West Coast WAFL Watch 2015

[LF]

http://www.westcoasteagles.com.au/news/2015-03-25/young-guns-lead-the-way

Emerging West Coast Eagles players Liam Duggan, Paddy Brophy and Alec Waterman were among the better performers in a disappointing team display when East Perth lost the opening game of the WAFL season against East Fremantle.

Those three rookies, playing their first senior games, and wingman Kane Lucas, in his first game for the Royals, produced eye-catching displays.

Duggan, who had been impressive across the summer before suffering an ankle injury when on the cusp of the practice match series, showed a capacity to remain in the contest, picked up almost 20 possessions and generally distributed the ball with purpose.

Irishman Brophy, who had not played the indigenous Australian game in any form until a month ago, was deployed off half-back and looked far from out of his depth, particularly with his defensive attributes.

Waterman, a father-son selection last year, also caught the eye and never stopped working in an effort to lift his new team.

Lucas, who returned to Perth to reignite his career after five years at Carlton, was the Royals’ highest possession winner (31 touches) and covered the ground in style.

In addition, Murray Newman kicked a couple of goals and enjoyed a run through the midfield. His second half was particularly pleasing and he will be keen to build on that platform after his first competitive hit-out in 12 months.

Brant Colledge, Malcolm Karpany and Josh Hill all played seniors and will be looking to have a stronger presence in ensuing games.

In the reserves, developing swingman Rowen Powell, pushed his claims for a senior debut with a five- goal performance as a high half forward, who also was pushed deep. He took six marks in an encouraging display.     

Key defender Tom Barrass impressed in his first hit-out for a month, wingman Dylan Main will appreciate the run and Corey Adamson, who returned to football after five or six years where his sporting focus was baseball, played solidly at half-back and will continue to further exposure to the modern game.

[LF]

Round 2

Some of the better performers from West Coast Eagles listed players:

Brant Colledge

“It was important for ‘Moose’ to bounce back like he did,” Bell said.

“To get in and hunt the footy and get it moving our way.

“So it was a good return for ‘Moose’ and now we’re looking for some consistency going forward.”

Liam Duggan

“Liam continues to build some momentum, he’ll push for AFL selection going foward,” he said.

“Again he showed a lot of class and poise, so really pleased with what we saw from Liam on the weekend.”

Josh Hill

“Hilly’s work rate was high last week against East Fremantle,” he said.

“Unfortunately the way we moved the ball didn’t help Josh either last week.

“His commitment to the contest and his ability to work hard has continued to improve.

“So we’re really pleased with what Hilly produced and now it’s about consistency going forward.”

Jamie Bennell

“JB went back to play WAFL on the weekend just to get a bit more run into his legs,” he said.

“He produced some good rebound from half back, his ball use was solid throughout the day.

“We’ll see what happens with AFL selection this week.”

Simon Tunbridge

“Tunners’ work rate and his consistency throughout games has improved over the summer and through the NAB series,” he said.

“So pleased with what we saw from Tunners, he provided good pressure, he was able to be an option for us going forward on numerous occasions.

“So again he’ll be another one pressing for selection in round one.”

Fraser McInnes

“So Frase went back and had to ruck, unfortunately Paul Johnson got a heavy hit against the Swannies boys,” he said.

“So Frase spent nearly half a game in the ruck.

“Just his work rate and his willingness to compete and follow up was really pleasing for Frase.”

http://www.westcoasteagles.com.au/news/2015-04-01/wafl-report-round-2-v-swans

[LF]

http://www.westcoasteagles.com.au/news/2015-04-04/royals-show-class

East Perth scored an emphatic 64-point Good Friday victory over Subiaco with a solid contribution across the board from the West Coast-listed players.

At the forefront was strong-bodied midfielder Brant Colledge, who backed up an outstanding effort a week earlier, with a 36-possession, three-goal effort.

Colledge, who earned opportunities at AFL last year, is looking to string together performances at WAFL level to force his way back into calculations and has certainly done his prospects no harm in the last fortnight.

He was imposing around the stoppages, but also took nine marks and laid eight tackles before making an impression up forward, where his three goals cemented his ranking as best afield.

Big man Fraser McInnes, cast in the role as No.1 ruckman in the absence of the injured Paul Johnson, relished that opportunity and racked up 32 hit-outs.

In partnership with the unlikely Jarrad Oakley-Nicholls, the pair controlled the aerial battle, but also were damaging at ground level.

McInness collected 22 possessions and took six marks.

In a game where all of the West Coast players impacted, Murray Newman, Liam Duggan, Jamie Bennell and Simon Tunbridge were also important players.

Newman kicked four goals, playing mainly forward but also having a run on the ball, while Tunbridge exerted a physical presence in attack with eight crunching tackles a feature in his 15-possession performance.

Duggan took another step in his football education and wore a heavy tag in the first half, but accumulated 23 touches and kicked a classy goal in the last term while Bennell, playing off a wing and at half-back, had 25 disposals and kicked a goal.

Irishman Paddy Brophy provided solid rebound off half-back and had 20 possessions while Will Schofield, in his first hitout for six weeks, worked his way into the game despite restricted game time and looked good, particularly in the second half.

Malcolm Karpany was another steady contributor, playing his role nicely with 12 possessions and five marks. Josh Hill had 13 touches and kicked two goals. He was at his best when the game was on the line in the first half.

In the reserves, key defender Tom Barrass, also on restricted game time, played strongly at full back with 14 possessions and seven marks while Corey Adamson had 14 touches and continues to build on his transition back into the game.

[LF]

So Colledge killed it again 38 disposals,24 kicks,14 handballs,13 marks,7 i50's,2 tackles,2 goals 2 in a losing team
Seriously what hell does he have to do to get a game for Eagles,I thought this week was it when he made the 25.

[LF]

Hutchings played for East Perth reserves today notched up 23 disposals,3 marks,4 tackles,8 I50's and kicked a goal.
Good to see him back playing and that they are getting some match fitness into him rather than rushing him back into it.

[LF]

http://www.westcoasteagles.com.au/news/2015-04-22/wafl-report-round-5-v-peel-thunder

West Coast Eagles Head of Development Gavin Bell’s thoughts on East Perth’s loss to Peel Thunder:

"We started the game quite well actually, unfortunately we weren't able to get our ball movement going," he said.

"Peel really stayed in the game, for the full four quarters and over ran us.

"We've got some work to do with our ball movement and our skills.

"We'll continue to work on that during the week and look to bounce back against the Demons this Saturday."

Brant Colledge

"Brant continues to rack up the numbers in the middle. He's been strong over the footy and his ball use is continuing to evolve and improve. He's also hitting the scoreboard which has been fantastic so his challenge is to maintain his work rate and continue to put his hand up for AFL selection."

Tom Barrass

"Really impressive debut by Tom. Playing down back, they were under siege at times, there's no doubt about it, from the way Peel brought the footy in. Tom's marking and ball use was actually a highlight of his game. The challenge for Tom going forward is to bring that consistency with his effort and preparation as he forges his career in the WAFL."

Fraser McInnes and Callum Sinclair

"Both Sincs and Frase were able to show that they didn't look out of place down back. Obviously we're having a look at that due to our current injury status in our AFL side, to see if one of those guys is someone we can go to if and when required at AFL level. Both acquitted themselves well, both brought a great attitude to a new role. Pretty pleased with what we saw."

[LF]

http://www.westcoasteagles.com.au/news/2015-04-27/the-numbers-game

Racking up big numbers always attracts attention, but sometimes less is more. And that could well be the attitude of the West Coast Eagles match committee as they assess the performance of strong-bodied midfielder Brant Colledge.

In the last month, Colledge has pressed strongly for a recall to senior footy. Such has been his impact for East Perth, consistently pushing well beyond the 30-possession mark, that his name has been on the lips of the West Coast selection panel.

On Saturday, he didn’t accumulate disposals at the same rate, on what was a tough day at the office despite a 103-point victory for the Royals against Perth.

Colledge had only 16 possessions, but he was watched closely. He had a shadow everywhere he went and the majority of his touches were acquired in a contest. He also took four marks and laid five tackles.

Clearly he has been more dominant, but probably was no less impressive on a day when Mark Hutchings also stepped up his game.

Playing his first league match of the year, Hutchings had 19 possessions and laid nine tackles in a managed 80-minute hit-out. Another full game for the Royals this week and he will also appear on the match committee radar.     

Callum Sinclair was exposed to another game at centre half-back and did all that was asked him, with his ball use under notice.

And another emerging tall defender, Tom Barrass, enjoyed his second senior match, the feature being a couple of strong contested marks.

Unfortunately, in clunking one of those big grabs, he cleaned up teammate Kane Lucas, who copped a nasty cork to the thigh and his impact was then limited. Lucas remained on the ground to assist with the midfield rotations before sitting out the last half of the last quarter when the game was under control.

Two midfielders who did shine were father-son selection Alec Waterman and Dylan Main, playing his first senior game of the year. Waterman continues to build a strong resume in his first year of senior football, won the bulk of his 24 possession in close, took five marks and also kicked a couple of goals.

Main played across half-back and on the wing and found the ball consistently in gathering 21 touches, generally distributing it with a high degree of efficiency.

Also in the back half, Irish project player Paddy Brophy provided strong run and rebound and continues to gain a broader knowledge of the game with every outing.

Rowen Powell played forward, took six marks and kicked two goals as he grows in stature with every senior hit-out.

Corey Adamson, returning to football after a long stint in US baseball, is also adjusting with every game, developing a deeper understanding of how the game is now played. He had 10 touches off half-back and has a great thirst for knowledge as well as a commitment to continue his evolution.   

[Gigantor]

Good to see Barrass getting some time in the seniors, the Gov is going to need a chop out at some point.
Plus he took out Lucas which is a bonus  :P

[LF]

http://www.westcoasteagles.com.au/news/2015-05-04/youngsters-developing

The young players on the West Coast list are making an impression at elite level and the same could be said of those playing at East Perth.

While the Royals were beaten by South Fremantle on Saturday, the progress of some of the developing players has continued.

Key defender Tom Barrass, after graduating to league football with the Royals just three weeks ago, continues to impress and he was again among the better contributors on the weekend, with 14 possessions deep in defence.

Alec Waterman is a tough in-and-under midfielder who had 17 touches and capped off his work with a good goal, while Brant Colledge continued his push for an AFL call-up with 27 touches and seven marks.

Irishman Paddy Brophy, playing off half-back, was again steady with 15 disposals and learns a little more about the game with every outing.

Mark Hutchings played a full game and is edging back to his best, accumulating 20 possessions and taking six marks, while Kane Lucas had a rare quiet day, with just nine touches.

Ruckman Scott Lycett worked his way into the contest, had 32 hit outs, 21 disposals and took eight marks, improving as the match progressed.

The development of the young group extended to the reserves where Corey Adamson was moved from defence to a run-with role in the reserves as a continuation of his education.

He had 18 possessions and will take some key learnings from the change of role.

Forward Malcolm Karpany (family bereavement) and wingman Dylan Main (back) did not play this week, but will hopefully resume when East Perth play arch rivals West Perth next Saturday

[RaisyDaisy]

while Kane Lucas had a rare quiet day, with just nine touches.

I would have thought his quiet days are the absolute opposite of rare lol

[Nige]

Heard that Hutch had 26 touches, gotta be close to playing his first AFL game of the year!

[LF]

Who do you drop for him tho now?

[Gigantor]

Can't see Hutch getting a game straight away, If there are any changes it would be Rosa and Ellis in for Nelson and Bennell.

Also unless he really spuds it up I think Simmo will keep Duggan in to get some games under his belt, I reckon he is the future along with Sheed!

[Nige]

Who do you drop for him tho now?

LF pls, it's Mark Hutchings we're talking about. You'd drop anyone to get him in!  ;D

[LF]

http://www.westcoasteagles.com.au/news/2015-05-13/wafl-report-round-8-v-west-perth

West Coast Eagles Development Coach Jaymie Graham’s thoughts on East Perth’s loss to West Perth:

“It was disappointing. It was great for two and a half, three quarters, the boys really put in great effort and some of our style of play was good. But unfortunately it all went downhill after three-quarter time and West Perth gained the ascendency and we just couldn’t stop it. They got momentum and it was hard to stop. In the end on review, we couldn’t get our hands on the ball, something like 100 possessions to 40. It was disappointing the guys couldn’t run the game out, but I’m sure there’s some really good learning for them.”

Pat McGinnity

“Patty had a crack, as we know that’s what he brings. That’s definitely his strength, his physical pressure and competitive instinct. So ‘Ginna’ came back, he had a role to play, and he did that for four quarters.”

Alec Waterman

“He’s had a good season so far, Alec. In the midfield he wasn’t looked out of place. He’s really clean with his hands around stoppages. So he’s been racking up the possessions and also getting his fair share of clearances so it’s been good.”

Scott Lycett

“Scotty was good, he had some focus areas when he came back and he executed those. He competed in the ruck and he gave us a target up forward in what was quite a small forward line. It was good he gave us a focal point and he kicked a few goals.”

Mark Hutchings

“It was another solid hit-out for Hutch, he got a tight run-with earlier in the game and he fought through that. He’s starting to build and get some minutes up, he’s getting into some good form and hopefully he’s pushing for senior selection soon.”

Malcolm Karpany

“Mally’s been out for a few weeks and he came back through the reserves. He played in the midfield; he got his hands on the ball and worked on a few focus areas that he’s been working on at training. It was pleasing to see him get through and hopefully he’s pushing for selection in the senior side at East Perth this week.”