Bloods v Bays trial match report

It was a case of the missing Westies players in both games at Richmond tonight. The Reserves looked like the U18s and were duly dispatched by a much bigger and experienced Glenelg side 24.18 to 2.4.

The senior team were missing players such as Schmidt, Bricknell, Birss, Caire, Hayes, Webb, Hill, Fielke and Green and combined a group of 7 kids with established players.

We led at every change and seemed to have the game under control leading by ten points at the 15 min mark of the last Q but the Bays slammed on 5 or 6 goals in the last ten minutes and ran away from us in the end. Final score Gl 16.4 to WA 12.14.

Considering we lacked any big forward and the Bays had Alleway and Kirkby we did well to have more scoring shots than them.

It was especially pleasing to note the excellent form of Jimmy Ezard who played most of the game and he seems to have recovered from the shoulder injury that ruined his 2013 season. Ryan Anderson also looked good. Beech played back. Another excellent contributor was new recruit Kaine Stevens who has adjusted beautifully to the pace of the game here and demonstrated some great skills under pressure in an impressive performance. Peter Nelson rucked all night. Kurt Thompson did some good things and looks to have improved from last year. Ben Macreadie injured his left arm and only played the early part of the game. Ben Fisher showed us he has lost little after his year away from senior footy and will slot back in nicely. Young Harry Vick looked impressive and Simon Wong’s pace is terrific.

Riley Milne has taken Ryan Ferguson’s no 27 and, while he did some useful things, will find it easier to fill his jumper than his shoes. The other recruit Richard Newell drifted in and out of the game but clearly the pick of the newbies was Kaine Stevens.

It made a pleasant change to see the manner in which we ran the ball into our forward lines and opened up scoring chances but we still lack key forwards. We won’t really settle until we get Hartlett back from suspension and Hardy into our fwd setup. Interestingly, Brad Fisher must have been in the neighbourhood and dropped by to watch the game.

Thankyou Blackandred. From an old diehard Westies fan a long way from home you and many others keep me up-to-date and I relish every word   

Totally agree with  the above comments

Would like to say Keogh played very well the good thing about this lad
he is always in the contest

At the moment West have problems at Full Back and a 2nd Tall

Very impressed with Wong. Vick, and number 62 who I think was Dylan Male

In closing I WISH Middleton would get his HEAD right. He would be playing A grade.
 
On his game Last night Showed he can play C/H/B and on the ball when required

Hopefully Ben MacReadie and Kaine Stevens will be OK next week.

Given our huge injury list, which I've never known to be so big at the start of a season before, I think our trial form has been really good. Add Hayes, Schmidt and Caire to last night's team and it's much improved. We should then get several players back over the following few weeks.

Loved the way we moved the ball quickly and it was mainly only our turnovers that cost us.

Glenelg played 23 and had most of their players on the track, bar Mitch thorp, I think.

62 Was Dylan Male. He only came in when Hayes was a very late withdrawal.