Round 11 - Eagles v Sturt @ M.Thiem Hyundai Oval (Sun 22/6)

[Big Phil]

Both sides coming off a loss, Eagles to Port and Sturt to Norwood...

This one is Match of the Round for mine...

Looking forward to seeing this one...

Radio - 1197am RPH Adelaide from 2:00pm

[Aerie]

First game against proper opposition since May 23rd for the Eagles. Game against Sturt at Unley earlier in the season was the best SANFL game I've seen since the 2011 GF. Winner would go some way towards securing a top 3 spot, so a fair bit on the line. Unfortunately can't make it on the Sunday but looking forward to listening on the radio again.

[Mickyj]

League
F: Grocke, Wundke, McGregor
HF: Lewis, Ainger, Poole
C: Hall, Kane, J. Sinor
HB: P. Raymond, Jarrad, Batley
B: Sumner, Killian, Giuffreda

R: Borholm, Boyd, Powell
INT: Goldsworthy, T. Schwarz, von Bertouch, Allmond
IN: Allmond

Reserves
F: Lodge, T. Fitzgerald, Press
HF: M. Raymond, T. Whittlesea, A. Dunstan
C: G. Ellis, Appleton, Martyn
HB: Lloyd, Templeton, Lane
B: Summerton, Mackenzie, Muirhead

R: Muller, Rowland, Blesing
INT: Mullins, Smart

Under-18
J. Schwarz, Baqeri, Wallent, Haylock, Michalanney, Nicholas, Elfenbein, Enright, Gaffney, Westbrook, M. Schwarz, Blumson, E. Dunstan, J. Heinjus, Smith, Gameau, Woods, Minney, Manners, Seccafien, MacKinnon, Holman, Thunig, Turner, Bottin.

[Dutchy]

Post Match

Eagles 9.8 62
Sturt 15.12 102

[Dutchy]

Eagles kicked 7 of the first 9 goals, then Sturt kicked 13 of the last 15

[southee]

Post Match

Eagles 9.8 62
Sturt 15.12 102

Very impressive by Sturt to come back like that !

[matt35]

Huge win for Sturt! Would seriously have to crash to miss the double chance from here. The Eagles on the other hand become vulnerable with their ordinary percentage. I can see Norwood pinching that spot, but still a long way to go of course.

[wedgetail]

Eagles Jekyll and Hyde, first half a continuation of the effort against Power Reserves, second half, as bad as we played against the Crows. The gap between the Eagles best and worst is far too wide and double chance now in jeopardy.

[Mr Fuller]

Eagles proven once and for all we have the heart the size of a pea. Our team is stacked with guys who crumble under pressure and refuse to bust a lung to get us back in the match when the other team has the ascendancy. The only guys in our team who appear to draw a line when the going is tough are Powell, Kane, Grocke (out today) and perhaps Raymond.

We are clearly a team of front-runners. Types like Ainger and Boyd look a million dollars when the team is playing well but let us down during tough patches. Maybe the talk of them being football mercenaries is correct i.e. playing for $$$ and not the club!!

Sturt were the complete opposite. Not too many household names that supporters of other clubs would be aware of but they are all damn effective because they play as a team, are dedicated to their club and give 110% effort. I applaud them.

Sturt got back in the game when Bornholm began to fade in towards the end of the second quarter. From that point on Kurtze completely dominated and they smashed us in the centre. I don't blame Bornholm - he is out of his depth against quality ruckman but sadly he is the best we have at the moment. But surely the eagles midfielders in knowledge of us probably losing the hit out have plan B? And why would Godden put players like Schwarz and Sinor (who have only played a handful of matches each) in the centre when experienced heads were needed??

The eagles are a complete joke of a club.

Separately wtf was wrong with the umpiring today? Was one of the umpires on his 'L' plates?? Several times during the match an umpire stationed in the forward 50m zone would make calls over the top of another who would be adjudicating the play some 50m away. It happened to both sides quite a bit.

[mal]

What a day
$100 + out of pocket
Had $50 on the Eags to win
Admission
Lunch
Drinks

At half time I was gigglings on backing thems mighty mighty Eags
Then .....
Wow
Sturt were sensational carrying on the good form they showed by only losing by a few goals to the Legs last week
That 3rd Qtr into a stiff breeze was the best footy I've seen this SANFL season

My money was left in the Bookies bag once again
I was honestly feeling like id had a dud of a day
Then I witnessed something worth $100 + bucks

A packed formed on the half forward area of Sturt in the last quarter
A clearing kick sailed high to a large back of players [prob about 8-10 players]
I saw this colour of yellow, an Eagle soared into somewhere between Earth and the Stratosphere
He kept soaring upwards , higher than Joe Cocker , into Giant Claw territory
There he was on top of a pack

And

Andrew Ainger took one of the greatest high flying marks I've seen in the SANFL
Thanks Andrew , $100 well spent

[CUTTERMAN]

Agree about the umpiring. Baffling decisions for and against both sides throughout the day. Both groups of supporters were dumbfounded with the umpiring in general. By the end of the game it was like a lucky draw.
In all honesty I can't believe Sturt won do easily. It was a struggle for 3 quarters but there was two telling goals by Ben Kane in the 3rd that started to break the game open.
Great win and fantastic rebound from a poor effort against Norwood last week.
Harms stood tall in the last 1/4 as did Smith in the fwd lines.

[Reddeer]

[qukote="wedgetail"]Eagles Jekyll and Hyde, first half a continuation of the effort against Power Reserves, second half, as bad as we played against the Crows. The gap between the Eagles best and worst is far too wide and double chance now in jeopardy.[/quote]
No I think the top five is in jeopardy on the effort and results of the past month
Killed for pace, I fear!!

[human_torpedo]

If the Eagles are a joke of a club Mr Fuller, then they are led by some of there supporters in that regard. Gee Whiz some of you blokes are quick to jump off. That being said, you have some valid points..

Borholm, pls, Can we scour the Country leagues for a ruckman battering ram while we still can? Think Jason Sutherland from Centrals the other year. Just find a big brute to at least half contests in the centre of the ground. Borholm gets monstered against any ruckman with any ability.. hes a good second ruck who can pinch hit, but not a lead ruck, it will kill us come finals.. We got butchered in the middle of the ground in the second half, Tambling and Kirkwood were fed by Kurtze and they turned the game. That being said, the Eagles work rate all over the ground was a worry yesterday when things got tough. All the run comes from the backline through Sumner, Batley, Raymond, but we cant keep conceding the middle of the ground and loading up from defence, because eventually that will break down and sides will pile them on.. Powell Lewis and the like are notrunners, they are insiders or ball users, need some creative run..

And take the game on rather than going into your shells. Close to 5 goals up early in the third kicking with the breeze when Wundke goaled, take the game on from there and ice the game by 3 qtr time. Instead Sturt lifted there run and carry and they piled on the next 13 goals.. Outrageous

Key defenders is another issue, Killian was out of his depth yesterday, Von Bertouch has been great this year, but needs some support..

Dont even get me started on Boyd, if I expressed my feelings on here i'd face a life ban I reckon.. Some things are best left unsaid

[Mr Fuller]

If the Eagles are a joke of a club Mr Fuller, then they are led by some of there supporters in that regard. Gee Whiz some of you blokes are quick to jump off. That being said, you have some valid points..

Not ever jumping off. I’m just frustrated that in the last 5-6 years we have had so much talent at the club yet have only one a single premiership. Even in that year we came top we were not the best team during the season. Up one week, down the next. There is simply no consistency in this club and that is due to the calibre of blokes we have playing for us at the moment. Great teams win week-in, week-out and they do it on a consistent basis. Think Norwood over the past year or two.

Not only is it from match to match where our form fluctuates, it happens quarter to quarter. It’s the type of thing only a bunch of sports psychologists could work out. Perhaps we should get them in?

Teams that come up against us now know that we have a fragile reputation and that they are never out of the contest. Sturt could have imploded after being 5 goals down early but they sucked it up and showed some fight and clinically dismantled us.

The hierarchy will need to do some serious soul searching at the end of the year with regards to recruiting. Are the guys we get to our club committed or will they walk when the going gets tough?

[human_torpedo]

The recruiting wasnt great in the off season if you ask me. Adding Wundke was good, he is a monster who will dominate in gameswhen he gets supply, and along with Ainger as CHF and Grocke as the third lead up, its as potent as you'll see at this level..

The lack of replacing Parry in the ruck and Thompson and Ellis-Yoleman down back will hurt us as the season goes on..

Boyd is oen I would have left alone. He isnt damaging with his disposals, he either gets it and short kicks it sideways and get the hands back off them too accumulate, or he just bombs forward without having a look and doesnt help the forward at all.. Very few of his kicks are too our advantage, add all this to his non existent defensive game, its just not what we need..

I think the game yesterday was also a case of Sturt having superb mental strength and willingness to work back into the contest, and you're right, they could have rolled over at 5 goals down, but have to give them credit for how they turned it all around.. It says as much about them as it does about the Eagles I think

[Mr Fuller]

Boyd is oen I would have left alone. He isnt damaging with his disposals, he either gets it and short kicks it sideways and get the hands back off them too accumulate, or he just bombs forward without having a look and doesnt help the forward at all.. Very few of his kicks are too our advantage, add all this to his non existent defensive game, its just not what we need..

I have noticed this about Boyd as well. The possessions he gets are mostly junk and do not hurt the opposition. I can’t think of too many times where he has taken the ball and delivered it lace out onto Wundke’s chest. He is an accumulator but quantity doesn’t equate to quality. Having said that, he is heavily tagged each match and has little support from the eagles’ other midfielders so he is always going to be under pressures.

What I take issue with is that he has zero discipline – an angry little ant with petulant behaviour and bad body language. He frequently gives away free kicks off the ball and backchats the umpire. This is not healthy for the club and affects team morale.

I really think we stuffed up in the off-season by seeking to grab Gray from the magpies. This was stupid as he was almost certain to get drafted. I said at the time that Kirkwood would have been a much more strategic target as he is one of those guys who is great at SANFL level but won’t be drafted. In short, a ten year player. I understand the eagles showed some interest in him but he was not our #1 target. By contrast, Sturt courted him from the beginning and made him their priority. Guess which club he would have gone to under this situation? Sturt got their man. Suddenly the eagles were stranded and in a panic given their need for a quality midfielder yet constrained by their self-imposed club policy of only recruiting from the SANFL. Then Boyd unexpectedly came onto the market so the Eagles made a mad dash to get him before anyone else beat them to it. The haste with which they pursued him makes me think they didn’t spend sufficient time questioning the circumstances concerning why the dogs let him go. I don’t really blame them for making a play. But I do blame them for the letting the club’s midfield run so thin in recent years that they were forced to make such a hasty decision. In general, the eagles’ player management and planning has been extremely poor since about 2009.

The situation with Bornholm is unfortunate but can’t be helped. Apparently we were close to signing a ruckman from Queensland but he was unexpectedly drafted in the pre-season AFL draft. By then, there were limited options so Bornholm became our default #1 ruckman. As I’ve said all along, I can see the guy trying really hard but he just gets destroyed out there. Even when he gets his hand to it, there is no strategy in palming the ball to anyone. I must admit, I never really realised how vitally important a ruckman is to a team till this year. When thinking about some of the great ruckman we have had since the club’s inception – Parry, Linday, Biglands, Niemen, Wiggins, Negri – it is clear that the current situation is a glaring weakness.

[Big Phil]

Boyd is one I would have left alone. He isnt damaging with his disposals, he either gets it and short kicks it sideways and get the hands back off them too accumulate, or he just bombs forward without having a look and doesnt help the forward at all.. Very few of his kicks are too our advantage, add all this to his non existent defensive game, its just not what we need.

All large parts of the resons why he is not at Central, anymore...

[Dogwatcher]

Wow, knives out for Boyd.
Here I was thinking he was one departed player who might possibly hurt us.

[southee]

Wow, knives out for Boyd.
Here I was thinking he was one departed player who might possibly hurt us.

...or us!!! .....and the next club ...and one after......and the one after that!!!

[ORDoubleBlues]

I am a bit late but....................
Personally wasn't hugely worried at quarter time but was very concerned at half time when we had only broken even in the second quarter with the wind but yeah after half time something clicked and was good to see James Watt throwing himself around without care for his safety and he almost reminded me of Andrew Whiteman.
If an Eagles supporter/official can say what exactly happened with Weslo and the Police up the south eastern end in the last quarter that would be great 'cos I know the guy concerned and he is actually not a part of the Sturt cheer squad and he wasn't smoking a joint - although I don't dispute that someone in the group may have been. Just seemed like overkill to have four police officers present when there were no threats being made and in the end all they arrested the guy for was bringing in wine. Is a no no but must have been a slow day for the police in the area.