Round 4 - West v Sturt @ Richmond Game Review

[Brodlach]

WEST - 13.16.94
STURT - 5.11.41

West - 2 goals - N Caruso, F Caruso, Willitts, Brad Fisher
1 goal - Ezard, Ben Fisher, Hill, McReadie & Ferguson,

Sturt Goals - J Plant 3, Evans Stokes


Well done Westies on the win. Performance not as good as against Centrals but im not going to complain abbout a 9 goal win.

[Brodlach]

Sturt were held goaless in the second and last quarters and I think 4 of the 5 goals they kicked came from free kicks (some that were soft )

[whufc]

Only conceded 9 goals in 8 quarters of football at Richmond in 2011.

All that defensive practise last year is paying off.

[CUTTERMAN]

Well done Westies, good on ball pressure and good kicking to targets.
Sturt were terrible, very soft and easy turnovers, lack of pace and on ball intensity.
This was the most boring game of footy I've seen since Adelaide v Richmond back in '05/6 at TD.
The flooding around the ball and constant ball ups leaves the game stagnant for 5-10 minutes at times. The crowd was murmuring amongst itself most of the time and the play was secondary. Not a good advertisement for the SANFL.

[Mark_Beswick]

I think Sturt did this to keep in the contest

[bayman]

how the hell did sturt beat wwt last week ?.....it is obvious after tonight that sturt don't have enough seasoned league footballers to be influential in this season, most of these players have ability but their body strength & presence is lacking & they need time in the gym, i thought luke norman missed out tactically throughout most of the night, the sturt forward line looked way too sMALl & it took 8.27 to get duldig changing in ruck from full forward instead of from the bench in the second term although the move of man on man in the third term limited the damage & was a good move, i didn't even realise danyle pearce was playing until late in the last term as he wasn't sighted by me, sturt who started brilliantly with the first 2 goals from plant but from then on it was one way traffic, west on the other hand was workmanlike & looking like a top 3 team & i think willits played his best game ever in the sanfl competition especially in the first half, while ezard was good but at times tried to do too much, fielke match was good apart from his kicking at goal & caire...............west heading for finals & sturt heading to the gym imho

[the tractor]

You are right cutterman, there was a big mob around the ball which made the game scrappy at times.
Sturts turnovers killed them tonight, but Westies pressure was pretty constant though.
West should have won by alot more.
The wind was a tad tricky tonight, with the breeze blowing accross the ground causing alot of 'out of bounds on the fulls' for both teams.
Good call by the RPH boys tonight (Spider) under duress, calling the entire game over the mobile phone!
Well done Bloods!

[HOORAY PUNT]

how the hell did sturt beat wwt last week ?.....it is obvious after tonight that sturt don't have enough seasoned league footballers to be influential in this season, most of these players have ability but their body strength & presence is lacking & they need time in the gym, i thought luke norman missed out tactically throughout most of the night, the sturt forward line looked way too sMALl & it took 8.27 to get duldig changing in ruck from full forward instead of from the bench in the second term :oops: although the move of man on man in the third term limited the damage & was a good move, i didn't even realise danyle pearce was playing until late in the last term as he wasn't sighted by me, sturt who started brilliantly with the first 2 goals from plant but from then on it was one way traffic, west on the other hand was workmanlike & looking like a top 3 team & i think willits played his best game ever in the sanfl competition especially in the first half, while ezard was good but at times tried to do too much, fielke match was good apart from his kicking at goal & caire...............west heading for finals & sturt heading to the gym imho

Luke Norman , except last week ,is often tactically outdone . You haven't discivered anything there . As for Duldig going into ruck at 8.27, that meant nothing and I really don't see your point. Sometimes in a game rucks change consistently at FF so to start a game like that is irrelevant.Yes Pearce as ordinary but he was no orphan . Sturt played very well last week and this week the tide turned, they were also very good against Glenelg for 3 quarters . They have a few players not up to it though. Miles has been given so many chances and is ineffective, Norswothy wonnt make it and young Corey Jones is not up to it . Then you add in Duldig , why was he recruited to Sturt ahead of developing a young bloke is beyond me , Stokes has not fired a shot and Hinge continues to disappoint .

[redandblack]

THis might have been a boring game for Sturt supporters, but West's first half was full of inspiring pressure football.

[bayman]

how the hell did sturt beat wwt last week ?.....it is obvious after tonight that sturt don't have enough seasoned league footballers to be influential in this season, most of these players have ability but their body strength & presence is lacking & they need time in the gym, i thought luke norman missed out tactically throughout most of the night, the sturt forward line looked way too sMALl & it took 8.27 to get duldig changing in ruck from full forward instead of from the bench in the second term :oops: although the move of man on man in the third term limited the damage & was a good move, i didn't even realise danyle pearce was playing until late in the last term as he wasn't sighted by me, sturt who started brilliantly with the first 2 goals from plant but from then on it was one way traffic, west on the other hand was workmanlike & looking like a top 3 team & i think willits played his best game ever in the sanfl competition especially in the first half, while ezard was good but at times tried to do too much, fielke match was good apart from his kicking at goal & caire...............west heading for finals & sturt heading to the gym imho

Luke Norman , except last week ,is often tactically outdone . You haven't discivered anything there . As for Duldig going into ruck at 8.27, that meant nothing and I really don't see your point. Sometimes in a game rucks change consistently at FF so to start a game like that is irrelevant.Yes Pearce as ordinary but he was no orphan . Sturt played very well last week and this week the tide turned, they were also very good against Glenelg for 3 quarters . They have a few players not up to it though. Miles has been given so many chances and is ineffective, Norswothy wonnt make it and young Corey Jones is not up to it . Then you add in Duldig , why was he recruited to Sturt ahead of developing a young bloke is beyond me , Stokes has not fired a shot and Hinge continues to disappoint .

actually duldig was on the bench & went to ff at that time & while it didn't matter he at least competed up forward a couple of times, hinge flew for the ball 3 times in front of me & touched it once in those 3 attempts, his timing is way off atm, i thought sturt were great for 2 quarters against us not 3....i never said i discovered anything it was just my observation of the game

[bayman]

ps, i'd give jones a chance as i believe he had a bad accident in the last year or so & had done damage to his knees & is now on the comeback trail, i should add i thought plant was good from limited opportunities

[HOORAY PUNT]

Hinge was underneath it all night , I agree .Not sure on your point then about Duldig Bayman , you seem to have said two different things .But when in a key forward role youmust domore than compete a couple of times in a game IMO. I didn't think Sturt were great either against the Bays , just good .I thought Glenelgs comeback was great though.

[CK]

THis might have been a boring game for Sturt supporters, but West's first half was full of inspiring pressure football.

The pressure West apply - both at the body, and through going so quickly long and direct on the rebound now - is going to make life interesting for opposition teams. Easily the most impressive team I've seen this year, and by a long stretch.

[HOORAY PUNT]

ps, i'd give jones a chance as i believe he had a bad accident in the last year or so & had done damage to his knees & is now on the comeback trail, i should add i thought plant was good from limited opportunities

I just dont see anything in him , injury is probbaly irrelevant otherwise he would not get picked surely. I think it's not the right selection myself.Plant always gives 100% and does his best and can go back or forward.

[redandblack]

THis might have been a boring game for Sturt supporters, but West's first half was full of inspiring pressure football.

The pressure West apply - both at the body, and through going so quickly long and direct on the rebound now - is going to make life interesting for opposition teams. Easily the most impressive team I've seen this year, and by a long stretch.

Thanks for that, CK. I thought that was the clear difference between the teams. Sturt have a high possession game and they were frequently forced backwards or into error. For West, Chris Schmidt was terrific, Ryan Willits, Fort and Nat Caruso and many others played great games, but it was the unrelenting pressure, followed by fast breaks that blew the game open. Given that West kicked poorly for goal, the margin could/should have been greater.

Good to see the top team representing the SANFL in the Foxtel Cup as well

[blackandred]

An impressive, workmanlike and comprehensive win by the Bloods over Sturt at Richmond on a cool Easter Thursday evening. Davenport didn’t play and Logan Hill, Blesing, Green and Bornholm came in.
The first Q opened with a flurry, Sturt’s Plant kicking 2 in the first 5 minutes. Westies fought back and asserted themselves having ten shots for goal in the next 20 minutes. This was due to a dominant midfield effort led by Ryan Willets.The Bloods pretty much won every centre break this Q. Sturt did not have Kurtze and rucked Wundke and Duldig whereas Westies had Willets, Webb and Bornholm.
1st Q, WA 5.5 St 3.0.
The 2nd Q was probably Westies best although they didn’t put Sturt away as they should have. Macreadie, Schmidt and Birss came into the game, The pressure applied by Westies was intense. Willets continued to dominate and booted a wonderful goal on the run and Ferguson slotted one thru on the half time siren with Sturt managing a mere 3 pts for the term. Piasente limped off and went straight down the race and Ferguson dislocated his finger, still managed to grab the ball and handball it to advantage before spending the next few minutes trying to manoeuvre the displaced digit back into its rightful place. Half time WA 9.9, St 3.3
In the 3rdQ Sturt played their best footy attacking relentlessly for the first 20mins but managing only 2.6 to Westies 1.4. Webb had the chance to seal the game for the home side but missed 3 easy set shots. Westies were untidy (but intense) in their defensive efforts but this couldn’t explain the number of frees given to Sturt as the umpires tried to impose themselves on the game. A fine goal to James Ezard late in the Q put the game beyond Sturt’s grasp. 3Q time WA 10.13, St 5.9
The last became a training run for the Bloods as Sturt’s 3rdQ effort had finished them off. They could only manage 2 pts this Q. Goals to both Carusos and to Logan Hill completed the contest. Steven Morris ran himself into the ground with his pressure, chasing and tackling and he got great support from Caire and Blesing. Final score WA 13.16, St 5.11.
Goalkickers were evenly spread with 2 apiece to the Caruso boys, Brad Fisher and rampaging Ryan Willets. At one point Webb and Fielke had kicked 7pts between them. There were plenty of good players for the Bloods: Willets, Birss, Macreadie, Ezard, Schmidt, Morris and Ferguson. Bornholm struggled early but did manage to keep the ball in the fwd area. Webb can be so good but continues to struggle making elementary mistakes such as dropping simple chest marks. He does his best work in ruck.
The 2s were well beaten.

[bloods08]

http://www.adelaidenow.com.au/sport/afl ... 6043144475

WEST Adelaide is poised to make serious inroads to the finals after comfortably beating Sturt by 53 points at City Mazda Stadium tonight.
The top-of-the-table Bloods are 3-0 ahead of a date with perennial strugglers Port and South in the next fortnight.

Like their round two win over Central District, last night's triumph was built on pressure and apart from a brief resurgence in the third quarter, the Double Blues surrendered.

Big-man Ryan Willits ripped the game apart early to set up a lead before the midfield class of Chris Schmidt and James Ezard took over.

Scott Blesing and Steve Morris did their defensive jobs perfectly as the Bloods maintained their unblemished 7-0 record under lights at Richmond.

Angus Kurtze was a late withdrawal with an ankle injury leaving James Wundke to lead Sturt's ruck division and he endured a tough night.

Bigger-bodied ruckmen Willits and Daniel Webb helped Westies' dictate terms from the middle and they led by 17 points at quarter time.

Sturt's James Plant kicked the first two goals of the match inside six minutes - both the result of Josh Cubillo's workrate at half forward, but West had the immediate answer.

Fort Caruso swooped on a turnover for a goal before Willits converted from outside 50. Then two goals in two minutes to Brad Fisher gave the Bloods the early running.Willits was playing inspired footy, winning the ruck taps and pushing forward for his second goal after quarter time.

The only downside was an ankle injury to David Piasente who hobbled from the field four minutes into the quarter but his teammates rallied to put the Double Blues under immense pressure.

The visitors were worried into making mistakes and wasted what forward 50 entries they could muster. A goal to skipper Ryan Ferguson after the half-time siren stretched West's lead to 42 points and it could have been much bigger if not for earlier innacuracy.

Sturt dominated possession to start the third term but couldn't buy a goal against a West Adelaide defence unconditionally committed to the cause by smothering and punching the footy and tackling.

Cameron Stokes and Craig Evans provided Sturt with goals just as the Bloods seemed to take their foot off the pedal.

Webb missed three set shots in the third term but the Magarey Medal class of Ezard shone when he got the steadying goal just before the final break.

Schmidt turned it on in the final quarter as the Bloods added another three goals to make the victory all the more convincing.

WEST ADELAIDE 5.5 9.9 10.13 13.16 (94)
STURT 3.0 3.3 5.9 5.11 (41)
SCORERS - West: F. Caruso, Brad Fisher 2.2, Willits, N. Caruso 2.0, Ezard 1.1, Macreadie, Ben Fisher, Ferguson, Hill 1.0, Fielke 0.4, Webb 0.3, Morris 0.1, rushed 0.2. Sturt: Plant 3.1, Evans 1.1, Stokes 1.0, Norsworthy 0.4, Johncock 0.1, rushed 0.4.
BEST - West: Willits, Ezard, Schmidt, Blesing, Ferguson, Caire, F. Caruso. Sturt: Cubillo, Sheedy, Gum, Norsworthy.
INJURIES - West: Piasente (ankle).
UMPIRES - Avon, Thompson, Bowen
CROWD - 4515 at City Mazda Stadium.

[therisingblues]

Uh-oh. We were crap again.
Thanks to everyone who posted a description of the game so far. Appreciated.

[Adelaide Hawk]

Looks like Westies are going to have a good year. Could be tough to beat.

[CoverKing]

Hasn't missed a league game yet this yearmate.
Quality game bloods. Quality start to the year.

An impressive, workmanlike and comprehensive win by the Bloods over Sturt at Richmond on a cool Easter Thursday evening. Davenport didn’t play and Logan Hill, Blesing, Green and Bornholm came in.
The first Q opened with a flurry, Sturt’s Plant kicking 2 in the first 5 minutes. Westies fought back and asserted themselves having ten shots for goal in the next 20 minutes. This was due to a dominant midfield effort led by Ryan Willets.The Bloods pretty much won every centre break this Q. Sturt did not have Kurtze and rucked Wundke and Duldig whereas Westies had Willets, Webb and Bornholm.
1st Q, WA 5.5 St 3.0.
The 2nd Q was probably Westies best although they didn’t put Sturt away as they should have. Macreadie, Schmidt and Birss came into the game, The pressure applied by Westies was intense. Willets continued to dominate and booted a wonderful goal on the run and Ferguson slotted one thru on the half time siren with Sturt managing a mere 3 pts for the term. Piasente limped off and went straight down the race and Ferguson dislocated his finger, still managed to grab the ball and handball it to advantage before spending the next few minutes trying to manoeuvre the displaced digit back into its rightful place. Half time WA 9.9, St 3.3
In the 3rdQ Sturt played their best footy attacking relentlessly for the first 20mins but managing only 2.6 to Westies 1.4. Webb had the chance to seal the game for the home side but missed 3 easy set shots. Westies were untidy (but intense) in their defensive efforts but this couldn’t explain the number of frees given to Sturt as the umpires tried to impose themselves on the game. A fine goal to James Ezard late in the Q put the game beyond Sturt’s grasp. 3Q time WA 10.13, St 5.9
The last became a training run for the Bloods as Sturt’s 3rdQ effort had finished them off. They could only manage 2 pts this Q. Goals to both Carusos and to Logan Hill completed the contest. Steven Morris ran himself into the ground with his pressure, chasing and tackling and he got great support from Caire and Blesing. Final score WA 13.16, St 5.11.
Goalkickers were evenly spread with 2 apiece to the Caruso boys, Brad Fisher and rampaging Ryan Willets. At one point Webb and Fielke had kicked 7pts between them. There were plenty of good players for the Bloods: Willets, Birss, Macreadie, Ezard, Schmidt, Morris and Ferguson. Bornholm struggled early but did manage to keep the ball in the fwd area. Webb can be so good but continues to struggle making elementary mistakes such as dropping simple chest marks. He does his best work in ruck.
The 2s were well beaten.