Carlton Supporters Club

Does that make DJ more mature than us?

My view on today's game:
Carlton listed players:
Billie Smedts:   His best game yet in our colours. He was good last week, but his defensive work, his run and carry and his pressure really made him stand out. I would not be surprised if he is line for promotion next week. And I hope we play him in defence, as we did today.
I have not been over-impressed with his disposal, but today it was much improved. His hands and pace were excellent.

Alex Silvagni:   I was not a fan of signing this guy: I thought he was past it. He has changed my opinion. He was excellent again, for the 2nd week in a row and his opponents didn’t get a sniff. His run and his football brain were noticeable.

Dennis Armfield:   Dennis was very quiet early. He had very few possessions in the 1st half. However, he improved a lot after half time and got more of the ball. That said, his form did not warrant senior selection. However, his on-field leadership was excellent. His presence on the field, with guys like Silvagni, O’Shea and Russell, really gave stability to our youngsters. Even if he does not play any more senior football, he will be worth his contract in his present role.

Jesse Glass-McCasker:   With the lack of rucks this week, a number of players had to revert to their ‘standard roles’. Glass-McCasker was definitely one of those: he was required in defence as Jones could not play there. However, he had a decent game in defence and was in the play more than he has been. I would still like to have him play forward, but that is another issue.
Unfortunately, it appears that he has bone damage to his face. He may miss a number of weeks.

Dylan Buckley:   Buckley ruined an excellent game with 3 terrible turnovers. His pace and run from defence was excellent, as the Willi smalls struggled on him. That sort of form will get him in the thoughts of the match committee, as he was much more consistent, but his disposal will be the issue. This was one of very few 4 quarter efforts that Buckley has produced.

Blaine Boekhorst:   Boekhorst was ordinary early in the game, but as it wore on, he got more and more into it and he started to make less mistakes and produce the sort of football we require. I don’t think he did enough to get a promotion, but he was much better.

Kristian Jaksch:   He actually worked reasonably well today, but things did not fall his way. He took a couple of nice marks and competed well. I would like to have seen him in defence. If he can produce that sort of workrate he might get somewhere other than delisted.

Nick Graham:   Improved as the game went on. He is a star at this level. His tackling was excellent and his disposal much better than it can be. In the end he had more of the ball than anyone else on the ground.

Patrick Kerr:   Improving every week at this point. He took more marks and competed well, and made some excellent decisions that lead to goals. He has produced football much different to mark and kick style of last year. His kicking depth was excellent and field kicking very good. He needs to work on his endurance. But he does look like he could be useful.

Liam Jones:   Jones’ stats may not look that impressive, but his effort in the ruck was the difference between winning and losing. He minimized the influence of the Willi ruckmen and showed aggression, persistence and endeavour that would not have been believed in his first season with us. Even his kicking was more effective.
I would like to see him defence, but we had few options today. I have no idea how many tackles he had today, but it would have been a lot.

Andrew Gallucci:   Didn’t have a great day and struggled to have an influence. Better later in the game, but he only had 2 possessions in the first half.

Harry McKay:   He isn’t ready yet. He runs out of juice far too easily. He can barely play more than a quarter. However, he showed some great signs and really hurt Willi early. He took some great marks and was a great target. Unfortunately his stamina is just not there yet.

Sam Kerridge:   Wasn’t bad, but was not as effective this week. As the game went on Kerridge got more into it. He didn’t fumble much today, which is an improvement.
David Cuningham:   Probably his best game so far. He got huge numbers early and managed to get a LOT of clearances. His kicking was excellent, but his burst of speed from the middle stood out. Pity his kicking at goal was ordinary. He dropped out of the game somewhat, but he still got close to 30 possessions.

Carlton listed players:
Billie Smedts: His best game yet in our colours. He was good last week, but his defensive work, his run and carry and his pressure really made him stand out. I would not be surprised if he is line for promotion next week. Agreed

Alex Silvagni: He was excellent again, for the 2nd week in a row and his opponents didn’t get a sniff. His run and his football brain were noticeable. Agreed

Dennis Armfield: his form did not warrant senior selection. However, his on-field leadership was excellent. His presence on the field, with guys like Silvagni, O’Shea and Russell, really gave stability to our youngsters. Even if he does not play any more senior football, he will be worth his contract in his present role. Agreed

Jesse Glass-McCasker: he had a decent game in defence and was in the play more than he has been. Agreed

Dylan Buckley: This was one of very few 4 quarter efforts that Buckley has produced. The seniors need an effective small defender so it's probably now or never

Blaine Boekhorst:   I don’t think he did enough to get a promotion, but he was much better. Looked more committed to the contest than I have seen before - or was that just the haircut speaking?

Kristian Jaksch: He actually worked reasonably well today, I must have dozed off

Nick Graham: He is a star at this level. His tackling was excellent and his disposal much better than it can be. In the end he had more of the ball than anyone else on the ground. Not so sure about being a star but he is definitely one of the better players at VFL level

Patrick Kerr: Improving every week at this point. He took more marks and competed well, and made some excellent decisions that lead to goals. He has produced football much different to mark and kick style of last year. His kicking depth was excellent and field kicking very good. He needs to work on his endurance. But he does look like he could be useful. Agreed but probably not this year

Liam Jones:   his effort in the ruck was the difference between winning and losing. He minimized the influence of the Willi ruckmen and showed aggression, persistence and endeavour that would not have been believed in his first season with us. Agreed but, good though he has been, it should be noted that Nick Meese is an undersized ruckman Even his kicking was more effective.
I would like to see him defence Agreed  I have no idea how many tackles he had today, but it would have been a lot. I don't think we can question his intensity or willingness to compete - I would be happy to see him get another run in the AFL

Andrew Gallucci:   Didn’t have a great day and struggled to have an influence. Agreed

Harry McKay: he showed some great signs but the commentator was painful in his repetitive calls for him to be promoted immediately to the AFL

Sam Kerridge:   Wasn’t bad, but was not as effective this week. As the game went on Kerridge got more into it. He didn’t fumble much today, which is an improvement. Agreed

David Cuningham:   Probably his best game so far. He got huge numbers early and managed to get a LOT of clearances. His kicking was excellent, but his burst of speed from the middle stood out. Pity his kicking at goal was ordinary. He dropped out of the game somewhat, but he still got close to 30 possessions. Got lots of the ball in the first and last quarter but his kicking skills were far below what I have seen from him before

Buckley is a No from me as a small defender, kicking skills under pressure are not good and either is his decision making, plus with the new age small forward being very competent in the air that also isnt a strength of Buckley who is easily outbodied.

Gallucci wont make it IMO......not enough tricks for a small player IMO...handy VFL type at best...LeBois is a better prospect and we need to look at Liam Ryan from Subiaco, not sure why the latter wasnt drafted given his X factor...

Who was no 16 ??

Who was no 16 ??

No 16 was Marcus Stavrou. He looked pretty good.

As for the VFL listed players:
Sam Russell:   I didn’t see a lot of Sam this week. He is the brother of former rookie Fraser Russell and hasn’t had the injury woes that made his brother retire. He often gets the small defender role and he is steady rather than spectacular. That was pretty much how he was yesterday; he didn’t make a lot of mistakes and he kept his opponents in check, but he didn’t get huge possessions either.

Cameron O’Shea:   An excellent pick-up to this point. Unlike Russell, O’Shea does know when to zone off and get a kick, He has fit in nicely to the team and has added more pace and more stability to our defence (as has Alex Sivagni), Making his opponent be more accountable for him has worked pretty well for him so far.

Luke Russell:   Like O’Shea, Russell has been a good acquisition so far. I don’t think he has played as well as O’Shea as yet, but his presence in the middle shows that having a few Carlton boys missing does not reduce the pace and effectiveness of our midfield.

Glenn Strachan:   Strachan has been a survivor at the NB’s. Most of the guys who started with him since he transferred from Collingwood have gone, He will remain for a while yet, as his kicking and marking are good.