VFL - Rd 1, Sandringham vs Frankston

[samuraisaint]

Billings, Bruce and Lee should all spend the year at Sandy developing and building confidence for 2015 IMO. I am not sold on Lee, but if he is any hope at all he needs to spend a year in the weights room getting some size.

[mcadam05]

4 goals in a quarter must be a sheer fluke. Get him on the plane to Perth.

Reminds me of another 18 year old kicking 4gls in a last 1/4

[Wrote for Luck]

At the game today and didn't think Billings looked that small. The guy is quality, pure quality. He knows what he's going to do before he gets it. Has the football mechanics in the brain. Loved it.

Thought Bruce another worthy mention. He's a super size and hits the contest and works real hard. Good pick up.

Concerns; Minchington. Unsure if he's coming back from any sort of injury. But was not good.

Saw more positive than negative with Siposs - looked in good shape. Competed well in the air and should have kicked a couple.

[Spinner]

Just finished watching.


Billings. Wow. Turned it on.

Could be like C Judd. Played one WAFL game never to be seen in that comp again!

Also both pick 3's.

[Old Mate]

Just finished watching.


Billings. Wow. Turned it on.

Could be like C Judd. Played one WAFL game never to be seen in that comp again!

Also both pick 3's.

You'll be happy to no Acres had a good game in the development squad. First real game since July last year and he had 24 possies and 10 tackles

[aussie sainter]

The Box Hills McEvoy is his younger brother Pete. A quality young bloke, promising junior. Suffered a head injury which delayed his development, then went off to Tassie for Uni. Tore it up in one of the local leagues in Tassie last year, hasn't given up on the AFL dream. Hard running forward, around 194cm and around 87kg. Lives with Ben

[BigMart]

Oh,

So it's not Hawthorn's #1 Ruckman playing VFL 2's?

Who would have thought

[saintbrat]

Game on Iview
http://iview.abc.net.au/programs/footba ... 319V002S00

ok just took a while to load

[desertsaint]

Game on Iview
http://iview.abc.net.au/programs/footba ... 319V002S00

ok just took a while to load

Cheers for the link.
Just watched the first and last quarters.
Thought roberton was good in the last. One of those players that never looks in a rush, but knows what to do.
Shenton went well. Lee just a lovely kick. Yeah Billings very good at the death.

[joffaboy]

Oh,

So it's not Hawthorn's #1 Ruckman playing VFL 2's?

Who would have thought

No. Hawthorns #1 Ruckman was just dropped and the Hawks cruised to an easy win

[saintspremiers]

Oh,

So it's not Hawthorn's #1 Ruckman playing VFL 2's?

Who would have thought

No. Hawthorns #1 Ruckman was just dropped and the Hawks cruised to an easy win

I may be wrong but didn't trading Ben help us get Dunstan?

Sure, Dunstan has some work to do yet to be AA, but it may happen this season.....

[gringo]

Oh,

So it's not Hawthorn's #1 Ruckman playing VFL 2's?

Who would have thought

No. Hawthorns #1 Ruckman was just dropped and the Hawks cruised to an easy win

I may be wrong but didn't trading Ben help us get Dunstan?

Sure, Dunstan has some work to do yet to be AA, but it may happen this season.....

If we have swapped a B grade ruckman for an A grade ball winning mid I think we are ahead. Big mac still has potential but he was along way from A grade.

[stkildathunda]

Full match report and all stats- http://www.truezebras.com/round-1-match ... ndringham/

[The OtherThommo]

At the game today and didn't think Billings looked that small. The guy is quality, pure quality. He knows what he's going to do before he gets it. Has the football mechanics in the brain. Loved it.

Thought Bruce another worthy mention. He's a super size and hits the contest and works real hard. Good pick up.

Concerns; Minchington. Unsure if he's coming back from any sort of injury. But was not good.

Saw more positive than negative with Siposs - looked in good shape. Competed well in the air and should have kicked a couple.

I'm with you, millar, for an 18 yo (19 in August, I think) Billings has pretty reasonable upper body definition. With the bursitis in his knee last year restricting the amount of running he could do, he looks to have spent time in the gym working on his upper body. Now that he's over the bursitis no doubt the emphasis will be on developing his running and tank.

But, this kid will be elevated very soon - probably this week. They played him as the sub in round 1, since then he's played 2 games good enough at VFL to warrant elevation just on pure football talent. First, he knows where to go - it's innate in such natural footballers. Second, where he gets there, he can get it, including in traffic. Third, once he's got it, he can find, or engineer, enough time and space to dispose of it. Fourth, he doesn't just dispose of it, he makes the maximum out of the opportunity presented or made.

Today's game was a VFL game for men - small, particularly narrow, open ground on the bay on a windy day. Jack couldn't get near it in the 1st half. Choppy flow to the game, lots of stoppages, low possession game with lots of ineffective disposals. He worked his way into the game in the 3rd, as the game opened up a bit. The last 1/4 was a grab of those 4 things listed above that he has in abundance. So, in a game that finished up with low overall possession numbers, he finishes up around the top of those numbers, hardly wastes one of 'em and kicks 5 - all without being able to get near it for a half.

I watched a couple of patches in replay. Once he entered the picture you could almost see his mind ticking over. "Hmmm, might be a chance here.....nup....what about here?....not quite..rats...I'll try over here...closer, closer, where's it going....there it is.....come on baby, come to Jack...got ya...cue quiet celebration".

He has the connection in his head. He's a way off being aerobically fit enough to play full midfield rotations at senior level. But, he can do damage up forward. With his way of finding it, and his ball use, a season or two playing predominantly forward could still be mighty productive. As the West showed tonight, we can get enough of it to get, and keep it, in the front half, but we lack the incisive vision and ball use to provide productive scoring output from the effort. Jack's got all that, and then some.

Play him. Look after him, but play him. He'll produce.

[BigMart]

JB

When you find out Ben missed with a calf.... You will do what?

[gringo]

JB

When you find out Ben missed with a calf.... You will do what?

I think it doesn't matter either way. So far we are ahead. Ben's greatest quality was his endurance and the fact he never missed games through injury. When the hawks nabbed him I told my mate he would be good for them because they just need a ruck with a resilient body. So far the Hawks curse of the ruckman has hit again.

[The OtherThommo]

At the game today and didn't think Billings looked that small. The guy is quality, pure quality. He knows what he's going to do before he gets it. Has the football mechanics in the brain. Loved it.

Thought Bruce another worthy mention. He's a super size and hits the contest and works real hard. Good pick up.

Concerns; Minchington. Unsure if he's coming back from any sort of injury. But was not good.

Saw more positive than negative with Siposs - looked in good shape. Competed well in the air and should have kicked a couple.

18 y.o. "spaghetti arms" not in evidence.

http://www.saints.com.au/news/2014-04-0 ... zebras-win

And, this;

“The whole game I tried to focus on being on the move and trying to get my opponent one-on-one to make it harder for the defenders and I think I was able to do that.”

[Wrote for Luck]

absolutely agree. additionally he's smart enough to navigate his way around. as you say rightly it was tight and tense and tough yesterday where breathing space was limited. Billings finds the pockets of time and space and operates within them to achieve maximum output. Similar to Rossy.

[kosifantutti]

JB

When you find out Ben missed with a calf.... You will do what?

Old man's injury.

[bergholt]

JB

When you find out Ben missed with a calf.... You will do what?

You know he's just trolling you, right?

[saintbrat]

Any word on White and Acres games?

+1

Some photos here
http://www.truezebras.com/photos-develo ... n-round-1/

[dragit]

Hey thunda, any word on the White report?

[saintbrat]

Seniors photos http://www.truezebras.com/photos-round- ... frankston/

[joffaboy]

JB

When you find out Ben missed with a calf.... You will do what?

I think it doesn't matter either way. So far we are ahead. Ben's greatest quality was his endurance and the fact he never missed games through injury. When the hawks nabbed him I told my mate he would be good for them because they just need a ruck with a resilient body. So far the Hawks curse of the ruckman has hit again.

Sure I read in the paper he was omitted. Who cares seems like McEvoy held back Hawthorn, the way they played on Friday. They absolutely killed Freo's mids without McEvoy. In the past Sandilands has taken McEvoy apart.

More praise for Hickey from the real experts last night.

who got our most possessions and BoG for the Saints last night?

la la la la - someone caught out and twisting in the wind

[BigMart]

Michael Walters is small?

That guy from Port is tiny?

Cyril is small

Lewis Jetta is skinny?

Dalhuis is small?

Jack Martin is a matchstick?

Brandon Matera is tiny?

So is Leigh Montagna and Eli... Both of which Jack is Taller and Heavier

Is there a size limit to being a good player.

Fascination with being muscle loaded and good is interesting
We should have grabbed Cockie if that's the case, or Mav Weller should be our best mid?

It should be understood most mids in the AFL are dropping weight