Anzac Day

[Neil Appleby]

A few observations on today's game.
A devastatingly bad first quarter-no pressure applied at all and perhaps the worst demonstration of LACK OF skills I've seen from any Pie team.
After that and Essendon's lairising we were pretty solid...and that's what we have to work on...today I saw the first glimmer of light at the end of the tunnel.
I. Scotland: a real goer and is good on both sides of the body....must keep playing him.
2.Davis: easily our best player in the first half:a ready made
3.Jacotine:tough-great debut..must keep playing him.
4.Williams:finally earned his huge salary and showed some leadership...REAL leadership
but doing the hard stuff as well as kicking goals.
5.Anthony Rocca: interesting game...played well down back as a lose man early but stood up further up later; shouldn't have missed at least one sitter in the last. Best game in quite a while.
6.Richardson: excellent last half.
Let's keep it positive this week...there was a lot to like today and with Michael doing ok in the twos, Buckley 3 weeks away,Shauble better, so hopefully has turned the corner
and a blinder by Tarrant should make it next week.
5. Oborne:Kicked 5 and after last week's 4
is starting to show consistency; hope they leave him in the twos for most of the year
and just give him time....hope his weights coach is working on fast tracking him!!
Great effort boys!
I was a proud Magpie today.
It is still going to be tough to win a game
and yes we probably played above ourselves a bit....but the recruiters haven't been totally inept!
Now can anyone tell me what's wrong with Watson?
Why don't they just place him down back with Rocca and leave them there?

[paul]

I agree with your report Neil. The first quarter was men playing against boys. In the last quarter a few boys took a step towards manhood. The lightwieght King bursting through a back to get the ball to Williams for a goal was inspirational. The way Scotland attacked the ball after the bounce following Wallis' animalistic attack on him showed courage that was encouraging.
I noticed Davis getting treatment on a shoulder at quarter time. Hopefully it wont keep him out.

The decision of the selectors to play a tall or too short was puzzling. The seconds had Monkhorst, Schauble, Kinnear, Tarrant, Venables, Smith and Tuckey. Surely at least one of these would have been able to contribute as much as say Freeborn or Fuller.