Post match. Pies smash Saints - All comments please.

[Dave The Man]

[MagpieBat]

[Brown26]

The thing that struck me was that after quarter time the number of second efforts and particularly lunging from the ground to tackle was incredible.

Varcoe was poor in the first quarter, his intensity and defence was terrible but boy did he turn it around. A number of times he tackled an opponent to the ground for the ball to spill to another Saints player, and Varcoe just lunged and grabed them, locking the ball in or wining it for us. Even Cloke did it. The second and third efforts were outstanding.

If that's the sort of play the team will bring to the park this year we will win more than most.

The dissapointing thing for me was the poor kicking, particularly early. The Bombers will crucify us with that sort of play, but we could be a really good side if we could hit our targets consistently, and kick straight at goal!

Still, the team played really well and I think, given the opposition, we can safely say we are NOT a bottom four side. whether we can say we're a top 8 side I'm not sure, but we're not a bottom four side, and with the inclusion of Greenwood, Adams, sidey and (hopefuly) Reid in the middle of the year we can only get better.

- Ben

[mosig]

[jackcass]

[MagpieBat]

[Jezza]

Very satisfying victory! We were excellent after quarter time even if the opposition was very ordinary and very likely to be in the bottom 4 again this year but you can only beat who you're confronted with. I must admit I was a little concerned during the week about our chances but we responded extremely well.

Dane Swan was clearly best on ground! That's the best I've seen him play since ANZAC Day last year so hopefully that rejuvenation of form will continue into next week against the Bombers. We need a fit and firing Swanny if we're to beat Essendon next week.

Travis was really good as well but his kicking for goal especially inside the 50m arc is absolutely atrocious. It's very frustrating to watch but he makes it up for his running ability, tackling pressure and his ability to beat his opponent one on one on most occasions.

Great performances also from Grundy, Crisp, Varcoe, Dwyer and Elliott. All these players had outstanding games and should be commended for their performances. Grundy absolutely dominated Longer as the game went on, I love Crisp's hardness at the contest and his determination to win his own ball. I've been critical of Varcoe on numerous occasions for not playing hard enough but credit where it's due he was terrific last night. Sammy Dwyer slotted into the side beautifully last night and deserves to retain his spot for next week and Elliott was excellent as well and needs to stay in the forward line more often in the future rather than playing in the midfield more often. He's a natural forward who's marking ability still astonishes me these days.

Our skill level is still very ordinary but our pressure is excellent and our kids are starting to emerge little by little but I suspect this is going to be a year of ups and downs but if we can maintain this effort for the whole year even against better sides I'll be very happy.

Overall there's a lot to like about last night but we'll be underdogs for the ANZAC Day clash but if we can keep up the pressure we demonstrated last night and our guns in Pendles, Swan and Cloke (when he's kicking straight) are firing we're every chance in causing an upset next week. This is a great way to start the weekend and good to have some excitement heading into ANZAC Day next weekend.

[Tannin]

Special mentions for:

• Dwyer: slipped in to a role as if he's been doing it for years. Showed pace, guts, and ability to get the ball. Used it well too, except when butchering the goals. I've always liked Dwyer but had more-or-less decided that he was a depth player to be called on when we have too many injuries. On last night's form though, he's putting his hand up for best 22 and might just make it.
  
• Williams: did the gutsy things, had a lot going for him, but his turnovers made Tooves look like Mr Precision By Foot. On thin ice.
  
• Elliott: was played in his proper position, as a forward who runs in the middle only now and then, and didn't it show. Elliott was one of the two reasons our forward line worked properly for the first time in a long time.
  
• Gault was the other reason. Yep, he had a shocker: couldn't get the ball to stick and looked lost a lot of the time, but cut the kid some slack: it was wet, and it was under lights. How many wet night games has he played before? (Ans: none.) He'll learn from it and he won't get towelled up like that again. Even so, just the fact that he was there meant that Cloke and White and Elliott were able to get on the end of a few. We play so, so much better with a third genuine tall forward in the side. (You could slot someone like Moore in instead, most likely that would work just as well or better, and we already know that Reid can do the same.) I couldn't work out why Gault wasn't given any ruck duty. (At least none that I could see on my low-res replay.) Previously, Gault has been preferred to White as the second ruck, and has done well in the role. Why change now? Either they thought that White needed the run and confidence even more than Gault did, or perhaps they looked at that mean man-mountain ruckman St Vomit have and thought it would be wiser not to throw the kid in against him. Dunno: they should have given him a crack at it anyway.
  
• Broomhead: class. Broomy reminds me of Pendles: he has that same magical ability to somehow have just enough time and space.
  
• Blair: his third good game in a row. This is the best Blair has played since 2010/2011. By far the best. And although two of those three good games were (as usual with JB) against weak opposition, one of them wasn't. That is significant. Can he confound the critics (i.e., me) by putting in another good one against Essendon? He deserves the chance.
  
• Adams: we did amazingly well without our #1 extractor, but it was only St Vomit after all. We want our engine room man back next week!
  
• Grundy: performing every week now. Great to see!
  
• Swan. He's back!
  
• Varcoe: has arrived as a Collingwood player. Will star against the Dons.
  
• Crisp: took his place in the middle as though he'd been doing it for years. If he stays fit, he'll play 22 games this year, and rightly so.
  
• Frost: starting to look right at home now after some trouble settling in to a new role in partnership with Brown.
  
• Brown: played up the ground more, a Wakelin to Frost's Presti. I think it suits him better. He's not the world's best kick, he's not quick, and he is far too easily outmarked overhead, but he's smart, he's got good hands and great judgment, and he knows where to run to.
  
• Ramsey: improves a little every game. Going to be hard to tip him out of the side before too long.
  
• Seedsman: did a few nice things, showed his talent, not quite up to speed yet. Needs to show that he has taken the extra step this year and is now a mature player. On this week's showing, there is no reason he can't do that.
  
• Oxley: Young won't get back into this side while Oxley is around to do everything Young can do and quite a few things he can't do.
  
• Langdon, Oxley, Seedsman, Crisp, Ramsey. FMD! Players who can kick. Playing for Collingwood! Who'd a thunk it?
  

IN: Adams
OUT: Karnesis. ( A bit stiff.)

[Albert Parker]

^like a lot of this post but identifying Ramsay and Crisp as capable kicks is ludicrous.

Grundy - most improved player
Blair - most consistent
Swan - welcome back
Goldsack, Williams, Toovey - face the risk of going the way of Fasolo this past week. Well Tooves is doing the hard work but lets himself down badly with his kicking.

Amazing how a team can feel like it has so much more ability to assess options from one week to the next. Handled pressure so much better this week.

Good thing is, plenty of upside - more cohesion, potential to add Sidey, Greenwood, Adams, Reid and 4 top 10 draft picks from the past 2 years

[Tannin]

[John Wren]

gault was used sparingly in the ruck at the centre bounce and he did some in the forward 50.. i thought he would have got more time there.

[Rick]

[quote="Tannin"]Special mentions for:
[*] Elliott: was played in his proper position, as a forward who runs in the middle only now and then, and didn't it show. Elliott was one of the two reasons our forward line worked properly for the first time in a long time./quote]

I also thought it functioned much better with Fasolo being dropped, Blair moving further up the ground, Goldsack suring up an inexperienced backline and Dwyer creating options and roving packs.

[Piethagoras' Theorem]

It's pretty clear where Bucks is heading with the game plan and player types. We get a hint every now and then of how successful it could be but look out when it all clicks! I know the aints aren't exactly a great side to judge against but given all the predictions that we'll end up down the bottom with them , it was a very satisfying performance.

A few players I was very impressed with were Varcoe, Broomhead, Oxley and Crisp. Broomhead especially, he reminds me of Sidey in the way he moves and disposes the ball but has that Judd like explosiveness. The boy is quality!

[Culprit]

Someone mentioned plenty of laughter on the night at some of the play. Yes indeed some of the play was like the keystone cops and chooks running around with the heads cut off. It was terrible play and very much like junior football with every player around the ball. Teams do this so they don't get smashed on the scoreboard, sorry Richo it didn't help and I felt that made Swan even more damaging. My highlight for absolute laughter was the shortest player on the field getting done for a head high tackle and on the replay which the umpire actually looked at clearly showed Blair holding him around the chest. The expression on the umpires face was priceless.

[Pies4shaw]