Noah Cumberland got two goal shots within a couple of minutes by cleanly taking Sydney Stack fumbles. More of Cumberland on his thread. But the fact is Stack got hands to the ball before Cumberland. For no possessions.
Stack and Cumberland are marking smalls. Rare birds. Rarely successful. Cumberland played ground football. Or football, if you prefer.
Sydney made some good aerial contests (took a chest mark and held two others) and won a couple of ground balls. He ran to receive in bursts and laid one effective tackle. 12 touches. Did not score.
If Sydders can get it together he will get a chance in the ones. But he has to find the handle. And he has to excel in the role that is open in the seniors - small forward. It would be a help if he could lay a few tackles.
Cumberland took a big head knock and still kicked three. Threw himself at a spoil in the dying minutes of the game. He is a year younger than Sydney.
*smile* is getting real for Sydney. And his confidence is nowhere near right. He still has time but it's running out. We all wanted him in for Dreamtime but that looks *smile*. Four hard-running weeks with head over the ball. Taking the tackle. Halving contests. Taking front position on the lead and not running under it. Hard chasing. Smothers. Tackles. Heat.
Sydney has to get his hands dirty.
So the VAFA match where he played well was when he played onball right?
It was only a pickup knockabout game of skins vs shirts But he did all that.
Was it just to build fitness or is it to build his game.
We selected him in the ones 2 weeks later.
And on his return to the amateur division he is playing as a small forward?
Lets have him starting onball this week