Round 2 Recap: 108 Reasons to Love this Eagles Team

Well, that was predictable. In a totally satisfying way. The Eagles made it 2 from 2 by absolutely destroying the Demons by 108 points. We essentially performed an exorcism on the entire Melbourne Football Club, but without the projectile vomiting, although I can't account for what their fans were doing back East.

We dominated from start to finish. You can read the match report here, but neeldless to say, we controlled every facet of the game.  We fell just two short of tying the record for the most inside 50s with 78, whilst also destroying the Dees in clearances, tackles, team spirit and Fijians. Our ball movement was just superb, with guys like Schofield and the Centurion Hurn influential down back. Moreover, we seemed to have endless runners as we came forward, nay 'flocked' forward as the mids picked out one of the many ents we have upforward.

I thought Masten had an excellent game with 34 disposals and 5 tackles. He just seemed to have a little extra pace whilst his usually suspect disposal was improved. But really, Priddis, Scott Selwood, Shuey and Gaff were all outstanding.

Another pleasing aspect was the spread of goal kickers; Darling 4, Lynch 4, S Selwood 3, Hams 3, Hill 3, Waters 2, Kerr, Naitanui, Shuey, Kennedy, A Selwood, Gaff. Hill and Hams again helped fill the Lecras void by kicking 6 between them. Hill was especially important in terms of his pressure in the front half by putting on a whopping 10 tackles. I liked the trade when we initially got him and so far it is working out great. We also rid ourselves of Ernie's friend who, let's face it, couldn't hit a target by foot if it was as big as his brother's head.

His Head has been scaled down to fit onto the Internet

The only sour note to come from the game was Embley's shoulder injury. According to The West, Embles has two options; shoulder reconstruction  with 4 months on the sidelines or he can try to get through the season as is. He would be a huge loss for us, but with the young guys playing like they are, the long route may be the the best choice for his and our future.

If you look at our upcoming fixtures, there is a realistic chance that we will be undefeated to the bye in round 11.

The round 4 clash with the Hawks will be the biggest test, whilst away to Essendon and the Derby will also be tough. But it's a very soft start, which makes you wonder what Eddie was thinking when he sat down to make the fixture.

So next week off to the land of the minnows, the greatest noobs to ever play in the AFL. I honestly think we will win by 150-200 points which should make our percentage quite solid after Round 3.

I know we should try and keep things in perspective...but we are going to be contenders for the premiership. Yay!

Free Eagles Supporter Bag

The SGIO Eagles Zone is giving away free Eagles Supporter Bags...so get one. I know the scarf they gave away last year wasn't exactly 'premium' quality but it was free!!! Apparently you can also sit on this bag at games so your posterior doesn't die. Added bonus.

Round 2 Preview: Eagles vs Demons

 It is usually a joyous occasion for any team when the Demons come to town. They have been mediocre, nay, damn right diabolical (sorry) for what seems like nearly a decade. But when the town is Perth, and they're playing the Eagles, and they've been in the news all week for all the wrong reasons...then this should be quite the celebration indeed. I know I should have pity them for the (apparently) unfair racism allegation levelled against new coach Mark Neeld, but really it's none of my concern. It's a mess, which reflects where they're at. They are quite shambolic. On the field, off the field, on top of the field, behind the field? Whatever position they occupy relative to the figurative field, it isn't an enviable one. And now apparently the CEO of their (now former) sponsor went crazy on FB 'attacking Aborigines, Asians, women, Muslims and Jews'. I mean, how does one attack that many groups? He clearly favours equal opportunity when it comes to being an asshole.

Anyway, back to the footy.

Neeldless (intentional) to say, I expect us to win big. I know there's the possibility that they 'respond' but even if they do, they are inferior as a team. They have made several changes, including dropping mole Davey.
There's also the fear of complacency, but does that exist in round 2? I for one don't think it does, at least not for us in these circumstances. I'm not really one for saying a good win is so many points. I'm really far more interested in our performances in these situations...in saying that at least plus 60 right? Unsurprisingly, we have made no changes to the team that domesticated the dogs.

I'm interested to see the the form of Naitanui, Shuey and Masten in particular. We all know Masten's issues, but this is his chance to realise his potential. A strong performance here could kick start his season. Both Shuey and Naitanui had very good seasons last year (Shuey a breakout) but they can both get better. I really want to see NicNat take over a game. Could this be the one? I'm also looking at Hill to see if he can replicate his goal-scoring from last week, or maybe have more of the ball.

Another interesting issue is that of the sub. Embley was highly influential last week as he flew off the bench in the second half. Apparently, the Eagles will use it for our 'Senior' players, but Embles doesn't want it. It's difficult to judge from the lineup who really fits as the sub. I can't imagine Kerr sporting green at all. It wouldn't be very clever. I know he doesn't always get much of the ball, but he attracts so much attention that he allows our young players a freer hand. Masten? Gaff? Again, we need Masten to find consistency and Gaff isn't going to develop sitting on the pine. I'm thinking perhaps Smith or Hams. But we shall see.

For those of you attending the game, enjoy. I hope you haven't got seats too close to the boundary as you may be sprayed with blood (ew), as the Eagles pummel the Demons unrelentingly.

Let's rock Eagles.

UPDATE: I failed to mention that Shannon Hurn plays his 100th game this week. Congrats to him. He is an integral piece of our backline and overall structure...and if there was one person who would lead me to become a foot fetishist it would be him. A right foot to be revered.

The Gaffer isn't a Mercenary; Resigns Until 2014

Andrew Gaff has resigned until 2014, as the youngster looks to play a key role in our next premiership (2012, too soon?) It is quite refreshing in the age of Abl$tt and $cully-duggery to see a young guy with great promise stay with the club who drafted him without a fuss.
The number 4 draft pick played 17 very classy games last year and notwithstanding injury is pretty much a lock in terms of team selection this year.
It should be fun watching him grow as a player in the years to come whilst wearing the blue and gold.

Round 1 Recap: Eagles Put Leash on Dogs; Take them for Walk around the Dome

A slightly creepy looking JJK

Apologies for the uber-long title, but such an emphatic victory requires a pun-heavy introduction

To be fair to the Dogs, they tried hard and kept it close for two and a half quarters. I now know the name of their Coach. It is Brendan McCartney, or in my mind Brendan McFreckles. However, in all honesty, I didn't think the ultimate victory was ever in doubt. Although the momentum seemed to swing every 10 minutes, I was more annoyed with our inability to build a lead than actually afraid that me might lose. It felt like a question of 'when' more than 'if' and in the end it was quite the doddle. Some might say a 'doggle'. But not me, that would be completely lame. A solid 49 point win away from home, with some underdone players and a missing star. You can't ask for more than that.

I think what is most promising is that it wasn't our best performance. Actually, far from it. Early on, especially, many players seemed intent on passing the ball short when the Dogs clearly had an inability to stop the long bomb to the square. We also turned the ball over several times when under no pressure. We switched off defensively at times in the first half as well, with the Cooney goal from a stoppage a prime example. More than that, some of our best players were pretty poor. Kerr, got completely Pickened out of the game with a mere 7 possessions and 2 tackles. I also didn't think Shuey was all that effectual.

However, as the game went on we moved the ball and scored with ease. The Dogs tired and when you've got men like Lake on your team you're (that's you are) not going to win many games. He played like a fool. I mean 29 in Dreamteam- C'mon Man!

In terms of our best performers, JJK was amazing with his 7 goals. An absolutely dominating game by the future Coleman Medallist. That's right, I said it. It was even more impressive considering he had a very limited preseason. As long as Cox keeps his bloody tennis ball to himself he should have a great season. Everywhere else I though we were very solid. Cox and Nic-Nat controlled the ruck. They also both provided highlights. Cox, with his tackle and goal in the first and running goal in the 3rd. Poetry in slow motion indeed. And NicNat's goal...well you know what I'm talking about. Embley provided some good running off the bench and I thought Hill was very quiet but he kicked 3 goals. I have to give Porky credit too. He provided some decent forward pressure and chipped in with a couple of goals. As Q alludes to, we really need these two to kick goals:

That's a lot of goals we're missing, but we'll cover for them and we'll get better and better every week I reckon,...It's just another challenge to mould another couple of blokes...We've got roles to be played down there; it just means different players are playing those roles.

 You can watch Q talk about how awesome we are below:




So win one in the bag. Next up is the hapless, gutless and spiritless Dees at Subi. Do you think the AFL should call it off and just give us the points? Nah, I love a good slaughter as well.


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 In totally unrelated news, I just thought it would be nice to relive this truly priceless moment from last season...