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| Hai guyz! |
Thanks for that Ricky, so kind of you to stop by. But no, I'm talking about one of the biggest stories to come out of Round 1; but if you've spoken to any Essendon supporter i'm sure you're already quite familiar with their incessant ramblings about the second coming in the form of Sir. James.
As much as it pains me to say as a Carlton supporter, you can't deny they looked like a completely different outfit to that of 2010, and quite an impressive one at that. They seem to be playing an exciting, play on at all costs, pressurised zoning brand of football vastly different to that boring setup they'd adopted over the previous two seasons. But the most pleasing thing to come from this in Brownlow terms is the form of some of their stars - namely Jobe Watson.
With 35 possessions and 2 goals, he's sure to figure in the votes come Brownlow night, and is an outside roughie one needs to consider if Essendon can maintain their current form. In my opinion I don't believe Essendon can win enough games to warrant Jobe a chance, and in no way am I saying he will win it, but if they can manage to finish in the Top 8 and win their fair share of games he is a shot at polling inside the Top 5 at the very least. I'm usually a critic of his disposal, which can be quite erratic at times, and even though it's still early days i'd say he's eclipsed the 2010 form he was in when he won 'Tool of the Week' and then 'Tool of the Year' on Before the Game when he couldn't resist the charms of an elderly lady. Eyes on the ball Jobey... eyes on the ball.
Also, note i'll be using a different format this year, where i'll be throwing up names of the players who I think will feature in the votes, rather than just naming my 3, 2, 1's outright. The benefit is i'll be going into much more detail for each game, providing more insightful analysis, which will hopefully help to generate discussion and help you pick your own 3, 2 1's. So what of my own votes? Well I'll still be doing them throughout the year, but will instead post my full 24 rounds worth of 3, 2, 1's once the season has concluded and the odds have been released. So without further ado, here is what I made of that first glorious 8 games of the season...
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ROUND 1
Carlton vs Richmond
Wow, what a game to kick off the season!
Gibbs was head to head with Murphy for quite some time, but had the tendency of fading off in patches. Although his poise and composure showed in the last to help Carlton steady.
Jumping Jack was clearly the best player for Richmond all night, and with 6 goals it's hard not to be. His marking was a feature and almost won the Tiges the game off his own boot!
Also for the Tiges, Cotchin turned it around after having little influence on the game early. This kid is a star in the making.
Murphy was fantastic all night, and even though I thought he started to slip in the second half, his accurate kicking and awareness was a class above the rest.
Judd was a little rusty throughout the first half, but turned it on in the second - particularly the last quarter where he played mostly a lone hand.
Geelong vs St. Kilda
Up until half-time Dal Santo was ripping the game to shreds, but he then faded away and had very little influence in the second half when Geelong mounted a challenge.
Bartel was inspirational in the last quarter, and his goal on the boundary was a ripper! Steadied the ship for Geelong, and played with a cool head when the Saints put on the pressure.
Enright played a very solid game in what happened to be, coincidently, his milestone game. Broke the lines, ran and carried the ball, and provided the drive that Geelong was seeking after a lack-lustre first 2 1/2 quarters.
Lenny Hayes really stepped it up in the second half and was everywhere in the clinches. His poise, composure, and ability to side step players is a feature of his game that I love and this game was no exception.
Collingwood vs Port Adelaide
Johnson was solid throughout the entire match, and didn't falter at any point. Broke the lines, and kicked a couple of classy goals as well.
Swan was his usual self, gathering a shiteload of possessions at will. Played his usual link-man role outside the packs, and killed it in the first 2 quarters kicking 3 goals, kick starting the Pies' into shellacking Port.
Dawes had a ripper of a game, and it appears as though he's going to take his game to the next level in 2011. I'm predicting he'll take bigger strides than Cloke this year, in terms of development.
Pendles played a classy game and tried hard all day. His stoppage work stood out and shone through.
For Port there weren't many to speak of given the margin, although Matt Thomas was impressive.
Adelaide vs Hawthorn
Danger was no where to be seen in the first half, with only 2 possies up until half time if my memory serves correct. But from then on, when he was finally thrown into the midfield by Craig he was an absolute jet! Kicked 3 goals at a crucial stage of the match when the game was there to be won. People compare him to Mark Ricciuto, and now I see why, as that was a Ricciuto type game right there.
Also for the Crows, Thompson was his usual tough-nut self and Reilly did very well to simultaneously curb Burgoyne's influence in the second half as well as lift a notch when the game was on the line.
Sewell was among the best for the Hawks up until he was subbed off. He was simply everywhere and thrived on the contested ball.
Mitchell was an absolute ball magnet for the entire match. He work in close was a feature that stoof out. Leather poisoning at it's very finest.
Brisbane vs Fremantle
Sandi looked rather rusty in the first two quarters, but thereafter worked his way into the game and was much better. From there he dominated the ruck, and once he finally got his hands on the pill he started to really have an effect on the game.
Fyfe was the other Docker that caught my eye. He played a superb game and thrived on the contested ball, which is sure to stand out to the umpires.
Black was outstanding all night. His work in close was superb, and was at his hardworking, tireless best for the entire game.
Pav played a different game, lining up in the middle, but to his credit he stood up to the challenge and had quite a few clearances. Good game.
Essendon vs Western Bulldogs
Watson was a clear BOG. Not much can be added to what I wrote about him above - as it's quite clear he has a penchant for the older woman.
Hille was also among the best, with his big-body work around the ground and crucial marking the most impressive aspect of his game.
Stanton, whilst rusty early on - with a kick into the man on the mark resulting in a turnover goal the lowlight - he soon turned it around, swinging from defence to running goalkicker throughout the match.
Ryder was very solid. It's a joy to watch him play, as it seems he glides along as an extra midfielder despite his size. Kicked some nice goals.
Hocking was a clearance king and enjoyed the work in close.
For the Bulldogs there weren't many positives, apart from maybe Boyd who tried hard.
Melbourne vs Sydney
O'Keefe was the everywhere man. Played around the ground and was unstoppable throughout.
Moloney swung the game back in Melbourne's favour when it looked as though the Swans were going to run away with the game. His clearance work was some of the best I saw all weekend.
Goodes looked as though he was going to single handedly win the game for Sydney early on, but his influence waned as the match went on.
Trengove and Davey were of the others that were most impressive for the Dees.
West Coast vs North Melbourne
Cox smashed it, and I guess that was always a given considering North Melbourne went into the match with no real ruckmen.
Swallow was among the best for North, and carried on his form from that of last season which caught my eye.
Embley impressed me, particularly with his work up forward. Solid throughout.
Priddis played one of his best games to rival last year. Worked his way into the game and even snuck forward to do some nice work.
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