VFL Report: Collingwood Vs. Bendigo (Round 3, 2009)

The Scores

Collingwood: 3.4 / 7.6 / 9.6 / 13.11 [89]
Bendigo: 1.2 / 6.3 / 6.9 / 6.10 [46]

Goals

Collingwood: Bennell 3, Francis 2, Dick 2, Rounds, Sidebottom, Corrie, Frost, Bryan, Stanley.
Bendigo: Slattery 2, Neagle 2, German, Magin.

I usually do a more comprehensive review and player report for VFL matches, but I was only able to watch one half of the match this week before having to dash back down the Northern Highway at half-time.  With that in mind, the following player report will consist of observations from the first half alone.

Chris Bryan: Didn’t get too involved in the first half, although would have made the highlight reel for a big pack mark in the second quarter.  Continued to be played as a permanent forward, so I’m starting to wonder whether Bryan will figure in senior ruck considerations.  Having Bryan as a focal point at VFL level allows our up-and-coming smalls an opportunity to shine; whilst also taking some pressure off of Dawes.

Chris Dawes: Got involved in the first quarter, but unfortunately not in the manner that we would ideally like to see.  Most of his contribution was done at ground level rather than on the lead or in the contested marking stakes — let alone on the scoreboard.  He was barely spotted in the second quarter, but after worrying repors during our pre-season hitouts regarding his mental application, I would have to say over the last three weeks he has continued to try hard and put in without dropping his bundle.

Luke Rounds: Showed some very good signs in the first half.  He started on a forward flank and got busy.  He presented well a few times and was rewarded once or twice, but his work at ground level and defensively was the highlight.  Got a bit of the ball and kicked a lovely goal from right on 50 metres in the second quarter.  He came to us being noted for having a lot of pace and a fair bit of polish, both these attributes have been showcased but I will add that he also doesn’t mind the rough stuff.

Jarrad Blight: The player I was most looking forward to seeing yesterday, being that he hasn’t had a run in the VFL yet this season.  Was very pleased with what I saw in the first half.  Played across half-back and displayed a good ability to read the play coming in, chopping off a couple of Bendigo’s forward thrusts.

I made a point to watch him when not in possession or near the play, and he positions himself well to provide an option for the switch, or a get out of jail option to a nearby team mate in possession.  He got a fair bit of the ball in the first half and whilst he had a few fumbles, we could safely attribute these to rust and early jitters.  Has some springs in his heels, taking a very nice mark over Bellchambers of all people.  Both Blight and Rounds have shown good signs early, they could do with a year in the VFL whilst bulking up and learning the finer points — but I’m reasonably confident at the moment about their future prospects.

Tristan Francis: Goes about his business in a very honest manner, but that’s not to say he is a battler.  His burst of pace over the first few steps was present again yesterday, getting him out of trouble a few times.  Whilst his foot skills aren’t particularly noteworthy, they’re fairly sound as he seems to play within his limits.  Shapes as a player who we could get some good service out of in the future if he continues with his current progress and maybe manages to go up a notch or two.

Jaryd Blair: I have to admit I didn’t notice him much in the first half bar a couple of instances.  In those cases, he showed his good awareness and evasive ability in traffic.  Has the knack and good awareness- similar to Sidebottom – of stopping on a dime and sidestepping to avoid a tackler coming from any direction.  Hasn’t been as prominent as his first outing in the VFL over the last fortnight, but we’ll see how he comes on throughout the year.

Cameron Wood: I was really pleased with Wood’s game last week in a losing side and I was happy with what I saw in the first half against Bendigo.  His tap work wasn’t too convincing, although the wind caused problems particularly at boundary throw ins.  He has the ability to be a very good tap ruck man, which was on display last week when he got some extremely good hit outs.  What pleased me the most yesterday was his effort around the ground to provide an option and get involved, which has been a big step up from some of his passenger performances during the NAB Cup.

Lachlan Keeffe: Can’t say that I saw a whole lot of Keeffe during the first half, but the bits I did see I was happy with.  He’s still learning the trade and at times that point is very evident, but over the last three weeks I’ve seen a ruckman who loves to play the big man role.  He’s got a good size on him considering he’s still early in his development, but once he fills out look out — we may have found the ruckman who we’ve sorely missed for the last decade.

Danny Stanley: Started on the ball this week (along with Francis and Sidebottom) and spent a fair bit of the first half pushing forward to expose his opponent in the air — something he is quite good at.  Managed to snare a goal in the first half after out positioning his opponent in the goal square.  Whilst he hasn’t been as prominent as he has been in the past so far this season, his second, third and fourth efforts are a real feature.  I wouldn’t say he has done enough over the last three weeks to demand a senior call-up (which admittedly can be said about a few who have been called up) but if we had to replace O’Bree at any point then Stanley for me is the only real candidate.

Steele Sidebottom: Got a fair bit of the ball in the first quarter and was quieter in the second.  His exceptional reading of the play and positioning was again on show, but I’m almost entirely of the mind that the reports about elite foot skills were premature.  He doesn’t burn the ball at all – quite the contrary – but he uses it more conservatively over a 5-30 metre radius.  A very efficient and clever player and it’ll be a little while yet before we get a clearer picture of what primary position he’s going to fill at senior level; as he has the scope to step into a few.

Brad Dick: I was tough on Brad Dick last week despite the four goals he kicked, as he wasn’t involved in the game for the most part.  It was the complete opposite in the first half yesterday, where he seemed to be everywhere.  Laid some very good tackles (and was rightfully rewarded) and linked up all over the ground.  Kicked two goals for the half, one of which was a set shot from outside 50 into the wind after being knocked silly in a marking contest.  Fantastic first half, I would have rated him as BOG up until half-time, although with that said I would prefer him to notch up a few more performances like yesterday before coming back into the senior side.

Anthony Corrie: He was Collingwood enemy #1 for the fans who got down to Visy Park in round one, and rightfully so.  He put on one of the most selfish and mediocre displays that I’ve witnessed first hand, but to his credit he has improved upon this over the last two weeks.  The traits are still there, but he has improved somewhat in this regard and yesterday showed a willingness to put his body on the line in a few instances, as opposed to floating on the open wing for the easy release.  At this point, I’m pretty much resigned to him being nothing more than depth, which was probably always going to be the case.

Ben Reid: His best performance so far for the year.  He got a fair bit of the ball in the first quarter and used it well, managing to find targets despite the difficult conditions.  The best part of his game was on show in the second quarter and it all came down to defence.  He’s managed to amass relatively impressive stats the last couple of weeks but people are more worried about his ability as a defender.  Yesterday he showed excellent signs, I must have counted about three or four genuine spoils that either went to our advantage or killed any further contest, all within the second quarter.  Fear not, he’s progressing quite well.

Toby Thoolen: Still yet to show any notable improvement, unless something happened in the second half that I missed.

Kevin Dyas: Last week was his first game back after tearing his hamstring off the bone and being laid up for a while — understandably he struggled to find his feet.  Yesterday, he looked better and got involved more.  I’ll be waiting until later in the year before really assessing him given his injury and background.

Sharrod Wellingham: Has been one of the more disappointing players for me so far this year, as I was expecting quite a bit more from him.  He works hard and demands the ball, but can often fall victim to bad decision making or overestimating his own ability.  Wellingham is talented no doubt, but to a point.  If he can learn to play within his current boundaries a bit more and get some rough edges ironed out, he’ll be one of the first in line for a call-up.  Has been played mostly across half-back this season, so it looks like they’re trying to improve his defensive side and concentration — mixed results so far.

Johnny Bennell: Always looks lively and you can’t miss him with those boots, but unfortunately I didn’t get to see his best efforts yesterday.  Chased diligently in the first half but didn’t manage to get on the end of the ball too often up until half-time.  He ended up our leading goal kicker though, so his fortunes obviously changed.  I’ll get a better look at him this week.

Scott Reed: Didn’t get too much of it in the first half and the times he did it was evident that he longs for a bit more freedom, as he enjoys to run and carry.  He got carved up in defence last week, but it’s always a steep curve when you’re learning a defender’s trade whilst being undersized.  I got a closer look at him yesterday, being situated near the Collingwood bench and his slight frame became even more apparent.  He’ll have a bit to offer once he develops physically, but it’ll be interesting to see what we have in mind with all the utility types we’ve amassed over recent years.

Once again, all these observations were taken from the first half alone and based on how the game panned out I would have missed out on a bit; but given most people don’t get the opportunity to see our VFL side play I figured something is better than nothing.