My biggest takeaways from the game:
1. Wide spread at stoppages. There seemed to be a clear directive not to crowd the ball. They were always spread wide and keen to sling fast, long handballs to teammates, rather than crowding the contest then using close handball to clear, or clear with a quick kick. I imagine this is why JLo wants more pace in the team. That’s a running style, not a body or marking style. It bodes well for more free-flowing, high scoring footy.
2. Lloyd Meek can play. It’s the first time I’ve got a good look at him, and by all reports he’s come a long way. 22 and looked to beat Vardy, at the contest and around the ground. Probably not as imposing as Darcy, or as clean a tap... but better marking, kicking and pressure from what I saw. If he can back that up next weekend then I’m not sure Darcy deserves to walk into the side. And I’m a big fan of the Fridge.
3. Finally some scoring. It’s only a scratchie blah blah blah. 100+ points is 100+ points. Walters was Walters and you can’t always rely on that, but there were 9 other goal scorers and I got the feeling that any one of those was capable of multiple goals. Tabs and Lobb can kick multiple (though I’ve never seen a big bag). Fyfe can kick a few, and Walters is a gun. If a few other players can have 15-20 goal seasons then we have enough scoring power.
4. I hate the slime. It’s always a good day when we beat them, regardless the stakes.
