Somebody said that our midfield is either all taggers or all out unaccountable attack. I reckon that's it in a nutshell.
Until we can find a balance - or blokes that can/will do both (more ideal) we will go backwards relative to the other sides.
Something I cannot fathom is why our blokes will not run hard to create options for the blokes further up the ground. The amount of times the defenders had the ball and kicked to contested situations because nobody presented was infuriating.
I know he is largely forgotten but that third tall defender role - either White or McInnes or Laidler would have been so handy for our defensive structure last night. I reckon that was a costly omission,
100%. Our midfield is that of a bottom 8 side. Small, slow, low skill. Low "hurt factor". Can't get it, or get it AND stop the other bloke.
Can't play Cachia, Carrots and Curnow in the same side. 3 taggers is like playing without half a midfield. Too defensive because the big names don't have a defensive side.
Robinson has had a dog of year - can't buy a kick.
Give Bell or even Graham a go.. and tell 'em to do they do best - hunt the ball. Force the other mob to be accountable by causing scoreboard hurt.
Mundy, Fyfe, Crowley, Barlow at 190 + cm and similar weight...and they run both ways. That's why we were crushed.
Without condoning his effort or otherwise, the MC asking Gibbs to play on a bloke Mayne's size was asking too much. I realise that McInnes and Duigan were unavailable, but what was wrong with picking Laidler as a third defensive option. At different stages Armfield was sitting at CHB... unbelievable.
Ditto one of the three amigos should have been dropped for Menzel and Temay should have been running round, not Carazzo on one leg and half fit.
Our MC have burned us this year. Zero common sense and foresight.
Thanks for stuffing our weekend Carlton, what a putrid, putrid effort. Please explain this in your next email Mick.
1. The play the boundary line game plan (and always kick to a contest) was horribly flawed tonight, can't believe we paid a bloke $1m a year for this rubbish. Had no idea how to beat the press - how's about playing on at all costs? Nup, lets stop, prop, kick sideways....NO FLAIR = NO HOPE AGAINST THE PRESS. 2. Thanks Simmo for having a real go and putting your body in, I'd give Touhy, Jamo and K a tick as well. But why so many passengers??? Time to start playing kids as Murphy, Gibbs, Betts, Yarran, Robinson and many of the others just don't care. Gave NADA. 3. Our mids are all too small. They all gave away 5-10 kgs each and we were monstered tonight in just about every position on the ground. The amount of times they broke tackles was embarrassing. 4. The Rowe experiment is over. Hard hands and no second efforts. Can't win without a forward line. 5. Worst game I've seen from Walker for years. Constantly our of position, fumbles...errors. Stupid frees AARGH. 6. The three amigos. Play like millionaires.. won't do the basics. Playing for kicks instead of attacking the ball - cost 3 goals tonight. Yarra, is taking the urine on that "effort" tonight. 7. Lazy, lazy, lazy. Hard to clear the ball from 50 when nobody presents. Hard to defend when the forwards and mids let the opposition run into space most of the night.
All in all, bitterly disappointed. I said before this year that we are a 9-12 ranked side and that is exactly what we are. We need a CHF, a CHB and 3 midfielders around 190/90 kg. Our gnomes (eg Armfield, Murphy) just aren't in the game against Barlow, Mundy etc
Watson did little to disprove the detractors - only has one shot (the monster drive 2' away from his pad) and has no idea how to work singles... time to start grooming a young opener.
Pity is Iaj is that the pitches they are serving up aren't greentops and Warner was just as deficient against spin as everybody else in India. Like most of them he simply does not have a plan against spin- a defensive plan or a low(er) risk scoring method. He is not the answer to our batting malaise, just another in a long line of stroke players with dodgy techniques and the wrong attitude to Test-level batting.
In fact, if you go through the details, Warner's big scores (BOTH of them) have been made on decks that suited pace bowling where the ball came on. No spin was involved in Perth or Hobart. Yes, he punishes rubbish but at the same time his defensive technique is average.... he gets bowled more often by straight deliveries than any left hander I've ever seen. Then there is Swan...
And to think that he has realigned his attitude after spending 2 weeks with Australia A is laughable. Given that he had another incident on the field recently..... no, he needs to prove that he is 100% sorted before he gets back on the team bus.
On top of that, I don't see how he can be trusted to have pulled his head from his posterior... another incident recently, albeit a minor on field one. Seriously, 2 weeks for Australia A and he gets recalled?
