Eltham v Doncaster Practice match wrapup

Practice Match 1 vs Doncaster

A very pleasing day at Shelley Street yesterday, with two solid wins for the Seniors and Reserves and a very good showing by the U19’s with a few of their experienced players in the Reserves and Seniors for exposure.

The pleasing facet of the Seniors performance was their ability to seemingly gel very quickly and play some impressive running football and link up with each other to execute some very impressive passages of both transition and offensive football.

After a slow first quarter, where the boys seemed to be running the cob webs out of their system, they slowly begun to play to instruction and with confidence, finally gaining the ascendancy early in the 3rd quarter and then running over Doncaster with a powerful display of pressure and attacking football. There is no doubt that players have had a successful pre-season and their capacity to finish the game off so impressively is a good sign for the upcoming season, and our ability to not only hang in games but to more importable finish sides off with powerful running and link up play

PLAYER WATCH:

Josh Lorey: Put on his most impressive display of football for nearly 18 months, his ability to win the football was also matched with some eye catching running efforts in which he created plenty of offensive drive. His strong pre-season and extra sessions has him poised to have a season of influence.

Harry Burns: A performance of influence from H today, he not only marked everything within his vicinity, but he was also super impressive with his ability to cover the entire ground. He is know starting to believe in his own ability at this level and is showing tremendous understanding of both our game plan and its structures – definitely a player to watch in 2015.

Bradyn Taglieri: Chippa delivered exactly what we know he is cable of, Physical presence , and he delivered it in spades today. Whether it was in at stoppages or around in general play, he was always giving his team mates some physical impetus. However, the most pleasing aspect of his game today, was his ability to not only find space, but use it with some free flow running, allowing him to create plenty of options around the ground, he was also a continual threat when resting forward, providing link up play and presence.

Tom Rogers: T Rog showed his real resilience and quality today, playing in a new position in 2015. Today was a landmark game for him, and maybe even for the rest of his career. His ability to adapt and understand the true quality of his ability, allowed him to continually slice Doncaster to pieces in the clinches as well as in open space. I have no doubt that today was only the first step of the new look Tommy Rogers and one that will carry him to some very impressive new heights

Anthony Di Paolo: Dipper was truly valuable for us today, he worked his way into the game really well, to the point that by the 2nd half of the game, he was not only giving us first use of the football but a big target around the ground as well. He never allowed himself to be engulfed early in the game, and continually showed tremendous work rate as well as belief in himself and his team mates. Like T Rog, today was a valuable first step for Anthony in what promises to be a break out year for him if he can start to believe and understand how good he can actually be.

Lewis Glasgow: Another player who has shown the benefits of a healthy and impressive pre-season, Lewis was full of run and looked at ease with his position not only within the side but as a Senior player as well. He was tough at the contested footy and the opposition, and his run and decision making was almost flawless on the day. Some quality disposals set up his team mates for easy goal scoring opportunities and he has now taken a massive step towards understanding what it takes to be successful at senior level.

James Kroussoratis: Looks to have improved his game and his work rate, which can without doubt be attributed to his pre-season at Coburg. The most impressive part of his game today was his extended work rate, which allowed him to not only create opportunities for himself, but more so for his team mates as well. We had a fully functional F50 group today, and Ratta’s ability to work hard and contribute outside the scoreboard was a big reason for this.

Tom Burns: Tommy showed that he has all the makings of being a Senior Footballer, after a slow start he really made an impact on the game with some smart running and strong marking, there is no doubt that if he continues to work hard on the track and grows his inner belief, he will reach the same heights that his brother is currently thriving in. A very impressive first up run in the seniors and he continues to be a player to watch in 2015

Chris Dell: it was great to see playing footy again after missing the whole of 2014 with a shoulder injury. After playing two quarters in the reserves Chris came in and played a really impressive stint for the Seniors. During the 3rd and 4th quarters, he was one of our major driving forces. His ability to execute the game plan was exceptional, his run was not only visible, it was also highly influential. Delly ‘s performance went a long way in staking a claim for a round 1 start.

Supa

Scores