack marks and allowing him so much space on the lead. Eventually Sauce had to move him off and replace him with Thompson.

While Firns spoiling and his defensive awareness was poor he did get a bit of the footy and laid a few decent tackles which I think is what caught Premier’s eye.

But I don’t blame Firns for yesterday’s debacle as once more he was being asked by the coach to play in a position that he is not suited to – a key defender. The person recruited pre-season to fill that role (Moore) was playing reserves so you have to question the wisdom there.

Premiers wrote:Excellent win by Eagles Seconds over top team Norwood.
Pearce covered the ground very well. Missed a couple of targets with laxadaisical left footer but weaved his way through heavy traffic very well and was on the move before ruckmen's hand to ball. Who knows? Improve his fitness over Summer plus tidy up his quick short kicks and we may have another League midfielder. Certainly, a strong attack on ball.

Two years ago Will Pearce was in our top five for the pre-season 2km runs and at that time I thought he should be given a bit of midfield time, he had strength and penetration but his form dropped off alarmingly. Maybe with so many finishing up and some not good enough he might be looked at in a different light now and given a new role.

Talking to Pearce Seymour after the match he told me Binder had played most of the year in the reserves......what a luxury. With Norwood's main forward out (Jackson Callow) would Binder again be relegated to the reserves when he comes back, is he worth chasing?
Are we looking hard enough at other clubs to see what might be useful to us.

"....see what might be useful to us" Anyone? Everyone"

Club's best players at presentations last night:

1) Joe Sinor
2) Zane Williams
3) Josh Morris

I think it has been morris that tries the short pass after a point has been scored, which goes astray and results in an "own goal". If so, Sauce needs to beat it out of him. Talent doesnt match ambition.

whybother wrote:I think it has been morris that tries the short pass after a point has been scored, which goes astray and results in an "own goal". If so, Sauce needs to beat it out of him. Talent doesnt match ambition.

I turned it off after a while after the 3rd 1/4 but that has been our game style all year. Too many high risk small reward plays.

"...who got us 1 flag over 10 years". And that was before he really started to coach.

Just as a matter of interest. Has the SANFL actually introduced the stand rule? in our last game one/some of the umps called stand. Is that a real rule in our comp, or have wannabe AFL umps introduced it on their own?

wimpy wrote:Talking to Pearce Seymour after the match he told me Binder had played most of the year in the reserves......what a luxury. With Norwood's main forward out (Jackson Callow) would Binder again be relegated to the reserves when he comes back, is he worth chasing?
Are we looking hard enough at other clubs to see what might be useful to us.

Binder has played 25 Senior games for Nord since 2021 which I can't believe as I've seen him play well against us before.
Maybe he saves his best for us. He'd certainly be one to pursue in the off season which isn't far away for us.
However, average players can look good in a good side and Binder could be an example of that. Put him in our forward line with the bombs we deliver and he'd probably look pretty ordinary as well. I'm really concerned about next year now and how we get ourselves out of our current mind set. We need some class to lift the many battlers we've now got in the mix.

Our tall forwards need opportunities.

Ballenden is picked in any side in the SANFL as our focal target.

Weckert has been good. Wheare shouldn't have been dropped after the Sturt game - his last two league games he's shown he has what it takes, his attack on the ball is fierce. Cooke is looking good as he grows in to his body. Then there is Lukac, West, Pearce as potential other options. Lukac really hasn't had a decent opportunity to show what he has as a forward, due to our lack of ruck depth - but I believe he was a key forward, not a ruckman, when he showed promise as an U18?

We've given the Menzel brothers and Goldsworthy 50 plus games that should've been got into younger forwards over the last 2 seasons. Don't need to chase types like Binder or Sladojevic when there is more upside with what we have if we can get a season or two in to them.

The real immediacy is the midfield, including a ruck, if Brinker-Ritchie is a write off.