Murray MiddletonAt Last My Love Is Here
March 21st 2008 04:50
The season has finally begun. In last night's matches Richmond defeated Carlton by 30 points, while the Cats hung on to beat Port Adelaide by nine points. The grand final re-match was a tough game of football. Geelong ran out of legs but were not punished by the Power. If not for a series of missed chances in the last quarter, Port might have won. Serial offender Daniel Motlop inexplicably failed to make the distance from forty metres out. In spite of this, Geelong were the better team.
Port destroyed Geelong in the ruck. If anything, it showed why the Cats opted to play Steven King in the 2007 Grand Final ahead of Mark Blake. Geelong will be better for the hit-out. Their midfield looked strong. Gary Ablett was damaging as always. James Kelly slid under the radar to collect 31 disposals. Brownlow medalist Jimmy Bartel had a quiet game. Ryan Gamble looked promising in just his second match. Tom Hawkins did enough. The Cats will be looking to feed Travis Varcoe, Harry Taylor and Brent Prismall into the team in the coming weeks. They have great depth. 'It's the fish John West rejects...' On last night's performance there is no reason to believe that Geelong won't be a threat in 2008.
Port Adelaide were quite good. Similarly to the grand final, they were carried by the Cornes brothers. Lade's ruck work was superb. Warren Tredrea looked serviceable up forward, but he appears to be well past his prime. Justin Westoff, the beanpole who burst onto the scene last year, was soundly beaten by Matthew Scarlett. Sound familiar? Weshoff was unable to exert any pyhsical presence on the game. Although he is talented, doubts exist over his ability to perform consistently at the elite level. Raw ability does not make a career. There is no point in monstering the weak teams. St. Kilda's Stephen Milne has been less successful since opposition teams wised up to his tricks. He is able to bully the weaker teams, but generally goes missing in big matches. Westhoff's plight so far has mirrored Milne. If Port are to improve in 2008, Westhoff must play better than last night.
When Eddie Betts goaled in the second quarter, after several Chris Judd handballs, the Carlton fans seemed ready remove the cork from the champagne. Their joy did not last. Richmond wore Carlton down. Matthew Richardson kicked five goals, exposing the Blues' lack of quality tall defenders. Big question marks still hang over Carlton. The loss of Walker and Fisher hurts them. Every team suffers injuries. Richmond were almost at full strength. O'hAilpin is not a long term prospect in the ruck. If he is to make a career in the AFL it must be in defence. His kicking is too erratic to play up forward. Although a wealth of Irish talent has exploded onto the AFL scene in recent years - Kennelly, Clarke, Begley - none have been key position players. Carlton cannot wait forever.
Chris Judd had limited game time (he spent three quarters on the field). He played as well as could be asked. One man does not maketh a football team. It is a lesson that Blues supporters will learn slowly and painfully throughout the season. Brendon Fevola was disappointing, yet the Blues were too relient on him. They must find other options up forward. It is questionable whether they can afford to play Waite in defence. The Blues are still plugging holes all over the ground. The Tigers, on the other hand, were good. However they celebrated the win as if they had won a premiership. The win must be put in perspective. If they are to progress - and save Terry Wallace' job - they will have to be better. But a win is a win.
Geelong won. Carlton lost. Everything is in order.
Port destroyed Geelong in the ruck. If anything, it showed why the Cats opted to play Steven King in the 2007 Grand Final ahead of Mark Blake. Geelong will be better for the hit-out. Their midfield looked strong. Gary Ablett was damaging as always. James Kelly slid under the radar to collect 31 disposals. Brownlow medalist Jimmy Bartel had a quiet game. Ryan Gamble looked promising in just his second match. Tom Hawkins did enough. The Cats will be looking to feed Travis Varcoe, Harry Taylor and Brent Prismall into the team in the coming weeks. They have great depth. 'It's the fish John West rejects...' On last night's performance there is no reason to believe that Geelong won't be a threat in 2008.
Port Adelaide were quite good. Similarly to the grand final, they were carried by the Cornes brothers. Lade's ruck work was superb. Warren Tredrea looked serviceable up forward, but he appears to be well past his prime. Justin Westoff, the beanpole who burst onto the scene last year, was soundly beaten by Matthew Scarlett. Sound familiar? Weshoff was unable to exert any pyhsical presence on the game. Although he is talented, doubts exist over his ability to perform consistently at the elite level. Raw ability does not make a career. There is no point in monstering the weak teams. St. Kilda's Stephen Milne has been less successful since opposition teams wised up to his tricks. He is able to bully the weaker teams, but generally goes missing in big matches. Westhoff's plight so far has mirrored Milne. If Port are to improve in 2008, Westhoff must play better than last night.
When Eddie Betts goaled in the second quarter, after several Chris Judd handballs, the Carlton fans seemed ready remove the cork from the champagne. Their joy did not last. Richmond wore Carlton down. Matthew Richardson kicked five goals, exposing the Blues' lack of quality tall defenders. Big question marks still hang over Carlton. The loss of Walker and Fisher hurts them. Every team suffers injuries. Richmond were almost at full strength. O'hAilpin is not a long term prospect in the ruck. If he is to make a career in the AFL it must be in defence. His kicking is too erratic to play up forward. Although a wealth of Irish talent has exploded onto the AFL scene in recent years - Kennelly, Clarke, Begley - none have been key position players. Carlton cannot wait forever.
Chris Judd had limited game time (he spent three quarters on the field). He played as well as could be asked. One man does not maketh a football team. It is a lesson that Blues supporters will learn slowly and painfully throughout the season. Brendon Fevola was disappointing, yet the Blues were too relient on him. They must find other options up forward. It is questionable whether they can afford to play Waite in defence. The Blues are still plugging holes all over the ground. The Tigers, on the other hand, were good. However they celebrated the win as if they had won a premiership. The win must be put in perspective. If they are to progress - and save Terry Wallace' job - they will have to be better. But a win is a win.
Geelong won. Carlton lost. Everything is in order.
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